York Pinafore

I’m excited to share my Helens Closet York Pinafore today! It’s no secret I love a pinafore. I have quite a few in my closet. I love how easily I can create different looks with just changing the top underneath. I’m feeling overwhelmed by the amount of clothes I have lately and how few I actually enjoy wearing. Pieces that I can get more wear out of are important to me. I’m planning on reading the Curated Closet in the New Year and really focus on getting my wardrobe where I want it to be.

The York has multiple styles that can be mixed and matched- there’s 2 lengths, two necklines and patch pockets or a kangaroo pocket. I went with the short length, higher neckline and the patch pockets.

I used this amazing bow print corduroy I got from Sew Over It (it’s sold out now!). I only had a meter because I was planning to make a skirt but I was so excited when I realized it was enough for this. There’s only three pattern pieces which makes this quick to cut out. I did spend time pattern matching on the pockets, though. The arms and neck are faced with bias tape. I used store bought because I was short on time but I wish I had made my own. The pattern calls for double fold bias tape but single fold works as well. I would recommend using single fold if you go the store bought route. The double fold is a little too thick in my opinion and I honestly am considering re- facing the whole thing.

There’s not much fitting involved in this pattern. I used the size chart and my measurements and am happy with it. There’s no fasteners or closures on this garment so it just slips over your head.

I wore it to go get our Christmas tree and it was comfy layered with a turtle neck and tights. I definitely recommend this pattern. In fact, I have another cut out already! The next one will be in flannel with the lower neckline and same length. I’m hoping I have time to sew it up soon.

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Sew Over It Libby Shirt

The Sew Over It Libby shirt pattern has definitely been on my radar for a while. I’ve been seeing so many beautiful versions popping up on my Instagram feed. Sew Over It was having a summer sale a few weeks ago so I finally caved and bought this pattern! Libby is a button down shirt with a boxy fit and a notched collar. There are two hem lengths- I went with the longer of the two. I love the grown on sleeves (no setting in!) and there is also a sleeve cuff which I thought was a nice design feature. As far as fit, I cut a straight size 8 and am happy with it. Because it is boxy and I used a fabric with a lot of drape, it’s an easy pattern to fit.

I had bought this Figo rayon when I bought the pink rayon for my Bonnie blouse because I loved it so much. The blue is such a gorgeous color and it pairs wonderfully with the yellow gold flowers. This is a great pattern for larger prints because there are no darts or seams running through the main bodice pieces.

Libby was easy to sew except for the collar. I don’t sew collar stands or notched collars very often so it took me a little while to wrap my head around what I was supposed to do. Marking your notches and dots on your pattern definitely helps (I had to go back in and darken some of my marks) but I had to really zoom in on the instruction photos to figure it out. I kind of just went for it and it started to make sense/ come together.

I think Libby is a great basic blouse. I would love to make another in a sold color. I think I’ve said this before but I really need to more solids in my wardrobe! I don’t have too many things to pair this top with but I did really like it with these RTW white jeans.

Of course I have to mention these flowers! This a nearby farm and their flower field in the summer is one of my favorite photo spots. I just made it there this week (where has the summer gone?!) and am hoping to make at least one more trip this year. I planned to take photos with the sunflowers but they had just cut them down. Fortunately I was able to buy a bouquet of them. They are huge!

Have you made the Libby shirt pattern?

Sew Over It Bonnie Blouse!

Hello! I am so excited to share the newest pattern from Sew Over It! It’s the Bonnie blouse or dress. Bonnie has a 1940’s style feel complete with collar, hidden button placket, short sleeves with cuff, waistband and optional pleats. I really love this blouse. It has so many special details and unlike anything I already have.

The fabric I used is a peachy pink rayon by Figo fabrics. I saw it in a local shop and knew instantly it would be perfect for this blouse! I didn’t want a print that was too big because I worried it would be cut off weird with the pleats. Light weight fabrics like rayon or chiffon are recommended for this pattern.

I have to say that this blouse took a good amount of time to make and was one of the more complex garments I’ve sewn. I definitely do not recommend it to beginner sewists. There’s a lot of techniques in here and combine it with a slippery fabric… not the easiest! The non pleated bodice might be a better place to start if you are worried! It’s a great pattern for trying out some new skills, though. This was my first time sewing a hidden button placket. I admit I got a little frustrated starting out but it came together. With this pattern, make sure you mark all you notches and trace all the fold and stitch lines for the pleats. I think marking the fold and the stitch lines in two different colors would be very helpful. I had to keep referencing the pattern piece to make sure I wasn’t getting mixed up!

I made the size 8. I am pretty happy with the fit. I think it could be sized down a little but I honestly wasn’t sure where to begin (the pattern piece for the front bodice is the funniest looking pattern piece!) I really don’t mind it, though especially since this fabric has a nice drape.

I wish I had more bottoms to pair with it. I styled it with two different shorts for these photos. I had extra fabric so I whipped up a pair of matching shorts. I really need more solid midi skirts in my wardrobe. They are so easy to sew and wouldn’t take long to make but I never seem to buy the fabric. Definitely going to add that to my sewing list so I can get more wear out of this blouse!

I think Bonnie is a fantastic pattern and I absolutely plan to make another one day. What do you think? Will you make a Bonnie?

Minerva Crafts Doris Dress

My Sew Over It Doris dress in this beautiful Lisa comfort Wildflower crepe is up on the Minerva Crafts Blog today! Click here to read all about it!

Sew Over It Kitty Dress

I am so happy to share that this is my first make as a Sew Over It Pattern Insider!  As a Pattern Insider, I’ll be making new Sew Over It patterns throughout the year. This one I actually tested, too! Without further ado… Introducing… the Kitty dress! It’s a perfect vintage inspired shirt dress with 4 bodice and 2 skirt options that can be mixed and matched. It has pockets and buttons down the whole front. I chose to make the short sleeve bodice with shawl collar and a gathered skirt.

This dress truly feels vintage to me! I used a vintage blue and white cotton gingham I’ve had in my stash for a while. I had just enough for this pattern! I used some vintage lace hem tape (forgot to photograph!) and I love the finish. I’ve really enjoyed hemming garments like this recently. I sew the tape on the right side of the fabric with my machine, press the bottom up and hand stitch to the tape.  It”s time consuming but worth it in my opinion. I love that little detail when I look on the inside. I wish I could have used vintage buttons in addition to the vintage fabric and hem tape but I didn’t have enough of any in my stash! This needed 10 or 11 buttons.

As far as fit, I’m happy with the results. My bust is smaller than the smallest size so I graded the bust down and I left the waist as is. I did this by folding the dart on the pattern and drawing a straight line about 1/4′ in from the top left to the waist. I did the same for the back bodice (except no dart there). I also made sure to remove that 1/4″ from each side of the sleeve so it would fit. I was a little nervous without making a toile for this but I’m much more of just go for it sewist. Thankfully it turned out okay! I think I could have taken in a little more or adjusted the placement of the darts but I think it’s ok. There’s always next time!

This was not a quick sew and definitely took some time but it was so worth it in the end. I’ve made other shirt dresses before so I didn’t find this difficult. However, the method of sewing in the pockets was different than what I’m used to. I was a little confused while sewing them but I am pleased with the results.

I’m so thrilled with this dress and am so excited to wear it this summer.

 

 

Put A Bow On It

This make was inspired by RTW. I saw a Sezane tank that I absolutely loved. It had a large bow on one shoulder and was so cute for summer! The problem? the price tag. I realized I could easily make something similar. I sewed a Sew Over It silk cami in this beautiful pale pink and mustard gingham linen from Merchant and Mills, (appropriately named Wes as it’s fitting for a Wes Anderson film.) This fabric was a splurge but absolutely worth it. I only bought one meter and it was just enough for this project.

I made a Sew Over It Silk Cami last year but I made adjustments to the pattern this time. I found it to be a little snug under the arms so I graded it about a half size larger. I also decided to raise the neckline and remove the curve from the hem. I ended up having to cut off some of the length and re-hem it after taking photos of it the first time. The proportions were off and it wouldn’t easily tuck. I used the scrap I cut off to make a matching headband!

So for the bow, I sewed a long strip of fabric and tied it to the shoulder. Thats it. SO simple. I love that I have the option to untie it and have the tank be more plain if I want to layer it under something. I thought I would have to attach it with a tack stitch but it stayed on nicely without it! I definitely will be adding shoulder ties to some other makes in the future.

 

Lisa Comfort Lottie Dress

I purchased Issue 3 of Lisa Comfort magazine when it came out last year because I knew I wanted to make the Lottie dress that came with it! I finally got around to it! It’s a simple button front dress with a  bias bound top/ straps. I used a cotton Rifle Paper Co fabric I’ve had in my stash and I’ve been wanting to use. I also used some buttons I picked up on my recent trip to the garment district in New York.

This would have been a pretty quick make but I had some fit issues. I graded the pattern down a size but when I tried it on after sewing on the bias tape, it was so large at the top in the front. It was completely unwearable. The easiest thing to do was to undo the bias tape on the front pieces and to add more gathers. It worked!

There’s an optional tie sash included in the pattern. I didn’t make it because I really liked how this vintage belt looks with the dress but I have plenty of fabric left over if I decide I want to make it in the future.

I haven’t decided if I’d make this pattern again. I like the style and I like how few pattern pieces there are/ how this can be a pretty quick make. It’s not the most comfortable dress for me because the straps are set a little wide for my shoulders. I think if I were to make it again, I would have to figure out how to make them more comfortable and set in more so they don’t feel like they are going to fall down.

Overall, I like how this dress turned out and I am excited to wear it on vacation next month!

Sew Over It Pussybow Blouse

Hello! First, I just wanted to let you know I finally upgraded to have my own website domain! It’s poeticmemorysewing.blog  and I updated my Instagram username to poeticmemorysewing. I’ve felt like I needed a change for a while now but wasn’t ready to let go of Poetic Memory after using it for 7 years! Anyway- back to the sewing!

How amazing is this fabric?! I was at Mood in New York earlier this month. We didn’t have much time so I ran down a few aisles and happened to see this Italian made chiffon! It has foxes all over it which you know is right up my alley. I bought a yard and half figuring I would make a top out of it. I had this blouse in mind but when I looked up the pattern later, I realized I didn’t buy enough of it and was so disappointed. I love the sewing community online because I was told it doesn’t require as much fabric as stated. I managed to cut out the size 8 and still have some left- possibly for a scarf?!

This pattern is great for sheer fabric because there’s no neck facing and the seams can be enclosed. I was nervous sewing with chiffon because it’s delicate and frays. Normally I would serge the edges of a frayed fabric but I didn’t want the bulk in the seams. I cut it out with a rotary cutter, put it in a bag until I was ready to work it. I tried to handle it as little as possible. There’s a few seams I wanted to fix but it wasn’t worth it! Overall I’m really happy with it. I paired it with my Seamwork Leonora  with my scalloped hem hack and I love this outfit. I also wore it with jeans! It’s definitely a versatile top that I’ll get a lot of wear out of.

As I mentioned earlier I cut out a size 8 and am pretty happy with the fit except the sleeves are a little too long. If I make another (which I’m pretty sure I will!) I’ll shorten them probably by a 1/2 inch to an inch.

I’m heading back to Mood in a few weeks and can’t wait to see what I find!

Sew Over It E-book

Today’s the day! Sew Over it released their new ebook and I was lucky enough to be able to pattern test two of the five patterns included! It’s all about patterns that you can wear to work and then out! I chose the Edie top- a great boat neck basic, in a medium weight cotton jersey and the Kate skirt made of six panels with a slit in each, in a wool crepe. (Twirls were necessary to show it off!)

I bought both of my fabrics on my recent trip to the garment district in NY. If you’ve never been, it’s quite overwhelming. I somehow managed to stay focused and find just what I was looking for. I found the green and white striped fabric first and was drawn to it. It’s a good weight and quality (I feel like this is hard to find for some reason). I wanted the pieces to coordinate and already had green in mind. I came across I pile of wool crepe bolts and thought it would work well! I love this deep green color I found. I’ve never sewn with it before but it had a nice drape and would be great for the upcoming season. (If it’s your first time sewing with wool crepe as well- all I can say is watch out for fraying! Serging/ finishing the edges is a must!)

The Edie top came together quickly and I had no issues. I might take in the side seams a little bit next time. It’s also offered as a dress and I definitely plan to make one. 

The skirt was quite easy as well. Six panels, a waistband and side zip. The panels stop at about 2/3 s of the way down and open up into slits. It’s a really great detail and makes a simple skirt a bit more interesting. 

I’m quite annoyed at myself for not reading through the instructions first. I had no clue there were slits until I sat down to start! I really needed a dark thread in my serger or coordinating hem tape but I didn’t have and I was on a time restraint. It’s noticeable when I walk and you can see the inside of the skirt. I plan on fixing this one day. 

The only issue I had with the skirt was the hem… it was time consuming. I hand stitched all the slits and bottoms but it’s recommended and I agreed with it. Hand stitching isn’t my favorite but I popped on a movie and just did it! 

As I said before, there are more patterns included in the ebook and lots of variations. Definitely check it out if you’re looking for patterns that you can wear from work or on a night out! 

Sew Over It Ultimate Culottes

I’ve been wanting a pair of culottes for a while now. They just look so easy and comfortable to wear. On my last Joann’s trip, my husband pointed out a nice brown linen and knew it would work for this pattern. I sewed these up in just a couple hours. Because of the linen, they are so breathable and perfect for this humid weather we’ve been having. I’m so proud of myself for making another solid, basic garment. I really will get so much wear out of these.

I made view A because I prefer a waistband but opted out of the belt loops. I took a little bit off the waist but no other alterations. I can see myself making another pair one day in rayon, and maybe a little shorter next time. How do you feel about the culottes trend?