Tag: linen

Arkie shirt

emilyWools1 Comment

Last week I had a camp collar shirt curiosity that morphed into a frequency illusion. This type of shirt has been around for ages, but it has become quite trendy. While I was making this my husband commented that he saw an “article” about the sudden popularity of the Kramer shirt.

After this shirt style was on my mind for a couple of days, I started looking for a pattern to use to make my own. I found out this type of collar goes by many names: revere collar, cuban collar, camp collar among others. My go-to of “camp collar” is not the most universal, so I had trouble finding patterns. I finally thought to check Tessuti. Not sure if it was my subconsious or what but they released the Arkie Shirt this year, and it fit my vision perfectly!

Fabric and buttons

I wanted to use stashed fabric only for this first version. I had just less than enough of some white Merchant and Mills linen, so I had to get creative with how to use it most efficiently. I couldn’t figure out a cutting layout to accommodate the front facing pieces, so I mulled over my other options. I finally decided on some pink cotton for the facing and a brick red cotton for the collar. I thought that the patchwork of colors plus a Liberty fabric pocket would look quirky and cute, but I quickly became concerned that this was giving bowling shirt vibes. I ripped out the red collar piece, and pieced together a new under collar in the white linen instead.

“you’re a disaster my guy” (before I ripped out the red collar)

The buttons are a gift from my friend Alexis, she found them at a flea market. I thought the stripes were pink because I was sewing in very low light 😭, but after I fell in love with them I realized they are orange! I think they look perfect.

Sizing and construction

I went down a size from what the pattern recommended; I cut a straight size 8. The ease is quite generous, and because this is a new silhouette for me, I wanted it to be a bit more close-fitting.

Instead of the recommended seam finishes, I used french seams throughout. I admit that french seams look a bit bulky at the shoulders, but this linen is an unravel-y mess and needs the frenchies. I used this fab tutorial for finishing the side seam splits and they look great.

This was the first time I used the crimp stitch. I did some googling to make sure I was doing it correctly, and I found this great tutorial from a delightful sewer. I think I’ll be using the crimp stitch instead of doing a gathering stitch to prep my set-in sleeve heads from now on.

I sewed down the facing because I hate the feeling of a flapping, floppy facing. This becomes especially annoying when the garment comes out of the wash. I topstitched the shoulder and arm seams. Lastly, I hand-sewed the facing at the shoulder as well as the collar to make sure it looked perfect.

Conclusion

I loved trying out a new type of collar construction (no collar stand!) on this garment. Sewing this collar was pretty easy.

I saw some complaints that the directions in this pattern was hard to follow. I found a few bits tricky, but I read carefully and was able to figure out each step without problems. I love it!

Regalia blouse

emilyWools1 Comment

I have been on a blouse kick lately. Its nice to throw on a structured top with jeans and feel put together. Enter the Regalia blouse from Sew House Seven. I thought it looked fun so I pulled the trigger and sewed one up.

a rumpled front view

I used some blue linen leftovers paired with taupe thread. It was very straightforward to sew, and it fits nicely. I opted IN to the sleeve head pouf, and I like it. I did not have tulle so I used silk organza. It is a decidedly slight puff, but it feels dramatic to wear. The self-fabric yoke and french seams contribute to its sense of quality and craftsmanship, its a delight to wear.

the back fastens with a bow. this looks a little bit chunky to me, if i make this again I think I’ll do a button closure.
interior view: SLEEVE HEAD POUF!

Sauvie Sundress

emilyWoolsLeave a comment

You may be thinking, oh boy, another sundress. When I first saw the Sauvie Sundress pattern I thought the same thing. But I kept thinking about it. I had some linen/rayon stripey fabric from The Fabric Store sitting in my stash, and I knew this fabric wanted to become something summery. I bet you can guess what happened.

This fabric is perfect for this dress. It drapes beautifully, and its very soft. I used muslin from my stash as the lining. I wanted to use a blue fabric for a pop of color at the pockets, but I didn’t want it to show through the slightly sheer fabric.

The midi length is perfect, and the mitered corner finish on the hem is delightful to look at. Sew House Seven considered every detail, I am so happy with how it turned out. I never thought I would describe bust darts as graceful, but they are!

mitered corners on the hem

After wearing this a few times, I added the bra keeper snaps. I love the roominess in the dress, but my bra kept slipping into view. I never made them before, the instructions for these were great.

bra keeper snaps

Great pattern!

Clyde Jumpsuit – #ESmadebyme

emilyWools2 Comments

Important note: This past April, Elizabeth Suzann decided to close her clothing business. Afterwards, Liz shared some of her most popular patterns in their original form. The internet fulfilled a crowdfunding campaign to convert these patterns to copy-shop PDFs for public download. Here’s a blog post from Yay Stitch that tells the full story and gives credit to the humans who made this happen. Unfortunately, as of last week, the patterns have been taken down and aren’t available right now. I downloaded the files last month while they were still available.

In exchange for downloading these patterns, the organizers ask that if you are able, make a donation to a Black-led organization. I made a donation and encourage you to do the same if you accessed these patterns.

5/6/2021 update: Elizabeth Suzann has relaunched as Elizabeth Suzann Studio, and she has released some sewing patterns for sale. As of now, the Clyde Jumpsuit is not for sale yet.

The Jumpsuit

My last jumpsuit adventure, Roberts Collection, was a bust–it was so bad I didn’t blog about it. I concluded that jumpsuits aren’t for me. Well, when I downloaded these ES patterns in July, the Clyde jumpsuit called to me. I decided to wait a few weeks to see if I still wanted to make it.

A woman stands on a city sidewalk, wearing a taupe jumpsuit. #esmadebyme

So, as you can see, I ended up making the jumpsuit. This weekend, I took a pandemic walk to Mood and found some taupe, drape-y linen. Mood got new carpeting, BTW! I was so pumped to get started that I washed, air-dried and sewed it up in one day.

a cutting layout for the elizabeth suzann clyde jumpsuit
the cutting layout I came up with. 60″ wide fabric. This took ~2.5 yds. I made a medium.

The Clyde jumpsuit was very straightforward to make. I referenced Not A Primary Color’s tutorial, which was enough for me to get going. I began sewing around 2pm, and finished at 7pm. I immediately put it on, and wore it the rest of the evening. I noticed that it pulled in the crotch when I was sitting on the couch, so I decided to try it on “backwards.” I must admit it fits MUCH better that way. 🤷

a woman stands on a sidewalk wearing a handmade Elizabeth Suzann clyde jumpsuit
The downside of jumpsuits is the tush never looks too good.

Construction Notes

a closeup of a woman wearing a homemade elizabeth suzann clyde jumpsuit

For the 2 front and 2 back “center” seams, I used a mock flat felled seam. I finished the raw edges with zig-zag then topstitched them at 3/8″. I considered doing a real flat felled seam, but I had flashbacks to the challenges from my jean jacket and decided against it. If I make this again, I would use french seams and topstitch.

a closeup of the pocket on a homemade Elizabeth Suzann Clyde jumpsuit

For the crotch and inseam, I used french seams and didn’t topstitch. For the arm and neck binding, I sewed the final seam at 1/2″. For the hem, I turned up 1/2″ then 5/8″. I made a skinny belt out of some scraps, a la What Katie Sews.

Stripey

emilyWools4 Comments
a woman twirls in a striped Wiksten tank top and Fumeterre skirt from Deer and Doe.

We escaped upstate for a long weekend. And, me being me, I made sure we had a few moments to squeeze in a photoshoot of this new skirt/top combo. After quarantining in the city for 3 months, it was amazing to be somewhere else. We went on 2 fire tower hikes and spotted some small snakes (eep!). Upstate New York is glorious in June.

The Skirt

Anyway, here’s the story of these garments. I had some Merchant and Mills linen in my stash since last summer. I wanted to make something special with it, and earmarked it for a dress. Then, I thought of making a summery Fumeterre skirt instead. I hesitated because the thought of matching those stripes seemed overwheliming. After deliberating, I decided to give it a try. I re-created the fabric pattern in Figma, since this fabric has one-way stripes. I decided to focus on matching the angled mitres. I labeled 8 pieces of washi tape with each panel name (left front, left side front, right front, right side front, etc). I worked in groups of two so I could ensure the stripes matched at each mitre. I cut out 1 piece, then took its matching pattern piece, flipped it over, and matched the already cut stripes to it. I stuck the labels on each panel and sewed the angled seam. This labeling and batching system helped me keep everything straight.

a vector mockup of the fabric.
^ this is not how i ended up cutting out the skirt
progress photos of making a Fumeterre skirt from Deer and Doe
You can barely tell that I didn’t worry about making the straight stripes perfect. It looks like a 5-panel skirt!

The skirt buttons are from Haulin’ Hoof Farm Store. I bought them at Vogue Knitting Live this year (crazy to think about going to an event like that with SO MANY PEOPLE). I was dumb and skipped the interfacing for the placket, and you can tell. I added an “inside button” between the first and second buttons below the waistband to help with gaping. I shortened the skirt by several inches because the length of my first Fumeterre makes it very hard to walk. I am very fond of the midi skirt length.

a striped Fumeterre skirt from Deer and Doe with pretty blue buttons.

For the waistband and skirt hem facing, I used some leftover Spectrum Cotton from Purl Soho. I had so little fabric that I pieced the facing, but I can’t tell. I love how the facing and the waistband lining contrast with the linen stripes. The spectrum cotton is pricey but its so nice and soft. I will definitely use it again.

A Wiksten tank top and Fumeterre skirt from Deer and Doe laid on a deck.
a woman stands outside wearing a long striped Fumeterre skirt from Deer and Doe.

The Tank

I had very few scraps after cutting the skirt. But, I did have enough to eek this modified Wiksten tank out of the leftovers. I had so little left that I had to cut 2 pieces for the bodice front.

I cropped the tank by several inches and removed almost all the A-line shaping and hem curve. I also added a hand-stitched deep hem facing. There’s something about the armholes/strap drafting of this tank that I don’t love. The back gapes at the neck and the arms don’t lay nicely. The linen stripes are carrying this top, for sure. Overall, though, its a great summer top!

a woman stands outside, wearing a striped Wiksten tank.

Handmade Vacation

emilyWools1 Comment

Hey there! I just got back from my epic trip to Spain, and I wanted to share what handmade clothes I wore while traveling. Two standout pieces, my grey linen Brumby skirt, and my Red cotton/linen Moss skirt, were workhorses. I wore them almost every day!! I was looking forward to getting some wear from my jean jacket, but it was so hot in Spain, I only wore it once. What a beautiful country!

walking
About to discover the wrong entrance to the Toledo Cathedral in my Brumby skirt and carrying my New Yorker tote.

view
Taking in the Barcelona view from Montjuïc in my Moss skirt

washerwoman
Posing as the Washerwoman at Park Güell with my New Yorker tote and a Wiksten tank dress

jeanjacket
In awe of the Sagrada Família wearing my Hampton jean jacket

dress
Drinking in the Barcelona culture in my Lois dress

miro
Bonus Brumby skirt pic next to a delightful Joan Miró sculpture

I was daydreaming of sewing the whole time we were gone, so I can’t wait to get back into the swing of things and get to autumn sewing.

Springy Top

emilyWools2 Comments

DSC_5775

Just in time for spring, I made the Peppermint Magazine / In The Folds Peplum tank. It was very quick, yet satisfying, as I completed it from start to finish in one morning. I am especially happy with the insides of the tank: I used a pretty mint green bias tape to bind the raw edges (except I used self-fabric for the neckline bias, because the back V was a teeny bit tricky and I wanted to follow the instructions to the letter for that part).

DSC_5776

DSC_5763

DSC_5769

I am a little sad that I made it a little bit too big; every bra I have tried on with it shows at the armholes. My horrible confession: when I got the pattern printed at FedEx, the scaling was a bit off and the test square printed big. I stubbornly cut it out anyway (WHAT???) and proceeded to make the top with these off-scale pattern pieces!!! My rationale was it was only a little bit off… I am not proud of this, and I am making a promise to myself to not do this again.

Other than that glaring and preventable error, I love this top’s swinginess, and the drape of the linen (from Mood) is fab. I am excited to wear it when the weather gets warmer, right now its swing is squelched by needing to wear layers over it. I think I’ll make this again (at the correct size!!!) soon. The pattern is super-well written, and I especially like the shoulder seam details.

Jacob snapped these pics on our way out to get some new terracotta pots, one of our plants has grown so many pups that its time to transplant!

 

DSC_5760

Should I make the Jumpsuit next?? I don’t know if I can pull it off…. eeEEeee!!

Summer of Basics #2 and #3.

emilyWools4 Comments

DSC_4114

Continuing on with my second item for #SummerofBasics, I made a self-drafted linen gauze tank, heavily inspired by Karen Templer’s version. I made a patch pocket pattern piece and fully intended to use it, but I forgot to sew them on before joining the front + back, and decided to wait until the top came together to see if it felt right to add them. I think the side slits are too “extreme” to logically accommodate pockets, so I left them off.

I traced a woven tank top I liked to create this pattern. I made a quick muslin to make sure I traced accurately, and then I cut into the little bit of linen gauze I had left from my Tessuti visit last year. This material is pretty sheer, but when its 90 degrees outside with almost 100% humidity, such concerns retreat away through the heavy haze of summer.

DSC_4121

DSC_4106

I cut the back along the selvedge in two pieces so I could remember how pretty it is, with its chambray-esque blue and a stripe of green. I used white single-fold bias tape for the neckline and armholes, and french seamed the shoulder and side seams. I made a mistake and double-folded the side slits to the right side (instead of the wrong side) of the garment, but I actually like it as a design feature, so I left it as-is.

moss_skirt_piping

For my #SummerofBasics Number Three, I made a Moss skirt from more of that leftover Essex linen I had in my stash. I thought red would be an unusual color for a skirt, but it turns out that I love it and it doesn’t look unusual at all! I am not sure the essex linen is the best fabric for garments, as it unravels very quickly, but I bound all the seams with bias tape, so hopefully that helps with the skirt’s longevity. I had some berry colored piping and added it to the pockets and I think it adds SO much to the look of the skirt. I used the teeny bit of striped Italian shirting I had left for the waistband and pockets, and I LOVE it so much. Overall, really happy with how this turned out. I do notice that when I wear it, I have to constantly pull at it to make it sit correctly on my hips. I think I made the right size, but I am not sure why this is happening. I might get some true bottom-weight fabric and give it another shot.

moss_skirt_inside_boundseams_2

moss_skirt_inside_boundseams

moss_skirt_pocket_1

Acton Dress

emilyWools3 Comments

I made an Acton dress! I’ve been eyeing this pattern up for a long time, and finally decided to go for it… with some lovely gray “luxe” linen and some super-fun Liberty I bought during our LA trip at The Fabric Store.

acton_dress_front

acton_dress_front_2

I rode my bike to the Phipps since it was so nice out (!!), but I think it made the dress extra rumpled for these photos, especially in the bust and waist.

acton_dress_back

I was pretty meticulous about lining up seams and making sure everything looked perfect, but was in a rush to finish sewing the straps, so I neglected to realize I did not line them up correctly. The top back also didn’t line up! Wow what a miss. It was surprisingly easy to perform surgery through the lining to fix it this morning, though.

acton_dress_detail_3

acton_dress_detail_1

acton_dress_detail_2.JPG

… see? All better now.

The instructions for this pattern were GREAT!!! I loved the technique of sewing the lining to the center back seam, it was so easy and looks really professional. I usually hand-sew the lining at the zipper, but this looks better and is more sturdy. Speaking of the zipper…. my local fabric store didn’t have a grey zipper, so I went purple, and I really like it. It peeks out a tiny bit when I am wearing it, but its so fun! Overall, this is a great pattern… it is a tiny bit unflattering in the waist area, but I think I made it a skosh too tight. I made a bodice muslin in a straight size D, and then ended up taking in the side seams by 1″ on the final fabric’s side front and side back bodice (and as a result,I had to take in the skirt side seam 1″ in at the waist and grade out to the size D). Next time, I think I will take it in 1/2″ or so instead, so there’s more wiggle room.

acton_dress_back_2

Thanks to Claire and Kelsey for taking some impromptu photos at the Phipps yesterday!