Tag Archives: Colette

THE ONLY WAY IS UP

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Had that sinking feeling when you look at the fabric you purchased for a project and thought ‘Ooops‘?

Never one to shy from a challenge, I decided to not only slightly modify a pattern but to do it with a stripe fabric for the Colette Sewalong 2.0 – Hazel. Yes I’m having yet another crack at Hazel.

crikey stripes everywhere!

Nothing like a challenge!

OK not so bad, except when the stripes run in one direction and are all different widths. Not so good.

I almost ditched this project, however the time I spend in the sewing room after putting my girls to bed saved it. I spent a lot of time looking at the pattern and the fabric, moving pieces around before I started.

All sorts of things have gone wrong, I’ve cut out some pieces twice, jiggled and wriggled the pieces, had more than a few moments when I thought “I’m an idiot, I can’t do this” but I’ve hung in there and the stripes are lining up. Hooray.

I cut all the pieces out on the ironing board as they were all small and/or narrow. I wanted to achieve a cheveron effect at the seams so I was very precise about the position of the patterns pieces on the fabric before cutting. Once I had a pattern piece down exactly where I wanted it on my fabric, I wanted to anchor it securely before cutting. Standard pinning did not give me the result I was after and pattern weights were also not secure enough.

Solution? I pushed the pins directly down, through the pattern piece, the fabric and the ironing board itself. As my ironing board has a cover, a thick felt layer and then a metal grid, the pins went through easily (errr, except for when I hit the metal grid bits, minor detail).

Cutting out on the ironing board

Pinned down!

I pinned a little in from the edge so my scissors could easily slide along the edge. I have a rotary cutter and mat, however I found this method much easier for little pieces. (excuse the dodgey iPhone photos – the only thing at hand at night – but I think you get the idea. All you can see is a pin head, no pin shaft.).

I also found the height of the ironing board and the ease of moving around it very helpful.

Unlike many sewing projects, I have cut out the pieces as I have gone along. I knew I had enough fabric so I took my time. I cut out the bodice and pieced it together. Then cut and pieced the skirt. I spent quite a while deciding what to do with the stripes on the straps. I cut the facings from the scraps towards the end.

It’s been fun. In fact it reminds me of making a patchwork quilt, putting time and consideration into each step. Thinking about the placement of each piece and how the fabric works in context of the larger project. Sometimes it is nice to know your destination, other times choosing a different path is just as rewarding.

Still more work to go on this stripey challenge, I have to shift the straps a little, do some understitching and then the hem.

Patience is a virtue…

Stripey bodice

More stripes!

PORT PARIS DRESS

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TOWN GREEN, PORT MACQUARIE 2444

TOWN GREEN, PORT MACQUARIE 2444. This is our gorgeous Town Green located smack bang at the end of our main street. Yes it really is that beautiful.

I can’t help myself. I don’t want to post the following pictures but I feel I must.ELH (ever-lovin husband) is out at ‘boys’ night’.

I finish The Dress.

What to do? Bribe the small children to take photos of course. And not good ones at that!

Warning: Contained in this post are some extremely dodgy pictures of Simplicity 2444 aka PORT PARIS DRESS.

Why the name you might ask? Well the PORT part is inspired by my home town. I live in Port Macquarie, Australia and our postcode is 2444 – and this dress is made from the Simplicity 2444 pattern.Australians have a tendency to shorten everything. That’s why we say G’day instead of Good Day. So locals refer to Port Macquarie as ‘Port’. Of course there are lots of Port ‘somethings’ in Australia – but this is ‘our Port’.

We have gorgeous beaches, a beautiful river right in town and stacks of koalas – which I must tell you are very noisy when they are out cruising for a girlfriend, let’s say they advertise very vocally and wake up the neighbourhood in the middle of the night. We see koalas all the time. Yes really. All the time. We are lucky enough to get them in our front yard regularly. It’s funny I never stop being delighted when I see them. They are so cute! I came home one day to find this chap sitting in the middle of my driveway. He decided a tree was a better option when we pulled up.

Koala

Koala in the front yard. ‘Common as muck’ in Port but v.cute!

And I had it in my head that Simplicity 2444 was going to be my Port Macquarie dress. I wasn’t too sure about the pattern but could not helped buying it as it matched my postcode. Weird but true. I just could not figure out what fabric might work as ‘Port Macquarie’. Koalas are a bit twee as a wardrobe wear choice when you actually are Australian.

Then I was walking through Spotlight and a fabric caught my eye. I immediately thought of Simplicity 2444. It’s from the furnishing section and I suspect it’s cotton ‘duck’. It’s 100% cotton, thick and heavy (it’s going to be a nightmare to dry) but I like the impact it has on the skirt pleats. It would look great with a petticoat but I think it sits nicely all by itself.

My youngest daughter Giselle dreams of growing up, living in Paris and being called Gigi. Her bedroom is dedicated to the Eiffel Tower. Some people think its odd for a little girl but I think it’s marvellous – what an aspiration way to think at 7. So this dress is her bit of PARIS in PORT.

I’m not totally selfish. I’ve got her some fabric in a red colourway which I am going to make into a dress for her.

Sorry about the picture Gigi was in charge of the snapping procedures. I wanted her to take a few pictures with a jacket and a different belt option but this was as much as she could bear to do… and the only one in focus!

SIMPLICITY 2444

PORT PARIS DRESS – from one postcode to another…

I could not convince them to take any detail shots so I had to take the dress off and photograph it flat. Hopefully I will get a chance to take some more inspiring pictures this weekend!

Simplicity 2444 - bodice detail

Simplicity 2444 – bodice detail. Photographed flat as the kids are not master ‘snappers’…. yet….

Simplicity 2444 - bodice detail

Simplicity 2444 – bodice detail. The bodice darts were almost perfectly positioned (sheer luck)Personally I think any woman who has a little bit shaved off her hip is going to be eternally grateful!

Simplicity 2444 - Sleeve detail

Simplicity 2444 – Sleeve detail. Gigi loves the sleeves the most as they both say ‘Paris’ and feature three veyr glam and retro-dressed ladies!

I ummmed and ahhed about what size to cut. Measured the paper pattern etc which was great advice from Joanne on Stitch & Witter when she posted her gorgeous version of 2444. I decided to cut the 8 as my fabric was so heavy. I would love to make this again – but would make a 6 as I like my clothes to be quite fitted and this is a little loose and big around the shoulders. Tilly was wondering on this post whether this pattern would work in a heavier fabric and I think it does IMHO. It sits beautifully. ELH thinks it looks great (yes he is biased – I consider that a character strength not a flaw). I’m sure Tilly is going to whip up something sensational as she always does – can’t wait to see it when she does.

I actually thinking of making it all over again in the same fabric but spending more time on the interior finish and maybe even lining it as I think this dress is worth the trouble.

I’ve never been a big fan of full skirts on me. At all. It might be time to convert. I think this works because of the slightly wider neckline which helps balance out the fullness of the skirt, the fabulous generous skirt pleats (not gathers) and the four waist darts at the front. It’s just lovely. IMHO.

The main change I made to the pattern was to cut to front skirt piece on the fold. As the print was quite large I thought the seam would be too obvious and distract from the dress. So I cut it on the fold and simply make the middle pleats a tiny bit larger so they meet in the middle. I love it (and I have a little bee in my bonnet about seams up the front of skirts – I don’t know why, I just do!).

I was going to make a belt but I woke up the other day and decided a wide ribbon might be cute instead. I love ribbon belt/sashes, I have several work dresses that I wear with a grosgrain ribbon tied around my waist. I like the simplicity and softness of them, especially when they are black – a bit more grown-up than girlish. I also don’t have to worry about whether I’m going to have to make another stupid hole in a stupid belt to accommodate my stick insect waistline. Yes I could make belts but belt making options are thin on the ground in regional Australia. You do get sick of mail-ordering every other thing and learn to ‘make do’.

I’ve got to find some time to pick a decent WordPress blog theme that works in more browsers…

Oh and I’m going to join in the Sew Colette 2.0 and make up a respectable Hazel – and hopefully then a second decent Hazel which will be a little offbeat but it keeps popping into my head so I just get it out! I just want to make sure I get the fit right before I go to a load of trouble to make the offbeat one. I missed Sew Colette 1.o due to the Colette book arriving via canoe from USA.

The Battle of Hazel: Part 2

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Hazel and I are becoming wary friends at the moment.

Colette Hazel: Muslin Take 2

Colette Hazel: Muslin Take 2

This is my Colette Hazel Muslin: Take 2.Colette Hazel Muslin: Take 1 was a disaster of baggy proportions.So with much stitch ripping, pinning and tucking we now have Colette Hazel Muslin: Take 2.I think this is much better – still lots of little fiddly fitting to do but I’m much more pleased with this one.I took about an inch out of each side of the back and then angled the side seams in just a tiny bit at the top to help pull in the gape across my bust.

I also moved the straps in about half an inch on the front. They still don’t sit perfectly but they are not quite as scary.

The inside finishing on this muslin is less than spectacular. I have no intention of wearing this, it really is a muslin! I hate how you can see the pockets and the facing through the fabric. I can be picky about weird things. I want pockets but I want them to be my little secret – this probably explains my love of the Tardis Skirt.

I have not bothered with the hem – this little number is just about finally conquering a Colette pattern!

I was quite stupid and did not think to take some fabric out of the back skirt to reflect the change in the bodice back. I think the back of the skirt is too full. So I have a slightly puffy midriff and a much puffier bottom! I’m wondering whether this would work with more of a pencil skirt, then I would need to install a back vent so I would walk properly and not ‘mince’. I might just be making life hard for myself – because if I changed it to a pencil skirt I would insert a band at the midriff with stripes moving in different direction just for ‘fun’ and to have the skirt starting closer to my natural waist. Or maybe more of an a-line skirt?

And then it really would not be a Colette Hazel any more, would it?!

I really didn’t like the gathered skirt. I felt that the bodice was quite short and the gathers kinda ‘puffed out’ over the rest of me. So I experimented and put four pleats in the front and back of the skirt. It’s still puffy but I think it’s an improvement on the gathers. Ever Lovin’ Hubby pointed out perhaps the pleats should be pointing the other direction and that might minimise the puffiness over the stomach area. Perhaps darts?

I’m still not thrilled with the dress but I do think it would look much better in a fabric with a more drape, this cotton is a little stiff for the job. I would also prefer a slightly darker fabric as well. I have seen a nice striped shirting fabric which would work…

I’ve always just thrown patterns aside and written them off a loss if it doesn’t fit straight off the machine. However this little battle with Hazel has taught me…

  1. that is it possible to tailor sewing patterns to fit you better.
  2. unpicking things and sewing them back together is loads of fun in a very weird way.
  3. I love hand sewing at night.
  4. I have more confidence to tackle the Colette Sewing Handbook patterns now. After this little battle with Hazel, I think I can make Pastille into a very cute wearable shift and I have a lovely cotton sateen for the job!

I think I might make a skirt next rather than launch another attack on Hazel, although I do hope that this battle concludes as a successful trilogy!

I’ve very tired (three hours folding clothes for the school fete second-hand clothing stall will do that to you after five days at work). So it will be either Simplicity 2451 in view D if I’m too tired for anything more challenging or Rachel Comey’s Vogue 1170 if I think I can manage it. This is all dependent on waking up with more energy tomorrow to start tracing the patterns – unfortunately I do have to spend the day manning the second-hand clothing stall at school and packing up (and all the clothes are hideous, people donate such rubbish – or just have bad taste I guess!)…

Argh, horrid photos. I am so not a morning person… excuse some of the puckers and whatnot, I was standing very lopsided on our very steep front garden in very stupid shoes.

Colette Hazel - back (Take 2 muslin)

Colette Hazel – back (Take 2 muslin)

Colette Hazel bodice: Muslin Part 2

Colette Hazel bodice: Muslin Part 2

Conquering the Hazel fit!

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Colette Hazel, size 0, waaay too big

Colette Hazel, size 0, waaay too big

Unlike Colette Peony – which I tossed aside in a snit – I am determined to beat Colette Hazel into submission.The day started out well. Mother’s Day – breakfast in bed, cups of tea, presents and a walk on the beach. We are only a couple of week away from winter and I wore my Stamp of Approval dress (with a white belt on loan from Miss 9) and bare feet. The kids and the dog swam. It’s odd weather, it’s been warmer the last couple of days than it was during summer!

This afternoon I trotted off to the sewing room to tackle Hazel. She bit back.

This is my muslin, my very baggy muslin. I suspected that I was going to have major fit issues as my last two outings with Colette have been very ‘confrontational’ in my little sewing room. Poor old Homer in a Muu-muu has been watching on aghast. The muslins have not made it to this blog. In fairness Crepe is not too bad, probably because it’s a wrap, but Peony is horrid.

The fabric for my Hazel muslin is a cheap cotton that was on sale at Spotlight so it was not a big investment (or loss given the result). It is pretty though and I wanted to try this dress with stripes as the bodice lends itself to stripes in a very flattering way otherwise you might as well use any old summer dress pattern…. I think it would look great… if you can get it to fit…

Colette Hazel, size 0. Hello! there is a huge gape at front

Colette Hazel, size 0. Hello! there is a huge gape at front

The zip is not an invisible one like the pattern suggests. I just used one that I rescued prior to throwing out one of my daughters’ old threadbare school uniforms. It’sjust a zip and it doesn’t impact on the fit, clearly.I acknowledge that I am a small person. I’m 5 foot 4 which is pretty average but the rest of me is slight – or perhaps better described as skinny. I’m not boasting or moaning, its just a fact of life that I am naturally built like this, I do zero exercise and don’t diet. Yes you can start throwing rocks now, I’m used to dodging them. Many kind people constantly comment on how ‘skinny’ I am, questioning my eating habits and how I look like my dog… I’ve got a whippet. Yes, I’m blessed to have so many people keep my ego in check. Anyway, moving on to more important issues like fitting clothing my seemingly sparrow’s rib cage.

I know that my frame is small but I am always very surprised at the size of Colette Patterns. This is a size 0. It’s huge.

Fit problems:-

  1. It’s gaping badly across the top of my bust – but it seems to fit nicely across my bust.
  2. It’s huge in the waist and across my back.
  3. The straps are whacko. I took them up but I think my shoulders are too narrow for the placement of the straps. I often buy the smallest size in jackets to get them to fit across my puny shoulders. The strap buckling stops if I move them further out to the edge of my shoulders – where they fall off all the time. Very stylish.
  4. I put a belt on with it as I think that, given how high the waist sits, the light gathering of the skirt just doesn’t work. It just not flattering – on me anyway.

In the past I would have just chucked it to the side and written it off as a total loss. Thanks to all the sewing blogs out there and all the sewing alongs and sewing parties I have watched on the blogging sidelines, I realise that fitting doesn’t have to seem like tackling Mt Everest (or a molehill in my case).

So here’s my Colette Hazel fitting plan…

Colette Hazel, size 0, pinned back
Colette Hazel, size 0, pinned back
  1. Take a wedge out of the bodice centre to counteract the massive gaping at the front across the top.
  2. Take about an inch out of each side of the back.
  3. Move the straps in a bit at the front or set them in straight rather than at an angle.
  4. Consider changing the skirt from gathered to pleats.
  5. The stripes need more contrast

I’ve got a little weird wacky plan bubbling away in the back of my mind for this pattern. It could be a complete failure but I want to get this pattern to work as I think the panels of the bodice could be used as a base to dress up this little dress in quite a unique way.

Before I get ahead of myself I have to conquer the fit first! Evil plans must come second.

I have been most envious of all the Me Made May 12 stitchers wearing their creations. I just didn’t feel like I could participate – even in a small way because I have so little sewn by me at this early stage. So this year I am watching… and waiting… I am proud though that yesterday I wore my beloved Tardis Skirt (Vogue 1247, how I love this skirt! I must take a better picture) and today I wore my Stamp of Approval (Simplicity 2209) dress and tomorrow I plan to wear my Four Foot Dress (Simplicity 2060). I guess it’s my Me Made May 12 blip on a radar!

In the meantime I think I have pinned the muslin into submission – does this look better??

Colette Hazel, size 0, after being pinned into submission
Colette Hazel, size 0, after being pinned into submission – pins in the front as well!
 

Back to work tomorrow for another five days in the hamster mill and this week I am thinking ‘what to make to wear to the opera’. Open to suggestions, watch out for the post in a few days! I need a new challenge…

Patience is not one of my virtues

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I am so NOT patient. Never have been. Never will be.

Colette Sewing Handbook

Colette Sewing Handbook - a journey plan

I’m the type of person that decides to do something and does it.So it’s been rather frustrating waiting for The Colette Sewing Handbook to arrive via airmail from Amazon. I ordered it – then was told they did not have it in stock. Then they emailed and said that they were not sure if they could obtain a copy and did I still want to wait? So I did – even though it was killing me. Then the book finally arrived (via canoe I believe)… with no patterns. So now I am waiting for the publisher to post them to me. Alas.

Lesson learnt – shoulda have spent the extra money and ordered it from Colette directly. Oh well, I have purchased five patterns from them already. And at least I got to hang onto the beautiful book and read and prepare for the arrival of the patterns!

I ordered it from Amazon as I stumbled across the book there – looking for something else, saw the cover, was intrigued, and then became so inspired reading the comments, I promptly decided to take up sewing again. So I bought it. It seems like a great structured way to polish some old skills and learn some new ones. I am slightly terrified of learning how to actually fit a pattern properly but the ELH (ever lovin’ hubby) is buying me a dress form to help. Hooray!

I’m so glad I did find this book as I have discovered a whole new world in blogland via the Colette flikr groups and profiles which lead me to more blogs – it’s been inspiring and also provide me with a virtual community as NONE of my friends sew. NONE.

So I decided to blog, perhaps someone will read it. Perhaps not. But I need to have some sort of conversation and this seemed a good place to start.

So I await The Colette Sewing Handbook and I dream of a black meringue, floral pastille, lacy sheer taffy (don’t think anyone has done this). I am waiting for a liquorice and truffle vision…

In the meantime, I’m torn between stitching another delightful Vogue 1247 (I think this is going to be an addiction), Lisette Itinerary dress (although I’m searching for a perfect Japanese print to contrast with a lovely navy linen I have waiting), a muslin for the Lisette Traveler Dress in view C (all in one fabric with a decent belt) or take something that looks a tad tricky but interesting Vogue 1220.

Oh and I will take some pictures of my other completed projects over the next week or so!