Queen of Dots SWAP Tamotsu Jacket

For the jacket in my Queen of Dots SWAP wardrobe, I used one of my favourite Vogue Designer Patterns, 1546.  It's OOP, and very 90s, but I absolutely love the aesthetic of Tamotsu's designs with the soft tailored look. I have collected a number of the Vogue Designer Tamotsu patterns over the years but have only recently decided to actually start using them! 



The fabric is a rayon/poly/lycra blend glen plaid in a creamy white and black combination.  It is very menswear inspired.  I have made the jacket before, out of a heavier wool suiting fabric.  Since my chosen fabric for the SWAP was a lighter weight, I underlined the entire jacket with fusible Armo-Weft interfacing. 

I decided to not use the collar or faux pocket flaps, to keep the style lines even simpler.  I did not want to have shoulder pads, so I removed the shoulder pad ease from the shoulder height, and cut the sleeve cap down to accommodate this.  I also narrowed the shoulder seams by 3/4" to give a more modern feel.

I nipped in the waist a bit as well, just by increasing the seam allowance by about 1/4-3/8".  My standard adjustments include a 3/4" sway back adjustment, a 3/4" FBA and lengthening the sleeves by 2".  I also drafted my own lining pattern for this jacket, as I like the way lining helps slip the jacket on and off.

I found the Embroidered Applique lace motifs on Amazon.ca,  and labouriously handstitched them on after the jacket was completed.  I normally would have done this by machine with a small zig-zag stitch before sewing the jacket and lining together, but didn't actually get the idea for the lace motifs until after the jacket had been mostly completed.  There's one motif on the left shoulder:

And one on the right lower front that wraps around to the side seam.  I had to modify this one a bit, by snipping some of the motifs out so they would wrap with the body.

I think they add a little pizzazz and femininity to an otherwise standard suit jacket.

Only one piece left in the Queen of Dots SWAP, a matching skirt.  It's currently on my cutting table awaiting some love!

Disoriented SWAP'ping (FO - Vogue 7827)

So, sometimes my SWAP plans get a bit disoriented.  In this case, I had a party that I was going to and I wanted a new top to wear, as one does.  And while I'm really trying to be disciplined and stick to my SWAP plans, I'm down to the last two items in my main SWAP, which are a glen plaid jacket and a matching glen plaid skirt.  I've been holding off on the glen plaid, because, well...plaid.  Matching isn't my favourite thing.  Anyhoo...back to the party.  I had pulled this fabric and pattern for the next phase of my SWAP and thought Vogue 7827 would make the perfect party top.

I chose View B, and used a black chiffon with tiny white polka dots.  I cut my usual size 16.

There are only three pattern pieces for this top - a front, a back and a guide for the elastic.  It seems relatively straight forward - the front and back are basically rectangles.

BUT...said rectangles are cut on the bias.  With narrow hems.  ALL AROUND.  And this is chiffon.   So...yup, it suddenly became a labour of love instead of a quick throw-together top.

The drape is fantabulous.  

Directions are important.  After stitching the basting stitches, gathering the area where the seams will go and then adding the narrow elastic, I promptly stitched the seams right sides together.  Because that's how you normally sew a side seam.  BUT...that left the lovely drapey sleeves on the inside.  GAHHHH.

Since it was time for the party, and I had a billion-ty stitches to unpick on black bias cut chiffon, I decided to wear something else to the party and come back to this later.  Truthfully, my initial thought was "How much do I really want this top?" but when I came back to this later, I decided I really, really wanted it, so I tediously unpicked every stitch, and then stitched it the right way 'round.

The flutter sleeves turned out amazing.  Totally worth the unpicking in my opinion.  This is a pretty distinctive top, so I'm not sure I will make it again, at least for the foreseeable future, but I've made a pretty giant note to myself to make sure I don't sew it the wrong way round again.

Now all I need is a party to wear it to...

Cha-cha-cha-changes!

Here's another project that has a bit of a turn from my original plans.  I knew I wanted a fitted shirt/blouse in my SWAP, but I just couldn't find the fabric I wanted to use.  Instead of stressing about it (because really, I sew to try to reduce stress, not create it!), I went on a stash-dive and found some beautiful cupro fabric I had purchased WAY back when Timmel Fabrics was still in business (boy, do I miss Julie and her beautiful fabrics!).  Cupro is super soft.  A quick Google search shows cupro is a cellulose fabric, similar to tencel or modal, and feels very soft like rayon or silk, and is similarly drapy.  My fabric looks like a jacquard or cross woven fabric, with beige and black and has a raised pattern to it.  It has a slight sheen to it, not super shiny but you can see from the photograph that it does have a bit of a "glow."

I chose Butterick 5678 for the pattern.  I've used it before (in a different size than I am currently), and it comes with different cup sizing, which is a huge win in my books.  This semi-fitted shirt has a collar and collar band, with princess seams, and sleeves with cuffs.

I couldn't find this when I did a search on the Butterick website, so maybe it's out of print?  That's too bad, because it's a great pattern.

Details like the collar, collarband, front placket, sleeve vent and cuffs take a bit of time to do, but add such a nice touch.  Originally, I didn't add the stitching line to the button placket, as I was hoping to keep it simple with the busy-ness of the fabric, but ended up going back to add them because the buttonholes just looked...weird, in my mind, like they were too close to the edge.  I also didn't use the bust pockets because I wanted to keep the fabric as the focus. 

I've made this pattern before, but have had to size up, so it was like I started fresh.  I did a 3/4" sway back adjustment and added 1" to the length of the sleeves.  I also used the size 16 D cup.

The final result fits very nicely with my other SWAP garments.  It wasn't what I had originally planned, but I absolutely love the finished item.  It also uses up some really deep stash yardage, which is a big win in my books!

The Best Laid Plans

Sometimes I just don't stay true to my SWAP plans.  There are many reasons why my plans change (I get bored, I can't find the pattern I was going to use originally, I can't find fabric to suit my ideas...), but in this case it turned out that the textured white sweater knit I was going to use for my planned project had much less yardage than I had originally anticipated.  In fact, it looks like I already hacked another project out of it.  I have no idea what the project was or when I did that, but the result is I didn't have enough fabric for the chosen project.

Photo credit:  M1357, My Image Magazine #7

I fell in love with the pattern M1357 from My Image Magazine #7 (fall/winter 2013/2014).  The magazine can be found here: Made by Oranges.



The sweater is a pretty basic sweater, with a lovely loose turtleneck, large cuffs at the wrists and is finished with a self-fabric bottom band.

In searching through my stash, I found a black super stretchy fabric (maybe a matte slinky - remember that stuff?!), with very fine taupe stripes.  It took me longer to trace the pattern off than it did to sew, and neither took very long to do.

I love the finished result.  I did a Nancy Zieman pivot and slide method of adding 1" to the bust instead of a traditional FBA (I didn't want a dart in this fabric).  I also added 2" in length to the sleeves.

Before I added the bottom band, I sewed the pieces together on one side and then wrapped it around my hips, marking where I wanted the final result to be.  I ended up whacking off about 10 cm in the width of the band to make it more fitted.  I would suggest doing this for each top you make from this pattern as all stretch knits behave differently.

I'm really happy with the final result.  So happy, in fact, I immediately cut out another one from a fabric I had just bought.

This fabric is a very open weave knit in a charcoal grey mix, with a bit more body than the "slinky" I used for the first one.  It kind of feels like a chenille fabric, but not as soft or as bulky.

I added about 5 cm to the length at the centre front, tapering it to nothing at the side seams to accommodate my bust volume, instead of only the width that the Nancy Zieman method FBA seems to add.

I will certainly need to wear a cami, tank or tee underneath this top as it is very showy otherwise, but I love the unusual fabric.

I think this is a cozy but lightweight sweater that will be great for the transition to spring.  If it ever arrives...that is.

FO - More Dots!

I've actually been scheduling time in m'Atelier this month.  As in, it's in pen in my paper calendar and bullet journal so it's an actual scheduled event I don't mess with.  Like, a lunchtime stress relieving appointment, or an after dinner appointment that I have to honour.   This means I've been getting a lot of sewing done.  Which is great, because I've made a rather lofty goal for myself to complete the SWAP I'm currently working on (you can read all about my plans here).

I love polka dots.  Sewing with polka dot fabric makes me very happy.  I found a black rayon blend lightweight crepe with white polka dot fabric on my stash and knew I just had to include it in my sewing plans.  I decided on a blouse using My Image magazine #12 M1612.   You can find the magazine on www.madebyoranges.com.

M1612 has back princess seams, with a yoke at the front shoulders and 3/4 length bell sleeves, which you can see in the line drawing above.  What the line drawing doesn't show is the soft gathers where the shoulder yoke joins the front.  When I was tracing the pattern, I wondered why the front piece seemed so much bigger than the yoke piece, but didn't notice the part about gathers until reading through the instructions.  Not that it would have changed my mind about making the blouse, but it's funny (weird) that the gathers aren't shown.  Anyway...here's the finished object:

I love it!  I chose white buttons.  Mostly because I had just used up all of my black ones in the right size, but also because I thought they were fun with the white polka dots.  The neckline is finished with self fabric bias binding, which I think is a really nice touch.

You can't see the princess seams on the back in the photograph, in fact, you can't really see them in person either, but they add really nice shaping to the blouse.  It's flowy, but not voluminous, which is how I prefer it. 

What are you sewing?  Any SWAP plans?

FO, Christine Jonson Patterns Travel Trio One, Center Seam Pants

I've been feverishly working away at my Queen of Dots SWAP plans.  With four items already finished, I'm using the momentum I'm gaining with the excitement of each finished object.  I was reminded of Christine Jonson Patterns by their recent pants sew-along in their Facebook group.  I have always liked Christine's patterns - Christine offers a wide range of paper patterns that work so well together.  A lot of these can now be purchased as a PDF as well.  Christine focuses on using knit fabrics for her patterns, and as a result her line of patterns makes the ideal solution for a travel wardrobe.  Spring is always a busy time for me, with a lot of travel for work to regional tradeshows.  My Queen of Dots SWAP was planned with these tradeshows in mind, which is why I included some knit separates.  My next choice was the Christine Jonson Travel Trio One, Center Seam Pants out of the same medium weight black ponte that the Christine Jonson Basewear Two Tapered skirt was made out of.

My measurements placed me in the size 16 waist and 14 hip, however, when I did the stretch test, I was worried the fabric wouldn't be stretchy enough.  I was hoping to avoid a compression legging/sausage casing style pant, and wanted more of a flared trouser style, so I sized up to size 18 for the waist and size 16 for the hip (and lower).  I scooped out/lowered the back crotch curve by about 1" to get rid of the standard wrinkling that I get pooling under my buttocks/at the tops of my hamstring area.  I also scooped out about 3/8" from the front crotch curve to get rid of the camel toe look I commonly get (so my crotch seam now looks more like a U than J).  I'm not sure that makes any sense, I can add some sketches to show you more details on this if you like - just let me know.  I also lengthened the pattern at the lengthen/shorten line by the knee by 6".

I made sure to carefully label each piece - right side/wrong side, as well as inner front/outer front vs. inner back/outer back.  I find when I'm sewing I end up not paying attention to these things and need visual reminders of what piece goes where.

I ended up taking in about an inch off of each side seam - this is consistent with the changes I had to make to the Tapered skirt, also from Christine Jonson Patterns, and also out of the same fabric.  In hindsight (see what I did there, lol), I should have all of the seams equally across the back.  As a result, my centre seams at the back are more on the side back than the centre back, but if anyone is looking that closely and comments on it, I'll have something else to say to them about what they're looking at ;)  I love how the yoke looks, but when I tried it on once I had sewn it together, the waist came up really high - around my natural waistline.  I have long legs (34" inseam for flats, 35-36" for heels), but I am also shortwaisted and dislike a seam line hitting me at the natural waist.  So, I lopped off the yoke and attached a stitch and turn elastic waist instead.  Maybe I should have called this SWAP The Queen of Lopping instead?!

I really like the finished pants.  They feel like very flattering secret pyjamas!  The weight of the ponte is great for a bootcut pant, and doesn't show every lump and bump!  You'll have to take my word for it because right now I only have these photographs to show you.

Taking photographs is quite difficult for me.  I don't have access to a photographer, I'm a bit lazy about taking my own pictures and end up using my cell phone camera at night.  The lighting in my Atelier is not so great during the day, and even worse at night.  I hope to take some pictures later this week with a better camera, a tripod, and in a different location during the day so you can actually see how these pants fit me.  But until then, you'll have to make do with these photos.

Up next on the sewing table:

RAWRRRR!!! A FO

I was able to carve out some time in my Atelier this weekend (sounds so much better than sewing room in the basement, doesn't it?!), and finished a few more items for my Queen of the Dots SWAP.  When I sew my SWAPs, I try to do a bit of "production" sewing by sewing all of the items that use the same colour thread one after the other before changing out the thread.  My last FO (finished object) was the Image Wear 1002 top, which used red thread, so up next I decided to do the Agnes Top in the red leopard? animal print? brushed lightweight sweater knit fabric.

I got this fabric at my local Fabricland last week when I was shopping for the items for my daughter's pink dress.  Now, I *know* I'm aiming for the goal of only intentionally buying fabric (as in, something I have researched or planned rather than simply seeing it and purchasing it), but red.leopard.print.  Com'on!

Anyway...two meters came home with me for the Tilly and the Buttons Agnes tee. I have made the Agnes Tee quite a few times already, and it's a very straight forward sew that I can whip up in about two hours, including the cutting time.  My adjustments include a 3/4" swayback adjustment, adding 1" to the length of the sleeves and widening the sleeve from the elbow to the wrist, adding about 1/2" on each seam to make it a bit wider at the wrist.  I find on some of my earlier versions that were made without this adjustment I can't pull up my sleeves, which I like to do often.

When I finished that top, I took another look at my SWAP plans and one of my extras included a red Blackwood Cardigan by Helen's Closet.  I've also made three or four of these previously and they get a lot of wear.  They are cozy, yet make me feel put together.  I cut this version out of the left-over yardage I had in a medium weight red sweater knit, also from Fabricland but a long time ago.  I added about 2" to the centre front from just over the bust all the way down to the hem, to make it close a little more over my chest.  I also made my typical 3/4" swayback adjustment.  Other than that, it's pretty close to the pattern as printed.  The hardest part about this particular sweater was working within the confines of the piecemeal yardage I had, but I was determined to get this sweater out of it!

Reviewing my plans showed that I don't have much in the way of red items left for the main portion of my SWAP, so I switched out my threads to black for the next phase of sewing.

I cut and stitched a black ponte skirt made from the Basewear Two pattern by Christine Jonson patterns.  It was a super fast - I mean really super fast.  Two side seams, elastic waist and a hem.  Based on my measurements, I am a size 16 hip and 18 waist. I sized up to a 18 waist and 20 hip, because when I did the stretch test, the ponte seemed to have less give than what the pattern called for.  I ended up cutting it down when I tried it on for my first fitting before adding the elastic at the waist - it's probably a size 14 waist and 12 hip.  Even with the fitting snaffoo, its still a super simple and very quick make, made in about an hour (including cutting time).

Here's a recap of my Queen of the Dots wardrobe so far:

Queen of Dots, an Dotted FO!

For my second item for the Queen of Dots wardrobe, I decided to sew the top from Image Wear 1002.  Image Wear is a printed pattern line by Made by Oranges, who also publish the Image Wear magazine.   I'm pretty sure I got this pattern for free when I bought one of their magazine packs of back issues.

I really like the pattern photograph - bows are still a big trend and I thought it would work really well with the lightweight crepe I had chosen for this pattern.  The pattern pieces are given on a pattern sheet that looks like a Burda Style magazine pattern sheet.  I traced the size 42 based on my measurements, and made my standard adjustments, which are a 3/4" dartless FBA (from the Fast Fit book by Sandra Betzina), a 3/4" swayback adjustment, and adding 1" to the sleeve length. There are no seam allowances included on these pattern pieces, which makes the alterations a bit easier to manipulate.

The bow and collar are two separate items on this blouse, not a continuous collar that you tie in the front.  As with many European patterns, the pieces for the collar and bow are given as dimensions you need to cut out, no physical pattern piece is given.  The layout diagram shows the collar and bow being cut on the cross-grain.  I briefly considered how the collar would look as I didn't think it would drape around the curve of the neckline very nicely if it was cut on the cross-grain.  That being said, I also figured the pattern drafters would know better so I ignored the niggling feeling I had about the collar and plowed ahead.  

I'm pretty sure you know where this is going.  Here's what happened when I attached my collar.  

Not the look I was going for.  I tried folding it under like a facing or binding, but it puckered the body of the blouse like mad.  I unpicked it and restitched it with a different method and had the same result.  So I hacked off the collar, tossed it in the bin and used commercially made single fold narrow bias tape to finish it instead.

The rest of the construction was easy.  Initially, I decided to leave off the bow given the issues I had with the collar but then decided to finish the bow, and attach it with a safety pin like a brooch for a removable accessory.  It gives me some flexibility and I can also use the bow on other pieces of my SWAP if I like. 

If I make this again, I will draft collar pieces either to be cut on the bias or use a facing instead.  I really like the blouson effect that the elastic finish at both the lower hem and the wrists gives.  I think it's a pretty, feminine touch.

This will go well with the remainder of my planned Queen of Dots SWAP wardrobe.  More to come!

Twisted, a FO

A while back, I found a new to me pattern company.  Don't cha just love the internet?  Made by Oranges is a company based in the Netherlands, who publishes My Image, a semi-annual magazine with patterns for women. I have collected all of their issues over the past year or so.  Shipping from the Netherlands to Canada is relatively quick (about two weeks or so), and I haven't been any trouble with either the Canada Post or customs.  I've just resubscribed for the coming year, as well as purchased a subscription for B*Trendy, the children's pattern magazine they also publish.

The patterns in the magazines need to be traced the same as Burda Style magazine, which can be a bit confusing, but I highlight each pattern piece with a highlighter before tracing to make it less confusing.  I also place a bright work light directly over my work space when I'm tracing (and wear my reading glasses!).  The directions are just as brief as Burda magazines, but come in four languages. However, the lovely clothing with a touch of European flare make it totally worth all of this.  And, the glossy photographs of the clothes made in a number of different fabrics are well worth the purchase price.

This is my first Queen of the Dots SWAP piece.  Item #10 (Top #5) as noted in my previous post is My Image magazine #15, M1760 twist top in lightweight mustard heather jersey knit.  This fabric came from Fabricland (not sure if it was my local store or one I bought in a huge haul last October in Ottawa).  I've sewn this fabric up in other colourways previously, and it is lovely to wear, albeit a bit sheer.  I felt it would be perfect for the twist in this pattern.

I chose size 42 based on my measurements.  I made a 3/4" swayback adjustment, which is a standard adjustment for me, and graded the waist shaping out to accommodate my figure. I also added 1" to the length of the sleeves.

The challenging part of this pattern is obviously figuring out what the directions meant for the twisted part.  I was sewing in the evening after a taxing day, and it took me a few tries to figure out what the instructions meant, despite the drawings that are included for this pattern.  I did eventually figure it out by bringing the top over to the dress form and draping it this way and that. Once I got that figured out, I couldn't figure out how I was supposed to finish the portion of the top front and ripped a small hole during the stitching/unstitching/restitching process.  Fortunately, the hole was covered when I finally did figure out what I was supposed to do.  Next time, I'll add a bit of a wedge through this area to accommodate an FBA.

The body of the top ended up being quite long on me.  I cut off 2-1/2" from the length of the body.  I guess being able to cut off the length isn't a hardship, it's just an uncommon practice for me with my long legs and arms :p

I love the result.  I would love to make this top again, but as it is pretty distinctive, I won't make it again in this SWAP capsule.