Pattern Testing & New Azaire Pattern Giveaway [Closed]

Update: Giveaway closed & thank you for the comments. The pattern goes to comment number 4! Congratulations Carmen, I'll be in touch.

The Azaire dress and top is the newest sewing pattern from Gather and I was lucky enough to be a pattern tester. Caroline and Sandra (from Gather) have also offered me a copy of the pattern to give away!

 

 

 

The Azaire pattern comes with a detailed instruction booklet which includes size charts (sizes 8 to 18), fabric requirements, body and finished garment measurements, fabric and cutting layouts and very helpful diagrams illustrating the sewing instructions.

 

 

 

 

 

I sewed the Azaire dress (wore it to a wedding) and had an excellent pattern-testing experience particularly as the end result is a dress that I love wearing.

 

Though my measurements fall between 12 and 14, the "Finished Garment Measurements" included with the pattern indicate that the Azaire has a loose silhouette so I chose to sew size 12.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I enjoyed the whole process of testing this dress. My choice of fabric wasn't the best, being transparent! This meant I had to add an extra lining to the centre front and back of the dress.

 

The details of this dress allow for customisation and mixing different fabrics to highlight the style lines. It has a curved yoke, boat neckline, hi-low peplum, two sleeve options and front and back seams for fitting. Initially I wondered if the silhouette was too loose, but the style lines mean that the dress and top can be easily fitted. After testing the pattern, I fitted the dress more at my waist by sewing curves on the front style lines.

 

The pattern includes short petal sleeves on the dress and these are probably the most complicated aspect of the pattern. The sleeves are lined and overlapped so there are four layers of fabric to keep under control. The instructions for the sleeves are detailed and easy to follow. My only suggestion would be to muslin or fit the sleeves as I found them narrow-fitting. My 'strong' upper arms from heaving lifting in my previous nursing career means that I often have to take account of this!!

 

 

 

 

 

The pattern pieces all fit together perfectly and I was particularly pleased with how neatly I was able to match the back seams at the invisible zip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was such a joy to test the Azaire and I would love to pass a little of that on.

 

Just comment below with a way to contact you by email and I'll randomly pick a name next next Monday Oct 3rd. I will post anywhere in the world.

 

 

 

 

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Belcarra Blouse - So good I sewed it twice!

The newest pattern from Sewaholic Patterns is the Belcarra Blouse, and I had the opportunity to test the pattern before it was released.

The style is a looser silhouette than I usually wear, but what surprised me most about the pattern was how the 2d curved pattern shapes transformed to 3d without needing darts or other fitting techniques. Though it is a loose-fitting style, it works by also being shapely...or making the wearer look shapely!

The size I cut was 12 and this is what usually fits me best in Sewaholic patterns. Sometimes I have to shorten above the waist, but I didn't do that for the Belcarra, as my measurements of the pattern pieces in comparison to my body measurements indicated I didn't need to.

 

 

 

The biggest difficulty I had with this blouse was fabric selection I just couldn't decide what to use. I originally planned on a medium weight black and white cotton gingham but thought that the loose style of the blouse wouldn't be as flattering in a heavier fabric. So I picked Liberty of London cotton voile 'Toria' that I'm delighted with.

 

 

http://sewaholic.net/also-introducing-the-belcarra-blouse/

 

Tasia's advice on choosing fabric for this blouse is spot on - pick something special, because the lack of front and back seams and darts mean that the fabric gets the limelight!! Her Liberty of London version illustrates her advice perfectly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I chose to sew View B mostly because of the tucks in the raglan sleeves. They are such a neat detail on this lovely simple design. As the print on the fabric is so busy, the tuck detail seemed to get lost, so I added some matching janemeans ribbon to the shoulder seam to help draw attention to the tucks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Using the same stitched ribbon as I used to cover the shoulder seams, I repeated the ribbon detail at the hem. I liked the unhemmed length of the blouse, so adding ribbon meant that I could keep most of the blouse length.

 

As the voile fabric is so light weight, I wanted to ensure it would hang well. Another reason for sewing a ribbon hem is that it adds a little extra weight to a fabric like voile.

 

 

 

The second Belcarra blouse was a very quick make-not even a couple of hours! The fabric is also a cotton voile from AnnaMarie Horner. This version came about as a result of #misemademairt / #misemademáirt (general Irish to English translation = Me Made Tuesday). Three of us - also Maeve & MsMcCall - from Ireland have been wearing something we made ourselves for Tuesdays in Feb and March and posting on Instagram. This was my attempt to wear something me-made and green(ish) for St. Patricks Day.

For this version, I slightly adjusted the neckline. The neckline in the pattern pictures seemed wider than I prefer, so I made a simple adjustment by adding an extra seam allowance width to the top of the sleeve pieces and back and front pieces. I also measured the resulting neck opening and compared it to my head measurment to be sure it would fit! The length of the neck binding also needs to be reduced to fit the new neck opening measurment.

 

 

Even though the blouse is a simple style, there are some neat techniques in the pattern. The bias binding is sewn doubled over and this gives a nice flat finish. The sleeve cuffs are also well designed. I didn't compare my arm measurements with the cuff length, before cutting and sewing. The sleeve cuff fits, but I would usually wear it a little looser.

The blouse makes for a very easy-to-wear top and I love the raglan sleeves. Now that I know that the style fits in a flattering way, I would like to try it in gingham, with a bias pocket and tucks on the sleeves forming a neat design with the lines of the gingham fabric.

 

 

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Sewing a First Skirt for Me! Introducing Zlata.

Stepalica Patterns have released their second pattern and it is another interesting and clever design, like the first pattern The Nougat Dress.

If you want a skirt with an unusual design, which is a fun challenge to sew and where you will learn a unique way to form belt loops, I would have no problem in recommending this gorgeous skirt pattern.

When I heard that AnaJan was looking for pattern testers, I volunteered. I don't wear skirts much, tending to prefer dresses, and I was somewhat dubious that the pleated Zlata would suit me. But because of the interesting design and the stitched down pleats, I'm very happy with my new skirt!

 

 

 

The pattern is a PDF (download) pattern which has three variations and I sewed View A in a Liberty poplin fabric. All the details are on the Stepalica blog with posts and pictures of each of the 3 styles and there is a sewalong of the Zlata also in progress.

 

The pattern testing process ran smoothly and I found the pattern and instructions were very clear. It needed intense concentration because of the unusual design and being the first adult sized skirt I've sewn. AnaJan was very appreciative of my efforts at pattern testing and mentioned it on her blog.

To make the sewing even more difficult for myself, I added ribbon to the yoke/skirt seam. I have used this technique a few times before, and it is a really neat way to add or highlight a design detail, as well as hiding the raw edges of a seam. The ribbon I chose is a pink stitched ribbon from Jane Means, which coordinates very well with the Liberty print. I was very excited that this inspired AnaJan to sew another version with a ribbon trim which appears as her View A.

Choosing to edgestitch all the pleats, ie. four times for each pleat added to the concentration I needed for this pattern. I didn't realise until I was halfway through that I have an edge stitching foot for my machine.

Though the edge stitching is a time consuming process during sewing, it makes a dramatic difference to the wearability of the skirt. The fabric will hold the pleats, both in wearing and washing so all the effort will be worth it and it's a step I would highly recommend.

 

 

The Zlata skirt also has pockets, which I lined with a silky lining fabric and this picture shows the stitched ribbon colour, seam matching and the edge stitching even more clearly.

 

 

The colour of the lining was as difficult to photograph as the colour of the skirt fabric, but this inside view of the skirt shows the facing and understitching which I also added.

 

 

And finally, an 'action shot' which shows how the pleats hold their shape (ignoring the milky white Irish legs!!!

 

 

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Pattern Testing (and talking to) the Sewaholic Saltspring

 

I have clear ideas on the styles that I like to sew, and that I think suit me, but sometimes an opportunity comes along that pushes me out of my comfort zone. Having previously sewn the Lonsdale Dress and the Minoru Jacket from Sewaholic Patterns, I was delighted to get to test Tasia's new pattern the Saltspring Dress.

It is a deceptively simple style which hides the cleverness of the design. The shorter inner bodice layer and the longer outer bodice layer are joined inside, to make an elastic casing which then gives the dress it's blousiness.

What makes the dress work, and gives it shape, is how it is designed. For example, the skirt pieces are shaped, rather than being rectangles, so that there is not too much bulk when it's gathered with elastic at the waist. Tasia has taken a relaxed shape and designed a very flattering dress. She has given a detailed description of the dress on her website, with lots of great pictures.

I tend to wear more fitted styles, so when I first saw the line drawing of the Saltspring Dress, I wasn't sure how I felt about the blousy style. Having wide shoulders and hips, I thought the dress would give me a more rectangular rather than curvy shape. This was the major reason I chose chiffon and satin so that the dress would be very, very 'drapey'. However all niggly doubts disappeared when I tried the dress on for the first fitting. I had an 'Oh wow!' moment, impressed at how flattering it was looking and even surprised that liked how it was going to look on me. And, as a another plus, I've wanted to sew a red chiffon dress forever.

 

The chiffon and satin are sewn with French seams at the bodice and skirt side seams, so I omitted the pockets in the skirt side seams for this version. I had to add a lining to the skirt as the chiffon is sheer. This involved cutting skirt lining pieces using the back and front skirt pattern pieces and then treating the main skirt and skirt lining as one at the top and at the zip, following the pattern instructions.

It's definitely a dress to make an impression! especially the maxi length. I asked my husband for help with hemming the chiffon and the satin after allowing the dress to hang for a few days. As this absolutely wouldn't be my usual daily attire, he was almost speechless when he saw it on me - the exact words were "you....are like....a......Greek" I'm really hoping he was going to say 'goddess' but he was so stuck for words he didn't quite finish what he was saying!

 

 

 

 

I had a lot of trouble with the straps, which is no reflection at all on the pattern or instructions, but rather on the fact that I have avoided turning straps at every single opportunity, by using ribbons instead.

This time I wanted to follow the pattern and sew spaghetti straps, so I persevered. I was using the needle and thread method but I was getting stressed and frustrated that I couldn't get the end of the strap to turn.

 

 

 

After checking the Internet I saw a reference to a drinking straw. Amazingly and simply it worked, and I was able to turn these lovely narrow straps! I wrote up a How-to for anyone else who struggles with this.

 

 

The zipper insertion looked a little complicated initially because it has to be attached to the bodice lining while also maintaining the blousiness of the back bodice. Tasia's instructions are, again, very clear on this and it turned out perfectly.

 

 

 

Sometimes I have the experience of a pattern literally 'talking' to me, hopefully I'm not the only sewist that this happens to! .......

Saltspring: "I really, really, really want to be sewn in jersey, please please, please?"

Me: "No, that's ok, I'm happy to sew you in chiffon, it's just the right drape for you."

Saltspring: "Well, Liberty jersey has a drape too, and there some lovely striped jersey on Susan's Sewbox website."

Me: "I don't really have the time to sew two versions so...."

Saltspring: "Mmm, what about using these perfectly matching ribbons for the straps and omit the zip, that will be much faster, please, please, please!!!"

 

 

Me: "wellll...."

Saltspring: "and you can cut the stripes on the bias for more drape and for fun chevrons"

Me: "ok, ok, ok"

Saltspring: "Yes, yes, yessss!!!!!"

 

 

 

 

 

So I just couldn't resist a version in jersey, and it's a medium weight jersey, so I was surprised the dress worked in this heavier fabric.

 

 

 

 

As this was the second version I sewed, I made some changes.

 

To sew the chevrons, my first attempt, I added an extra seam in the centre front bodice and the centre front skirt and cut the striped fabric on the bias, matching the stripes.

 

 

There was no need for the zip as the stretch of the fabric and the elastic at the waist allow the dress to be easily put on and taken off.

 

 

The pictures don't accurately reflect the colour of the ribbon from Jane Means. It's a bright turquoise, with a strong contrasting deep pink, and it perfectly matched the colours of the jersey, irresistible really!

 

And the real test? I love how these dresses turned out and they have been worn, a few times. The jersey dress has been perfect for the beach in our recent heatwave, and I wore the red chiffon dress going out for dinner on holidays........

 

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