Colette's Peony Dress .... when you're in a hurry

Hindsight .. always a good thing! Well, I should have toiled this one first - live and learn!! It's Christmas Party season so to kick start the season of good will and peace, I made this Colette Peony Dress.

I realise that I don't quite make the Colette demographic, but I am smitten with their designs, and I thought this was a sweet little dress.

Fabric: A stretch cotton sateen from The Remnant Warehouse, Sydney - purchased on the recent PR Weekend. Lovely to work with and lovely to wear!
Size: Well, the photo below shows where my measurements landed on their size chart - very interesting as you'll soon see. So I went for the Size 10.

General Notes:
We're all familiar with Multi Sized Patterns - they have their advantages and disadvantages, but I must say, that it can become mighty difficult to follow your size line at times (amongst a total of 10 sizes!) - this of course is not limited to just Colette Patterns - but probably worth mentioning.

I would also like to see Colette add Metric units to their patterns - their lovely new book has both imperial and metric - so that's great! Sewing instructions were very good, beautiful in fact - great diagrams and everything is clearly described - with lots of links for more information, eg. putting in an invisible zip. I added black satin piping to the neckline and the belt. What's better than pre made bias binding? Well, pre made satin piping!

I used my new Piping Foot to attach the piping - very easy - just position the piping under the groove in the foot and move your needle position - too easy!

So, back to the fit ... yes, I should have made a toile, but when one is in hurry ..... ok, so here I'm at the stage of putting in the zip, up to this point, I had been quickly sizing the finished front bodice on me - looked OK .... on the dummy.... uh oh ..... I had heaps and heaps of fabric on the CB to take in ... of course I should have considered this before the sleeves went in .... but I didn't so I just cut off the excess from the CB seam and inserted the invisible zip. This in turn distorted the boat neckline. So now it doesn't sit very well. The interesting bit is that the front bodice looks a tad small in the following photos ... so if I'd have gone up a size - the back would have been huge. Now, go back to that measurement chart - my bust and waist was smaller than the 10 - very interesting. I'm not sure if I'll make this again - probably not - I mean, it's sweet, but I have other fish to fry if you know what I mean.....

About 8cm had to be trimmed off the CB seam.

Anyway, so here I am at Christmas Party No 1.

I just realised that not only did I not toile this, but I didn't even look up PR for any reviews ..... I love it when I learn things!!  Happy Sunday everyone!

My First Ever Colette ... Negroni Men's Shirt

Well, I have actually made the Colette Mini Bloomers previously, but that was a free download pattern. So this is my first proper Colette pattern. I was very impressed by the presentation of the pattern in it's cute little booklet format with a linen finish on the card - the diagrams and instructions are excellent.

Sewing Notes:

I haven't made a men's shirt for many many years, so for the sizing I just decided to go the XXL - the actual measurements were chest (XL), waist (XXL) and neck (L) - so it was a bit all over the shop - I had a look at one of Shaun's (hubby) ready to wear shirts and it seamed to compare well with the XXL of this pattern.
Now, I haven't actually seen this shirt on - I left instructions for my son to take photos  - and Shaun said he was happy with the fit. The sleeves look pretty big to me - hmmm - maybe I'll make them short next time - not 100% sure if I'd change anything else for another shirt - he does have very broad shoulders so the fit may be fine - from the photos anyway!

FABRIC: Poly Cotton Blend for Spotlight - Vintage look - it said that on the label!! About $4 per metre.

As I sew my projects now, I have started to take notes along the way since I've started writing the Pattern Reviews..... so here are my jottings from along the journey....

- I was surprised that the pattern required 3 metres of fabric.
 - The booklet format of this pattern is lovely.
- I block fused the interfacing - I used a lightweight woven interfacing.
- They have the option of downloading pocket options.
- I used the pocket template hint for pressing the pocket.
- The pattern pieces are very well marked - "first fold" and "second fold" .
- The variable seam allowances are clearly noted and make sense.
- They have an interesting and neat way of sewing on the yoke - no hand stitching - all beautifully explained.
- Great diagrams - overall excellent instructions.
- Stitching the sleeve - I put the sleeve against the feed dogs to ease in the fullness - a little tricky - they have you stitching from the centre to each side - mine had too much ease to work that way.
- The curved flat fell seam of the sleeve was very very very fiddly - I'm not sure I would do that again. It's lovely that all the edges in this shirt are stitched down, but if I made it again, I would probably just overlock the sleeve - unless anyone can enlighten me on a better way to flat fell the seam.
- Hemming the shirt - they didn't fold back the front facing to machine stitch in place, but I did.

Summary -  Totally impressed with this pattern. The design is nice, the fit is good and the instructions were fantastic. It was an enjoyable project to complete. Highly recommend!

A whole lotta upcycling going on!

The next couple of posts will be about upcycling some bits and pieces into other bits and pieces. I'm presenting a workshop at our local council's LIVING SMART FESTIVAL on Sept 12. It's all about inspiring the community with a whole lot of sustainable living type of displays and talks - mine is all about sewing and how to recreate old stuff with a few sewing skills and some imagination.

So, I purchased a couple of 2nd hand men's business shirts ....

And used this free download from Colette Patterns to make this super cute and quick and easy Mini Bloomers! This was my first go at Colette Patterns and I was very impressed with their instructions and diagrams!
I used the front button placket as a feature on the centre line of each pant and sewed on the extra buttons as another feature.
There is elastic in the waist and ribbon in the leg, but some of my students have since made them and opted for elastic in the leg instead - which still looks great with the ribbon sewn on as a decorative element.

I then took the leftover sleeves and collar from one of the shirts and added them to this ready made tunic top donated to me by my friend (who is helping me with this whole thing) Nicole ....
I gathered the top of the sleeve head and sewed t in, and then simply attached the collar as a 2 step operation - as you would if doing it from scratch. I covered some buttons with leftover fabric and added them as a feature to the centre front.

Quick and easy, cheap and earth friendly ..... stay tuned for more!