twill – THE COMPULSIVE SEAMSTRESS

Mercy, Mercy Me

I bought a new to me magazine last month, but not new to the sewing world! I thought I’d try out the Ottobre magazines, as some people think they’re a better option to Burda. Unfortunately there aren’t as many each year as the Burda, only one for Spring/Summer and one for Autumn Winter. They’re around £11 each and this one contains 18 patterns. The one I got is Spring/Summer 2020.

First impressions. The styles aren’t as “trendy” as the Burda, but there is a good variety of items. Three patterns stood out to me, a pair of trousers, a jersey top and a camisole top. So for £11 it’s not bad value, especially when you consider the Burdas are now £7.50 an issue and I often find nothing I want to make. My measurements put me in the same size as the Burda sizing, but these patterns all go from a 34 to a 52, so much more inclusive than Burda.

I traced the pattern for the trousers #8, the Utility Pants, in the size 44. Looking at the pattern, the crotch depth is much deeper than I’d expect. Chris made a pair last year and commented that they didn’t fit as expected, definitely a crotch fit issue. I noticed the zip opening seemed very low. Once toiled, I also needed to check on just where the pattern was supposed to sit! On Chris the waistband sits on the hip, as does the one on the model. On me, much higher up.

Toile issues… Too wide on the waist, take in total 4cm. Pants too wide to around mid-thigh, then getting too snug around the knee area and definitely too snug around the calf. The crotch was also defintely hinkey. It wasn’t close enough to the body, it was too long by about 4cm and had too much fabric, causing bunching in an akward area! So here’s what I did.

Pants pattern crotch adjustments. Original line marked in red.

Shortened the crotch depth by 1cm at the crotch depth line.
Took in the inseam in the front by 1cm from the crotch to mid-thigh, then out again by 1cm at the knee down to the hem.
Lifted the crotch curve just over 1cm and altered the shape of the curve. In the front, the centre front seam was moved in half a centimetre to remove excess fabric and tapered to the original CF spot at the top.
Shortened the zip opening by 5cm.
Crotch curve in the back – also lifted 1cm, curve adjusted by moving in 1cm and tapering to the original line 10cm below the waistline.
Back waistline dropped 1cm in centre back, tapering to the original side seam.
Back inseam adjusted the same as the front.
Side seams, back and front: took in 0.75cm at top of waistband, tapering to 1cm at the bottom of the waistband. From the top of the trousers, 1cm taken in all the way to just below the crotch depth line where it goes back to the orignal line, then tapers out 1cm by the knee and then straight down to the hem.
Shortened legs by 2cm by double turning the original 2cm hem depth.

The crotch adjustments take out the excess fabric that was causing bunching and weird lines, front and back. The zip shortening makes it look so much better, no-one needs a zip opening that long, they usually stop at the hip line.

There’s only one thing I’d change when I make the next pair, use two, smaller buttons in the waistband. At almost 6cm in width, it would work better with two buttons than the one. I just might take half a centimetre out of the trouser leg width, all depending on the fabric used! So yes, despite all the adjusting, I will be making another pair.

Making wasn’t tricky. I cut the pocket linings from cotton remnants, as well as the inner waistband pieces and the underside of the belt tabs. The welt pocket at the back makes the welt, folded up, you don’t need to cut seperate welt pieces. This cuts out bulk! The tabs were going to be purely decorative, but at the last minute I made working buttonholes. All seams are overlocked, simple but effective.

Fabric notes; I bought 3m of a cotton/linen twill from Fabworks last month, loving the brilliant blue colour. I hadn’t expected it to be quite so sturdy and stretch-less when it arrived, so it prompted a re-think on the patterns I was going to use. Originally I thought I’d make a dress or jumpsuit, but there’s not enough movement for that. So, new plan was to make more trousers! There is no movement in this fabric at all, so perfect for Landers! That’s what I’ll be making with the rest of the 3m length. They still have some black and a mossy/khaki colour, which I’m tempted to get for a short Sienna Maker Jacket.

I don’t want to get too distracted with “maybe” projects though, I have the Olya Shirt from Paper Theory waiting to be toiled, waiting rather patiently since October!! So while I have a foot injury and cannot get to the allotment, I need to get on with the sewing, at least I can sit for that!

Wardrobe Architect Plans Continue

Last Saturday was the Sew Brum event, a meet-up of a number of sewing bloggers in Birmingham. I decided last minute – as you do – to have something new for the occasion. And I mean last minute. I had a new haircut on Tuesday, traced a pair of Burda trousers on Wednesday, had various interruptions & only managed to finish them on Friday morning. I also started to patterncut a new blouse on Thursday morning. Something had to give & unfortunately it was the top.

But first – the item I did manage to finish to wear to the meet-up. Typically with no spare time, I picked a pattern I’d not used before & haven’t toiled. I chose a pair of trousers from February 2013 Burdastyle magazine, number 143. The pattern has a slightly dropped, shaped waistband, front fly, hip yoke pockets and cuffs on a slight bootcut shape leg.

This is one the Curvy Collective could add to their list to try out. It’s a plus size pattern & I traced the 44-48. I don’t have much waist definition, going straight up from the hip, so I made sure I had enough sizes to grade up. As it was, I used the 44 on the leg up to the hip line & graded up to the 46 from hip up to the waistband. It’s a trifle snug because of the lack of stretch, but I’m satisfied with the result. At least I know they won’t be falling down during the day!

I had to shorten the pattern by 4cm. The finished length was to be 108cm, which I thought would be ok on me, but when I pinned the cuffs in place they dragged on the floor- not a good look for winter trousers! I had to chop off the hem turn of the cuffs & reposition them, but now I’ve shortened the paper pattern by the requisite amount so next time will be all good. I really like the shape of the trousers on me, considering I normally go for wide swooshy ones! But that style doesn’t work in the winter, I needed a more fitted, shorter style. I will use this pattern again, but I have my eye on two others to try too.

The fabric is from Croft Mill, a two tone tiny herringbone cotton chino-type fabric with no stretch. It has great body and is well suited to the style of trouser I chose – but this is one of those fabrics that creases badly in the washing machine, and then leaves the evidence of that creasing in the loss of colour. It’s a real shame because now the trousers look like they constantly need an iron. I’ll leave it for a little while, but I feel I’m going to need to get the dye out, which will lose me those teeny tiny herringbones.

Cuffs & hip yoke pockets lined with grey satin

I bound the inner waistband edge with the left overs of the lilac bias binding from Daughter No2’s vintage jacket & used a grey satin for the pocket bags. As I was in a rush I simply zig-zagged the seam allowances. Not the most perfect finish, but it does the job.

The top I completed this week, yesterday in fact. It’s sort of my contribution towards the Sewcialists’ Scraptember challenge, even though it was only dreamt up & made now in early October. I had some left over black & white spot silk de chine form a blouse I’d made a few years ago and loved to bits. Literally. I wore it until it fell apart. The fabric has such a fabulously luxurious feel and the way it flows and drapes while you wear it is just beautiful. Anyway, I’d kept the bits, because they were big enough for something, just not an entire new something. Then by chance I found more of the same stuff in Fred Winters in Stratford on Avon! Perfect! I bought a metre and immediately hatched a plan.

Self-drafted silk crepe de chine faux placket blouse

I wanted something similar to the original top, but also wanted to do a twist on a traditional placket. My go-to length for sleeves is three-quarters and I do love the sleeve I developed for my Jungle January blouse. I cut the sleeves, cuffs & neckbands from the silk I had left over and cut the front, back & placket from the new piece.

Close-up of the neck-band & faux placket

The collar is more of a neckband, and the placket more like a facing sewn on the wrong side & turned to the right side & topstitched in place. The bust dart was moved to the underarm position & I took a little of the waist darts out in the side seam so it wasn’t too tent-like. Construction was pretty straightforward, French seams throughout, double turned dipped at the back hem. I used Gill Arnold’s fine sheer fusible interfacing on the outer neckband, placket & cuffs. The interfacing was definitely needed on the placket to keep it under control for the turning under of the seam allowances!

I’m in love with the result! Ok, so maybe a thin light silk top is not really a practical make for October, but I could wear a vest top underneath for added warmth. The biggest advantage is that it’s done! Another top that fits my requirements and uses the fabric in the boxes. Even if it does mean I had to buy a little to complete the project. And yes, its more spots 🙂 What can I say, I feel overwhelmed by most patterns, but checks, stripes & spots I can live with. So far this year I’ve made 4 blouses with definite spots/circles & two with variations on the theme. Oh, and one tee, not blogged. There is still another silk satin in the stash box with my name on it – spotted, of course! We’ll have to see what I decide to make next but I have plans to make another two pairs of trousers.

I bought a stone coloured cotton twill & a gold-sand colour stretch cotton chino from Croft Mill fabrics earlier in the year for winter trousers & I’m thinking of using 118 from Burdastyle 08/2013 for the gold & 134 from Burdastyle 04/2012 for the stone. Just to get them traced & toiled first…

These are all resulting from my work on the Wardrobe Architect project. Have any of you been using yours much to further your wardrobes this year?

Geometric Trousers

Here’s another of those fabulous, “make me more than once” patterns. I posted a whole pile of my own tried & tested Burda patterns last month, this is definitely another, but for the girls this time. I have used this pattern, which comes as a petite in the magazine, five times now, all successfully.

The pattern is Style 123 from Burdastyle magazine, June 2011. Daughter No1 is the lucky recipient of this particular pair, and I used the pattern in the petite format, making them an extra 2cm shorter. I think the German ladies these patterns are designed for must have really long legs. When I made this pattern for Daughter No2, who is pretty tall, all I needed to do was to adjust the pattern for “normal” height. I had thought I’d need to lengthen it again for a “tall” person, but the length was just right. However, for Daughter No1, whose legs are a fair bit shorter, I actually needed to shorten the pattern some more! I took those extra 2cm out of between the kneeline and the hem.

Looking at the photos now, I think I’ll be taking them in a little more from just below the crotch line to the hem, they are a little too wide on her legs. I made the 17, which would equate to the 34 in the ordinary sizes. The fabric is pretty cool. I’d seen it on the Stitch Fabrics website, labelled as Prada twill and wanted it! It is a cotton/lycra blend, but hasn’t got so much lycra that it gets all stretchy out of shape. Originally it was going to be a jacket for me, but the beige is too – well, beige! 🙂

I offered it to Daughter No1 for trousers & she was definitely in agreement. It was she who suggested using this pattern as she loves the last pair I made in a black & white mini-houndstooth. I used a black grossgrain ribbon in the centre of the waistband. I love the way it looks like a belt, but it also serves a practical purpose. As the fabric has stretch, this stops the waistband getting sloppy through the day.

I used a hook & bar closing instead of a button, it makes for a smoother finish. The insides were all overlocked before I started sewing, and boy did that make me sneeze! There was so much fluff! I also used a stretch needle. I have found that with fabrics with a certain amount of lycra or elastene, that a normal needle leaves holes. I used a stretch 75/11 for these trousers. Overall I am happy with this make, I will go back and taper the legs a bit more but I love the print, it’s perfect for trousers!