Sewing

When the Daughter Judy Coe trousers were released last summer, they went immediately on my list and I even bought purple linen for them. Of course, it took me 9 months to get to them, and another 2 months more to write about them since I forgot about the photos!

Coe trouser: tapping into the barrel leg trouser trend

I’m a slow adopter when it comes to trends. Maybe I’m boring because I tend to stick to shapes that I know and like, but I’m also never sure whether something is here to stay. Big sleeve blouses? Took me 1-2 yrs to get on board and thankfully they’re still around now! But barrel-leg trousers? I was excited to see them on other people but had doubts for myself. So I tried twice to buy RTW barrel leg jeans to try out the silhouette and couldn’t get them to fit, so what do sewists do in these situations … well, better go back to the pattern you bought already and make it yourself. 

Fabric choice 

I had picked linen because it has a softer silhouette than e.g. denim so I didn’t feel like I was fully committing to an exaggerated barrel leg look. I found a random bit of cotton lawn that a friend gave to me for the pockets and then decided to see if I could fussy cut the leopard.

The fussy cutting worked well as you can see… fabric-wise I think it would have worked better if it was heavier-weight linen because it would hang more nicely. But never mind, these are very comfortable for summer!

Coe trouser line drawing and features

The Coe trouser features a zip fly, side seam pockets, back patch pockets plus a self-fabric belt and belt loops. The side seam swings towards the front, so in my opinion this sewing pattern works less well with medium/large printed fabric unless you want to be doing a lot of pattern matching. I skipped the belt!

Sizing and fitting

There are two separate size ranges. From the DD range I chose size 2 at the hip and size 6 at the waist*. I wasn’t sure about the best way to manage this due to the location of the side seam (deliberately shifted towards the front), so I asked Chelsea the owner of Daughter Judy. What I did following her advice:

• Start with size 2 overall, then reduce the back darts and add to back crotch to get the extra 5cm I wanted for the waist.
• The waistband is curved and in one piece so I just added 2.5cm to either side of the CB.
• I made the changes on paper before sewing a one-legged toile as per the top down centre out method to double check the fit (see my comments on that on this post about another a pair of pants).
• Then all I needed to do after that was reduce the leg length by a few cm. This is worth checking given the tapered leg. Best tip I can give is to put on the shoes you intend to wear with them since the heel height is different even on trainers!

*Note: I also made the Daughter Judy Adams pants twice before and there I have a size 4 waist with a size 2 hip. The instructions say the fit is relaxed and that you can size up or down for comfort. Whereas the Coe says slim through the waist and hip. So size 6 at the waist felt like a good starting point for my waist circumference (hovers between 72-74cm). 

Pocket gaping 

When I put on the trousers I saw the point of the top of the side seam pocket is about 1cm above a bony bump, i.e. guaranteed gaping. I had seen gaping pockets from various posts – Stacy’s post here goes into detail about it. Also saw in the instructions that there was a mention of pocket stays … but I was far too lazy to do it. Turns out the pocket sits quite far forward so it doesn’t actually bother me that much. But here’s the picture and you can see for yourself:

Verdict: Coe trouser

The Daughter Judy Coe trousers are SUPER comfortable: relaxed leg and because I sized up enough at the waist. Really, really grateful that Chelsea took the time to help me out with that. 

I’ve worn these quite a few times now and there’s been no bike incident (getting the right leg stuck in the chain is my biggest concern) and doesn’t appear to be any risk either. The biggest annoyance is actually the ironing after washing!!!

As for the barrel leg? Well, I quite like it! This pair is in purple so that’s a guarantee to myself that I’ll wear it. But let’s just say that the full-on horseshoe trousers are definitely NOT for me, this feels adventurous enough! 

Till next time
Kate xx

Wearing or sewing a bodysuit – in this case, the Fibre Mood Cheryl (affiliate link) – wasn’t ever really on my list. I’ve never worn one (ready-to-wear ones never fit) and the snap closures remind me of the baby onesies that my kids had. So I didn’t make this because I really wanted to – I made it because I’m doing a sewalong for Fibre Mood to make the Fibre Mood Cheryl and wanted to run through the construction. It is a happy accident that now I’m a total bodysuit convert!

Fibre Mood Cheryl pattern

As someone who often layers with turtlenecks under button-down shirts, I’m delighted to have another alternative! I read before that long sleeve tees are a great layering tool generally but I never really got on with them, they just felt like pyjamas. Turns out, I was just waiting for a formfitting bodysuit that doesn’t come untucked and adds no bulk under anything. (For the sake of showing the fit I took these photos without any extra layers). Ps. the stars in the line drawing represent the difficulty level of the pattern in this case 2 out of 5.

Fit and modifications

This green version is my second attempt and I made quite some modifications to make it fit. My first attempt was size S since I’m always somewhere between S and XS in Fibre Mood. This was the wrong choice for a fitted garment – it turned out too big around the shoulders. But happily I found several other things I wanted to change from making the first one. So here’s what I did for attempt number 2 and I’m super happy with the fit now.

• Sized down to XS 
• Took 1cm off the shoulder seam both front and back
• Added 1cm on both sides to make the neckline less wide, blend into the V point in the front and U shape at the back. Measure the neckline and shorten the neckband piece accordingly
• Flattened out the sleeve head a bit because the armhole became 2cm shorter. 
• Shorten the sleeve by 2cm
• Lengthened the body by 1.5 cm (XS is drafted for 160 cm height, S is for 164cm).
• Redrew the leg holes completely to be hipster cut since the original was reeeeeally high cut which doesn’t work at all for me (personal preference). Nothing scientific, just put it on and then followed the underwear line as best as I could. 

Whew!!! The main pattern pieces looked quite different at the end as you can see. 

Fabric choice for Fibre Mood Cheryl

Rib knit works really well, I imagine anything with a good amount of recovery (ie bounces back from being stretched out) and is fairly firm will work. The green one came in 140cm wide in the jersey section. But I made my first attempt from what looked like cuffing and it was only about 80cm wide. It didn’t have a lot of vertical stretch (also supporting my need to add a bit of length to the XS version).

Construction notes 

Neckband

The neckband is overlocked on one long edge. The unfinished edge is then sewn to the neckline with a sewing machine (no overlocker, nothing needs to stretch and you don’t need the extra bulk) and then folded over to the wrong side. Stitch in the ditch from the right side. The V is a little tricky so be sure to follow the instructions closely. I’d also suggest basting it into position before stitching in the ditch. Even then it shifted on me slightly so you can see my imperfect finish on the wrong side. 

Leg holes

The raw edge is just folded over and stitched down with a coverstitch or a zigzag. Of course, it gets a bit stretched out with wear, but it bounced back after being in the wash. I saw Netta adding picot elastic to the legholes to prevent this problem and I think I will go back and adopt it!

Bodysuit closures

Whilst I don’t have any baby rompers in my house to check bodysuit construction, I do recall they used snaps. The instructions call for 20mm twill tape and snaps which is what I did on the purple version. For the green one I bought ready-made tape with snaps already in them. I think it might be called popper tape? That did not work out well. The spacing of the snaps didn’t match the width of the crotch, I needed a zip foot to sew it on. Then it was too bulky to fold over so I “finished” the edge with fray check …  As for the colours, it was just what my local shop had so there was no matching going on!

Modern Sewing Co Worker Trousers

This version is my second take, see my Minvera post for the first one where I also cover the flat butt adjustment I did. This lilac fabric is stretch denim and I absolutely love how it has some extra give. I particularly like that the trouser pattern isn’t super high waist and has a curved waistband. By the time I took these photos it’s been worn and washed quite a few times already and I can confirm that it all feels very comfortable!

Till next time

Kate x

A lot of sewing happened in 2023. According to Instagram, here are the top 9 that you, my lovely audience, liked the most! 

• Top row (left to right): Gold bias skirt in stretch silk (Fibre Mood Madeline), Terra Pants by Pattern Fantastique worn with Paper Theory Olya shirt (old), Fibre Mood Madou green cord jacket worn with Daughter Judy Adams pants.
• Middle row (left to right): Fibre Mood Harper top, Crosby bias top (old) worn with the same Daughter Judy Adams pants, Style Arc Palmer dress
• Bottom row (left to right): Just Patterns Stephanie skirt (old), Fibre Mood quilted Kaya dress, repeat Terra pants / Olya shirt.

How many things? 

No official garment count, but a quick look at my Instagram page, circa 40-50. Averaging one item every 1-1.5 weeks. In reality, I sew in fits and spurts, a few things in close succession followed by a couple of weeks of nothing. There is an option here to get hung up on the number and get stressed that it’s a lot of clothes. But to be honest, numbers don’t change how much I will / will not sew next year.

Probably because as time wears on, my feelings about sewing don’t change all that much. Largely because this is also work for me as well as hobby. While it doesn’t pay my rent (I have a day job for that) I sew for editing purposes, teaching, promotional stuff and also for others. Part of it is also Instagram, to notice what’s trending in the sewing community as well as being involved. Making things & seeing what others are getting up to. I also came to realise how much what I (and my kids) wear impacts how I feel and just how much of my identity is tied up with being a maker.

The kinds of things I sew and wear are straightforward basics and shapes without too much fuss. There aren’t too many big involved projects or things that require a lot of care (blazers, wool trousers I’m looking at you). Because I don’t have the mental energy to do them (can you relate?!) and if they can’t be easily washed then it’s not practical.

How’s your closet looking?

My mum came to visit and took almost 10 things – a win-win for both of us! New things for her closet, and more space in mine! For the rest, things that aren’t really “me” but are sewn in a straight size with no mods usually go to similarly sized friends. Or if it is not ok, (poor fabric/pattern match etc) then I put it in the textile recycling pretty fast. Or cut it up and repurpose it for toiles etc. This year I did try a consignment store for the first time and sold 3 things! Doesn’t sound like much but it was a win for me since I never tried selling anything before. 

How’s your stash looking? 

Probably the same as last year, I have the equivalent of about 8 large storage boxes. The main thing is that it didn’t increase! Although I gave away quite a few pieces to friends, I was also gifted quite a lot (both stores and lovely presents from friends).

And I’m okay with buying fabric (see my disclaimer below in the 2024 section). If I have a pattern in mind and there’s nothing in the stash, I will go and search for it since the fabric pairing is for me THE most important element. I only want to spend time on garments I think I’m going to love and wear! Of course, it doesn’t always work out, I’m often overly optimistic about how much I think I can do. So while I didn’t manage to sew everything I bought, I think I got through > 60%. 

Styling and sewing 

My dress sense in 2017 when I started this blog is a bit different to me now in some ways. Earlier this year I came up with 3 words for my personal style following Allison Bornstein’s 3 word method: casual, polished and fun. Using these words I tried to define more what I like.

• Bold colours +  strong neutrals (not grey tones or muted shades). My favourite fabric shops this year have been The Fabric Sales for grown-up stuff (Belgium – deadstock), Jinny and Joe (Germany) for colourful things for the kids. Bonnie and Buttermilk (Germany) is a recent discovery for me too with bold and beautiful things, not dissimilar to Jinny and Joe, but much less pink
• Prefer structure and volume over drapey stuff
• Big and bold prints (not mini flowers), or keep it tonal
• Clean lines and a fairly sleek silhouette (not many ruffles/gathers, definitely not romantic / boho)
• A colour pop in my outfits for the fun factor (saying no to all neutral/minimal outfits- too formal). But not so many busy prints that my eyes go fuzzy or I feel like an oversized toddler.

Defining some criteria for sure helped give direction in my sewing and fabric choices & I’m happy with the additions to my closet/stash. I did notice that in the sewing community the seasonal “colour analysis” is becoming more popular again. Not my cup of tea but it seems a useful tool for others! 

New styles I tried

• 2 jumpsuits after a lifetime of never having or wearing one because … they didn’t fit. Joys of sewing! Purple one in the pic above, and the red one below.
• Bought a vintage leather jacket after years of searching for one that wasn’t too stiff or bulky. 
• Trousers! Wearing jeans for 6+ months of the year is a constant complaint for me and I finally did something about it. 

What’s in store for 2024? 

I’m thinking of starting a hashtag #SewWhatIHave2024 in January for a month (or more?) to see if we can encourage each other to sew a bit more stash. A bit of a throwback to #SewWhatIHave challenge from 2021 that I ran with Joyce @poplinpeony . But no prizes this time … just reposting some makes to get inspired. 

Why? Despite being OK with buying fabric, I feel I’ve been a little too consumeristic in the last few months and now sewn enough of the things I already bought. So I’m keen to do something about that. Maybe there will be others (you?) who want to join.

Also on the list – remove my mental block about the effort needed for big projects and just get on with it. I can and have done them previously. So too much effort should not be an excuse not to finish the WIP graveyard (there’s a trenchcoat & bomber jacket in there). Finally, I took some time off to sew a very involved winter coat since I bought some very fancy wool for it. So just get cracking!

Till next year,

Kate x

The Harrison hourglass dress by Eira of The Pattern Line has been on my backlog for a few months. I spotted some sparkle stretch denim in April from my favourite deadstock store in Belgium (The Fabric Sales) and bought it for this dress. Even if I try to sew a lot of my stash, sometimes the perfect fabric comes along for a particular pattern and if I think I will follow through with making it, then I buy it. Happy with the decision in this case!

Also for this make, I wanted to try out the Mettler denim doc thread (PR product), which is meant to be good for seaming, topstitching and hemming on denim. More on that below.

My sewing backlog

Seeing as my backlog is constantly 20 things long, I surprised myself that I got to the Harrison hourglass dress last month. I always think, I’ll make garment X after I finish all my work, whether that’s making samples/advertising makes or editing instructions … and then never do. After a summer where I had a ton of work on both sewing and day jobs, I really wanted to do some leisure sewing. I’m absolutely delighted with how this one turned out! The colour, style, pattern/fabric combo, I love it all.

Notions sourcing

Finding supplies was a challenge: the below items are not typically stocked in small suburban stores, or apparently in a single Dutch shop online! Luckily, A. Boeken in Amsterdam had everything I wanted, and double luck that I wanted everything in black so that made life easier. 

• Long 90cm 2-way zipper with teeth ⩽5mm.
• Narrow bias binding 9-12mm wide (because I didn’t feel like making 4.6m of it when the project was already going to be v. involved).
• 25mm grosgrain ribbon is used as a zipper shield which is a nice touch (although you could have used self-fabric if really needed).

Denim doc thread by Mettler

The denim doc thread is 70% polyester (core) and 30% cotton and is made for seaming, topstitching, and hemming denim. Mettler provided it to me to try out. So what do I think? Well, it was surprisingly good! It is thicker than the regular polyester general-purpose thread (Seralon) but is not as chunky as topstitching thread. A nice balance if you don’t fancy going to the effort of changing threads all the time between all-purpose and topstitch. 

You can of course buy individual spools of thread but there are also different colour packs of 4. I looked at a few different colours for this fabric but dark purple is a hard ask to match. I settled on black since that was the colour I chose for my binding and zip. 

Fit and sizing

It’s really worth reading the notes in the instructions carefully on sizing considerations for the Harrison hourglass dress. I didn’t fit neatly into the size chart at all and measured size 2 at the bust, 6 at the waist and 4 at the hip. I ended up going for size 2 all over, grading out to 6 at the waist for my toile and happily didn’t need to change anything. Feels like a bit of a waste when the toile turns out fine the first time round eh?! But I wasn’t about to embark on all that flat fell seaming without checking the fit first 😉

A note about the skirt, at first I thought the folds at the hipline created by the exaggerated tulip shape looked a bit strange and I instinctively started pinning the excess away thinking it was a fit problem. But I consulted with Eira on the design intent and the folds are deliberate in terms of shaping – so in the end I’m glad I left everything as is.

Construction notes 

I sew mainly for the end result (i.e. the clothes), but I do like a good sewing experience too. You probably know I’m very into tidy finishes and I feel like the attention to this that Eira put into her Harrison hourglass dress pattern turned this from “just another pattern” where you overlock everything to something a bit more special. Having said that, it did take me a lot of time! Just in the bodice, I did 4 different types of seams: 

• Flat fell seam on a dart and CB 
• Topstitched bust darts
• French seamed shoulders 
• Bias bound seam dolman sleeve/body
• … And then there’s an 8-piece skirt, each with flat felled seams. 

So yes, I won’t lie, it was a LOT of work and I spent 4 sessions in total: 1/ full toile and cut pieces, 2/ bodice, 3/ skirt, 4/ zip. Result: super clean finishes on the inside! Except…

French seam / Flat fell inseam pockets

This was a real challenge to sew. Nothing to do with the instructions, and everything to do with manhandling seams with thick layers, the stretch in the denim, and the fact that I was totally over all the flat fell seaming in the skirt (joining 8 pieces!!!) I did the first pocket the wrong way out, fixed it, started the second pocket, couldn’t get a good finish and unpicked a few times. Eventually, I just gave up and overlocked that side seam and topstitched from the outside. Thereby spoiling the look of the insides with that one seam! D’oh. But anyway here’s the picture of the good side.

Verdict – Harrison hourglass dress

One word: adore! It is the perfect transitional season dress. I appreciate that it has sleeves (hello delicious croissant sleeves), has an interesting shape that makes me look like I have a waist, doesn’t stick to the body, the denim is sparkly and fun and holds the shape of the dress. Even if I couldn’t find a metal zip in the right length/width the plastic one actually doesn’t bother me at all.

I’ve worn this to a party and to work and it won’t look out of place dressed down with trainers for a weekend either. It would look amazing in a cotton twill as well if it is a solid colour so you can see all the seam lines, assuming you do all the topstitching.

Will I make it again? Well, I don’t tend to make multiples of things that are not “basics” (t shirts, turtlenecks etc). but never say never. It would also make a cool jacket don’t you think? A fine corduroy perhaps? One can dream….

Till next time

Kate xx