Tag: handmade

New Look6461 trousers

Even before lockdown, I was dreaming of comfy linen trousers to lounge in. Linen makes me dream of warm summer evenings, romantic European city breaks and categorically not being sweaty. Aka, the ideal garment.

I wanted a simple, wide leg shape and elasticated waist to be friendly to the extra tummy rolls I’ve gained during lockdown. I considered the Ninni culottes and Bob pants, and still love them but wasn’t sure the volume of the former or shape of the latter would be right for me.

I saw the New Look 6461 pattern on instagram and decided to give it a go. New Look patterns have fitted me well in the past and their instructions tend to be easy to follow. The pattern was available quite cheap on eBay too (where I look for a lot of patterns) so it was ideal!

I also used eBay for fabric, buying 3m of enzyme washed linen from Higgs and Higgs. They’ve since temporarily closed the store but hopefully will be open again soon, as I would definitely buy their linen again. It’s a medium weight so really opaque and holds a shape, but light enough to drape nicely and feel super soft.

I enjoyed making these trousers; I toiled them first in a lightweight polyster to see how the hips fitted and didn’t need to make any adjustments – based on the body and finished garment measurements, I cut a size 16.

Not having to worry about adjustments, I instead concentrated on the details and making them as neat as possible – as I improve make by make, I’m more confident that I’ll be wearing my me made garments a lot so want to get the details right!

Previously on trousers and skirts I’ve been disappointed with the pockets not lying flat so wanted to use a lighter lining for the pocket piece. I’ve had about half a metre of this gorgeous Atelier Brunette viscose since making my Rouje copycat dress and the colours went together beautifully! I opted to cut just the upper pocket pieces from the viscose, as I didn’t want it to be visible from the front, more just a cheeky peek of it.

At first I wasn’t sure if the linen and viscose would sew well together but it was absolutely fine and the pocket lies really flat, I’m thrilled with how it turned out! Pockets and facings are a great way to use scrap or remnants and bring a little flair to the make.

I also had about 2m of matching binding left over as well so decided to use it on the waistband. The pattern calls for you to finish one edge of the waistband the, after stitching the other edge to the top of the trousers, fold the waistband over to about 1.5cm below the seam and affix by stitching in the ditch on the other side. This felt a bit messy to me; didn’t want my dodgy overlocker stitching stealing the show so bias binding was a much neater finish.

And of course, having used French fabric I had to use one of my Modista labels! I actually used Bondaweb to fix the label – as the waist is elasticated, hand stitching the label would cause it to bunch up. Bondaweb helps it lie flat and with additional stitching to provide extra stability, the label isn’t going anywhere.

Overall I feel like a linen goddess in these trousers and will definitely plan another pair – for the next ones I’m thinking a sage green double gauze or a denim chambray!

DIY Rouje Dorine dress

Earlier this month I used the Sew Over It Eve dress to recreate one of my favourite designer brands, Rouje. I really enjoyed the process of this, and not just because I love a bargain (and man, DO I) but because it helped to really focus my pattern and fabric planning. I don’t know about you, but I get really overwhelmed in a fabric shop, let alone the internet where the options are limitless and you flit from denim to georgette to poplin and back again within a few tabs, forgetting what you actually logged on for.

The DIY Rouje Gabin experiment worked so well for me that I decided to try again, this time with their popular Dorine dress. Initially I would never have tried this on in a store; as a curvy lass I would have seen what looks like a scrap of fabric on the hanger and immediately written it off as a hanky.

The Rouje Dorine dress costs a cool 165 euro

However by doing my research, looking at their website closely at the cut and fit of the dress and checking the #roujegirls hashtag as well as their tagged photos, I saw women of all shapes and sizes absolutely rocking this dress and thought if I could get the sizing right, it might just work.

After having a quick look through my usual resources (The Fold Line pattern directory, googling DIY hacks, browsing John Lewis pattern section), I found it. McCalls M7116. And even better, it was on Facebook marketplace! I’m a member of a few buy and sell and swap fabric and pattern groups on Facebook and always have a glance to see what’s available. This pattern looked to have the same shape in view A – bias cut skirt, spaghetti straps and round neckline – and was available uncut for £3.50. Bargain!

Whereas with the Gabin dress I’d gone straight in with an Atelier Brunette viscose crepe from Dragonfly fabrics, this time I wanted to make a wearable toile before buying expensive fabric to try and match the original. I was THRILLED with this cheap as chips georgette from Pound Fabrics at just £2.50 per metre. It is much more opaque than expected and lovely quality.

Even in a toile, I wanted to try and get a flowery pattern as so often used by Rouje

I found this pattern really pleasing and quite simple to sew. The skirt is cut on the bias with the bodice and straps cut straight. You cut bias binding from the same fabric for the arm holes and the casing for the elastic is just folded down from the neckline.

I cut straight from the pattern for my measurements based on the body measurements but this was a rookie error. The bodice on the finished garment measurements was listed as huge in comparison to the waist – and that’s exactly how it ended up! I ended up having to tack the excess fabric whilst trying it on, shimmy out of the dress and overlock the side seams, cutting away the excess fabric in the process. This actually worked really well although when I next make this, I’ll size the pattern down.

The other issue I had was with the hem. I haven’t sewn on the bias before and in the process of overlocking, managed to stretch it so that one side of my dress drops lower than the other. This is a common mistake I make that I’m still working on so will watch in the next attempt, however I actually quite like the accidental asymmetric hem on this toile! It makes it feel really Spanish for some reason.

Trying to be sexy -forgot my ironing board is in the backgrond

I also didn’t use a zip as I’d read in other reviews of this pattern it wasn’t necessary, which for me was true. It slips on really easily so I won’t use a zip for the next make either. Finally, I made a rouleau tie and popped it on the front as a bow to match the original dress.

Overall I am really pleased with my second DIY Rouje dress! At a grand total of £10 including fabric, pattern and delivery it is a total bargain compared to the original price tag of 165 euro. I’ve found myself wearing it a lot since making it – whether to nip to the shops with a denim jacket over the top or sunbathing in the garden. Next I need a soft cardigan to complete the Rouje look – true to form, I’m currently top bidder on a cashmere cardigan on eBay….

Sew Over it Eve Dress

So. We all know of my borderline creepy francophile obsession with French style and its place in my #MeMadeMay2020 objectives.

Having studied French since I was tiny and after living in France for a few years, I love their style and have come to really enjoy incorporating my adoration for la vie française into my sewing life too – whether by using French patterns, following French sewists or slobbering after French brands I can’t afford.

One of them is Rouje, headed up by la reine de effortless chic, Jeanne Demas. Their designs are vintage inspired and Parisian to the core. One of my favourite dresses is the Gabin, which comes in at a cool 170€.

Staring at it (repeatedly) I realised that it’s quite a simple construction – a wrap dress with gathered sleeves, buttons down the side and a strappy tie belt. The website tells me it’s 100% viscose, oh and also it’s “the very essence of Rouje in a dress: Jeanne’s favourite, the essential of any wardrobe, a timeless iconic piece.” Bien.

With perfect timing, Sew Over It were doing a live sewalong with the Eve Dress. This is one of the first dresses I’d ever made and I’d flouncily announced I wouldn’t make it again after the torso sewed up too short, I used too tight a zig zag on the raw edges and my hem was uneven.

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Today I’m starting the Sew Over It Eve dress and revisiting this one I made a couple of years ago when I first started sewing, to see if I need to make adjustments. The answer is yes, yes I do 🤦‍♀️ First issue is that the sleeves are VERY tight so I’ll need to make them a bit wider for this one. I’m using the long sleeve but cutting it down to have a tea dress style sleeve and match the spenny Rouje dress I’m using as inspo. Secondly the torso is a little short on me so I’ll need to lengthen it as standard. There is some armhole gaping which is a common issue for me but to be honest the Rouje dress is very floaty and loose so I think a looser armhole won’t look bad when using my drapey viscose from @atelierbrunette. This viscose crepe was from @abakhan_liverpool but at the time I didn’t have an overlocker so zig zagged the edges, this caused the fabric to bunch up and affect the neckline so I’m hoping this is resolved in this make with my Scary Yet Useful overlocker. Stay tuned for progress! Wearing my @palmairasandals here which arrived this morning and have made my day – taking me back to when I lived in Spain and could walk for hours and hours in the comfiest avarca sandals. Can’t wait to be able to visit Spain again soon ❤️ • • • • #sewoverit #soievedress #evedress #handmade #handmadewardrobe #lovesewing #happiestwhensewing #lovetosew #memade #memadewardrobe #diywardrobe #slowfashion #stylefrançais #diycouture #jecoudsdoncjesuis #faitalamain

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Two years later with more sewing experience behind me, I gave it a go and am really happy with the results!

Of course to maintain loyalty to the original I had to use French fabric so I used Atelier Brunette Dune viscose in ‘Chestnut’, from Dragonfly Fabric who gave a really great service. This was my second time using Atelier Brunette fabric after my comfy WFH blouse.

To achieve the Rouje look, I shortened the length of the hem by about 8 cm. In retrospect, I also wish I had taken some of the swing out of the skirt by making the piece a rectangle rather than it’s original circular shape, but shoulda woulda coulda.

I also shortened the long sleeved version sleeves, meticulously and mathematically by folding the pattern piece in half and saying ‘that’ll do’.

As we’re in lockdown I didn’t have enough time to get enough stay tape so just had enough for the chest pieces and yoke. However I also had ordered matching bias tape so used that all the way around the bodice, folding it in and topstitching so it’s not visible from the outside. This really stabilised my fabric and I would recommend this to anyone making an Eve in addition to the stay tape.

Next up was the buttons and I used interfacing on the back to stabilize the buttonholes. I’m often guilty of not doing this but it really helps with the shape and you can tear away the excess after completing the button hole. These large wooden buttons are cute and from Calico Laine, i’m happy with them though wish I’d gone a little smaller!

Finally I added a press stud to the inside to keep the dress in place, and a rouleau tie around the middle. I used the handy tip from Tilly and the Buttons to do this, wow what a difference it made and you can call me Rouleau Sally from now on, I’ll be making ties from everything in sight!

The only other issue I had with this was the bottom of my hem line warped terribly after sewing the sides. This has only ever happened to me with Atelier Brunette fabric and I imagine it’s because it’s so soft. I left the dress to hang for two days hoping it would even out but sadly it didn’t so I took shears to lop off the uneven bits before hemming. It worked out fine, but I’d like to avoid this in future. I’m sure it’s my sewing pulling the viscose too much and making the fabric stretch, so if anyone has tips I’d love to hear them!

So what do you think of my DIY Rouje dress? Overall I’m really happy with how it turned out, it’s ridiculously comfortable and makes me feel sassy at the same time which is a great feature of any outfit. I’ve enjoyed the process of making a copycat of RTW so will try another Rouje or even Vampire’s Dress in the future!

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So APPARENTLY looking like an effortlessly cool #roujegirls is harder than it looks 🙄 I am adding good photo poses to the list of pledges for #memademay2020 you’ll find on my blog today. This is my first make of the month, the #soievedress which I made following their #stayhomeandsewalong. I used the Rouje Gabin dress for inspo so added a button fasten down the side, a press stud on the interior and a roulé tie around the middle. I am so pleased with this dress as it turned out more or less exactly as I had hoped 🤩 the gorgeous viscose from @atelierbrunette is really drapey and lovely and I used their bias binding along the hem and to hold the belt tie in place. I’ll be writing more about this make on the blog soon but was too excited about it to wait and had to wear it out today! • • • • • #memademay2020 #rouje #roujeparis #diydesigner #diycouture #atelierbrunette #jecoudsdoncjesuis #frenchstyle #sewing #lovesewing #lovetosew #viscosedunenight #diywardrobe #millenialsewing #ootd #diyootd #isewlation #wrapdress #sewcialdistancing #memade

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