A Warm Weather Yellow Jacket

This is one yellow jacket that I am not annoyed by! I used most of the remaining cotton sheet left over after my recent Simplicity 9115 makes to whip up this cute little bolero jacket from an 80s pattern. 

This Butterick 4969Butterick 4969 is from the late 80s by my best guess. I bought it for this jacket pattern; it's unlikely I will make a sundress. 

It was a fairly easy project -- front & back with collar & facings. I neatly finished the seams & facing edges since they are visible on the inside. 

The interesting foldback collar is a collar band connected to the facings & front pieces.

Then it was just on to hemming! The pattern suggests a blind hem & I did think it would look nicer with the clean edges of this little jacket. So I got out my blind hem foot & hemmed both the bottom & sleeve hems. I had to unpick the first bit as I made a bit of a mess until I got back into the rhythm of this foot.

I really like the look & the fit of this little piece. It goes well with my recent Burda dress & I am sure that other items in my wardrobe will match up too. That's pretty much the end of my big yellow sheet now! 

Simplicity 9115: Tunic View

This week I'm returning with Simplicity 9115, but a different view! This is the matching tunic to go with the skirt I made first, also from this same upcycled sheet. 

Close up so you can see the interesting weave

This was a bit fussier to make than the skirt; there are princess seams, a slit in the front left seam, sleeve facings and a back zip to fit in. However, it's not that hard at all, just the sizing bits were the most time consuming. 

I took 2" out of the length (I am only barely 5'2" after all) and cut the neckline & bust at 16, grading out to 18 at the hips. I lowered the top of the slit in the front seam by 1" to have more coverage since my torso is short -- this is basically the same construction as a kick pleat in a skirt, so there is an overlap of fabric, but still. 

I didn't really change anything else about it. I used the short sleeve view and made the hem a bit narrower to preserve the length I liked (just a 1/2" hem rather than 1 1/4").

Fortunately I found the perfect matching zip in my stash. It was a vintage zip in 'cornflower' yellow, perfect for this top. It called for a 9" zip; this was 12" but that was good enough, there is lots of length in this back seam so I didn't bother going to the trouble of shortening the zip. I almost got the subtle lines of the square print matched up exactly, they are just a hair off. But it's so subtle I wasn't going to try again - this fabric doesn't like needle holes so I didn't want to overwork it. 

I worked away at this over a few nights, doing a bit each night, and found that it was pretty clear sailing. This will obviously have the matching skirt I made but also looks great with a denim skirt. I'm thinking I'll need to make some loose summer trousers or culottes now too! I feel like I've got good value from this pattern so far :) 

Sheet To Simplicity 9115

I have been working on an outfit based on Simplicity 9115 - the whole outfit worn by the model on the front on the envelope. And I'm using a great piece of fabric; a thrifted 100% cotton sheet that I bought because the colour and the weave were irresistible. 

So far I have finished the skirt. This appealed to me because it's a quick and easy pull on skirt, with an elasticated waist that has a flat front and large "poche Italienne", my favourite kind of pocket.

This cotton is crisp but not too stiff, it still has some drape and it gathers well. That's important for a skirt with an elastic waist! This skirt also has a small walking slit in the left seam; I reduced the height of it by an inch since my legs are so short, and found it just right. 

I found this a very easy project - it went together well, all notches matched and it was straightforward straight seam sewing. I loved the way the casing is just bigger than the 1" elastic for the waistband. It was easy to install and makes a nice neat waist. 

This skirt will fit perfectly into my wardrobe; I've already tried it on with four tops I already own and it matches them all. And when I finish the tunic from this pattern, I'll have even more to wear with it! I really love it with this grey Sorbetto that I embroidered, though - the yellows are a perfect match. 

I'm really happy with the fit and comfort of this easy make, one more element in my 2022 Blue and Yellow sewing plan. 

Spring Sewing Plans: Specifics

After looking at my remaining Fall sewing queue and setting up my Spring plans, I decided to pick a few specific patterns that I want to make next. I pulled a bunch of fabrics from my stash and got busy. 

You might notice a theme of sorts. I've made myself some blue & yellow masks and a lapel pin for myself and my spouse. And of course, Ukraine is on my mind every day. So I looked through my stash and found quite a lot of blues and yellows to use for my next projects. Some of them are ones I put onto my #MakeNine2022 list, and others are plans I made in the fall. One or two are new ones I've added to the list. So far this is what I'm queuing up for the next month and a half of sewing. 

This Vogue 8612 is one I picked up at a thrift store just for this great jacket. I'd matched it up with this small piece of wool gabardine (also from a thrift store, online) back on my Make Nine list. I've got it cut out with a fun piece of lining, too. First one up!  

This Belgravia Dress by Liesl & Co is on my list as part of a project for the Liesl & Co Advisors Circle. I saw this feather print knit in the stash and thought I'd match them up! 

Butterick 6708 is a pattern for a zip front jacket that I was planning on making last fall. I had this textured cotton fabric picked out for it so now is the time! I might make the skirt from this pattern, but might also use another t&t skirt with pockets. We will see. 

This very bright piece of lightweight linen will need to be lined, but I think that this simple summer dress from an old Burda magazine (late 80s) is the right match here. It will be a fun summer basic.

This blouse is another from my Make Nine list this year. Butterick 6488 has variations, but I'm choosing the front frilled View A (the one in white on the cover) for this royal blue rayon.

I had forgotten about this cotton sateen print but when I uncovered it I knew it would be a great fit for the Suki Dress from the Tilly & the Buttons book Make It Simple which I recently read and reviewed. A nice quick dress, hopefully, and it will match with the yellow jacket above if I get that made quickly too. 

Finally, an outlier -- as I was going through my stash I rediscovered this cotton canvas curtain panel that I found in a thrift store ages ago. It will be perfect for a boxy jacket -- not sure which pattern yet, I have a Burda pattern and a vintage 80s See & Sew pattern that both appeal to me. I'll have to check which works best with the print here. This is a traditional embroidery design from Western Ukraine, where my family originated, so I'm very happy to have found this print!

Cover Designs! #25: In West Mills

 

Cover Designs is a feature in which I try to match up the outfit on a book cover with a dress pattern and sometimes even potential fabric matches as well. Today's book is a tale of community and friendship, set in an African American community in North Carolina, ranging from 1941 to 1987.

As the publisher shares:

Azalea “Knot” Centre is determined to live life as she pleases. Let the people of West Mills say what they will; the neighbors’ gossip won’t keep Knot from what she loves best: cheap moonshine, nineteenth-century literature, and the company of men. And yet, Knot is starting to learn that her freedom comes at a high price... Otis Lee is eager to help. A lifelong fixer, Otis Lee is determined to steer his friends and family away from decisions that will cause them heartache and ridicule.  In West Mills is a magnificent, big-hearted small-town story about family, friendship, storytelling, and the redemptive power of love.

This glorious yellow dress could inspire a couple of different makes, depending on what you focus on. A great fit for this design might be Butterick 6055, a vintage reprint. 

This one is quite similar -- just add a tie to the collar, and leave off the pockets and you've found a very close match. Contrasting collar and sleeve trim are easily added as well. If you're not such a fan of yellow it also looks lovely in other springy shades, like the one on this model. 

However, if you're more intrigued by how the collar appears to be a traditional sailor collar, you might want to go for this Square Sailor Collar dress -- it's by AliceInCosplayLand, so the pattern images are a bit unusual, but the dress is a close match, if you reshape that front collar a bit and use the short sleeve view. 

Of course another option might be to just use a favourite short sleeve V-neck dress that you already have a pattern for, and just add on a removable sailor collar -- there are lots of patterns for these standalone collars in cosplay world, and this one by SandraVee Cosplay has just the right shape to match our cover image here. That way you can also change up the look of your dress and get more wear out of it, too!

To get the right sunny summer tone of this cover image, though, you could go for a clear yellow cotton-linen like this one from Spool of Thread.

Or if you felt like fancying it up a bit, you could even go for a swishy, luxurious 4-ply silk from B&J Fabrics. 

Just pick up some bronzey toned contrast fabric for the collar and trim and you'll be walking off the front of this book! 

The High Rise Dress, or, McCalls 8960

I sewed up a very unseasonable project this week, but I saw this fabric from my stash alongside this 80s pattern from my stash (McCalls 8960 c.1984) and they came together like peanut butter and chocolate. I was obsessed and had to make it immediately! 

I had pulled out this fabric because I was looking for anything in my stash that resembled this year's Pantone colours. I've had it for a long time -- picked it up on the ends table as "unknown fibres". But it feels like a rayon twill to me. It's a little too lightweight and cool to wear at this time of year, despite the subdued colours. But the fabric is so soft and smooth and feels great to wear. It also reminds me of lit-up windows in a high-rise as viewed at evening...so it's now known as the High Rise dress. 

This was a pretty easy project, aside from the shiftiness of the fabric. It's a typical 80s pattern, full bodice with dolman sleeve, elastic waist and straight skirt. I like the way it fits although I might take a little bit of the fullness out of the bodice if I make it again. As it is, the only changes I made were to cut the sleeves in between the lengths of both views so they're a bit longer than the above-elbow of View B, and then to shorten the skirt  by 2". I didn't like the original length, which falls right in the frump zone. Not knee length or midi length - ugh! So I shortened it to knee length. (of course I am 5'2" so shorten most things anyhow). 

The only pattern matching mishap I had was on the centre back seam; I got the fabric shifted slightly when cutting out, so the yellow squares aren't exactly matched across the seam, but once the skirt was gathered you can hardly notice. 

The flaws in the pattern were few. The back walking slit was hugely long and would have been way too high for my short legs. I don't even think it's that necessary in the shortened length, but I did leave about a 2" slit there. The other flaw was that there were no side seam pockets included! What! Thankfully that's easy to remedy with my favourite pocket template. I sewed them right at the top edge of the skirt so that they'd be attached to the waist seam and stay put. The only thing to note about pockets like this with a gathered skirt is to be sure to gather the skirt first and then pin the tops of the pocket bags to the waist seam over the gathering before sewing them together. You don't want to gather your pockets. 

Narrow hems on both sleeve and skirt, a quick rectangular sash sewn and pressed, and the dress was done. I needed to press it carefully as it is heat sensitive and quite wrinkle-prone (yes, pretty sure it's rayon!) 

But I love the final effect. It feels quite subdued and quiet to me, like a rainy day. I feel calm in it! Unfortunately I'll have to put it aside until the weather warms up, but it was just one of those projects that I had to make immediately upon envisioning it. Now on to more seasonal wear...

That 70s Thing: Butterick 5149

The Sewcialists held a sewing mini-challenge recently: Sew Your Birth Year! It was pretty lax, allowing you to take inspiration loosely from your birth year, or even someone else's if it was important to you, and interpreting it in any way you saw fit.

I was stuck with the 70s, and so did a little research into some inspiration, using blogs and catalogues to get some ideas of average wear in the early 70s. Here's what I settled on as inspiration.

My sudden interest in jumpers and pinafores this year is right on target with the early 70s. Hmmm! 

I sorted through my jumper patterns and found a button front version, Butterick 5149, that I thought would do the trick. And I looked through my fabric stash and found the perfect mustardy marigold cotton for a 70s inspired make. It was actually a sheet but just right for this. 

Because it is a heavier cotton, I knew I'd have to line it in order to wear it. Fortunately I had some cream bemberg left over in my stash, and since this pattern only required 1.5 m. I had enough. I also found some shiny contrast buttons in the stash and had enough of those too! So I forged ahead with this amusing challenge.

What do you think? Does the 70s influence come through? 

Despite this being quite a strong yellow, I had a number of things in my closet that matched with it. Along with the Liberty of London blouse that I thrifted (seen above), a classic black turtleneck goes well. 

My bright floral Drop Sleeve Top by the Avid Seamstress (a free pattern) has streaks of marigold in it so goes in another way. 

And my Egyptian Art Deco print Burda tee is, I think, my favourite combo so far. 

Looking at this photos I am planning on shortening it by another inch to make it a little less 70s and a little more chic. And I may take it in a pinch across the bust/high waist. 

I used my new favourite patch pocket technique (thanks Burda) and lined them and turned them before topstitching them on. And in my last jumper, the way I attached my lining as an afterthought under the bindings was so easy and attractive that I repeated that here. I just cut the lining as a second jumper and basted it to the cotton before sewing on the bias facing at neck and arm. I also basted it under the front facings before top stitching and then sewing on the buttons and making buttonholes. To complete it I turned up the hem, covering the lining and stitched it down over both layers. 

It is bright, cheery, and a bit retro. I had fun making this up out of my stash, and trying different outfit combos. While the Sewcialists mini-challenge was my inspiration for this make, I also found a fun challenge via the Sew and Tell podcast, Sew Your Roll. You could roll 3 numbers and get an 'assignment' from their lists. I rolled and received "Yellow / Neutral / Buttons" as my theme. Which also fit this project perfectly! Since I was just about to begin this project when I rolled I counted it as good fortune. 

 I prefer 80s fashion to 70s, but that's probably because of teenage nostalgia. Would you sew from your birth year? What would you make?