Florals in Shades of Blue

I had a fairly good idea that a puffed sleeve was going to work quite nicely with the Picnic Top pattern - what I didn't realize was that it would make me rediscover this skirt.

I have been wearing my new denim skirt to death lately (because it really does go with just about everything), and while it would work perfectly with the blue floral design of this top, I was hoping that I could find another option in my closet.

The Sewaholic "Hollyburn" skirt was the belle of the ball around the internet sewing world when it was first released back in 2012, but I don't see it all that much anymore.

It's a great design, so much so that I made myself two versions.  And they saw quite a bit of wear until more recent projects took over the prime sections of closet and I forgot about them after a while.

But as I was rummaging around the depths of the closet looking for the color blue, I spotted this skirt.

Which was exactly what I was looking for!

It's always fun to rediscover garments.  Maybe not quite a fun as a brand new shiny finished sewing project waiting to be worn for the first time, but after years of not being worn, they almost feel like new.

And since I have been on a bit of a denim kick, I am surprised that I didn't think of this skirt right away.  That has to be a sign that I have too many clothing choices, right?!

Which is not to say that a wardrobe could ever have too many blue toned skirts.

As a matter of fact, I keep meaning to add more blue and purple shades to my fabric choices.  Both colors are high up on my list of favorites, but somewhere along the way reds and pinks became my go to.

But the cool tones are gaining traction, and I absolutely feel that a tea length navy wool skirt would be a very welcome addition to my collection.  And there I go adding another project to the sewing queue . . .

Blouse:  Made by me, "Picnic Blouse" from Charm Patterns
Skirt:  Made by me, "Hollyburn" Skirt from Sewaholic Patterns
Necklace:  Nicky Butler
Earrings:  Gift
Shoes:  Marc Fisher "Chela"

Lavender Blue

After being quite pleased with my initial attempt at making a Picnic Blouse, I decided that I wanted to make another, this time with a different sleeve treatment.

I had remnants of this upholstery fabric leftover from a dress that I made back in 2016 out of my Grandmother's old drapes and bedspread, and it didn't really require a full lining, so I decided to use the interfacing pattern pieces as a facing.

That would take care of the neckline and opening edges, but not the bottom hemline, so I drafted that facing piece.

Seamlines were finished with seam binding, as usual.

And I decided that a covered button would look rather nice with this fabric.

And, as with the previous version, I used bound buttonholes.

Because, why not!

At this point, I find the process rather relaxing, especially when working with a stable fabric like this cotton.

I highly recommend trying the technique.  It's not complicated; it just takes a little bit more time compared to using a machine to make your buttonhole.  And I get a much more consistent result with my bound buttonholes than a contemporary buttonhole attachment!

But any extra effort is absolutely worth it, in my opinion.

I have made a few handworked buttonholes, and I would like to do more of those at some point, but I thought that the bound version would look better for this particular project.

I do interface the section of fabric where the buttonholes will be worked for extra stability.

And I always work with a larger square of fabric than is necessary.  I find it much easier to play with; you can always trim away, but having a tiny bit of fabric start to fray where you are cutting a hole into your garment is not fun.

I bound the outside edges of the facing instead of folding over and stitching because it creates less bulk (and I think it looks pretty).

I know that some people avoid facings, but I really like the finish that they give.  

In some cases, a length of bias binding works great, but I think I will always prefer a facing.

And I even remembered to grade my seams.

The lower facing was hand stitched into place along the seamlines and dart legs.

Because I had enough fabric to work with, I was able to get a nice pattern match at center front, which I alway prefer.

For the sleeves, I decided to see if the puffed sleeve from the Scout Dress from Charm Patterns would swap in for the pattern's cap sleeves.

I figured that there was a good chance that the block for both bodices would be similar since they are from the same company.  And also, I would be dealing with a puffed sleeve, which is rather forgiving.

I ended up shortening the sleeve for the look I was going for, but overall, the pairing worked out great.

This top is a very quick project, even with the substituted sleeve, and I am very pleased with how it turned out.

I probably don't need a third version for the time being, but I wouldn't be opposed to making another should the right fabric show up and/or one of my skirts needs another top to pair with it!

A Fresh Bouquet of Flowers

As expected, the addition of a jean skirt to my wardrobe was an excellent idea.

It has already been a workhorse since I finished it a few months ago, and I would not be adverse to making another if I come across more denim yardage that I like.

I'm not a fan of light wash denim, but perhaps another dark blue would be a nice addition; I'm thinking that a knee length option would be very useful.

But am I done with this skirt pattern?  I have made quite a few of these, and I would absolutely make another.  I'm not entirely sure how full this is . . . maybe somewhere between a 1/2 and a 3/4 circle skirt?  And it's a great option when I don't want to deal with all of that extra fabric from a full tea length circle skirt, but still want a classic shape.

As for the top . . .

I am quite pleased with how this turned out, and I am thrilled that I finally found a use for this vintage remnant of fabric! 

Lengthening the sleeve worked fine, so I probably should have done a better job of marking those changes on the pattern for the future, but I can always reference the actual garment if I need to.

One thing to note is that the front neckline is quite low.  I don't mind a low neckline, but this one required me to go searching in the back of the drawer for an appropriate bra, so it's definitely something to keep in mind with this pattern.  And it would be a super simple alteration to make (just make sure to make the same change to the matching facing!).

But overall, I am going to call both of these items a success.  And I do understand why people love jeans; this blue twill really goes with everything - just don't expect me to get on the pants bandwagon any time soon; I am very happy with a few good jean skirts.

Blouse:  Made by me, "Picnic Top" from Charm Patterns
Skirt:  Made by me, Simplicity 8458
Necklace:  Rafael Jewelers
Shoes:  Colin Stuart

Picnic Ready

When I found this fabric at an estate sale, I was immediately drawn to the print.  I normally avoid bright yellow, but the blue, yellow, and green florals were too fabulous to pass up.

Unfortunately, once I got it home and unfolded it, I realized that the fabric was only 12" wide.  I had more than 3 yards, but it was going to be a challenge to find something that would work with that extremely limited width.  My original thought was to make a 1960s style shift dress when I found the fabric, but that was obviously out.

And then I had a revelation.  I wanted to try out the Charm Patterns "Picnic Top" in order to use up some remaining yardage that I have leftover from making a skirt, but I wanted to make sure that I would like the pattern before cutting into that particular fabric.  And then I remembered that I had this print stashed away.

I actually managed to find it exactly where I thought that I had left it (that doesn't always happen with the amount of stashed yardage I have) and so it felt like it was meant to be.

Now, these days 36" wide fabric is considered quite narrow, and I only had 12" to work around. Plus, there were a few stains that were not lifting and I was hoping to avoid those sections altogether.

Turns out, that was all I needed!  I even managed to do a fairly good job matching that center back seam.  It wasn't going to be perfect with the cut section of printing that was remaining once I happened upon the yardage, but it's close enough to look intentional, which is all I could ask.

I found yellow buttons in a stash, and even though these were slightly wider than the pattern calls for, I decided to use them anyway since I have a rather limited choice when it comes to a lemony shade and I didn't want to purchase anything new for this project.

And since it had been a minute since I worked some bound buttonholes, I decided that I might as well add a few to the project.

I actually find the process relaxing.  Maybe not if I am in a hurry, but in a stable cotton like this, I would much rather trust a tried and true process than subject my finished garment to a machine buttonhole that I am always slightly suspicious of, even with my lovely vintage buttonholers.

Since the background of this fabric is rather light, I had some slight misgivings that the extra square of fabric might show through, but I decided that if I avoided the print and cut out plain little squares, it would probably work out.

And this is going to be worn close to the body, not held up to a window full of sunlight, so a shadow of extra fabric is probably never that big of a deal.

I have shown this method here on the blog many times, and it's my favorite.

And the plain white fabric squares worked perfectly - the show through was not a problem.

The main alteration that I wanted to make to the design was the sleeves.  As drafted, the high cap sleeve cuts my arm at it's widest point and I don't find it very flattering.

My first thought was to substitute a puffed sleeve (I've been making a lot of those lately), but my fabric limitations weren't going to allow for that.

My initial addition of fabric at the bottom of the sleeve was a little too much, though.  I pinned it in place and tried on the top and it felt quite restrictive.  Now granted, it was ridiculously hot up in the sewing room that day and I was feeling rather grumpy which could account for part of my discomfort, but I still thought it best to shorten my altered sleeve just slightly.

The slightly longer sleeve did not affect the construction method recommended by the pattern instructions, so I went ahead and followed them.

This creates a fully lined garment.  It's not my usual method, but it works nicely with a cap sleeve like this.

This project was a real pleasure.  I just love when a fabric behaves so nicely, and bonus points that the print is so cheery.

I was unable to match the center front seamline at all because of my limited yardage which slightly bums me out.  On the other hand, I found a use for 12" wide fabric, so I call that a win!

And now I have an idea of how the pattern fits and if I would like to make any additional changes before cutting into my fabric remnant that will match this skirt.

And I have a cute garment to wear in the meantime.

So while the extra time spent on things like bound buttonholes may seem silly for a wearable muslin, there is always a chance that the practice garment may turn out even better than expected, so why not make an effort on the details?!

And that's the story of this little project.

The oversized buttons turned out fine, although this version is probably a bit tighter than the pattern sizing originally intended because of the change.

But this will definitely be a great option for wearing during the Summer months.

And it feels like the pattern was meant for this particular patterns seeing that I can't think of another that would have worked with this vintage textile remnant.

And that makes me very happy!  Sometimes things are just meant to be.