Grainline's Maritime Shorts

Here is the last thing I sewed for my Queensland holiday with Little M - the Maritime Shorts Pattern from Grainline Studios.

Do you know I forgot to get a single outfit photo of me while I was away? I was too busy taking photos of Little M with her three little cousins. Ah well. I wore this outfit on Wednesday (one of my at-home days) -  it was probably actually a little too cold to wear shorts!

Anyway, onto the pattern. I didn't make a muslin for these. Instead I started with a size 6 (the size Moss Mini I wear), and then measured the crotch length of the pattern against a pair of Country Road shorts I have and love. I lengthened the back crotch curve by 3cm and the hem length by 3cm and that was that.

I think they fit well. Maybe a little loose across the back waistband. I might take a wee bit out of the centre back for my next pair.

The pattern came together easily, just like the Moss Mini. The construction is very similar in fact. I made them out of a denim from Tessuti called Costner - now sold out. It is a lovely denim.

I initially worried they were going to be too short, but I actually like the length. Short but not ass-cheek hanging out the back short. I am a bit self-concious of my extremely white legs though. And I need to do a few squats to tone 'em back up!

I also made this t-shirt, from a Dolce and Gabbana jersey I got from Tessuti at 50% off. Yay for sales! This is the Alexa Tee pattern with the Briar neckline. I'm still not sure the neckline suits me as a t-shirt. What do you think?

So.... my first pair of me-made shorts. I think I like them! I don't wear shorts often, but I must admit these are extremely comfortable. I think they will get a lot of wear in the summer here. Do you think they would work in linen (surely everything works in linen!)?

Pattern(s): Grainline's Maritime Shorts and a frankenpattern of Tessuti's Alexa Tee Top and Megan Nielsen's Briar Sweater.
Fabric: shorts - 1m Costner denim from Tessuti. Shirt - 1.4m Dolce & Gabbana jersey from Tessuti.
Notions: 7" regular zipper, stay tape for the shirt.
Alterations: shorts - lengthened back crotch by 3cm and lengthened hem by 3cm.

Papercut Pleated Pants Pattern

Let me begin by saying I love my new pants. I really do. But I do not love the process by which I arrived at them. Here is the tale of the Papercut Pleated Pants.

A few months ago the lovely Anna of Blogless Anna Fame was at my house for a sewing afternoon. We held a bit of a fabric/pattern swap (Leith and Lara were also there so there were lots of swapsies going on). Anna gifted me the Papercuts Pleated Pants pattern, which had been on my 'to-buy' list for a while. I cannot lie, I squealed with delight when she gave it to me.

I was pretty keen to sew them up straight away, but 2 year old birthdays and ponti dresses got in the way, so I have only just made them. I made them in a Bettina Liano denim from Rathdowne Remnants. Lovely denim.

See my dubious expression? There is a reason....

My hair is so gross in these photos. I got it cut today. 

I made a muslin, and thank goodness I did, because the sizing is so off on these pants it isn't funny. I cut the small, and made the following adjustments:

• I took THIRTEEN cm out of the waistband. 
• I tapered in the outer leg by 4cm on each leg.
• I tapered the inner leg by 5cm on each leg. 
• I faced the waistband with leftover Liberty Lawn.
• I did the pleats the opposite way to the pattern. 
• I used 3 hooks instead of 2. 

I also did not use the instructions for the fly front. I used Grainline Studio's tutorial - I discovered this when making my Moss Mini Skirts and it is simply the best tutorial for a fly front I have ever come across. Give it a go - I highly recommend. 

Grrr... you can see the tiniest bit of facing poking out

Do you think it is simply crazy that I had to take 13cm out of a size small waistband? I do. I am usually about a size 12 in patterns - sometimes a 10 for a knit - or a size 6 for the American independent patterns, which I think equates to a size 10-12 Australian. So I'm not a 'small', and certainly not an off-the-size-chart size. I honestly don't know what actually small women would have to do - maybe draft a whole new pattern? 

So ... a reminder to me that muslins are important! Despite the fitting nightmare of these pants I really do love them. I wore them today and they are incredibly comfortable. They are like wearing jeans but more comfortable. I have some suiting in my stash I think I'll make a pair from - what do you think? 

Grainline Moss Mini Skirt

I used to wear mini skirts all the time when I was a young whippersnapper. Not as short as I see around these days, but definitely mini skirts. I haven't worn one in a while, but wanted a denim one for this summer to pair with tanks and singlets.

I thought the new Grainline Moss Skirt looked pretty perfect, if a little short for me. I made it up in a size 6 with no fit alterations bar lengthening it by 15cm. I made it in a lovely black Italian denim from Tessuti.

I wore this to work on Friday - we have casual Fridays. I wore a cream and red striped Veronika Maine blazer over it.

This was my first time sewing a Grainline pattern and my first time sewing a fly like this. The pattern instructions are amazingly clear and easy to follow. There is also a tutorial on the Grainline blog.

I did two things differently. I faced the waistband with the same Liberty cotton lawn I used for the pockets as my denim was too thick to use as the facing.

I also faced the hem with the Liberty as when I tried on the skirt before hemming it was exactly the right length. I despaired for a while thinking it would be more mini than I wanted and then had the lightbulb moment of facing the hem.  

I love this skirt. It is really comfy and a good length for running around after Little M. I also really like the fit. Slim but not tight. Will look good with a pair of Converse or a pair of sandals. My kinda skirt. I think I will make another one in the new year - maybe a red one?

Denim Clovers, Silk Sencha and Meet-Up Details Update

I recently went to the Tessuti sale and bought a very funky ribbed denim that is navy blue backed with a bright green. Pretty cool. I bought 1.5m and made another pair of Clover pants:

I really like this fabric, and they make a cool pair of Clover trousers. Unfortunately though, they are quite a soft denim, so after wearing them for morning tea at Leith's last sunday they were waaaay stretched out. I don't know what to do about that - I wouldn't want to make them too much tighter otherwise I won't get them on!

I also made this Sencha blouse ages ago with a remnant of this lovely silk from Rathdowne Fabrics and Remnants:

Can you see that I missed a button?

I like this blouse, but it is too short in length. It doesn't really do my figure any favours with these trousers, so I think it will be resigned to being tucked in. Ah well. I've learnt my lesson. Lengthen lengthen lengthen!! The little flower buttons were from the Camberwell markets while I was still pregnant. 

I feel like I've gotten a little of my sewing mojo back - I'm making a wearable muslin of the frock I am making for a wedding in New Zealand we are going to in September. Pictures of that soon. I'm enjoying making a flouncy, fitted frock. 

In other news, our sewing meet up now has interstate visitors! Christy and her mate are in Melbourne from Sydney for the weekend and are joining us! At the moment we have 20 people coming - there is no way the cafe I originally thought of will accommodate that many of us, so I booked Time Out Cafe in Federation Square for 3pm. The only catch is that because we're not booked in to eat lunch or dinner, they won't guarantee that we'll all sit together - we might have to have a few tables of 5-6. What do you think? If you can think of another cafe that can house 20 of us and isn't too far from Tessuti please do suggest!

Mmmmm~Meringue

Most of my clothing these days has to be play-friendly, dirt-friendly, and most importantly, comfortable. I can't be swanning around in beautiful frocks anymore unfortunately, because they're likely to end up covered in banana, drool, and all manner of other tasty substances. Bless Little M's cotton socks - I love that little messy bub to bits.

I got the Colette Pattern's Sewing Handbook for Christmas, and am itching to sew all the garments - especially Pastille, but I am going to wait until I stop breastfeeding, as I'm sure my bust size will change. So, in the mean time, I sewed the Meringue skirt - it ticks play-friendly, dirt-friendly, and comfortable.

I made it in a heavy dark denim (no stretch) that I got from Darn Cheap Fabrics for $5/m. I used well under a metre. I had a bit of a fitting debacle with this one - I thought I was a size 8 after the fit of my Ginger Skirt, so I traced off and made the 8. It was rather large on me. So Ruthy got it. I made a 6, and after increasing the back darts slightly and lengthening all the darts, it fits beautifully. And I lengthened it by 4cm.

The skirt is simple to sew. The only challenging aspect is the scallops. I think a beginner might find them difficult. I didn't follow the instructions regarding clipping and grading them - I trimmed the seam allowance right back and zig-zagged them. I think  it is also important to keep in mind that you need a very stable fabric for the outer, and a light-weight fabric for the facings. Otherwise the scallops will not hold their shape or press well. I used cotton voile for my facings.

So... a very simple skirt to play in that looks cute - what do you think? I wore it to a picnic down at Merri Creek last weekend. Little M had a lovely time - she loves being outdoors and loves playing on grass. We're heading off down there this arvo too - hope you're getting some outdoor time this weekend too!

P.S. - the shirt is another Sorbetto, made in cotton voile from Rathdowne Fabrics.

Clover Pants and Jasmine Blouse

Ah, home sweet home. We've been back about two weeks now, and while I really didn't want to come home, now that I'm here it is lovely. I'm reunited with my pup, have been to Brisbane to see my old friends (had a great engagement party to go to) and see my family, and have caught up with my Melbourne friends. And it's Christmas time! I love Christmas, and this year will be especially exciting with Little M.

Since we got back I have repaired the zip on my Clover pants. What a mission! So.. here is my review.

These pants are easy to put together, but challenging to fit. I ended up making 3 muslins before sewing the 'good' version. In the end I gave up trying to get a completely smooth look. I think I'd still be going if I did. 

See the wrinkling around the crotch? And around the knees? I tried like the devil to fix that, but no dice. I made a size 6 for my first muslin, out of material that had stretch. I didn't like the fit, so I cut another muslin out of different stretch fabric to see if it made a difference. The size 6 were huge. So I cut a size 4, and made the following adjustments:

• Lengthened both the front and back crotch by 3.5cm each. 
• Graded between a 2 and a 4 for the waistband.
• Added a smidgeon (probably about 0.5cm) to the inner thighs, tapering to nothing at about the bottom of the knee. 

The fabric I used is a grey stretch (2%) denim from Tessuti, with a bit of a stripe in it. I love the fabric. These pants do stretch out quite a bit after a day of wear, but I think they still look fine.

I desperately want to make a black pair (got a lovely remnant from Tessuti that will be perfect) -- but am thinking of reducing the crotch length by about 0.5cm to only 3cm. What do you think? At the moment they sit on my belly button - I think they're meant to sit below?

I also made the Jasmine blouse to go with these pants. It is a lovely blouse and easy to construct. I made it from a very sweet and very sheer swiss dot cotton (also from Tessuti). I made a size 6 -- I love breastfeeding, but I do not love the increase in my bust size. I'm hoping when I wean Little M that they will go back to my normal size and this blouse will be a bit looser across the bust.

I'd love your advice regarding the pants - I've never had to fit to such an extent before.. and while the Colette Patterns' sew-a-long for the Clovers was wonderful, I found it hard to 'diagnose' my fit issues. I think I need someone there with me to say 'oh yes, those knee wrinkles are due to (insert fit issue)'. Wouldn't that be wonderful?