Pattern Reviews Archives - Page 5 of 10

Lucinda May 16, 2017

Portside Travel Set

I don’t know what I would have done on my trip to Barcelona if I didn’t have this Portside Travel Set, what a lifesaver! Packing for a three week trip isn’t easy, but let me tell you, this duffle bag fit everything but the kitchen sink.

I used the set as one of my two permitted carryons (the other being my backpack with work stuff in it), and here’s everything I packed in it: a full change of clothes, my trench coat, scarf, umbrella, a knitting project, two pairs of sneakers, a full dopp kit and cord pouch, slipper socks, sleep mask, toothbrush and toothpaste, and my pair of glasses. I know I’m missing some other things that were in there, but there was still room to spare!

The dopp kit was especially handy, I fit my gummy vitamins, allergy meds, melatonin, ibuprofen, and some tea bags easily inside. The cord pouch is the perfect size for holding all of the charger cords for my iPad, Kindle, and phone. The pouch was a cinch to make, but the dopp kit was a little fiddly with the curved edges and there were a couple of colorful words used as I tried to get everything to sew neatly through my machine.

My fabric is from the home dec section of Ikea! I toyed with the idea of using some Cotton + Steel/Rifle collab canvas from last year’s fabric collection, but I couldn’t bring myself to spend that much money on a bag that was going to get a lot of wear and tear (and dirt) as I toted it around on my travels. Plus, the hardware and notions alone were a bit of an investment.

I opted to forgo the fusible interfacing, since I never have much luck with fusible interfacing when I make bags, and chose instead to use duck cloth as a sew-in interfacing (well, I spray basted it instead of sewing it, lol). I like how duck cloth pairs with canvas, like with my clutches I made last year, and it provided enough body without the duffle bag being too stiff or “crunchy,” which happens sometimes with Pellon fusible interfacing.

Nothing like a bright lining inside a bag! Makes it easier to see things and find what you’re looking for.

My only complaint about this bag is that because it’s so big, and fits so much, it gets really heavy! Which is really a problem that I caused with my packing, hahaha. It was tough to wear this on one shoulder with my backpack and it kept sliding off, plus the weight didn’t help, so the best way to wear this was cross-body style with my backpack. Especially when I had to hoof it and run through the Madrid airport to get to my gate in time! I could see this being a great bag for a weekend trip via a car ride, but I’ll need to remember to be mindful of what I pack in this when I fly next time.

Pattern: Portside Travel Set by Grainline Studio
Fabric: Body, panels, and lining from Ikea
Hardware:
Buckles – Bagmaker Supply
Swivel Hooks – Bagmaker Supply
Webbing – AGraff Supplies
Zippers – Zipperstop

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Lucinda April 12, 2017

Archer + Alder Shirtdress

I pretty much live in Grainline Studio patterns these days. Linden sweatshirt one day, Lark tee the next, I wore my Cascade duffle coat to death this winter, and I just finished sewing two other Grainline patterns (more to come on those soon). I had a red Morris blazer almost done at the beginning of March but I put it away until the fall so I could start focusing on spring sewing. Oh man, if there was a pants pattern in the line, I would be all set and never really need to sew from another pattern company again!

With all of that said, I present to you my newest creation: an Archer + Alder mashup shirtdress, my first garment of the spring season.

To make this, I followed Jen’s second tutorial for hacking the Alder shirtdress by combining the top of the Archer shirt pattern with the skirt of the Alder dress pattern. I agree with her that the bodice of the Archer shirt lends itself better to this kind of silhouette instead of adding on sleeves to the the Alder bodice, the Alder is too fitted up top and the proportions don’t balance out, in my opinion. Her tutorial is spot-on-crystal-clear and the only change I made was grading the waist of the dress out from a 4 to a 6 since that’s how I fit in her skirt and short patterns.

My personal preference is to wear this dress belted to give myself and the dress a little more definition at the waist (I need it!). To make the belt, I cut two extra buttonhole band pieces and stitched them together. It ended up being just the right length.

(I have the worst resting-bitch-face in these photos, I was getting pissed off trying to get the lighting right so my camera would work! Also, wish I could have taken pics with the camera further away so you could see the length of the dress better but my living room is too small to do that, boo.)

Here’s how it looks without a belt. It’s okkkk….not my fave, I definitely like how it looks belted better. Maybe it would look different if it was sleevless, like the original Alder pattern?

Here’s a comparison of how it looks in the back, un-belted and belted. There’s a good amount of ease in this dress (it’s really an A-line shape from the waist) and I like how it blouses out with the belt.

The fabric is what made this project a little more challenging than I expected; I made the Archer pattern a bunch of times before and adding on a skirt wouldn’t make it a harder project. I used a beautiful rayon denim from Indiesew that’s a dream to wear, but I had a booger of a time getting this fabric to cooperate. It was super shifty, which made it tough to cut out on my cutting table, aka the cutting mat I put on top of my bed (oh how I miss the days of having an actual table to cut on!). Cutting accuracy was not my forte in this project and my front button band is actually slightly longer on one side than the other at the hem – oops. Something else happened with the sleeve that I can’t explain and I ended up not needing to ease in the sleeve cap to the armscye, but they seem to hang alright. The pockets probably should have been stabilized as well to get a nicer result, but ehhhhh they’re fine. The end result was worth it with this fabric (I think it looks like something from Madewell!), but it was a bit of a nail-biter to see if it was going to turn out nicely!

Pattern: Archer and Alder patterns by Grainline Studio via Indiesew
Fabric: rayon denim shirting from Indiesew (sold-out but similar here)

This post is part of the Indiesew Blogger Network – pattern or fabric may have been provided by Indiesew, however all thoughts and opinions are my own

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Lucinda March 14, 2017

Toaster Sweater #1

Navy blue is slowly creeping into my wardrobe as my new go-to color over black, my usual everyday staple color. It started with my Lonetree jacket and long-sleeve stripe top, and a lot of what I’m pinning these days on Pinterest for sewing inspiration is grounded in navy blue. It’s a flattering color for pale people like me!

As a follow-up to the Toaster Sweater #2 I made at the end of last year, I decided to give #1 a try with some ponte I bought from Metro Textiles in December.

First off, this fabric is to die for – the ponte feels like a rayon blend, is incredibly soft after washing, and has a nice drape. I love this fabric so much, I called up Kashi at Metro Textiles to order more!

The fabric isn’t very full-bodied, which is why the funnel neck collapses instead of standing up like in the pattern photos. I was a little disappointed with that, but it’s so cozy to wear I got over that element pretty fast.

I actually tried this pattern out late last year and modified it to be a little longer in body length than what the pattern originally calls for – I thought it looked a bit cropped in the photos and was worried that the length of the sweater would hit right at the top of the waistband of my jeans. Well, I should have just made the pattern as is, because the longer length threw off all the proportions of the sweater, it’s really perfect the way it’s drafted! I don’t find it too short and can wear it with my high rise and lower rise jeans. Maybe it’s the waist band that causes the illusion of the sweater looking short? I also love the deep cuffs of the sleeves, they form a slight flare.

Like Toaster #2, this came together in a snap – it’s an easy-peasy instant-gratification project, perfect for a Saturday afternoon sewing session. Everything was sewn on my serger.

I’m now in the process of wrapping up my “winter” sewing and shifting gears into projects for spring – especially for a trip coming up soon that I’ll share more about in another post. Of course, as I type this, a blizzard is descending on Boston…but I know that spring weather will be here soon!

Pattern: Toaster Sweater #1 by Sew House Seven
Fabric: Viscose double-knit from Metro Textiles

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Lucinda February 28, 2017

Lots of Lark Tees

In my last post, I mentioned how I’m using sewing hacks to make my sewing time more productive. Well, here we are: three Lark Tees that I cranked out in the course of one weekend, all cut out at the same time and sewn assembly line style!

For my first version, I used a lightweight rayon knit from Metro Textiles and cut out the long sleeve/scoop neck variation. As you can see, it’s a bit wrinkly from not taking it out of the dryer in time! I love the fit of the pattern, it’s not too tight but fitted where it needs to be, and will be my new go-to pattern for a basic tee. However, I was surprised with how long the length of the tee actually is and will probably shorten it in future versions.

For my second version, I tried the short sleeve/scoop neck variation in a St. James striped double-knit from Mood. This version is my least favorite because of the length…I don’t know what it is, maybe it’s the proportion of the sleeves and body length, but it just seems too long for me. It’s also interesting how a different weight of fabric gives the tee a different fit, this one is much looser and less clingy than the long sleeve rayon tee. I’m loving how the neck band turned out, look at that even stripe! I probably should topstitch the seam allowance down around the neck to allow the neck band to lay flat, it tends to flip out a bit.

The boatneck 3/4 sleeve version is my favorite! Like the short sleeve version, this is another St. James double-knit from Mood – I love me a good stripe and there’s no such thing as too many striped tees. While the description of this version is a boatneck, it feels more like a wide scoop than a boatneck to me; I’m used to boatnecks coming up to my neck. I would also make a facing next time for the neckline, like Teri did, turning in the seam allowance 1/4 inch and top stitching it looks so-so and a facing would give the tee a much nicer finish. This version is also slightly shorter than the other two, and I like the length. This is due to me not cutting the stripes evenly across the bottom (no idea how that happened) so I chopped off about a 1.5 inches to even everything out.

Renee pointed out on Instagram that this is like the Kate Middleton/Vogue magazine shirt – I had no idea! I love the vertical stripe pocket, that could be a cute addition to a future stripe Lark Tee. Taking some styling cues from the duchess, I wore this top with dark jeans and brown riding boots when I went out last weekend and felt very chic.

Pattern: Lark Tee by Grainline Studio
Scoop and boatneck version with various sleeves
Fabric: rayon from Metro Textile, St. James stripe knits from Mood (1) (2)

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Lucinda February 3, 2017

Grainline Studio Cascade Duffle Coat

After a two years of sitting in my sewing queue, I can finally check the Cascade Duffle Coat by Grainline Studio off my list. I knew this project was going to be a major time investment and the only way I could make it for this winter was to work on it during break between semesters – and boy was I right, I’m drowning in finance homework! No way I could work on a project this size right now with grad school in session.

I’m obsessed with this coat – I’ve worn it non-stop in all kinds of weather since it came off of my machine. If you haven’t read my earlier post, the shell of the coat is a delicious wool melton and the lining is a warm-back coat lining, both from Britex Fabrics. I was skeptical at first that these two layers alone would make a coat warm enough for Boston weather, but I was pleasantly surprised with how toasty I felt wearing this coat in 20 degree weather. Melton is a very thick, dense wool, and the warm-back satin lining has a nice flannel feel on the wrong side and a tight weave. Both of these layers prevent cold air from cutting through the coat. I wouldn’t want to add any other layers to this coat, like an interlining, because this coat is heavy enough as it is! I’m also surprised at the amount of drape in this particular wool melton, I always imagined melton to be a stiff wool fabric. You can see in some of the photos how fluid the fabric is based on how I’m standing or positioning my hands in the pockets.

Like all of Jen’s patterns, this came together in a snap. The sewing itself isn’t hard at all, it’s just the amount of pattern pieces and layers of fabric you need to sew through that make this project a bit challenging. Plus, if you make this out of a plaid, that’s a challenge on another level! The only regret I had was not reading through all of the tutorial posts on the Grainline blog before cutting out the pattern; I missed the errata post about the length of the front band and had to fudge/guess the correct length and make the adjustment. It worked out fine in the end.

It’s honestly dumb luck that I got the plaid on the zipper band to match – I cut the plaid contrast lining out haphazardly thinking that it wouldn’t matter at all if the plaid didn’t match in the hood! Completely forgot about the zipper band, hah.

I love that the plaid peeks out from the hood in the back. The hood is a nice size as well to keep the elements out of my face (and hair). It would look super cute with a fur trim around the edge. The construction of the hood is clever, too, with the facing, although I found that there’s too much lining fabric inside the hood for my liking.

The lining is where I got hung up on a big, silly mistake, of all places. I goofed when I cut out the lining somehow and the lining extended 1.5″ too far past the coat facing once the facings were attached. I didn’t think it would be that big of a deal, and bagged the lining per the directions (which is a brilliant way of lining a coat/jacket/blazer, I need to do that in the future). When I tried on the coat, everything fit beautifully except that you could see the gold lining hanging out around the bottom of the coat. No big deal, I ripped out the stitching, carefully trimmed the lining, and sewed the bottom lining hem in place.

Umm…well, that would have worked, except that I trimmed the lining too short this time and ended up getting all sorts of weird pulling across the outside of the coat since there wasn’t enough ease in the lining length! My fix for this problem, after futzing around for awhile (about three episodes of Poldark, actually), was to attach an extension piece of lining to the area where the lining was too short and with trial and error try to determine the appropriate amount to turn the lining up without getting weird pulling on the outside of the coat. You can’t see it in the picture above, but there’s a pieced sliver of lining fabric across the bottom of the center back hem. It’s not pretty, but it solved my problem and no one is really going to see it or know it’s there but me.

I also tried to add some plaid bias around the coat where the facing meets the lining for an extra little detail – it’s barely visible, I didn’t calculate correctly where I needed to baste it vs where the seamline stitching would be. Whoops.

I love everything about this coat – the flannel-lined patch pockets, the leather toggles, the bright blue wool, and the big, oversized hood. I’d love to make this in the shorter version for spring out of a waxed canvas or some kind of rain coat fabric. Well, maybe not this spring, I need some recovery time from this coat!

Pattern: Cascade Duffle Coat by Grainline Studio
Fabric: wool melton and warm-back lining, both from Britex Fabrics; plaid flannel from Mood
(psst! Looks like Britex is having a 20% off sale on wool until 2/6!)
Leather Toggles: Bias Bespoke
Sweater: Lane Raglan (blogged here)
Jeans: Paige Denim