Autumn/Winter All Sewn Up

So this supposedly quick sew has turned out to be a not so quick sew...but in my defense I have had my job inductions to do as well as all my college work, so there are my excuses for not having started sewing it yet.

Excuses aside, it has been cut out. Yes it has.

I'm going to start sewing it tonight! I'll have to go out and buy some woollen tights so I can wear it through the winter. Here's the other fabric I'm using for the front 'yoke' bit, it's a warm fabric that's grey. Now I think about it a black or a navy might work better, but other than the photo on my Pinterest board, I was inspired by a grey top that was similar in colour to the one I happened to have in my fabric box, so I thought 'hey, why not?' also as much as I love a navy, three quarters of the clothes I own seem to be blue, so I am very bored of navy at the moment.

I better get started, there will be a lot of pleating to do. See you on the other side, folks.

Next week, to celebrate the upcoming milestone of 500 page views I am uploading my (deep breath) first ever tutorial! It's perfect for adults but it also works brilliantly in miniature. It's quick and this makes it perfect for a kid's project as as well as being fast to make there is not much sewing going on...bit weird with this being Toni Sews Clothes, but I thought I'd start off simple. Tune in this time next week for a spooky DIY.

Toni

Autumn/Winter Dress...Almost There

So this is what I took my inspiration from this week for my dress, drafted from my blocks I drew last week. Initially I was going to copy it exactly, but then I realised I only really have some tartan that would be the correct drape for it.

Considering that, I decided that the top section  should be something else other than tartan, to contrast with the it and to make me look less like I'm buried in plaid...that's what I'm aiming for anyway. Considering it's going to be below the knee and have long sleeves it might not work, but I'm going to try it out and see what happens.

Here's the pattern so far...

I've split the front 'yoke' bit up with pleats, a little like the ones in the picture below. (The pleats are going to be in that big rectangle on the right.) It's one piece of fabric from the shoulder to the hem, but I am aiming for it to look like they're cascading down the front of the dress...I'm hoping my sewing skills are up to scratch!

I cut the block down to strips the made the strips wider at the bottom than at the top, to give myself more fullness in the skirt. I didn't want to put a seam in at the waist as that would have given the dress more panels and would have made it more complicated - the bit I really want to focus on getting right is the yoke and the pleats, as that is where the faults are going to be easier to spot.

Having said that, as I've flared the pattern out from above the breasts and not the waist, there is a possibility there will be too much fullness there, which might have to be combated with more pleats on the waistline, perhaps like this? Maybe this is a little casual.

I've tried to keep the back as simple as possible as this was meant to be a quick sew - it was only meant to take me a few weeks, but I haven't even drafted a sleeve yet! This will take me a while...I'm aiming to start sewing it by this time next week, after which I have my first ever tutorial for you!

Is there anything you've started that has taken a lot longer than anticipated? How long did it really take you in comparison?

Toni

Drafting Blocks is Hard Work

Following on from last week's update I've just about finished putting the final touches to my bodice block, with my much simpler skirt block soon to follow. Here it is so far, only the waist shaping to draft on, which of course, depends on what I'm making out of it later...

I'm so excited to get started again, as I've not been doing much sewing recently. I haven't quite thought about what I want to start with, but these are some of my favourites from my Pinterest board:

Recently I've been wanting things with slightly more fabric in, as I love the flow and the weight of the garments whilst you're wearing them. Obviously with the tops I would have to put sleeves in them, as I truly am very good at getting cold!

As I was scrolling through my Clothing Inspiration (to follow me on Pinterest click the 'Pinterest' link on the toolbar above this post, then click the red 'Follow' button in the top right hand corner. It will ask you to log in if you're not already, if you haven't got an account you'll need one.) I thought it might be a good idea to have a specific 'Sewing for the Blog' board, which can now be found here.

I have a period of pattern drafting ahead of me...wish me luck and I'll see you on the other side!

Toni

Autumn/Winter Back to Basics

I guess this isn't a sewing update, but today I noticed that there is hallowe'en fabric in the fabric shops. And that means one thing, autumn's nearly here!

Fortunately I am the proud owner of  4 metres by 2m wide beautiful swathe of tartan, plaids and tweeds to boot. I love sewing for autumn, it's just cold enough to get away with wearing something warm and cosy, warm enough to see occasional exposed calves under fantastic tweed miniskirts.

I guess now is the time to mention that I've only made something from a pattern I have bought maybe three times in my life. Pretty quickly I realised that being nearly six foot and leggy wasn't ideal for commercial patterns, and in that in the time that it took to make the necessary changes to them so they would fit me I could draft my own from a block, or a sloper, from my own measurements, using a book I happened to have tucked away in my bookcase.

Sloper: (noun) a basic pattern, developed on paper by drafting, or on cloth by draping, but with seam allowances omitted, used as a tool to create other patterns. (Dictionary.com)

Now it has been a long time since I've drafted myself a bodice and a skirt block, so before anything else I really think I need to get that sorted out, don't you?

My drafting bible is a beautiful book - it's Metric Pattern Cutting for Women's Wear by Winifred Aldrich. I think the first edition was published in the mid seventies or something, but I've not come across anything out of date yet. Genuinely, this book has saved me from packing sewing in completely. Many times. On your next pay check, get yourself one. You won't regret it.

I'm going to get started on my blocks now, if you want to try one out yourself go try this link. I think it's the same as in the book yet I think the waist shaping is a little different. It will give you a rough idea about how to draft your own blocks, which will fit you a lot better than any other pattern you can buy if the increments used by the pattern makers don't fit you very well. Drafting a block is time consuming, especially as you have to draft yourself a pattern from it afterwards, but if you put the effort in and you do it right, you'll be rewarded.

And if you don't grow anymore, unlike some, you can keep drafting patterns off of that block for life. see the appeal?

Toni