*Posted timey-wimey after marks were in because as of this date I was up to my armpits in marking and didn't have time to finish the blogpost.
I was a student for a very long time, and developed habits of economy that I've never really lost, even now that I've been earning a good income for a while*. It should be no surprise to anyone who knows me when I make the following declaration:
I love free stuff.
This has been established. I have mentioned before that I love free sewing and crochet patterns since if I screw it up, I'm only on the hook for the fabric and notions, most of which I can reuse. When I saw the Fat Mum Slim photo prompt for May 22 was 'Free,' I thought I should match it to not only the location but to the outfit as well. Everything me-made I wore was made from patterns freely available on the internet.
Top to bottom: Chunky fluorite/aquamarine chandelier earrings, SwoonPatterns scarf-neck cardigan, my blueberry Colette Sorbetto hack, Lekala jeans skirt with spiral gores. I was hoping to add MakeBra's hipsters and a Burdastyle obi to the mix, but I ran out of time.
Quick comments about the earrings and blouse: These are my favourite earrings I've made; I blogged about them here, and the pattern is one among the vast selection at Interweave. Some of the danglers have fallen off despite the initial shake test. I've since learned to make my eye loops a little smaller. The Colette blueberry Sorbetto hack has been blogged here and I've worn it a bunch. The only new things I have to say about it are that a) I probably shouldn't wear it tucked in and b) the fabric does not breathe when worn under a sweater on a hot day.
On to the new stuff. They were both super-quick sews; I cut them out at school in the afternoon and sewed them the evening/night of May 21 in time to wear them the next day (minus the topstitching on the skirt).
Lekala is a pattern company with a lot of free patterns; jeans skirt with spiral gores caught my eye because of the nifty shape. Lekala patterns are made-to-measure: you input your measurements and they send you a pdf. For an extra 50 cents you can get seam allowances added (I chose not to, because free.) A few comments about this:
1) The pdf has no markings to help you match up the pages. This is sort of a problem because the instructions don't show the layout of the pages, nor do they show you what the pattern piece looks like, and since it's a very unusual pattern it's not exactly obvious how the pages go together. Also, despite the fact that I requested letter size, the pattern is cut off before the edges (like what happens when I try to print out an A4 page), which meant I had to use my very best puzzle skills to piece it together.
2) The pdf also has no pattern layout guide or fabric amount requirements. In fact, this is what they say: "First of all please print all the paper patterns and lay them out at the width of fabric you plan to use (usually from 90 to 150 cm) to see how much fabric you will need. Don't forget to count pair parts and symmetrical parts." So helpful. Fortunately, I bought a lot of this (very thin) stretch denim last fall. I wound up using less than 2 yards of it by nesting the spirals as shown in the pic above. You would need more if using a directional print and you didn't want to alternate up/down.
As part of my sewing growth, I've actually started doing some online research about patterns before sewing them up to anticipate problems before I sew instead of having to deal with them after I sew. I only found Thornberry's version, and I'm glad I did because she saved me from folding my fabric before cutting; you need to cut all four gores right-way up or you will have parts of your skirt with the fabric inside out. It looks cool on her skirt, but it would have been a disaster with my denim.
The other thing I was forewarned about was the fit at the waist. Thornberry said she added ease to her measurements and I didn't, but this waist on this skirt pattern is still way too large.
I added a 0.5" seam allowance to the sides when cutting out and I really didn't need to. Not only did I not need to add a seam allowance, I took the waist in about 1.5" on all three non-zipper sides.* The waist facing was also too big, so I just increased the seam allowance at the side seam and cut off the extra at each end. Fortunately, I checked this before attaching the facing to the skirt, which I consider serious sewing growth on my part.
For the record, the spot where it joins the original seam line is well below my hips. This is kind of disappointing given the pattern was supposed to be made to my actual measurements. Perhaps they can't handle pear shapes?
At any rate, the problems are mostly fixed and it fits fairly well. I really, really like this skirt and have already worn it a few times in the past few weeks, but I didn't get around to taking proper photos until yesterday. Yes, I recreated the entire outfit for you. That is how dedicated I am.
I love the way it flares out.
Without the belt, you can see that the waist is still a bit too large. I'm hoping the next wash will shrink it down a little -- if it overshrinks it, I'm hoping the stretch denim will save me.
A closer view. You can sort of see the topstitching; I didn't topstitch the skirt for the 22nd because I didn't have any topstitching thread, and I still don't have any despite plans to buy some. I decided to use a rust-coloured regular thread instead; it looks rather red against the denim, and I might decide to do it over with orange thread. But probably not.
Remember I said the problems were mostly fixed? Here is an issue I can't hide, and it's nothing to do with the pattern itself: the zipper. First: the technical drawings show a seam at centre front, but in the inspiration drawing the centre front seems falls between two seams, and I prefer the way that looks. However, it means that the side zipper is no longer at the side. Nor is it at the back, but somewhere in between. That wouldn't matter so much if my invisible zipper was actually, you know, invisible.
I used the invisible zipper because a) it's a really light denim and b) it's what I had in my notions box. Despite my previous success with the Anna dresses and Lauren's tutorial, this is not a good install. I tried pressing the life out of it, but that did not help. Should I have interfaced it? And more importantly, can it be easily fixed?
Last comment about this pattern: it is really easy and quick to put together, with only two pattern pieces, but I'm not sure I would classify it as suitable for beginners. The only instructions are written and assume you know what you're doing. Case in point: "5. Apply zipper according to zipper instructions." Thank you, that's very helpful. That being said, it's an awesome skirt. I love the twirliness factor.
On to the last make, which I actually made before the skirt but since I still need to hem it... you know the story.
There was a discussion in the MMM Flickr group about the lack of sewn cardigans and someone linked to this pattern from Swoon Patterns. I've been needing a cream/beige spring/summer cardigan for a while; I have yet to finish the one I started crocheting last May and I never got around to refashioning one of my pullovers, but then I got an idea. I received 1.5 yards of this beigy-cream ribbed knit in a FabricMart mystery bundle, and I didn't know what to do with it. I couldn't make a top from it; the colour would wash me out near my face. I was resigned to using it for loungewear when the cardigan discussion came up and a lightbulb went on. Turns out the fabric is perfect for a light cardi, and I have worn the heck out of this lady in the few weeks I've had her, massive mistake and all.
I didn't want a long cardigan, so I shortened it to waist-length, a tricky job given the irregular bottom hem. That plus cutting the small size and 3/4 sleeves used just over 1 yard of fabric. It sews up super fast even on a regular machine; I used my trusty stretch stitch and didn't bother finishing the seams (or hemming, as I said), although I might get around to that later. The sewing might have gone a bit too fast however; I made a massive mistake in construction but... I don't want to tell you what it is because I want to know a) is it really obvious (everybody has told me they didn't notice until I pointed it out) and b) should I bother fixing it? It is fairly easy to fix, just tedious and I'd naturally rather avoid unpicking stretch seams if I don't have to.
I think the effect of the mistake is more noticeable from the back, although I don't know that you would be able to tell why it's doing that.
The instructions are fairly clear; although they are mostly text, there are a few drawings to help you out. Step 4: "Sew the “L” curves at the top of the Top Panels to the entire top of the Back Panel" had me confused for a little at the beginning, but it became clear once I had sewn up to that point. The pdf has a layout grid and letters and numbers to help with the matching, and the pattern pieces have useful things like "This edge attaches to matching edge of matching Front Panel" and "This edge gets hemmed." Highly recommend; would sew again.
So there you go. It is possible to create an entire, and if I do say so myself, fairly classy outfit out of free patterns. All I need to do now is figure out how to get free material and notions -- does sewing from the stash count as free?
*Student rule #1: Never turn down free food.
**Yes, yes, I attached the zipper and finished a seam before checking the fit. I haven't gotten rid of all my bad habits yet.
I was a student for a very long time, and developed habits of economy that I've never really lost, even now that I've been earning a good income for a while*. It should be no surprise to anyone who knows me when I make the following declaration:
I love free stuff.
This has been established. I have mentioned before that I love free sewing and crochet patterns since if I screw it up, I'm only on the hook for the fabric and notions, most of which I can reuse. When I saw the Fat Mum Slim photo prompt for May 22 was 'Free,' I thought I should match it to not only the location but to the outfit as well. Everything me-made I wore was made from patterns freely available on the internet.
Top to bottom: Chunky fluorite/aquamarine chandelier earrings, SwoonPatterns scarf-neck cardigan, my blueberry Colette Sorbetto hack, Lekala jeans skirt with spiral gores. I was hoping to add MakeBra's hipsters and a Burdastyle obi to the mix, but I ran out of time.
Quick comments about the earrings and blouse: These are my favourite earrings I've made; I blogged about them here, and the pattern is one among the vast selection at Interweave. Some of the danglers have fallen off despite the initial shake test. I've since learned to make my eye loops a little smaller. The Colette blueberry Sorbetto hack has been blogged here and I've worn it a bunch. The only new things I have to say about it are that a) I probably shouldn't wear it tucked in and b) the fabric does not breathe when worn under a sweater on a hot day.
On to the new stuff. They were both super-quick sews; I cut them out at school in the afternoon and sewed them the evening/night of May 21 in time to wear them the next day (minus the topstitching on the skirt).
Lekala is a pattern company with a lot of free patterns; jeans skirt with spiral gores caught my eye because of the nifty shape. Lekala patterns are made-to-measure: you input your measurements and they send you a pdf. For an extra 50 cents you can get seam allowances added (I chose not to, because free.) A few comments about this:
1) The pdf has no markings to help you match up the pages. This is sort of a problem because the instructions don't show the layout of the pages, nor do they show you what the pattern piece looks like, and since it's a very unusual pattern it's not exactly obvious how the pages go together. Also, despite the fact that I requested letter size, the pattern is cut off before the edges (like what happens when I try to print out an A4 page), which meant I had to use my very best puzzle skills to piece it together.
2) The pdf also has no pattern layout guide or fabric amount requirements. In fact, this is what they say: "First of all please print all the paper patterns and lay them out at the width of fabric you plan to use (usually from 90 to 150 cm) to see how much fabric you will need. Don't forget to count pair parts and symmetrical parts." So helpful. Fortunately, I bought a lot of this (very thin) stretch denim last fall. I wound up using less than 2 yards of it by nesting the spirals as shown in the pic above. You would need more if using a directional print and you didn't want to alternate up/down.
As part of my sewing growth, I've actually started doing some online research about patterns before sewing them up to anticipate problems before I sew instead of having to deal with them after I sew. I only found Thornberry's version, and I'm glad I did because she saved me from folding my fabric before cutting; you need to cut all four gores right-way up or you will have parts of your skirt with the fabric inside out. It looks cool on her skirt, but it would have been a disaster with my denim.
The other thing I was forewarned about was the fit at the waist. Thornberry said she added ease to her measurements and I didn't, but this waist on this skirt pattern is still way too large.
I added a 0.5" seam allowance to the sides when cutting out and I really didn't need to. Not only did I not need to add a seam allowance, I took the waist in about 1.5" on all three non-zipper sides.* The waist facing was also too big, so I just increased the seam allowance at the side seam and cut off the extra at each end. Fortunately, I checked this before attaching the facing to the skirt, which I consider serious sewing growth on my part.
For the record, the spot where it joins the original seam line is well below my hips. This is kind of disappointing given the pattern was supposed to be made to my actual measurements. Perhaps they can't handle pear shapes?
At any rate, the problems are mostly fixed and it fits fairly well. I really, really like this skirt and have already worn it a few times in the past few weeks, but I didn't get around to taking proper photos until yesterday. Yes, I recreated the entire outfit for you. That is how dedicated I am.
I love the way it flares out.
Without the belt, you can see that the waist is still a bit too large. I'm hoping the next wash will shrink it down a little -- if it overshrinks it, I'm hoping the stretch denim will save me.
A closer view. You can sort of see the topstitching; I didn't topstitch the skirt for the 22nd because I didn't have any topstitching thread, and I still don't have any despite plans to buy some. I decided to use a rust-coloured regular thread instead; it looks rather red against the denim, and I might decide to do it over with orange thread. But probably not.
Remember I said the problems were mostly fixed? Here is an issue I can't hide, and it's nothing to do with the pattern itself: the zipper. First: the technical drawings show a seam at centre front, but in the inspiration drawing the centre front seems falls between two seams, and I prefer the way that looks. However, it means that the side zipper is no longer at the side. Nor is it at the back, but somewhere in between. That wouldn't matter so much if my invisible zipper was actually, you know, invisible.
I used the invisible zipper because a) it's a really light denim and b) it's what I had in my notions box. Despite my previous success with the Anna dresses and Lauren's tutorial, this is not a good install. I tried pressing the life out of it, but that did not help. Should I have interfaced it? And more importantly, can it be easily fixed?
Last comment about this pattern: it is really easy and quick to put together, with only two pattern pieces, but I'm not sure I would classify it as suitable for beginners. The only instructions are written and assume you know what you're doing. Case in point: "5. Apply zipper according to zipper instructions." Thank you, that's very helpful. That being said, it's an awesome skirt. I love the twirliness factor.
On to the last make, which I actually made before the skirt but since I still need to hem it... you know the story.
There was a discussion in the MMM Flickr group about the lack of sewn cardigans and someone linked to this pattern from Swoon Patterns. I've been needing a cream/beige spring/summer cardigan for a while; I have yet to finish the one I started crocheting last May and I never got around to refashioning one of my pullovers, but then I got an idea. I received 1.5 yards of this beigy-cream ribbed knit in a FabricMart mystery bundle, and I didn't know what to do with it. I couldn't make a top from it; the colour would wash me out near my face. I was resigned to using it for loungewear when the cardigan discussion came up and a lightbulb went on. Turns out the fabric is perfect for a light cardi, and I have worn the heck out of this lady in the few weeks I've had her, massive mistake and all.
I didn't want a long cardigan, so I shortened it to waist-length, a tricky job given the irregular bottom hem. That plus cutting the small size and 3/4 sleeves used just over 1 yard of fabric. It sews up super fast even on a regular machine; I used my trusty stretch stitch and didn't bother finishing the seams (or hemming, as I said), although I might get around to that later. The sewing might have gone a bit too fast however; I made a massive mistake in construction but... I don't want to tell you what it is because I want to know a) is it really obvious (everybody has told me they didn't notice until I pointed it out) and b) should I bother fixing it? It is fairly easy to fix, just tedious and I'd naturally rather avoid unpicking stretch seams if I don't have to.
I think the effect of the mistake is more noticeable from the back, although I don't know that you would be able to tell why it's doing that.
The instructions are fairly clear; although they are mostly text, there are a few drawings to help you out. Step 4: "Sew the “L” curves at the top of the Top Panels to the entire top of the Back Panel" had me confused for a little at the beginning, but it became clear once I had sewn up to that point. The pdf has a layout grid and letters and numbers to help with the matching, and the pattern pieces have useful things like "This edge attaches to matching edge of matching Front Panel" and "This edge gets hemmed." Highly recommend; would sew again.
So there you go. It is possible to create an entire, and if I do say so myself, fairly classy outfit out of free patterns. All I need to do now is figure out how to get free material and notions -- does sewing from the stash count as free?
*Student rule #1: Never turn down free food.
**Yes, yes, I attached the zipper and finished a seam before checking the fit. I haven't gotten rid of all my bad habits yet.
I really like both your skirt & 3/4 cardi! I think I'll be adding a waist length cream Swoon to my spring queue! ;) and perhaps a denim swirl skirt as well - if that's not completely weird... - I do really like your 'free' outfit ;)
ReplyDeleteIt wouldn't be weird, it's just showing good fashion sense. I've already got my eye on some lovely blue knit to copy your version.
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