Florence dress pattern by Sew Over it – when dress dreams come to life

Meet my autumn(est) dress ever. It is all about the fabric with this one, just look at all those different coloured leaves. If you ask me if I love autumn I really do not know what to say. I do love the colours, shift in the wardrobe, pants domination (preferably me-made), pleasant temperatures… but the one thing I do not love about it is the fact that summer is over. Not really something to blame on autumn, but there you go. So, I guess I do like it, but by the time I get accustomed to it, it is already almost winter. And the same thing every year. But, this time I made an autumn dress and I am ready for all future autumns coming my way!

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Upoznajte moju najjesenskiju haljinu ikada. Kod ove je sve u tkanini, pogledajte sve te listove raznih boja. Ako me pitate volim li jesen stvarno ne znam što da odgovorim. Volim boje jeseni, promjenu u garderobi, dominaciju hlača (po mogućnosti izrađene by moi), ugodne temperature….ali jedna stvar koju ne volim kod jeseni je činjenica da je ljeto gotovo. Znam da nije fer za to kriviti jesen, al eto. Na kraju pretpostavljam da ipak volim jesen, ali dok se priviknem na promjenu već je zima na vratima i tako svake godine. Ali ovaj put sam napravila jesensku haljinu i sad sam spremna za svaku iduću jesen koja dolazi!

The pattern is Florence dress by Sew Over It. This dress was interesting to me from the start and if you missed it, the pattern is named after Florence of Florence and the Machine. And as I already mentioned in one previous post she is one of my style icons and coolest gals out there. Her name is a definition of a long dress for me so this is all just so appropriate.

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Kroj je Florence haljina od Sew Over It. Odmah mi se svidio kad su ga izdali, a dijelom i zbog imena – nazvan je prema prema Florence iz Forence and the Machine. Kako sam već napisala u jednom ranijem postu, ona je jedna od meni najdražih stilskih ikona i općenito kul žena i njeno ime za mene znači u prijevodu duga haljina, tako da ovo sve zajedno ne može biti prikladnije.

The pattern is easy to construct. In original, it has a mandarin collar but I lengthened it to get the bow. It was the easiest hack ever and looks so great. I lengthened the pattern piece of the mandarin collar as much as I could – it was determined by the amount of fabric I had. But you can easily make it longer or shorter based on the bow size you like. And that is why sewing is great!

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Kroj je jednostavan za šivanje. Originalno dolazi s polovičnom kragnom (tzv. Mandarin kragna) ali ja sam ju produžila kako bi dobila mašnu koja se veže oko vrata. Ta izmjena je toliko jednostavna, a toliko efektna. Dužina nove kragne je bila definirana količinom tkanine koju sam u tom trenutku imala na raspolaganju. Ovisno o veličini mašne koju hoćete, kragna se lako može produžiti ili skratiti da dobijete točno ono što želite. I zbog toga je šivanje super!

As the pattern is easy to construct and I want the dress to last a long time I made the (almost) entire thing with french seams, apart from the armhole opening. Not sure why I have not done it there as well but I guess I was either eager to finish it or once I basted the sleeves to check the fit I was too lazy to unpick them. But hopefully, it will still last many autumns to come.

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Kako je kroj jednostavan za konstrukciju odlučila sam uložiti više vremena i skoro sve šavove sam izradila sa tzv „French seam“  šavom (šav za zatvorenim živim rubom tkanine). Jedino ga nisam napravila na otvoru za rukav, vjerojatno iz lijenosti ili žurbe. Tu se isto lako može napraviti, ali kako sam prvo probno prošila rukav da provjerim je li sve uredu nije mi se dalo parati da bi napravila istu stvar s francuskim šavom. Ali nadam se da će me svejedno ova haljina služiti mnogo godina.

 

The pattern has elasticated waist which is not my favourite but does look good, is easy to construct and wear. I was thinking of how I would avoid it next time (I am not a fan!) to get the effect of the elasticated waist without really having one. I did literally just that – no elastic – in my second version which is coming to the blog soon, keep your eyes peeled!

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Kroj koristi elastičnu gumu za skupljanje u struku, što osobno nije moj najdraži detalj, ali je brzo i jednostavno za izradu i nošenje. Razmišljala sam kako bi točno izbjegla taj korak, a da i dalje skupim tkaninu u struku. To sam i napravila – bez elastike – na drugoj verziji koji isto uskoro dolazi na blog!

I used a viscose fabric with falling leaves on a blue background I got while in Vietnam last spring. It was a great option for this pattern. My sister is the one who talked me into buying it, so thank you, sis! We first saw the same fabric with a dark green background which looked ok, but something was just not speaking to me. But then I saw the blue colourway one and the rest is history.

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Izradila sam ju u viskoznoj tkanini s raznobojnim lišćem koju sam kupila na putu u Vijetnamu prošlo proljeće. Tkanina odlično ide s ovim krojem. Sestra me nagovorila da kupim ovaj materijal, tako da hvala seka! Prvo smo vidjele isti uzorak tkanine na tamno zelenoj podlozi koja je bila ok, ali nešto joj je falilo. A onda sam ugledala ovu s plavom podlogom i ostalo je povijest.

Golden rule: take pictures on a day with no wind. I am great at following my own rules / zlatno pravilo: slikajte se na dan bez vjetra. Ja sam super u tome da se držim vlastitih pravila.

I received a great reaction on this dress over on Instagram and thank you all for your likes and comments. This gal is happy when something she made with her hands is so well received.

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Na Instagramau sam za ovu haljinu dobila odličnu reakciju i hvala svima na lajkovima i komentarima. Ova cura je sretna kada nešto što je napravila vlastitim rukama bude tako lijepo primljeno.

 

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.

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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.

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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.

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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).

 

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picking lemons in a lemon dress, bam!
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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 😊

 

 

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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.

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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.

 

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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.

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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…..

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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!

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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.

 

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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.

 

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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.

 

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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.

 

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Topstitching heaven

 

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.

 

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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.

 

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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.

 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

 

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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.

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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.

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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 😊

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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!

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Photo by Nina Leen for Life Magazine; source

 

Thank you for reading!

Ana