Worship Jeans

Pattern: Daughter Judy Worship Jeans

Fabric: Navy-grey (gravy?) slight stretch pinstripe denim from Cloth House

Pattern notes: Per the pattern description: “classic five-pocket rigid jeans pattern. Slim fit through the hip and thigh with a pitched straight waistband.” I made view A, the straight leg. I was looking to replicate a RTW pair of rigid straight leg jeans that I love but aren’t the most comfortable for all-day wear, and had heard good things about the Worship’s mobility and ease (see thecrookedhem’s pinned story for a cool breakdown on crotch pitch and such).

It’s my first Daughter Judy pattern and I was pretty happy with the package: the PDF has size layers and assembled smoothly and I followed the instructions which are well written and illustrated. The fly instructions are particularly unlike any I have tried before – you essentially keep the front pieces separate for as long as possible, then lap and topstitch the seam below the zip right at the end – but made for a robust and neat result.

I used one my machine’s decorative stitches for some of the topstitching: not sure on this aesthetic decision now they’re done but it was fun to sew. I used leftover tana lawn for the pocket bags. The button is temporary, I’ve ordered some new jeans ones.

Fit notes: I cut size 4 which is slightly over my current measurements for safety, but then due to both that and using a slight stretch denim ended up sewing the side seams with a larger seam allowance. I also took an inch out of the leg length at the adjustment line before cutting.

I don’t think I’d actually change much if there’s a next time: there’s a risk of overfitting and losing the intended wearing ease and range of motion, especially if cut in a non-stretch as intended. I especially like the pitched waistband, which dips down in the front – although, being straight-cut, it does gap a little bit in the back: a compromise I’ll accept.

Final thoughts: I like them! There’s something in a combination of the fit and this beautiful-quality denim that makes them feel RTW in a way that my prior homemade jeans haven’t reached (though I do still wear older jeans like these and these, 5-6 years later).

I’m not sure my wardrobe needs a bunch more jeans right now as the pandemic really shifted my tolerance for hard pants, but I have some lovely cord also from Cloth House that these could be cute in, or a light-wash / ecru pair for summer perhaps.

Cocoa cord NL6660 with flapped pockets

Pattern: New Look 6660 (my second pair – here’s the first)

Fabric: Darkest cocoa brown fine cord from Simply Fabrics

Pattern & fit notes: Not a lot different from my first pair! Which I’ve been wearing a lot despite the rather garish floral print, so decided a more neutral pair was needed. Just two main differences:

I added self-drafted button-down flaps onto the pockets, inspired by this sort of thing. (Front pockets always look so unevenly placed when you throw fly topstitching into the mix, huh?). Buttons are my forever-favourite copper ones from Textile Garden.

I did not mess up the inside fly bit and sewed it properly this time.

Chequered Rose Rosalyn

Pattern: Vikisews Rosalyn dress, printed English version. Bought half off with party season in mind

Fabric: Liberty Chequered Rose tana lawn, bought from Shaukat. This was an unusual splurge for me but it was love at first sight! It was from the S/S 22 collection inspired by Alice in Wonderland, though I never caught it in the actual store.

Pattern notes: Much like the Atlas, this was a highly enjoyable tour de force of ‘classic dressmaking’ techniques: loads of darts, gathers, invisible zip, facings and rouleau straps. It was my first time using a printed Vikisews pattern and I didn’t find it quite as user friendly as their PDFs. For one, there’s no printed instruction booklet included: you need to scan a QR code on the pattern tissue to access a PDF. Secondly, with ten sizes included it was really hard to follow the correct cutting and notch lines as the dashed lines are not that distinctive and often all blurred together. I initially sewed the back darts too narrow because I followed the wrong lines.

The instructions are good though, thoroughly guiding you through steps to get a reasonably nice finish (as in, overlocked rather than french seamed or anything). There’s a lot of little pieces in the bodice and I felt a few more notches would have been helpful to make sure you have pieces the right side up, and the sleeves atypically have the entire armsyce gathered rather than just the cap than between notches, which is not explicitly specified (but you definitely need that entire edge gathered to squish all that fabric in).

Fit notes: My measurements put me bang in between size 38 and 40; I went for 40 due to the slim fit and this was the right choice as it’s pretty spot on through the waist and hips and I wouldn’t want it much tighter. I didn’t make any other alterations other than taking a slightly deeper hem. The pattern helpfully has two ‘try on for fit’ points so some adjustments can be made as you go, though it’s only really once you’re 75% done that it’s possible to try on. I could stand to take a tiny pinch out the back neck but otherwise it’s pretty great.

Final thoughts: Fun to make and fun to wear. It’s getting its first outing at a Christmas party tonight, though I need to decide how to layer to help tana lawn deal with below-zero temps…

Two-tone Atlas Wrap Dress

Pattern: Sewing Patterns by Masin Atlas Wrap Dress. A bit of a Black Friday impulse purchase having seen many pretty ones made up and thinking it’d be a handy festive season dress.

Artful mockups of fabric choices

Fabric: Tencel Linen in Josephine and Black from Merchant & Mills – originally bought a while back for pants, but I really don’t need more pants. Having mocked-up and consulted with Josh, I decided it’d make a good colour-blocked Atlas rather than buying a new print (this was my second choice, which I’ve now got earmarked for a Vikisews Rosalyn…)

Pattern notes: Oh, it’s a fun one, lads. All those meaty, meditative details to contend with, which I was exactly in the mood for: full stand collar, continuous-bound-placket cuffs, an intriguing-shaped pattern puzzle for the front-wrapped skirt which incorporates the tie and a nice diagonal drape.

The instructions are very nice: all the key info is easily to hand and the steps are sensible but thorough and chatty, which was fun to follow. Restoring my faith that indies can still be high-quality and interestingly-designed from time to time!

It took me most of a leisurely Sunday to work my way through, a large part of which was making sure I’d cut the appropriate pieces out of brown vs black to make my two-tone idea work (no errors made, amazingly). Most of the front pieces are single-layer anyway but I sliced the back and collar bits up the centre, added SA and pieced them back together to be completist about it all.

Fit notes: I made a size B graded to C from waist to hip, with no other changes. The fit’s pretty nice – the bodice is intentionally long so it blouses and the skirt is quite slim. The only thing that’s a tiny bit uncomfortable are the lower arms and cuffs which are pretty snug; I can only just fit my (admittedly giant) hands though with the buttons done up.

Final thoughts: I’m pretty sure I dig it! I’ve been keen to try mini-length skirts again for winter since I don’t like wearing midis with tights and coats, although I’m not sure the slightly austere colour story here really reads ‘festive party’ after all: I’ve bought this stuff to maybe make another.

Fibremood Ermine blouse

Pattern: Fibremood Ermine (PDF, £7.50, XS – XXXL): “We started with the austere route with simple set-in sleeves, a round neckline, separate button placket, and bias tape for the neckline finish. But then it was impossible not to add a romantic flourish to this blouse! The triangular yoke features sweet gathers at the bottom.”

Fabric: Jamdani from Merchant & Mills. FYI – “Jamdani is fine muslin cotton with small geometric motifs handwoven in to the cloth as if they are floating on the surface”. I really fell for the embroidered motifs which I thought looked like little rockets (presumably they’re actually buds or tulips), although I needed to cut everything on the cross-grain to get them pointing up. I bought 3m with another Oona dress in mind, but I think it’s too sheer and floaty to work for a dress and the thought of lining the Oona gave me the scaries.

Pattern notes: I fancied something in the way of a puffy woven blouse and bought this instead of paying $16 for the Seamwork Aims. It’s got a sweet diagonal yoke with gathered-in lower pieces and rather elegant bracelet-length sleeves with slightly puffed caps. There are separate button plackets for the front – I did some fun button placement and found these pretty floral-facted buttons in my stash which were a cute match. I also added the standing ruffle collar as I thought the neckline looked a bit plain otherwise. Not too many notes otherwise, the instructions were straightforward but it was quite a nice technical sew with the gathers and precision needed on the placket pressing.

Fit notes: I made size small. It strangely feels a little bit strained across the shoulders and upper back (an area I’m usually proportionally smaller in). The armsyce is very high and tight too, which gives good movement but feels on the cusp of uncomfortable. These might however both have been because I french seamed it all since my fabric is pretty sheer and ravelly, so I might’ve eaten a bit beyond the 1cm seam allowance.

Thoughts: it’s quite sweet, comfortable despite minor fit niggles, and generally turned out how I pictured – I was going for a Seventy + Mochi vibe. I might fiddle with the fit and make another one sometime.

Flower Power cord NL6660 trousers

Pattern: New Look 6660, I think scooped up in a recent Jaycott’s sale.

Fabric: Lightweight cotton needlecord from Minerva. I bought this with New Craft House’s 70s-themed summer party in mind, but the evening ended up being really warm so I wore a skirt instead.

Pattern notes: Aren’t these just cyoooot? Perfect slim-straight leg, perfect darted ‘n faced waistband, sweet little front pockets, unexpected interesting fly situation!

Essentially the zip goes right to the top and a concealed inside button helps them stay zipped up. I messed up the construction of the buttonhole extension a bit so it’s a bit mucky inside, but this was a result of trying to be smarter than the pattern and not follow the directions – which for once for a big 4 are thorough and clever. I should’ve used a better-matching zip too but was stash-reliant and it really doesn’t gape or show at all when worn.

Fit notes: No significant mods from memory other than probably bringing in the waist a bit. I made my usual big 4 size, 14.

Thoughts: Dig em! So comfy, cool construction, and a great fit out of the pack. Will definitely make again.