Simplicity 1366 x 2

My SewJo has finally started to return...not sure what has bought about this comeback but perhaps it's due to hanging out with sewing friends; or just feeling like I have the mental & physical space at home to finally get a bit creative.

I bought this fabric after seeing it on Maai Designs Instagram page (@maaidesign). I had no idea what viscose spandex crepe felt like but who cares - the print (a Lady McElroy design) is fantastic and it had been so long since I felt quite excited about sewing so...Add. To. Cart! 

I decided to sew Simplicity 1366 as it is a TNT so I knew it would be fit. This was a pretty stressful sew however. I was so worried about messing this up that I jinxed myself. It looks okay from the outside but it's a different story inside. The fabric is so light weight - like sewing with stocking material - I was expecting the fabric to be heavier and it has not turned out as nice as I had imagined. I've not worn this yet...and I'm not sure if I will.

A bit of lunchtime and after work sewing last week resulted in another a new Simplicity 1366. This is a more cropped length for wearing with wide-legged pants and more voluminous skirts. I do have this tee already in black (my very first Simplicity 1366 but God knows where it is though). The fabric is a small cotton/elastane remnant bought from Tessuti quite awhile ago. 

Do you like this necklace? The pendant was made in about 5 seconds by Wendy @sydneyjewelleryschool in a recent wire-working class.

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Size: 18
Modifications:  For the "faces tee" added 7.5cm to the length, added 1cm to both the side of the front and back neckline and dropped the front neckline a bit. Shortened the sleeves by 5cm. For the "black tee" - I think this is the original length, added 1cm to both the side of the front and back neckline and dropped the front neckline a bit. Shortened the sleeves by 10cm. 
Fabric:"faces fabric" viscose spandex crepe from Maai Designs. Black fabric is a cotton/elastane remnant from Tessuti. 
Changes for next time: none

Something fishy - Simplicity 1366 top

How amazing is the print on this fabric? Rhetorical question, so no need to answer! It's from Clear It in Melbourne and I've been seeing it pop up on sewists blogs and Instagram's for the last two years or so. Sadly it had well and truly sold out by the time I got myself to Clear It so I'm very lucky that Anna had some in her stash which she sent up to me. Thank you Anna!!!

I had just over a meter of fabric to play with; and the fabric is quite thin and floaty (so different to the fabric content Anna speaks about on her blog - I think there were two bolts of this print floating around Clear It). It seems perfect for a little summer tee and I'm happy that I could fit the Simplicity 1366 onto the fabric.

There's not much to say about the sewing of this top - as it's pretty much the same as the other two I've made. I stuck with lengthening the pattern by 7.5cm. I don't think I've mentioned it before but I don't use the neckband piece supplied with the pattern - instead I grab the piece from either my Ebony Tee or Marianne Dress as they are wider and thus easier to worth with (especially where the fabric is a little fiddly as this was with the neckband).



I think this looks good with pants, and I'm yet to see how it'll work with a more floaty skirt (it might be a smidge too long). I think it will work well with my many Mabel Skirts too! This is how I wore it out to lunch yesterday - very comfortable!

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Pattern: Simplicity 1366
Size: 18
Modifications:  added 7.5cm to the length, added 1cm to both the side of the front and back neckline and dropped the front neckline a bit. Shortened the sleeves by 5cm.
Fabric: Fishy knit fabric from Clear It in Melbourne thanks to Anna
Changes for next time: none

A new lease on life - Simplicity 1366

This fabric was made into a Maria Denmark Kristen Kimono Tee at the beginning of 2016 (post here). It got a lot of wear back then but not so much these days. I had bought a bit extra (like 90 cm) of the fabric as I wanted to remake the tee with a neckband this time (I have a BAD habit of re-buying fabric so I can have a do-over, so silly) but a few weeks ago I decided to re-purpose the fabric from the original tee and combine it with my 90cms to make another Simplicity 1366.

I added about 3cm to the hem of the top to make it just a fraction longer so I can wear it comfortably with pants or pencil skirts. I wore it out today (after finishing it today) with my culottes and think the length worked really well. That said I do really like the length of the first Simplicity 1366 tee I made as it's good with fuller skirts.

The neckband is top stitched with a longer straight stitch as are the sleeves (the stitching on those is a big...messed up, I think the thread was playing up in the bobbin). The hem is done with a zigzag to ensure it has some stretch.

Just look at that neckband - they still make me as nervous as anything so I'm always pleased/shocked when they work out well!

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Pattern: Simplicity 1366
Size: 18
Modifications:  added 7.5cm to the length, added 1cm to both the side of the front and back neckline and dropped the front neckline a bit. Shortened the sleeves by 5cm.
Fabric: Fantasia (Italian printed - 97% Viscose + 3% Spandex jersey knit)
Changes for next time: none

#ebonyTee - just two more (for now)

Yes, I know! MORE Ebony Tee's...haven't I got anything better to do? Well yes (actually no - so if you have any pattern suggestions please let me know)...but these are different as I've added one inch to the length so I can wear them with my tighter pants...more butt coverage! It's funny how just one inch has made all of the difference to how I perceive my outfits.

The first top is in a polyester elastaine from My Hung in Parramatta and I just LOVE the print! It was quite slinky to sew with but nothing too bad. My overlocker behaved perfectly until it got to the neckdband and then it skipped stitches like a $%$#@$!!! My sewing machine was also skipping stitches all over the place. Honestly.

I've sewn the sleeve as drafted for the "wristlet" length.

NOTE how I'm wearing my new me-made silver clay earrings and necklace!

View of the back - butt area sufficiently covered. I LOVE THIS TOP!

Top number two is sewn in a super slippery polyester elastaine bought from Spotlight ages ago. If you've been with this blog for awhile you'll remember this dress made in the same fabric.

This very "twee" heart fabric is somewhat thinner than the first fabric here and my God - it was slipping and sliding all over the place - very frustrating, especially when putting on the neckband *deep breathes*. My overlocker was still playing up (the fabric isn't really being cut by the knife and just curls up inside the stitches and makes a massive, lumpy mess). I threaded the whole thing, dusted it out, changed the needles and re-threaded it and it seems to be...okay!

Again...acceptable levels of butt coverage.

I'm not sure how long this top will last - the fabric is very delicate and I've already snagged it a few times on a rough fingernail. Sigh.

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Pattern: Closet Case Files "Ebony Tee"
Size: 16, wristlet sleeves, jewel neckline
Modifications:  added 7.5" to the length. Rolled hem.
Fabric: as above
Changes for next time: none for View B

...just another stripey Mandy Boat Tee

My stripey Spotlight fabric makes a second appearance - this time as a Tessuti Mandy Boat Tee, a pattern I've now made about 30 times!

As with my Marianne Dress the fabric was very nice to sew with, and is nice and comfy to wear given the amount of stretch it has.

I've decided that I'm not keen on the drafted neckline treatment of the Mandy Boat Tee as I can never get the shoulder darts quite right and it looks a bit messy (though it is super easy to sew)! I'm not sure who I am anymore as I voluntarily sewed a neckband on to my top!

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Pattern: Mandy Boat Tee by Tessuti
Size: One size fits...most
Modifications: lengthened by 9cm (but hemmed at about 2"), the sleeves/arms made bigger for me a sewing class I did at Tessuti.
Fabric: Viscose knit from Spotlight
Changes for next time: might lop off a few cms at the hem, but probably not.

Ebony Tee(s) - Closet Case Files

The Ebony Tee is a new pattern from Closet Case Files that I bought because I had a 20% off voucher thanks to my Frocktails goody-bag. The pattern is for a dress, raglan sleeved tunic, and cropped-top. The dress is similar to the Gabby Dress I make often (except for it's designed for knits) so at first it didn't interest me, but then I started to think about the cropped tee...and had to have it.

The cropped tee is VERY cropped and not a style I wear unless I've had an accident with the dryer. I lengthened my first version by 5.5" and sewed the 3/4 sleeves. The length is good for pencil skirts but I'm not yet sure if I'd wear it with skinny pants as I tend to favour longer tops for those type of pants. I finished the the hem using the rolled hem function of my overlocker - mainly to preserve the length but also as I like the way it looks.

This fabic came from the first Sydney Spoolettes fabric swap we held in Balmain last year. It's from Spotlight (as I've seen it there before) and is a sort of polyester/crepe type situation. Not breathable and NOT for wearing in hot or humid weather. But...I LOVE the print as it reminds me of a Japanese print. It was also very easy to sew and held a crease well when it came to neckband shenanigans. 

The top will definitely make those of us who are boob-a-licous not look flat chested!

Hot off the heels of my first Ebony Tee (made on Friday) I whipped this one up this morning.

The fabric is from The Fabric Muse in Chippendale that I've used once before for an Our Fave Top and messed up a bit so it's not very neat. I wanted to use this fabric again and take better care when sewing. I'm again surprised at how well a polyester took the iron (on the proper setting course). I had always balked at sewing with slinky poly as I thought the fabric + neckband = nightmare, but with these two I had no issues.

The only difference to Version 2 is one extra inch added to the length...don't think it makes much of a difference though, so again still deciding if these tops will get worn with pants.

I'm really happy with these two tops and once the weather cools down to polyester wearing temps these will get a good workout in my wardrobe. This won't be the last time I sew this pattern either.

** I should also mention that I didn't even glance at the instructions so have no idea if they are any good or not, but this company has a good reputation in that regards. I also sewed the size 16 based on the finished garment measurements being just smaller than my bust measurement.
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Pattern: Closet Case Files "Ebony Tee"
Size: 16
Modifications:  Version 1: added 5:5" to the length, Version: added 6.5" to the length. Rolled hem.
Fabric: as above
Changes for next time: none for View B? 

Just one more (for now) Kimono Tee

I know, I know, another Kimono Tee! To be fair I did have THREE failed (and one "meh, I'm not sure") makes between Kimono Tees.

I bought this fabric from Tessuti after a solid hour of browsing (they are at the end of their sale so there's not a lot of jersey left in store). I was almost going to walk out empty handed but that would just be silly,wouldn't it! I wasn't sure about this fabric at the time, but now that it's made up into a top I really love it!

I've felt that the size for my last three tee's (here and here) has been a bit big so I end up sewing REALLY big seam allowances to counteract this.  Looking at the pattern I know that if I went down one whole size it'd end up being too small, so I decided to cut off 5mm off each pattern piece at the fold (making the front and back 1cm smaller respectively). I think this has worked really well; and it's also made the neck smaller so you see less of my bra strap when wearing the top.  I'm sure this is not a kosher way of doing things, but it worked.

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Although I've complained about my method of finishing my necks on these tops I just couldn't be bothered finding another/better way to do it - so it's overlocked, stuck done with wondertape and then zigzagged. This is an "okay" method but a neckband would be better - but I think quite a pain in such slinky fabric.

The sleeves are finished in the same way as my neckline...simple simple.

I'm not quite done with this pattern. I've spotted some VERY nice fabric at a store that's near my office so I'll be procuring that fabric this week for another Kimono Tee.

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Pattern: "Kristen Kimono Tee" by Maria Denmark
Size: size 3XL (no seam allowance added); with size 4XL at the shoulders
Modifications: 1cm removed for the CB and CF
Fabric: Ondula Fresh from Tessuti (97% Viscose + 83 Spandex Jersey Knit).
Changes for next time: maybe I'll forgo the use of Wondertape; and maybe try sewing it with a neckband.

Two more Kimono Tees - it's LOVE

As soon as I finished my (very) wearable toile of my new Maria Denmark Kimono Tee I raced over to Tessuti in Chatswood to procure myself some nice t-shirt fabric. I was really REALLY wanting a nice black t-shirt to go with my Lady Skater Skirts; but as is always the way when fabric shopping something else also caught my eye...so now I have two brand new tees.

The black tee is pretty much what I was hoping for; though the neckline does not look as good (nor is it finished as well as) my wearable toile. D'oh. I think the use of my beloved Wondertape to turn the neckline under (rather than pinning) makes the zigzag stitch lose it's stretch (and thus makes the neckline prone to stretching out) and one side of the neckline isn't stitched down quite right. I'm going to go the extra step given in the Mandy Boat Tee and sew the little dart thingy at the shoulder seam to tidy things up and bring the neckline in a bit as it's a smidge to big (on both tops).

As threatened with my first try at this pattern I sewed the sides up at the hips with a larger seam allowance to make it more snug in that area. As I intend to wear this top with floaty skirts a floaty/loose top will not do and I don't like tucking tops into pants/skirts as it doesn't suit me.

The fabric is called Hashtag Black from Tessuti and it is a very nice 92% Viscose +  8% Spandex Jersey Knit. It was really nice to sew with and irons up easily. So all in all I'd call this tee a win, though I only 90% love it does to aforementioned neckline issues.

As I was looking around the store this LOVELY fabric (Italian printed 97% Viscose + 3% Spandex jersey knit - swoon) caught my eye and it would've been rude to leave it behind (plus it's Tessuti sale time so spend spend spend)! This type of print is right up my alley and I adore it. I have enough left of this fabric to make another tee when this one dies (planning ahead).

The same comments apply to this as for the black shirt - not 100% happy with the neckline and will do the little dart thing to bring the neckline in a bit (though it's sewn better than the black one...) and will make my next Kimono Tee sans Wondertape and see how we go. I also sewed this with a wider seam allowance on the side seams and like the way it fits (though had to go and BUY a denim skirt to wear with it as I don't have one).

I think this top would work well extended into a dress so I'm going to give that a go. We're going on a short cruise holiday in March and I think that sort of dress would be perfect for sipping cocktails besides the pool. I'd also like to figure out how to extend the sleeves to make it something I can wear in cooler weather.
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Pattern: "Kristen Kimono Tee" by Maria Denmark
Size: size 3XL (no seam allowance added); with size 4XL at the shoulders
Modifications: sewn a larger seam allowance at the hips - about 1.5cm.
Fabric: Black: Hashtag Black from Tessuti (92% Viscose + 8% Spandex Jersey Knit). Patterned:
Fantasia (Italian printed - 97% Viscose + 3% Spandex jersey knit)
Changes for next time: forgo the use of Wondertape; and maybe try sewing it with a neckband.

Yellow Stripy Mandy Boat Tee #2

My overlocker and I got together and whipped up this lovely, cozy Mandy Boat Tee using some fabric I picked up from The Fabric Cave last month.

The fabric was a little tricky to work with as it was quite stretched and the selvedges were nowhere near parallel. I spent about an hour crawling around on the floor trying to smooth out the fabric and line up the stripes...and I think I did a pretty good job *take that stripes* (just don't look too closely at the other side as things are a tad wonky over there).

With my first Mandy Boat Tee I lengthened it by 5"...probably a tad too long, so I just increased the hem on this by "two stripes worth", so about 3". Sadly, not quite long enough to cover my caboose in my favourite jeggings but if I can't see my butt jiggling about behind me sans long top then I can pretend it's not happening, right?

I'm also finding the neckline of my first Mandy Boat Tee a tad too high so I cut a small wedge out of the neckline this time around. Still a bit too high so I'll lower it more next time around (yes, there'll be a next time).

I made quite a wide hem (one stripes worth - loving the ease of measuring this "by the stripe") but stitched it down twice as I didn't want any bubbling.  I quite like the way this looks.

Things went a bit haywire with the sleeve hem as I was hurrying to finish the top so I could wear it out to coffee. I didn't stitch close enough to the edge to catch the sleeve hem down properly and the flappy edge was pretty annoying.

I already know that unpicking twin-needling is a bit of a pain (plus this fabric was prone to "fraying" and I didn't want to put a hole in it, so I just went around the hem a few times for some crazy "free style" stitching that I actually love.

I wore my new top out for coffee and I was loving myself sick the whole time! Despite being a tad too short in the butt region I felt really good in this top...it's slouchy, big and comfy and looks good with slim pants.  I so happy to be finally sewing things that I want to wear!

Go team Mel!