Day to Night Drape Tops- compulsive!

Posted on 13 May, 2013 by scruffybadgertime

OK, confession time. I am a Maria Denmark super fan. Apart from enjoying her blog tremendously & having a stackload of admiration for her giving up her day job to live her dream designing & drafting sewing patterns, I absolutely love every single pattern that I have made that she has produced. I am particularly keen on the knit patterns she has crafted – the style & fit are perfect for me. They are distributed as pdf downloads, but don’t let that put you off – I’ve seen that she is making it even easier to download & construct all those pieces of printed A4 with her new Audrey dress pattern (yes I have it ) Anyway, I have to say also that her instructions are also very well documented with photos to help explain the steps, and are easily achievable makes in my opinion. Anyway, this post is about the Day to Night Drape Top pattern.

Folks, this is a speedy stylish sewing fix – seriously this pattern is sooooo easy to make, especially the sleeveless version. Lizzy has made it in the sleeveless variety in highly covetable stripes, & even making it up as a dress (see here) .

Remember I made it here with long sleeves as soon as it came out, & was impressed with it & it has been worn lots. Plus, you must know by now that I adore cowl necklines! With summer on the horizon I could at last make it up sleeveless.

I had some fabric recently acquired that cried out to be made up in this pattern. This is the wondrously fine jersey from Jill’s Itterations Workwear store on Etsy (remember it is still on special offer). I had me some Silver lurex sparkle on beige (hey disco!!)

So this pattern is constructed from just two pieces: a front & a back. It is easily made from less than a metre of fabric. Bargainalicious. And so stylish too.

The front has an integral facing that folds down to make the cowl. This is what it looks like from the inside. I am rapidly falling in love with using clear elastic to finish the neck & sleeve edges. Just requires two rows of zig zag & so neat.

I could not stop at one, I had to make two

Jill kindly sent me some black to try & it is so soft & wonderfully fine. Perfect for a drapey cowl.

Black to bring my By Hand Charlotte skirt into Spring rotation…

I think it’s just the way I’m standing that makes it look a bit tight across the chest. Although to be honest, this is clingy top.

And an added bonus? This top took me an hour tops to make, once I’d cut it out. Cutting out must take all of 15 minutes!

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Not quite Salome: me-made silk scarf

Posted on 26 April, 2013 by scruffybadgertime

I’ve really got into scarves recently. Get the right colour combo with the rest of your outfit & it can create such an impact, lifting something a little dull or adding a spark of retro to an otherwise sane look. Ages ago the lovely Roobeedoo sent me some silk. She had thought I’d be able to make something with it, at the very least use it for a scarf.

This silk was b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l: navy background with gymnasts (or if you are obsessed with swimmer related decoration like me you can convince yourself that they are actually swimmers) frolicking across its expanse with stars too. Of course I loved it & draped it across Barbarella thinking about the worthy use I could put it to. But you know what’s coming next don’t you? After a few months of gazing at it, I felt that sewing a silk scarf was how it would be most loved & appreciated by me. And, as long as I kept to its original dimensions I could always make it into something later, the scarf could actually just be a temporary make that got it into use & allowed it out into the big wide world.

Having already made napkins using the rolled hem on my overlocker I determined that provided I tried really hard to get the corners neat, I should do the same to this piece of fabric. It is 140cmx120cm, not a standard scarf measurement, quite large in fact.

Now, it’s the corners that are the tricky part – what you do is sew right up to the edge & one stitch more over the edge. Then, with needle at its highest, lift the foot & swivel the corner off the stitch finger (I know what this is now – it kind of sits inside the rows of stitches & gets bound by them …) – yes, swivel off the stitch finger & turn around 90 degrees. You then put the needle back in the fabric where you want your new seam to join with the previous seam at the inside corner. When I did this before I had a less consistent result, but this worked out OK with neat-enough corners. Phew. I didn’t want to cheapen my scarf through tatty shoddy loopy corners!

But the thing is, big scarf, many options! Salome had 7 veils I believe. Here are 7 looks for my fab scarf …

An obvious first choice, slung over one shoulder….

Rolled up along its diagonal & tied tight around the neck. There is so much more area of this scarf than the usual scarves I wear like this, it would be perfect I think if I suffered whiplash and had a neck brace to disguise…round & round & round ….

As a shawl it might look chic as a cover up for a cocktail dress. But not having one of those you’ll have to use your imagination!

Dial 999! Someone’s stolen my convertible!

Another instance where imagination is needed – could this be a summer top? It’s big enough. Thing is you’re not going to get me exposing myself in these temperatures PLUS I can see far too many stripes through even two layers of this silk! No chance I’ll be wearing it like this!

Believe it or not this is my homage to the Jedi….

But this is how I really like to wear it!

Thank you Roobeedoo for parting with such a special piece of silk! I’ve had fun styling it many different ways, but have worn it lots & love it to death.

Maybe this will result in other people discovering lengths of fabric they can bring out of a drawer and breathe some near instant life into. I do hope so

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Sewing cardigans: McCalls 6708 and Simplicity 2154 Face Off

Posted on 3 April, 2013 by scruffybadgertime

OK, so previously I promised you another pattern for sewing (yes, sewing) your own cardigan. So what I’m going to do is not only show you this “other” cardigan pattern but try to compare it with Simplicity 2154. What a bonus I hear you cry!

So first up, the second cardigan pattern, McCalls 6708.Note the key words on this envelope: “Easy” and “Knits”. I’m away!!

Let’s take a closer look at this shall we? It comes in two lengths with two necklines & sleeve length variations. But what’s interesting about it is that the pockets you see are real…not faux me dears, but genuine proper welt pockets.

Now I was a bit cautious this time, making view E but without the pockets. You’ll see that is partly to do with the fabric that I was making it out of, but mainly due to laziness. This is an overlocker make on the whole, & I didn’t want to be fiddling around tooooo much with details. I didn’t really want the Chanel look cardigan on this occasion.

The fabric is some patterned acrylic I bought last summer at Manchester’s Abakhan in one of the bargain weigh-your-own bins. Yes I know it’s grey, for some reason I seem to be making loads of grey clothing at the moment. This is not a conscious effort, promise.

And yes, I spent Easter by the sea & we had sunshine…cold, yes, but blue skies and the sun shone on us.

Here’s another seaside pic just to show off. The hat? (A Weekend Hat) Yes I knitted it, but will have to point out its many failings another time – I will tell you it took a darn sight longer than a weekend…

This cardigan pattern uses bands for cuffs, neck, hem & front edges. In fact every discernible edge is finished with a band (complete opposite of Simplicity 2154). So you can see that I did not opt for contrast bands as suggested by the pattern, I did consider it, but did not have anything suitable. Sewing buttonholes on this kind of band was fine too, even though there was no interfacing (or was there? You know I can’t remember! I think I would use interfacing next time….). I had some cream buttons already that I used for giving it some pop.

The instructions for making this particular view were ok- easy to follow. The bands all worked nicely, but I was less happy having to slip stitch the centre front bands inside their long edges. I was tempted to machine stitch in the ditch, but it is a very obvious seam to show through & on this occasion I decided to go slow.

I have worn this cardigan heaps since I finished it – I REALLY like it – the floral fabric is one reason, (cos I love it) but the shape to me is a perfect cardigan – nicely figure hugging & a nice low enough neckline. It looks great buttoned up as well as true cardigan style.

So what about the Face Off? Simplicity 2154 vs McCalls 6708

McCalls 6708 to the left, Simplicity 2154 to the right, blogged about here.

Here they are side by side. McCalls has a better more shapely fit from the width of the sleeve, the narrowness of the cuff & the slight waist shaping. Remember the Simplicity cardigan has been shaped a bit already by me & shortened. I also prefer the neckline of the McCalls pattern, it is lower. And what’s more, upon reflection, I like that the cuff & hem bands on the McCalls as they pull the sleeves/ body of the cardigan in a bit too…

I’d say undone, the McCalls has more of the properties of a knitted cardigan – it is less boxy & more snuggly with its narrow sleeves…

What I love about the Simplicity version is its button band made with grosgrain ribbon – just neatly attached, folded over & top stitched. There are fewer pattern pieces, with hems being turned & topstitched as opposed to extra bands attached & finished. But it still looks less like a knitted cardigan than the McCalls, don’t you think? At one point I was thinking of being tricksty & combining the McCalls shape with the Simplicity button band technique, but feel now that all of the bands bring the style together for the McCalls & it feels to me that to omit the centre front bands would be a design disaster as I wouldn’t want to omit the hem or cuffs.

I have some “grass green” quality knit (with actual wool content!) from Ditto to make up my next cardigan, as I can tell you I am sold on the whole concept of no-knit cardigans… I am leaning towards another McCalls….but with welt pockets this time……& cute buttons

What is your experience? Anyone tried either of these patterns? Are there any other “knitted” cardigan patterns out there that are a success?

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Simplicity 2154: a spring outfit

Posted on 28 March, 2013 by scruffybadgertime

Do you think that Spring is in the air yet? In anticipation I decided to gently coax it in by taking some pretty floral (furnishing) fabric & making it into a pencil skirt. I was sorely tempted to use the By Hand Charlotte skirt pattern as it has to be my fave skirt pattern, but resisted as I felt that Simplicity 2154, being on my desert island list of patterns needed a trial (especially as I noted it too had double darts which I like).

Before I go into the skirt in anymore detail, you might notice from the pics that I also made the cardigan from the same pattern out of some knitted fabric. More on that below.

Thought you’d enjoy seeing my first badly framed shot – but it’s the only one of my new shoes!!

So I whipped it up pretty quickly, didn’t read the instructions & inserted a back zip before realising that is was a side zip pattern (I prefer back zips anyway). And just before attaching the waistband I remembered how much a lining adds to the feel of a skirt, exuding that secret bit of quality.

Sadly I haven’t taken pics of the lining, it’s emerald green, satin, & yes it feels l-o-v-e-r-l-y when wearing it! I made it quite a lot shorter than the pattern suggests, & it resulted in no vent being required at the back – well that was a relief as it meant I didn’t have to fiddle with the lining & skirt at the vent

Wearing this skirt makes me hark back to my sixth form/ uni days, as this was the kind of thing I used to love wearing – big chintzy florals, appropriated into clothing (I even made myself some baggy short dungarees in chintz, envy away!) So, this look is casual, hence wearing it & not even tucking my t-shirt in (shock!) (By the way the t-shirt is my Nora tee).

Onto the cardigan now. I made this a while ago & can report that it’s a useful item & so much quicker than knitting a cardigan I can tell you!!! Absolutely no ripping out hahahaha! It was a quick make too (mostly overlocked), & I liked its construction (although I did insert the sleeve flat, contrary to the instructions).

It has a neck band but its hem is just a turned hem. The button band (both sides) is grosgrain ribbon & really neat. This means that even sewing buttonholes is achievable & not too challenging.

Simplicity 2154 Before adjustments

I took quite a bit of length off the cardigan & also nipped it in slightly at the waist, as this is a very boxy style. I used buttons in three colours that are the same flower shape (aaah!)

How does this compare to a real knitted cardigan then? Well, the sleeves are wider, I’d possibly narrow them next time. But tell you what, get the shape right & this is a useful wardrobe addition for the gal who doesn’t want to buy rtw.

I am now trialling another cardigan pattern, more on that when I’m done.

So, I think I’m loving Simplicity 2154 even more now I’ve now made three of the four garments. Just the jacket left ….

Happy Easter everyone, hope you enjoy the lovely long weekend ….

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Maria Denmark: Loungewear

Posted on 25 March, 2013 by scruffybadgertime

Now I have a confession and I don’t think I’m alone.

When I get home from work the first thing I do is get changed into ‘comfy clothes’. What’s so bad about that you might ask? Well, I have been known to get changed into my fleecey flannel PJs before it has even reached 6pm! For shame! Something needed to be done! My options for ‘getting comfy’ needed expanding……

You know I’m a huge fan of Maria Denmark’s patterns, well time to catch up on a couple of uber comfy favorites that are getting lots of wear. I’m sure there are all sorts of loungewear sewing patterns out there, but Maria Denmark’s Birgitte Tee (long sleeve) and her new Laura Lounge trousers are in my book perfect.

I made the Birgitte tee ages ago, and have been getting all sorts of wear out of it, not just horizontal nesting. I love the fit & the amount of negative ease. Here’s my first write up, & making it a second time is just as pleasurable (even having to match stripes!!)

When MariaDenmark brought out her Laura Lounge trousers, & with imminent Half Marathon recuperating needed I hastened to make them.

Let me tell you, I love the fit. Loving the fit of my three Maria Denmark top patterns I wasn’t sure if her below the waist patterns would love or hate my lumps & bumps. Well, they fit like a dream. And come together super quickly. Maria’s instructions are illustrated by photographs which I happen to love & followed very easily. I did not however follow the waistband instructions, being truly lazy I just used the pattern piece as a fold over waistband, however there are two options Maria describes, including one that requires shirring. Trust me, I shall give it a go as I LOVE these lounge pants.

Check out the fabric – it’s chunky corduroy, no it’s not it’s stretch velour! I think fabric wise you need to chose a knit that is more substantial than a drapey t-shirt material

Been doing rather a lot of this recently, not been 100% & I commend such outfits to do it in!

From behind – they are slightly bootleg- pretty flattering considering they are tight round the derriere (as they should be). .

Watching season one, Game of Thrones & knitting ….(it’s a simple hat from Jane Brocket’s Gentle Art of Knitting)

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Birthday goodies & my latest running top, a Kirsten Kimono Tee

Posted on 3 February, 2013 by scruffybadgertime

So today is my birthday & I knew you’d appreciate the sewing treats I’ve been festooned with (I am sooooo lucky!!). I thought you’d also like to see yesterday’s make ….this will be a picture heavy post, drool away & imagine my inner joy, the perfect men I have to say responsible for many of them…and can I mention the huge amount of chuffedness to be wished happy birthday first in Danish & then in Portuguese – what a surprise & just what is so wonderful about our on-line sewing community!!

Now hope you enjoy these pics of awesome sewing pressies – I just know you’ll understand just how excited I was. Look at this box of super goodies, an array of threads, buttons, lace & gadgets ..

Then in partnership with Susan from Sewbox look what I received:

Yes, that is a gift wrapped in genuine Liberty fabric …

Inside ..

Two lengths of bonafide Liberty lawn (I haven’t ever bought any of this for myself – what a treat!!) & two patterns I have been desperately hankering for – the Elisalex dress (I think I might have to break my one dress a month rule, or bring a month forward as I am frantic to make this) & the Pussy Galore blouse by Eliza M (my next make, oh yes!). Clearly I shall try to use the fabric to make these patterns if possible …(a pink summer Elisalex dress – hmmmm yes please!). Now I also got some money & shall use it to buy the Anise jacket pattern, it’s no good, too many gorgeous versions out there, the most recent temptation brought to us by Sonja at Ginger Makes.

But what about this genius present:

Html & CSS by Jon Duckett – even I can understand this! You know I might actually feel comfortable with a little bit of web tinkering (I have to admit to being a total scared neo-dinosaur with respect to html at the moment!) How insightful !

So today not only did I have many wonderful sewing related gifts, I also elected to spend my birthday running in the Longleat 10k (which came before pressie opening just to prolong the special day!) What was fun? I got Gary to join me ! Hehehehe! Now Gary is actually a naturally fit man & could become a very good runner (“for his age” he would like me to add), however circumstances usually conspire against him as soon as he starts to get any kind of running routine.

However, for those of you who don’t know, Longleat is in Wiltshire & its business operates as a safari park & stately home. It is set in a wonderful estate, hosts a Center Parcs leisure complex but is most famous for its lions! However, you will be disappointed I expect, to realise that the 10k did not feature any outrunning of carnivorous beasts, marvelling at giraffes or evading the notorious monkeys. For anyone interested it was tough: 3 hills (not undulations), but with the ups at least there were downs…, and it was less than an hour of challenge. We were both pleased with our times & the ensuing license such exercise gave us to feast ourselves on a slap up Sunday dinner.

Here I am with the impressive Longleat House (side view only) in the background. I am modelling my latest running top: a Kirsten Kimono Tee from Maria Denmark made out of technical “wicking” fabric. Check out my awesome leggings – a Christmas pressie – I made the top to match them. I’m pleased with my latest attempt at sewing a running top. It is royal blue with cerise pink bindings to the neck, sleeves & hem. The hem actually involves a little bit of a drawstring & bow (mainly because the differences between the pink & blue fabrics meant that the pink misbehaved & needed drawing in to line! But I like the bow …)

Here it is on Barbarella. Looking forward to wearing it on show as opposed to it being underneath a warmer running top …See the medal – it features a Longleat lion!

Next post will be the next installment of “Desert Island Sewing” …oooh! So many exciting sewing thoughts to think about!!!! Happy Sunday everyone

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Awesome tops!

Posted on 18 January, 2013 by scruffybadgertime

This post is going to show off two new tops – one made by me, & one a wonderful gift that took me completely by surprise.

I shall showcase them in the context of the fun weekend we’ve just had in London going to the BoatShow. Oh how I was tempted to don full nautical style, (you know, wide leg trousers, stripes, sailor’s cap & all) but I’m afraid the main reason that I didn’t was that it was too cold & I was trying to travel light. (Stop booing from the wings you lot!) Oh how tempted was I also to make Gary a matching Breton style top so that he could also look the part. Well, I tried, but that is another story and he was saved from having to turn me down by it not fitting & looking not right. (But as an aside I had used Cal Patch’s instructions using two of his t-shirts to self draft a pattern as a surprise. More work required, will show & tell when complete! Rather a learning curve, in a good way)

So, the Boatshow was held in Docklands area, & involved some venturing near some iconic landmarks, (not visited by us before so that was exciting).

The O2 from above

Very exciting indeed was taking the cable car across from the south to the north bank of the Thames, dropping us minutes away from the Boatshow itself.

So, using the backdrop of London here are some new tops that are getting plenty of wear. First up my cosiest Renfrew to date. It’s only made out of polar fleece! Yes you heard me, a fleece Renfrew.

That’s the Millenium Bridge with a smidgeon of St Paul’s in the background

It supplements my Merino Renfrew which by comparison is the smarter older sister & can be worn to work as well as for play. This fleece version was conceived to satisfy fleece-sewing curiosity and also because I wanted to make something for my ski holiday that was cuter than the predominant half-front shapeless zip fleece.

And I think it is. It looks super cute with my leopard mini. In these shots I was trying the ninja/ James Bond look by being dressed only in black. I’ll have to leave the next scene to your imagination as I abseiled out over the balcony of Tate Modern, reaching the ground with a parachute roll then maintaining a guarded position as I looked all around for potential foes.

SO it was snowing in London ( that is not massive flakes of dandruff I’m carrying). I can tell you that this cowl necked Renfrew allows wrapping the cowl closer around your neck to become more snuggly which I had to do on the train home….Nothing much more to say, except it works! Try it!

Next up is a top I didn’t make but was sent by Zoe (sozowhatdoyouknow). She had seen my nautical holidays board on Pinterest & thought I’d like this top. Did I? Absoutely!!

Check out the gorgeous batwing sleeves, a bit like this one she made. It is such a sweet yet jaunty top. It was photographed here as I reclined in the back of the top deck of the luxury yacht we did not put a deposit on. I was dreaming of sun, turquoise seas & cocktails (quite a lot of that going on at the moment with desert island sewing thoughts!). Thank you Zoe, I am so chuffed, & will make plenty of neat looks with it, definitely a cheeky playtime top.

Now I’m hoping to finish my Jungle January make this weekend – not much to do- it’s almost there, but it deserves a special photo shoot. Thing is, there’s lots of white stuff outside, hardly jungle scenery, & very cold!!

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The Drafting Top

Posted on 3 January, 2013 by scruffybadgertime

At last I am playing catch up with my December makes. This one is rather special. This is my very own luxurious Drafting Top by Jill of ItTerations Workwear. When Roobeedoo facilitated its sale through Jill’s Etsy shop, I could not stop my clicker finger clicking on the whole caboodle, pattern (cut to my size) plus luxurious fabric in blue/grey drapey jersey with plum FOE, exactly the same as that made by Roobeedoo very much earlier in December. Now that sewing bloggers make the same clothes down to fabric & notions is quite unusual, let’s admit it, but we don’t usually get this kind of offer from a designer….

I apologise up front for needing to spin & capture the flow of this wondrous top in the same way that Roobeedoo was compelled, but let’s say the Drafting Top told me to …

I hesitated making it, a bit cautious perhaps as it felt “posh” & I didn’t want to squander the fabric (this is me being scared of sewing!!!). So I took my time cutting it carefully & likewise did not rush at any of the sewing stages.

This is actually a reasonably quick make, yet Roobeedoo has already remarked about its construction being unexpected. I needed to be sure I understood each step & what I was doing, quite novel for me when I usually follow a standard process for sewing that usually lives in my head.

I used my overlocker for some of the seams, but for once forsook my twin needle preferring to hem & attach the patch pockets using a zig zag as suggested by Jill. I did this partly to see what it would look like & also because I felt that my twin needles were likely to not be fine enough for such delicate fabric & this top was getting the first class treatment it deserved.

Not only was the construction of this top a departure for me from my norms, but so is the style. I do not possess anything so loose & un-form fitting, truly. But I held onto the belief that the fine draping of the fabric would lend mystery & not add bulk, that it would potentially be quite smart, that it would be wonderful for casual wear – comfy & versatile.

I have worn it lots! It was perfect chalet wear & I wore it on Christmas day evening. It’s a very stylish top, & for me is probably best worn with fitted bottoms, such as jeans, my non leggings & I think best for me, a mini skirt. It is super cosy & comfy too & defies physics – how can something this size look so cute?

Look how much drape must be going on & how much movement there is in it.

So whilst I love this with my new (to be blogged) mini skirt, I must ‘fess up that when I wear it in the evenings with my non-leggings it feels like a pair of posh PJs (but please don’t tell anyone!!!) I am not going to show you pics of my sofa style….

I know I shall make more when I have suitable fabric. Roobeedoo has even constructed Draping Cardigans! It’s a look that I like, makes me feel quite grown up except ….

with the mini. I think this is my fave pairing. Here’s a taster of the Christmas Day look (albeit at home, before we went away, not in the chalet). And ooh, yes it is a leopard print mini skirt, how trashy ! but that my friends is another story

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Snowy Christmas catch up

Posted on 30 December, 2012 by scruffybadgertime

Hello everybody, hope you had a truly wonderful Christmas and thank you for the Christmas wishes you left at my last post: I’d written it before we went away for a week, kind of to explain my absence and lack of interaction, and experienced huge heart warmings to read them when back in Blighty yesterday. ( And it’s true, It is possible to survive a whole week without the Internet!!!!)

I have lots of exciting ideas for future sewing projects and will use the next couple of days’ holiday to formulate them into a plan for 2013, but first, a bit of a catch up, because to tell you the truth, I have been sewing like a demon prior to going on hols: Christmas pressies and also some items appropriate for a winter week in the mountains.

One of the glorious mountain views we were privileged to have last week …

Yes, we had a most awesome ski Christmas in the French Alps with my bestest ski team: my family. Skiing for me is more entrenched as my most favorite activity (of course it’s better than running), but alas, expense and West Country location make its occurrence well planned and infrequent….great for building months of excitement and anticipation though! And to be in the mountains with beautiful snow covered fir trees, the freshness of chilled blue skies being active with family (& having polka dot skis – bonus!) has to be my best Christmas Day ( and saves me from a too early champagne drinking nemesis! Oh- oh my secret’s out…the champagne Christmasses I’ve had where I’ve peaked too soon…..)

So, onto business, radio silence now having been explained. I had some exiting sewing related Christmas pressies…. A very practical sleeve board ( phwoar!!) and Coco Chanel, the Legend & the Life by Justine Picardie as well as some vouchers which I am using to subscribe to the iPad editions of Threads, ( what a great idea!!) available here.

I shall update in full in another post about my winter mountain wardrobe. No, I did not make outdoor ski wear ( that would be rather ambitious, wouldn’t it! Think of all the zips and wind proofing!! ) but I made things to wear after a full day skiing, warm and cosy, but a bit more feminine than the usual half zip fleece and jeans, and very mix and match-able, because after all you don’t need to take a lot with you for such a small part of each day. As a taster to whet your appetite I made a fleece Renfrew ( exponential awesome I have to say!), a Drafting Top, a cord mini skirt ( Vogue 1247) which I wore over my ooh la la leggings, and another Birgitte long sleeved tee shirt. Match them up with black jeans and my Merino Renfrew and away you go. Perfect chalet wear. More to come…

Today I will venture down some interesting to me sewing: more experimentation with fleece. I bought a Kwik Sew pattern number 3817 available here through Sewbox ( always prompt delivery so I am never held up) for sewing a fleece for Gary for his Christmas present.

No! How could you think that I’d make him one in camouflage?! How cruel!! I was interested in how to put in a half zip and how the whole collar and contrast was constructed, and as mentioned before, Gary’s wardrobe is dwindling and replenishment does not feature in his budgeting. Here he is sporting his new fleece as well as some cosy flannel P.J.s ( performing the obligatory Christmas task of chocolate biscuit attack).

(He is incidentally very pleased with this outfit, having worn the PJs as his chalet wear ) I am now not able to take the fleece from his bod to take any more pictures, such is its success. You’ll have to rely on the image above & my assurances that, yes, it’s a navy fleece. It’s quite boring really. Which is probably good, because otherwise it could draw comments for all the wrong reasons (eg camouflage above!)

So then, to make the fleece I ordered my fabric from UKFabricsonline (18 colours available) who I have to say were very attentive when my parcel took too long to arrive despite its apparent first class posting. It suffered from christmas post lag but arrived eventually & in enough time for me to make it up. This fleece (polar fleece) seemed reasonable priced and was non pill, which was important as Gary’s singular bought fleece had started to pill very early on in its wearing history despite its price tag giving the impression that it was a quality garment.

I used navy with a black under collar contrast, but the way that the pattern is constructed allows for a whole host of wild use of contrasts with each part of the garment potentially sporting multi-fabric zaniness ( good for inducing nausea or unsolicited thoughts similar to camouflage version above?) Anyway, I followed the instructions to make this fleece to the letter. They were very clear with the exception of the step to finish the collar facing which I got slightly out of order and therefore the finish isn’t as I would like ( and is unfortunately visible) The instructions for inserting the half zip though, my major learning this time, were very clear. One thing I would do differently next time is to make sure that I use colour sensitive interfacing since it is used to stabilise the zip insertion, but is actually visible if the fleece is worn zip open ( as most people wear fleeces this way). The interfacing bad this time is that the white shows. Black next time. So, both flaws relate to the same lesson – beware of finishes to the area around the neck opening inside & out as it is very much on show. Otherwise this will be something I will repeat, ( lucky Gary?) and I might even try to add a half zip to other patterns now for me….

I was concerned about the sizing and shaping, not having measured Gary and making up a standard medium. But it turns out that it was the right size ( phew) and whilst it might benefit from a little shaping in the side seams, it’s not too baggy or boxy. I made this as my second dalliance with sewing fleece and I enjoyed it. I wasn’t sure about whether to finish edges, and since this was included in the instructions, I overlocked them. Is it needed? I studied some shop bought ones & have seen that generally side seams are overlocked, some seams are overlocked then ? mock felled. Whilst I overlocked all I could (as is my custom), much of the sewing however was using my normal Pfaff machine and straight stitch (eg neckline, hems, collar).

So now, imagine if you like, the almost complete outfit I sewed for Gary this Christmas: codpiece pants, this fleece and the flannel P.J.s. I had almost finished knitting him a hat, but that did not come to pass in time….

So, off to the washing machine for now and then up to make one last late Christmas pressie….bye for now and I look forward to catching up on all the blogs I’ve missed ( in a steady non-obsessional way!!) And to catch up generally as some kind bloggers have also nominated me for a few awards & I’m behind in acknowledging them (but advanced thank yous, you know who you are…). So many wonderful sewing blogging thoughts are brewing …it’s great to get the Christmas making finished ….

Xxx

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Day to Night Drape Top

Posted on 20 December, 2012 by scruffybadgertime

OK, I promise that I won’t be bombarding you with posts now that my technological problems appear resolved (albeit with having to re-educate my spam filter so please bear with that one – your comment may not appear until I’ve unspammed it, & from then it remembers you ever after …). But, just this once I’m following yesterday’s post with one today because I just *had* to respond to a challenge set by Maria Denmark on release of her latest pattern, the Day to Night Drape Top. It’s a slinky cowl necked top, & if you make it sleeveless it really takes minimal fabric for maximum effect. I have a thing for cowl necklines & when I saw it was on special offer at Craftsy, popped on over & added it to my sewing queue.

But when I saw that Maria had laid down a gauntlet – the first four reviews of this top would win an awesome Maria Denmark pattern as a prize- it suddenly rose to the top of my list as I can recognise a quick make when I see one (& love Maria Denmark’s pattern range having the Birgitte Tee and Kimono Tee as wardrobe favorites) . I thought it would be the perfect tonic to unselfish gift making – a fab Maria Denmark top, just for me. If I wasn’t one of the first four, never mind. It’s knit – score. Something for my holiday. Something that I could also wear to work. I had some 100% synthetic lycra with wonderful drape that was destined for a cowl neckline. That’s what is so cool about having a fabric stash. Moments such as this – want to make a top & go look & find something perfect. What’s so great about the Day to Night Drape top pattern is that although it is sleeveless, it can be made long sleeved by using the sleeves from the Birgitte tee (ha ha- yes- it’s winter after all!!!)

Do you like the coolest tree ever – it’s fibre optic too!! Makes me SMILE so …

I had enough fabric to make a long sleeved version, much as I adore it sleeveless & will undoubtedly make a few of those in Spring. So, a front, a back & sleeves, just three pattern pieces. Sewing took hardly any time at all, I reckon an hour & a half tops. It’s a simple make, just have to get your head around how the shoulder seam works with the cowl facing. The method Maria uses in this pattern for the back neckline & armhole facings if sleeveless uses FOE (fold over elastic) or clear elastic. I used the latter.

I found the instructions easy to follow, but was not quite sure what to do with the cowl facing when sewing the sleeves – should some of it be attached in this seam as well? I thought yes.

The pattern, like all of Maria Denmark’s tops fits me well. I really like the cowl neck & being able to winter-fy it was clever.

The butterfly looks like an elbow patch …

This is definitely going to be useful & I can’t wait to make spring sleeveless versions out of *not much* jersey. Thanks for another great pattern Maria. Remember everyone, it’s on for a special introductory price through December. Buy it at Craftsy or at Maria Denmark & enjoy

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