Trying out a Free Pattern- Knee Length Tulip Skirt with Feature Pockets

 This is another pattern from Sew Magazine available as a pdf.  It is described on their website as a "Simple Knee Length Skirt" and also, on the pdf pattern piece layout( see picture below), as the Barkside Skirt but I think the title of this blog gives a more accurate description. This is the link

 

 Printing and assembling the pattern  For review I am trying to choose easily available patterns without a hugh number of pages to print out, this one takes 12 pages of A4 for the pattern itself.  The link will take you to a page with the making up instructions.  When you click the download button you will get access to more than one pattern and, for this skirt, you need to scroll to Pages 25 to 37.  Page 25 shows the way that the pdf needs to be assembled.  Pages 26 to 37 are the pages you will need to print for the pattern.

Usually, with pdf patterns, there is a square of 10 centimetres at the beginning of the printout with which to check the accuracy of the printing.  There is none here, though you are advised to set your printer to print to "Actual Size".  My printer does not print right to the edges and it appeared to me that the pattern pages needed to be placed edge to edge.  There is no indication on the pattern which size is which or which pocket position marking relates to which size; you have to work this out for yourself but it is not a taxing task.

Sizes and Alterations  There are only three sizes, these are waist sizes- 68, 72 & 76 centimetres.  However it would be easy to grade the skirt up or down a couple of sizes.  I decreased the size of the waistband by 4 centimetres but left the body of the skirt as is since the skirt is gathered into the waistband and I thought that leaving the skirt pieces as they were would accentuate the tulip shape.  The pocket and flaps are the same for all sizes so do not require alteration.  I added 12.5 centimetres to the length of the skirt so that it fell just below my knee.  To do this I drew a line across the front and back pieces 5 centimetres above the hemline, cut across, inserted the requisite addition and redrew the side seams from below the pocket position to the hemline (see image below of the back piece).

Making up  The process is not difficult.  The pockets are sewn up first.  They are lined, each pocket consists of a pocket bag and a pocket flap and the corresponding linings.

 The flap is made up by laying the flap pieces right sides together and sewing a 5 mm seam around 3 sides leaving the long straight side open.  The flap is then turned right side out and pressed.  The open side of the flap is placed between the marked notches on the straight side of the pocket bag and the pocket lining placed over the flap.

The straight side with the pocket flap and the curved side are then stitched and the pocket turned through one of the two openings so it looks like this:-
 

The pockets are then placed, matching them to the markings at the waist edge, on the front of the skirt.  The concealed zip is  inserted and the front and back skirt pieces joined together.

I was puzzled by the method of adding the waistband to the top of the skirt, which is gathered to fit, so I followed my own method.  I had decided that I would do some quilting on the waistband, backing it with wadding between the main fabric and the lining.  It is quite wide and I thought that the wadding would make it stand up firmly.  It should be cut on the straight grain but I cut on the cross grain to contrast with the vertical design on the skirt.  I ironed the fusible interfacing on to the reverse of the  main fabric (not the lining as instructed), laid on the wadding, placed the lining and waistband fabric right sides together and stitched the top edges together.  I attached the front of the waistband to the skirt, folded the lining on to the wrong side and hand stitched the folded waistband over the attaching stitching.  Then I stitched over some of the black lines of the print in black thread, so subtle that you may not notice it in the photographs of the exterior of the skirt so I am showing a photograph of the inside.

This is how the back of the waistband looks when closed. I think that the quilting does enhance the waistband but remember that the addition of wadding will reduce the inner circumference of the waistband.

The back of the skirt has a simply constructed back pleat for ease of walking, necessary because the skirt narrows from the top to the hem.  This shaping means that it is not possible to exactly pattern match  but, as the fabric has a definite horizontal and vertical  pattern, I did my best to do matching where possible, see photographs of side seam and pocket.

 

 

 

 

 The pattern instructions suggest the sewing of a decorative button to each pocket.  I tried several examples from my button box, both plain and fancy, but none of them looked appropriate and I thought a button would detract from the drama of the fabric print so I left the pocket flap without one.

 

Verdict  I would have liked the sizes to have been indicated on the actual pdf  and a check square to indicate that the print out was the correct size.  The length of fabric is given as 1.1 metre for all sizes using the original length of skirt (63.5 centimetres) but the width of the fabric is not indicated.  If you decide to make it I would suggest working out the amount of fabric that you need by measuring the pdf to find out how much fabric and what width you require in your size.  The construction is not difficult and a beginner, who is happy with invisible zip insertion, could make it with little trouble.

 I liked the shape of the skirt and the design of the pockets, indeed I will probably use this pocket on some other skirt or dress design.  I feel that the design on this African fabric from my stash admirably suits this skirt pattern.  It can be dressed up or look more casual and can be worn Winter or Summer depending upon the other garments worn.  I found the instructions difficult to work out regarding the waistband but I was ignoring these in any case to do my own variation.

The skirt for winter wear with thick tights and a wool polo neck jumper.

 

 For Summer wear, a somewhat more formal outfit.  The top is another free pattern, the Collette Sorbetto, with a hack on the original short sleeves to turn them into long bell-shaped sleeves.

 

This side view gives you an idea of the shaping at the waist.

 

 

 

 

Trying out a free pattern- A Review of The Alicia Cardigan.

 My Goodness!  No post since the end of May.  Time to remedy that.  I intend to write some posts about items made from FREE patterns so here is the first.

It's the Alicia Cardigan, described as an easy cotton jersey cardigan,  from Sew Magazine Click here for link. There are many free patterns on the Sew magazine website, not just for garments but for all sorts of sewn items, that you can download.  You do need to register before you can download a pattern but it is a simple process. 

The cardigan has an open front with no fastenings and you require no interfacing so it is ideal for sewing when non-essential shops are closed and all you have to hand is fabric and thread. The size range goes from UK size 8 to size 20.  The fabric amount required is given as 1.3 metres of 150 cm wide with no indication of any variation of the amount between the sizes.

I wanted to use up fabric left over from previous makes and orginally thought I could make the garment  by pairing two jersey fabrics of the same weight and doing some colour blocking.  However I did not have enough fabric to do that and tried it out in a thin polyester knit that I had bought for a pittance in Fabricland's Brighton branch closing down sale.  I intended to use it for wearable toiles and had already made a long-sleeve t-Shirt from it.  I still did not have enough to cut out the pieces as indicated and had to piece the neckband and the sleeves.

 

The pattern has 4 pieces contained on a PDF of 20 pages of  A4.  I always trace my patterns, even PDFs.  A tip that I received recently was not to stick all the pages together before tracing but to put together only the pages for one piece at a time and to trace just that piece before going on to the next piece.  I had not thought of this before.  It was very useful advice as any misalignment of a page can lead to a distortion of the following pattern pieces by the time they are all stuck together.

The cutting instructions (how many to cut, when to place on fold etc) are clear on each pattern piece.  The seam allowance is included and is 1 cm throughout.  The instructions are concise (consisting of 4 brief paragraphs) as there are no darts, gathers or pleats with which to contend.  One thing that perturbed me was that the armhole was the same at the front and the back and thus the sleeve head was  same on both sides also. A well drafted pattern would have a difference as you require more fabric across the back. In a woven pattern this would make a difference but, as this is a knit garment with an open front, it seemed to work well enough when I tried it on.   Sleeves are set in on the flat and I had no problem easing the sleevehead to fit the armhole.  Where I had to piece the sleeves for wrist length I stitched either side of the seam across the sleeve and hoped it looked like a design feature.

In order to reinforce the idea of deliberate design I also stitched either side of the shoulder seams.  I am still debating whether to stitch around the neckband also but will wear it a few times before deciding.

Paragraph 3 told me to turn up the hem in such a way that it created the appearance of a band being added to the bottom of the cardigan.  I did not like this and did a normal hem, which I stitched down with lightning stitch ( also known as stretch stitch)  This gives a bolder look (a bit like topstitching) than an ordinary straight stitch without the need to change to topstitching thread and I preferred it in this case to zigzag or twin needling.

 

The final paragraph, number 4, dealt with the neckband.  This is where I came a cropper!  The neckband consists of 2 pieces, just long rectangles, that are joined at the centre back at the short sides.  Because, once more, I did not have pieces long enough left amongst the remaining scraps I had to cut the neckband in 4 pieces making sure I added a seam allowance for sewing the pieces together.  I should have ended up with four pieces of the same size- but I didn't and I didn't realise this until I had sewn the neck band pieces together.   I do not know how I managed this as I thought I had been so careful with regard to the cutting of the pieces.  I was worried about carrying out the instructions for attaching the neckband, which involved folding the band so the right sides are together and stitching the short ends of the neckband across. With the neckband turned to the right side it is stitched to the cardigan front.  However this means that the neckband must be precisely the correct length.  After my cutting faux pas I could not guarantee that it would be.  I thus tackled the neckband by not sewing the ends together but attaching one side to the front with a 1 cm seam allowance, folding the neckband over to the wrong side, turning under 1 cm and invisibly hand stitching it down.  This meant that the neckband seam was completely enclosed and not exposed on the inner side as it would be if the method given in the instructions were to be followed. The neckband lies very nicely around the back of the neck.

I did think of adding pockets, this is not included in the pattern but I cut out a test patch pocket and lined it to avoid stretch but I did not like the look of it on the thin fabric.

So what is my final verdict?  I cut the size 10 and did not alter the fit in any way.  It is a perfect fit.  I am pleased with it and it will be a very useful addition to my wardrobe.  For a change it looks better on me than it does on the mannequin.   It only takes a small amount of fabric and is quick to make. It is made from cheap polyester so I do not expect it to wear well.  Once lockdown is over I shall be out looking for some thicker jersey to make another one ( colour undecided) - unless I discover something suitable hidden in my stash beforehand.

If you are looking for an open front cardigan then you may also be interested in another free pattern in the same sort of style, The Harper Cardigan and Duster by Sinclair Patterns

This comes in 3 different height sizes (Petite, regular and tall) and 3 lengths and includes pockets amd 3 different sleeve lengths.  There is a sewing demonstration on Youtube from Beyond The Pink Door (click for link)

Keep sewing and stay safe, for your sake and for the sake of others.

Sewn in One Hour- Not! And a Re-fashion

This pattern, New Look 6483, came with the June 2016 edition of Sew Magazine.

It looked the answer to many a sewer's prayer- a simple top in woven fabric with neckline variations and a sleeveless or short sleeve option- plus the promise of a swift sewing time, one hour, as it had no zip to insert or buttonholes to make.
My partner, Nick, was keen for me to make it in the same fabric that I used for my carry-on luggage rucksack blogged here but I drew the line at wearing a garment in bright yellow with multi-coloured spotted and striped ponies cavorting on it.  However I did want something cheerful so went for this poly/cotton at only £2.99 per metre from the Sewing & Craft Superstore at Tooting Bec.

I bought 1.60 metre as I wanted to make version A but with longer sleeves and possibly a matching headscarf. 
I traced a size 10 (83 cm bust) using horticultural fleece as described here
and pinned the pieces together to check for fit.  Since my bust is just under 85 cm I thought that I might have to make an adjustment here but it was a perfect fit across the bust with just the amount of ease that I wanted.  However I did make several adjustments to the pattern before cutting out the fabric, due to my narrow shoulders, thin arms and rounded upper back, as follows:
1. Decreased the height of the armhole by sewing a larger seam allowance on the shoulders and decreased the size of the sleeve cap to match by making a horizontal pleat on the pattern across the sleeve head.
2. Extended the length of the sleeves to below elbow length by continuing the line of the original short sleeve pattern to the appropriate length but tapering the sewing line to create a slightly narrower sleeve.
3. Put a dart in the back of the neck so that it fitted my rounded upper back and amended the back facing pattern to take account of this.
4.  Instead of using one large button for the closure of the back neck opening I used two tiny ones as I thought it gave a neater look.  The button loops are hand stitched using red thread.
The photograph below shows the fastening and the back neck darts.

So how long did it take to sew?  By sew I mean actual machine stitching time- stay stitching, basting the sleeve head to gather for sleeve insertion, edge overcasting, sewing the seams and top stitching (which I did on the bottom and sleeve hems and around the back neck opening).  Definitely more than an hour.  I am not a fast sewer but I note that reviewers on Pattern Review also mention that it took them more than an hour.
 However, if not as speedy as claimed, it is easy and not a long project.  I like it very much and a complete stranger came up to me yesterday saying how much she liked it and was disappointed to discover it was not a RTW buy!  It can be worn loose or tucked in and goes with loads of separates already in my wardrobe.  The naive fabric design brings a smile to my face when I put it on, something much needed given Brexit and the dismal, dull weather we have been having.  I am already thinking of another version, with a different neckline and  longer sleeves, using fabric from my stash.

This fabric also inspired a refashion of a fleece pullover that I had.  Although it was a useful item, I found it annoying that it had no front opening so the only options were Fleece on or Fleece off.  I could get too hot wearing it but then become too cold when I took it off.  While I was in the store buying the fabric for the top I spotted, in one of their zip offer bins, an open-ended zip that was the same blue as the fabric and exactly the right 25 inch length at only £1.50.
To make the jumper into a jacket I just cut up the middle of the front of the fleece and stabilised the underside of the front edges with a narrow strip of  light-weight fusible interfacing before turning the edges under on either side of the zip and sewing the zip in.
 I used some horticultural fleece to trace off the underside of the little stand-up collar and created a facing pattern to cut out in the boat fabric.  Then I hand stitched the facing in place.  Eh voila!, a zip-up jacket that I can just unzip for a bit of a cool down.  Plus it makes a rather dull fleece a bit more exciting and individual.  My tame photographer had to leave for work so you don't get to see me wearing it but here it is.

But the best bit is the inner collar.

Costs for top and jacket refashion - Fabric £4.98, Zip £1.50, The white, the blue and the red sewing thread, fusible interfacing for the facings and the buttons all came from my stash.  Total £6.48.

Have you made something that puts a smile on your face when you wear it?  Tell us about it on this blog, contact Giselle, London Dressmakers Club Organiser through the Meetup site here
for information on how to write a post for this blog.