I finished my Burda peplum jacket – it was intended as a toile, because I used remnants of a corded denim, but it's definitely wearable. Great jacket…more details on my first post, here.
I'm planning a second version in black ponte, with long sleeves. A stable fabric with a little weight is perfect for this pattern (imagine a brocade – would be stunning).
The jacket is styled with wide leg pants done in ITY knit, a fun abstract print in grey, white, and black.
Feeling brave, I used V9217, a Kathryn Brenne pattern that's actually intended for woven fabrics (and I've sewn 3, first post is here). I love the lines and the flat front on the waistband. And it worked great in ITY!
I used a straight hem and the slanted pocket from the Pattern Emporium Harem Pants. I use this pocket all the time, because it has a 1-piece pocket bag and doesn't gape open at the hips.
Last but not least, I also sewed a new Tessuti Megan Cardigan in grey ponte from Fabric Mart.
I made a black ponte version back in August, and at the time, I thought it might be a little small. But that was really my mind working on me – I love wearing it.
As with my first version, I raised the hemline by 4″, and used a 1″ wide band (the original band is quite narrow).
This was all fun sewing, and I have outfits!
Yes, it's the middle of summer, and a cardigan evokes fall sewing. But – the stores are so cold, especially the grocery market! I always put on a sweater or shawl to go in that freezer joint. One day in December, I didn't have one with me, and my Raynauds Syndrome sent me a swift kick.
Since then, I've been messing around with long cardigan patterns, with the intention of making one in black ponte and keeping it in the car.
After my disappointment with my self-drafted version (here), lots of you suggested the Megan Cardigan. It really is cute, and I like the pointed side seam detail.
Based on my measurements, I sewed the size Medium. And it was a silly mistake. I used a rayon/nylon/spandex ponte de roma, which is very stable. It has very little horizontal stretch and no vertical stretch – I should have gone up a size. My cardigan is a little small, tight in the arms and across the back – sigh. But it will be gifted, and I'll make another in size Large.
Having only 2 yards of fabric, I shortened the pattern by 4″, and, honestly, I think I prefer this length.
Many people have mentioned that the very narrow neckband is a bit fiddly to attach. I used an unfinished width of 2.5″, which finishes at about 7/8″ wide. Thanks, everyone, for the heads up!
Instead, I hemmed the cardi first, and then attached the finished band. IMHO, the result is less bulky and much nicer.
Other than the topstitching, I sewed the whole thing on the serger, 2 needles. What a fun little project – it has just enough going on to keep it interesting.
I'm in pants heaven. I love this pattern!
From Kathryn Brenne, and I've found no reviews, so perk up… Great pieces. A shell, a reversible jacket, and these pants. This post is all about the pants.
Another view of happy me.
So much to talk about, but check out the 'dolphin' hems (usually seen on jogging shorts, so really new for me).
Fabric: Multi-stripe Cotton Ikat from Fashion Fabric Club…totally misnamed, because it's a jacquard!
Part of the challenge with this fabric was figuring out how to place the pattern. I didn't want the dominant white stripe to be misplaced on the front or the back 🙂 So lots of single-layer cutting. I just did it with a good movie playing.
I made the size Medium (12-14) with NO changes to the fit.
In an unusual move for me, I used packaged double-fold bias tape to finish the hems. IMO, it was much easier than working with bias strips cut from cotton broadcloth. Even so, I spent most of one day finishing the hems. Picky picky…but finish is really important to me, and I never mind the time or effort involved.
Outseam, below the waist, 39″.
The pants are pretty much straight up and down, so they can be shortened anywhere in the leg. And the rise can be shortened at the top edge (just be sure to move your pockets down as well if needed).
The pockets provided with the pattern are standard in-seam pockets. But for pants, I really prefer a slant pocket that's attached in the waistband. I used the pocket from Butterick 6296, but any similar pocket would work fine.
These will be my favorite summer long pants. Absolutely. I want more! Last pic of this happy woman. Photo-bomber Emile is sporting a Tessuti Megan Cardigan, finished last week, I'll blog it soon. And my blouse is my recent camp shirt (B6296), cropped!
Now that is a happy face!
I've been so busy – watching April and Oliver as they wait for their little giraffe to appear, and thinking about my recent makes of the V8499 and Tessuti Demi pants. And getting a new hot water heater. Yes, domestic needs do intrude sometimes on my sewing.
But the pattern has a great darted front and waistband.
My affection for the Tessuti Demi Pants was still lukewarm pending more work.
What an opportunity – I decided to combine the patterns using the linen pants as my target. Out with that boring hem!
This was a simple change. I drew the Demi detail on the linen pants, cut, and sewed. Not bad!
In fact, they're really cute.
A note on my fabric: it's a 55% linen/45% rayon blend from Fabric.com, the charcoal colorway. It's very nice, and has a perfect rumple with no shine (I've found that blends that reverse the content – 55% rayon/45% linen – tend to drape more, have fewer slubs, and have a slight sheen).
Both blends ravel! so I serged the cut ends of the yardage before putting it through the washer and dryer 3 times. I also serged around all my cut pieces before I started sewing. It's so easy to lose the seam allowance to a healthy ravel on linens.
I love new patterns…even this one!
This is a quickie post, to show my muslin efforts last week with the Tessuti Demi Pant. So, what's 'demi' about it?! Pattern naming by indie designers seems to be very subjective.
Anyway. I've seen a few interesting makes of this, and since I love baggy pants with funky details, I gave it a try. Progress so far – well, mine are just shapeless. Maybe, when I've nothing else to do, I'll fool around with it. I noticed in reading reviews that it's either loved or not.
Another view, it's awful, but I'll share. Grant you, the top seems too narrow for the pants, but I think that, with this much volume in the pants, an appropriate top would be very unstructured. It might be time to pull out my unsewn Tina Givens patterns, she has some lovely tops that might work.
It's almost spring, and we're having very high winds (15 – 30 mph). The mahogany trees are giving up their fruit – which are best described as wooden projectiles. They are huge, hard, and dangerous! These things keep me out of the garden except for a couple careful pick-up visits each day. If I don't remove them, the nuts release hundreds of seeds that sprout in my garden like grass.
Their geometry is very alluring, I've always admired them, even when they make me nuts.