Lotta love: Pilvi and Esme

Pre-pandemic, my sewing plans for March included making a project (or two) from the sewing book Everyday Style by Lotta Jansdotter. I had my eye on this book for nearly a year, and I finally got the nudge I needed to purchase it when Sue Stoney and Ali @robinsnest1926 announced a Lotta challenge on Instagram.  I love the Scandinavian design and styling in this book- it is modern, unfussy and joyful. As it turns out, sewing from Everyday Style was the perfect antidote to our current upended world. The projects I made provided a much needed tonic for these complicated pandemic days. Both of the projects are happy and effortless.

I made the Esme Tunic first.  I am one of those rare birds that actually likes a woven pullover top.  I think it’s because I am most comfortable sewing woven fabrics.  The Esme features a great looking neckline and French style darts and facings.  I made a wearable toile from a Japanese cotton canvas from Treadle Yard Goods that I found in my deep stash.  I think I actually purchased this material for a home dec project that went wayward.  This isn’t a color I normally wear- or let’s be honest- previously have never worn!  But, it sure is happy, and yellow is definitely prominently featured in the styling in this book. 

First step is to trace off the pattern pieces.  The seam allowances are included- so it’s actually super quick.  Also the top has only a few pattern pieces.  I cut out a straight size extra small even though according to the measurements, I should have graded out a size for waist and hips.  But the top looked like it had plenty of ease and that was a good call.

This is a super straightforward and simple top.  I like the easy cut and -I may be old school- but I actually prefer a neckline facing to bias binding.  There is plenty of ease across the back and shoulders and through the sleeves- bonus.  This proved very comfortable to wear- the drafting is spot on.  The instructions call for top stitching around the neckline, but I omitted that because the print is busy.  I simply under-stitched the facings and they lay perfectly flat. I found I had only an inch for a hem which I think looks a little skimpy if it’s top-stitched, so I hand sewed a blind hem. 

My second project from the book is the Pilvi coat- which is actually the pattern that first attracted me to this book.  This is a super clean and simple style. The only trick was finding a fabric that was interesting but not crazy. I happily stumbled over the fabric of my dreams at the Sewing Lounge.  The fabric is PERFECT for this coat.  It is a hefty polyester jacquard with great body and a fabulous happy print.  Again, this fabric and pattern proved to be a necessary mood boost for troubling days. 

I LOVE the look and fit of this coat.  It is easy and comfortable and the raglan sleeves give perfect range of motion.

The only tiniest complaint is the sleeve length is short.  I like a three quarter sleeve length, but I had minimal length for the hem on the sleeves.  For reference I am 5’ 4”.  The coat body length, however, is generous- I had to trim 2 inches and still had a substantial hem.

The only time consuming part of this project is finishing the seams.  I used a Hong Kong finish- which I discovered is not the same as a bias finish- explained beautifully by Colette here.  For my Hong Kong finish I purchased bias tape- since the fabric is polyester a cotton polyester blend is perfectly fine and the store bought blue was a good match. For a Hong Kong finish, the binding on the wrong side of the seam allowance is left unfolded- which reduces bulk. For directions on bias bound seams, see Colette’s instructions here.

Both the Esme tunic and the Pilvi coat patterns are also remarkable because they are modeled in the book by women who are 50 years of age or older. Definitely LOVE and am happy to support pattern makers who include older models in styling and other marketing for the pattern. Thanks Lotta!

Ready to Wear Copycat

Shirt dresses are a wardrobe staple for me- particularly for work.  I purchased a sturdy navy corduroy from the Fabric Store to make another of these wardrobe workhorses for cool weather.  But, as often happens when sewing basics, I put this project off in favor of sparkly, shiny, new sewing projects.  Then, I stumbled across this brilliant ready to wear twist on a shirt dress here and I found the inspiration I needed to finally make this up. 

Let the pattern hacking-drafting begin.

First step in copycat dressmaking is to examine the pattern lines and scour my patterns to find the basic structural pieces.  When does hacking turn into drafting? I kind of based my pattern on Simplicity 2246- but very loosely. I changed up the front closure. The Simplicity pattern has a separate button placket and I was planning on using big buttons- like the inspiration dress -and a button placket would be too fussy.  I also added fish eye darts in the back for subtle shaping similar to the design I was following.  Then, I drafted the simple drop waist skirt piece. I didn’t simply draw a straight line rectangle.  The top piece needs a slight curve from side seam dipping in the middle.

Pretty straightforward- but then came the collar

I gained – the hard way - a bit of collar wisdom working my way through this.  I actually made and applied two separate collars- before landing on the final outcome.

There is plenty of collar terminology to wade through: applied or grown on, stand or flat, convertible or non-convertible.  On top of that there are a bunch of collar names: Peter Pan, shawl, Eton, mandarin etc. 

I never use the collar included in Simplicity 2246 because it is a one piece mock two piece stand collar- which I find a little unusual. I am generally most fond of a traditional two piece stand collar- despite the associated sewing challenges. On the inspiration dress, there isn’t a stand collar piece in front.  However- notice the bit of a stand in back – this is a mix of stand and flat collar.  This is exactly the collar construction I used in the Foreman jacket.  When you wear the collar open, you get a lapel look, and you can also wear the collar buttoned up.  This is called- appropriately-a convertible collar- because you get two collar looks.

I first gallantly made an attempt drafting and installing the mixed stand convertible collar with a back stand, but when installed the collar would not roll smoothly.  You can’t press or mold faux leather- so the drafting needs to be spot on. So the easier and ultimately successful solution was to draft and install a simple convertible collar.  Gertie has simple instructions for drafting a convertible collar here.

I am very pleased with my copycat look, and super happy with this riff on a traditional shirtdress. PS- notice the red nose- outside temperature is 20 degrees Fahrenheit!

Florals for Fall

I don’t put away my floral prints in cold weather. So, the other day, I was interested to see this little snippet describing fall fashion: “… wearing floral prints in darker shades is officially a trend.” Well then…

Even in warm weather, I lean to darker florals.  A moody floral is obviously a safe choice when sewing cool weather garments.  I know choosing prints can be tricky, and picking florals possibly even more so.  And, even though I tire of prints quicker than solids, I still choose florals often. I have said it before- Winters are long in Minnesota. And, in my book, flowers are a mood brightener.

I saw this charming Burda Style top made up in lovely solids recently, but -here I go again- I went floral for my version.

This particular little floral definitely works in cool weather with the brown and golden hues. The fabric is a cotton linen sheeting- lighter than broadcloth but a bit heavier than lawn.  It is a very nice weight for blouses or tops. 

This is my first Burda Style download in a while- but I remembered they ran a bit big for me.  And it proved true for this top.  I had to scale this simple top down a bit.  I drafted approximately one size smaller than the smallest pattern size (36- which should be my size according to measurements) and I also raised the neckline by a full inch by simply drawing the pattern line an inch higher all the way up the neck. With the drop sleeves and roomy fit- there are no real fitting issues. I just know I almost always need a higher neckline.

 I love the detail of the pleated sleeves-pleated at the cuff- and shown here in action. I admit I have a bad habit of pointing….

This top is styled with my Pietra pants- blogged about here- which seem to go with everything- especially florals!