Comfort Sewing: Something Easy, Something Magenta

After the Elisalex finale, I needed something easy to make this weekend. I returned to a TNT, a deep cowl neck top hacked from Silhouette Pattern #195. If you want to hack something similar, please see my tutorial on how to draft a deep cowl neck. It's easier than you think!

The pattern piece for this top is one of those odd shapes that you get after some liberal slashing and spreading. I lengthened my original top by 1 inch, did a bit of shaping in the armsyche, and cut it with only a 3/8" facing (not the 3" shown in the original pattern piece).

I also cut an inner lining/facing that stops 4 inches under the arm.

I didn't have enough fabric to make the facing from the same fabric, so instead I used a scrap of magenta jersey left over from this dress and this top.

So I get a peek of magenta showing around the neckline on this super soft jersey from Gorgeous Fabrics (and BTW, I know I go on and on about how much I like the fabric at GF. I should mention that I'm not sponsored by GF nor I am affiliated with them in any way - I just love Ann's eye for fabric). This color combo is now out of stock, but there's still a blue version, which I also almost nearly purchased.

This was a great project for a lazy Memorial Day weekend!

  

Next up is a dress hack of this hack. If all goes well, it will also be reversible!

Free Sewing Tutorial: Drafting a Facing for a Cowl Neck Top

Now that it's fall here in the Midwest, I'm in the mode of making some longer sleeve knit/jersey tops  I have a couple of tutorials that give instructions on how to draft a basic cowl neck jerey top (see here and here).  With my first few cowl necks, I was satisfied with a simple hem or leaving the cowl neckline serged, but recently I've wanted a more finished look.  This tutorial will teach you how to add a self-facing to your cowl neck pattern, so that you can't see any stitches around the cowl.

You will need:
*cowl neck top pattern
*paper
*pencil, pen
*ruler
*tape

Here's an example of what your cowl neck pattern will look like WITHOUT a facing:

The first step in creating a facing is to tape some paper to the cowl neck line, so that you can extend it.

Next, draw a line 2-3 inches above your cowl neck line.  Angle the edges so that it it is a mirror image of your original cowl neck.  It will look like this:

Cut out the front of your top as you normally would.  To sew your top, fold across the neckline at the extention that you made with wrong sides together (wrong side of facing against wrong side of fabric).  When you attach the front of the top to the back of the top at the shoulders, you'll have a double layer of fabric on the top front and a single layer of fabric on the top back.  It will look like this after you've sewn it together:

Inside cowl neckline (front)

Cowl neck from right side

For this top, I used ponte knit fabric (thicker, more stable) that I purchased at Hancock Fabric's in a sale (I think their ponte knit is still on sale).  Fabric.com, GorgeousFabrics.com, and MoodFabrics.com all have a good selection of ponte fabric, mainly in solid colors.  I wanted longer sleeves for it, so I used the sleeve piece from my Silhouettes Pattern #195 and shortened it to bracelet length.   I finished the edge of the back neckline with 5/8" fold-over elastic (I pulled it slightly as I attached it to the neckline with a zig-zag stitch - I find that pulling it slightly stops the back neck from gaping).  I originally recommended cutting on the top on the bias to make the neckline nice and drapey, but this weekend I experimented with cutting it out on the straight grain and it worked just fine. To cut the top out on the straight grain, you'll need a fabric that is nice and drapey to begin with, but most knits/jerseys are plenty drapey.  Here's how it turned out:

I made a pencil skirt with the same fabric (not to be worn together - THAT look was a freaky visual disaster!) and I'll post about that later this week.  Let me know if you have any questions about the facing and I'd love to see pictures if you try this tutorial!  Email them to poldapop@gmail.com, and I'll add them to the post with a link to your blog (if you have one).  Here's one that Diya at The Hobby Harbor made recently:

Cheers!

What's Up: Work on Skirts, MaiseyBelle Reversible Bags, Flower Scrap Pins, Yet Another Cowl Neck Jersey Top

Greetings and Salutations!  I'm in the middle of finishing items for the Urban Crafter's Trunk Show on Saturday, so today's post is going to be fast and furious so I can get back to getting things together.

Marides' skirts are next on the list for client work.  The first skirt is one of my bias trim skirts and it is coming along nicely.  Marides chose navy twill with Amy Butler Midwest Modern II Fresh Poppise in sky, and the colors work well together:

Marides' second skirt is a yoked a-line from Joel Dewberry's Tile Flourish in Amber.  As the print is large and striking, I wanted to match the print across the center back seam and join it in a thoughtful way between the yoke and the skirt.  Everything was going well until I forgot to fold back out the center back seam allowance after matching the print so one half of the back was 1/2" wider than the other.  If you had been in my neighborhood you would have heard the long ARRRRGGHHH I let out.  I didn't have enough fabric to cut a new piece so I had to order more.  I tried to console myself with the knowlege that this is only the second time I've had to go out-of-pocket to fix a mistake, but it's still frustrating - especially since my mistake was so, well, dumb. 

Devon's aunt ordered another MaiseyBelle Reversible Bag for a friends' birthday (she's a great supporter - see my Seven Bags in Seven Days post) and since it only takes a bit longer to make two v. one, I made a second one for the show.  I still love this bag!

I've also been putting together some flower scrap pins to have a small, less pricey option on offer at the show.  These are easy because I can work on them at the kitchen table with the girls while they are doing crafts. 

One of the things I've learned about myself over the years is that I'm not very good at keeping a slow-and-steady pace.  I tend towards more of a go hard-crash-go hard-crash pace.  For a long time I thought that this was a flaw that I should fix, but I've learned that I'm much happier and more creative this way.  I have learned to see the crash coming so that I don't completely run myself into the ground so that it takes a whole week to recover.

And that's what I saw coming as I contemplated what projects to do this past weekend.  I wanted to do a corsetted pencil skirt - I want one for myself and it would be a good thing to have as a sample at the craft show - but it requires a level of effort and concentration that would have just sent me crashing into a pit of exhaustion.  So instead I did some mindless cutting out of wallet pieces and a couple of quick cowl neck tops (one for myself, one for a friend's birthday).  I changed things up a bit by adding a 6" band to the bottom of one top and contrast thread on the other:

And then I went out on the town with my friends Candice and Kristen for an evening of cocktails and laughter and stories.  Here I am posing with Cora and Maisey in my handmade outfit (and the girls wanted to get in on the action by also wearing things that I've made) as I head out the door:

I'll post later this week with more info on the trunk show and pictures of the set up.  Have a great week!

Free Sewing Tutorial: Draft a deep cowl neck top

UPDATE: I've added a post about drafting a facing for this cowl neck here.

My tutorial on drafting a high cowl neck top has had a lot of pageviews in the last week (this always makes me happy).  So at the request of at least one reader (see? that's all it takes with me!), I'll show you how to draft a cowl neck top starting with a pattern that has a dart.  This will produce a deeper cowl neck like this one:

I started with Silhouettes' Pattern #195 as I have already made alterations to the pattern for a good fit (changed shoulder slope, took in waist/hip as they are smaller size than my shoulders).  It has a French dart, but these instructions should work regardless of where you dart is placed.

And I need to give a big thank you to Peggy Sagers for her help in figuring out how to draft this pattern (from Silhouettes).  I took a couple of classes with her at the sewing conference I went to recently (Original Sewing and Quilting Expo) and she encouraged people to contact her with questions.  So when I was trying to figure out what to do with the dart, I emailed her.  Within a couple of hours I got a very helpful response.  And this was on a Sunday.

Materials
*1 - 1.5 yards of drapey fabric with stretch (jersey, knit, stretch charmeuse, maybe even stretch poplin)
*Tracing paper (I use Bienfang Canary Sketching and Tracing Paper, the 50 yard/24" roll)
*Clear ruler
*Top/bodice pattern with a dart

Step 1: Move dart to neckline.

Trace your orginal pattern onto another sheet of tracing paper as you'll need to do a lot of cutting.  To move the dart to the neckline, draw a straight line from the dart point to the center front neckline.

Now cut along this line until you are about 1/8" away from the dart point (this will be your "hinge"). 

Now close and tape the orginal dart which will cause the pattern to spread at the new dart point.  It should look like this:

All right!  Step 1 is done.  You have moved a dart!

Step 2: Cut & spread neckline
Draw a curved line under the neckline, 1.5 inches down from the original. Cut along this line until you are about 1/8 inch from the shoulder line.

Draw two lines that meet at a right angle on a new sheet of paper. Place your cut pattern piece along the top line on this piece of paper. Spread the neckline so that both points touch the top line. Angle the remaining bodice so that the bottom center front corner touches the side line. Tape into place.  If that sounds confusing, it isn't - I think it's just easier to understand with a picture:

Smooth out the angle created at the shoulder line:

(Please ignore the second layer of pattern - that was my first try and it wasn't correct so I just taped take 2 over the top.)

Step 2, check!


Step 3: Turn half pattern into full pattern
You need to cut on a bias for this design, so you will need a full instead of a half pattern. Take a big piece of tracing paper and draw a T with lines meeting a right angles. Trace your half cowl neck pattern onto one side of the T and then flip and trace it onto the other. It should look like this when you are done:

I know this looks like something that would never fit a human body, but trust me, it will work!  And please ignore the wide band in the middle - I had to tape two pieces of tracing paper together to get one that was big enough.

Good work - the hard parts are all done!

Step 4: Place and cut your fabric
Spread out your fabric. Place the front pattern piece on the bias and the back pattern piece on the straight grain. It will look like this:

Cut and sew the top as you would normally.  You can serge the edges, turn them under by 1/4" and topstitched them into place or leave them just serged for an edgier look  You can add any kind of sleeve or even a hem band.  This top will fit and look great.  Devon calls this my sexy top and looks suspicious when I wear it out with friends!



Free Sewing Tutorial: Draft a Cowl Neck

UPDATE: I added a tutorial for drafting a facing for a cowl neck top here.

UPDATE: You can find a tutorial for the deeper cowl neck here.

I have a simple t-shirt/shell pattern that works well for me but I have enough basic tops - I want something fancier!  I love the high cowl neck look that is going around these days: 

DKNY from macys.com

LRK from saksfifthavenue.com

I wanted to make this look without having to shell out money for a new pattern and I couldn't find a free tutorial online that was really what I wanted.  So I hid out in my sewing lab and figured it out!  I use a lot of online tutorials in my sewing so I'm always happy when I have something to share with all of you.  Here's what I created:

Materials
*1 - 1.5 yards of drapey fabric with stretch (jersey, knit, stretch charmeuse, maybe even stretch poplin)
*Tracing paper (I use Bienfang Canary Sketching and Tracing Paper, the 50 yard/24" roll)
*Clear ruler
*Top/bodice pattern that you like (if you don't have one, there are plenty of tutorials online that will show you how to create a pattern from a t-shirt or top that you have in your closet, like this one).

Step 1:  Cut & spread neckline
Trace your front bodice/t-shirt pattern onto a new sheet a paper; you need to cut the pattern so you don't want to ruin your master.  Draw a curved line under the neckline, 1.5 inches down from the original.  Cut along this line until you are about 1/8 inch from the shoulder line.

Draw two lines that meet at a right angle on a new sheet of paper.  Place your cut pattern piece along the top line on this piece of paper.  Spread the neckline so that both points touch the top line.  Angle the remaining bodice so that the bottom center front corner touches the side line.  Tape into place.  This sounds harder than it is so don't fret!  It should look like this:

Smooth out the angle created at the shoulder line:

Step 2: Turn half pattern into full pattern
You need to cut on a bias for this design, so you will need a full instead of a half pattern.  Take a big piece of tracing paper and draw a T with lines meeting a right angles.  Trace your half cowl neck pattern onto one side of the T and then flip and trace it onto the other.  It should look like this when you are done:

It looks a bit odd, doesn't it?  Trust me, it works!  Imagine that super wide neckline draping in the middle because this is what will happen.  (Ignore the wide band in the middle of my pattern piece - my tracing paper wasn't large enough so I had to tape two pieces together with masking tape.) 

Draw a new grainline that is at a 45 degree angle to the center line.

Step 3: Place and cut your fabric
Spread out your fabric.  Place the front pattern piece on the bias and the back pattern piece on the straight grain.  It will look like this:

Cut and sew the top as you would normally.  I have left the edges serged and turned them under by 1/4" and topstitched them into place - your choice.  I added a band to the bottom for this top but you could do a simple hem or leave the hem unfinished.  However you finish it you now get to glow with pride everytime you wear it because you drafted the pattern and put it together on your own!

I also drafted a cowl neck from a pattern that had a bodice dart which made for a deeper cowl.  I'll post instructions for how to do this if there's interest - leave a comment if you want it!

Credit:  I generally followed instructions I found in Adele Margolis' book Make Your Own Dress Patterns.  I strongly recommend this book if you are interested in learning about drafting patterns.

What's Up: Success in the Knit/Jersey Laboratory, Skirts, Little Bits Workshop

Greetings!  This last week was a good mix of drafting new patterns AND sewing them into something wearable.  I'm excited to share the things I've made and I'll be posting a new tutorial later in the week.

First: my mad scientist work in the knit/jersey laboratory is starting to pay off.  I've been working on adapting a t-shirt pattern I have (Sihouettes #195) into a cowl neck.  It took three drafts but I finally got it right, at least on paper.  I wanted to wear something new and handmade for a night of cocktails and speaks with my good friend Candice.  Candice is crafty (she's the lovely person who did all the hard work on setting up my blog and she has her own blog over at Candoodles) so I knew that she could appreciate the work!  Here's how cowl neck #1 turned out:

While it took hours and hours of drafting work to figure out the pattern, the top only took 45 minutes to cut out and sew.  I used a metallic steel jersey that I bought on clearance at fabric.com for $2.39 - a small price to pay to feel spectacular at the Green Mill with Candice!  The fabric called for an edgier look, so I finished the hem, sleeves, and neck with a serge stitch to leave them looking a bit raw.  The fabric is black on the wrong side and I like how the black peeks out at the neck.  This is a deep cowl, which I like, but I also wanted to have a short/high cowl neck.  Devon had some friends over for a poker game on Saturday night and I spent my time drafting the pattern for and then sewing up this top:

I wanted these edges to look more finished since the fabric is so pretty, so I turned under and top-stitched the arm and neck and added a band to the hem.  I found this fabric (my best guess is that it is a stretch charmeuse) at the Economy Shop and I got 5 yards of it (60" wide) for $3.50!

I'll be posting a tutorial for the high cowl neck top a bit later this week so come back if you want to DIY.

I had a bit of time on Sunday afternoon so I worked on the Dolman Top with Banded Bottom tutorial from Make It Love It.  Here's how it is supposed to look:

Cute, huh?  My first effort a few weeks back was too small (I forgot to account for the negative ease in the top I copied):

My second effort is closer but a little too baggy for my taste:

I think I'll cut off the band and try again by making the bottom band wider and snuger.  I'll probably re-do the neck band as well as I think it could be neater.  I do have to say that I LOVE sewing jersey now.  I like working on more challenging projects but it's also fun to make a top in an hour!


During the week I worked on skirts for Bryn and Domenica and I should be able to finish them up this week.  I added a blue band to Bryn's skirt and I like this mix of colors:

For Domenica's skirt I got to draft a pocket and a slim waistband (but still curved - no more rectangles!):

And finally, on Saturday I attended a gathering of crafters in River Forest.  Liita, who owns and runs The Little Bits Workshop, is hosting a Trunk Show for local crafters and artists.  Think Renegade but much smaller in scale (for now) and plenty of parking.  Liita has found a great mix of crafters (many of them local Berwyn-ites) with tons of talent.  I look forward to teaching some classes through the workshop this summer and I'm excited to see what we can do with the trunk show.  I'll post more info as we get closer to the date (May 12th - just in time for Mother's Day!), but you can get a preview here:  Little Bits Trunk Show.

Then to crown the week, I went to the zoo with my brother (in from Seattle) and the girls yesterday.  Look who we saw:

They put all of my efforts at creating some pop to shame!

Up next: I want to finish at least one each of Bryn's and Domenica's skirts this week and get their second skirts done next week.  I also hope to find some pockets of time to make small items for the trunk show.  Wish me luck!