I am back with yet another Simplicity 1459 dress! I am determined to make this dress work for all four seasons, and today’s version is a summer ready one!
When I lived in Spain, spring was my favourite season, as the weather was nice and warm but not too hot to bear. However, in the UK, summer is the Spain spring equivalent, and I am so excited for it that I am now almost exclusively sewing for summer!
For this version, I used view C, and as I did with my spring version, I swapped the side zipper for a button placket all the way down the front of the dress.
I got this fabric a couple of years ago in Spain, it is a soft cotton poplin, very light and summery.
A few months ago I made a wearable muslin of Simplicity 1459, and for that I used a cheap autumnal polycotton for that. I really liked the dress, however I found getting in and out of it a little difficult with the side zipper.
For this spring version, I used a cotton poplin, and made version A again. Since the muslin was difficult to get into, I removed the zipper and extended the button placket all the way down the skirt. I also used a gathered skirt instead of the one from the pattern.
I am very happy with how the dress turned out! I hope you like it!
I feel like I start every new blog post with a ‘it’s been a long time since my last post’! Life has been incredibly hectic and I lost my sewjo, or rather I lost the energy to do any actual sewing, though I have been doing a lot of planning for upcoming projects!
I finally got back into some projects, and have been able to finish my wearable muslin for Vogue 1645. I have so many things to say about this pattern!
Pattern and materials
The pattern is semifitted, and it has an asymmetric mock wrap detail, which ties with a built in belt. It comes in two size ranges, XS-S-M and L-XL. My partner got me the smaller range, and I cut a Medium size for my B=95.5, W=68.5 and H=102 cm.
Pattern envelope for V1645, image taken from sewdirect.com
The pattern calls for medium weight cotton blends, crepes or denims. The version that I am showing here was my wearable muslin, and I used this fabric from my stash that, if I’m totally honest, I don’t know where it came from, or what it is. I think the fabric is a bit too drapey and far too busy for this pattern, as you can barely see the the wrap overlay.
Assembly
When my partner got me this pattern for my birthday last year, I had a look at the envelope and thought to myself ‘there’s no way that this very easy looking jumpsuit is for advanced seamstresses’. Boy, was I wrong! This pattern is probably the project for which I have used my seam ripper the most.
The construction of the pattern is very counterintuitive, as it’s asymmetric you don’t do both sides at the same time – for example, you sew one of the shoulders about five steps ahead of the other one. However, the instructions are very detailed and clear. I think the reason I ended up having to use my seam ripper so much was that the construction process seemed wrong.
I shad quite a struggle with the insertion of the zipper, and had to undo it about three times before I got it right. I found Meg‘s sew along tips very useful.
Overall, I think the issues I had with the construction were that I failed to read the instructions properly, as they are quite clear.
Verdict
I LOVE this jumpsuit! I already have fabrics to make a second one. I think my fabric choice doesn’t do the pattern justice, and I would certainly like to make a different version of this jumpsuit with a fabric with a bit more weight to it, and I think the pattern certainly suits a plain fabric better.
I made a straight size M, and made no alterations. I like that it has got a built in belt that allows you to cinch the jumpsuit at the waist, but it is still loose and comfortable. I think the fit isn’t perfect – I probably could take the legs in a bit, and the crotch up, but it’s very comfy as is, and I will probably make the next version without any alterations either. The only thing I will probably do is shorten the length a tad, as I am quite short (1.62 m) and I think it will look a bit nicer with a few centimetres off the bottom.
Today I would like to share a project that is unlike any other I have made before: a men’s shirt!
I have been sewing for about 5 years now, and I have almost exclusively sewn for myself. I have made maybe a total of 10 items that are for others; mostly for my mum, and most of them were items that were meant for me, that I made before I knew much about how to select my size, and nothing at all about ease. My mum happens to be about half a size smaller than me, so those items that were just too small to fit me ended up being gifted to my mother.
For Christmas this past year, I got C a shirt pattern, Burda Style 6874, and some fabric to make it. Since I had never made a men’s shirt before, I thought I needed to make a wearable muslin to test the construction, as well as the size.
Pattern and materials
For this shirt, I used Burda Style 6874, and made view C, but used only one pocket. The main differences between the views are the button placket and the cuffs and collar.
Following the pattern measurements, I made a size 40, based on the collar measurement.
The pattern calls for cotton fabrics, and I used this fun Star Wars poplin for my muslin.
Assembly
I found the construction of the pattern relatively easy; the instructions were not too detailed, particularly when it came to the button placket. I misunderstood the pattern markings, and made the placket too large, which resulted in the bodice being too large for the collar. You can see some wrinkles originating from the excess around the collar.
I took in the side seams about 1.5 cm either side, as it was a little bit loose on C, too.
The collar sits nicely, and the cuffs were easy enough to make.
VERDICT
Overall, I am quite happy with this!
I think next time I will extend the sleeves a little bit – you can see they are slightly too short for C.
Now C and I have got a matching outfit! I tried to make a matching bandana or tie for our little cat, but she was having none of it!
I have talked in the past about my issues with fitting commercial patterns, which I am sure I share with many home sewists. One of my goals for 2021 is to improve my pattern drafting skills so that I can start using my own designs and perhaps not need to get many more commercial patterns, of which I already have far too many!
I have been taking some pattern drafting classes (more on that in a future blog post), and I have also been doing very simple pattern alterations such as this sweetheart neckline, which I already used in my Moon dress.
I used a Timeless Treasures Cotton Poplin that glows in the dark for the bodice, and a polyester corduroy for the skirt, which I made using my pencil skirt pattern.
I followed The Closet Historian’s 1950s dress tutorial to create the neckline. and I love how it looks! In that video, Bianca uses a kimono sleeve, which looks amazing and I will try to in the near future.
Do you do your own pattern drafting? What designs are you working on?
