Merino Mandy Boat Tee and Herringbone Wool Pietra Pants

After all those garments from my holiday wardrobe I've got something more seasonally appropriate to share with you today...an entirely woollen outfit!

The Mandy Boat Tee is a free pattern download from Tessuti Fabrics which is very popular with sewists online. I'm sure many of you have made one already! I've finally jumped on the Mandy train and am wondering what took me so long when I am such a fan of Tessuti's pattern drafting and suggested construction techniques. This top is a slouchy knit style with boat neck, dropped shoulders and close fitting three quarter or full length sleeves. It is a very quick sew and so so easy to wear! I like to wear mine with a high waisted bottom and a french tuck - very Tan France!

I think I had been tentative about making this top (despite the rave reviews) as I tend to prefer a more figure skimming silhouette. I'm quite petite and don't go straight up and down so always feel a bit swamped in 'oversized' or 'relaxed fitting' styles. I think Tessuti have got this design spot on though. The amount of fabric around the body feels just right and is nicely balanced by the tight fitting sleeves and boat neck exposing skin around the neck and collar bone. I feel very comfortable but not at all sloppy in this.

Construction wise I followed the pattern directions exactly and made no changes to the fit either. Their standard sizes (XXS-XXXL) are grouped into four sizes for this pattern and I cut a size 1 of which I am at the top end of the size range. As with all knits I sewed it up with a stretch stitch on my machine, then finished the seams on the overlocker. All raw edges including the neckline on this pattern are turned and stitched with a twin needle; there is no neck band.

I used the merino jersey in port from The Fabric Store's premium range for this version and made a second one of these up in a pale linen knit for my travels but I like it nowhere near as much. I think it is to do with the colour not suiting me and also the texture of the knit not working for this style. Despite that one being less successful I can see this working in lots of other fabrics and know this is a pattern I'm going to return to again and again. The winter version of the Ogden Cami which I live in all summer!

The trousers are another pair of Closet Case Patterns Pietra Pants which I blogged about a few weeks ago. I thought it was worth blogging about these too as the design details show up so much better in a solid than the print I used for the other pair. For this pair I used an amazing spongy herringbone wool from The Fabric Store (unfortunately now sold out). It is quite a thick fabric and whilst they have been amazing to wear in the cold and windy British winter I think my second pair in the lighter weight rayon was more successful. The more structured fabric choice has highlighted some fit issues which weren't a problem with my floaty summer pair. Very interesting!

I think partially these just have a slightly more relaxed fit than the tailored pant I was envisioning in this fabric and I should have paid closer attention to the finished measurements to achieve that look. I'm usually quite lucky with most pattern companies in that my measurements fall pretty much in to one size but with Closet Case Patterns I have to think a little harder about my choices! My measurements fluctuate a little but on their size chart I'm generally a bust 8, waist 6-8 and hip 8-10. For these trousers I cut the size 8 at the waist and graded out to a 10 at the hip downwards. I sometimes have issues with the width of trouser legs being a little snug on the calves so I thought the larger size could benefit there too. On hindsight I think I should have cut the size 6 waist and graded out to an 8 at the hip. There's a good amount of ease included.

There are also a few issues in the crotch and bum. I think they are a bit too long in the crotch; it feels like there is too much fabric in that area! Seeing them in photos the issues around the bum are less obvious that I thought and I've had a lot of compliments on these trousers so perhaps that is just my own personal misgivings with having too much fabric emphasising that area! The elasticated back waist creates a bit of bulk; in the lightweight drapey viscose I used for my second pair I don't notice it at all but in this thicker wool it adds quite a bit of bulk.

Despite my misgivings about the fit I've actually worn these a lot as the accidental relaxed fit is very comfortable and they pair so well with smarter trainers and casual tops like the Mandy for work. Also those big, clever, roomy pockets are SO useful for keeping pins/pens/tape measures when I'm crawling around on the floor during a fitting! The fabric is very cosy too. It has a slightly rough texture and a subtle herringbone stripe which I think adds a bit of interest rather than being a flat solid. The back of the fabric is equally interesting as the colours are reversed.

I love how the stitching through the elasticated back of the waist looks in this fabric. The whole design of the waist area is very clever as the flat front makes them more flattering while you still get the comfort of the elastic. The elastic is nice and wide so doesn't shift around and that combined with a nice deep facing at the front makes them very comfortable indeed. I'll definitely be making a pair of these in linen for summer and probably some shorts once I've got the fit nailed. I'm in love with all the colours Heather has used for her samples; especially the little pink pair of shorts with the topstitching detail!

Vintage Rose Rayon Kalle Shirt Hack

I can't remember which image I saw that inspired this top. I possibly spied it on Pinterest or while I was scrolling through Instagram. All I can remember is that I couldn't find a sewing pattern for it! Again I'd limited my options by wanting to make it last minute before holiday so it had to be a PDF download but it sort of surprised me as I felt sure I'd seen many boxy little button up tops with v-necks around. Anyway, admitting defeat I turned to my pattern stash to see what I could use as a starting point.

The closest to the vision in my head was the Kalle Shirt & Shirtdress from Closet Case Patterns. I've made a maxi length version of this before which incidentally I also wore a lot on holiday and got a lot of compliments on! This time around I started with the cropped length of the pattern and I cut the size 8 as before. I'm sort of between the 6 and 8 on my top half and could probably stand to go down to the smaller size but I'm happy with the relaxed look of this. It sits nicely across the shoulders and doesn't shift about.

My first pattern hacking step was the lengthen the shirt by 5cm using the lengthen/shorten lines on the pattern. I decided to do this after seeing Lauren's version and liking how that added bit of length looked. I wanted to have the option to tuck the top in to high waisted bottoms which I now can. I also reduced the size of the centre back pleat in the same way as Lauren by shifting the pattern piece over the edge of the fold of the fabric by 1". This is a really easy way to reduce the roominess of the top without sizing down and potentially ruining the fit across the shoulders.

Next to create the v-neck I set aside the centre front placket, collar and stand pattern pieces and drew a straight line on my front pattern piece from the edge of the neckline at the shoulder down to the centre front. I used a pattern piece from the Sutton Blouse as a guideline for how deep to go. I think I could have got away with a couple of inches deeper as this is quite modest but very wearable! I then drafted a facing for the new neckline and centre front by tracing the shape of the front edge from the front pattern piece and making it 2" wide (including 5/8" seam allowance) all the way along. The back of the neckline remained the same shape and would now be finished using the yoke so there was no need to draft a facing for that.

When constructing this new neckline and centre front finish I first attached the facings along the centre front, under-stitched them and pressed them back to the wrong side. I then attached the back of the top to the front following the burrito method in the instructions. This means the whole front including the facings is sandwiched between the yoke pieces giving a clean finish. When 'burritoing' the yoke and front together sewing the shoulder seams I continued right the way along the back neckline, sewing the two yoke pieces together wrong sides together. I then turned the top to the right side through an armhole opening and the back neckline was finished neatly along with the shoulder seams. I wasn't 100% sure it would work (sometimes these trial and error methods of bagging out have resulted in a tangled loop of fabric!) but luckily it did and I'm so pleased with the clean interior finish.

Rayon and viscose are my absolute favourite type of fabric to wear; it so perfectly suits a whole variety of garments. It is not that easy to come by in good wearable prints so whenever I see it in a print or solid colour that I love I can't resist it and my stash has been growing! I've been adding the solid colour rayon crepes from The Fabric Store to my orders for a little while now and have a nice array of them in my stash. I tend to order just a metre or metre and a half as I see them all as little sleeveless tops or camis but recently I've been drawn to various styles of big billowing sleeves which require rather more fabric...Anyway for this top I decided to use the vintage rose colour, of which I had a metre and thought was a nice modern neutral to pair with other garments.

Rayon crepe like this can be a little shifty to work with particularly when cutting. I often cut it out on carpet rather than a smooth table surface or wooden floor as it has a little grip to keep it in place. To help keep everything on grain when you lay your pattern pieces out I often pin the selvedges together - if you're working on carpet you can even pin into it! Working with a rotary cutter can also help cut accurately as cutting with sheers lifts the fabric off the cutting surface slightly and can distort your pattern pieces. When sewing up be careful not to stretch it out and make sure to stay-stitch where required. Use lots of fine pins and keep your pins within the seam allowance if possible so as not to mark your delicate fabric.

As the fabric was only 126cm wide and I had only one metre I had to play pattern piece tetris and omit the sleeve cuffs from the original pattern. This was a design choice I was considering anyway and I'm pleased with the resulting look. I only had teeny scraps of fabric left when I finished cutting. I could have chosen to leave off the hem facing and chose an alternative finishing method but I love the dramatic curve of the hemline which is only possible because of that facing. A regular turned and stitched hem which wouldn't work around such tight corners and a rolled hem wouldn't give the same weight and structure as the facing which emphasises the shape.

I've been trying to use buttons from my button box rather than buying new as I have so many. There were a few I tried out and I was initially after a more organic natural looking button but these one out in the end as they tie in tonally with the pink very nicely. Size wise they're spot on. I love a statement button. As I can just about get the neckline over my head without unfastening the top I faked the buttonholes. I love the automatic buttonhole function on my machine (the Brother Innov-is F420). However it creates such beautiful buttonholes I can hardly bear to cut them open! For these I sewed the buttonholes on the machine (so quick and easy!) then hand sewed the button on top, right through both layers.

This weight of rayon crepe is perfect for this oversized style of top, it hangs well without clinging and has beautiful movement. I can see me making a few more of these perhaps with different shaped necklines, a square hem and with sleeve cuffs to use up some of those small cuts of viscose lurking in my fabric hamper. Plenty of time to sew at the moment anyway. Stay safe and healthy everyone.

Linen Cielo Top and Rayon Pietra Pants Hack

When we decided to head back to Africa again this winter one of the things I knew for sure that I wanted to add to my handmade holiday wardrobe was a pair of harem style loose fitting cuffed trousers. A lightweight and breathable pair of full length bottoms with an elasticated hem to keep the mosquitos off in the evenings.

Initially I went on a pattern hunt for a simple shape of harem pant. As I was on quite a tight turn around time I wanted a PDF pattern that I could download and get started on right away which limited options to indie designs. This turned out to be surprising hard to find! I hunted through the whole Foldline database of trouser patterns before deciding I was going to have to add my own elasticated hem to a straight/wide legged trouser pattern. I didn't want anything too voluminous but did want a bit of width in the leg to create a nice billow at the bottom where the elasticated hem pulls it in. I was looking at a number of options including the Paper Theory Miller Trousers, the Papercut Palisade Pants and the French Navy Now Calyer Pants. I've since noticed that Made by Rae recently released the Luna Pants which would have been perfect! I'll try this pattern out next time; I wore these pretty much every night of the holiday so definitely could do with another pair.

In the end I went with adapting the Closet Case Patterns Pietra Pants as I already had the pattern in my stash. I also already knew that they had a nice comfortable fit and a bit of width in the leg as I have actually already made a pair that I haven't got around to photographing and blogging yet! I had some fit issues with my first pair; either too long in the crotch or all around too big (I'll discuss and show you in another blog post). However as I wanted this pair to have a bit of room in them I stuck exactly with the size I'd cut previously - the 8 at the waist grading out to a 10 at the hip downwards. This has turned out really great and I don't notice the bulk and excess fabric around the bum in this finer drapey fabric. If you want to make a pair in this style and have made a more tailored pair I'd recommend sizing up from whatever you originally used.

I was sure I wanted to use rayon/viscose for its lightweight and breathable properties, but also for it's beautiful fluid movement which is important for this style of trouser. I was drawn to the idea of using a print and had my eyes peeled for the perfect one. I couldn't be happier with this lovely dotted chrysanthemum viscose crepe from The Fabric Store. The fact that it is just grey and white feels contemporary and not too bold of a statement. The trousers work with so many different tops, even other prints.

As the Pietra's have a quite generous hem allowance I figured that would be plenty to create a narrow channel for the elastic. I actually think I could have done with a little bit more length in them to allow for the blouson effect of the fabric into the cuff. I'm happy with how they look but I'd like to be able to pull them down over the ankle a bit further for extra mosquito protection! I made the elastic around the ankles a bit too tight initially but is has eased up with wear and now they are comfortable. I used 5/8" width of elastic; I didn't want it to look chunky but also thought a narrow one might dig in and twist.

I've never been a huge fan of an elasticated waist but I love this one. The trousers have a flat front which a nice deep facing which I think is so much more flattering than elasticated the whole way around. Also the elastic around the back is nice and wide at 2" which is much more comfortable than a narrow elastic which rides up and digs in. These trousers actually stay in the right place! I very much recommend to follow the instruction to pin your elastic in place and give the trousers a try on to determine that it is the right length rather than diving in and sewing the length of elastic recommended for your size on the pattern. I needed to shorten it quite considerably to get a snug fit. I think the quality and recovery of the stretch in your elastic can affect this quite a bit.

When I chose the Pietra's I wasn't 100% sure that the cut of them would work as they are designed to be a bit more tailored and shapely. Each leg is made of three panels with a large pocket sitting in the panel between the centre front and side seams. It turns out I love the shape made up in a lighter fabric with a bit of movement and I adore those big interesting and deep pockets. Pockets are so useful when you're travelling around and camping! I made sure to reinforce the pocket opening edge with fusible interfacing as instructed. I feel like a bit of twill tape wouldn't have gone amiss either as a viscose crepe like this does have a tendency to stretch out. It is really hard to see any of the seam lines and design details in this print but do check out the line drawing and I'll try and post my other plain pair soon!

I think if I hadn't made them before I would have plumped for the view with the wide leg but I knew that the slightly tailored cut had the kind of width in the leg I envisioned for my harem style pant. I love that these have turned out to be quite a slim. They feel quite modern, especially when paired with a boxy little top like the Cielo. Cielo (also from Closet Case Patterns) is a fantastic pattern. If I'd had more time I'd definitely have made a dress version for holiday (check out those front pockets!) but that plan will have to wait for summer! It is one of those designs which looks super chic and minimal but has some well thought out details which elevate it slightly. In particular I like the bit of interest the back yoke pieces give. I topstitched these in a matching thread but you could draw attention to that detail with some contrast top-stitching.

I used this chambray linen in the smoke colour for the top. The Fabric Store have a fantastic range of linens and I particularly love their yarn dyed collection which the chambrays are part of. The yarn is dyed before weaving rather than after which means you get a really interesting variety and depth of colour rather than it being totally flat. This particular linen is the perfect weight and opacity for a top. Linen is a great choice of fabric for this pattern as the crisp hand lends a bit of structure to emphasise that lovely boxy cut and shape of the sleeve. I imagine the view with the big billowing sleeves would look wonderful in a silk or viscose with drape though. I think this is a great example of a pattern which can look completely different depending on the fabric you choose and you could use a huge range of fabrics for it. A wonderful blank canvas for adding your own twist too.

I like that the neckline of the Cielo is finished with a bias tape facing rather than a facing left loose to flap around. Necklines sit so much nicer when finished in this manner. Especially if you under-stitch the binding before turning it over to the wrong side. The inch deep hem is also a nice touch that adds a bit of weight to the hem which I think works well with this slightly cropped length and boxy shape. I opted to slip stitch the top edge of the cuff down rather than topstitch. I prefer the clean finish and with this kind of linen it is easy enough to make your stitches invisible from the right side. I like that the instructions have you secure this down all the way around rather than at just a few points. I've done this before on a couple of projects like the Emmeline Tee and find they never sit quite neatly, particularly once you've put a jacket on top.

I cut the size 6 of the top (without the FBA, so the A&B cup pattern pieces) after seeing how much ease there was in the finished garment measurements and am pleased with the fit. It feels boxy without being overwhelming. I'm really pleased with how these two garments work together and feel like I could create a whole wardrobe of garments to mix and match using just these two patterns. They were both part of the Closet Case Patterns Rome Collection. The third is the Fiore Skirt which I wasn't that interested in when it was released but these two have been such a success I might have to give it a whirl.