#2 City Capsule Wardrobe: The Alex shirt pattern by Sew Over It

The second pattern up for review from the Sew Over It’s City Break Capsule Wardrobe E-book is the Alex shirt. This pattern comes in both shirt and dress length. Both are great for dreamy flowy fabrics and make existing whole in my wardrobe significantly smaller.

 

Drugi kroj na redu za recenziju iz City Break Capsule Wardrobe E-book od Sew Over It je Alex košulja. Kroj dolazi u dvije verzije – košulja ili košulja-haljina. Obje verzije su odlične za lepršave, lagane tkanine i obje odlično nadopunjuju moju garderobu.

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This pattern is great for the first shirt because it does not have a collar stand. You attach the collar directly to the body of the shirt so the construction is easier and faster, but you still get to have a taste of the collar construction. Another thing I loved making is the back yoke construction. I needed some head scratching because I just could not get my head around it at first as I never sewed one before. Some trial and error (read unpicking seams) and I got it right. It felt like I won an argument 😊 Always so good! It was an argument with myself (not the pattern) but it still counts.

 

Ako se po prvi put upuštate u šivanje košulje kao i ja, ovaj kroj je odličan jer ima samo kragnu (gornji preklopni dio) bez ovratnika (donji uspravni dio). Zbog toga je puno jednostavniji i brži za šivanje, a na kraju opet dobijete djelomično iskustvo izrade kragne. Druga stvar koja mi se svidjela kod izrade košulje je sastavljanje ramenice (ramenog dijela košulje na stražnjoj strani). Trebalo je par pokušaja da pogodim pravilno sastavljanje pošto sam i to šivala prvi put, ali nakon par pokušaja i pogrešaka (i korištenja paralice) sam uspjela. Kao da sam pobijedila u raspravi. Sama sa sobom, a ne s krojem. Ali bitno da sam pobijedila 😊

 

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collar from the front / kragna bez ovratnika
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back yoke detail / detalj ramenice

 

It was also my first time sewing patch pockets. I am happy with how they came out. One looks better than the other but I do not think anyone would ever notice but me. Patch pockets are so easy and make a shirt that more interesting in my opinion. I am glad I have that one under my belt and I already used it on many other projects (like on my coat which I blogged about here).

 

Također sam prvi puta šivala našivene džepove i zadovoljna sam kako su ispali. Jedan izgleda puno bolje od drugog, ali mislim da to ionako nitko neće vidjeti osim mene. Našiveni džepovi su toliko lagani, a baš dobro izgledaju na košuljama. Tako da mi je drago da sad imam i to iskustvo i već sam ih šivala i na nekoliko komada nakon ove košulje (recimo na kaputu o kojem sam već pisala ovdje).

 

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The pattern has a button placket for closure in the front. I was in a bit of a rush (and just plane lazy) so I went for the ultimate lazy shortcut to date: fake button placket. I made the button placket as regular but hand sewed the buttons through both sides of the placket in place. There are no buttonholes (see what I meant with lazy shortcut?). The shirt does not open but as it is not supposed to be buttoned up all the way to the collar there is plenty of room to get it over my head. It looks a bit silly when I try to get it on without making any creases in the fabric, but nobody sees me getting dressed anyway so…..

 

Kroj ima lajsnu s gumbima i rupicama za gumbe za zakopčavanje. Pošto sam bila u žurbi (ili jednostavno lijena) odlučila sam se a ultimativni lijeni prečac: lažna lajsna za kopčanje. Napravila sam ju regularno kako se radi klasična, smo što nisam gumbe našila na jednu stranu lajsne, već sam ih prošila kroz obje lajsne, a rupice za gumbe uopće nisam radila (vidite što sam mislila pod lijenim prečacem?). Košulja se onda ne otkopčava ali je dovoljno otvorena da ju mogu prevući preko glave. Malo je smiješno kad ju oblačim bez da ju zgužvam, ali to ionako nitko ne vidi.

 

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The only thing I do not particularly like is the slightly dropped shoulder and the over-sized look. When I looked at samples and all other Alexes out there I did like it, but not on me as it turns out. Maybe it is the fabric I used, but I feel a bit lost in there. Maybe even granny due to the fabric pattern, but then again, it is never bad to show a bit of granny glam once in a while. I mostly wore it under a cardigan in winter but now I wear it tucked into jeans and that looks way better. I think that I will take it in for future ones I make. I toyed with it a bit and I would not take it in the sides but would take about 2-3 centimeters form the center of the front and back bodice pieces. This takes the shoulders in but still gives it a relaxed look. I will report back if that was a good idea.

 

Jedino što mi se ne sviđa je spušteni rukav tj. spušteni šav rukava i prevelik izgled košulje. Dok sam gledala uzorke kroja i ostale već izrađene Alexe to mi nije smetalo, ali mi smeta na meni. Možda je zbog tkanine koju sam koristila, ali nekako si izgledam izgubljeno kao u prevelikoj košulji. Zimi sam ju nosila ispod dugih rukava, ali sam ju sada na proljeće počela nositi utaknutu u hlače i to mi se sviđa. Za ubuduće ću ju probati suziti, ali ne na bočnom šavu, već ću maknuti 2-3 centimetra iz sredine prednjeg i stražnjeg bloka. Tako pomaknem šav rukava i ramena prema unutra, a da i dalje imam opušteni izgled košulje. Ako eksperiment uspije podijelit ću ga na blogu.

 

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I see many more Alexes hanging in my closet and I already have some fabrics lined up for sewing. I hope I will whip them up sometime soon.

 

Vidim još puno Alexa u svom ormaru  i već imam nekoliko tkanina koje čekaju svoj red za šivanje. Nadam se da ću ih stići sašiti nekad uskoro.

 

 

Thank you for reading!

Hvala na čitanju!

Ana

 

Vietnam handmade holiday wardrobe – PART 1 / Ručno izrađena putna garderoba – DIO 1

Before I did not plan my sewing and never thought of making a capsule holiday wardrobe. To make garments that can work for every day but are practical for travelling as well. Well guess what, now I do! I find this to come with more practice and experience. And it is great to have half of your suitcase packed with your me mades! Just take a deep breath when you check luggage at the airport.

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Prije nisam planirala svoje šivanje i nisam planirala kapsularnu garderobu za putovanja. Da napravim komade koji su dobri za svaki dan ali i praktični za putovanja. E, pa sad to radim! Imam dojam da to dolazi s iskustvom i praksom. I odlično je imati pola kofera ispunjenog sa komadima koje sam izradiš! Samo treba duboko udahnuti kada kofer predaješ na check in na aerodromu.

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End stage of sewing a sleeveless top / Završna faza šivanja majice bez rukava

I started to sew some of the garments at the beginning of February and by the end of the month I had 4 sleeveless tops and one pair of shorts. Other garments that got to travel with me were earlier makes, all knit long sleeved tops. As I was travelling to Vietnam I was all into knits, cotton and linen. What more does a girl need?
For all of them I used fabrics from my stash I had for long time. Some of them were even given to me so all in all these are the cheapest and prettiest garments I have in my wardrobe.

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Počela sam šivati početkom veljače i do kraja mjeseca sam imala 4 majice i jedan par kratkih hlača. Ostale komade koji su išli na put sam napravila ranije i svi su bili džersej majice. Kako sam putovala u Vijetnam bila sam orijentirana samo na džersej, pamuk i lan. Što drugo curi treba?
Za sve sam koristila tkaninu koju sam već imala doma neko vrijeme. Neke tkanine su čak bile poklon tako da su to najjeftiniji i najljepši komadi u mom ormaru.

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4 Ultimate shift tops made in February / 4 Ultimate Shift majice koje sam napravila u veljači

Let me start with the tops. I used the Sew Over It Ultimate Shift Dress pattern. It is a really easy and fast make and I was able to make them in a week time with full time job taking most of my day. I like the shape of a basic sleeveless top and this one is a great base for all sort of hacks you can think of. I did not get much of them into play this time but I am sure to do so with future makes. Just think of all the ruffles.
I did not have to do any adjustments to the pattern and made it as it is in size 8. If I would be doing a dress or sleeve version I think I would do the size 10 to make sure I have enough space for arm movement and hip/butt coverage 😊

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Ajmo prvo krenuti s majicama. Za izradu četiri komada koristila sam Ultimate Shift Dress kroj od Sew Over It. To je jednostavan kroj i brz za izradu. Uspjela sam izraditi ova 4 komada u tjedan dana uz stalan posao koji mi oduzima većinu dana. Sviđa mi se izgled jednostavne majice bez rukava i ovaj kroj je odličan za sve preinake koje vam padaju napamet. Ovaj put ih nisam puno napravila ali svakako ću napraviti u budućim komadima. Samo zamislite sve nabore i resice.
Nisam trebala raditi nikakve prepravke na kroju i sašila sam ga kakav je u veličini 8. Ako bi radila haljinu ili majicu s rukavima vjerojatno i ga izradila u većoj veličini da osiguram dovoljno mjesta za pokret rukama i uspješno prekrijem bokove i guzove
😊

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Blue linen top / Plava lanena majica

The first one I made from blue linen fabric. I added a patch pocket on it to add more detail and hemmed the bottom hem with decorative stitch. As the fabric was plain I thought this was just the right amount of detail to make it more interesting. The pocket is not my best work but after unpicking it few times I just told myself to live with it before I kill the fabric. And I do not notice it anymore, so please pretend you don’t notice it either. 😊
The fabric was a gift from a friend (it belonged to her grandmother) and I used up all of it. It was a narrow fabric so I just about managed to fit this top.

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Prva majica koju sam napravila je od plavog lana. Našila sam džep i ukrasni šav na rubu. To mi se činilo kao dovoljno detalja da top bude malo interesantniji. Džep nije moje najbolji uradak ali nakon nekoliko pokušaja odlučila sam ga prihvatiti kakav je prije nego ubijem tkaninu do kraja. A više to i ne primjećujem, pa molim vas ni vi nemojte primijetiti 😊
Tkanina je poklon od prijateljice (pripadala je njenoj baki) i upotrijebila sam sve što sam imala. Komad je bio uži od današnjeg standarda pa sam taman uspjela izraditi ovu majicu iz njega.

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The second top is made from a blue floral fabric that I believe is some sort of light cotton. This fabric belonged to my grandmother and I have no idea how old it is, but older than me definitely. I previously made a skirt from it and now used up the rest of it to make this top. It will be a great full on floral outfit for summer, but can be also worn separately. I took only the top to my trip because it was lighter to pack. And it goes great with denim shorts. Or any solid shorts, really. I did not make any hacks with this one because the fabric does all the talking here so I did not want to fight.

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Druga majica je izrađena iz plave cvjetne tkanine za koju mislim da je pamuk. Ova tkanina je pripadala mojoj baki i nema pojma koliko je stara ali je svakako starija od mene. Ranije sam od nje napravila suknju, a sad sam ostatak iskoristila za ovu majicu. Ljeti ću moći nositi komplet cvjetnu kombinaciju ali su oboje odlični za kombinaciju sa ostalim komadima. Na put samo ponijela samo majicu jer je nju bilo lakše spakirati. I odlično paše sa traper kratkim hlačama. Ili bilo kojim jednobojnim hlačama zapravo. Nisam radila nikakve dodatne promjene na kroju za ovu majicu jer tu tkanina ima glavnu riječ.

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The third top is maybe my favourite for many reasons. I got the vespa fabric from Miss Matatabi about two or three years ago when I first started discovering online fabric shopping. As I was still new to that world and had no idea how to buy fabric online I got lost in the shop and ended with all the colourful prints in the basket. I also had no idea what fat quarters were and wondered who would buy fabric scraps online that they had the need to sell so many of them. I know, I know. So, me being careful, I decided to give them a go to see what I will get in the mail and ordered this fabric as one of 3 fat quarters. That was enough to make a top like this which was the plan from the beginning.

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 Treća majica je moguće i meni najdraža iz više razloga. Vespa tkaninu sam kupila iz Miss Matatabi online dućana prije otprilike dvije ili tri godine dok sam tek počela otkrivati online šoping tkanina. Kako sam tek počela otkrivati taj svijet nisam imala dovoljno znanja za kupovinu tkanina na internetu i izgubila sam se u tom dućanu. Na kraju sam završila s masom šarenih printeva u košarici. Tada nisam znala što je quilting, što kod nas niti nije popularna aktivnost pa čak mislim da za to niti ne postoji riječ na hrvatskom (ako postoji i netko ju zna neka podijeli, hvala!). Quilting je izrada pokrivača od dva sloja tkanine koji su izrađeni od više fat quartera i imaju dekorativni dizajn. Kako nisam znala što je quilting nisam znala niti što je fat quarter (prethodno izrezan manji komad tkanine koji čini dekorativni dizajn popluna kada je sašiven) niti tko bi to kupovao da bi ovaj dućan ima potrebu prodavati toliko ostataka tkanina. Pa kako sam bila oprezna u kupovini materijala odlučila sam kupiti 3 fat quartera da vidim što ću dobiti u poštanski sandučić po pitanju kvalitete tkanine. 

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wrinkles were a ‘in’ by the end of the trip / neispeglanost je bila ‘in’ do kraja putovanja

I only just gotten around to making it two to three years later. I did not have enough to make both front and back of the bodice so I bought black linen fabric for the back piece. And I love the result and the fact I used up the fat quarter finally. I made a high low hem. More from necessity as the fat quarter means short top, but I like the end result. It is great to wear with high waisted shorts or skirts.
Another reason why I was so pumped to make it for this trip is because Vietnam is the country of motorcycles. There is so many of them and no photo can capture it as when you get there and try to cross the street. I tried to get a photo with them but it just looks nothing like the real thing.

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Tek sam tri godine kasnije i izradila tu majicu. Nisam imala dovoljno materijala za prednju i stražnju stranu majice pa sam za stražnju stranu kupila crni lan. Sviđa mi se kako izgleda u toj kombinaciji tkanina i da sam napokon iskoristila taj fat quarter. Odličan je za kombinirati sa hlačama i šosevima visokog struka. Drugi razlog zašto sam bila toliko fokusirana napraviti ju za ovaj put je to što je Vijetnam zemlja motora. Ima ih toliko posvuda i fotografija to ne može dočarati. Ne kao kada ste tamo i pokušavate prijeći cestu. Pokušala sam sa slikanjem uz cestu ali to jednostavno ne izgleda kao prava stvar.

What did I tell you about it not looking as good in photos as in real life (I mean, where are all the motorcycles??)?

Što sam vam rekla o tome da slike nisu ni upola dobre kao prava stvar (gdje su svi motori??)?

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The forth top from the first picture did not make it to the trip because I felt the print would clash with other separates and girl has to stick to her capsule wardrobe. And pack light so she has enough space left for fabric shopping. Priorities. And that one was made again from two fat quarters from Miss Matatabi fabric shop.

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Četvrta majica koju možete vidjeti na prvoj slici nije išla na put. Mislila sam da se print neće uklopiti u ostatak garderobe, a cura se mora držati svojih planova o kapsularnoj garderobi. I lagano pakirati jer je trebalo ostati dovoljno prostora u torbi za šoping tkanina. Prioriteti. Ali i ta majica je izrađena iz dva komada za quilting iz Miss Matatabi online dućana.

Other tops I brought to the trip were all knit tops. I did not get to photograph all of them in action, but they were as follows: two Molly tops by Sew Over It, Agnes top by Tilly and the Buttons and sweatshirt pattern from Burda Style magazine issue 1/2017. You can’t go wrong with knits for travelling. Comfort is everything when you go on a 6 hour flight or overnight train. These are all great patterns that are easy to make. They are also great stash busting projects and you can make some of them from as little as 1 meter of fabric.

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Ostale majice koje sam spakirala za put su sve od reda od džerseja. Nisam ih uspjela sve uslikati u akciji, ali redom to su bile: dvije Molly majice od Sew Over It, Agnes majica od Tilly and the Buttons i džemper iz Burda Style časopisa broj 1/2017. Ne možete pogriješiti s džersej majicama za putovanje. Udobnost je bitna kada idete na let u trajanju 6 sati ili noćni vlak. Ovo su sve odlični krojevi koje je jako lako i brzo pretvoriti u odjevne predmete. Također su jako dobri za iskoristiti sve one ostatke materijala od ranijih projekata koji vam stoje negdje u sobi jer ih možete izraditi od svega 1 metra tkanine.

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Burda Style sweatshirt from issue 1/2017 / majica iz Burde br 1/2017
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Molly top no 1
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Molly top no 2 (impossible to photograph) / (nemoguće je uspješno fotografirati crnu majicu)

In the next post I will share my bottoms that got to go to Vietnam with me so stay tuned until next week.

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U idućem postu ću pisati o ostalim komadima koji su išli sa mnom na put u Vijetnam, pa svratite opet idući tjedan.

Thanks for reading!

Hvala na čitanju!

Ana

#1 City Capsule Wardrobe: The Erin skirt pattern by Sew Over It

A while ago I decided to toy a bit with the capsule wardrobe idea. I like the thought of having garments that go well together and that dressing in the morning is a delight and not a 20 minute wasted time frame of hair pooling and nail biting (ok it is not that bad, but pointless staring at shelves and hangers certainly is). Also, it is about making what you will be wearing in the end which in my case meant more separates, basics and pants instead of dresses, dresses and dresses. I like me a dress, but I just do not wear them that often, especially not in autumn/winter. Therefore adjusting my sewing to this just makes more sense.

As per Wikipedia: „Capsule wardrobe is a term coined by Susie Faux, the owner of  London boutique called “Wardrobe” in the 1970s. According to Faux, a capsule wardrobe is a collection of a few essential items of clothing that don’t go out of fashion, such as skirts, trousers, and coats, which can then be augmented with seasonal pieces.”

As per Susie Faux: „For more than 30 years since I developed the concept of the capsule wardrobe, it has been at the heart of Wardrobe’s approach to helping women develop their own confident style as they progress through their careers. It has also, I’m flattered to say, been copied countless times in many different contexts.”

Yes it was. Good ideas always are.

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Some ideas of a capsule wardrobe say it is good to have 30 piece wardrobe to make it easier to choose and combine, but that part of the whole concept did not rub of on me. Nobody’s perfect.

 

My first foray into a capsule wardrobe concept was to try all the patterns from the Sew Over It Capsule Wardrobe City Break E-book. Well, you know, the word capsule is IN THE BOOK TITLE. When I first came across this book I liked one pattern and all others did not really impress me, so I skipped it. But then I was constantly seeing great garments popping up in my Instagram feed only to see that they were made from patterns in this e-book. Eventually I liked all of them, so when they were having a sale I got myself a copy.

 

I came up with a personal challenge to make one pattern each month and have a small capsule in 5 months time. It sounded reasonable and I am sure it is. I stuck to the plan for the first three months and made three garments, but then Christmas break happened. During the break I sewed a coat and need some rest afterwards and lost the track of time. But will resume at some point and make the remaining two patterns.

 

The first one I will talk about is the Erin skirt. I can not decide which pattern I like the best, but this one is definitely one of the first that got me to buy the e-book. It was the light denim version that got to me. So I made one for myself.

 

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Spring? Where are you? I am ready!

 

I wanted to use wooden buttons because I thought that was the best combination. But as you know I had some clay buttons I made myself in pottery class and this was a perfect opportunity to use some of them. More so, as I couldn’t find the right size wooden ones for the life of me. I am happy in the end that I went with mine because I now have a FULLY me made garment. I do not know why I was resistant about it in the first place.

 

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It has pockets!

 

Now let’s talk a bit about the pattern. The instructions in the e-book are clear and I would categorise this as an easy make aside from the buttonholes. But if your machine has an automatic buttonhole option be brave, Youtube it, practice on some scraps and go for it. I made a mistake and made the buttonholes horizontally and not vertically. This makes them poke out a bit outside of the button placket while moving or when I am holding my hands in the pockets. It does bother me a bit, but I can handle it. Will make sure to do it right next time. If you look at the instructions it says to do the top waist button horizontally but all others vertically. It makes sense, but requires you to follow instructions which I obviously did not do as carefully as I thought.

 

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I had to take the side seams in at the hips. The fabric was sticking out too much but it was an easy fix to make. Overall the fit was great. I shortened the skirt a bit from the longer version so it covers my knees. It is more me that way.

The fabric is a light blue denim fabric. I would say it is medium to heavy weight and a bit stiff with no stretch. It is comfortable and was a good match for this pattern. It was passed down to me from my grandmother so I have no idea how old it is. A lot I would say (the things it has seen!). So I made sure to wash it and use it for something good.

 

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Buttons were a delight to make and sew on. I had to hand sew them. They are made from the same template but each is a bit different and has different hole sizes and hole placement so I could not use my machine to automatically stitch them on. Telly watching and hand sewing it was.

 

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I love the skirt and I cannot wait for some spring weather to wear it out.

 

Thank you for reading!

Ana