Sew the Precious - Silk Crepe shirt

Is it spring yet? My February has started off at rock bottom as I caught the flu and have been mostly horizontal for the last week. After hearing about it on the news for months I thought it unlikely I would get sick, as I practically shriek and jump away when next to someone who coughs. But alas the germs got me, shall I blame the gym in January? why not. Anyway - an imposed rest for the last week and I'm finally feeling human again.

This post is heavy on sewing details and techniques and lacking any photos of me wearing this shirt - that will have to wait until I'm feeling better, plus I have a skirt in the works that goes with this so it will wait for the the full outfit.



The last thing I had finished was a silk crepe de chine shirt in a purple leopard-y print. I would call this fabric "my precious" as I bought it over a year ago at Stone Mountain with not a real idea of what I would make but I just loved the color and feel of the fabric. I think at the time I had the idea of making a Bondi dress for my summer vacation but made this version instead, and set the silk aside, knowing I would wear it more often if it was a shirt or top.



The purple/magenta color is something I really like and the spots in white and navy blue make it so interesting. They still have this fabric at Stone Mountain - as you will see further down in this post.

So once I decided to make a shirt, after a few experiments with other patterns I returned to my favorite Simplicity 2339, which may be going on upwards of 20 uses of this pattern. I think a shirt is a shirt, and if this is the silhouette and detail I want then it's best to use a pattern that I know fits me perfectly.  Also when people say that standard tissue paper patterns are not very strong I just shake my head - I think they last forever - or at least a good long time. Although with this pattern I have modified it for various changes (covered button placket, popover version, darts rotated to gathers, etc) so I do have some pieces copied over onto other papers.)

Let's talk about yardage. Once I unfolded this fabric I saw that previous me only purchased 1.5 yards of this fabric which is 54" wide. Even for my bargainous nature that is a bit skimpy to make anything other than a sleeveless top or a very simple dress (which was my original plan).



Consequently I had to do a bit of creative cutting to get a long sleeve blouse out of 1.5 yards. Note the collar stand laid out at that jaunty angle. Not exactly on grain - but I figured with interfacing it would be stable enough to work, and it was.

Speaking of interfacing, this is the new-to-me method I read about in Threads magazine, and it works so well. Particularly for small pieces. You can cut out an interfacing piece in the general shape, and on the right grain, then place over the fabric piece on top of a silicone baking mat. Press/steam away and then trim the excess. The part of the interfacing that is overlapping to the mat does not stick at all. In fact it doesn't even seem to melt. So a win in terms of less precise cutting and placement of interfacing, and no sticky bits that just peek over the edge of your fabric and adhere to your pressing surface.





I trim it with scissors but I suppose if you are a wizard with a rotary cutter it would be a quick task. I think of all the things that make scissors dull the worst culprit is interfacing, so I do all cutting of interfacing with a specific scissors so as not to dull my nice ones. Paper I think has no effect on scissors but interfacing is a menace!

Lastly, I always use the paper pattern piece to verify the shape of my pattern pieces (usually I do this as I lay down the item prior to placing the interfacing on top. But I didn't take a photo of it that way - hopefully you get the idea. You would be surprised how much pieces distort with handling and it's just a bit of insurance to maintain the right shapes.




For silk shirts like this I have concluded that 2 types of interfacing work well, one one side I put a lightweight fusible (usually the Couture weight Sheer Elegance from Fashion Sewing Supply) and on the other side I use silk organza. Same for these three parts, collar, collar stand, and cuffs. On the button band just the fusible, no organza as I think it would be a bit too stiff, whereas I want some stiffness in those other three spots.

Another interfacing technique I use is to enclose the edge of a facing by sewing the interfacing and flipping it over, then fusing it. It's a bit of a tricky maneuver but I did take some photos and write about it in this old post. 

If you look closely at the edge of the shirt front facing you can see that the interfacing and the fusible are stitched together to make a completely clean finish. I love to use this on silk shirts and tops. But you have to clip the seam, and then carefully press that first 1/4" down to get it smooth and flat, then pressing the rest is not too bad.





There are a couple of ways to sew the collar stand to the shirt, and I prefer to do it this way which is a bit fiddly but I think the end comes out nicer. I wrote an article for the Craftsy website which is still alive on the Bluprint website with color-coded details on how to do the collar/stand with both methods and I still think it's one of the best I wrote! (along with my favorite one, the hidden buttonhole closure :)



Onward to cuffs and buttons. I bought these buttons at Stone Mountain, they had the right about of blue to go with the shirt. I had a number of dark blue buttons in my stash, but they were all too shiny or too bright so for once I was patient and waited to finish until I could buy some nice buttons that complemented the fabric.




When I do cuffs on a silk blouse I most always sew a continuous lap which you can just see peeking out there. I think it looks more elegant on silk fabric.

I never use a cuff pattern, I just decide how wide I want it to be, and how long depending on the thickness of the fabric. Then I cut rectangles, interface, and add silk organza to make it a bit more structured.






The fusible keeps the seam allowances from showing through and the silk adds a bit of rigidity, you can see that cuff can stand up a bit on it's own there.

Lastly, how do I know they still have this fabric at Stone Mountain?



Because when I went in to buy the buttons I succumbed to my urge to have a nice fat bow to wear with this blouse, so I bought another 1/4 yard which was used in it's entirety to make this fluffy bow.

Another silk blouse in my wardrobe - I think this will get worn a lot with all my purple and blue items. A little more costly than my usual sewing lately - not a remnant in sight. About $ 50 if you total fabric, buttons and interfacings. Considering I'm still wearing the first silk charmeuse shirt that I sewed from this pattern in 2011, I think it will get plenty of wear and use in my wardrobe.

So that's the latest - this weekend I've felt a lot better and started on a very cheery and suitably February red coat which I hope to complete to wear to Frocktails later this month. Plus I might start on some corduroy jeans as a warm up for my jeans class in a couple of weeks. And try to get outside to check what's survived the winter in the garden and even do a bit of prep for spring!

Happy Sewing
Beth

Today's garden photo is a pink camellia. These are so common around here in older houses, I think garden design has moved on to more interesting things but there are a few remaining at my place. This is pretty but it's so messy and I think this might be the year that it gets the chop to make space for something different.

Simplicity 8606 wrap skirt and New Look 6107 top

The following photo illustrates my glee at the fact that I have squeezed this skirt from what was left of the rayon print fabric shown a couple of weeks ago. Recall that fabric? which I used to make my faux jumpsuit, seen here in this post.  By the way, speaking of previous posts, thank you for all the sweet comments on my last dress, the purple one, which was quite popular here and on IG. Now I think I might need a purple coat! But it was over 100 F today here so not even thinking about coats!

And yes, I did take this picture in front of Stone Mountain Fabrics in Berkeley where they have helpfully painted this doorway to the delight of all shoppers.



Let's get to the details of that skirt. I love it!! and you can expect to see this pattern make a repeat performance.



I know I started off making the short version, but for some reason I think I cut off 1 inch from the hem ruffle, as it seemed just a bit too long. Well I will check and see when I make another version.
This rayon fabric is the ideal choice for this skirt, although I think it would work in a lot of other fabrics - now for my constant suggestion - a lightweight denim :)



I made version D, which is the short version with the flounce. It is cleverly designed, quite similar to the purple dress in my previous post, in that the part that is underneath has less ruffle since it doesn't show. Which means that you cut the two front ruffle pieces on the single layer. Now I will tell you a tip for cutting out - ignore the grain lines on the ruffle pieces! There is a grain line but when you make this type of ruffle (which I actually call a flounce or a circular ruffle) the grain is only straight on one section of the piece and the rest is different bias angles, so it makes no difference where you cut it out. And that helped me squeeze this onto the fabric I had remaining.
By the way - all the articles I wrote on the old Craftsy blog are on the new Bluprint website, here is the link to the one I wrote on designing this type of circular ruffle.

This is supposed to be a true wrap skirt, where the long tie goes through the waistband and encircles the waist. But I had no fabric for that, so I cut one layer of waistband, made a facing of solid black cotton, and please don't tell anyone but I put velcro for closures which leaves plenty of adjustment room for ice cream after dinner, smart huh?






And with the remaining scraps I made a couple of shorter ties to make a bow.

I even had to piece the skirt body at one of the side seams. I always find piecing fabric weirdly satisfying, and have done it 3 times lately. Which may indicate I'm habitually skating on the edge of not having enough fabric but that's what makes it fun.



This past Saturday was our Bay Area Sewists Meetup and I saw Meg of Made by Meg  wearing her fantastic Sirocco jumpsuit. She needs to make another one, it looks great on her.
My top is the Bondi top that I made to go with the Emerson Pants which made up my faux jumpsuit.



Once I finished the skirt I felt like it needed a different top so I rummaged through my fabric and came up with a pink eyelet for a sleeveless top.

This is New Look 6107, a pattern from a few years ago that I also got at a Bay Area Sewists pattern swap. I can't say that it is much like the pattern as designed, I used the basic shape but then I changed the button front area, the pattern has a placket behind the center front and loops for the buttons. That would be too bulky in eyelet so I extended the center fronts so it buttoned like a regular shirt. Then I made some self bias and just kind of winged it around the neckline. I think it shows but it was hot and I just wanted to finish it so it's not my best design but it works. I do love the color.





I am a fan of blouses with shoulder gathers so I might make this one again with sleeves in the fall in a silk or something else.



I really like the skirt with a pink top - black is not my favorite so I prefer some other color on my top half. Do you crack up when you look at your outfit photos? I seem to often be looking at something in the distance or perhaps it's the beginning of that phrase "hurry up and take the picture people are looking at me."



And if one version of this skirt pattern is good that two is even better!
My friend Halyna (Instagram: zigzagstitching) saw my version on the dress form and immediately got the pattern.



So that's the latest on my new wrap skirt. Also I can report that this skirt seems to cleverly stay overlapped when walking, sitting etc. So it is a winner of a pattern!




Up next in my sewing, I'm making another New Look pattern, in gingham as I have to join in on this summer's trend. And then it's head down with a lot of serious sewing, prep for my upcoming classes.

Speaking of classes - just today we added a new class in October - the Jean Jacket. Here's the link. I think that will be a fun item to sew and it's an ideal garment for our weather. Well it's an ideal garment for every wardrobe. You can use any jean jacket pattern you would like.
There are a couple of spots still open for the September sessions of the Garment Copy class and the Zadie jumpsuit class. We'll be adding some classes for November soon as well.
Also there is one spot that opened up in my Jacket Tailoring class in September so if you wanted to do that here's the link. 

Happy Summer sewing and stay cool! It's supposed to be in the 100's F this weekend here but we are used to it, plus it means grilling outside, plenty of ice cream and lots of dips in the pool. I hope the weather improves for everyone else.

Beth

today's garden photo - more hydrangeas, which you can just see in the photo above, on the left side.
This is two bushes next to each other, one is a white and the other the purple version of these shooting star hydrangeas. I didn't even remember getting the purple one so it was a pleasant surprise this year with so many blooms. When the breeze passes by they are just magical.

Simplicity 1779 bow blouse in red checkerboard silk

There is something about this time of year that makes me want to sew all my red fabrics. The weather can be a bit gloomy, and red is such a lively color. Perhaps seeing the Christmas decorations everywhere makes me want to decorate myself in a bit of holiday color. Although the shade of red in this one is not quite as perfect holiday red as my plaid dress, but I have a feeling I will wear this one more often.




I bought this fabric at the American Sewing Guild stash sale back in October. Maybe $ 5.00 for a bit more than 2 yards. It wasn't identified as to fiber content, so I did a little burn test with this and also a piece of silk and the results seemed the same so I will call it silk. It feels and presses like silk and not a polyester.





And yes, another fabric the required a bit of pattern matching. I'm not sure it actually matters with a large pattern like this, the important thing though is to cut it on 100% on the straight grain so the lines are not leaning one way or the other.

It was a gloomy rainy day when I took these pictures but the blouse certainly stands out.






Here's the pattern photo and drawing. I made Version C. This pattern is quite easy and method for making the bow part and the button placket turn out really well. I used this pattern a few months ago when I sewed a blouse and skirt for someone else. That version is in a very luxurious silk and worth taking a look.










You can see above that I put some plain red buttons on the placket, as they don't really show. One day when I was standing in line at the cutting counter at Joann's there was a bin of clearance buttons, so I found 4 of these red buttons with the little rhinestone in the middle. Just enough for the cuffs. Maybe kind of silly looking but I though the centers echoed the white dots in the fabric.




So that's my 2nd very economical item sewn with fabric purchased at a stash sale. I love the challenge of finding bargain pieces of fabric and turning them into garments that I wear. In fact I have a dress in mind using some fabric I got for free at Hello Stitch a few months ago. It's not a very practical design but free, right? It's worth it to stretch my style when the cost is nothing.

And up next, I'm sewing some more jeans in anticipation of teaching a Jeans Sewing Class at Hello Stitch, that's scheduled for the weekend of Jan. 26-27. On the listing it mentions the Ash Jean pattern from Megan Nielsen, which I have used to great success (will blog soon) but if you already own a jeans pattern such as the Ginger jeans or the Ames jeans then feel free to use that one.

Also upcoming is a quilted jacket class in late February (over 2 weeks to give you plenty of time for the quilting) and then Fitting classes, more Lander pants, Garment Copying, Wrap dress class, and a 2 versions of a multi-week class for either new stitchers or more intermediate level. All the classes are listed on the Garment Sewing Class page at the Hello Stitch website.

I have at least one more blog post planned for this year, as I just sewed something both casual and sparkly that got rave reviews when I posted a peek in Instagram. Plus I want to do a year in review.
Up next, I have SO many things on my to-do list, including an unnecessary coat that will use up some wool scraps, another silk blouse, and then I saw Meg's Sew Twists and Ties sewing challenge  which I will be unable to resist as I love a good twisty design. And I have a few Vogue Donna Karan patterns that I've never had a reason to make but this will be it.

Happy year end sewing, Beth

today's garden photo, from way back in August. My very best rose bush which must be 30 plus years old, far predates me at this house.  It gives out the most beautiful velvety red roses. Once the heat sets in here around July - August they fade a bit but do stay on the stems for a good few weeks.

Simplicity 1586 plus wool from Britex = perfect sheath dress

How many blue items can one person have in their wardrobe? I laugh with Heather as no matter what we are looking for, she finds blue fabrics. Although I can't really fault her, because they work perfectly for her.
For this dress I have lots of photos and inside sewing looks, so if you like posts with a lot of sewing details then read on. Or at least scroll through and see the photos.

Starting with the finished look. I am so happy with this dress and the fabric is gorgeous. It is a fairly bulky wool but sewn up it makes a very sleek work dress in a color that suits her perfectly.



The fabric is from Britex, we bought it last spring and then I set it aside during our hot summer as nobody wants a wool dress around here in July. But once I finished the previous version of this pattern for her I thought it would be a good choice for this fabric as well. Here's the link to that post, same pattern but made of a cotton sateen for a summer dress. If you are interested in pattern manipulation and redesign take a look, as I changed the armhole princess seams to shoulder princess seams. I think on her they give a nice vertical line, plus allow some smoother bust adjustment on that seam.




Sometimes a slightly thicker fabric is your friend - in that it sews quite easily, of course wool can be steam shaped and practically molded but it hides a lot of wrinkles or little shadows that might appear on other fabrics. Gosh I love this fabric and wanted to make a jacket - but she was set on a dress. In the end a good choice!

Sewing details. Starting with the basics - what color of thread to use?



I used the lilac thread on the left instead of the navy blue thread which might seem like the first choice. When sewing on dark colors I tend to use something a few shades away from the fabric color. Not wanting it to disappear - I want to see the stitches when I'm sewing and if you need to remove anything, that navy blue thread is not your friend. In most fabrics the thread in the seams will never show and why not make your life a little easier?

Next decision, interfacings.



Here's my little test sample. I put all the interfacing choices on a scrap of fabric. Then I sew some seams, add lining or other edge finishes just to see how everything goes together and which interfacing works best for the fabric. And even the location on the dress. Most garments are a mix of interfacings, I rarely use the same one on every part of an item. Here I determined that the fusible held the wool in shape, kept it from stretching at the neckline but it didn't give the crisp edge that was needed on that neckline and the center V. So I added silk organza and that combo worked beautifully.



This is the center front of the dress. I did all the work on that center front, both to stabilize and sew the front seam before attaching it to the side panels. That way it's locked down and not going to change shape as I work on the rest of the dress.  Blue painters tape on every piece of this, on the wrong side, which just makes it quick to know right/wrong side and not mix anything up. I put the tape pieces on as I cut out and while I'm doing my tailor's tacks.

I love it when I learn a new technique!



I saw this method on the Threads Magazine website (I think).  A slightly different way of putting in an invisible zipper - you baste the center back seam closed, baste the zipper to the seam allowances, then stitch it in. This method allows you to have the bottom of the seam already stitched up as opposed to going in after the zipper is sewn in and doing that part of the seam. On the right I haven't pressed the seam so it still shows a bit.

Here's the finished zipper. I'm finding this dress form that I made a while ago in Heather's size somewhat useful - it's a tiny bit off in some areas - I think I overstuffed it. But the bigger issue is that it's tilted and I can't really fix that without taking it all apart.









I did make a walking vent in the bottom of the dress, which isn't necessary for striding actually, but I always think it looks nice and helps when you sit down so that there isn't pulling around the hem. We took these pictures around 3 in the afternoon on Sunday and the sky was so clean and blue after a few days of rain. Such a change from the previous week.

The last version of this pattern was sleeveless so for this one I needed to figure out a sleeve pattern piece and ended up making my own. I follow a few Russian dressmakers on IG (whew their talents are amazing!) and saw a quick video on how to draft a sleeve that made so much sense. So I tried it and perfection. I will never stress about a sleeve again. Maybe 😌. In any case I will try to post how I did it on my next Random Threads post.

Here's my test sleeve using a scrap of wool. This is hand basted in but I thought it was great so onward with cutting it out in the actual fabric.





There's a peek at the lining, the dress is fully lined to the edges including the sleeves, which have a slight pleat at the hem edge in the lining for movement. Hand sewn there at the sleeve hem.

I had to guess on the sleeve length but looking at the proportions on the dress form I just picked a length and it worked out. The goal was a short sleeve but not a cap sleeve, and a slim fitting sleeve. It needed less width than I thought to fit into the armhole nicely. There is very little sleeve cap ease which works well in this wool bit still allows for fit around the arm and also comfort.






Wool dress completed and ready for winter. I guess some people don't like to wear wool, too itchy, allergic or even too warm for them? But I love it and it sews so beautifully.

Next up I have completed 2 other items for Heather including the silk wrap dress and a blazer jacket. I hope you like seeing things I sew for her  - I've received some lovely emails to the effect that it's interesting to see garments sewn for a variety of shapes and I agree. I'm always looking online to see new techniques or how things fit on various people.

As for selfish sewing, I made some jeans using the Ash jeans pattern from Megan Nielsen. I chose a size based on my hip/waist measurement, decided to sew them up exactly as instructed and they fit perfectly. Kind of amazing! I can't guarantee that would happen for anyone else but I struck lucky on this one. I like that this pattern has 4 variations, skinny, slim, straight and flare. Everything you could need! I'm teaching a weekend jeans workshop at Hello Stitch on Jan 26-27 . By then I might have a few more pairs in my wardrobe. By the way you can use this Ash jeans pattern or any jeans pattern you have, like the Closet Case Ginger jeans, or Cashmerette, Deer and Doe, etc. It's flexible so if you already own a jeans pattern that's fine to use.  I will post my Ash jeans in the next week or so.

Other projects in mind - I have some red print silk that is calling out to be a nice bow blouse for the festive season, I just finished a red plaid dress which also seems right for winter and I want to make a ponte knit turtleneck color-block dress with McCalls 7430. Enough on my to-sew list, right?

Happy Sewing,  Beth


Today's garden photo - a throwback to this past June when the hydrangeas were in full bloom.