A-line skirt: The Purple Ginger

Sewing, ,

For my next skirt I thought I’d go a-line – clean and smoothly fitted around the waist but more room for movement than a pencil skirt, and hence much more likely to get worn.  The Colette Ginger skirt gets pretty good reviews and I thought the instructions for their Sorbetto top were excellent, so this looked to be the clear choice.  I also liked the fact that it uses clever shaping instead of darts.

Purple Ginger skirt front view

“The purple ginger” reminds me of a fun weekend in Paris a few years ago with some friends as they took to calling me “purple carrot” (I have no idea why), maybe it is just my weird brain that makes that connection, but it makes me smile 🙂

Ginger skirt with pockets front view

Anyway, the main downside of the pattern was no pockets, but that’s one of the big joys of learning to sew – I can adapt the pattern to suit me!  I was particularly inspired by this version with side slant pockets (I also really like her use of piping and was tempted to add that too, but decided to leave that for another version).

Ginger skirt with pockets side view

I used the pocket pattern pieces from the first trouser pattern of Dressmaking: The complete step-by-step guide as a starting point.  Those slant pockets were straight but a lot of similar pockets I’d seen on skirts were curved, so on my toile I made one side pocket straight and the other gently curved to see which I preferred.  The curved version was definitely better as it sat flat against the body while the straight pocket stuck out and distorted the skirt shape.  For a fun hidden detail I used some of my London fabric for the pocket lining.

Ginger skirt pocket pieces

This skirt is designed to have a pretty high waist, but that really isn’t my style so I went up a size so that the skirt would sit lower.  However this meant that the straight waistband left a lot of gaping around the waist so I adjusted the waistband to be curved as per the explanation given by Mrs C in the comments of this Scruffy Badger post.  I quickly learnt the importance of keeping the fold line and edges at right angles though when I opened up the first front waistband piece:

First attempt at curving the waistband

Other adjustments I made to the pattern were:

  • Removed the curve near the top along the skirt centre front seam
  • Shortened the skirt centre front seam by 1.5cm at the top
  • Lengthened the skirt centre back seam by 0.5cm at the top of the skirt piece
  • Removed the curve near the top along the skirt centre back seam

I found it amazing how much of a difference just a small adjustment can make – initially I was getting some very unsightly diagonal lines from the centre back out towards the side hem, but lengthening the centre back seam by just 0.5cm sorted this out.

Ginger skirt with pockets front view

The fabric is a cotton drill from Goldhawk Road.  It is fairly thick and sturdy so not entirely sure it was the best choice for this skirt as the waistband stays upright and thus gapes at the front when I sit down.  I love the colour though.

I wanted this to be a skirt for all seasons, so as I was making it up I tried it on with tights – as soon as I started to walk I could feel it doing that annoying climbing up the legs thing, so the skirt had to be lined.  The lining is acetate from Goldhawk Road that I already had as it was originally intended for a cord skirt (that I won’t make before the autumn), but I liked how the colour worked with the purple shell.  It was a nightmare to sew!  I now know what people mean when they talk about fabric slipping all over the place.  I hand basted every seam before taking it to the machine which seems to have worked, well enough for a lining anyway.

Ginger skirt with lining

For the invisible zip, I referred to Sunni‘s Craftsy zipper class and Lauren‘s Invisible zipper tutorial along with the pattern instructions and am pretty happy with how this turned out both on the outside and inside.  The zip isn’t completely invisible at the waistband join, but I think this is due to the fabric being so thick.  I’ve since noticed that a lot of more experienced bloggers don’t use invisible zips with thicker fabrics, so I’ll remember to use a regular zip with such fabrics in the future.

Ginger skirt back view

This skirt actually took quite a long time to make with all the pattern adjustments and figuring out how to work with the slippery lining, but I’m very happy with how it has turned out.  Despite loving the colour and the finish, sadly I don’t think this is going to become a frequently worn skirt as it just feels a bit too stiff (hopefully it will feel so bad in colder weather), but I’d definitely use the Ginger skirt pattern again with a different fabric.  I’d like to try out the bias cut version too in order to create the chevron effect, especially after seeing Caroline’s lovely version.

Summer art classes

Drawing and Painting, ,

I’m often telling myself I ought to make more time for creative pursuits and one way I find easy to do this is take an art class.  It had been a while since I’d been able to take a class, so I signed up for two running at the same time at City Lit.

Class 1 – Starting Portraits

I’ve made a couple of attempts at drawing portraits from photos at home, so thought it would be interesting to get some guidance and the chance to work with a model.

In the first lesson we used charcoal, explored some of the main points around face structure and were given a few tips on how to draw the features.

Drawing from first portraits class
Charcoal

We were also give a photo print out and homework to draw a portrait from it.  I enjoyed this exercise and was quite pleased with my first attempt, but after completing it realised that the proportions were a little off so decided to try again.  I was quite surprised by the result, not only were the proportions better but the whole portrait seemed to have a lot more life to it – just goes to show the value of practice!

Comparing two homework drawings
Pencil

For the second lesson we worked with charcoal, coloured paper and also introduced some black and white chalk to create stronger contrasts between light and dark.

Drawing from second portraits class
Charcoal and chalk

In the third lesson we had a different model and after an initial charcoal and chalk drawing started to introduce colour with some chalk pastels.

First drawing from third portraits class
Charcoal and chalk
Second drawing from third portraits class
Chalk pastels

Then for the final lesson we didn’t have a model, but worked from one of our previous drawings and from this drew another piece then a final work with paint.  I’d need a bit more time to blend the colours in better with this one (the aim was more to get the tones right than to mix accurate colouring), but it was a useful exercise.

Painting from forth portraits class
Acrylic paint

Class 2 – Painting and Photography

The class covered not only ways of painting using photographs as references, but also gave us a few ideas for combining photographs and painting to create pieces.

This was the first class I’ve taken where the students chose what they work on, as we each brought in photographs that we wanted to work from.  This felt quite strange at first, really just because I’m used to being given at least a starting point in classes, but then it was great to be able to work on my choice of subject while getting feedback from the tutor.

I decided to work from a rhino photo I took while on safari a few years ago.  I first used the gridding up method to transfer the outline and key features to my paper.  I’d learnt this technique in school but hadn’t used it in years as for some reason I’d got it into my head that this was cheating – that belief has definitely been dispelled now and while I don’t think I’d want to use it to transfer lots of details, I found that having a good basic outline knowing the proportions were correct allowed me to be a lot freer as I started painting.

For painting, I used acrylics and just the primary colours (warm and cool tone of each) and white.  This meant I was doing a lot of mixing of black, but think this was definitely worth it as the slight hues of different colours make for a more interesting painting than just different shades of grey from pure black.

Rhino painting
Acrylic paint

I’m really happy with this painting and think it will be the first painting I’ve done in a class that goes up on a wall (another advantage of getting to choose the subject as well as working on a single piece over multiple weeks).

Taking the classes at the same time was enjoyable as I got to apply learnings from one to the other.  Overall conclusion is that I want to work on more animal portraits – good job I’ve got all those safari photos to work from!

Another crochet minion

Crochet and Knitting,

Kevin the minion became an instant hit in my family, but we didn’t want him to get lonely or bored so meet his friend, Ed:

Crochet minion front view

Crochet minion side view

This minion was much quicker to make as I’d already figured out the basic pattern with Kevin.  It was easy to shorten his body to be “regular” minion size.  After threading through his hair I gave him gradually shorter haircuts until the length seemed right.  Then there was only a little trial and error to get his bigger, single eye looking good.

Crochet minions

Kevin looks happy to have a friend!  The minions are proving quite popular, so I’ll be making some more variations, but for now I’ll leave you with Kevin and Ed having a little explore…

Crochet minions and horse ornament

Crochet minions in flowers

Crochet minions

Crochet minions

Crochet minions

Crochet minions and house

Cotton Belcarra Blouse

Sewing, , ,

As I was so happy with my first Sewaholic Belcarra blouse, it wasn’t long before I made a second one:

Belcarra blouse in cotton lawn

This time I used cotton lawn (from Goldhawk Road), so it doesn’t drape as much as my first viscose version but it still looks ok and is great to wear in the hot weather we’ve been having in London lately.

While shopping for the fabric, I was choosing between a few lovely (but very colourful and busy) cotton lawn prints and so decided to step out of the shop for a little breather while I debated the look I wanted.  But then as I was leaving the shop, I noticed this fabric by the door – pretty unassuming in comparison to the others, but I was drawn to it (and it didn’t hurt that it was a lot cheaper!).  I decided to go for this one as a trial run since I wasn’t sure how much I’d like the look of the top in cotton.  However, I’m now very glad I went with this simple print as it is so easy to wear.   I’ve also noticed that I don’t have many light coloured tops, so this is a welcome addition to my wardrobe.

Must try to remember to give plain and simple fabrics fair consideration on future fabric shopping trips!

Belcarra blouse in cotton lawn

Since it is a simple print I thought it would be a good one to try out the shoulder pin tucks of view B.  I like how this detail adds a bit more interest to the top.

Belcarra blouse pin tuck detail

Adjustments wise, I narrowed the neckline and broadened the shoulders as with my first Belcarra and I shortened the front by 1.5cm (gently curving to meet the original hem line in the back) so it sits better on me.

Not too much to say about the construction as it was straightforward the second time around.  There was a bit of unpicking when I realised I’d folded to a seam notch instead of a tuck notch on my first shoulder, but luckily the holes from the incorrect stitching line pretty much disappeared with a bit of steam pressing .  As with my first version I found the cuffs a bit tricky to insert, but this is definitely getting easier with practice.

My first two Belcarras are getting a good amount of wear, so there could be another one soon…

Simplicity 1693

Sewing,

My sewing plans at the moment have a focus on summery tops as with the good weather we’ve been having of late, I’ve realised I don’t have many tops that I like to wear when it is warm and sunny.

Recently I was kindly offered a Simplicity pattern of my choice in exchange for a review and after drooling over a few dresses that in reality were beyond my current capabilities (and that I’d be unlikely to wear much), I homed in on Simplicity 1693 as it fits right in with my more summer tops plan and includes an impressive number of variations.

For my first version I made view C but without the waist elastic.  I was so pleased with the finished top that I wore it out just a few hours after finishing it!

Simplicity 1693

You may recognise the fabric from my first Belcarra.  It felt a little weird making another top from the same fabric so soon, but I knew that it would drape the way I wanted so went ahead.

The only issue I had with the pattern was the sizing.  Going by the size chart, I should have been a 14 grading to 16, but luckily I made a quick toile and found that the top swamped me.  I then compared the pattern pieces to those of the Belcarra and Sorbetto tops I’ve made and decided that a 12 grading to 14 should fit better.  I also lengthened the pattern by 3 cm at the hem since I’m tall.

Simplicity 1693 side view

The top is pretty straight forward to sew together and I used French seams throughout (the pattern instructions include details on how to do them).  My darts ended up rather wonky, which I think was due to a combination of my trying a new method of making the pattern marks (dressmakers carbon and tracing wheel instead of pins and marking pencils) and the fabric being more mobile than the cottons I’d generally used so far.  Luckily the dark fabric and print do a good job of hiding the wonky-ness!

The neckline and armholes are finished with bias binding facings, so I made bias strips with the same fabric.  For the armholes I tried out the technique described by Lauren of lladybird as part of her outfit along, except I folded the bias tape in half before applying (a la the Belcarra instructions) instead of folding and pressing twice once sewn on.  Even though I’m not taking part in the outfit along, I’ve really been enjoying Lauren’s detailed posts and feel like I’ve learnt loads – the time and thought she has put in is quite something.

Simplicity 1693 front view

I like the button closure detail at the back of this top (the neck is large enough for me that the button opening isn’t necessary, but I like how it looks) and this provided my first go at making a thread loop.  I found a few different ways of doing this online, but ended up just following the diagram in the pattern, think it has worked out ok for a first attempt, you can’t really see it anyway.

Simplicity 1693 button detail

The button closure means there is a centre back seam to this top.  I did think about pattern matching this seam, but didn’t have much fabric left so decided instead to place the pieces such that there wouldn’t be a bright or big flower along the seam so that it is somewhat disguised, I think this worked out ok.

Simplicity 1693 back

Trying the top on pre-hemming it looked a bit longer at the front than the back (I think this must be due to my shape or posture because I noticed the same with the Belcarra).  This was really noticeable if I wore a belt (to try to test out how it would look with the waist elastic), so I decided to trim a bit off the front.  I got a bit carried away and took about 4.5 cm off the centre front, tapering to the original length at the side seams.  I didn’t think the top looked very good with the belt any more so left out the elasticated waist, but I quite like the gentle high/low hem that this has created (like a subtler version of view F).

Overall I’m pretty happy with this top and now will be on the lookout for suitable fabric to make a contrast collar version…

New for me with this make:

  • Making a thread loop
  • New method of applying a bias facing

Second skirt

Sewing, ,

First, I need to make a confession – this skirt isn’t quite finished.  All that’s left is to hem the shell, but it has been sitting like that for a while now so it is time to admit that I’m unlikely to finish this any time soon.  However, I learnt a lot while making this and feel it was an important part of my learning to sew journey so want to blog about it.

pencil skirt front

The pattern is the Naughty Secretary skirt from Diana Rupp‘s Sew Everything Workshop book, which I discovered when I took her Craftsy Sewing Studio class.  I really enjoyed the class, which features two projects – a simple cushion cover and this skirt.  While pencil skirts are not my usual style, I had enough fabric left over from my Miette skirt to make this so thought I’d give it a go.

pencil skirt side

Making the shell went pretty smoothly.  I’m quite happy with the invisible zip – helped out from the extra practice I got while struggling with the toile zip!

pencil skirt zip

There isn’t a waistband, instead bias tape is used as a facing.  I’d recently brought some navy blue cotton with a strawberry print so decided to make my own bias tape using this for a fun detail on the inside.  I understitched the facing so that it would lie flat and not peak out.  This little detail is my favourite part of the skirt.

pencil skirt bias facing

I definitely wanted to line this so I could wear it all year round and not get annoyed by the skirt riding up when wearing tights.  Initially I brought a fairly cheap lining fabric from Goldhawk Road, but it felt horrible when I was pressing it in preparation for cutting – very clingy and lots of static, definitely wouldn’t do.  So instead I ended up buying a lining fabric from John Lewis that cost as much per metre as the main fabric, but it feels lovely and was easy to work with.

The class goes through making up the lining in the same way as the main skirt, which is obviously fine, but I didn’t want to have the lining showing through the slit.  So I was very happy when I found this tutorial on sewing a vent lining.  I’d gone through all the steps for drafting the lining including adding a bit of extra room around the hips, so it was disappointing when I tried the lining on and found it was too tight.  I guess my main fabric must have a bit of give, but the lining doesn’t.  I unpicked the seams and sewed again with as small a seam allowance as I could get away with, so it is now wearable but still a bit tight when sitting down.

pencil skirt lining

I tried to sew the curves above the lining vent by machine, but was having such a hard time getting the concave and convex curves to match properly that I ended up hand sewing this bit.  I am happy with the end result of the vent though – the lining is nicely attached and is unlikely to show when wearing.

pencil skirt vent

So why don’t I just quickly machine hem the skirt and be done with it? – I’m afraid the perfectionist in me won’t allow it!  I’ve finished the waistband such that stitching is not visible on the outside and feel the hem ought to get the same treatment.  If I think I’ll wear this skirt (or a friend would like it), I’ll be more than happy to take the time to slip stitch the hem, but for now I’d rather spend my craft time on other projects.

Plenty of things learnt with this project:

  • Inserting an invisible zip
  • Fitting a skirt
  • Making sure you check the fit of tight skirts sitting down as well as standing and walking
  • Using bias binding as a facing
  • Understitching
  • Lining a skirt
  • Sewing and lining a vent

Meet Kevin the crochet minion

Crochet and Knitting,

In the film Despicable Me 2 some of the minions got names:

Kevin the minion Despicable Me 2 poster

Since my dad is called Kevin and I was looking for a new crochet project after the monster amigurumi, I decided to have a go at making a Kevin crochet minion.

Kevin the crochet minion

I can be a bit of a perfectionist at times and was enjoying experimenting with different crochet shapes to get just the right look.  There were quite a few tries before I was happy with the final look:

Minion pieces

A bonus was that when put together little Kevin was able to stand up on his own.

Kevin the crochet minion

This wasn’t a quick project as there was lots of undoing and redoing and working on small details, but I really enjoyed the process and am very happy with the finished character.

Here are some photos of Kevin exploring his new home:

Kevin the crochet minion with a bunch of bananas
Banana!
Kevin the crochet minion looking at stairs
Those stairs look pretty big…
Kevin the minion at computer
Hmm, what does this do…
Kevin the crochet minion with a tin of chocolates
Mmm, chocolates

 

How NOT to install an invisible zip

Sewing,

I managed to create a rather undesired effect with my first invisible zip installation!

Distorted zip open

Lots of tutorials for invisible zips advise you to press open the zipper tape before inserting the zip so that you can get at the fold where the stitching should go easier.  They also give you plenty of caution about not touching the zipper teeth with the iron.  However, I was so focused on avoiding the zipper teeth, that I didn’t think to check the heat settings for my zip, so continued with my iron on the high cotton setting.

Sadly this seems to have melted and distorted the tape such that one side is now curved instead of straight!

Distorted zip closed

The strangest thing though is that I didn’t notice this until I had inserted the zip in my skirt toile and couldn’t understand why the skirt looked fine on one side but weirdly distorted on the other.  I unpicked the zip and clearly saw the problem.

I was then baffled by how I’d managed to install the zip in the first place and wished I’d taken a photo of the toile to prove that I had!  Maybe the tape was still curving as I installed the zip, or I was just so focused on the process of installing my first zip that I didn’t see the fault.

Distorted zip and normal zip

Anyway, I tried again with the zip I’d brought for the real skirt, but didn’t press it open this time.  (in the meantime I’d come across some other tutorials that strongly advise NOT pressing the zipper tape open such as Sunni Standing from A Fashionable Stitch who has done a great Craftsy mini class on Mastering Zipper Techniques, which is free!  If you haven’t already, I’d recommend checking it out)

Now the zip looked nice and smooth and at least I’d got in a bit more practice of installing the zip before tackling the real skirt.  Plus I learnt a very valuable lesson about checking heat settings before pressing!

Invisible zip

Have you ever been so focused on avoiding one mistake that you didn’t see the other mistake you were making?