Tag Archives: indie patterns

Laminaria Swimsuit

The Laminaria Swimsuit from SeamstressErin Designs

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I love going to the seaside and I love swimming in the sea. Hence, I needed a swimsuit. I sewed my last one, the Burdaystyle Alison Swimsuit, three summers ago and I was a bit tired of it. So no wonder that, when SeamstressErin launched the Laminaria swimsuit, I was immediately drawn to this pattern. I even sewed two already: one for me and one for my daughter.

Laminaria Swimsuit SeamstressErin

The Laminaria Swimsuit pattern

For the Laminaria Swimsuit pattern, I went—for the first time—to the copy shop to print the pattern on A0 format. I didn’t read the accompanying information in advance, so I didn’t know that the pattern consisted of two pages. When the paper role of the printer was finished after one sheet I told the shop assistant that it was perfect. As we are now staying in our holiday home in Italy it isn’t possible for me to get the second page printed. This means that I could not sew view A of the swimsuit with the sinuous inset panel. Of course, that’s the view I love the most. So I chose view B with a soft v-neck and the crossed straps.

The pattern for the plain swimsuit consists out of 2 pieces: the front and the back. Plus two rectangles for the straps.
According to the body measurements table of the pattern, I have a different size for the bust, the waist and the hips. So I graded between these sizes and being a tall girl, I lengthened the pattern with 2 times 2,5 cm and the crotch seam with 1cm. That is what I like about sewing your own swimsuit: the possibility to lengthen the torso to give you a comfortable fit. As I am 1,81m tall, this was always a struggle for me with RTW swimming suits. (I did the same adjustments for my daughter’s swimsuit.)

The fitting of the swimsuit

After grading and lengthening the pattern I had some issues with the cup size. According to the instructions, I had to trace the pattern with the D-F cup—I have 5 inches difference between under bust and full bust measurements—but it turned out way too large. I found it a little confusing because I never had more than a C cup for my bra’s. Anyway, I was able to resize the pattern to the A-C cup and it came out perfect.
For my daughter—who has 6 inches difference between under bust and full bust measurements—the D-F cup pattern was spot on.
When I mentioned the fitting issues on IG, Erin reached out to me and reassured me that after sewing in the elastic the gapping would vanish and the top would clinch to the body. She was right.

The fabric

I had some leftover from the previous swimsuit I sewed and also from my Moneta Dress. But both pieces were too small to cut out the plain suit. Being already in our holiday house in Italy without access to fabric stores in the immediate vicinity this was a small problem. Luckily there was the monthly market in Castel Del Piano where I bought two cheap dresses—one with the chevron pattern and one plain black— with 5% spandex in the fabric. So sewing these swimsuits also became a refashion project. I even could use the small belts from the dress as straps.
For the inserts and the straps of my daughter’s swimsuit, I used leftovers from the chevron fabric.

The sewing process

This is the first time I sewed a pattern from SeamstressErin Design and it was a joyful sewing. With the pattern come extensive and plain instructions, illustrated with clear drawings. On top of that, there are helpful tutorials on the site with step-to-step pictures. I basted the lining and the suit together all around. This was a great help for sewing in the elastic.

Is it a quick sew?

The sewing itself didn’t take that long although sewing in the elastic isn’t something you can do in a rush.  It was the tracing, the grading and the alterations of the pattern pieces that took me some time.
Sewing a swimsuit is not difficult and I would recommend it to anyone who has trouble finding a suitable RTW swimsuit.

Conclusion

I heart my Laminaria Swimsuit. The fit is so comfortable and it came through the sea test with flying colours. I swam, jumped and dove into the sea and not once did I have to readjust it. Now I am only waiting for Burt…..

The Chari Dress from Schnittchen Patterns

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Last December 2016, Silke from Schnittchen Patterns asked for test-sewers for the Summer ’17 collection. I volunteered, as I am always in for a challenge.  When the different patterns were suggested I noticed that several of them had ruffles. Ruffles are very in-fashion this Summer. Normally it is not my thing but I decided to give it a chance and chose the Chari Dress to test. I am glad I did because the Chari Dress is a charming dress that I love to wear.

Chari Dress Schnittchen Patterns

The Chari Dress Pattern

I received the pattern on A0-format, by mail. I found this a very thoughtful gesture of Silke. The pattern for the sleeveless Chari dress consists out of four major pieces: the front, the back, the ruffle and the tunnel case for the elastic. You can also sew the dress with sleeves and as a shirt.
I cut out a straight 44 based on my measures. Being a tall girl (1,81 m) I put some 5 cm extra above the waistline. It came out perfectly. Furthermore, I took off 1 cm of the armhole at the shoulder point to avoid gaping.

Chari Dress Schnittchen Patterns

The fabric

I used a very soft rayon from my collection. (Yes, I speak of my fabric collection instead of my fabric stash!) I bought it more than a year ago on a big fabric fair ‘Stoffenspektakel‘ in my hometown. The fabric has a nice drape so it is very suitable for the ruffle and the elastic waist.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough fabric—which is often the case when I want to use a fabric I own already.  I cut the front piece in two at the waistline where the elastic tunnel is sewed. It is not noticeable because this seam disappears in the gathers.

Chari Dress Schnittchen Patterns

 

The sewing process

For the testers, the sewing instructions were rather brief. This is not the case for the released patterns. They have detailed instructions with designs.
Overall the sewing went smooth. There are only two less obvious sewing techniques needed to put together this dress.
1) Finishing the armhole with bias binding.
Although I used this technique before I relied on this very clear tutorial of ‘Sew Over It’.
Finishing the armhole with bias binding. Here you see the seam where the front is cut in two pieces.

2) Finishing the v-neck with bias binding.
This was the first time I used this technique. Therefore I relied on this extremely clear tutorial of Sonya Philip.

Sewing a v-neck bias binding with a little dart. I finished the ruffle with a small zig-zag. I like the frayed edge.

The finished v-neck binding.

Is this a quick sew?

Well, so and so. Sewing the Chari sleeveless dress is not that difficult! As mentioned above the finishing of the armhole and the v-neck are two moments you have to take your time for. But it is worth it.

Chari Dress Schnittchen Patterns

Conclusion

I  never thought that I would jump on the ruffle boat but I did. More, I adore it. I finished the Chari Dress mid-May and due to the extremely hot weather in our northern country, I wore it a lot so far. If you want a comfortable dress for hot days; sew a (sleeveless) Chari Dress from Scnhittchen Patterns.

Chari Dress Schnittchen Patterns

 

MMMay 17 – It’s a wrap!

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Me-Made-May’17 is finished! I am happy because I reached my goals: wearing a different me-made garment every day. More, I also pledged to wear at least 10 new me-made’s—sewed between June 2016 and May 2017. I succeeded.
I already wrote about the first half of my MMMay 17. Below, I’ll tell you about the second half and some further general observations.

Me Made May 17
31 May 2017, my husband repaired an old little bench and I am wearing me- made’s.
New garments

MMMay 17 overview

Two Rushcutters — In the Folds  //  Simplicity 1355 // Daphne Day Dress —Sew This Pattern

 

MMMay'17

DKNY Vogue 1349 // Toaster Sweater #2 — Sew House Seven // Nanöo Top and Brooklyn Skirt — Seamwork

Old garments

MMMay'17

New Look 6106 // Seafarer Top — Sew Much Ado and Versatile Wrap Skirt  — Make it perfect // Crepe Dress — Colette
Zippy Top — See Kate Sew and Skirt from Allemaal rokjes // Box Pleat Skirt from Allemaal rokjes // Rachel Wrap Dress — Maria Denmark

Some observations about the second half of MMMay

There are only little changes in my observations in comparison to the first half of MMMay.

  • Still a LOT of prints! I definitely have to sew some solids.
  • A variety of colours.
  • No repeats, at all.
  • An eclectic style.
  • We had some ‘tropical’ weather so I was happy to wear my Summer clothes.
  • Two old rtw-tops. The others I made myself.
  • Taking a picture of yourself every day is quite confronting.
  • I enjoy the challenge to search my wardrobe every day to look for a new me-made!
Conclusion

I enjoyed MMMay’17. I am thrilled that I am able to wear unique me-made clothes 31 days in a row. On top of that, I’m really pleased that half of them are recent makes. Though I must confess that I didn’t wear some of the old makes since last May, I was happy with the excuse to wear them again.

This challenge also makes me reflect on my wardrobe. There are some gaps:
*  tops
*  trousers – I only wore some comfy pants last month
*  garments in solid colours
*  an in-between seasons coat or jacket
*  bra’s

MMMay'17
My Me-Made-May’s from 2017

It was also fun and inspiring to see all the beautiful makes from other sewists on Instagram and on the blogs. Again I met some new amazing and creative people.

I am already looking forward to MMMay 2018!

MMMay 2016
My Me-Made-May’s from 2016.

Eye-catchers #11

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An eye-catcher is a person or a thing that attracts the attention

The online sewing community is very visual. So, every day I see heaps of sewing related images on social media and blogs. Some of them catch my eye because they make me think or they give me inspiration. Here, I want to share these eye-catchers with you.

Follow below what caught my eye recently.

 

The African wax top of Natalie

African Wax top

I told you before: I love African wax and when I see something made of it that immediately gets my attention.  This happened again when I saw this stunning top sewed by Natalie. Apparently she wasn’t convinced herself, at first, but I really love it. The fabric is gorgeous and showing the selvage at the hems of the sleeves is fantastic. Such an inspiring idea.

The Falda Jacket

Falda Jacket Pattern Fantastique

The Falda Jacket from Pattern Fantastique is on my 2017MakeNine list. This is the original version made by the pattern designer. Look at these exceptional lines. I am crazy about this design. I planned to sew it this Winter—I even have the pattern and fabric—but I didn’t get to it. I am definitely going to do it this Fall, I promise.

The Tie Belt Dress from Mollie Moxie

Tie Belt Dress

This amazing dress made by Mollie Moxie instantly caught my eye. I like the fabric, the model and also the length. Mollie lengthened the dress because she had more fabric than the pattern required. That doesn’t happen a lot to me; most of the time I am a bit short of fabric for the pattern I am making. Nevertheless, I think it is a great idea for when I should have more fabric.

Ooobop’s dirndl skirt

The simplest things are often the prettiest one. When you have such awesome border fabric just design a dirndl skirt for it. When you wear it to cycle—like Ooobop did—cars will stop and heads will turn!

 

Brenda’s sewing tip

This is such a clever tip from Brenda:  to eliminate bulk in cross seams, make a V-snip. I did not know this trick but I will definitely apply it the next times when I have to sew cross seams.

Did anything catch your eye lately?

Eye-catchers #7

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An eye-catcher is a person or a thing that attracts the attention

 

sewing planning

The online sewing community is very visual. So, every day I see heaps of sewing related images on social media and blogs. Some of them catch my eye because they make me think or they give me inspiration. Here, I want to share these eye-catchers with you.

Follow below what caught my eye the last week and at first glance, they are all dresses:

The dress from the ‘Stylish dress book’

Stylish dress book

I never sewed a Japanese pattern and I never had the urge to do so. Until I saw this amazing dress Ece sewed. I learned that the pattern came from the Japanese ‘Stylish dress book‘. This book—with the patterns in it— is present in my local library so maybe I have to give it a try.

The golden velvet dress

sewing planning

I was immediately triggered by this fascinating dress of @mokosha_II. It was not only the fabulous gold velvet but also the pattern was intriguing. It turned out she made it herself by mixing a bodice and a skirt of two different Burda patterns. That gave me some ideas for the future.

Martini dress from Capital Chic made by Ooobop

Martini Capital Chic

I am always glad when sewists I follow alert me to pattern designers I didn’t know before. So did Ooobop. She sewed this stunning version of the Martini dress from Capital Chic. They are an indie pattern design company with nice patterns.  I like that this pattern has a one-piece and a two-piece version. Ooobop also designed the prints on the dress herself. Read all about it on her blog.

The V9015 Jumpsuit

V9015

I featured the V9075 before in the eye-catchers. Look at this breathtaking version Alex from sewrendipity sewed. It only reinforces my love for this pattern.  I am going to tackle this pattern soon now.

The Jolene dress from Ready to sew

Jolene Dress Ready To Sew

Kylie made a stunning version of the Jolene dress, a new pattern of ‘Ready to sew’. I’m thinking this would be a perfect pattern for the #sewtogetherforsummer challenge.

Did anything catch your eye this week?

The Daphne Day Dress from Sew This Pattern

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In the beginning of February, ‘Sew This Pattern‘ asked for pattern testers. Last year I made their Velo Culottes and I loved them, so I was eager to be a tester for the Daphne Day Dress. On top of that, they asked for an intermediate sewer and I like a bit of a challenge too. So I immediately volunteered and was glad when Annie selected me.

Daphne Day Dress

The Daphne Day Dress pattern

I received a pdf pattern and a booklet with instructions. Due to the clear marks on the paper, the gluing of the pattern went easy.
The main pattern contains seven pattern pieces. The bodice has a separate midriff piece so that the front bodice can have gathers and the back bodice an open back. On top of that, the skirt has pockets and pleats—two of my favourite features.
I traced the (Australian) 18 based on my measurements. As asked, I didn’t make any alterations to the pattern. Being a #sewingtall girl I only lengthened the skirt with 6 cm.

My vintage fabric

I had this vintage cotton fabric—a gift from my sister-in-law—in my collection that I thought was perfect to give the dress a real vintage look. Only, this fabric had a strange width of 76,5 cm so I had to cut the front skirt in two pieces. This resulted in some serious pattern matching.

Daphne Day Dress

The sewing process

Thanks to the very detailed instruction booklet the sewing went smooth. It is a plus that every step is illustrated with a photo.
I finished the edges of the facings with self-made bias binding.

Daphne Day Dress

 

What I like about testing a pattern is that you have to decode the way of thinking of an experienced designer-sewer, and get to test-run the instructions they have written. I struggled a bit at the part where you put the back midriff, the back midriff facing and the back bodice together. I managed in the end but suggested some extra marks could be helpful here. That is what pattern testing is for, isn’t it?

Daphne Day Dress

Conclusion

Because of the challenges I liked sewing the Daphne Day Dress. I’m glad I used this vintage fabric for it because it is perfect for this design. It accentuates the vintage feel.
Now, I’m dreaming of a long warm Summer to wear this dress.

Daphne Day Dress

Eye-catchers #5

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An eye-catcher is a person or thing that attracts the attention

sewing patterns

The online sewing community is very visual. So, every day I see heaps of sewing related images on social media and blogs. Some of them catch my eye because they make me think or they give me inspiration. Here,  I want to share these eye-catchers with you.

Follow below what caught my eye this week:

  • The Adeline dress from Style Arc

    Adeline Dress Style ArcMeg sewed this beautiful Adeline dress for her friend. The fabric apparently is custom made at My Fabric Designs. I didn’t know this company but I like the idea that you can create your own design. The combination Meg made of this fabric and the pattern is spot on.

  • The skirt from Mollie Moxie

    V1486Look what a stunning skirt Molly made. She only used the upper part of the V1486 skirt. Which was a good idea because she sewed it in this amazing home decorator fabric.

  • The Sahara Skirt from Ralph Pink Patterns

    Sahara Skirt Ralph Pink PatternsThis amazing fabric used by Clare immediately caught my eye. She posted it as her presently favourite fabric for the #miymarch17 photo challenge on Instagram. Then I read she was making a Ralph Pink Pattern out of it and—again—this is a pattern designer I didn’t know. So thank you, Clare, for introducing me.

  • A muslin for V9239

    V9239When I saw this sewing project of Henna on Instagram I was totally in awe! The fabric design reminded me of Sonia Delaunay, who I immensely admire. So I was amazed when I read that Henna used Ikea fabric for making a muslin for V9239. I am not in favour of this pattern—the way Vogue presents it—but I do like it in the way Henna placed the fabric.

  • A tunic in Dutch wax print

    Green Ivy Style proves it again. You don’t have to use a complicated pattern when you have beautiful Dutch wax print.

Did anything caught your eye this week?

The striped Nanöo top

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I was so in awe of The Nanöo top—made by Debora—in my latest eye-catchers that I decided to sew one myself. Furthermore, I had some very soft green striped jersey in my collection that was perfect for this project. So, why wait?

The Nanöo Top

Nanöo is a rather new Spanish indie sewing company with two patterns so far. They distribute the pattern both in paper and in PDF-format. The ordering and downloading of it goes very smooth.

The Nanöo Top pattern

The pattern has a clear design and exists  out of three pieces. You only have to glue eight pieces of paper together but here I miss some connection marks. On top of that, the only measures indicated in the instructions are those of the finished garments, which are not specified. I assumed the largest are the hips. Based on these measurements I cut out the tallest size and did not make any alterations to it.

When you sew striped fabric the most difficult part is matching the seams. Especially when you use knit fabric. Taking extra care of the cutting is very helpful.

The Nanöo Top

How to cut the front and backpiece in a single layer

* place and pin the pattern piece
* be sure you mark the center or your front or back on the fabric
* cut out, be careful not to cut beyond your marks

Cutting The Nanöo Top
* flip the pattern, align on the marks you made on the fabric

Cutting The Nanöo Top
* cut out the second halve of the front piece
* put the cut piece on the fabric, right sides together and cut the second piece

Cutting The Nanöo Top

Now your patterns pieces lay already in place for sewing your shoulder seams.

Cutting The Nanöo Top

The striped fabric

The fabric is a soft cotton jersey  from Girl Charlee that I bought in November 2015! Sewing with knits can be a little tricky but this fabric is cooperative. The seams keep flat and the stretch is perfect for the neckband.

Due to the cutting of the pattern pieces single layered and stitching with a walking foot the seams came out perfectly matched!

Perfectly matching seams

The sewing proces

Sewing together the Nanöo top is rather easy. It only has only straight seams and a neck binding. Still, I did it all by instinct as the sewing instructions that come with the pattern are rather brief.

The Nanöo Top

Conclusion

I am very pleased with my Nanöo top. Especially with how the stripes come out. For the next one, I will lengthen the sleeves to make them three-quarter.

My first striped top is spot on!

The Nanöo Top

 

Eye-catchers #2

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An eye-catcher is a person or thing that attracts the attention

eye-catchers

The online sewing community is very visual. A lot of images are published on social media and on blogs. So, every day I see a lot of sewing related images and some of them are eye-catchers for me. Why? Because they make me think, they give me inspiration. That is why I want to share these eye-catchers with you.

Follow below what caught my eye this week:

  • V9075 Jumpsuit made by Rachel from Sew South London

    Vogue 9075

    Ever since Beth from SewDIY made a linen version of this jumpsuit, I am dreaming of making one myself. This gorgeous version of Rachel really puts me on board.
    More, at this moment— until 11 March there is a 50% discount on all the Vogue Patterns at naaipatronen.nl so I already bought my pattern.
    *** Update: naaipatronen.nl is a Dutch site but the sold Vogue patterns have English/French instructions! ***

  • The Wanted-T-shirt from Vanessa Pouzet

    Wanted T Vanessa Pousset

    This version that Annika made really caught my eye this week. The red-white stripes and the neat neckline are a match made in heaven. I have some striped knits in my stash just waiting to use for this pattern.

  • The raglan top for men

    raglan top

    Buster from Mensew sewed several raglan tops for men and I absolutely love this striped one he made. Again, I have some striped knits in my stash to make some for my husband and sons.

  • A piped tab for a coat

    lekala coat
    Vesna decided to add a piped tab with buttons on the beautiful coat she is making. I think it is a very good addition. The pattern is coat #4333 from Lekala Sewing Patterns. I didn’t know this pattern company. Apparently, you can give in your measurements and you receive a personalized pattern. Do you have experience with it? Does it work?
    At least the coat Vesna is making looks great.

  • The Watson bikini

    watson bikini

    Sienna from ‘Not a primary color’ proved again how you can make some very funky underpants from your left-overs. I also did it before but didn’t use the Watson pattern for it. I have this pattern— and a lot of leftovers— so I will sure give it a try.

Did anything catch your eye this week?

 

Eye-catchers #1

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Eye-catcher….

An eye-catcher is a person or thing that attracts the attention, according to WordReference. Additionally, the Merriam-Webster says: an eye-catcher is something that arrests the eye and also mentions the first use of the word was in 1787. Now I wonder what it was that arrested someone’s eye.

eye-catcher

The online sewing community is very visual. Every day a lot of images are published on social media and on blogs. So, every day I see a lot of sewing related images and some of them are eye-catchers for me. Why? Because they make me think, they give me inspiration. That is why I want to share these eye-catchers with you.

Follow below what caught my eye this week:

 

  • The belt hack for the Saunio Cardigan


    As one of the mods of SewMyStyle, Jessica Lorraine showed how she sewed a beautiful version of the Saunio Cardigan. More, she made a belt hack for it. I have to confess that the Saunio Cardigan is way out of my comfort zone but I committed to the Project SewMyStyle so I’m going to sew it in February. The way Jessica did it really gives me some ideas how to do it.

  • Cloth Habit Watson Bra by Helen

    Look at this amazing sew Helen posted on her blog: Helen’s closet. Not only did she sew a superb bra but also she took some awesome pictures wearing it.
    The Watson Bra has been on my sewing list for more than a year. After seeing these pictures I really want to dig in and go for it.

  • Fabric shopping in Berlin

    Stefanie of Sea Of Teal wrote a very informative post about fabric shops in Berlin. This really got my interest because I went to Berlin recently and did some fabric shopping as well. It was very interesting that she mentioned 3 fabric stores I didn’t know of and I went to another place: Neuköllner Stoff. As I am planning to go to Berlin again this Spring I sure will visit the places she mentions.

 

Did anything catch your eye this week?