dress – The Sewing Room / Šivaona

Jenna Dress by By Hand London

I was a pattern tester for the first time and what better garment to test for than a beaut like the Jenna dress. This is the new pattern from By Hand London and it has two views. I decided to test the scoop neckline version – I just love the square neckline and the sleeve bow detail too much. The other version is also very interesting for an autumn/winter version, so I will probably be making that one later in the year as well.

Prvi put sam testirala kroj i kud sreće da je to baš Jenna haljina. To je novi kroj od By Hand London i ima dvije verzije. Odlučila sam se testirati verziju s otvorenim dekolteom i mašnama na rukavima jer su mi ta dva detalja jednostavno predobra da bi ih prekočila. Druga verzija je isto zanimljiva i bila bi super za jesensku/zimsku verziju haljine. Pa eto, možda u budućnosti napravim i tu verziju.

I used this strawberry fabric I got in Vietnam a bit over a year ago. It is a light cotton fabric, so not as floaty as viscose is, which is why the bias cut skirt looks more structured. If I make it again (and I just might) I will use a floatier fabric to really give the skirt its power of swishiness.

Iskoristila sam tkaninu s jagodama koju sam kupila u Vijetnamu prošle godine. Tkanina je lagani pamuk i pošto nije lepršav kao viskoza suknja bolje drži formu iako je rezana dijagonalno. Ako ću ju ponovo raditi (a baš bi mogla) napravit ću ju u viskozi da suknja bude baš lepršava.

The bodice is lined and I decided to line it in the same fabric to really make use out of it as much as I could. Also, as it is a spring/summer dress I knew that having a light cotton fabric against my skin would be much better than any lining fabric I had on hand in my stash.

Gornji dio haljine je podstavljen i za to sam iskoristila isti materijal jer sam ga taman imala dovoljno. A pošto je to ljetna haljina znala sam da bi mi lagani pamuk bio najbolja opcija, jer ništa drugo što sam imala pri ruci nije bilo dovoljno prozračno za nositi ljeti uz kožu.

The sleeves from this view are so so beautiful and my favourite detail. The bow gives it a special vibe and it is so easy to construct. I had a bit of a movement restriction with the muslin, so for the final version, I decided to grade the seam allowance from the top (shoulder) from regular 15 mm SA to 5 mm at the bottom (armpit). This helped a lot and my hands can cheerfully go up and down as they please. I always use my hands while talking as a proper south European, so that really helps.

Rukavi iz ove verzije su predivni i to mi je vjerojatno najbolji detalj. Mašna je kao šlag na torti, a tako je jednostavna za izraditi. Imala sam mali problem s pokretnošću ruku kod probne verzije, pa sam u finalnoj verziji mijenjala veličinu dodatka na šav od redovnog 15 mm na vrhu (kod ramena) do 5 mm u donjem dijelu (u podpazušnoj zoni). To mi je puno pomoglo i mogla sam micati normalno rukama kako poželim. A pošto koristim ruke redovno dok pričam kao prava stanovnica južne Europe, to stvarno puno znači.

I made the dress in the smallest size which fits perfectly. I choose the size based on the finished garment measurements, which is always a great indicator on the right size. I saw that the bust finished measurement was bigger than what I can fill so SBA (small bust adjustment) came to the rescue. I went on the By Hand London blog and found their posts for SBA from earlier patterns and applied it for Jenna. This worked out like a dream and the fit is spot on. I have enough ease to breathe and yet there is no gaping or access fabric where I do not want it.

Napravila sam haljinu u najmanjoj veličini i fit je odličan. Veličinu sam odabrala prema mjerama gotovog odjevnog predmeta što mi je uvijek najbolji indikator za odabir veličine. Vidjela sam da mi je veličina prsa prevelika u odnosu na to koliko ju mogu popuniti, tako da sam odlučila napraviti SBA (small bust adjustment ilitiga prilagodba malih prsa). Našla sam odličan tutorial za SBA na By Hand London blogu od par ranijih krojeva koji su mi poslužili za Jennu. Prilagodba je odlično uspjela i sad mi haljina odlično pristaje i to bez ikakvog neželjenog lufta, ali da pritom opet imam dovoljno prostora za disanje.

Overall, I really like this dress pattern and it can also be hacked into so many different versions which for me is always a plus. I am thinking of a long dress next, I just have to find the right fabric for it.

Sve u svemu, stvarno mi se sviđa ovaj kroj haljine i moguće ju je izmjeniti na toliko načina što je uvijek plus. Razmišljam i o nekoj dužoj verziji, samo moram pronaći pravi materijal.

Thank you for reading!

Hvala na čitanju!

Ana

Tilly and the Buttons Freya dress pattern duo

Tilly and the Buttons released book Stretch last spring. Few months later and there it was on my shelf. Few more months and I have two Freya dresses in my closet.
There are few more designs in the book but this one was a great start to use up some fabrics from my stash.

The first one I made from this lightweight jersey I got on eBay year ago or maybe more. It feels so good to use a fabric that you have been looking at for too long. I got it without a project in mind and as it was so lightweight I never knew what would be the right pattern for it. It was time to take a bit of a risk and hope it would live a happy life as a Freya. And it does.

The push I needed to do it was a great challenge run by Chantelle @i_seam_sew_happy_xx and Lou @oh_liverpool_lou over on Instagram called #stitchedwithatwist. The idea behind it was to use any pattern and hack it in any way that rocks your boat – embroidery, adding details, changing pattern design a bit….. As this jersey is so lightweight, I thought it would work great for bigger dreamy sleeves and coincidentally lovely Athina Kakou released a hack on how to make bishop sleeves for a regular sleeve over on her blog. I loved it, so I knew I wanted to try it out. If you like it as well go over on her blog. She has many other hacks available as well and if you are still looking for a great jersey pattern she has one with great reviews – the Sheona dress/top so do check it out.

Another hack I made was to lengthen the dress to midi. I am very inspired by long autumnal dresses and wanted that feel of someone so cool as Florence form the Florence and the Machine. I mean that is as cool as one can get in my book. I lengthened the dress at lengthen or shorten line that is part of the pattern (not from the hem). I did not want it to be too wide at the bottom so this seemed to be the right way.

20181105_102010 — Bishop sleeve goodness

The second dress is this ultimate lemon dress for dark winter days. It is the vitamin C for your sight. I got this Art Gallery fabric from Minerva crafts last year and it is the softest. I have not hacked this one for the challenge but I did make some alterations to the pattern as well. I also lengthened the hem on this one but this time to the knee level. I did it the same way as with the first version. But I had a problem with access fabric in the lower back which cried for a sway back adjustment. So I tried that one out and I guess it helped but there is still some extra fabric. Not sure why and if maybe I need to make a bigger adjustment but I was not frugal with it at all. This does mean I now have a seam running down my spine in the centre back but as the fabric is a happy one with random print I do not mind it that much (and it is in the back anyway).

20181115_151641 — picking lemons in a lemon dress, bam!

20181115_152038 — after looking at these pictures again I just want to go back on holiday!

New project from the book will probably be a Joni dress but I do need to find a great fabric for it to make the picture in my head a reality.

Until then…..
Thank you for reading!
Ana

Alder Shirt dress pattern trio – by Grainline studio

I found a new pattern obsession and boy do I love it! Meet the Alder shirt dress pattern by Grainline Studio. I had this pattern in my stash for a while and always wanted to make it soon(ish) but that idea somehow stretched over a year until I finally made it this August. But once I started I loved every minute of making it. It was such a fun sew! So much that I made three of them in two weeks. Obsession overload. But I think I got it out of my system and now I can see other patterns still exist out there 😊

Našla sam novu opsesiju i oh, koliko ju volim! Upoznajte Alder košulju haljinu od Grainline Studia. Ovaj kroj imam već dugo vremena i uvijek sam ga planirala uskoro započeti šivati, ali se to nekako otegnulo na godinu dana dok nisam napokon napravila prvu verziju početkom kolovoza. Ali čim sam počela uživala sam u svakom trenutku ovog projekta. Toliko da sam napravila tri verzije u samo dva tjedna. Pukla kao kokica! Ali mislim da sam sada izbacila to iz sustava i mogu vidjeti da postoje i drugi krojevi osim ovoga 😊

20180803_102902 — The dog is always excited on our photo-shoots / pas je uvijek uzbuđen kod slikanja

The pattern has two views and I made all three in the view B with gathered skirt. I think it looks great with that extra volume. I plan to make view A eventually but maybe it will be another year until the new obsession kicks in.

Kroj ima dvije verzije. Ja sam napravila tri haljine u verziji B sa skupljenim šosom. Mislim da taj dodatni volumen super izgleda. Planiram napraviti i verziju A u nekom trenutku ali to možda iduće godine kada na red dođe nova opsesija.

————————

The first one I made is from this perfect shade of green cotton shirting. I had this fabric in my stash with this pattern in mind for over a year waiting to start working on it. The fabric was affordable and perfect for a wearable muslin and it turned out perfect. I think this kind of light fabric with a bit of body is perfect for this pattern.

Prvu verziju sam napravila u laganom pamuku idealnom za košulje. Tu tkaninu sam imala preko godinu dana spremnu upravo za ovaj kroj. Tkanina je bila jeftina i idealna za probnu verziju, a nabavila sam ju u lokalnom Svijetu Tkanine. Haljina je super ispala i mislim da je ova tkanina odlična obzirom da je lagana, ali istovremeno drži formu.

The collar construction went like a breeze. I have few collars under my belt by now and although none of them are prefect I do keep my hands busy with practice. One day, the perfect collar will appear in front of me. One day.

The button placket is crisp and clean and I loved making it. The ironing part of the sewing never excites me but with this one it was so much fun to get the straight shapes.

Armholes are finished with bias binding and I used cotton bias binding for the two cotton shirt dresses and a sateen one for the viscose shirt dress.

Sastavljanje kragne je išlo bez problema. Do sada sam već napravila nekoliko kragni i iako niti jedna od njih još nije savršena, vježbam pomalo sa svakim projektom. Jednog dana, doći će i ta savršena kragna. Jednog dana.

Izrada lajsne i podliska za zakopčavanje je bila zabavna. Inače me dio peglanja koji je uključen u šivanje baš i ne veseli, ali tu mi je bilo zabavno gledati stvaranje pravilnih linija.

Otvor za ruke je završen s trakom koja se koristi za porubljivanje kružnih rubova. Za dvije haljine napravljene od pamuka sam koristila pamučnu traku, a za haljinu od viskoze sam iskoristila satensku traku.

Skirt is gathered and sewn onto the bodice. It is a bit tricky to insert on the corner and it includes a gambling moment of snipping into the fabric at one point but it turns great when done. I did that kind of thing before so it was not a problem or new technique but you never know what can happen when you have scissors in your hand and go overboard. But, we sewists are a brave bunch….

Šos je skupljen i kao takav našiven na ostatak haljine. Kod šivanja kuta gdje se šos spaja s gornjom i bočnom stranom haljine je nezgodan moment koji podrazumijeva rezanje tkanine koja još nije osigurana sa šavom. Već sam šivala takve krojeve , ali to svaki put aktivira živce jer nikada ne znate granice slobode sa škarama u rukama. Ali mi šivači smo hrabri ljudi…..

————–

I made so many buttonholes I am dizzy with counting. And choosing the buttons was a whole new story. I asked everyone over on Instagram what they thought and when the results came in they leaned towards my favourite buttons – vintage turquoise ones. Thank you for voting everyone!

Napravila sa toliko otvora za gumbe da više niti ne brojim. Odabir gumba je isto bio problem za sebe. Na Instagramu sam pitala koje gube da odaberem jer se nisam mogla odlučiti. Bilo je puno glasova i na kraju su vodili gumbi prema kojima sa i sama naginjala najviše – vintage tirkizni gumbi. Hvala svima na glasanju!

The second dress I made in the Cotton + Steel fabric that I also got with this pattern in mind. Yep, also a year ago. Ain’t I a Speedy Gonzales. Anyway, the fabric does not look as good on photos as it does in real life. The fabric is a beaut and works well with this pattern. I added ties at the waist where skirt and bodice side seam starts. It think it adds more life and definition to the dress in this fabric.

Drugu haljinu sam napravila u Cotton + Steel viskozi koju sam isto nabavila radi ovog kroja. Tako je, isto prije godinu dana. Baš sam Speedy Gonzales. Uglavnom, tkanina puno bolje izgleda u živo nego na slikama. Predivna je i odlično paše na ovaj kroj haljine. Na ovu verziju sam dodala vezice na bočnom spoju suknje i prednjeg dijela haljine da ju mogu zavezati u struku. To daje više života haljini kod ove lepršave tkanine.

The third one is I think my favourite one and it makes me so happy. I got this lemon fabric back at the beginning of spring on my trip to Vietnam. The fabric works so well for this pattern. It is such a happy dress and I feel great wearing it.

Treća verzija mi je najdraža i baš me uveseljava. Ovu limun tkaninu sam kupila početkom proljeća u Vijetnamu. Mislim da odlično paše na ovaj kroj. Ovo je baš vesela haljina i super se osjećam u njoj.

Which one is your favourite?

I definitely plan to make the view A with V neck hack Grainline has on their blog as a tutorial.

Koja je vama najdraža?

Definitivno planiram napraviti i verziju A kroja s V izrezom za koju tutorial Grainline ima na svom blogu.

Thank you for reading!

Hvala na čitanju!

Ana

Cleo Dungarees / Cleo kombinezon haljina – pattern by Tilly and the Buttons

Dungarees seem to be a must make for many in last year and Cleo certainly is one of the most popular out there. It helps that it is easy and fast to make but also that you do not require too much fabric for it (at least not for the shorter version). I was not really sure about this make at first (and still am getting to know myself with it 😊) but I like it. It is easy and casual so I like how easy it is to get dressed in the morning with Cleo on the menu.

Kombinezon haljine su obavezna stvar na šivaćem stolu kod mnogih ove godine i Cleo je sigurno jedna od najpopularnijih. Tome u prilog sigurno ide to što je jednostavan i brz kroj i ne treba puno materijala za izradu (barem za kraću verziju). U početku nisam bila sigurna što reći za ovaj kroj (i još imam svojih dvojbi), ali sviđa mi se. Jednostavan je i idealan za casual outfite i sviđa mi se lakoća jutarnjeg odijevanja s Cleom.

I made the short dress version and used an old light blue denim from my mother’s stash for it. The dress is not very fitted but I did take it in as much as I could to still be able to get it over my head without zip or buttons. I was thinking of fitting it even more and adding some additional opening because on my body with sway back it kind of looks it is hanging from a hanger when looked at from the side. From the front and back it does look as there is somebody in there, so that is fine. I am still thinking about it but am not too keen on sewing zipper or buttonholes so will leave it a bit longer like this. Did anyone else have similar problems? Or is it just me? No? Maybe? That is the only negative thing I could say about this pattern if it even has anything to do with the pattern. I have no idea how to make a sway back adjustment on this kind of garment so….if anyone has any ideas please share them in the comments.

Napravila sam kraću verziju haljine u svijetloplavom traperu koji sam uzela iz maminog ormara jer g on nije planirala koristiti. Haljina nije uska ali sam ju suzila na bočnim šavovima koliko sam mogla, a da ju još uvijek mogu prevući preko glave. Haljina i dalje gledano s boka stoji kao da je na vješalici zbog mojih uvinutih leđa, ali da bi haljinu više suzila trebala bi staviti cif ili gumbe za dodatni otvor. Gledano od naprijed ili natrag izgleda kao da netko je unutar haljine pa je to ok. I dalje razmišljam da ju suzim i dodam cif ili gumbe, ali nisam pretjerano motivirana za to, pa ću još vidjeti kako ju ovako mogu stilizirati. Je li netko imao slične probleme s ovim krojem možda? To je potencijalni jedini negativni komentar koji bi mogla dati ovom kroju, ako je to uopće stvar kroja. Ne znam podesiti stražnju stranu kroja za uvinuta leđa, ali ako itko ima prijedloge slobodno napišite u komentarima.

I found the perfect styling option for it and that is with all the shirts. Fitted tops are really not an option for me because of the side view hanger issue. But flowy wider shirts are a great option and I like how that looks.

Našla sam najbolju odjevnu kombinaciju za Cleo i to je sa svim košuljama. Inače dobro ide i sa uskim majicama, ali to kod mene baš i nije opcija jer onda dojam vješalice bude samo dodatno izražen. Ali lepršave košulje su odlične.

___________

If you are thinking of making a Cleo for layering then be smarter than me and listen to fellow makers that have the experience and line it. It likes to go up when all you want is for it to stay down. I even tried to wear it with a slip but it still likes to catch to tights bellow the slip and nothing can stop it then. I am of course lazy to line it now but might go back to it later. You know, when I decide to make a zip or button opening. Yep.

Ako razmišljate o izradi ovakve haljine za mjesece kada su potrebne i najlonke, napravite si uslugu i podstavite ju. Voli se penjati uz nogu koliko god vi željeli da ostane dolje. Probala sam svoju nositi sa podhaljinom ali čim su to odvojena dva sloja haljina uhvati mali dio najlonki ispod podhaljine i opa, ide prema gore. Sada sam naravno prelijena da bi se vratila i podstavila ju, ali možda se natjeram na to u nekom trenutku napravim. Isto onda kada ću se natjerati napraviti i zip ili gumb kopčanje. Toliko o tome.

20180630_133711 — Clip on buckles / Clip-on kopče

From all pocket options I used only one, the front pocket. It is great for some smaller things although phone is a bit too heavy for a longer walk, as it likes to pull the dress front down.
I had the clip on buckles in my stash from a place I don’t remember and they were perfect size and even less time consuming construction wise. Although I was happy to hammer in some jeans buttons, but decided to go with what I had.

Kroj ima više opcija za džepove, ja sam se odlučila samo za prednji džep. Svakakve sitnice stanu u njega, ali mobitel je malo pretežak za duže šetnje.

Koristila sam clip-on kopče koje sam već imala doma, ali se ne sjećam se gdje sam ih nabavila. Razmišljala sam nabaviti gumbe za traperice da isprobam njihovo montiranje čekićem, ali ipak sam se odlučila za ono što mi je već bilo pri ruci.

20180516_152901 — I did say I like it, right? Because I do! / rekla sam da mi se sviđa, jel da? Jer mi se sviđa!

Next dungarees I make will be some pants ones, I just have to decide on the pattern. I have it narrowed down and think I have a winner but still need to get it as well as the perfect fabric.

Idući kombinezon će biti u verziji hlača, samo se moram odlučiti za pravi kroj. Imam par kandidata i mislim da sam odlučila koji ću koristiti, ali osim toga moram naći i pravu tkaninu.

Thank you for reading!

Hvala na čitanju!

Ana

Ginghamization – DIY dress with triangles

I shared this dress on Instagram few weeks ago and I got a lot of comments asking what pattern I used or how I made it so I thought I would write a blog post about it for anyone who might be interested. I made the dress two years ago and do not have any in progress shots so can not share any pictures of the steps involved, but I did try to describe it with words as much as I could. Just scroll down for the ginghamization goodness.

***

Gingham is a well positioned fabric in the fashion world. I love it and think it always looks great. Somehow it is chic but casual at the same time. How is that even possible? Gingham superpowers at play. So when I saw the perfect gingham cotton fabric at a local fabric store I bought it straight away without even knowing what to make with it. I knew it would live it’s life as a dress but had not known in what form. I think I bought 2.5 or 3 meters of it, but it is hard to recall now. This is more like a guess based on the amount needed for the final dress plus I have a bit leftover.

With time some ideas started brewing in my mind and I knew what kind of a dress I wanted. I did not have a pattern for it so decided to look for a basic bodice I could use as a base and work around it. I needed a simple bodice with two front and two back darts. What I wanted would not be suitable for princess seams or bust darts as the fabric pattern would look different and possibly strange/unattractive. I went for one I already used before and knew would work. It is bodice pattern from Burda Style dress no #101 from 2/2011 magazine issue. But you can use any bodice pattern with darts that suits you.

IMG_0497_original_large — Burda Style dress 101, 2/2017

I played around on paper first to see how the fabric placement would look. I find this as a good method when I want to play with fabric print and direction to test out the ideas.

20180602_184338 — I am not one for beautiful sketches but good enough to get the feeling if it will work (and you can see it worked from all the ticks – why are they all there I have no idea)

And now the construction of the dress.

BODICE. I had the bodice already traced so went straight for the fabric cutting. First step was to sew the darts on both bodice pieces. Then I needed to cut out the triangles. I measured the bottom of the front bodice piece on fold and side of the bodice front from bottom to bust height. That way I had measurements for two sides of a square. Then I cut out two squares of fabric and folded them diagonally to get two triangles.

I pinned the triangles to the front bodice and ‘tried it on’ to see if it lay flat or if there was some gaping or what not. What you want to check at this point is where the waist seam will be so you know how to position the triangles for them to meet in the middle, right where the skirt will be attached to the bodice. When I was happy with it I sewed the triangles to the front bodice within the seam allowance on the side and bottom of the bodice. The top of the triangles on the fold is left unsewn. You can stitch them down by machine or by hand with invisible stitch, but I did not want to have any visible stitching or do any hand sewing so left it like that. Hand sewing can easily be done when the dress is finished if you end up with any gaping, but I did not, so it is free and I can put my hands in if I want to rest them, for example. Then I attached front and back bodice pieces together. My dress has a side zip so I left one side open to insert the zip later.

I opted for a V opening on the back of the bodice (not pictured), this was an easy alteration to do. I cut out the original back bodice and then measured how low I would like the opening to be. I did not want it to be too low so I could securely hide the bra. When I measured it in front of a mirror I simply cut out a triangle opening. I finished the neckline with a bias binding but you can also do it with a facing or a full lining for a cleaner finish, which is my go to option these days. The armholes are also finished with bias binding.

SKIRT. The next step was the skirt and I went for the drama effect and cut out a full circle skirt. When it was ready I attached the skirt to the bodice and inserted the zip. And then all that was left was endless seam finishing on the circle skirt.

And voila, there is my gingham dress of dreams! It is not hard at all but gives a simple dress so much more character. If you go ahead and do it I would be happy to see your version, so please leave me a comment, send me a message or tag me on Instagram 😊

20180512_163816 — And one bathroom selfie for the end because we are in 2018

P.S. – I love this photo of ladies in their gingham outfits waiting in line by Nina Leen for Life Magazine. You think I would fit among them with this dress? The caption of the photo is ‘Women wearing checked outfits, waiting to place bets at racetrack’. That kind of line is not where you would find me but if it were a line to buy cinema tickets that could work. Imagine a gingham movie premiere – now that is where I would love to be!

leen_nina_1806_2005_456738_displaysize — Photo by Nina Leen for Life Magazine; source

Thank you for reading!

Ana