The Ginger skirt is actually finished, but I yet have to take a photograph of it being worn.
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Thanks guys for your supportive comments on Vogue 8805. I just stashed it in the back of my closet for now, so who knows what will ever become of it.
Category Archives: colette patterns
Colette Ginger: Work in Progress
So far, so good. I’m glad I still remember how to make a muslin.
What I’m Working on This Week: Colette Ginger
I know I must be the last person left to try this, but I’m finally going to try out Colette Ginger. Sewing with knits has almost stripped away all my confidence with fitting, so wish me luck.
Peter Pan Collar Sorbetto
Front view.
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Side view.
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Front view #2.
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Closeup of brooch.
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I finished this Sorbetto a few weeks ago and only had a chance to post about it now. I used some leftover swiss dot, lined it with cotton batiste, and serged the seams. I also added sleeves and a peter pan collar. My pattern review is below.
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Colette Sorbetto Pattern Review
Pattern Description:
Sleeveless top with center pleat
Pattern Sizing:
0-18. I cut a straight size 2 but cut a size 4 in the armholes.
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Well not really because I removed the pleat.
Were the instructions easy to follow?
I didn’t read the instructions.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I liked that it’s quick and makes good use of remnants.
Fabric Used:
Swiss dot.
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I serged the seams. I also added sleeves and a peter pan collar.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Yes I’m definitely making more Sorbettos. This is my second one.
Conclusion:
I’m way behind on the Sorbetto craze, but I love making Sorbettos.
This Week’s Unexpected Project: Clover Pants
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Front view.
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Side view.
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Side view, #2.
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Back view.
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Back view, #2.
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(It’s kind of strange to have your butt be on so many angles for the header image of a blog post.)
For this project I used a medium-weight grey twill. I cut the pieces for this project a few weeks ago, put them in a ziplock bag, and stashed them underneath the xbox (the cabinet that the xbox sits on, not the actual xbox itself). I started these on Friday night when I unexpectedly left work late enough to skip going to the dojo (ugh!) and surprisingly finished them on Saturday morning.
I used the same pattern as before except narrowed the leg. This version came along smoothly until it was time to get to the waistband. The fabric I used this time had 0% stretch (mistake #1). I didn’t label the waistband front and back and sewed the front and back on backwards (mistake #2. When I noticed this the waistband was already serged and sewn on, so I unpicked my stitches and cut off the serged part (mistake #3). All of these mistakes compounded to other parts, making the waistband area a lot smaller. When it was time to try on the pants the waist area didn’t fit! I undid the side seam, made some adjustments to the waistband, tried them on, and then they fit. However at this point it was past 2 am and I was convinced they still didn’t fit and I’d have to recut.
On Saturday morning I looked at them again, determined to re-cut if they didn’t fit, and now they fit properly (?!). I guess my adjustments were fine after all. Hmmph.
Also shown here is the Geometric Sorbetto, which definitely looks more vintage with set hair.
Notes for future clovers:
- Label the waistband front and back
- Find a zipper that matches the fabric closely
- Pick fabrics with 4% stretch as recommended by pattern
This project is part of my Spring/Summer SWAP which has changed yet again and needs to be documented properly. More on this in the future.
What I’m Working on This Week
I really like swiss dot. This is from my leftover swiss dot remnants from my 40s blouse. I have every intention of hoarding all of it and turning it into something wearable.
I also got a new lens for my camera this week, so this post is as much about sewing this blouse as getting used to this lens.
Geometric Sorbetto with Scalloped Collar
Front view.
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Scallop collar view.
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Scallop collar alternate view.
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Outfit view. (I thought this would look frumpy or baggy but surprisingly no.)
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Closeup. (Still trying to get used to the new 50mm and this whole depth of field thing.)
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I’m a little late on the Sorbetto bandwagon, but here it is anyway.
I first attempted Sorbetto over a year ago which led to a tremendous fail. It didn’t fit, it looked really short and it was weirdly-shaped. I gave it a second try and surprisingly I like it. I drafted a scallop collar which I think (?) makes it look more vintage but it’s hard to say here considering I didn’t set my hair.
Fabric used: Geometric blue cotton voile, remnants (about a yard?). Swiss dot for the collar, less than a yard, also remnants.
Construction notes: Used French seams. Serged the sleeves and hem before folding it over and tacking it down.
What I did differently this time:
- checked the printed pattern swatch to make sure it was 4×4 (this was crucial)
- cut a standard size 2 everywhere but cut a size 4 in the armholes
- drafted some cap sleeves
- added 4 inches to the hem
- drafted a scalloped collar which might possibly make me look like a deranged clown, but I like it and I don’t care
I have many more Sorbettos planned out (especially for those remnants that I love to hoard) but hopefully each will look different each time. This is definitely a very versatile pattern.
Clover Pants: Postmortem Analysis
Oh, Clover pants. In retrospect this project turned up just fine, but we all know something is wrong when the in-progress shots are of the project wadded up, folded or sitting on the windowsill. I’m still calling this a work in progress and not a fail in progress, though it’s certainly heading that way.
I’ve made about two muslins so far for Clover, so what went wrong this time?
- the crotch area is now way too high (my math must have been totally off?)
- the muslin I’ve been using is far too stretchy than my fashion fabric
- the front part pooches out (way too wide?)
- the hips are too wide and pooch out also
- I basted everything before starting, but instead of using one inch seams like my muslin, I didn’t think my fashion fabric was stretchy enough and used 5/8 seams
This disaster didn’t come about but for lack of trying. I own about three pants fitting books, did the sitting on a chair measuring your crotch thing (that sounds worse than it actually is), measured everything really carefully and still my math was off.
I then decided to compare it to a pair of ready to wear pants that fit pretty well. In comparison, the crotch depth was way off. I started again with a standard size 4 in Colette patterns, measured the crotch curves of the green pants (pants that fit) with the Clover pants and tried again. This was the only method that worked for me.
I made a quick muslin out of some leftover cotton sateen that was slightly stretchy. These are more shorts than pants because I anticipated making 10000 more muslins after this one, but it turned out pretty well.
Colette Patterns Clover: The Blue Pants of Many Muslins
Side view.
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Front view #1.
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Front view #2.
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Faux bakelite bracelet, pink lucite bracelet with gold confetti glitter.
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The Facts
Fabric: Blue Twill, $7/yd, at 60 inches/yd
Pattern: Colette Clover
Year: 2010
Notions: Invisible zipper, $1
Time to complete: Three months? Ok maybe more like 4 hours once I got the fit down.
First worn: I’ve already worn this twice since.
Wear again? Of course!
Total price: $20, but it would have cost less if I didn’t need to cut the pants twice due to mistakes
I started these pants around October last year, three months ago. I had a hard time with fitting. I made three muslins and the last one worked out, but something must have gone wrong because my first version of these pants in the blue twill were very very large. The waist was way too high. It sat in the corner of my living room for another two weeks in its organized plastic bag until I went back and made two more muslins.
I finally used a pair of ready-to-wear pants as a guide to fitting these and copied the measurements exactly. It worked out pretty well and I finally made pants that fit. I had to harvest the invisible zipper from the first pair to use in this version.
These pants almost didn’t make it this week, making it a true UFO challenge.
Colette Patterns Clover, Muslin #3
I tried making Clover a few months ago and my first try at it was a complete fail. I’ve since read Pants for Real People and the next draft was a little better. I used a stretchy cotton that will mimic my final fabric, and fitted the pants as best as I could. Muslin #2 (not shown here) was baggy and even more unflattering, but this muslin turned out better.
Alterations:
- cut a size 4 (instead of a size 6), but it was still way too big (?)
- shortened the leg by one inch
- added one inch to the crotch length
- sewed all seams 1″ (after 5/8″ was still too baggy and unflattering)
- added the waistband to the muslin for even more accuracy
I think this is as good as it gets and will be making this version out of the fashion fabric. I’m not sure if the blue stretch twill I’ll be using will be as stretchy as the muslin, so I’ll be basting 1″ inch seams first, then testing it, then finalizing it if that works out.