Threadcount 1607 Shirtdress

There is something very satisfying about making shirts, In fact as much as I love a quick and dirty project I love a slow project as well and shirts are an awesome slow project, lots of top stitching, lots of ironing and lots of construction!

Anyway this time the shirt pattern I went for is for a shirt dress, its Threadcount 1607 and it came free with Love Sewing Magazine  whilst I love sewing magazines I only buy them when I really like the pattern otherwise I'dd just end up with loads of patterns that I'll never use. Anyway I was really really drawn to this shirt dress because of how simple it is. I immediately started thinking about how well it would work for both summer and winter!  

Anyways I actually cut this out about two months ago so I could sew it up and wear it on our honey moon then I promptly forgot about it in the panic of OMG I'M GETTING MARRIED and only found it when I was trying to reorganise my house.

Here's how it turned out. I used a white cotton that's covered in little tiny dots from the craft cotton company I can't find it on the website now though. The cotton did behave beautifully and I sewed the whole thing up in about two days.

I have honestly never been so proud of something I've made, I mean seriously everything just slotted into place perfectly. I did meet a few snags though,

I forgot to add interfacing to the collar stand so it was all kinds of floppy and gross [that sounds ruder than I thought it would] But I had an absolute genius moment and stitched some gross grain ribbon to the inside to stiffen it up [also sounds filthy! I wonder if these innuendos are in anyway related to the fact I'm watching magic mike right now!]

It sorted the problem right out and I'm so pleased I manged to bypass my own stupidity. 

Now the button holes went in beautifully including the one of the collar stand which is usually a beast! But I had another idiot moment and lost one of my buttons, now I did have 12 buttons and I'd already done 10 button holes on the front placket and 1 per cuff and then.............I lost one. I spent a good half hour crawling on my floor trying to find it but sadly no luck which left me with 12 button holes and 11 buttons!

Its a good job I think feature buttons are cute right? And its an even better job that I like the sleeves rolled up better as well!

Now pattern wise its pretty cool, I cut as size 12 and everything fits pretty well apart from the collar which looks a bit big even when its done up. And I must have taken I good 5/6 inches off the length? It was a massive chunk either way and now I can't decide if it was drafted for super tall people, OR if I'm super short OR If I'm just a bit trampy and like wearing my dresses too short?

Construction wise I inserted the sleeves in flat and did the side seams and shoulders on my over locker the rest is done on my regular machine. Including all the top stitching.

All in all I really like it, its a very simple shirt, It doesn't even have a yoke, actually I kind of wish it did have a yoke just to fancy it up a bit? I loves a good yoke , I think it makes for a better fit. Speaking of fit its pretty good apart from the collar issue but its is just an aline shape so it looks much better belted! Its got no other darts or shaping.

And the instructions are pretty clear and I did follow them pretty religiously for most of it, Until I reached the home stretch and then I just made it up. 

Now my last disaster was by far the worst! I put it on the day after I made it and low and behold I got pasta sauce on it and then as I was blotting the pasta sauce I also noticed I;d managed to get some gloss paint on it!

I don't think I'm really describing how frustrating it was to stain something I;d just finished so here's the little rant I had in transcript [Note: I have changed all of the swear words to various fruits and vegetables for those of you who are of a more delicate disposition, those of you who aren't can have fun deciding what words you would have used] 

Frankie: Oh for broccolis sake

Rikki: What?

Frankie; I've got pasta carroting sauce on my new Banana shirt and its going to leave a Apple stain!

Rikki; Oh

Frankie: Oh mother Potato

Rikki; what now?

Frankie; Its got kiwiing cauliflowering gloss paint on it as well, that's never going to swedeing come out! Its ruined! Its pomegranated! I can't believe I did all that beaning top stitching and now I've pearing ruined it!

Rikki: If it helps I didn't like it anyway..........

Frankie; Well your just a lettucing idiot then aren't you?

Frankie:MUSHROOM!

So yeah as you can imagine I was chuffed to bits...... 

Anyway the pasta sauce stains have come out and the gloss pone has faded a lot and I have high hopes that maybe it might fade over time?

Any ideas on how to get rid of it?

Much Love

Frankie

Aztec and Black Long Sleeve Top - Operation Stay Toasty

 Project lets try not to freeze my backside off on the school run is going quite well, Im not in possession on three long sleeve tops, 2 handmade and 1 rtw. The school run is still as cold and this morning I had the added bonus of rain! But one of the Grandad's was nice enough to drive me home so I didn't get completely soaked!

Anyway onto this top! I used the same threadcount cardigan as last time and just cut the front and back on the fold. I used an old aztec print dress and the skirt part of an old dress for the top so its recycled! The only issue I had was I didn't have quite enough fabric for the full length of the body. And keeping it as a crop top would have defeated the point of operation stay toasty! So I added the bottom of the dress on the make it a bit longer.

The fits pretty similar but there is some bunching around the seam where I had to add the extension. I do kind of like the look of the black and the print colour blocking that's happening.

It was a pretty simple sew, It took about an hour to cut it out and sew it up on the overlocker. I just overlocked all the edges again to make it a super speedy make.

In other news, I am super super tired, which I'm blaming on the stupid weather. Its making lil man grumpy as well, yesterday he whinged the whole way home because he was cold :(

I've been getting lots of sewing done and I think I've finally restored the balance between cleaning and sewing after or honeymoon and wedding!

And I've had a couple of very good post days!

Frankie

xxx

Threadcount 1604 Dress

There's only three pictures of this dress, and with good reason. On the day I took the pictures I felt ROUGH! and not even I've consumed a bottle of rose rough, just I'm ill rough.

In fact I felt so poorly I made my mum and dad bring me and lil man home early from their house and told my dad I didn't care about his new jacket. I do care dad! but unless you want me to collapse in your hallway I suggest you take me home and save this till next week!

Anyway this is view c from threadcount 1604, which came free in a copy of love sewing magazine. So far I've made the trousers and the skirt.

The fabric is from my shopping trip to abakhans in Hanley and has little unimpressed women's faces on it.

Its really cute, has good drape and for £2.50 a metre you can't really go wrong can you?

Im not quite sure what type of fabric it is? its very smooth, feels quite synthetic and has good drape?

The bodice is lined which is nice and helps to create the loose gathered effect at the front. Basically the lining is darted and then the main fabric is gather over the top. Now to be honest the instructions for the dress aren't awful but they are not exactly clear for example it wanted to do some sort of turning through the straps method but I think if I make it again I will just use the same method that's used for the lilou bodice.

anyway after the straps turning palava I just started winging it. It also had elastic at the waist, which isn't one of my favourite things to be honest but I cut mine quite loose so its comfortable. 

All in all I like it, and I think I might make another one, but I'd just use common sense to put it together and not the instructions. I had to take about 4 inches of the length as well so I should probably amend the pattern pieces. 

 Its not hugely fabric hungry though which is nice and all the pieces are cut on grain so you don't need to mess about with bias, but it does mean you need a fabric with good drape.

I like it, Its a nice dress and it was nice to try something new, its just not a WOW item. Its the type of thing you can just throw on with tights. In fact if it wasn't for the awesome print it might even be a little bit boring? That said I like it and I do keep saying I need to make more practical items and not just party frocks!

No yes I do like it, I think my cold is just making me fuzzy headed with regards to decision making. Its a nice style and looks cute. So yeah I probably will make another and its nice to make something that doesn't require a zip. Just 1 button and some elastic.

Much Love

Frankie

xxx

2nd Ever Pair of Trousers

I don't make trousers very often, mainly because my style tends to lean more towards dresses and skirts and I only really tend to wear trousers in winter or if I'm not feeling particularly sassy and only if they're jeans.

This trousers are from the 5 in 1 wardrobe builder by threadcount patterns 1604 , which came free with an issue of love sewing magazine. I've already made the skirt here, and was really pleased with the style and fit.

Funnily enough I made these in the same fabric, what can I say now I can mix and match to my hearts content.

Now I was trying to emulate some of whatkatiesews casual, effortless trouser vibes. what I appear to have made is a pair of MC Hammer pants. But in an odd way I sort off don;t hate them? for one they are super comfortable and secondly they make me feel all kinds of bohemian like I should be living in Paris smoking cheap cigarettes, eating French stick, getting drunk on all of the wine and having loud passionate arguments with some bloke named Claude at three in the morning.

Anyway here's the details;

I cut a size 12 at the waist and graded up to a 14 at the bum/thigh area because mommas got a lot of junk in her trunk.

I also ended up tapering the legs in at the ends to create more of a peg look, this looks better than the original straight legs but doesn't have the same vibe as Kates.

The pattern calls for a mock fly zip, which is a new one to me. I couldn't quite get my head around the instructions so I you tubed it and managed to cobble something together. Hopefully my next attempt will be better but I think I learned something at least.

I think I cut the wrong size for the waistband so this is one I cut from some scrap fabric, the original one wouldn't even go all the way around.

The fabric is the same as my suede skirt and I have a small amount left. I'm sorry these aren't pressed so my darts are just embarrassing but this fabric burns like a mother and I couldn't find my ironing cloth! 

The crotch isn't as god awful as I thought it might be, Its pretty low so I guess I won;t have to deal with the camel toe issue which is always a bonus.

The fit on the waist is pretty good to be honest and I like that they skim the bum, I think I might need to loose some length and taper the leg to make them a bit skinnier.

Things I'm going to change next time;

taper the legs. or widen the top of the pattern and switch the darts for box pleats.

shorten.

do a better mock fly zip.

More subdued colour.

Here's a few close ups of my mock fly zip, not perfect but not a bad try! The overlap also closes with a press stud and cant be seen from the outside.

Okay so its not a grand success but I do now have trousers for pottering around in, these basically feel like pjs so I can see them coming in handy on my off days when I feel like poop but opening the door in a pikichu onesie just isn't an option.

Next up from this pattern is the dress, I think I have the perfect fabric I just need to work the sizing out! 

Much Love

Frankie

xxx