In a jiffy: Simplicity 8682 dress

I'm very sceptical when it comes to pattern envelopes that just have an illustration and not an actual photograph of a model. Vintage patterns are notorious for the illustration looking completely different to how the project turns out because no-one these days has those teeny tiny waists and pointy busts.

 

This dress however lives up to its promise - it did only take a jiffy to make and it turned out pretty much exactly like the pattern cover. This is Simplicity 8682 from 1970:

I've made this before back in 2018 which I still wear so I knew this would fit with just minimal fitting adjustments - I only had to add a few centimetres to the side seams below the waist dart. I did lower scoop the neckline at the front by a few more centimetres because the jewel neckline on this dress is really high. Even with dropping the seam line by another 2.5cm is still looks very high like the design but no longer feels like it is choking me.

Those long French darts on the front view give a really nice shape to the dress without making it too fitted or tight. 

The back view just has vertical darts which normally isn't enough to stop the fabric pooling in my lower back. I usually prefer a dress with a waist seam for better fitting results, but this dress actually fits me quite well in the back. There are darts in the shoulder seam which give it that rounded shape. I really need to improve my posture looking at this photo - no wonder the neckline at the front of the dress felt like it was choking me!

The fabric I've used is a cotton duck from Spotlight in pink and white polka dots - I bought this back in 2019 so I was quite glad to finally get around to sewing with it. The fabric was quite stiff at first, but softened up a lot after a wash and a line dry, but isn't clingy or drapey so the dress retains its a-line shape.

So there you have it - a dress that lives up to its simple promise of being made in a jiffy. It's a good dress to recommend to a beginner sewer or someone just getting into sewing vintage patterns - there are quite a few copies available for sale on Etsy and by other vintage pattern sellers.

Completed UFO: Vintage Simplicity 6180 jacket

Here I go again.....another attempt at getting back into blogging and another attempt at finishing off some UFOs! At the beginning of this year I set myself the goal of finishing at least 16 UFOs by the end of the year, this is number 8 so I guess I'm on track.

I started this jacket maybe 2 or so years ago, and didn't finish it at the time because it turned out overall too big and really shapeless. It's taken me this long to do some unpicking, take it in at nearly all the seams and finish it. It's now done, still a little oversized but I can live with that since it's a casual jacket and not a formal fitted suit blazer.

The pattern is Simplicity 6180, a 1960s era pattern. Unfortunately there isn't a pattern for that very cool hat in the envelope, but it does contain a pattern for an a-line skirt with princess seams to match those of the jacket.  

The fabric I've used is a double knit bought from The Fabric Store some years ago, probably at one of their famous sales. It was really easy to sew with and press, as well as having a bit of stretch to make it comfortable to wear with minimal wrinkling. 

The buttons are the real superstars of this jacket. I was originally going to make fabric covered buttons, but since we're back in lockdown here in Sydney I had to use what was in the stash so I decided to use some vintage buttons that I picked up from an Australian Sewing Guild industry day a few years ago. A lady used to have a stall selling her mother's stash of habadashery items that had been collected over a long time. I have no idea what era these buttons are, I think they are earlier than the 1960s but I think the colour and shape works well with this jacket. The inside buttons are just some pale pink buttons also from the stash.

As I said earlier the reason this became a UFO in the first place was because it turned out too big. I ended up taking it in through the side seams and princess seams to get a closer fit without losing too much of the boxy shape. The back view now looks better, but I think the sleeves are way too wide and too long as well - these photos make it look really obvious. I think I will have to do some more unpicking and narrow them a bit more. Who knows how long that will take me!?

One of the great things about this jacket is that although it's essentially a double breasted jacket it still looks pretty good worn open. The front facings fold back nicely to form a lapel and being a lightweight jacket it hangs open well.

And as I always say after every UFO I finish - I don't know why I took so long to get around to it! The good news is that I haven't created any new UFOs in at least the last 2 years, the bad news is that I still have quite a big box of past UFOs to get through!

So simple: Tessuti amara vest

After finishing that tailored green jacket I needed to make something really quick and simple - the Amara vest by Tessuti patterns was just the thing. It probably took me longer to print out and assemble the pattern than it actually did to sew it!

It's a very shapeless and boxy style but still drapes quite well so it doesn't make me look like a child in adults clothing. I made the smallest size and while it's quite wide across the body which is only really noticeable when my arms are up, but luckily I don't need to use my arms robot style too often:

The fabric I used is a felted wool bought from Addicted to Fabric in Canberra last year on a road trip with some Sydney Spoolettes to see an exhibition on the costumes from movie The Dressmaker. This pattern is exactly the project I had in mind when I bought this fabric, I just had to wait a while for someone to draft a pattern for me! 

Because the wool is felted I knew it wasn't going to fray, so I've left the bottom hem unfinished and instead of binding the neckline and sleeves I just sewed on strips of the fabric and left them on the right side. I was going to turn them to the inside and topstitch them down, but I quite like the look of the bands even though they are roughly cut so I decided to make a feature of it instead.

The shirt I'm wearing underneath is one I made a few years ago but never blogged for some reason. It's made from a vintage Simplicity pattern:

Given that it's a learn to sew pattern it was super simple. The fabric is a crisp stretch cotton, and I found some black and white buttons which is just perfect for the fabric.

I even managed to find some photos from three years with the same jeans - they are a bit blacker than they are now, I'm about 5kg lighter and I was still taller than my children. The good old days!

So all in all a lightning quick but great project. It's surprising warm wearing a wool layer even though it's sleeveless. It might be my inner nanna coming out, but I do like a comfy vest so I can see a few more of these vests in my future.

 

Green + Blue

I thought that being at home practically all the time now would mean I would have lots more time for sewing and blogging but it turns out that I don't! I am super busy with work at the moment, and most days I barely brush my hair (messy bun for the win) and only slap on tinted sunscreen so it's even harder to take photos than before.

Case in point is this green blazer I finished sewing two weeks ago - I only just found the energy to put on some make-up and real shoes to take these photos today!

I bought this beautiful vibrant kelly green wool boucle from Super Cheap Fabrics online and it turned out to be exactly the colour I hoped. I was inspired by this outfit worn by Peggy in episode 11 of the final season of Mad Men:

I used an old Burda pattern - 4/2014 #103 which isn't available on the Burda Style website but you can download from the Russian Burda website here (I often buy my patterns from the Russian website because they are far cheaper).

This pattern caught my eye because it has the notched lapel and trim like the inspiration photo, but I also really like the curved front hem and the princess seams that extend into the shoulder which make it easier to adjust the fit. I left off those patch pockets and also removed the vents at the back because I found that they stuck out awkwardly and they weren't needed for a close fit.

I did my usual fit adjustment of a 1.5cm forward shoulder adjustment and slightly narrowed the shoulder too. This fabric has enough loft and with interfacing in the shoulder area it didn't need a shoulder pad but still managed a neat fit through the shoulders.

I hand stitched the navy grosgrain ribbon on which was really tough on my fingers but I thought I'd have more control doing it that way. I tried to make the corners as neat as possible but they aren't 45 degree angles so it took a little fudging to make it work. It looks a bit messy in this photo below but we all know that people don't stand close enough to see this level of detail, especially now that we're all social distancing.

The buttons were also really difficult to resolve. I just couldn't find any that matched the colour of the grosgrain ribbon in my local stores, so I ended up making fabric covered buttons for the two front ones, and some smaller navy blue buttons that were already in my stash for the sleeve buttons.

I absolutely love this jacket and colour and I almost can't wait to be back in the office so I can wear it for real.

For these photos I've paired the jacket with a navy blue dress. Navy blue just seems natural to wear with this colour jacket especially since I used navy blue trim and buttons!

I made this dress maybe two years ago but haven't blogged it. It's made from a 1970s vintage Style pattern:

The fit is quite good but the fabric choice wasn't the best. The fabric is a thick herringbone cotton that doesn't drape so it has quite a pronounced a-line shape to the skirt and it is a magnet for every bit of fluff, lint or strand of hair in near proximity.

I don't actually wear this dress too often and have been considering refashioning it into a skirt instead because the fabric is really quite nice (except for the fluff factor). And I think this pattern made in a more drapey fabric like crepe would work a lot better too. I'll add it to my really long list!

My current favourite skirt: Butterick 5441

I never would have thought that a simple 1980s pattern with a rather dowdy cover illustration has become a favourite skirt pattern of mine! But I've now made four versions of Butterick 5441, with no plans for stopping yet.

It's a fairly simple mid length skirt pattern which until last year was definitely not a length I'd usually wear since I'm not particularly blessed in the height department. However I have discovered that this length can look flattering, and has the added bonus of covering up my legs on those lazy days when I haven't shaved my legs.

After four versions I've now made a few modifications to perfect the fit - instead of gathers at the front I pleat the fabric so it sits flatter across my stomach, I've shifted the zip from the side to the centre back and instead of gathers at the back I put in darts instead.

The latest version I made is from a leopard print cotton, jumping on the animal print trend that seems to be everywhere right now. It's a fairly thick cotton with little drape, so it makes the skirt flare out quite a bit which I like. It has pockets which is always useful!

A change in top and shoes makes it look quite different I think.

Back in January I made a version from a mid weight linen in paprika from The Fabric Store which was left over from some wide leg pants I made last year. This one drapes nicely because the linen has softened up a lot after many washes.

For this version I shortened it to knee length so that I could squeeze it out of the leftover fabric and added belt loops for a self fabric tie belt.

The second version I made last year in December (that's why there's a Christmas tree in my photo I swear!). This is a gorgeous cotton print in a deep teal colour I bought from Nerida Hansen during one of their irresistible sales. I also shortened this to knee length as I only bought a remnant piece.

Finally, here is the original version I made back in 2017 (blogged here) made in a lovely yellow Japanese cotton I picked up from a Sydney Spoolettes fabric swap that was kindly donated by Stef. This one is still in high rotation in my wardrobe, so clearly it's a winner!