Weekend Review: Make it Yours with Mimi G

 

Make It Yours with Mimi G / Mimi G. Ford
NY: Abrams, c2023.
176 p.

This sewing book by the very busy and successful Mimi G is one more thing to add to her list of accomplishments. I feel tired just thinking about everything she does! ;) 

I enjoyed checking out this one - it's exactly what you might expect from Mimi G's style and her patterns already out there in the world. It's very much in her aesthetic. It includes 7 base patterns, and then ideas and instructions for modifications to those basics to create 18 new pieces, as desired. I think it's a book that will encourage many sewists to experiment and use the patterns that they already have to change up their wardrobes. The modifications can be fairly elaborate, and yet the instructions and illustrations make them feel not too scary at all. The patterns are also quite basic, not too trendy, so should be useful for a long while. I read this online so haven't tried the pattern sheets, but some readers have noted that they are a little difficult to trace off as there is no colour differentiation on them. 

Wrap Dress with ruffle

Mimi G says in her own announcement about this book: "Pattern-making and hacking can be intimidating but I truly believe this book will show you an easy and fearless way to dive in which in turn will open your eyes to the possibilities the next time to you look at a pattern and wish it had pockets or a different length, or a certain shape." I think she has successfully created a guide that does just that. Even if the styles included here aren't your own style, the information on modifying patterns and thinking of a pattern as just the starting point is transferable to anything you choose to work with. 

Cropped Shacket hack + Palazzo pants

The only thing I wasn't as taken with here was a lengthy section at the end showing Mimi G wearing the many pattern options in various combinations. This is interesting, but it is also long and feels a bit like padding. It might work better as blog posts or website content, but in a book I felt it was a little repetitive after the first few pages. The idea is to show you how to style your me-made wardrobe, mixing and matching to get over 100 looks. I just felt that many of the looks were very similar to one another - but maybe this is something that inspires other readers. 

Anyhow, if you like her style already, or this kind of modern casual wardrobe is your taste, this would be a really useful book, keeping you busy sewing for ages. If the patterns included aren't ones you'd usually make, you might still want to look through it for all the hacking tips. I thought it was an interesting read with lots of useful bits. 

Duster + T-shirt dress gathered waist Hack

(all photos via publisher)

Weekend Review: Building the Pattern

Building the Pattern / Laura Huhta & Saara Huhta
London: Quadrille, c2021.
208 p.

I read the first book by this sisterly duo when it came out some years ago, and enjoyed it, and copied out some patterns. And so I've been meaning to check this one out for a while now! I got a copy through my library, and have enjoyed going through it. 

It's a book full of projects. There are 6 patterns plus one extra purse pattern. But 5 of these 6 patterns have 3 distinct items included - the 6th, the jacket, has two variations. So there are quite a number of pieces you could make here. There are traceable patterns included in the book, no downloading required. Each chapter (one per pattern) includes some nice clear fashion photos, a materials and size guide, cutting guide and layplans, general sewing instructions and specialized instructions for any pattern hacking needed. There's not much fluff or filler here; it's all about the patterns. And the photos are lovely, on a range of (young) people. 

The sizing isn't hugely expansive; the patterns are in house sizes 1-9, which translates to European 34-50. I generally make a 42/44 in Burda; that range places me in the 5/6 in this book, which according to the measurement chart is spot on. So the sizing is true to standard. The actual body measurements, then, range from Bust 31.5-40 5/8, Waist 25 1/4 - 39 3/8, Hip 34 5/8 - 48 3/4. 

I liked the way they show that changing a basic pattern is doable, and that small changes -- length, sleeve, neckline, can make a big visual difference. They also give guidance for bigger changes that might seem insurmountable on first glance, for a beginner, but by following not too many steps, you have a whole new look. I like the concept, and think that following the guidelines here would give a sewist confidence to mix up some of the other patterns in your stash. Changing a shirt to a dress or pants to shorts or even a relaxed blazer to a bomber jacket are all in the mix here. 

If the sizing works for you, and you want to try hacking some patterns with guidance along the way, this is a good choice. The styles are fashionable but not too trendy, and there are nice details to make them a little more special than simple boxy shapes, which I find a lot of these kind of books rely on. There are fitted styles, and both woven and knit options to try out. I found it intriguing, and am planning on tracing out 3 of the patterns when I get a second! 

 

Weekend Review: Sewing Your Perfect Capsule Wardrobe

 

Sewing Your Perfect Capsule Wardrobe /
Arianna Cadwallader & Cathy McKinnon
London: Kyle Books, c2017.
175 p.

I recently got this book from my library; it's one I've seen mentioned here and there, and thought it would be interesting to see the advice about a capsule wardrobe given here. Well, I'm glad I got it from the library, because overall I found it a bit underwhelming. 

The book is organized into a structure around 5 core garments: The Vest Top (a tank top in North American speak), Basic Skirt, Shift Dress, Trousers, and Blouse. These are all fairly basic silhouettes -- the book is aimed at the advanced beginner, which I think is about the right level for these designs. There are fold-out pattern sheets included in the book, so you can trace and alter right away. Each basic piece has a straightforward main pattern, then tells you how to alter and redesign the piece to create something different, sometimes just a hair of difference but others are quite changed. You go from a below-knee pencil skirt to a short a-line, for example. There are also discussions of style changes you can make -- changing a neckline/collar, sleeve style, adding embellishment, etc. to really take these patterns and expand them in your wardrobe. 

I obviously like this idea a lot. However, this book as the main source of this kind of capsule wardrobe seems limited to me. The sizing is miniscule -- there is a range of 6 sizes with a 10" difference between them. Bust 32-42, Waist 24-34, Hip 33-43. It's a small range, and I fall near the top. So the actual patterns in this book will only be useful for a small proportion of sewists. And the patterns are also pretty standard, so any sewist who has been at it long enough will most likely already own similar pattern styles already -- some could even be equated to a few of the more well-known free patterns out there. 

The ideas for changing a base pattern into new styles are pretty handy here, though. They start with the "main" pattern and give a "sister" style then some other ideas for additional changes. You could take those ideas and apply them to the patterns you prefer to use. That might be the takeaway here. 

There isn't really a discussion about putting together a capsule wardrobe in the more traditional sense - they don't talk fashion, per se. To me, the book is more about creating a Capsule Pattern Collection. And that can be a good way to focus your sewing in light of the incentive to buy so many new and exciting patterns out there! 

So my view on this book is: good idea, some interesting ideas and instruction, but a fail when it comes to providing actual patterns that are useful for more than a sliver of readers. 

Liesl & Co Belgravia Dress plus Bento Tee

I tackled another project for the Liesl & Co Advisor's Circle last month -- you can read the full blog post at the Oliver & S blog now! 

My basic idea was to mash up the top of the Bento Tee and the rest of the Belgravia Dress. That way I could incorporate two of my favourite elements, the sleeve of the Bento and the waist tie of the Belgravia, into the same garment.

The first step was to trace both patterns (I used 12 at the neckline and 14 at the waist), but I left the Belgravia bodice piece uncut on my tracing paper to make the design changes right on it. I then laid the Bento under the Belgravia bodice, lining up the center front since the Belgravia has an unusual shape. I traced the Bento’s neckline and sleeve onto the Belgravia and realized that the sleeve comes down right into the side seam of the original bodice. 

To get around that, I made a slight curve at the bottom of the sleeve so that there would be some extra space to differentiate between the sleeve and the side seam. It was barely a half inch deep, allowing a nicely finished sleeve and a clear side seam to be put together. I had to ease in the back bodice side seam slightly, however, so if you don’t want to take any length away from the front, another option is to extend the sleeve by an inch and curve the bottom edge back into the original seam line.

The fabric is quite lightweight and stretchy, and the busy print hides any flaws ;) If I were to use a more stable knit I would probably size up a bit. 

I like it though -- the casual neckband and sleeve gives a t-shirt vibe to the dress, while the waist ties are easy to sew and a nice feature. I used the long tie version so that I could wrap them around me and tie in front. I think these two patterns went well together to create a new look for this dress pattern! 

Terrace Dress Into Tee

I have made quite a few Terrace Dresses in the past, and it's one of my favourite easy projects. I decided that it was time to shorten this into a top, since I know it fits well and I thought a simple woven top would be a good addition to my closet. 

This was an easy project, although I have only got as far as a muslin version this week. I used some thrifted cotton blend fabric and gave it a go. I traced off the Terrace onto a fresh sheet of tracing paper, and decided on the length I wanted, which was 26". Once I measured that straight line across the pattern, I finessed it by adding a curve at the side seams. 

To do this, I marked 1/2" up at the side seam, squared that off, and then traced a curve down to the original hem about 2 or 3 inches in. This gives a nice fall to the blouse but the hem looks even when you wear it. 

Slicing off that 1/2" wedge at hem

After making up my sample version, I realized that the sides were winging out a bit near the hem, since the dress has a wider angle to go over the hip. I took 1/2" off the sides at the hem, grading it to nothing by just under the bust darts. That gives it a straighter and more unobtrusive fit. Then I made the same change to the pattern. I really like the easy shape and the comfort of it! 

Purple 1/2" wedge gone from side seam 
& pattern ready to go

I have some nice fabric that I think I may use to make one or two basic shells to go under jackets this fall. It's great to have a quick, well-fitting top pattern in hand!

Back view

Weekend Review: Make It Your Own

Make It Your Own: Personalizing Patterns for Creative Design /
Lori Bottom & Ronda Chaney
Radnor, PA: Chilton Books, c1994
167 p.

I requested this 1994 book via Interlibrary Loan after someone recommended it on PatternReview. It's definitely of its era, with fashion sketches that are very much 80s and 90s. However, as shown by my recent post on patterns of that era, I really love that element!

The book is a primer on taking a pattern and changing it up -- adding collars, overlays, tiers, ruffles, drawstrings; changing necklines, closures or sleeves, and making yourself a new look. Each idea is illustrated with a sketch, and has good information on how to do each alteration. Measurements for new collars or overlays are explained, and sketches show the steps. It has tons of great ideas that can be used today and the techniques are not dated even if some of the particular styles are.

I found two ideas that I want to use right away, and many more to inspire me. I'm going to have to keep an eye out while thrifting and second hand book store shopping to see if I can get my own copy, because this is one of the most interesting sewing books I've seen in a while. I think it is due for an update and a reissue.

The things that caught my eye right now are: how to add tiers to a skirt or dress, and, how to add a tied bolero style overlay to any V-neck pattern. They both look like neat, modern ideas. They are also both pretty straightforward and any sewist with a bit of experience would be able to figure them out. I love how this book gives lots of ideas and also assumes that anyone can do this. It's positive and fun.

Definitely recommended if you want to modify and adapt your current patterns, and don't mind a bit of 90s illustration to go with it.

Weekend Review: Gertie's Ultimate Dress Book

Gertie's Ultimate Dress Book / Gretchen Hirsch
NY: Abrams, c2016.
236 p.

Another mix-n-match sewing book! These were really popular a few years ago -- all the titles I've reviewed this month are a couple of years old and seemed to appear around the same time.

This one is by Gretchen Hirsch and falls thoroughly into her aesthetic of vintage fashion. It's all dresses (right up my alley) and the mix and match aspect comes from the way that all 23 dresses are designed to work together. She explains that the shapes and the ease of the patterns are all drafted to be able to switch bits around and still have the patterns work together. Honestly, in this book, I like so many of the designs that I imagine switching things around would mean I would take forever over these patterns! 

The back cover provides a good overview of a strapless evening style, a pink fitted day dress, and a casual fit and flare day dress. This shows the range of the styles in this book.

There are a lot of variations in the book, and if you're into the more fitted vintage looks you'll do well. This peplum dress with the large neck bow is quite charming -- I can see this being suitable for work, depending on where you work, or broken into two pieces and the top worn more casually.

This dress, on the other hand, just screams day in the sun. Can you see this one on a picnic, or a vintage-inspired stroll through cafés and shops?

Honestly, though, these two are among my favourites in the book. The plaid one because I just love the fabric and the print matching! And that cute collar. I do like a bottom-of-the-knee hem as well.

And this one because I love the colour, the shape, the neckline, the little bow at the neckline -- well, just everything about it. If I only trace one pattern from this book, this is the one for me. 

It's a very visually inspiring book, as you might have noticed thus far. But it's also pretty full of useful info. The interior pages have charming illustrations, like in Gertie's other books, and there is a lot of really helpful detail given on vintage construction techniques, fabric choices, and so forth in the first half of the book. Honestly, for a newer sewist interested in vintage styles, just this part would be worth buying the book for, even without the great patterns that follow. 

The sizing runs from 2 -16, or 32" to 46" bust and 36" to 50" hip. There are four pattern sheets in the back with all the elements to put together to make the various styles.

Now, I haven't yet made a dress from the book, but have heard that there were some issues with the sizing of the patterns, so do be careful to measure the flat pattern before you start anything. I'll report back when I get one made. But as an engaging book full of 23 different dresses to look at and imagine making, I enjoy this one! 

Dresses are really my wheelhouse so I have a fondness for all three of the dress pattern books I've shared this month. Do you have a favourite? Is there another title that I just must find? Share any tips! 

Weekend Review: Sew Many Dresses, Sew Little Time

Sew Many Dresses, Sew Little Time / Tanya Whelan
NY: Potter, c2015.
208 p.

How could I not buy this book? The title is kind of my personal mantra.

And I really love value for your money. This book delivers, both in value and living up to its title. It is a set of 3 skirt styles & drafting instruction for 2 more, and 7 bodices, all of which are drafted to match up perfectly in a paper doll mix-and-match kind of way -- plus there are varied sleeve styles and necklines to play with as well. That basically works out to 219 combinations, if you're a fan of all the potential styles. There are line drawings featuring some of the many combos in the in-between pages too.

Now, personally, I know I am never going to make any of the strapless or halter versions. Just not my thing. But I still enjoyed looking through them and seeing the suggestions and what they'd done with the various styles. And I saw a couple of standard fit and flares that are really my style.

The book intends for the reader to get creative and design their own dress from the building block patterns inside. Whelan shows how you can design and alter patterns and goes over basic dress construction. There are many pages dedicated to hacking a pattern's lines: dart manipulation, collars and sleeves, adding yokes and so on. There are tons of ideas for making significant drafting changes to your basic bodice once you have got one that fits well.

Since it is aimed at pattern drafting/manipulation, not just following a set pattern, I feel that this book would be best for an advanced beginner on up. Especially one that doesn't have a huge pattern library as yet. I do have a very large pattern library and so I could probably make something that I liked, similar to the styles here, from a ready made pattern already. But I still find this book interesting, well constructed, and inspiring. There is so much pattern construction information, laid out clearly and with good illustrations, to inspire a sewist to change things up a bit!

An example of a fun collar to add to a neckline

There are also clear photos that illustrate the many variations, which are all quite different from one another. The sizing is quite broad, running from 32 - 50.5" bust -- that said, the models are all youthful and slim. The bodice is also based on a B cup so if you're larger than that you'll also have to think about full bust adjustments.

If you're looking for a book that shows you how to mix-and-match and alter patterns to your style tastes, this is the one. So much great info on working with patterns, and some basic styles here that are already drafted to work together. Pattern sheets are in the back to start you off, and you could probably work with just this book for a year and still not run out of ideas. I find it really inspiring every time I take it off the shelf.

Velvet Mash Up Dress

This is a love-hate kind of dress. Love because I adore the fit and the mix of two patterns which turned out just as I'd imagined, and I absolutely love the print & colours of this fabric. Hate because it's a polyester and because of the print I broke my rule about not buying plastic poly, and this fabric sheds fibre like the dickens. It's so bad. I feel environmentally shamed by it.

It's so bad I had to wear a dust mask while sewing it. And when I washed and dried it, I had SO MUCH lint to clear out, more than once.

Other than that confession, I do like the final product.

I used the bodice of the Colette Moneta dress, which I've made twice before. This time the fabric doesn't have quite as much stretch, so it is a little snugger than my others (but I like it). I didn't want any gathering on the skirt with this print, so I matched the bodice up with the skirt of Butterick See & Sew 5870, which I've made in bright magenta ponte and really liked.

They went together beautifully. I only had to square up about an inch all around in size differential. And the shape of this skirt really skims the body -- it's perfect for pear figures, I think. I did add pockets (of course) as I always do. This time I just used a cotton broadcloth scrap for my pocket bags, so they won't stretch out. There isn't a lot of vertical stretch in this fabric either, so it all works together.

After figuring out how to fit these two patterns together and cutting, this went together easily. It was a quick sew, with a turn-under-and-stitch hem at sleeve and skirt, and a neckband sewn on. The neckband actually worked fairly well on my first go this time! I used the formula that another blogger shared -- the size of the neckline opening minus 15% equals the band length. It is good enough that I didn't have to redo this one. Success!

The most difficult part of this project was (and is) the fabric. After all that, it is still shedding! I recall why I don't buy cheap poly velour often, and won't be doing it again. But I can still enjoy the beautiful colours of this, and the fit, nonetheless.

It's so pretty!!

Have you ever made something that you love and hate equally?

Revisioned PR Lillian Dress

I finished out my run in the PR Sewing Bee this year at Round 3 -- with this make. I'm not in the final round, in which the challenge is to sew something inspired by a superhero.... I'm kind of happy, as I got to use the last few days I had off work to catch up on all my neglected sewing of the last few weeks instead! But here is some information about this latest project, which, aside from the weirdly lit photos, I'm quite happy with.

Round Three of the Pattern Review Sewing Bee caught me a little by surprise -- a knit dress, actually the Lillian Knit Top & Dress designed by Pattern Review! -- that we had to make our own.

I puzzled over this one 'til my puzzler was sore. What to do? I printed out a few line drawings and started sketching. And kept at it for two days. Finally I came up with a concept that I felt excited enough about to actually get down to making.

I decided on another illusion style dress, this time trying to make an all-in-one dress that looked like separates. I dug through my stash to see what I had, as I've been trying to use my stash first in all my sewing this year, regular or competitive! Luckily I had an idea about using yellow (oddly enough, since it's my favourite colour I have quite a lot of it stashed!). I matched this solid yellow, repurposed from an old dress I made and didn't wear once (the StyleArc Cher Knit dress, in case you were wondering, which was a huge sewing fail) with a favourite floral, and then went with a black and cream microdot from a 6m. length I thifted last year for the final outer piece. 

I changed the lines of the pattern somewhat -- I cut a block from the bottom of the bib bodice feature to the hem and used those two pieces to create the illusion of separates under a cardigan. I cut the remaining side pieces and back from the black, and extended the sleeve to elbow length, also in black.

But I thought that it needed more definition so I added sleeve cuffs in the floral to extend the top a bit, and thought I needed more oomph at the neckline so quickly drafted a demi tie collar -- it only goes to the shoulder and is sewn in at the shoulder seam. It gives it a little more of the secretary look and defines it as a 'blouse' I think.

I added a few extras to the black section to get it looking like an outer cardigan as well, though it's all sewn together with regular seams in a dress. I made the black outer panels longer than the yellow inner panel, and added a wide band at the seam between them. I didn't think of adding the band until it was nearly done so I just handstitched it on top of that seamline, which was fiddly and also didn't give me the kind of smooth line I could have gotten if I'd inserted it right into the seam while sewing. But I still like it. I also added patch pockets at cardigan height, lower than I would generally.

I made the fit around the waist and hip looser as well, to look more jackety than fitted to the back like the regular dress would be. I think it works but I'd take a little swayback adjustment in and add a bit more width over the bottom next time.

Overall I quite like this one! I had fun looking closely at the pattern to figure out how to change it up, and was so pleased when I finally saw the seamlines to work with. If I had more time I might have redone a couple of things but I think the illusion works, and I had quite a fun time making it. I just wish it hadn't been such a miserable weather day so I could have taken pictures somewhere else than a greenish room at work. Oh well! I still like it.

This Sewing Bee has really challenged me with each round's project. I feel like my creative sewing mind has been stretched a bit. And you should definitely check out the Round 3 gallery to see all the other massively creative takes on this pattern as well. Lots of creativity going around!