Back with a quick post and a quick make! This was a refashion of a maternity dress I blogged back in 2018. The original dress was a mash up of the Maternity Agnes pattern from Tilly and the Buttons, along with the cowl neckline from the Seamwork Neenah pattern, but I’ve now updated that to a self-drafted split funnel neck instead. I loved the original dress, although my records show I only wore it ten times. Perhaps the weather warmed up too quickly that spring–this is definitely a winter dress as the fabric is soooo snuggly!
I turned the dress from maternity to regular fit simply by seam ripping the side seams and resewing them without the gathers for the bump. It meant the front was then quite a bit longer than the back! I cut it about 2.5″ shorter all round as I prefer a more mini look in the winter with thick tights. A quick rehem and the dress was finished… almost!
Just popping by with a quick post today, as this is my third Oslo Cardigan to hit the blog in the last year. This time, though, I’ve gone and made a longline Seamwork Oslo. Go me! I’m modelling it in the pictures, but it’s now with Mum. She’s a similar size to me at the shoulders, which is what matters with a pattern like this 🙂
I made this with a ribbed grey sweater knit (affiliate link) from Minerva, which I paid for with my own money for a change 🙂 It’s a medium weight with a nice drape, and is still in stock in five colours if you’re interested. What I loved about this fabric was it behaved really nicely when sewing up, and the ribbed and marled yarn gives more interest and depth than a regular plain sweater knit. Plus it’s really soft against your skin! It’s not super warm so not suitable for winter woolies, unless you layer it up well. On the plus side, that should make it something Mum can wear for most of the year here in the UK.
Oh look, here I am blogging my second take on the Sew Over It Heather Dress, and it’s a 2021 make. How recent is that? And I didn’t get any of the fabric from Minerva. I don’t even recognise myself any more! Don’t worry, though, I have plenty of catching up still to do. I just felt like sharing something snuggly and weather appropriate rather than a pair of shorts 🙂
I had my first go at the Heather Dress back in 2017 and at the time I wasn’t all that sure I liked how it turned out. However, I got used to the more sporty, colourful look and my Stylebook wardrobe app tells me I’ve worn it 44 times since then. Not too bad, I suppose, considering I spent some of that time pregnant and then too large to fit back into it.
I’ve always wanted to have another try at it with a more classic black contrast and dark patterned fabric combination like Lisa Comfort models in the sample pictures on the Sew Over It site. I bought this gorgeous zebra jacquard knit from Fabric Godmother over a year ago (sadly no longer in stock) using a gift voucher I was given for my birthday. The black ponte I bought from a local fabric shop is a bit thinner than the jacquard, but I thought that would probably make the dress a bit more wearable. We don’t tend to get that much really cold weather here in Somerset, although this last week has been an exception. Brrrr!
Incidentally, I just discovered that the local fabric shop I used, Steve Bane Fabrics in Frome, has recently closed down for good. Thank you very f8*cking much, Covid. I was looking forward to getting back to doing some fabric shopping in person when the lockdown ends. I guess I’ll just have to travel to Bristol or Bath to be able to fondle fabric lovingly before I buy.
Still, buying online can work out amazingly well at times, and that was definitely the case with this zebra ponte which really exceeded my expectations. It’s super snuggly and pretty thick, but not unwieldy. Fabric Godmother didn’t give any indication of the fibre content but I’m guessing it’s a polyester/viscose/elastane blend, based on my previous experience with pontes. It’s a lovely quality at any rate.
Sewing up the pattern was relatively straightforward as I’d figured out a few changes to make the first time around. It’s much simpler to put the sleeves in flat and I used a different neckband technique–from my old favourite Gertie Sews Vintage Casual (affiliate link)–which results in a flatter, neater finish. I also trimmed the shoulders by 1cm on each side as I’m pretty narrow shouldered.
My only hiccup when sewing it up was when I misread the instructions and clipped the wrong section at the pocket top. Hopefully that won’t be a problem as I overlocked all along the clipped seam which should help it to stay together, but if necessary I’ll put a few hand stitches in there to reinforce it.
Now for the elephant in the room: sizing. Last time I made this up I was a bit slimmer and fit into the 10 at the bust and 12 at the hips, but cut a 10 as the internet said it ran a little large. I’m still wearing that size ten dress, but I’m trying to be honest with myself and sew for the size I am now, rather than the size I might possibly return to at some point in the future.
So, this time my measurements (full bust 38″, high bust 37″, waist 31″, hips 42.5″) suggested I should cut a 12 at the bust and 14 at the waist and hips. I decided to go with that. Ideally I would have cut a 12 at the waist too as there’s quite a bit of ease there, but I couldn’t wrap my head around grading that with all the panels and pockets. It was simpler to grade between further up. I suppose I could have risked cutting a straight size 12 but after reading this informative blog post about swayback adjustments I realised that my problems with fabric pooling at my back might be more down to me not allowing enough ease over my bum and hips. I’m actually pretty pleased with how a larger size has eliminated most, if not all of the fabric pooling:
Okay, it’s not perfect but it’s definitely good enough for me. I would have liked to take in a bit more fabric at the princess seams but after trying several basted fittings with different amounts taken in at the side and back seams, I opted for a very small amount of slimming down. This was no more than 2cm total taken in on any one seam – probably about 7cm in total – as more than this resulted in lots of drag lines at the sides above the pockets. I wonder if this was partly because the black ponte was less beefy than the zebra. Perhaps it would have been more successful if both fabrics were the same weight.
You can still see some drag lines in the photo above along with something strange going on at the back of the arm, but I can live with it. Something I’m still wondering about is whether to peg the skirt a little by taking it in a few inches at the bottom. I’m not sure I’ll bother but it’s possible I’ll give it a try next time my machines are threaded up with black.
Anyway, with all that pointing out of drag lines and possible future alterations you might be thinking I’m not happy with my finished Sew Over It Heather Dress, but the truth is I love it! It’s definitely a bit of a looser fit than I’m used to but there’s enough shape still there to suit me. I cut it a bit shorter (around 2″) as I thought that looked better with the more roomy fit.
The things I particularly love about this Heather dress are the pockets (such a clever design feature) and the zebra fabric. It’s one hundred percent me and I feel fabulous in it. It’s also really cosy on these cold, dreary lockdown winter days. I’ve been wearing it three times a week since I finished it. Yes, it does get washed sometimes. Honest!
My only regret is that I didn’t order more of this gorgeous fabric. I could so see myself in a cardigan made out of it!
Fabric: Zebra Jacquard Jersey from Fabric Godmother (no longer in stock) and black ponte from local fabric shop
Modifications: shortened hem by 5cm
Costing:
Pattern: £6.01 (originally paid £6 on sale plus £6.02 2x A0 printing, but this is the second use so I halved that total)
Fabric: £12.00 for zebra ponte (but only really paid £1.69 myself) and £7.50 for black ponte.
Notions: £0.00
Total: £25.51 (or £15.20 depending on how you want to count that gift voucher)
Either way, it’s a reasonable price for a dress I love and will wear loads!
On the Sewing Table
I’m currently working on the toile for my Butterick B5526 shirt, by which I mean I’ve stitched it together, realised it was definitely too small, let it out a bit and then realised it needs more substantial work. I’ve let out the front princess seams and pinned in the fabric needed to make it work.
Top row: the size 12 sewn with no alterations. Bottom row, after adding 2cm each side seam and letting out front princess seams. Definitely fitting better now!
It would definitely be easier to pick a larger size in the first place, but I bought this now out of print pattern years ago when I was a bit slimmer, and the largest pattern size in the envelope is a 12. My current measurements dictate I should go for somewhere between a 14 and 18, but I thought I might get away with it as I know Butterick include a lot of ease and I wanted a close fit. Alas, that wasn’t to be.
Luckily I have a copy of the The Palmer Pletsch Complete Guide to Fitting (affiliate link) which gives great info about altering princess seams, and really clear visuals. It’s going to be a bit technical but I’m rather looking forward to doing a proper pattern adjustment rather than just fudging it. I can see this shirt being one I make over and over again, so it’s worth getting it right.
As one pattern on the go is never enough, I reckon I might have a go at finishing off my red corduroy Jenny trousers over next week’s half term holiday. These were originally intended to check the fit of the Jenny Overalls I made, but which ended up too low on the hips. I’m thinking an extra wide waistband could be in order!
Next week on the blog I’ll be sharing another very recent, seasonally appropriate make: another Oslo cardigan for my mum, extended into a longline version. Here’s a sneak peek of me modelling it. See you then!
Anna x
Disclaimer: some of the products linked above use affiliate links, meaning if you follow the link and make a purchase I will receive a small referral fee (at no added cost to you). Any extra income to help fund my sewing habit is greatly appreciated, but rest assured I only recommend products I love and think you might find useful too 🙂
Oh dear, this is one of my Top Five failures from 2020, but I think it’s worth sharing the bad as well as the good, and I’ve definitely learnt something sewing this Grainline Scout Tee up!
This is my second attempt at a Grainline Scout Tee. The first, in a rather beefy double gauze got some wear the first summer I made it, but has now been turned into a pair of shorts (not yet blogged, but they’re coming!). I thought I’d have another go in a more drapey fabric and see if it gave a less boxy end result (spoiler: it did, but not enough for my liking).
I’m back sharing another relatively recent Minerva Make. If you count September 2020 as recent, that is! This is another kids PJ make, and you can see the sets I made for Lauren here and Daisy here. This time it’s Gabriel’s turn, and again I made a raglan top and jogger style bottoms using patterns from Ottobre Autumn 2011 (4/2011)
You can find the full post over on Minerva’s site here (affiliate link) where I rave a bit about the fabric. It was sent to me in return for a 500+ word post there with 6+ photos. There is no obligation to post here or to be anything but honest about my experience with the fabric. However, I was seriously impressed with these fabrics so I’m just going to gush a bit more.
First up, this jacquard jersey (affiliate link) is incredibly snuggly and an absolute dream to sew with. It’s more like a french terry in terms of warmth. Gabriel absolutely loves it and he chose the motif. I’ll admit, wolves aren’t really my thing and the whole motif looks a bit Game of Thrones, but Gabriel says it reminds him of Minecraft wolves. Doesn’t look anything like a Minecraft wolf but there we go. The workings of a six-year-old’s mind are a mystery.
