Textured Rayon Wilder Top and Dawn Jeans

I (like the majority of half of the online sewing community it would seem!) fell in love with the Wilder Gown pattern from Friday Pattern Company when it was released last year. Bohemian and easy breezy chic with on trend gathered tiers, it was irresistible to image it sewn up in a plethora of different fabrics (and if you search #wildergown on Instagram you can see just that!). Despite wanting to make it and wear it right that second I was a little hesitant about what the high gathered neckline would look like on me. I'm quite petite and short in the shoulder with a bit of a bust so this kind of style is never a failsafe win in my book. After seeing it look wonderful on lots of different body shapes as it surged to popularity online though I thought it was worth a go. As the pattern for the full length gown is quite a fabric eater I decided to give the top a try first to check out that neckline before investing too much time and money in a dress.

The month before I'd ordered a metre of this stunning rayon textured check from The Fabric Store on a whim (sadly now sold out but they have some other beautiful sheer textured fabrics in at the moment). I didn't have any plans for it but on rummaging through my stash it appeared to be perfect for a Wilder Top. It is really hard to capture the beauty and delicacy of this fabric on camera. For some reason it looks a lot more dense than it does in reality! In real life t has this gorgeous diaphanous quality with almost sheer sections running through the check. The texture is quite unlike anything I've come across before with those pronounced ridges running throughout. I think it is the bold scale of the texture which makes it so unusual. Despite the chunkiness of those textured stripes it is still really soft and drapey.

Size-wise the measurement chart puts my bust in a small and my waist and hips more in the medium. As it is a voluminous style from the bust down I cut the small which feels right. With oversized styles which I feel might overwhelm me I have a tendency to want to size down even further but I'm glad I didn't with this as it actually fits quite neatly across the shoulders and chest which balances out the volume beneath.

I really loved sewing this up. For a design which has a bit of interest and drama it is actually really fast and straightforward to put together. There is a centre front seam which makes cleanly finishing that neckline opening easy and raglan sleeves are so much quicker than a set in one! Threading the tie through the neckline probably takes longer than most of the other construction steps. I think the gathered neckline manages not to feel twee because of the depths that the designer has so carefully chosen. The inch depth of the frill at the top then the chunky inch thickness of the tie feels quite bold and modern. F.Y.I I've been really enjoying wearing this under a toaster sweater during winter with the frill just poking out of the neck!

To squeeze the pattern pieces on to the small amount of fabric I had I shortened the bodice pieces ever so slightly (an inch at most). I am however really missing that extra bit of length as it doesn't like to stay tucked into my bottoms no matter how high waisted they are! If I'd had more fabric I would have actually liked to cut the dress version of the bodice which is a little shorter than the top and add a ruffled plum around the hem. Will have to save that idea for the next version! The limited amount of fabric I had meant I couldn't do any pattern matching along the raglan sleeve seams. The matching on all the other seams is a bit shoddy too as I approached it as a muslin I wasn't all that sure I'd like. Had I known how much wear I was going to get out of it I might have taken more care!

The jeans are made using the Dawn Jeans pattern from Megan Nielsen. I've made the shorts version before but this is my first time making the full length jean. The pattern is incredibly versatile with 4 different versions to make and a bonus ebook with choices of zip, button and exposed button fly. There is a tapered leg, a straight leg, a wide leg and a short, plus lengths for tall, regular and cropped. I sewed up View B - the straight leg jean in a non stretch deep dark indigo denim from The Fabric Store. I've had a few pieces of denim in my stash for a while now so can't remember which exact one it is but I believe it to be about a 12oz one, so quite robust. From what I've seen it sews up great in non denim fabrics like linen too. What I love about this pattern is that it is a true classic cut of high waisted jean.

As I've made and blogged this pattern previously I don't have much to add construction-wise but one thing I will say is that they fit like an absolute glove - straight out of the envelope! But that is almost too well in this very rigid denim! They are certainly taking some wearing in but (as I finished these back in December) after a couple of months I'm starting to feel them soften. No high kicks or bicycle riding in them for the time being though! I could have made them in a size up but I feel like the snug fit gives them somewhere to go as they age. If I made them the size up I think when they softened up and stretched out they'd end up too big and baggy really quickly. If you prefer a more relaxed fit with your jeans though I'd go ahead and size up.

As I always do now, I used Gütermann extra strong thread for my topstitching rather than the thicker topstitching thread. I've always had problems with topstitching thread snarling up in the machine but have no problems whatsoever with the extra strong thread. It is slightly thinner which I prefer, it looks a bit more professional to me than chunky topstitching. I kept to a classic copper colour and matches my button and rivets to that (all of which came from my stash). I omitted the rivets on the rear pockets simply as i didn't have enough but like that I now get to show off those topstitched corners as I'm really proud of them! Does anyone have any tips on where to get interesting jeans hardware? I'm bored of using the same old buttons and rivets!

I know a lot of you will be wondering how the pattern compares to the famous Ginger Jeans from Closet Case Patterns. It is actually quite tricky to compare the two as the Gingers are designed for stretch denim and the Dawns for rigid denim(non stretch). If you want a pair of jeans which are comfortable for most activities straight off the machine then I'd go for the stretch option but if you want a truly classic pair of non stretch jeans the Dawn's are a great choice. The rise of the Dawn is slightly higher than even the higher rise version of the Gingers and I personally love how that feels to wear. I love the pocket/tummy stay on the Gingers (larger pocket pieces which reach right over to the fly and effectively hold your tummy in!) but that would be easy enough to add in to Dawn. Both patterns have fantastically thorough and detailed instructions with clear illustrations. I personally found the Megan Nielsen fly construction method slightly easier to follow and get a neat finish on but that might just be because I've got a couple of years more sewing under my belt since I made the Gingers. Without that amazing sew-along from Closet Case Patterns I'm not sure I'd be able to finish a pair of jeans at all!

I'm so happy to have another pair of handmade jeans in may wardrobe and feel like with each pair I'm getting better and better! I only wish I had time to sew more. My test version of the Wilder was a resounding success and (spoiler alert) I plunged straight in and made a gown version soon after. Will hopefully get some photos and get it on the blog soon.