Simplicity 2215 in Nani Iro

Pattern: Simplicity 2215, size 12
Fabric: Nani Iro Pocho, from Miss Matatabi

 

 

This is a dress that started with the fabric. A few months back, I discovered the treasure trove that Miss Matatabi's Etsy shop is, and fell for some Nani Iro Pocho double gauze. It is arguably amongst my top 5 favourite fabrics, along with silk crepe, wool flanell and cotton lawn. Double gauze is squishly, a bit thick but lightweight and opaque. It is wonderfully well-behaved under cutting and sewing and presses easily. When it is printed with shimmery gold dots to boot, I get a bit weak in the knees.

 

 

To make the most of my Pocho, I wanted a simple pattern, and Simplicity 2215 fit the bill exactly. It's a Cynthia Rowley pattern, and once you look past the fringe, it's a lovely pattern. A simple bodice closing with buttons on the front, paired with a pleated skirt. The pattern "features" uneven pleats as a design element, but who in the world has the patience to mark and pleat these? Not me, anyways. So I made up pleats of my own. The bodice is lined, wich makes a clean finish, and I sewed the skirt with my beloved french seams. I hemmed with a machine blind hem, a finish that truly disappear completely into the fabric. Interestingly, the bodice is interfaced with pieces of interfacing in the shape of facing. Does it makes sense? I suppose it gives definition to the buttoned front without requiring interfacing the whole bodice, which would be plain weird.

 

 

A simple dress to showcase a stunning fabric, and I am really pleased with the result. The bodice is a bit big in the upper chest and shoulder area, but has a nice amount of easy at the waist. I am wondering if I should have made a size smaller in the upper bodice, or maybe removed some lenght abobe the bust? Hmm, something to ponder until next time...

 

 

Finally, I have been thinking about trying to blogging in both English and Swedish. I've been thinking about this for a while, since I live in Sweden and would really like to try and connect with local seamstresses. What was holding me back is that I am unsure if the language really actually is a barrier between me and other swedish seamstresses, as swedes really do speak and read English well. If there are any swedes reading me, please, can you give me you input about this? I'm thinking it might be easier to find me if I blog in Swedish too? I really do sew in English, simply because most of my sewing knowledge and all of my sewing inspration comes from sewing blogs, so it would be a bit of a challenge to discuss sewing in swedish! Also, it would be a bit unsettling to communicate with the world in the two of the three languages i speak that are not my mother tongue... Lastly, I really suck at translating, so it may not be the exact same content in the two languages. I'm thinking something in the lines of posts in English, and a shorter text in Swedish. Anyways, let me know your thoughts on this!

 

 

Jag har funderat ett tag om att börja blogga på både svenska och engelska. Jag har nu bott i Sverige i sju år och skulle gärna vilja att min blogg blir ett sätt att nå ut och träffa andra svenska sömmerskor. Franska är mitt modersmål, men jag syr verkligen på engelska (på grund av att mina kunskap i sömnads kommer mestadels från alla bloggar jag läser!), så det skulle vara en utmaning att skriva om sömnad på svenska. Men jag undrar om det gör en skillnad för ni som är svenskar? Läser ni gärna på engelska, eller skulle det bli positivt att läsa mig på svenska? Jag tänker okcså att det kanske skulle bli lättare att hitta till mig om jag skrev på svenska? Jag är inte alls bra på att översätta, så jag kan inte lova att innehållet blir exakt densamma i båda språken. Jag tänker mig något i stilen om ett inlägg på engelska, med en sammanfattning på svenska. Vad tycker ni?



 

 

 

p.s. sorry for the frizzy hair, it was quite windy on the beach!

Silk wrap dress

Pattern: Buttericks 5898, size 12. View B with sleeves from view A. 
Fabric: silk crepe (?), received as a destash gift

 This was made last spring, when all I could think about was make. all. the. dresses. Now my sewing mojo has left me for a long vacation in Timbuktu, but at least I have pictures to share, and a pretty dress to cheer me up. This is a dress I love despite it's small flaws. I feel elegant and beautiful when i wear it, and that counts for much more than everything else I have to say about this make. Note to self: silk is amazing, wrap dresses are even better.

I fell for the classic cut of this pattern, and the very feminine cascading wrap of the skirt. The construction features two cut-out darts pointing outwards (meaning that they start at the edge of the wrap and points towards the sides of my body), and lots of easestitching to fit the fronts into the facings. I was quite concerned while making it that it would en up beeing gathered, but it actually very effectively creates nice blousing while remaining securely in place, close to my body. I whish I could have gone the french seaming way to really treat this silk with the care it deserves, but the ties needs to pass into an opening that is placed in a side seam, and I could not figure out how to combine french seams with this opening. Also, I am not a big fan of facings in general, and here, well, I'm on the fence. They are a bit floppy despite that i invisibly catch-stitched them in place, but it is also the only finish i can think of that affords the clever easistitching action. And finally, I am not the one to make muslins of a loose-fitting dress, but I should have made an exception this time, because it turned out a little big. Now, it's a wrap dress, so it's not too noticeable as I can just pull the waist ties a bit tighter, but the shoulders are a cm or two too wide.

But I will definetely revisit this pattern. I have a lenght of 4ply silk I bought at Moods last year, sitting in my stash waiting for the perfct project. That might just be it, because this dress made me realise that I do not need a fitted bodice and a full skirt to feel feminine and amazing.

100 followers giveaway! And my second attempt at bramaking

Hello!
I have been really busy in the past 3 weeks with beeing on vacation, and am therefore a few days late in my celebration of 100 followers of The Handstitched Files. Bad blogger. I have also been quite busy with this and battling off weeds.


(We bought a summerhouse, my boyfriend and I. Despite it being barely 40 square meters, I find it quite overwhelming. Funny how something that should be quite simple and actually quite exciting can turn into something hard to manage for reasons not really related to the thing itself. Buying a summerhouse turned a few things upside down for me, but it's settling down, I hope. It's also been much more work than expected. The previous owner left everything in the house, down to dessert spoons and rusty pot hangers, wich is both a blessing and a curse. I have lost count of how many times we filled our car and drove to the landfill. At the same time, it is nice not having to buy a thing. It's been lots of work trying to clean the house while repairing a leaking roof, but I think I'm starting to get on top of things. And having grass between my toes while drinking my afternoon coffee is a quite amazing feeling!)

Anyways, it is never too late to celebrate!

I did not have to think really hard to decide what I would be offering. I want to celebrate the joyfullness, the creativity and the open-mindedness of this wonderful little community that we have. And what better than an indie pattern to do that? So I am offering a pattern from my favourite pattern company, Deer and Doe. (I am not affiliated to Deer and Doe, by the way, I just really love Eleonores designs!) My love of Deer and Doe is recorded here, and I have a Belladone and a Centaurée, both already worn several times, still to be blogged (bad, bad blogger). So up for grabs is the pattern of your choice from Deer and Doe's catalog. The giveaway will be opened until sunday the 17th of August, and I will draw a winner on the next day. To enter, simply leave a comment on this post. Why don't you tell me what you have been up to this summer?

Ok, back to sewing! I have LOTS of unphotographed/unblogged projects, but I have been really excited about lingerie lately, so I wanted to share my second bra. This is also Pin-Up Girls Classic bra, although I modified it quite a lot this time. I changed the fabric straps for elastic straps (and this alone would make a world of difference for the sexiness factor of the bra!). I also lowered the rise of the cups. They still provide good coverage, but feels much prettier. Finally, I changed, ever so slightly, the curve of the cup seams, flattening them a tiny bit, which made quite a difference in the final shape of the cups. I am much happier with the fit and feel of this bra, compared with the first. It is very comfortable, too, and way prettier! I have happily put it in my lingerie drawer and use it regularly. The fabric and findings are from a kit I purchased at Sewing chest. It's a great kit, with nice fabrics, and it includes everything for a bra, including lace, powermesh and stable tricot, as well as all the elastics and trimmings. It even has tiny ribbon bows! I find it hard still to judge the quality of lingerie fabrics, but these felt quite nice, and were nice to work with. I did not realise when I purchased the kit, but the materials are not enough for a matching panty, these are sold as a separate kit. Just something to keep in mind! I struggled once again with attaching the hooks and eyes tape, anyone has tips or suggestions? I also had some issues with bulkyness in a few places. Maddie recently suggested hammering down bulky areas, so maybe I'll try this next time.

The bra story

Pattern: Pin-up Girls Classic bra, size 30D, slightly modified to fit my wires
Fabric: White dotted cotton from stash, white powernet from Sewing chest and white notion kit from Merckwaerdigh on Etsy.

I have been wanting to sew lingerie for a long time, ever since Amy over at Cloth Habit posted her serie about bra-making. I had great plans then to follow the sew-along and learn how to make beautiful, handmade bras. I entusiastically bought kits from Merckwaerdigh, a pattern from Pin-Up girls, and fiddled around with plush and picot elastics. The results were, sadly, less than stellar and I quickly lost interest, confused between powermesh, stretch lace, linings and trims.

Around the same time, probably due to my extensive research about bras and fit, I realised I had been wearing the wrong size bra. No wonder, since my size is barely available in specialty lingerie stores, and definetely nowhere to be found in the usual chain stores. (As a side note, I do not consider that I have a large bust. The letters in the size of my bra have very little to do with the actual size of my breasts, as the volume they refer to is in direct correlation to the lenght of the band, and my breast are certainly not bigger because my bras are! It took me forever to actually really understand this, and I will not try to explain. Rather, I suggest you go read what Butterfly Collection has do say on the subject.) I discovered high quality bras that fitted very well and were pretty and fun and colourful, like Freya and Panache, and for a while I was happy with my drawer full of store-bought lingerie. Who said I have to make everything?

So I continued, for the last year, to admire Novitas and Amys beautiful bras, thinking that "one day" I would be skilled enough to sew a bra that actually fitted. Then Tasia, from Sewaholic, started to post lingerie too, and it somehow managed to give me the kick I needed. I suddenly was super inspired, and eager to finally demystify bramaking.

I re-read all of Amy's sewalong posts and studied my RTW bras. I finally understood what parts need to stretch (the back band), and which should not (pretty much everything else), and that was the lightbulb moment for me. So I simply sat down, traced a 30D from my Pin-Up Girls Classic bra pattern, cut my fabric, a little lace to be pretty and constructed a bra. Just like that! Well, I had also ordered a few different wires in different models and sizes from the Sewing Chest and that also really helped in getting a good end reslut. The sewing itself is rather simple. Inserting all the different elastics does take a bit of practice, but is not really difficult. It does require a lot of precision, which I rather enjoyed. The hardest was attatching the hooks, I had to unpick several times because I was not catching everything properly.

The result is a bra that is very wearable, which I a super happy and proud of. I always considered it a muslin, and there are many things I will adjust for my next version, and my stitching can also be perfected. About the pattern, I will say that the instructions are extremely detailed and pertinent. The fit is quite good, straight of the envelope, on me at least, and feels quite true to size. The model is, however, quite dated. The bra gives lots of coverage, and the wide straps feels a bit old (i do think I messed up somehow with the elastics and seam allowances and that my straps are larger than they are intended to be). It also gives me a very pointy shape, which is awesome for a retro look, but maybe not what I would go for daily. I believe that all of this will be easily altered with a bit of drafting and Amy's helpful posts.

p.s. My lingerie photographing skills are also something I hope to improve... ;)

A dress with a taste of retro

Pattern: Buttericks 5748, size 12 with lots of modifications for fit
Fabric: cotton sateen, from Moods


I sew much faster than I manage to blog. And I will rather spend my spare time behind my sewing machine than behind my computer screen, editing photos and typing blog posts. But I do want to share and show you guys my new twirly dresses. If anyone has a solution to this dillema, please share. In the meantime, my list of finished projects to blog is almost longer than my sewing queue. Oh my.

So this dress has been finished for quite a while, and I even wore it a few times. I was one of these projects where I had the perfect fabric for a pretty pattern. I thought, 5 pattern pieces, a circle skirt, a simple bodice with fun notch details, this is going to be a fun project! Well. I had to fight so much with it to get it to simply fit. I am still not happy, but it is wearable. After wearing it a few times, I think I`ll go back and take another wedge in the center back. In hindsight, I should have started with a least two sizes down... It is a real pity, because apart for the fit (I still hope to be able to save it!) I love everything about this dress. The summery fabric, the low back, and mostly, the circle skirt. Oh, the circle skirt. Can you believe this is the first circle skirt I ever wore? I had so much fun all day wearing it! I need more circle skirts in my life.

Construction-wise, it is pretty simple. I put in a side lapped zipper, as per the insructions, and did quite a decent job at it, despite the fabric wanting to stretch very badly. The skirt is hemmed with a bright red bias tape (my favorite way to hem rounded skirts), for a pop of colour on the inside too.

And look, I can twirl!!

I styled it with my red Miette, which is the second sweater I ever knitted. I still love it so.

Georgina

Pattern: Georgina, by République du chiffon, size for bust and waist, 40 for the hips. Cap sleeves removed.
Fabric: Printed  silk purchased at Mood NYC and black cotton shirting, also from Mood.

Oh Georgina. Although I immediately fell in love with the design of the back, there was something I was unsure about this pattern. Then I saw Clo's sleeveless version (I love how she changed the neckline to a V-neck, too), and something clicked: it was the sleeves I was disliking. How had I not thought myself about making this simple modification still escapes me, but it the inspiration other bloggers give me is also one of the beauties of our community. The dress is very feminine, yet easy to wear. And nothing beats the feeling of silk against your skin... I am a bit unsure about the fit. The seams from the outer layer of the back did not quite meet, and the fit was a bit roomy at the waist so i took it in about 2cm in the back. The sizing is now good, not tight but not loose at the waist and just flowy enough in the skirt. But I find the bodice very blousy, which is not necesarily a bad thing, just not what I expected. I'm also not sure how I would adress the issue should I want to change it in a future version. The neckline is also very high, which is flattering but sometimes uncomfortable, so I would lower it just a touch next time. Finally, despite all my precautions with the back pieces (I fused a stirp of interfacing to the bias edge straight after cutting and was careful to handle the pieces as little as possible), one piece did stretch. Bleh. I pretend not to care, but it does bother me a bit... I still love this dress, though. That back is just too beautiful!

Carme blouse

Pattern: Carme blouse by Pauline Alice, size 36, graded to 38 at the hips

Fabric: Light heatered grey cotton/poly/viscose from A-tyghus (local fabric store in Malmö)

I made this blouse a few weeks back, after finding the perfect Carme fabric while browsing my local fabric store in search of a fabrics for another project. It was among shirting fabrics, but it is much drapier than your average shirt fabric, which works wonderfully for this lovely blouse. It presses very well, which is a must for making this blouse without tears. I love this pattern, Pauline never ceases to impress and inspire me (and have you heard, printed patterns are coming!!). This blouse requires precision sewing, though, and there are a few more advanced techniques involved in the making of this. But I enjoy this kind of sewing, everything matched up great and the explanations were clear so making this was bliss. I really appreciate the fit of the blouse, slim but not tight. Next time I'll lower the darts a centimeter or so, but otherwise it's perfect and I have already worn it several times. I think a version in two colours, with a sheer, non-pleated yoke would look awesome!

Meissa Blouse

Pattern: Meissa Blouse by Papercut Patterns, size M
Fabric: blush pink cotton from Stoff och Stil and black cotton shirting from Moods

Oh Meissa! It was love at first sight when Papercut released it's latest collection. I already had a vision of a light pink blouse and I spent a few months looking for the perfect fabric. I finally found this cotton at the big box fabric store here in Malmö. On the bolt, it was deliciously soft and light and had a nice sheen to it, but it became quite crisp and dull after washing. Still not sure what happened, but it is now not quite drapey as in the vision I had. My boyfriend expressed serious doubts about the color, saying it was the same colour as my skin, so I decided to break it up with some black for the collar and cuffs, which I am so pleased I did. It gives an interesting contrasting element and prevents me from being washed away by the pale color, which is, let's be honest, not my best colour.

What is there to say about the pattern more than it was a joy to work with? Everything, from the beautiful packaging to the lovely details in the style, is just so well thought out and nicely put together. I didn't make any adjustments except than shortening the sleeves, which is standard for me. I am pretty sure the gathering in the front yoke provides some bust shaping and the side seams curves in nicely at the waist, which makes for a very nice fit. Unlike everybody else, I am still on the fence about Grainline's Archer. Don't get me wrong, the Archer is a wonderful pattern, but I just feel that it is not the most flattering on me, because of the boyfriend style (which looks great on everybody except me it seems). I need to figure out how to put darts in the Archer for a more fitted style... Anyways, back to the Meissa, which has the more fitted look I prefer. The gathered details, the double buttons and the rounded collar are so feminine, too, and exactly the kind of details I love. I am now dreaming of another version, in silk, because I still want a flowy Meissa, no matter how much I like this one.

Also, May is approaching quickly, and May means Me-made-May! I participated last year for the first time and struggled a bit because I didn't have that many me-mades that I loved. But it is different this year, as I have been quite productive and learned to make things that I actually love and want to wear. So this year, I am challenging myself to wear at least one me-made item everyday, and to take a picture daily. Eek!! So:

 'I, Joëlle of thehandstitchedfiles.blogspot.se, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '14. I endeavour to wear at least one me-made item (handstitched or handknitted) of clothing each day for the duration of May 2014, and to record it daily on Instagram. '


P.S. All the pictures in this post are taken by my friend, Somayeh. She was kind enough to let me play model for her and I now have these beautiful pictures to share. Quite an improvment from my usual set up in my living room... Hopefully we can make these photo sessions a recurring thing!