Staatliches Bauhaus, commonly known simply as Bauhaus, was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined crafts and the fine arts, and was famous for the approach to design that it publicised and taught. Wikipedia
I recently attended the 2018 DesignXri Designer’s Ball. The theme was Bauhaus Bash in honor of the Bauhaus design movement’s 100th anniversary. Predictably, if you give talented, creative people a spark of inspiration, you get remarkable results. I knew I would have to come up with something good!
To achieve this look, I went shopping in my closet. The dress was just a simple black knit dress that has been hanging around waiting for warmer weather. When you look at Bauhaus designs, you see a lot of simple shapes, primary colors, high contrast and humor. That inspired me to make a pattern of bold stripes and circles. Easiest (and most reversible) way – duct tape. I applied the stripes just by eye. The circles are made by layering strips of tape on my cutting mat and using a utility knife to cut out the circular shapes.
The element that really makes the outfit is the “sleeves.” The sleeve apparatus is made from two inexpensive plastic IKEA placemats, some ribbon, some cable ties, and one strategically placed safety pin.
Add some slicked-down hair, red lipstick and a sense of adventure and the outfit is done!
The whole thing took about 4 hours to put together – or 8 if you count all of the time I spent browsing the internet.
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I really can’t say enough about this great event. For some great photos of how other people interpreted the theme, check out JTJ Photography. For more information on DesignXri, check out their website:http://www.designxri.com
Fortunately, I already had a plan in place, so I hit the ground running when I finally started.
The black stretch fabric I used for the main color was challenging to cut. To get the best result, I used my sharpest scissors and put a fresh blade in my rotary cutter. When cutting stretch fabrics with a rotary, it is especially important to apply pressure from directly above where you want to cut. If you apply pressure at an angle, the fabric will stretch away from you as you cut. The greater the angle, the greater the distortion.
Main fabric: stretch poly twill
Lace: Cotton embroidered on nylon mesh
To make sure that the lace pieces would come together in a pleasing way, I first laid the lace over the pattern piece. Then I identified where the “X” stitching lines would fall. I shifted the piece until I was happy, then marked the placement with a couple of pins. I put the pattern piece on top, then cut it out. I used this process for all four lace sections. After all that, cutting the gray background fabric was a breeze!
Checking the position of the flowers before cutting.
Before getting to the directions in the pattern envelope, I basted the lace and lining pieces to each other. Because my serger was ready to go, I used an overlock stitch (with the knife up) to put them together.
One of the midriff pieces serge-basted
The next part was assembling the four pieces making up the front into a single piece. I have never done any quilting, but I imagine that the process is very similar. First, I sewed the top section to the right side triangle. Then I sewed the bottom section to the left side triangle. I pressed the seams open. Then I carefully pinned the two pieces so the “X” met exactly in the center. I measured twice. Then I stitched the third and final seam, pausing a few times to check and re-check my alignment. Success!
The only problem was the fabric itself. I once again needed to help the machine along by adding strips of wash-away stabilizer.
The back was made of two pieces, joined by a 22 inch zipper. So assembling the back did not require matching an “X.” Sewing those pieces was much less nerve wracking.
Getting the seams ready to sew required adding some wash-away stabilizer for traction.
Joining the “X”
The center back ready for the zipper.
I used basting tape to position the zipper before sewing
Never too many pins when setting in a sleeve.
I made a bias-tape neck opening finish instead of using the pattern’s facing
From this point, putting the dress together goes the same as any other back zip dress. I changed the neckline from using a facing to using bias tape, but everything else was the same as the pattern.
Almost done
Not awesome
Nope
I put it on ready to be amazed at its awesomeness. After all, it looked great on the hanger. Alas, the fit was far from amazing. Although the fitted part of the dress (bustline and up) looked good, the loose fitting lower half was boxy and unflattering. It did not have the gentle waist curve and drape I expected from looking at the pattern illustration. Part of that was because the heavy black stretch fabric did not drape well. But I felt that the dress would be more flattering if I took in the sides a bit below the bust.
New size seam to go where pins are placed.
New seam-line marked with white pencil.
Fabric needs to be reduced between the pins.
New back darts marked with white pencil
So, it was back to the sewing machine, the seam ripper and the iron. Still not happy, I added a few small darts in the back, between the waist and hip. A little while later, I had my modified style.
I trimmed the seam allowances, it hung a lot better…. but….
I still had more fitting to do. I took the sides in some more and took the darts out. Finally, it looked like I had imagined.
A quick hemming session, a final press and it was done!
That’s better!
I think if I make this pattern again, I might try doing it in a mid to heavy weight knit omitting the zipper. It would be really flattering in complementary colors with topstitching. Maybe in a long sleeve version? It would also be nice in a lighter weight woven in the sleeveless view for spring and summer.
Hey – why don’t you vote for me? The voting period is from the 17th to the 22nd.
Even if you don’t vote, it’s worth taking a look at the other contest entries on patternreview.com. I’m really impressed and also have serious shoe envy.
The Marfy blouse, my personal challenge for January, is coming together. After creating my own pattern from the pieces Marfy supplied, I was ready to make a toile (or wearable muslin) to test my construction method and make any necessary fitting adjustments.
For the toile, I chose a woven fabric from my stash that I wasn’t particularly attached to. That way, if things work out, I’ll wear it. If they don’t, I haven’t wasted special or expensive material. The striped heart pattern isn’t my usual taste, but I do like the red and white combination. Also, it might be fun to wear on Valentine’s Day.
My initial construction notes
Before I even cut into the fabric, I made notes on to sew it together. I update my notes as I go along. When I’m done, I’ll have a good set of instructions to put in the envelope with the pattern.
After washing, it was obvious that the hearts fabric was pretty flimsy. I knew it would need interfacing to give it some structure, especially in the collar and button bands. I had four different possibilities on hand, so I made test swatches of each of them to see what worked best (or if I needed to get something else).
Pellon SF101 Shape Flex , woven fusible: the winner. Provided nice support without stiffness.
Pellon 950F ShirTailor, non-woven fusible: too crisp. This one would be better for heavier fabric, men’s shirts and cuffs, etc.
Pellon 845F Designer’s Lite, non-woven fusible: very lightweight interfacing kept the fabric from fraying and losing shape, but added no stiffness at all. Better for silky fabrics or the body of the garment (not the collar).
Heat n’ Bond Lightweight, non-woven fusible: very similar support to SF101. This one would have also worked well, but since I had more of the Pellon on hand, I went with that.
R: Pellon 950F L:Pellon 845F
R: Heat ‘n Bond lightweight L: Pellon SF101
Since the original Marfy pattern pieces have no seam allowance, they are ready to use as pattern pieces for interfacing.
SF101 for the collar ready to cut with original pattern piece. (Presser foot pattern weight)
Section by section, I assembled the parts of the blouse. I left out the pockets but otherwise kept to the design. I saved a little time by using the serger to overcast the raw edges instead of doing any “nice” seam finishes. As the parts started to come together, I pinned them to my duct-tape double. Once all of the components were prepared (collar, back, yoke/sleeve, and fronts), I was able to get a good idea of how the final version would fit. Some of the things I checked were the position of the darts, whether the side seams fell straight down or not, and where the hem should fall for a comfortable length.
Collar and shoulder/sleeve pieces pinned
Testing front darts and side seams
I had expected to adjust the darts, which I did. What I didn’t expect was that I would need to let out the bottom so much. Apparently my posterior does not conform to Italian standards – who knew? Because I needed to let out more than my seam allowance would allow, I went ahead and drafted an entirely new back pattern piece. After making another back section from the new pattern, I pinned it in place on my double.
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Well, it was better, but not good. I needed to pinch away about an inch horizontally across the small of the back. I made yet another pattern piece and tried again. Ideally, I would also take out a little from the center seam, but I was concerned that the stripe pattern would look too distorted if I did that. So, I went with version 3 and moved on.
Version 3 in progress
The second back piece
Original back piece
Once I was done with the back, I needed to adjust the front a little bit by adding side darts.
One thing I wasn’t able to test-fit on the double was the sleeve. I had to wait until the body of the blouse was complete to see how much gathering I would need. I frequently need to adjust sleeves for myself, so I knew I didn’t want to commit to the bias tape edge until I was sure the fit would work.
And…. this is how I learned that I needed to clean the lint from under my sole plate.
The instructions for the sleeve edges were a little mysterious. The sleeve was not pictured in detail on the illustration. The pleated parts were clearly marked on the pattern, but the only detail about how to handle the sleeve edges was “Reduce to cm.” There was a pencilled in (!) number 8.5 near it. Reduce 8.5 cm? One side? Both sides? Reduce to 8.5cm? I had to guess. I measured the edge of both sleeve pieces on each side. I ran a couple rows of gathering stitches and pulled the bobbin threads until the total edge measurements were reduced by 17 cm in total (8.5 for the front, 8.5 for the back). I basted the gathers, then tested for fit. It seemed a little snug, so I let them out until I was happy, then sewed on my matching self-made bias.
The final sleeve looks pretty good, but dips a little too low. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any good way to raise the bottom of the sleeve opening once the pieces had been cut, so I did not incorporate that necessary modification to the toile. I did adjust the pattern pieces, though.
The collar was next. Finally, something that just worked!
I’m getting better at buttonholes.
Then it was time for the part I was dreading: the buttonholes. My buttonhole skills are improving, but they are far from perfect. But I think these will do unless there is a close inspection. The buttons are just old ones I found in my stash, except for the top button. I thought it would be cute to put a little red heart button at the top, so I did. I could have probably put a row of hearts down the front, but it was getting a little too cute for a grown woman already!
The blue line in center of the buttonhole is where I marked the buttonhole placement using water-soluble marker. It comes right out with water – you can take it off with a damp rag in a pinch.
I turned up a simple blind machine hem and pronounced it done!
The back is finally done and ready to hem!
I’m really glad I made a test version. Now I can cut into my “good” fabric with confidence. And I may even wear the test version for more than just Valentine’s Day.
Here are some pictures of me wearing my “wearable muslin.” Click the images to enlarge.
I’ll be reviewing this pattern for the contest and making View C.
One of the resources everyone who sews should check out is patternreview.com. There you will find a huge database of user-submitted reviews for just about every pattern out there. It’s a great place to check out what others think of a pattern before you shop – or when you get stuck.
Pattern Review runs a bunch of contests and challenges over the course of the year. I’ve never done one before, but 2018’s first challenge sparked my imagination. EntitledThe 2018 Match Your Shoes Contest, the idea is that entrants use a pair of shoes as inspiration for building an entire outfit. Everything except foundations and accessories has to be sewn by the entrant (although not necessarily for themself).
Oh boy! Who among us doesn’t have a pair of shoes they couldn’t resist, but then never wears?
The Cloud Footwear Janna Tall Bootie, from Nordstrom (2017)
Last year I bought these calf-height boots so that I could be stylish in the cold weather. That has happened exactly once. I still love the boots, but I just don’t know what to wear with them. So they became my inspiration piece.
Now I have until February 15 to pull together my shoe-inspired outfit.
The boots have an interesting combination of simple black leather topped with a black snakeskin-textured band. They have an easy sensibility. These are walking-around shoes – not night at the opera shoes. So my ideal outfit would be a little special, but easy to wear strolling around town. I would also like it to reflect the boots’ interesting monochrome textural differences.
Here was an easy, loose dress with color blocking possibilities that could showcase different textures in the same tone.
Oh, the possibilities!
Usually I can find something in my stash that will work, but not this time. I spent a fun time shopping for fabric and finally came up with a really neat combination.
The main color will be black and the side pieces will be gray with a lace overlay. All of the fabrics are either 100% cotton or cotton/poly blend, so they can be washed by machine.
Watch this space for more updates as the project progresses.
The one piece of fabric from my Sincerely Rylee mystery box that I had no idea what to do with was this brushed sweater knit with a giant horizontal design.
Big. Progresso soup can for scale.
While the quality is excellent, I have to admit that this is one I would never have chosen for myself. My initial reaction was just BIG BIG BIG. I could have given it away, but as you know, I love a challenge. Also, it was so fluffy that it was taking up a big space on the shelf. If I used it, I could fill that space with more fabric!
Front View
Like most knits, the material had a wide width: 58 inches after washing. I had almost 3 yards of it, so I had a lot of options. I thought a long time about how I could best use the vivid pattern. There was enough yardage to do almost anything, but I was concerned that the pattern would be overwhelming in anything long – so sweater dresses and dusters were out. So I started looking at my casual top patterns for a good match.
I came up with hallå patterns’ Slim Dolman. Hallå seems to have a loyal following and I’ve seen a few sewists online list the dolman as one of their go-to patterns. Bonus: Hallå gives you a code to download the pattern and tutorial free if you join their facebook group. I liked that the pieces did not have darts or any details that might disrupt the pattern.
I can see why people like Hallå. Their tutorial has a really nice, clear set of instructions that shows how the simple pattern can be modified for different necklines, sleeves, lengths, and even curviness. I chose to make it long-sleeved, regular (instead of tunic) length with a banded bottom.
Same pattern back
Unlike traditional patterns, all of the purely rectangular pieces such as cuffs and bands are just given as dimensions for you to cut. You are also expected to be able to figure out the pattern layout unaided. The most unusual thing is that the pieces only have a 1/4″ seam allowance. If you don’t need to do any fitting, that’s perfect for sewing on a serger. There is absolutely no wasted fabric with this one.
For those reasons, it might not be a good first pattern for a beginner. But otherwise, it’s about as simple as it gets.
When I actually started placing pattern pieces on the fabric, I was surprised to observe that I could only fit one complete repeat of the design on the large front and back pieces. I decided to maneuver the pieces so the large dark stripe would go across the body so the shoulder and hip would be coral. For the bands, sleeves, and cuffs, I played around with different combinations until I found what I liked the best.
Band and cuffs one way
Band and cuffs another way
When I put it all together, it turned out to have a kind of sweatshirt vibe. It’s really perfect to wear with jeans and super warm and cozy. The crazy stripes were starting to grow on me!
Version 1 – Sweatshirt-y
Because I had so much fabric left over, I thought it might be interesting to see how it sewed up in a variation of the dolman pattern. I was really curious about the batwing modification. I don’t have anything with a batwing sleeve in my wardrobe and wondered how it would be to wear. Also, it gave me another opportunity to experiment with those stripes!
There is no pattern piece for batwings. Instead there are directions on how to modify the pattern to achieve it. I simply made a new pattern piece with a shallower underarm curve. Because the slim dolman uses the same piece for front and back, I only had to do it once.
I really like the way stripes look when they are joined at an angle. I was already changing the pattern, so I made one more change and cut right and left pieces (plus 1/4 inch) for both the front and back.
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I used the guides on my quilter’s ruler to place the pieces at a 30 degree angle (or 60, depending on how you look at things). To make sure the stripes aligned, I cut the first piece then used it as the pattern piece for the opposite side. When you place the piece wrong side down, it’s easy to see if the pattern lines up.
Sewing the pieces together along what would have been the foldline results in a front and a back that are the same dimensions as the original pattern pieces.
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To minimize adding anything that would disrupt my now beloved pattern, I also changed the neckline from a neckband to bias facing. For the same reason, I hemmed the bottom and sleeves instead of using cuffs.
Version 2 – 1985 and 2018 mash-up
I discovered something neat about 99% of the way through this project. I wan’t really happy with the way my machine hems were coming out. I just couldn’t find a thread color that would blend well enough to not be distracting. Solution: after securing the edges with an overlock or zig-zag, hand finish the hem with lace-weight knitting yarn. I know not everyone has yarn on hand, but my medium-gray wool yarn turned out to be perfect. I only did the sleeve hems this way, but they are absolutely invisible.
So… the stripes don’t line up. I guess I should have measured twice and cut once. I don’t hate it though. I think it worked very well as a proof of concept, and I’ll definitely wear it as a casual top.
It looks like I have another pattern for the keep pile. Which one do you prefer?
I have an easy one for today. I was in the mood to make casual tops, so I pulled out a pattern I have been wanting to try for a while: McCall’s M7247. I bought the pattern because I really liked the views with overlapped curved edges. It seemed like it would have interesting possibilities for color blocking.
I also had some very nice knits in my collection that I purchased with the hopes of using them together. Fabric 1 was a rayon/spandex blend in black. Fabric 2 was a horizontal black and white stripe. I had bought both fabrics from Fabric Mart Fabrics online thinking that they were the same material in different colors. They weren’t. That’s one of the pitfalls of shopping for fabric online. Don’t make assumptions. If you have doubts, ask!
One of these knits is not like the other. Opacity issue led to Choice No. 1 with black on top.
The stripe is lightweight enough that dark colors show through. The black is tightly woven and has good stretch and recovery. Looking at the pattern, it seemed like it would still be fine to combine them, as long as the black was always on top of the white, not vice versa.
I took the pieces for View C and made my own variation. My top has long sleeves and uses only two colors.
Construction was really easy. Ironing the curved hem was the only part that I wished would end before it was over. But it’s a wide curve and really not difficult.
I considered a few different embellishments. I decided against a little pocket because I couldn’t find a shape that really worked with the big sweeping curves. Instead I made a cover button with the stripe fabric. Putting the button on the shoulder of the top flap just seemed to fit. Also, it gave me a way to see the stripes on top of solid black without the black showing through.
Pocket? Button? Both? None?
This is the first time I have made a cover button. If I had known it was so easy, I would have done it sooner! I used Dritz 7/8 inch “half-ball” cover button forms which just snap together. No special tools needed.
Back opening in a RTW top (Amazon)
Overall, I really like how it turned out. The one issue is that the bottom flap can easily show bare skin depending on how high the waistband is on what you are wearing underneath. My plan is to wear this with yoga pants in the winter and a high-waisted long knit skirt in the summer. The jeans I am wearing in the pictures looked fine for a while, but as the waist loosened up, my skin started to pop out. Some people have lengthened the top to combat this. I suspect that this issue is the reason that I have only seen this type of style in stores with the opening in the back.
The pattern is staying in the keep pile nonetheless. I think it would be really cute sleeveless or short-sleeved for warm weather. I might try eliminating the hemmed edge and do a bias facing instead.
Better view of the overlay.
Front view
Striped side
Back view
Coming soon: more sweater knits and Marfy blouse toile.
I’ve resolved to complete one major skill-building sewing project each month in 2018. Full disclosure: I’ve been planning on making this one for a while. But it’s daunting, and I haven’t gotten further than the drawing board yet. So it seemed fair to make this Marfy blouse my January project.
Hopefully it will expand my skills in shirt construction generally, fitting complicated patterns and improving my buttonhole execution.
I’ve been lurking around the Marfy online catalog for a while. Every link to Marfy seems to come with a big, bold warning: FOR EXPERTS ONLY. Am I the only one who sees that as a dare?
Marfy does not make things easy. They provide only the most basic information about their designs. For my pattern, there are only two images of the blouse – both kind of weird illustrations. Add to that this description and you have the complete set of instructions.
This blouse has cap sleeves cut kimono style at the back and raglan at the front with gathers, baby collar, pockets with turned up flaps.
Why am I doing this? Other than the dare factor, I have a blouse that I really want to duplicate. I don’t know where it came from. It’s old. It’s wearing out. But that blouse fits so well, is so comfortable, and is so flattering that I think it might be magic. I have never seen another one like it. But this pattern comes really close. I’m hoping I can capture some of that magic and then make one in every color.
So, the game is on.
I ordered the pattern in October through the Butterick patterns website. It took a while to arrive, but one day in November I got a tiny envelope from Italy.
As advertised, the Marfy pattern was pre-cut and single size. It has no seam allowance and no instructions.
I’ve heard stories about people who can take a pattern with no seam allowance and cut their fabric pieces with the right allowance by eye. I am not one of those people. So the first thing I did was prepare a new pattern with allowances.
Tracing a new blouse front piece with added seam allowance.
I could have added any seam allowance I liked. Since I knew I would probably need to make fitting adjustments, I went with a relatively wide 5/8.” The task was make much easier with my new pattern drafter ruler. It’s specifically designed to add seam allowances. I like it so much I got one in the 3/8″ size as well.
I traced my new pattern onto Swedish tracing paper using different colors for the cutting lines, seam lines, and markings.
When I was all done, I set up an envelope to keep everything together. I used just a regular 9×12 clasp envelope. I made the label by printing the pattern illustration onto a peel and stick shipping label.
Now that I have all of my ducks in a row, I can’t wait to dig in.
Clockwise from upper left:
The folded wax paper envelope from Marfy that contained the pre-cut pattern pieces. The Marfy envelope is on top of the 9×12 envelope I put together to store the pattern.
The pattern pieces as they came from Marfy, after ironing. Grainlines, notches, and general construction information is written on each piece.
My neon yellow pattern drafter ruler is on top of two pattern pieces I made from the Marfy pattern. The collar has different pieces, very slightly different in size, for the top and under-collar. This is going to be interesting!
The element that really makes the outfit is the “sleeves.” The sleeve apparatus is made from two inexpensive plastic IKEA placemats, some ribbon, some cable ties, and one strategically placed safety pin.
Overall, I really like how it turned out. The one issue is that the bottom flap can easily show bare skin depending on how high the waistband is on what you are wearing underneath. My plan is to wear this with yoga pants in the winter and a high-waisted long knit skirt in the summer. The jeans I am wearing in the pictures looked fine for a while, but as the waist loosened up, my skin started to pop out. Some people have lengthened the top to combat this. I suspect that this issue is the reason that I have only seen this type of style in stores with the opening in the back.
