The last time I posted was in early April, and at that point I quite genuinely planned to binge sew my way through the quarantine blues. It didn't really turn out that way because.... I don't even know how to describe it. Because of the howling pit of despair created by Covid-19 on top of the ordinary, horrendous state of the world right now? Something like that, anyway. At any rate, I did drag myself out of my funk occasionally over that period, and feel somewhat less like howling along with the void at present, so I have finally started making some progress on my summer sewing.
My most notable success since my last post is that my many MANY attempts to figure out how to make trousers that actually fit (mostly) wrinkle free suddenly and wholly unexpectedly bore fruit!
On this occasion, I started with the StyleArc Anna Pant pattern, an extremely uninteresting wide-leg, drawstring waist trouser. This simple style (loose fitting, wide-leg, linen or linen/blend) is my preferred type of light weight trousers, and I wear trousers of this type frequently on warmer summer days. I have several similar RTW pairs and they tend to get a lot of wear each year. Since linen is not the most robust fabric, I also replace them fairly often (historically, I have discarded similar garments after 50-60 wears). One of my preferred RTW shops for these trousers recently changed their design very much for the worse, in my opinion, and this created the impetus for me to try (again!) to make my own.
This was the outcome when I made the much-adjusted pattern up in grey pinstriped linen:
Just for context, let me remind you what my attempts at fitting had produced previously:
I knew from recent attempts to improve my previous fitting pattern that the fish-eye dart was the answer to this wrinkle problem. However, although I figured out how much I needed to sew out in a muslin I had never successfully managed to integrate it into a pattern, and this is not an adjustment you can make after cutting out. This time I made a specific effort to look for a clear explanation of how to adjust the paper pattern and found this ultra-simple photo tutorial. Hey presto! Less than 5 minutes of pattern work and my trousers now look astonishingly smoother and nearly wrinkle-free!
For a while this lack of experience of a well-fitting trouser made me think that the pursuit of (relatively) wrinkle free fitting was more about aesthetics and, I don't even know, earning some kind of sewing merit badge, rather than really being necessary for comfort. I don't know that the fish eye dart specifically contributes massively to comfort level, but I am absolutely certain that changing the height of the rise, the shape of the crotch seam and side seams, and the width at the upper thigh to accommodate my actual body shape, rather than some designer's idea of what the "average" body looks like, produces life-alteringly more comfortable clothes. (And also, I do like knowing that my trousers look really good!)
It also just goes to show that sometimes you just have to keep going with fitting. I have been trying, off and on, to make trousers that fit well and are a genuine improvement on RTW, for FOUR YEARS. Sometimes I gave up in disgust for months at a time and declared that I would only ever make e.g. joggers and PJs and rely on RTW for everything else. Sometimes I made a little progress but I was still disappointed by the final project as well as completely exhausted by the process. This time, however, I seem to made some genuine progress. Let's hope it's not an isolated outcome!
Other clothes I have made since my last post include:
1. This wacky top from Burda (04-2020-121), which I affectionately call a Tentacle Monster top because the single pattern piece looks more suited to a kraken than a person.
2. View B of Vogue 9360, a super dramatic shirt with a long tail. I like this somewhat but I regret my fabric/view combination. It's made of a navy polyester with a tiny white polka dot. Ordinarily I steer clear of polyester altogether, although I am willing to wear a very limited amount in winter when it's cold. I don't tend to wear it in summer at all because it's too sweaty. To get maximum enjoyment from this top I should have made either this short-sleeved view in a different fabric for summer or else made a long-sleeved version in this fabric for winter. That said, I have worn it, sweatiness notwithstanding, because I enjoy swooping around in it dramatically. If you plan to make this pattern I recommend using something drapey for maximum swoopability.
3. The StyleArc Jules tunic in white cotton sateen. This is MUCH more ruffly than my typical choices! I saw someone else's version of this on... idk, Instagram probably, and thought it looked so good on her I had to get the pattern even though it's not my usual sort of thing. I really like my summer cotton version and I'm glad I made it, but I do NOT know how people who do bridal sewing keep anything white looking good. I swear mine looked like a chimney sweep had worn it by the time I was done sewing, despite all my best efforts!
4. Another pair of Jalie Eleonore trousers (no photo). I made them before I had the fisheye dart epiphany, so the fitting quality is at best okay. I love them anyway, though. It's one of my favourite patterns. I've made it three times in under a year and plan to make a fourth pair very soon.
Next up for me: a couple more pairs of trousers (do we sense a theme?!), one knit and one woven top. The weather here is super cold (truly: it's like 14C (57F) here today) and I am at the point of the summer where I feel like anything I don't have now is not going to get enough wear to make it worth sewing this year, so that's likely to be the last of my summer sewing. I do have a bigger project in mind for August in preparation for autumn, so depending on the state of the pit of despair, I will come back to talk about that soon. :D In the meantime I hope everyone is keeping safe and well despite the increasingly trying circumstances in which we live. ❤️
