Category Clothing

Hey June Handmade Halifax Hoodie for #sewmystyle August

bellecitadel 5 Comments

I got the date completely wrong for this one again and thought I had another week to make it, when in actual fact the reveal date was last Sunday. If it had been any other pattern I would just have skipped it, but I actually really need a new hoodie, since my beloved grey Nike hoodie bit the dust a couple of months ago.

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There are an absolute ton of different options for the Hey June Handmade Halifax hoodie and you can see all sorts of interesting versions if you do a quick search, from a sweater with interesting design lines, to a cowl neck zippered hoodie. I knew that I wanted a traditional front-zippered, hooded-hoodie and this is View C from the pattern. It’s the most time-intensive, but even this version didn’t take very long at all – half a day at most. Continue reading “Hey June Handmade Halifax Hoodie for #sewmystyle August” →

New outfit: Kristin crop top and Heidi shorts from Seamwork

bellecitadel 7 Comments

Hello chaps! Thanks for all your lovely comments and feedback on both the Alexandria peg leg trousers and Butterick B6551 dress I made recently. I called the Butterick dress a “semi-fail”, but have managed to wear it plenty since I made it, so it worked out ok in the end! We sewists can be pretty tough on ourselves, but I usually only point out errors in case it helps anyone else avoid making the same dumb mistake, or helps people with a similar body shape to mine decide if they want to make the garment or not. I don’t really beat myself up about it other than thinking “Huh, that’s a shame” – it’s all part of the learning process, right? But it sure is nice when people reassure you! So thanks. 🙂

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Anyway, all this preamble is really because I’m kind of lukewarm on this project too, haha! Let me say up front that I half expected to be lukewarm because of the slightly boxy shape, but I was really interested in the Seamwork Kristin top with its unusual design, and I wanted to try it out from a mechanical point of view. I gather this style was quite popular back in the sixties, and it comprises a wrap-style tank with an interesting three-armhole design. It has “bust darts, a relaxed fit, and a slightly cropped length make for a flattering fit for both misses and curvy sizes” according to Seamwork. What this means is you effectively make a front, a back and then another half-front and half-back and sew them all together. Then you wrap it around yourself and the weight, plus a snap, holds it all in place. Continue reading “New outfit: Kristin crop top and Heidi shorts from Seamwork” →

New trousers: Alexandria peg leg pants from Named

bellecitadel 14 Comments

The new Design Your Wardrobe has started and I’m planning to take part again and try to come up with a few A/W outfits. In the meantime, I haven’t quite finished my original S/S collection and this is one of the main takeaways from the first time round: I was a little ambitious! 🙂 I came up with ideas for 6 different outfits and I think 3 would probably be a better number, given the way my plans change and other garments crop up over the weeks.

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I’m trying to finish off the last few items for the first collection, give or take a couple of small garments, as most of them are still relevant to be honest. Now that I look back on what I came up with, it’s really more of a spring/autumn wardrobe than a summer one – and that is also a useful revelation! Continue reading “New trousers: Alexandria peg leg pants from Named” →

New fail: Butterick B6551 dress

bellecitadel 10 Comments

Yes, it’s a bit of a fail, this one, but I have to qualify that by saying it’s not going in the scrap heap quite yet. Let me tell you what happened:

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It got hot. It got hot EVERYWHERE this July and I happened to spot this pattern in Joann Fabrics on a swelteringly breezeless day and thought to myself “Doesn’t that chick on the pattern front look deliciously cool in her light flowing dress… it doesn’t look like a tent on her though (remember this part – it’s important later)… hmm, it’s not my usual style… but yes, I think I’ll give it a try”. I was kind of sold by the red dress fabric if I’m honest, which is of course a very BAD reason to buy a pattern. Also the fact it says “FAST& EASY” right at the top, with little racing car lines to hammer in the point. Continue reading “New fail: Butterick B6551 dress” →

New shorts: True Bias Lander shorts for #sewmystyle July

bellecitadel 17 Comments

A little flurry of blog posts before August hits us, but I wanted to sneak this one in as it’s the #sewmystyle project for July and this project was one of the ones I was most looking forward to in the challenge calendar. I eyed up the Lander trousers pattern when it was released, saw some of the lovely versions around, and so was pleased to see it make its appearance in this challenge list. I decided to make the shorts as a wearable muslin as I’d seen quite a lot of the same issues cropping up on the #sewmystyle page and was pretty sure some of them would apply to me.

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One thing I had noticed about the True Bias Landers, even months ago, was that lots of versions looked a little strained at the tummy, where the button fly is situated. The exposed button fly is quite a distinct design feature of the Landers, so I wondered whether it was just because it’s a button fly, if they were wrinkles after wearing them, or whether the ease was, in fact, a little skimpy in that area. As Lander examples started to come in on the #sewmystyle Facebook page, quite a number of people mentioned the need for full tummy adjustments, which led me to think it was maybe a drafting feature, rather than wear and tear, as it were. Continue reading “New shorts: True Bias Lander shorts for #sewmystyle July” →

New top: True Bias Ogden Cami for the #ogdenidaswap

bellecitadel 3 Comments

I’ve had this cami in my sights for ages, since it’s one of those uber popular patterns that everyone and their granny has made. My main issue with it was the same issue anyone with large breasts has with a cami – that you could wear it without dirty great bra straps showing and spoiling the view. I don’t have anything against bra straps showing per se, (I am a young adult of the 90s where it was de rigeur), but for this kind of top I think my massive over-the-shoulder boulder houlders kind of spoil the delicacy of the garment.

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Anyway, I’d read a few reviews from sewists who said it wasn’t too much of an issue because of the strap width – and then I saw an Instagram post from Jen @jenlegg4 about the #OgdenIdaSwap challenge, which she hosted along with Laura @cottonreelstudio. The challenge was to make either the Ida bag, the Ogden cami or both, for a Secret Santa-type recipient and post ’em off. This is exactly the kind of thing that will get me all invested in a pattern, and so it was to be… Continue reading “New top: True Bias Ogden Cami for the #ogdenidaswap” →

New jeans: Closet Case Patterns Gingers

bellecitadel 13 Comments

After making the Morgan jeans, also from Closet Case Patterns, I knew for sure the Ginger jeans would be in my near future. For a start, I already had the pattern and the denim, but the main reason was that the Morgans worked out so well. The Ginger jeans are the most popular jeans pattern around and I also wanted another pair of jeans before Me Made May 2018 started, so all the stars aligned to make this project a top priority on my list. Needless to say, I didn’t quite make it for May, since it’s now… July.

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Even though I’ve made a few pairs of jeans/chinos now, I made sure to check out the Closet Case Patterns Ginger jeans sewalong, which has an absolute ton of information on every aspect of this make. My mind really is a sieve and I still feel like I need to refresh my memory every darn time. I actually had the paper pattern for once and decided to trace off a 16. I made an 18 in the Morgans, which is too big, but then the Ginger jeans have more negative ease. Then again, I’ve lost a little weight recently… in the end, I just went with my measurements and a willingness to make a few adjustments, if required. Continue reading “New jeans: Closet Case Patterns Gingers” →

New TNTs and first impressions of the coverstitch Brother CV2340

bellecitadel 8 Comments

That’s a pretty boring old title up there. Not sure if I’d open this post to be honest, unless I were thinking of buying a coverstitch machine, in which case: you’ve come to the right place, guvnor! I’ve been eyeing one up for quite some time, and my recent purchase happily coincided with plans to rustle up a few more knit basics, giving me the chance to combine both mildly interesting subjects into one marginally-more-interesting post. Buckle your seatbelts, sewists…

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Coverstitch machine details

As you can see, I plumped for the Brother CV2340 coverstitch in the end. This means that I actually have the holy trinity of beginner machines, as it joins my Brother CS6000i sewing machine and Brother 1034D serger. I have had no issues at all with my regular machine, and I love my serger, so I figured the coverstitch was probably going to be okay too. Don’t get me wrong – they all shoogle around a bit and I’m glad nobody lives underneath me, but they’re reliable and they do the job.

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Continue reading “New TNTs and first impressions of the coverstitch Brother CV2340” →

New menswear: Seamwork Harrington swimshorts

bellecitadel 6 Comments

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Another tick from my #menswearmakenine project this year, and the first that my husband specifically requested, making it very slightly more nerve-wracking. In the past, some sewists have said to me, “Oh you’re so nice, making clothes for your husband”, but, and I swear this is true, I do it because I find it interesting and I get to fit someone else, even if it that person is of the male persuasion – and Tom really is a “typical T” male shape, with very broad shoulders and slim hips. It helps my skills and also concentrates my finishing. I’m very much an ideas person, who is not always the best finisher in any sense, but making something for another person means I take more time over the final result rather than taking shortcuts or settling for shoddy finishing, which I would be more likely to do, were it a garment for me.

Continue reading “New menswear: Seamwork Harrington swimshorts” →

New robes: Helen’s Closet Suki kimono robes for #sewmystyle June

bellecitadel 6 Comments

June has been a funny old month for sewing. I feel like I might have said that already in another post. I’ve had a few slightly frustrating sews, where I haven’t quite finished the project or the garment didn’t quite fit right. All par for the course for sewing, but a little unsatisfying. I’ve also given myself a fair bit to do with various challenges and decisions. I enjoy these and they’re completely voluntary of course (so I only have myself to blame), but I have hit a little bottleneck recently.

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Continue reading “New robes: Helen’s Closet Suki kimono robes for #sewmystyle June” →