Sorbetto Top 2: Adventures in pattern fitting.

So, I've decided to learn how to make my own clothes, and I have a long way to go, but I'm not going to let a little pattern-fitting setback stop me!  

I went back to the Sorbetto Top pattern a second time (getting back on the horse, or whatever analogy might be more appropriate!).  This time I cut up an old bed sheet to practice with the fitting.  I initially thought I would just cut out a smaller size, but here's the thing - even dropping two dress sizes was only going to reduce the shoulder width by about 4mm max.  What is it with this top, or is it just me?  My shoulder width is 34cm, and a size 10 on the Sorbetto measures 40cm!  No wonder I had a problem with it!!   

What I did in the end was reduce the size of the back by cutting 2cm off the inside edge of the back pattern piece, so reducing the width by 4cm overall but between the shoulder blades!  Unorthodox, but I couldn't see any other way of doing it.  The front neckline had fit ok so I just cut the pattern down to a size 10, although this time I included the pleat.

It was better, but still not perfect, and this time I did take pictures:

The back was far better, but look at those armholes - I just seem to have shifted the problem around!  Here's a closer look:

How do I fix this without just adding more darts?  Also, I just have to admit that the straight up-down shape of the Sorbetto is not flattering on me at the moment!  There, I said it! I think I need a little more ease at hip level!  

I resorted to a time honoured course of action - if in doubt, google it!  My search came up trumps and I found this tutorial on the Burda website for adjusting dodgy armholes, and decided to give it a go.  Oh, and guess which pattern she's hacking in the tutorial....

Collette 0003 - otherwise known as the Sorbetto Top!  I feel so much better now!  Here's my little montage of the steps I went through to make the adjustment:

Hmmm....looks a bit odd now, but I decided to withhold judgement until I'd cut it out and made it up.  At least it looks a lot like the one she made in the tutorial.  

So, I cut out another front, put in the darts and sewed it up.  I did find that I needed to redraw the armhole again but other than that it went together pretty well.

And here's the result:

A definite improvement, although I think the bust dart could still do with being a bit lower.  I may try out this tutorial to lower the dart, or else I could use this one to do a Full Bust Adjustment (FBA).  Phew!  I can't believe how much tinkering it is taking to make one simple top fit.  It has made me realise that I will need to make a muslin for any future patterns that I decide to make - a step that I would gladly have skipped but, let's face, I clearly don't have average measurements so no pattern's going to fit as is.  But hey, I guess that's one big advantage in making your own clothes as opposed to buying off the peg.  

I sense I have many more pattern fitting adventures to come before I work out what's right for me!  

Sorbetto Top FAIL!

So, I guess I ought to blog my failures as well as my successes, and boy was this a failure!  How can anybody get the Sorbetto Top wrong you may ask (if you're familiar with the pattern) - it's just two pieces sewn together with two darts for shape.  How hard can it be??  Well....

I had decided to try and make a top from the material recovered from the linen mix M&S skirt I picked up on last week's charity shop spree.  I wasn't sure how this would work, or whether there was quite enough material, but spurred on by my trousers-to-skirt success I thought I'd give it a go.

Not having a stock supply of my own patterns yet I trawled the blogs and decided to try the Collette Sorbetto Top pattern which is available as a free download.


Having duly printed and pasted my pattern together I read the instructions and measurement guide to decide which size to cut out.  The instructions give this suggestion:

FIND YOUR SIZE 

Use the size chart to determine your size.  Colette Patterns have less ease than many other patterns to provide a closer, more tailored fit.  If you are between sizes, choose the larger size. 

Hmmm...... I had been tempted to cut out the 10, but after reading this I decided to play it safe and go for a 12.  This was my first mistake!

When it came to cutting out the pattern pieces I was a little short of fabric for the back, but managed to piece it together with reasonable results.  For the front I omitted the pleat - also to save fabric.  I sewed the pieces up following the instructions.  It was nice and easy - all went well.  Then I tried it on.

It was a sack.

There's nothing more to be said.  I wish I'd taken photos at this point, but I was so horrified that I whipped it straight off, put it back on again inside out and proceeded to fill it with pins in an attempt to make it fit.  

It was huge at the sides, under the arms, and the back gaped - I mean REALLY gaped!  I tried taking it in down the side seams, and I also put two very long darts down the back, but really it was beyond salvaging.   Here are photos taken after all my alterations:

Bleurgh!  Not good.  The fit still isn't great, the front kicks up for no apparent reason, and those back darts look really amateur.  I gave up, knowing that I didn't want to go through the whole palaver of making bias binding to finish off this monstrosity.  Too bad linen-mix-M&S-skirt-top, you will not be joining me on any outings in the near future!

And how did I deal with this disappointment?  Did I rant and rave or throw the offending pattern pieces out the window?  Thankfully no.  I thought it over for 24 hours then decided to try again.  This time I cut up a bedsheet - my first toile!  I figure working out how things fit me is a crucial stage in making clothes, so I'm going to spend a bit of time experimenting.

Stay tuned for the Sorbetto rematch coming soon!

Rags to riches

Or at least trousers to skirt...

So I started my refashion plans with the stretchy purple cords.  They're actually almost burgundy - not vibrant purple as they appear in these photos.  It was a bit of a no brainer to try and make them into a skirt.  I had decided that in the shop, and I must admit that I didn't even try them on as there was no way I was going to wear them as trousers!  Also, I had a baby strapped to my chest, so I just held them up to my waist and decided they'd probably do.  They have a good waistband already, a short zipper, and inset pockets, and most importantly they fit me at the waist so I can keep all that.  

To start with I unpicked the inside leg seams then cut the bottom half of the trouser legs off.

I guessed with the length as I wanted the cut pieces to be almost as long as the skirt to make sure that I ended up with enough spare material to 'fill in the gaps' (technical term!).  I'm quite short, so this worked out fine for me.


I laid the 'skirt' out flat and measured out some triangular pieces to sew into the gaps.  I pinned them in and sewed it up on my machine.





I ended up with this.....

Not bad!  In fact I think I was very lucky that the triangles went in so well - particularly the front.  It could easily have been a fiddly mess!  Beginner's luck I guess!  Anyway I wasn't happy with it yet as I was aiming for more of an A-line shape, and trying it on confirmed that I was right - this shape didn't flatter me AT ALL!


So onto stage 2.  I unpicked the side seams this time up as far as the widest part of my hip.  I folded over my two remaining cut pieces lengthwise and inserted them at an angle until I was happy with the A shape.  Then I pinned them in and sewed them up.



This is what it looks like on the wrong side after sewing.  I'd love to say that my seams are neater now but that's not true. I don't have an overlocker so I tried using my overlocking foot on the sewing machine, only to find that I'd cut the seam allowances too short so that the foot kept sticking or slipping off.  That meant that I had to pull the fabric through which caused the stretchy fabric to ripple.  Eventually I gave up and left my seams 'au naturel'!

Here's the skirt before hemming:

I used my overlocker foot again (this time more successfully!) to finish the edges and first tacked then hand sewed the hem.

And TA DAAHHH!!  An A-line skirt that I am VERY happy with!  I'm sure it could have been executed better, and certainly tidier, but I love the shape, and the material is so soft that it's a joy to wear.  I can see this becoming a wardrobe staple, at least until I lose weight or it falls apart!  It could do with a lining (to cover up those unsightly raw edges!) but I don't have any lining fabric at the moment.  I shall make a mental note to keep my eye out for something suitable on my next charity shopping outing!

S'all for charidee mate!

I spent the evening browsing sewing blogs yesterday and was inspired both by MMM'13 (Me Made May - in which sewists wear only/mainly/some of the clothes they have made throughout May) and Miss P's The Refashioners (a challenge issued to a number of sewists/bloggers to refashion a charity shop garment sent to them by Miss P).  Those folk have created some seriously lovely items by hacking up old clothes - I'm loving the make do and mend vibe!

I have been known to source my sewing fabrics from charity shops before (such as the bed sheet/duvet set I used to make Emily's Tee Pee) and this gave me the itch to get browsing again.  So, without delay I  dragged hubby off to have a mooch about Earlsdon high street.  Actually it didn't take too much dragging as he's partial to a bit of charity shop browsing himself, although he's generally on the lookout for books and records rather than fabric!  The double bonus was that we got to have not one but two cafe stop offs - made necessary by the demands of a rather hungry breastfed baby!  I have to just pause here to give a shout out to Loaf in Earlsdon, Coventry - an artisan bakery and fine tea shop - such a delightful and friendly place with a fabulous 1940's theme, bone china teacups and scrumptious cakes!  I'd def recommend it!!

So, back to the shopping, I spent about £13 and bought...

...a size 18 linen mix brown patterned M&S skirt, a pair of Anne Brooks Petite stretchy purple needle cord trousers, a men's Red Herring tiny floral print shirt with front pleats, and a pair of jeggings!

So, if you're interested to know what they will become then watch this space...

Who sews Su's clothes....?

Further on from my last post, The Great British Sewing Bee has given me a nudge, not just to get sewing again, but to try my hand at making clothes.  So, I've finally ordered some patterns - how exciting!!

Since this is my first attempt at clothing I'm going to take it slowly, and I'm sure I'll make lots of mistakes!  I have been reading through Tilly's Learn to Sew course on Tilly and the Buttons which is just brilliant, and full of lots of useful information on using patterns and constructing clothes.  Particularly useful was the post on How to select your sewing pattern size which I was reading before I received my Sew Liberated Esme Top pattern, only to discover that the pattern doesn't list any measurements!  Since I have no idea what size I am post baby, and had heard that the pattern comes up large, I got out my tape measure and worked it all out using Tilly's instructions on calculating seam allowance and allowing for ease, etc.  I'm glad I did too, as I will now be making a top 2 sizes smaller than the one I would have picked going on dress sizes!  I hope I've got it right!

Tilly's own pattern - the Mathilde Blouse - comes as a printable download, so I've been having fun fitting it all together.  It's a bit like a giant jigsaw with the 'can-you-guess-what-it-is-yet' factor!

I couldn't resist buying the Vogue pattern [V1799] as well after seeing Karen's version on Did you make that?  It's very like a dress I bought a while ago that I love.  It's very flattering even on 'fat' days!  I had actually been considering drawing round it to try and replicate it, but this should be safer!  I won't be making it for a while though as it's not really compatible with breastfeeding and also I'd like to lose some baby weight before I start attempting dresses.

Having acquired some patterns it followed that I'd also need to do some fabric shopping - what a shame!  Unlike many members of the sewing blog community I have no stash-guilt, as I'm yet to develop much of a stash!  How I long to join in with stash-busting sewalongs and stash swaps!  It does mean though that I am totally justified in making a few purchases! :-)  I have restricted myself to fairly inexpensive fabrics for now as I don't know whether these first few garments are going to be disastrous, in which case I will have to chalk them up to 'experience' and consign them back to the sewing pile never to be worn!  I bought a tiny floral polycotton for the Esme top, and a red and white floral cotton lawn for the Mathilde blouse (which is actually really soft and lovely and which I am a bit afraid of ruining, but hey ho!).  I'm still humming and hawing over which top to start with.  I expect I'll go for the MB as Tilly's instructions are so comprehensive that I expect I'll learn some new techniques/terminology/etc that will come in handy with the Esme too.

All in all I'm excited by the challenge and raring to get going, but as of this moment I have yet to put scissors to fabric or thread to machine!  Come on free evenings, where are you when I need you?!

It's a boy!

He's here!  Actually he's been here a while now - 10 weeks.  It's taken that long for me to find the time to update the blog!  He was nearly two weeks overdue, and weighed a very healthy 10lbs 4oz (ouch!).  He's lovely, and we're all enjoying having him join our family.

Of course, in the weeks following his arrival I had no time at all to do any making.  I put my knitting needles and crochet needles down at the end of February and I haven't picked them up again yet.  So, no progress on the woolly projects.  I'd already abandoned my sewing machine back in January, and I hadn't even been keeping up with the other blogs I read, so I didn't think I'd have much to show for myself on returning to the blog, but.....

Then I watched the Great British Sewing Bee - hooray!  The show was just what I needed to reboot my creative drive and get me thinking about future projects.  I really enjoyed watching the contestants (including Tilly from over at Tilly and the Buttons - surprise!) working through the challenges.  I really liked Lauren's style (if in doubt, flower it out!) but Anne certainly deserved to win.  She's 81 and has been sewing nearly every day for 75 years!  I guess there's no substitute for experience.

So, whilst watching the 'Bee and feeding the boy I browsed the online fabric shops and purchased these beauties from Frumble:

Aren't they lovely?  On delivery of said items I immediately felt the need to sew.  I'm restricted to post-bedtimes at the moment (at least until junior gives in and starts sleeping in  the day!) so I needed some quick and easy projects to get me going.  Also I only bought fat quarters so whatever it was would have to be small.

The Young Whales fabric really lent itself to the wet bag I've been meaning to make for ages.  I used a tutorial I found over at A Lemon Squeezy Home, only I modified it a little by sewing french seams (a la Handmade Jane's wash bag tutorial) instead of making an inner and outer bag.  The main reason I did this was to avoid too much direct contact with the shower curtain material.  It's horrible to work with and I developed a  loathing for it whilst making sponge bags over Christmas.  Next time I will shell out for some decent quality waterproof material instead of trying to net a bargain at IKEA!

I made my wet bag long and thin so that I could fit a fair amount into it but without using up my whole fat quarter.  I also split the strap and added a giant popper so that I can hang it from the buggy if need be.  Overall I'm pretty happy with it.

It's a lot neater and more professional looking than my wash bags - mainly thanks to the gorgeous fabric!  The only problem is, now that I've made it I don't really want to ruin it by putting soiled reusable nappies into it!  I guess I'll just keep it handy for damp clothing instead.


Next up - Kerchief-style dribble bibs!  I've coveted these in the past when I've seen them on other people's children or in fancy shops, but never got around to buying any for mine.  Well it just happens that, being a thumb-sucker, Jacob is quite a dribbly baby making it a well-timed project!  First off I made a practice bib using fabric from an old, stained babygro that I was going to chuck out.  I took the dimensions from this tutorial at Love Me Sew and followed the same basic process.

Once I was happy that my practice bib (does this count as a wearable toile?!!) fit ok I ran up a couple more.

Such a satisfying little make - I can easily run one up within an hour now that I've got the hang of it, and they'd make great presents, so I expect there'll be more of these to come!  And boy, are they cute...!

All together now..."Ahhhh!"