It has been a long and dismal winter here in the US, but now spring has finally arrived! And with the arrival of spring comes … the StyleMaker Fabrics spring blog tour! I love how StyleMaker Fabrics introduces all of us to the amazing new fabrics in their spring line. Rather than just showing photos of the fabric on their web site, each spring StyleMaker asks a variety of bloggers to sew up the new spring fabrics so all of you lovely folks can see how the fabrics move and drape. We are honored to have been included!
Philippa Pants in Coral Stretch Denim
IIt’s so hard to choose among all the gorgeous fabrics that Stylemaker stocks each spring, so I sewed up three different StyleMaker fabrics into one outfit bursting with spring color! First up, let’s talk about these pants! These are the popular new Philippa Pants from Anna Allen Patterns sewing up in a lovely coral stretch denim.
Technically, this fabric was too stretchy for these pants, but I decided to make it work anyway. The pattern is drafted for non-stretch bottomweights like rigid or selvage denim, but I made it work! The fabric itself is the perfect weight, and was a dream to sew with. it cut well, pressed well, and sewed up into a really striking pair of pants.
There will be a whole post coming about my fitting process for these pants, but here are the highlights:
- I did not size down. I made the size 10 that I measured into, but just took extra large seam allowances. I sewed most of the pants with a 5/8″ seam allowance rather than the included 3/8″
- I shortened the front rise by 1 3/4 inches.
- I shortened the thighs by 2″.
- I also mistakenly made a bow legged adjustment. I thought that’s what the wrinkles on my muslin were telling me but it turns out it was the opposite. I really needed a knock kneed adjustment! So I backed out as much of that as I could on this pair, and then corrected my flat pattern.
- I turned the straight waistband into a curved waistband. That’s a normal adjustment for me.
There are a few additional adjustments I’ll make next time around, but I’ll save those for another post! I adore the color on these pants, and I plan to make them part of my regular rotation!
Kochi Kimono in Floral Poly Crepe
Next up: this amazing floral poly crepe, which I sewed up into a Papercut Patterns Kochi Kimono. I sewed up View 3 of this pattern, which is a simple, unlined hip-length kimono. This pattern has been on my to-make list for a long time, so when I was struggling to find a pattern to show off this gorgeous poly crepe, the Kochi was an obvious choice!
This fabric was perfect for a kimono! The stimple style of the garment doesn’t compete with the busy print, but really lets the print and colors shine. The fabric drapes beautifully, and will make an ideal spring and summer layering piece. The fabric did fray quite a bit while I was sewing it, but surprisingly did not grow significantly with handling. Overall, it was about as pleasant a sewing experience as you can get with something fiddly like poly crepe. If you’ve been wanting to try a lightweight drapey woven like this, but have been afraid of the fabric, I would definitely recommend this one!
Sneak Peek of the First Sew Altered Style Pattern!!!
Finally, a peek at the very first Sew Altered Style pattern, currently in development!!! Mac and I have been keeping this one up our sleeves for quite a while, as it takes a looooong time to develop that first pattern. We’ve been working on this pattern, which we are currently calling the Michelle Dress/Top since the fall. For this outfit, I sewed up an early sample of the sleeveless top version in an aqua cotton/lycra from StyleMaker. I’m still tweaking the shape of that armscyce, but it’s getting tantalizingly close to being ready for testing!! Eeeeeeeekkkkkk!! In addition to this view, it will also have a top view with sleeves, and then a below-the-knee dress view both sleeved and sleeveless. We are so excited to get this finished and out to you!!
This aqua knit is not technically part of the spring fabric line, but it’s such a fun, springy color I couldn’t resist! It was a great choice for this top, and is definitely something I will wear a TON, both for work and weekends. This top/dress works in pretty much any knit fabric you can find — from the most stable ponte to the stretchiest rib knits. It’s drafted with about 0.5″ of positive ease for a snug fit, but one that won’t pull on that front button placket in an unflattering way. Which means pretty much any knit is in the running!
