Vogue 1018 - Sandra Betzina Skirt (#3)

This Sandra Betzina skirt is one of the first patterns I sewed last August when I returned to sewing. It has been one of my favorite patterns this year. I made it twice, both from printed fabrics, and I have worn both many times: the first skirt, from a lightweight Japanese striped woven, and the second skirt, from a sheer cotton plaid.

A DF (dear friend) admired both versions of the skirt, so I decided to make it for her for Christmas. She is taller than I am, so I had to size it up a bit. Previously, I modified the pattern by omitting the zipper and converting the skirt to an elastic waist with a rectangular yoke. I added the length to the top of the skirt, rather than at the bottom or by lengthening the yoke. She loves black (who doesn't?), and I wanted to make it in a knit. The pattern recommends lightweight jersey, so specially I ordered a lightweight wool jersey blend from Gorgeous Fabrics.

I liked the puckered effect of the tucks in the jersey. However the knit tends to stick to itself – I hope this won't make it difficult to wear. I lined the skirt with a lightweight sheer fabric – I thought it might flow better. (Originally I was going to leave it unlined so as not to add to the weight.)

Side One (there's no real front or back)

Other side

Detail of puckered texture

I still plan to make this again for myself, also in black. I think three versions of this skirt in my wardrobe should be sufficient, even for me. :)

Skirt with Twisted Drape -- Avec Poche (With Pocket) :)

I got enough feedback to convince me to make the pocket. Thanks to everyone who weighed in! I think you folks were right – the skirt is better with it. The instructions for the pocket were very confusing so I just made it up as I went along. I finished the pocket with a purple piped edge at the opening, and a bias binding around the outer edge, neither of which were in the original instructions.

Not the greatest photo, but it had started raining on my photographer. Those are raindrops on the lens. I am wearing it with my Teagarden T.

Au Bonheur des Petit Mains - Skirt with Twisted Drape (JHL08001)

My first review of an Au Bonheurs pattern! :)

I fell in love with this skirt when I first saw it on the Au Bonheur des Petites Mains website. However, there were a couple tiny problems. First, the pattern is sized 36-44 and I am not a 44. Secondly, I don't "do" a skirt with a fitted waist. But I just loved the drape/pocket detailing on this piece, so I figured I would make it work.

Once the pattern arrived, I traced off the skirt, enlarging it to a 46. I then converted it to an elastic waist which involved altering both the skirt and the drape. The pattern piece for the drape itself is large and comes as two pieces that you connect together. The drape is intended to be cut on the bias, but with my alterations the pattern piece was too large to put on the bias. Instead, I cut it offgrain as much as possible. If you look at the garment in the photo, it doesn't look like they cut it on a perfect bias either. :)

The fabric, folded back on itself. It's very different on the two sides!

My hand is inserted into the portion of the fabric that is double sided.

This fabric was a very interesting piece I found last summer. I folded it back in the photo so you can see that it is double sided. Or maybe I should say that the purple portion is double sided. The other areas are a single thickness. The fuzzy "trim" indicates where the double sided part of the fabric ends. Also, the dark stripes between the purple are semi-sheer. The reverse of the fabric is a very sophisticated and slightly shiny stripe. After much thought, I decided to use that side for the drape. Where the drape twists, you can get a peek of the purple before it goes into the solid section of the fabric. It's interesting, eh?

The skirt itself is made from a black woven fabric with a slight stretch and a black stripe-on-stripe.

This was very easy and quick to sew up. I have not put the pocket on it. I am not sure about the pocket on me. The pocket in the pattern is fairly small so if I did use it, I would be tempted to size it up a bit. What do you think?

I have enough of this fabric to make myself another skirt. I am conflicted. I think I will use the purple side, but I also love that darker side...

Edited to add: I did make the pocket. You can see it here and here:

French Sewing Glossary

I started this glossary in this post. I am pulling it out as a separate blog entry. I am continually adding to it as I use the Au Bonheur patterns.

Please let me know if you find any errors or come across any phrases that should be added. Thanks!

Last updated: 4/1/2016. Thanks to Bessie Crocker for clarifying several of the terms, particularly about different types of stitches!

• avantbras - forearm
  
• bâtir - to baste
  
• boutons/boutonnières - buttons/buttonholes ("1 bouton pour la taille" = "1 button for the waistband")
  
• boutons pression - snaps (the kind you press, or hammer, that show from the front, not the sew-on type)
  
• les bretelles - straps
  
• coté - side ("Fermer les cotés..." = "Close the sides..." or "...du coté plat de la poche..." = "... the flat side of the pocket..."). I also saw it used to describe a side gusset, on the tee pattern with the 4 hanging points that are tied into knots.
  
• coucher - to place ("Coucher les coutures vers la poche." = "Place the seams towards the pocket.")
  
• coudre - to sew
  
• coudre à points de surjet - to serge (though it literally means "to sew back and forth joining stitches")
  
• ceinture - waistband; also belt or sash
  
• chevaucher - overlap
  
• col - collar
  
• col châle - shawl collar
  
• coutures - seams
  
• couture(s) du cote - side seam(s)
  
• couture(s) de dessous de bras - underarm seam(s)
  
• cranter - to notch
  
• dessus - top ("sur dessus de poche" = "on top of the pocket", "dessus de manche" = "upper sleeve")
  
• dessous - below or underside ("dessous de manche" = "under sleeve"); "dessous" can also mean lingerie (similar to "undies") or interlining
  
• devant - front
  
• doublure - lining
  
• dos - back
  
• droit fil - straight of grain
  
• emmancher - to fit one part into another, often with a fiddly bit that needs to be adjusted, such as easing a sleeve into an armhole
  
• emmanchure - armhole
  
• empiècement - yoke. Note that in the directions for the skirt I made with the twisted drape, they refer to the drape pattern piece as an "empiècement." My French friend thought this strange. She said usually an empiècement refers to a sewn-in yoke, like on a cowboy shirt.
  
• en piquant - (while) catching
  
• éncarter - press ("éncarter les coutures au fer" = "press seams open")
  
• encolure - neckline
  
• endroit - right ("endroit con endroit" = "right side to right side")
  
• endroit du patron - right side of pattern
  
• endroit du tissu - right side of fabric
  
• entoiler - to interface
  
• entoilage - interfacing
  
• entoilage thermocollant - fusible interfacing
  
• entoiler - to interface ("entoiler les parementures" = "interface the facings")
  
• entournure - armhole
  
• l'entrejambe - inside leg ("fermer l'entrejambe" = "close the inside leg seam" (from ankle to ankle)
  
• envers du tissu - wrong side of fabric
  
• les épaules - the shoulders ("assembler les épaules" = "sew the shoulder seams")
  
• double epaisseur - double thickness
  
• épingler - to pin
  
• faufiler - to baste
  
• le fil - thread ("1 fil de couleur contrastante épais" = "1 [spool of] topstitching thread in a contrasting color")
  
• finition - finishing
  
• les flèches - arrows ("coucher les plis selon les flèches du patron" = "form the tucks according to the arrows on the pattern")
  
• fond - background ("fond de poche devant" = "front pocket back", as in a front jeans pocket)
  
• la fourche - crotch ("fermer la fourche" = "close the crotch seam (from bellybutton to bottom)")
  
• le genou - knee
  
• de hanches - hipline
  
• haut - top
  
• jupe - skirt
  
• lainage - woolens ("tissu type lainage" = "wool type fabric")
  
• laine - wool
• lisiere - selvedge
  
• liens - ties ("faire 4 liens" = "make 4 ties")
  
• ligne de pliure - fold line
  
• ligne de taille - waistline
  
• largeur pied de biche - the width of the presser foot
  
• maille - a knit stitch
  
• maintenir - to tack (hold temporarily)
  
• manche - sleeve
  
• milieu - center ("faire la couture milieu dos" = sew the center back seam)
  
• molleton - flannel or fleece—a fabric with some loft, perhaps a Pellon-type fleece or batting
  
• les œillets - eyelets, as in the metal kind you press, or hammer ("Poser l'œillet selon repère du patron." = "Apply the metal eyelet where indicated on the pattern.")
  
• ourlet(s) - hem(s)
  
• pantalon - pants
  
• la parement - facing
  
• parmenture - facing
  
• parmenture du meme tissu - self facing
  
• parmenture de la talle - waistline facing
  
• passepoil - piping
  
• patron(s) - pattern(s)
  
• des pattes de boutonnage - buttonhole placket (or tab) ("Entoiler la moitié des pattes de boutonnage" - "interface half of the buttonhole placket")
  
• le pince/les pinces - dart/darts ("fermer les pinces" = "close the darts)
  
• piquer - to stitch/sew (verb). While the Au Bonheur patterns use the verb "piquer" to indicate stitching, it seems to be a bit inexact. The actual translation of "piquer" is "to sting" or "to bite". "Piquer a la machine" = a machine stitch. The word for a particular type of stitch is "point".
  
• piquer le bord - edgestitch
  
• piqure de soutien - staystitch; literal meaning is "support stitch"—soutien means "support", soutien-gorge means bra, as in "supports the throat"
  
• plaquer - flatten ("plaquer la poche" = "flatten the pocket")
  
• les plis - tucks or folds ("piquer les plis" = "sew the tucks")
  
• pliure - to fold ("dans le pli" = "on the fold")
  
• point - stitch (noun)
  
• point de croix - cross stitch
  
• point de devant - running stitch
  
• pointe de poitrine - bust point
  
• poche(s) - pocket(s)
  
• rabattre - to fold ("puis rabattre les plis" = "then fold the tucks")
  
• rep - ribbing made from silk, cotton, or wool ("1m de reps pour les liens" = "1 meter of ribbing")
  
• repasser - to iron ("repasser pour aplatir" = "iron flat")
  
• les repères - marks ("utilisant les repères B et A" = "using marks B and A")
  
• revers - reverse, as in reverse side of the fabric ("pull á col revers" = "pullover with reverse collar"). Also used to describe something that turns back on itself, such as a lapel, a cuff that is formed by folding back the sleeve hem, or a pocket that has a turned-down element.
  
• scotcher - tape ("scotcher les pièces 6a and 6b..." = "tape pattern pieces 6a and 6b...")
  
• le serre cordon - cord stopper (for round elastic)
  
• simple epaisseur - single thickness
  
• sous-piquer - understitch
  
• surjet - whipstitch. While the translation for surjet is "whipstitch", most instructions using the term mean a serged stitch (using a serger or overlocker).
  
• surjeteuse - a serger (overlocker)
  
• surpique - topstitch
  
• surpique nervure / surpiquées nervurées - topstitch the seam(s) close to the edge (edgestitch)
  
• soufflet - gusset
  
• tissu - fabric
  
• tissu fantaisie - literally translates to "fancy fabric", but is used to mean "novelty fabric" or "contrasting fabric"
  
• tissu souple - "supple" or "pliant" fabric - I think they mean knit fabric, but maybe drapey wovens as well
  
• tissu uni - solid color fabric
  
• triplure - underlining
  
• valeur - amount or width ("surpiquer valeur pied de biche" = "topstitch the width of the presser foot")
  
• veste - jacket
  
• volant - flounce or ruffle
  
• zip - zipper; this is not the "official" word for zipper, which is "fermeture éclair", but is used by these patterns ("le zip invisible" = "invisible zipper")
  

You might also check out this visual chart of hand stitches, or les points de couture.

Self Drafted -- Tank Top w/ Diagonal Seam (Flax)

The version I made. I inserted a greeting card into the in-seam pocket to show its placement.

Original garment

Several weeks ago a DF (dear friend) asked me to create a pattern from a go-to top from her wardrobe. Made by Flax, it's a 100% linen sleeveless v-neck, a-line tank with a diagonal seam, front and back. Cut on the bias, it has a pocket inserted in the front diagonal seam. (I inserted a greeting card in the pocket so you can see its placement.)

It's a wonderful top for layering and she'd worn it so much it was starting to develop holes. This doesn't really matter too much if you are using it as a layering piece, but she wanted more tops like this in different fabrics. While it might look like a pretty straightforward top to copy, it was actually pretty fiddly. (And by "fiddly", I mean "pain in the butt." :) ) The bias coupled with the stress on the original garment, plus the diagonal seams made it fairly tricky. It requires four pattern pieces, not counting the binding on the diagonal seams, because the front and back armholes and neck openings are shaped slightly differently.

I decided to make it up for her as a Christmas gift. She had expressed an interest in experimenting with new fabrics, so I sewed it up in a lightweight black rayon-lycra interlock. Because it was a knit, I cut it on the straight of grain and omitted the binding on the diagonal seams.

Hopefully it will work for her. (I hope she is not reading today, because we haven't yet exchanged our gifts.) This version has a very different drape than the original linen top, but will still work as a layering piece. Meanwhile, I just might have to make one of these for myself. :)

Christmas Booty

I finally took a photo of the wonderful Christmas booty from my kids. (I only exchange gifts with my kids and one close friend.)

I think I did pretty well!!! DD1 went onto Amazon and ordered me three of Sandra Betzina's books. Yay, reading for those nights I have insomnia! Then she went to Britex and picked out two pairs of gorgeous purse handles. I have been wanting to make a purse or two, and now I need to find a design and some fabulous fabric. :)

DD2 knew I liked Threads magazine, so she bought me a two-year subscription. I love how she presented it, though. She took one of her gaming magazines, superimposed a (handmade) Threads banner, and then modified the photo with a silver sharpie. She put yarn and knitting needles in his hands where he had been holding weaponry (I like to knit too, but haven't been doing much lately) and she added a talk bubble that says, "I just learned how to do the backstitch." LOL

Then a friend on Stitcher's Guild was de-stashing her patterns and I bought a number of Sewing Workshop and La Fred patterns from her. I was planning to get them from her later, but as a Christmas surprise, she shipped them to me in time for Christmas. Such booty for shams!

Finally, when I had an opportunity to get the Threads DVD (almost all articles from issues 1 to 146) at the discounted price of $77, I jumped at the chance. I picked up the DVD on Christmas day, so it felt like a Christmas present! Yay, more reading for those nights with insomnia!! I haven't cracked it open yet.

What a great Christmas. ;)

Au Bonheur des Petites Mains - Long Raincoat (#1233027)

(First, can I just say how grateful I am to have this week off work? Also, at the moment, the kids are away skiing, so I can really sew around the clock, or until I need a nap. I go back to work on Jan 5th. BLISS! :) )

OK, a little update on my progress.

I have finished the muslin of the raincoat. I used a twin-sized floral flannel sheet that DD1 has banned from her bedroom. (She used to have a floral theme but has recently decided she detests floral.) It's pretty sad looking, so I will spare you the pictures. But here is what I have learned:

• The 52 is very generously sized.
  
• Some of the fashion details result in sewing through many layers in certain key points, such as the side pocket facing, or the sleeve seam where that gusset is located. I would not want to use a thick or substantial fabric for this reason. Using a lightweight waterproof nylon, or something along those lines, is much more feasible. They used a thicker "quilted" fabric in the lining (matelasse), which is how one can give the coat some weight and warmth. Another approach is to leave it unlined and it will be a fetching, lightweight raincoat. This is my plan. :)
  
• The pattern seems to be pretty well drafted. The pieces go together well, as intended.
  
• There is a lot of ease in the armscye. Enough ease that I think it is intended to sit right on the shoulder point, though the garment in the photo looks like a dropped shoulder. When I re-pinned the sleeve at my natural shoulder, it looked much better. It is not too much ease, the pieces fit together, but it is more than you would typically see for a dropped shoulder.
  
• Even after raising the sleeve on the shoulder, the sleeves are too long. Not too unusual for me, because I have shortish arms. But, in this case, I like the longer sleeve because I plan to roll back the cuffs. (And it may be they were intended to be extra long for rolling.)
  
• I like the sleeve gusset, though the instructions for the snaps on the sleeve gusset still don't make sense to me. The only way they might make sense is if they are using a regular, sew-in snap, rather than a press-on snap that shows from the outside of the garment. However, I wouldn't want a snap there because it would constantly open from the natural stress on the sleeve and you really don't want the gusset to be unsnapped. What I did was to attach the upper to the lower sleeve by using a small tab of fabric, inserted underneath (after the gusset was installed and the topstitching completed). Then, I abutted the upper and lower sleeve at the marked point (over where the tab was hiding), and stitched in the same row of topstitching (both sides) I had previously sewn. Not sure this makes sense, but it looks pretty much like the garment in the photo and I like it. :)
  
• The pocket is very interesting. I would not recommend using a wide elastic, as it makes topstitching very difficult through all the layers. I used a scrap of 1" wide elastic to test the pocket because it was lying by the machine and it was about the right length. :) I will either use 1/4" elastic (as recommended by the pattern) or I will use round elastic with toggles (as shown in the finished garment photo). But I wonder why the casing is so wide for such narrow elastic.
  
• The darts seem to be placed ok. The coat is large and they may need to be shortened, or even raised a tad. I have to think on it.
  
• The front band instructions were just bad. The front band attaches to the right side only. You cut one piece and it has a fold line down the center. The instructions say to fold it right side together and sew three edges. If you did that, you couldn't possibly turn it right side out. Even if you left an opening, it would have no raw edges to use to attach it to the right side. So I sewed only the short ends, turned it right side out, and basted the long raw edges, then basted the whole thing to the right front of the coat. That seems to be the correct way to do it. The only way the instructions might make sense is if you were to sew along the fold line.
  
• The hood is great. I really like this hood. It stays on well and is a nice size. (At least in my muslin.)
  
• The diagram clearly shows the back hem is longer than the front hem. However, the jacket in the pattern photo shows the front hem is fairly long. It turns out the diagram is wrong and the photo is correct. The pattern pieces are shorter at the sides than at CF and CB. I think it looks a bit strange, so I may to reshape the front hem to be shorter in front, as shown in the diagram. Having said that, the raincoat is much longer than I expected. It's mid calf or thereabouts.
  
• The waist elastic starts 7" from the side seam, goes around the back, and then extends 7" from the other side seam. I think this extends too far for my shape, so I plan to shorten it. I will make the final length/placement in the final garment.
  
• The pocket is nice, though placed pretty low - I can't easily reach the bottom of it. I may move it up a bit, if there's room after the waist elastic is in place.
  

In a nutshell? I'm not completely sure about the fit yet. In a yellow floral flannel, the muslin looks a lot like a bathrobe. ;) I have a friend dropping by tomorrow and plan to get her opinion. I have not inserted the hem or waist elastic, which will change the shape significantly, but I will probably just wing it from here. ;)