Posted timey-wimey nearly two months later.
I have been slightly terrified of button holes. Not making them, because my machine makes a very nice button hole, but placing them, because while my machine makes a very nice button hole, I hadn't quite figured out where to put the fabric to get consistent placement. More to the point, I've been leary of my ability to accurately mark button hole placement. For this reason, I've been putting off starting my Mathilde blouses, which is all highly visible buttons up the back. This despite my having cut out two versions of said Mathilde nearly two years ago.
When I signed up for MakeDay at Victory Patterns studio (hosted by by Kristiann from Victory Patterns and Jennifer from Workroom Social — and yes, she is just as bubbly and friendly in real life), I decided it was time to pull up my socks and get going on this top.
I cut a straight size 2. This fabric is a royal blue poly-something crepe. It's rather thick and spongy, but drapes really nicely. When I cut it out I had enough fabric left over to make a Belcarra. Naturally, I made that top first. It sews and presses well, although I managed to scorch the fabric when I was giving the pleats a final press. Boo.
True story: I fully intended to start sewing this top in January but got waylaid because I thought I had lost the button band: fabric, pattern piece, and all. Nightmare! Where could it be? Since I was determined to make this top on Make Day, I planned to reprint the pattern piece(s) and cut new bands out of scraps of fabric. I opened the pattern pdf and couldn't find it. Finally I reread the instructions a little more carefully and discovered that the button/buttonhole bands are part of the back piece. Well then.
So I took my bag of cut fabric and pattern and variety of thread choices and my sewing machine off to the Victory Patterns studio and had a marvellous time. It was great meeting everyone (although I felt a little left out of the Instagram lovefest at the end of the day), drinking wine and mango mimosas and sewing in a group. It was especially nice to have people right there to help if I had a question — and to mock my cheap interfacing when I ironed it to the wrong side of one of the bands. But I had the last laugh because it pulled right off. Yeah. That's good quality, right there.
I spent a lot of time marking the tucks and pinning because I really wanted to get those tucks close to perfect. I managed to do a pretty good job, I think, and then promptly sewed the wrong side to the yoke. Hashtag why the seam ripper is your best friend. Anyway, by the end of the day I had finished the topstitching on the back and only the hem, buttonholes, and sleeves were left to go.
Naturally, with so little to do, I put aside for over a week. I finally got my act in gear so I could wear this top to the charity lunch at the Palais Royale two days ago. One of these days I will train myself to sew in small batches rather than marathoning it.
I made one construction change when putting in the sleeves. I really dislike that puff thing at the shoulder, so rather than gathering only that small section, I gathered between the side notches like a regular sleeve. I think this looks much better.
Check out the excellent seam matching at the sleeves. This will never get old.
About the buttonholes: I am pleased to say that I've finally cracked the code. Not that it was that hard to crack before, but I had never bothered to figure out what all the marks on my buttonhole foot meant. My machine does one-step buttonholes; you pop the button into the foot and it sizes the hole to fit. The foot covers up any markings you make, so I've always found it difficult to see where to put the needle to start the hole. It turns out there's a mark on the side of the foot that you line up with the bottom of the hole, which I now mark with a pin at the edge of the band. Getting it centred is also tricky; I realized I should just chalk a line down the centre of the band and line it up with the mark at the near end of the foot. Other issues: my machine doesn't like doing buttonholes when there is a "thick" seam at the top, so for the top button I am better off doing it upside down. What I'm saying is that doing buttonholes in a line no longer scare me. Hashtag what I learned on my year off.
Since the buttonhole markings on the pattern are for size 3, I put the first one 1.5 cm down from the top, measured the length on my sample buttonhole (1"), then measured 3" from the bottom one hole to the bottom of the next. And yes, that is a mix of metric and imperial measurements. I'm Canadian; deal with it.
Having left them to the last minute, I quickly sewed the buttons on right before I left for lunch. As I biked over, I felt something give...
Yeah. Not so great a job with sewing on the buttons, there. This is where long hair is a blessing.
Fortunately, I had extra buttons so when I got home I sewed them back on. Immediately, if you can believe it. Also, more tightly. I only put six on to begin with because I plan to wear this tucked in occasionally and a bottom button would just get in the way, although I reserve the right to change my mind about that.
The buttons I chose two years ago are light(er) blue acrylic engraved with paisley. I oriented the buttons randomly. I'm not sure if it looks whimsical or just untidy. I used navy blue thread to sew and topstitch since it's not as obvious as my other thread choices.
I'm quite pleased with this top. I like that it can go from dressed down with jeans to dressy. I bought the pattern because I was trying to get more variety than my usual button-down blouses, and I think it will do nicely.
Scorch marks and all.
I have been slightly terrified of button holes. Not making them, because my machine makes a very nice button hole, but placing them, because while my machine makes a very nice button hole, I hadn't quite figured out where to put the fabric to get consistent placement. More to the point, I've been leary of my ability to accurately mark button hole placement. For this reason, I've been putting off starting my Mathilde blouses, which is all highly visible buttons up the back. This despite my having cut out two versions of said Mathilde nearly two years ago.
When I signed up for MakeDay at Victory Patterns studio (hosted by by Kristiann from Victory Patterns and Jennifer from Workroom Social — and yes, she is just as bubbly and friendly in real life), I decided it was time to pull up my socks and get going on this top.
I cut a straight size 2. This fabric is a royal blue poly-something crepe. It's rather thick and spongy, but drapes really nicely. When I cut it out I had enough fabric left over to make a Belcarra. Naturally, I made that top first. It sews and presses well, although I managed to scorch the fabric when I was giving the pleats a final press. Boo.
True story: I fully intended to start sewing this top in January but got waylaid because I thought I had lost the button band: fabric, pattern piece, and all. Nightmare! Where could it be? Since I was determined to make this top on Make Day, I planned to reprint the pattern piece(s) and cut new bands out of scraps of fabric. I opened the pattern pdf and couldn't find it. Finally I reread the instructions a little more carefully and discovered that the button/buttonhole bands are part of the back piece. Well then.
So I took my bag of cut fabric and pattern and variety of thread choices and my sewing machine off to the Victory Patterns studio and had a marvellous time. It was great meeting everyone (although I felt a little left out of the Instagram lovefest at the end of the day), drinking wine and mango mimosas and sewing in a group. It was especially nice to have people right there to help if I had a question — and to mock my cheap interfacing when I ironed it to the wrong side of one of the bands. But I had the last laugh because it pulled right off. Yeah. That's good quality, right there.
I spent a lot of time marking the tucks and pinning because I really wanted to get those tucks close to perfect. I managed to do a pretty good job, I think, and then promptly sewed the wrong side to the yoke. Hashtag why the seam ripper is your best friend. Anyway, by the end of the day I had finished the topstitching on the back and only the hem, buttonholes, and sleeves were left to go.
Naturally, with so little to do, I put aside for over a week. I finally got my act in gear so I could wear this top to the charity lunch at the Palais Royale two days ago. One of these days I will train myself to sew in small batches rather than marathoning it.
I made one construction change when putting in the sleeves. I really dislike that puff thing at the shoulder, so rather than gathering only that small section, I gathered between the side notches like a regular sleeve. I think this looks much better.
Check out the excellent seam matching at the sleeves. This will never get old.
About the buttonholes: I am pleased to say that I've finally cracked the code. Not that it was that hard to crack before, but I had never bothered to figure out what all the marks on my buttonhole foot meant. My machine does one-step buttonholes; you pop the button into the foot and it sizes the hole to fit. The foot covers up any markings you make, so I've always found it difficult to see where to put the needle to start the hole. It turns out there's a mark on the side of the foot that you line up with the bottom of the hole, which I now mark with a pin at the edge of the band. Getting it centred is also tricky; I realized I should just chalk a line down the centre of the band and line it up with the mark at the near end of the foot. Other issues: my machine doesn't like doing buttonholes when there is a "thick" seam at the top, so for the top button I am better off doing it upside down. What I'm saying is that doing buttonholes in a line no longer scare me. Hashtag what I learned on my year off.
Since the buttonhole markings on the pattern are for size 3, I put the first one 1.5 cm down from the top, measured the length on my sample buttonhole (1"), then measured 3" from the bottom one hole to the bottom of the next. And yes, that is a mix of metric and imperial measurements. I'm Canadian; deal with it.
Having left them to the last minute, I quickly sewed the buttons on right before I left for lunch. As I biked over, I felt something give...
Yeah. Not so great a job with sewing on the buttons, there. This is where long hair is a blessing.
Fortunately, I had extra buttons so when I got home I sewed them back on. Immediately, if you can believe it. Also, more tightly. I only put six on to begin with because I plan to wear this tucked in occasionally and a bottom button would just get in the way, although I reserve the right to change my mind about that.
The buttons I chose two years ago are light(er) blue acrylic engraved with paisley. I oriented the buttons randomly. I'm not sure if it looks whimsical or just untidy. I used navy blue thread to sew and topstitch since it's not as obvious as my other thread choices.
I'm quite pleased with this top. I like that it can go from dressed down with jeans to dressy. I bought the pattern because I was trying to get more variety than my usual button-down blouses, and I think it will do nicely.
Scorch marks and all.
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