Violet Blouse Sleeve Adaptation

Everyone knows how much we love the Violet Blouse pattern from Colette - such a comfortable but still put-together look! I myself have 4 of the short sleeve persuasion, so I thought it was about time to sew up the mid-length sleeve variation. 

The difference here is that I thought it would look GREAT with a band to finish the sleeve instead of elastic, and then I thought of doing a post to show you how! (This might have also been suggested by 3 or 4 Violet Blouse classes... in a row...) 

And of course I needed something to compliment my skirt made from 'Zebras & Giraffes':

So here we go! First, measure your arm just below the elbow. To that measurement, add up to 2" for ease - my measurement was 9 3/4" and I added enough extra to make 11 1/2". That measurement will be the length of your band.

Schoolhouse Tunic Makeover!

We all love the Schoolhouse Tunic from Sew Liberated. It's pretty easy to sew, it lends itself to many different types of fabric, Sew Liberated was one of the first indie pattern companies, and it's EASY TO ALTER! This tutorial is great if you have already taken our Schoolhouse Tunic class or if you are sewing at the intermediate level.

I personally need a little bit of shaping at the waist, even if it's a garment that I want to pull on over my head. So I added waist darts to my first try... and quickly realized that I wanted to close up the front so I didn't have to wear a camisole all the time.

Here's an EASY method for closing up the front of your Schoolhouse - you can add waist darts or not - if you do, make sure it still goes over your head easily by sewing a muslin first from your altered bodice pattern!

You'll need a pencil, your clear ruler and your pattern - just cut around the front bodice pieces and the placket to separate them, don't cut your size out yet. If you are working from a pattern that has already been cut, you may need to add a bit of tissue to the bottom edge if you are adding a waist dart.

Colette's Macaron Dress and a Quick Skirt Change

Dress post! I finished my Macaron dress just in time for my friend Jimm's wedding. As usual, I was handsewing practically in the car on the way to the ceremony... this seems to happen at every formal event I ever go to. I have had my eye on this dress ever since it was released by Colette - especially after seeing all the cute versions of it being made all over the country - and when Christine decided to do it as a class I thought I'd try it out.

The pattern features a top contrast yoke and a really cool sweetheart illusion neckline. It has little cap sleeves and a bit of a bubble skirt with pleats with secret pockets. The bubble part was the only thing I changed as I really don't need that shape on my body. It looks great on a lot of peeps though! I chose fancy fabrics since this is a more formal dress - Nani Iro's 'Fuccra Rakuen' in peach and a silk/cotton blend in espresso for the contrast:

Oh I love a NEW COAT!

Hooray for fall! And of course fall means that we all have to drop what we are doing and make coats. I was looking at several coat patterns when I started my "Fall Wardrobe" series, and I ended up making muslins for two of them. I can't seem to stop looking at coat patterns, however, and someday I am going to make a coat like this, from Japanese designer Atelier Boz:

Since I need a coat right now, though, this is not the coat I will be making. So, I whipped out my trusty pattern books and came up with two patterns to test as muslins.

The first one is this coat, from the Daily Sewing book:

It's a relaxed cover-all type of jacket, unlined, with a hood and patch pockets. One of our canvases or twills would look fantastic - either a solid or one of the prints, sophisticated like Nani Iro's Painting Muji or fun like Echino's London! Sometimes it's nice to dream of all the jackets you could make...

Japanese Pattern Books

Since it seems like most of the patterns I make these days are from Japanese pattern books, I thought I'd do a little post about some basics for using these great resources! Many of you have heard me proclaim in class how stylish and well-designed these patterns tend to be, and with a little patternmaking skill you - yes, you! - can partake in the wonderfulness. I'd recommend starting with a very simple pattern, possibly similar to a pattern you have already sewn - the trick here is that all the sewing instructions are in Japanese. The pictures are fantastic for the most part, though, so any seamster intermediate and up can generally figure out what's going on. A reference book like the "Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing" is also a great thing to have when you start winging it a bit! Overall, the fit is certainly curvier than one would expect, with bust darts and curved side seams - and it is also pretty roomy. For my own body shape - slim shoulders but a larger bust - the fit at the shoulder and sleeve parts of the pattern is unsurpassed.