Maria Denmark Olivia Oversized Tee

After wearing the Oversized Tee for a couple of hours (despite being very comfortable) it was riding up at the front and pulling towards the back.  This is a common problem for me, and to remedy it I added 1" across the upper back tapering to nothing at the sleeve. I'm sure this isn't the text book alteration for this fitting issue, but it works for me! The neckband and shoulder seams of the subsequent version no longer migrate towards the back when it's being worn.

The fabric used was a stretch lace with a raised black thread detail, underlined with plain black stretch lining.  I can't remember where I bought it from, and as there was only a meter of it this version has short sleeves.  Apart from that, all the construction details are the same as the previous versions.

Happy New Year!

Maria Denmark Olivia Oversized Tee

This is the first Maria Denmark pattern I've used and despite being a PDF download it took no time at all to tape together. There are only 2 actual pattern pieces, with separate measurements supplied for the neck, sleeve and hem bands. I find the stretch in knits varies enormously, so I cut the bands based on the finished openings and adjusted them to my personal preference. Although the pattern description states it's an 'oversized tee' it has lovely shaping making it more of a relaxed fitting tee without being baggy and sloppy. The personal measurement chart is far more realistic than the big pattern companies, I cut and stitched the medium size without making any alterations and it fit perfectly.

The ponte knit I used for the bands didn't have a great recovery so I applied clear elastic around the neck and hem to keep them in shape.

For the other 2 versions I removed 6 cms from the length of the body and extended the sleeves. I would normally add clear elastic to the shoulder seam but this fabric was so sturdy that it didn't require any additional support.

As this is the type of garment I wear on a regular basis I'll be sewing up a few more this week during the Christmas break.

Butterick 6118 - modified

The weather in the UK has turned autumnal over the last week or so, meaning bare legs and summer dresses are definitely out. My wardrobe is lacking in some practical long sleeved knits to throw on over leggings. I pulled out Butterick 6118 which I made a couple of versions of last winter (but aren't too keen on anymore), and set about altering the pattern into a simple tunic.  I know there are tons of tunic patterns out there, but I'd already made some fitting adjustments to the arms and sleeves, so all I needed to do was taper the side seams to fit.

I'm not sure why I bought this fabric, it's an extremely thick, bright, scuba knit.  I ran into the sewing shop for thread, and before I knew it I'd asked for 2 meters.  I usually give myself plenty of time when buying fabric to avoid such rash purchases!  That said, it came in useful today for trying out the pattern alterations. If it all went wrong I wouldn't be too disappointed!

Fabric

Fabric

Over the course of the day, it has grown on me, and I actually quite like the finished garment.  Scuba knit is so well behaved and a dream to sew with.  I used my over locker for all the seams; finished the neckline, sleeves and hem with a twin needle and a stretch stitch, then trimmed the excess seam allowances to make them neat and tidy.

Front view

Back view

Neckline

I wore it out last night and have a couple more minor tweaks to make to the pattern before cutting the next version.

New Look 6162

To kick start this blog I thought I'd post one of my favourite makes from last year.

New Look 6162 view A, a fitted sheath dress. The only design features are the pleats at the neckline which you can't make out in this photo due to the weight of the fabric. I chose this simple pattern to show off the gorgeous colours of the weave, and once I perfected the fit I made a couple of versions. For this version I used a tweed from Stone Fabrics. As the weave was loose, as soon as it arrived I over locked the edges and sent it to the cleaners for pre-shrinking.  At the time it was the most expensive fabric I'd purchased, so I took my time and practised some couture techniques I'd learnt from a Craftsy course. Most of the construction was done by hand including attaching the silk organza underlining, tacking down the seam allowances, inserting a hand-picked zip, the lining and hem. The only things I used the machine for were the side and back seams, and finishing the kick pleat with bias tape. For such an easy pattern this dress was a lot of work, but I love the end result and despite it being short sleeved it's really warm to wear because of the wool and the silk content.

New Look 6162 Front view

New Look 6162 Back view

New Look 6162 Lining

By contrast, this next version was sewn up entirely by machine very quickly. The outer fabric is an inexpensive polyester from Fabric Land and it's lined using a lightweight brushed cotton. I almost always line garments so they look as nice on the inside as they do outside.

New Look 6162 Front view

New Look 6162 Neckline

New Look 6162 Back view

Next up will be some of my favourite summer makes.