Leather accent dress

This started as an idea for a dress to wear for a wedding. Now, this wasn't my original idea - I wanted to have a beautiful silk dress made from some more of my NYC fabric haul. But... life and stress got in the way, so this was my third fallback plan. And I still didn't finish it in time. Never mind. It's still going to come in useful, and I'm pleased with the result.

Leather and leather-accent clothes have been getting more and more into the mainstream over the last year (yeah, major understatement), and it's been something I've been wanting to sew for ages. The problem was that (despite being vegetarian) I really don't like fake leather (or at least, the fake leather I can afford: Stella McCartney I am not), and there is nowhere to buy decent skins for clothing here at an affordable price.

So, Fabric.com addiction that I have, I spotted some fused leather on the site the last time I was shopping (PLEASE STOP ME), so I thought I'd try it. Now, I really have no idea how they make this, but it's SO COOL. I am not sponsored, honest. It's a thin layer of real leather, fused to a knit fabric (sort of like a lightweight doubleknit), which makes it stretch too! I just used small pieces here, but I really want to try making a full garment out of it. Whilst it has the disadvantage over regular leather that it has a nap (as it's fused to fabric), it comes on a roll like "proper" fabric, so it's a bit more predictable how much you need. I really want to know how they make it (actually, do I?), as it doesn't appear to have any visible seams in the leather layer. Maybe it's from reeeeeeeally big rectangular cow or sheep... Anyway...

Pattern description

Knit dress with shallow pleated cowl neckline, A-line skirt and contrast straps. If this looks familiar, you're right. It was inspired by my July Burda Challenge. I liked the style of this, but wasn't terribly happy with the fit, so I thought I'd have a go at drafting my own version.

Fabric used

Denim-look jersey from Tissu Fabrics, with "Perfection Fused Leather" from Fabric.com.

Did it look like the sketch/idea when you were done?

Fairly much. It came out a little tighter than intended, and the pleats in the cowl sort of disappeared. I also forgot that the shoulder line isn't parallel to the floor when drafting, so the bottom of the straps slope. Other than that, yes!

Drafting details

This was drafted from my custom knit block and was fairly straightforward, just a case of drawing in the straps and making a small cowl (I used my drafting books, but you can find instructions for making cowl necks online pretty easily). After mirroring the front completely in order to provide a lining, I then slashed and spread the outer layer to make pleats. I wanted fairly small pleats, but when sewn these ended up being really tiny. The skirt was a basic A-line.

Construction details

I cut the straps in the fused leather, with a facing in cotton broadcloth to neaten the inside. I'd initially intended to topstitch the straps along the edge, but this looked TERRIBLE. If I was making a full garment in the leather, I would experiment with Teflon presser feet, walking feet or tissue paper, but for two teeny tiny straps I could be faffed with that. So of course I hand stitched it! Because that's much quicker! Actually I decided it looked better without the stitching, much cleaner. However, I'd also decided that I needed to use my leather glue tape to keep the seam allowances neat, which made for a very sticky hand stitching experience (NOT a euphemism). I have to say, it was the first time I've used WD40 when sewing...

Apart from the stickiness, it was fairly easy to sew using a leather needle and a thimble. Also of course I used small bulldog clips rather than pins, which would have left marks in the leather.

When sewing the main body of the dress, I used Kristy's technique for sewing the linings and straps together neatly. It works great and gives a super neat clean finish. Recommended.

I had actually intended to line the skirt with the same slinky knit I used for the sleeves and trim of my walking top. But I forgot. Oops! If it's a bit clingy with tights (or a bit "young Diana") I will reverse-engineer a lining, or sew a half slip.

I sewed the hem with a three-step zig-zag.

Would you sew it again?

I may use this idea again, but I would probably try a variation, and definitely add more ease. There are a lot of other ideas I have that I would like to try first.

Conclusion

Pretty happy with this! I like the combination of leather and "denim" in a fairly conservative styled dress. Although it's a little snug fitting, it's still comfortable to wear. The only downside is that in winter a strappy dress is perhaps not the most practical thing, and a cardie or jacket covers up the main feature. Fortunately, the Swiss absolutely adore their sauna-level indoor heating, so I will probably be fine with bare arms inside! I will post some photos after I've worn this out and about.

Gingham shirt-dress

Having enjoyed wearing my cowboy shirt-dress so much recently, I decided it was high time I developed a custom-fitted woven bodice block so I can draft more of what I make for myself, in the same way as I do for knit tops.

Pattern description

Shirt dress with stand collar, shirt style placket, pleated skirt and side seam pockets.

Fabric used

Stretch cotton gingham from Fabric.com.

Drafting details

I used my trusty Aldrich to draft the basic pattern for the bodice, based on my high bust measurement. This was then traced off and I made a FBA of 3.5cm (i.e. 7cm total), which was the difference between my high bust and full bust. As it turned out, this was too much, despite being true to measurements! It's ended up with the excess forming sort of pleats over my bust point (these are more exaggerated in the pictures on Wilma, as she is less well endowed than me. Even with a bra on). Further experimentation (unfortunately after I'd finished this dress), showed that only 2cm (4cm total) was much better. Weird.

The pattern was drafted by:

• Distributing the front suppression into one waist dart and two bust darts.
• Separating the front and back bodice into yokes and lower sections.
• Drafting a two piece stand collar, and a shirt-style placket front.
• Drafting a basic skirt, transforming it into an A-line skirt, and then slashing and spreading to give the pleats.

Construction details

Fairly standard construction for this, not much to say! I interfaced the collar with fusible tricot to add stability but keep the lightness, and stabilised the front pocket edges with selvedge. I chose to hand stitch the inside collar rather than topstitch or stitch-in-the-ditch. I like hand stitching.

However, I tried out the "burrito" method of sewing the yoke so that it was totally machine sewn and clean-finished. I thought it might be a bit fiddly, but it's totally super easy and looks great. The topstitching was done with my usual method of the stretch straight stitch on the machine. I think I need to fiddle with tensions slightly as this stitch has drawn up slightly on the more lightweight fabric. Hmm.

Would you sew it again?

Not an exact replica, but I do plan to sew some more shirt-dresses (slightly more autumn appropriate ones though). I'm pleased with the way the top half turned out (with the exception of the bust fit), so this was good practice.

Conclusion

A moderate success. The poor fit over the bust is sort of annoying, but I'm not sure if this is majorly noticeable to non-sewists (maybe I can get away with saying the pleats it forms are a design feature...?). The skirt pleats also sit a bit awkwardly for some reason, and the pockets are rather small.

On the positive side though, I'm really pleased with the yokes, collar and shirt styling. Sadly, this dress hasn't actually been worn yet (hence only the photos on Wilma), as I finished it up right at the end of summer. I wear dresses all throughout the year, but there's something about the gingham-ness of this that makes it very definitely scream SUMMER. I think I just need to find the right way of styling it with tights/cardie so that it is wearable before next year. Or maybe just go on holiday somewhere warm... Yeah, I like that idea.

Walking top(s)

My parents came to visit over the summer, and I went with them to central Switzerland to go hiking. I have been meaning for ages to make some suitable tops for exercise, so this seemed like a good opportunity.

Gathered raglan sleeve top

You may recognise this from my February Burda Challenge... I made the short sleeved version here to give my shoulders a bit of coverage in the sun, using a wicking fabric (from Fabric.com) for the front and back sections, and a slinky knit for the sleeves and neck band.

I wanted the neck band a little wider, to make the most of the contrast fabric, but this has made the band gape a bit at the front. This doesn't really bother me for a walking top, but if I wanted this effect again I guess the solution would be to make a separate piece for the neckline, rather than using a band. The hem and sleeve hems are turned up and stitched with a three-step zig-zag. Whilst not as RTW look as a coverstitch would be, it looks much better on this sort of fabric and style than a plain zig-zag or a twin needle.

This turned out really well. The contrast raglan sleeves look sporty, but the gathering keeps it "pretty" looking. The fabric is also much nicer to walk in than cotton, it dries really fast and doesn't show the sweat too much (yum). It has pilled a bit on the front from the chest strap of my rucksack, but other than that it has stood up well to a fair amount of use this summer.

Cowl neck sleeveless top

Whilst this isn't a wicking fabric, this rayon jersey is lovely to wear in warm weather (you may remember the dress I made from it last year), and doesn't get hot or sweaty. This top was originally intended as another walking top for the same holiday as the one above, but wasn't finished in time. When I did finish it, I found I liked it so much that it's been a regular wear instead!

It is self-drafted, with the cowl kept quite high to keep the sun off my chest. The back neckline and armscyes are finished with my usual method of serging on folded strips. I surprisingly don't have many photos of me wearing this, given how often I do wear it! In this photo I'm also wearing my new jeans skirt.

Jeans skirt re-re-make (bo selecta!)

One of my aims during this year in general, and Me-Made-May in particular (gosh, that was a long time ago, wasn't it!) was to make a new version of my self-drafted jeans skirt. I did actually make a new version just before the end of May, but it was sadly a disaster: the denim was too heavyweight, the redrafting I did made it way too tight at the waist, the zip was ripply and ugly, the front panel was off-grain, and it wasn't pegged enough. Urgh. Of course I discovered all this after finishing the whole thing, including topstitching and rivets... This was very frustrating, so it got put to one side (read: thrown into the corner) for a while until I mustered up the mental strength to make it again. I'm very glad I did, as this version has turned out great, and has had a lot of wear already (I actually finished it almost two months ago).

Pattern description

Self-drafted jeans skirt, with shaped side hip-yoke pockets, back vent, and back lapped zipper.

Fabric used

Lightweight stretch denim, probably from Fabric.com. Stretch cotton batiste for the pocket facings.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made/Drafting details

I have lost a little weight since I made the first skirt, so took in the skirt at all the vertical seams, redrafting the pocket pieces accordingly. I changed the waistband from a simple rectangle to a shaped waistband with the top of the waistband at the natural waist. Whilst I really liked the pockets on the first skirt, the line of the opening hit right at the widest point of my hips. I figured this wasn't the most flattering, so raised the curve of the pocket opening. I also pegged the bottom of the skirt, and added a little length.

Construction details

Generally the construction was much the same as the first one (sewn on the regular machine and the seam allowances finished with the serger), but with the following differences:

Waistband: I cut both the top and facing pieces from the denim to give it a bit more structure. I also used a jeans button instead of hook fastenings. The buttonhole is stitched with the topstitching thread, but despite practicing, it is not the neatest. It also would benefit from being a keyhole shape, but I can't do this on my machine.

Interfacing: Both the top and facing pieces of the waistband were interfaced with fusible tricot to help keep them from collapsing. Fusible tape was applied along the side seams where the pocket joins and along the centre back seam - both these areas had pulled badly in the first skirt.

Topstitching: I didn't topstitch the waistband, so that the stretch was maintained.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

I'm sure I'll end up making another at some point in the future, but not just yet!

Conclusion

There's still a little bit of fine tuning needed to this pattern (mainly the back waistband), but this has already got plenty of wear.

Cowl neck top

Here's my July Burda Challenge! Although I'm posting it in August, I did actually make it on the very last day of July. You see it here worn with my re-re-make of my self-drafted jeans skirt, which I will make a post for shortly to show you the fit and details better.

Pattern description

BurdaStyle Magazine 07/2013/110: Loose-fitting sleeveless jersey top with gathered cowl at front and contrast straps.

Pattern sizing

36-44. I cut the 42.

Fabric used

A very drapey ITY knit from Fabric.com (I think it's poly), with a poly duchesse satin for the straps.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope when you were done?

Pretty much, yes!

Were the instructions easy to follow?

Hmm... I don't usually think Burda instructions are as bad as everyone makes them out to be, but these were actually pretty terrible, despite it being a very simple pattern with only 3 pieces! I got extremely confused by the instructions for sewing the cowl and facings...

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?

... But once I'd figured them out, it actually gives a really nice finish! (Although I forgot to take any photos). Sadly, this nice finish doesn't extend into the strap attachment. I've spotted that Kristy also made this top and figured a simple and neat way of finishing the strap attachment and arms, by adding a back facing and sewing the straps on as the facings were sewn.

I like that the strap pieces are slightly shaped, rather than just rectangles - this is well drafted and means they don't slip off your shoulders. Be warned that the cowl is quite low - it's totally fine and flattering when you stand upright, but when you lean forward, there's a lot on view...

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made

From flat pattern measurements, I could tell that the back was way too wide between the straps. I didn't want to change the loose fit too much, so I took the width out the centre back and added it on at the sides. I could have actually taken more out the centre and added less on the edge, but it's not too bad as it is. I also added a facing strip to the upper back edge, rather than just folding it over as suggested in the instructions.

I did a slight fudge FBA - I added a small amount in length at the level of the bust point, easing this to the shorter back side seam, and then just added width at the side at bust level. With the cowl neck though, it doesn't really need extra length added, so I'll take this out if I make it again.

I didn't want to add a centre back seam, so I did a slight swayback adjustment by rotating the back shoulder and neckline down (see the explanation for this here). There is still a lot of pooling at the small of my back, so I will probably increase this a bit if I sew this again - although I know I won't be able to completely get rid of this without a CB seam, as it's also because of a large bottom/back high hip, not just the swayback. I also shaped the side seams in a little at the waist, as I knew the rectangular shape as drafted is very unflattering on me.

Construction details

This was mostly constructed on the serger, using a three-thread overlock to reduce bulk at the seams and keep it drapey. I didn't bother to add the interfacing on the armholes and upper back as I didn't want it too stiff, and I figured the topstitching would keep these areas from stretching too much.

The straps are just serged to the back piece, with the seam allowance held downwards by the topstitching. The front of the straps are sewn to the front piece by hand. I think I will use Kristy's method if I make this again, as it would give a much neater finish.

I finished the hem with a rolled hem on the serger. I haven't used this much before, and I think I could probably do with tightening the looper tension a bit more so that it rolls more. Any advice is welcome from those who use this stitch more often...

I decided against adding the topstitching on the straps - with the patterned jersey, they looked much better plain.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?

I would definitely recommend this to others. Even with the fiddling with the gathering and straps, it's super quick to sew, and looks very pretty. I may well actually sew this again as it's a versatile top and quick to make.

Conclusion

The last few projects I've posted on here I have felt extremely pleased with when I finished them, but when I've come to wear them they have disappointed me. Either the fit isn't as good as I thought, or it's uncomfortable to wear, or I don't have the right things to wear with it, etc etc... However, this top is actually useful and wearable. It can also be worn into autumn and winter under a cardie or jacket. Overall, a successful project.