Getting The Right Fit

I have had a lot of emails and comments from readers with great advice on getting my garments to fit better. I  have sewn five patterns so far and with each one I am getting closer and closer to finding the perfect fit, and the proper alterations to get there. None however, have been the exact right fit.

Where the garments seem to fit oddly is in the torso; the shoulders are too narrow, the armholes are too big and the darts sit to high which throws the bust off. I decided, with the help of some fellow sewists, to start with one size down, and work from there. Then I got thinking, the Meringue skirt fit perfectly no pattern at all  so I can't go down completely one size, I may have to grade from the smaller size at the bodice to the larger size at the skirt. This would make me pear shaped, especially considering another fit issue I haven't gotten to yet - my legs. I have always had bigger thighs than my pant size would allow. Things like skinny jeans are lost on me for it's either, thighs that fit and a waist that's too big, or vice versa. So I may have to grade even further to a larger size at the thighs when it comes to making patterns like Juniper and Clover, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

I found a couple hours here and there this weekend and traced up a new, smaller pattern for Violet - my first project. I started with my master pattern and traced one size down from my previous Violet. I still narrowed the shoulders and shortened the armhole by 1 cm, and the fit is a lot better but it's not perfect. It still feels big in some places and now the bust is too small.

I am about to start my most difficult project to date, the tailored jacket Anise, and a level of frustration has hit me for the first time in this challenge. I NEED to get the fit right before I can continue to spend time and money on these projects.

I have ten days to complete Anise which is plenty of time if I can figure this all out. I am spending this entire week just on making muslins and getting fit down before I even buy my fabric. Today my plan is to trace my pattern and cut my first muslin. I have decided to start out by trying the smaller size with no adjustments and see how that works. Wish me luck!

Week Three - Finished Licorice

So it ended up taking four cups of black mint tea to get through my Licorice dress. The fabric I chose was a viscose, which is really soft and nice to work with, it has horizontal textured stripes that took some time to match up but all and all it was pretty smooth.

I didn't end up using any elastic for the sleeves, I thought they looked nice without it, I ended up using bias tape to finish the sleeves and I love the way it works.

I do like the way the dress turned out however next time I make this dress, I'm going to use a more youthful fabric, with the long sleeves and collar, it's easy for it to come across as matronly. I'm going to be at the One Of A Kind show next Thursday and I think it's the perfect occasion to bust out the new dress.

So I have completed five out of my six projects for the month of November, I have one left, the big kahuna - Anise. I haven't even picked a fabric, traced the pattern or created a plan for it yet, so I'd better leave it there and get to work!

Week Three - Finished Pastille

I had the best day yesterday, I literally sat in front of my sewing machine or work table, puttering away all day. I also finished my Pastille and it turned out great!

There were some areas on this dress that I erred a bit, the waist seam and tie belt didn't exactly line up once the zipper was in, the facings had to be tacked down in more places because they kept popping out, and the fit of the sleeves still feels and eensy bit off, but I had fun and love the dress anyways. (It's not about being perfect! Says a recent blog post over on Coletterie.)

The only changes I made to the pattern, aside from fit adjustments, were adding an invisible zipper instead of a centered one and adding the cute bow detail as a belt tie around the waist instead of at the neckline.


*To do this, I cut 2 equal strips 25" by 1.5", folded right sides together and stitched a 1/4" seam lengthwise. I turned the ties right side out and pressed the seam to the center. I attached one of the ends of each to the waist seam BEFORE adding the zipper and continued on constructing the dress as instructed. When finishing my garment, I threaded a gold metal bead with a large hole on the other ends of both the ties and knotted the ends to keep the bead in place. Voila, bow tie!


All and all, I'm really happy with this dress, the fabric is really nice and soft, and the picture really doesn't do this dress justice. I think when I make this dress again however, I am going to fully line the bodice instead of using facings, this way it will feel a little more polished. I can't wait to wear this at Christmas!

I also wanted to show you a picture of the Meringue skirt on, which I never did but promised to. I don't know how I managed to get almost the exact same picture as Pastille, but here it is. This is definitely the favorite pattern so far over on the Flickr page.

So there's another project down, only 26 to go! Today I am working on my muslin for the Licorice dress , but I will post more about that tomorrow! Happy Tuesday everyone!

Week Three - Pastille

Good morning everyone, I'm really happy it's Monday and I get to sew again. Today I am working on Pastille.

I got a jump start at the end of last week making my muslin and cutting my fabric. I am going to use a nice green cotton fabric with a hint of sheen that I recently thrifted, I think it will make a great holiday dress.

I had to make 2 muslins, the first one was made with no adjustments to the pattern and the shoulders were too wide and the sleeves were way to big. Since taking down the shoulder seam worked so well for me while making Truffle, I thought I would apply the same alteration here. I pinched, pinned and eventually sewed a new seam on my muslin to determine how far to take it down (5/8 of an inch). I sewed wrong sides together and left the old seam intact so you could see exactly what I did. I transferred the changes onto the pattern and cut a new muslin. I also rounded the outer edge of the cap sleeve down an additional 1/2 inch.

 The second muslin fits very nicely and I'm excited to start sewing the real dress. This is another simple, unlined dress so I expect to be finished by the end of the day today or by tomorrow afternoon.

After a busy and stressful weekend I am really looking forward to sitting in front of my sewing machine undisturbed today! See you back here soon for an update!

Week Two - Finished Truffle

Ok, so this time I was super good and made a muslin of the bodice and discovered that of course it was to big in the shoulders and armholes. This was the same problem I had with Violet for which I used the pivot method to alter the pattern. I didn't want to go this route this time because the shoulder seams are already pretty narrow and I didn't want to loose any more width to them. Instead, I pinched and pinned about an inch and a quarter down from the shoulder to make a new shoulder seam, I then transferred these changes onto the paper pattern and cut the real dress. This pulled up the armhole and the waist and fixed the fit problem. This was a very simple alteration and resulted in a much better fit for me.

You'll have to forgive my tired eyes and messy hair in this picture, I had just come home from my morning dog walking shift at the Humane Society. I also bought a new camera today and haven't quite worked out all the settings yet, but there will be more pictures to come when I do.

My sewing machine HATED this fabric, I used some sort of poly-blend I got from the thrift store, it has a very slippery and clingy texture. I used the right needle and thread tension but for some reason my stitches kept getting skipped. Most of my seams had to be done twice just to be safe, but that was the only annoying part of the whole project. I also sewed it a bit differently than the pattern instructions, I attached the lining to the bodice and pulled it right side out BEFORE attaching the skirt. I just found this to be a little easier with less fabric to pull through.

I really liked this pattern, I can see this as being a classic dress pattern to build off of. I've already thought of sewing it with different necklines and drapes, establishments and with full linings. The possibilities are really endless with this pattern.

It's starting too get cold here in these parts and the fabric I made my Truffle from is a bit light. I'm now on the lookout for the perfect cardigan to pair it with before I wear it out.

So that's it for this week, two very simple patterns makes for a nice and easy week. Next week will be more challenging, I am working with two dress patterns (Pastille and Licorice) where fit is absolutely crucial. I predict I will spending a lot of time making muslins to get them just right. 

Week Two - Finished Meringue

I have completed my second project today by finishing up my Meringue. This was a breeze to make, I really enjoyed it and I think the finished skirt looks great. I think I got the scallops near perfect and the fit is great!

I made it from a really silky grey linen so there are some wrinkles in it that just won't come out, but I think it adds to it. I decided to add a small bow at the waist to give the skirt one more point of interest. All I did to create this was sew a tube about 12 inches long by 1.5 inches wide, turned it right side out and pressed the seam to the center. Then I tied a knot at both ends and attached it to the skirt with a straight stitch down the center of the tie. Tie it into a bow and I'm done!

This was the first time I had sewn a catchstitch by hand to complete a hem. I love it! I know it is a very simple thing to do but I love the results and found it to be nearly invisible and very relaxing.

Nobody was around to take a photo of me in my new skirt today, so this picture will have to do for now until later in the week, but you get the idea. This is my new favorite pattern and my new favorite skirt!

I also wanted to let you know that I have decided to sew Pastille this month instead of Taffy. I was at the thrift store this weekend and came across this beautiful, silky green cotton that would be just perfect and I really want to use it for the holidays. So my plan for next week has changed from Taffy and Licorice to Pastille and Licorice, I will do Taffy at a later date.

That's it for now, on to Truffle! See you soon!

A Thoughtful Plan

At first, my plan was to map out each pattern week-by-week for the entire six month sewing project. To save money (and be green) I want to use up as much fabric from my bow tie business days before buying new. It turns out I have a lot of great stuff, perfect for certain patterns, so I've decided to use these first, which throws a wrench in my original plan. Now I've decided to map out a week-by-week plan at the start of each month and work my way through the challenge that way, and it just so happens I've mapped out my plan for November already.

30 patterns in 6 months works out to be 5 a month ( a little over 1 a week) - totally doable! I have given myself 6 patterns for our first month, riding the excitement of starting the challenge.

November's Projects

week one - Violet

week two - Meringue and Truffle

week three - Taffy and Licorice

week four - Anise

My theme for November's garments - blue, black and lace.

The first week in November is a short one so I'm sticking to one pattern, Violet. I haven't finalized anything yet but I think I am going to go for a black silk with tucks and lace collar.

Week 2 is going to be a little tougher with both Meringue and Truffle. I found this great, white and blue floral, crepe-like fabric at the thrift store which is perfect for Truffle, and I have this beautiful grey linen that I think would make a lovely Meringue.

The third week will be the toughest, Licorice and Taffy. For Taffy, I have a ton of black chiffon to use for the blouse, and I hope to make black and white gingham bias tape for the seam finishes. For Licorice, I thought I'd change things up a bit and try out a different collar variation. I'd like to draft the existing collar into a peter pan collar with a lace overlay, and pair it with a navy or royal blue viscose, similar to the blue dress in the Getting Started post. Anyone who wants try it out on their own Licorice dress, I'll be posting a tutorial on how I did it when week 3 rolls around. This is the pattern I am most excited for.

For the last week in November, I am dedicating it to Anise. I have no idea what I am going to use yet, I thought maybe the leftover camel wool I have from making my Mod Trench (see Flickr), but I really want to try something different, maybe a denim or something. We'll see.

Any sewists who are following along can sew as many patterns as they'd like, in whatever order. Please feel free to send photos of your completed garments for me to share on the blog.

 Now, I am an extremely organized person in spirit but sadly not in practice, so I've created a board to organize my tasks and track my progress. I attached a master list of all the Colette patterns divided into beginner, intermediate and advanced with check boxes to mark when complete, the weekly breakdown of projects for the month I am working on, as well as fabric swatches and supply lists for each one. I also included some small notions like heart buttons and lace straps as something I may want to include in some of my garments. Oh and a photo of a really cute squirrel pin cushion to keep an eye on things for me. Hopefully the board will be able to keep me focused and organized so I can spend more time sewing and having fun.

I also, finally, got around to setting up my Flickr account. I used to use my business' blog to show some of the garments I've made, but that was the extent of it. Now you'll be able to visit the Flickr page and see even more photos of The Complete Colette finished garments. Also, I already uploaded a few pictures of some of my most recent projects to give you a sense of what I do. There's only a few but if you'd like a peak, head over.

Since we are only a week away from the start date, I thought I'd tell you a little bit about my situation in case any of you are wondering how on earth I will find the time to do this. I left my full time job as a bow tie designer about a month ago, since then I have been working a serving job on the weekends and custom seamstressing, until I begin visual merchandising next fall. That, along with my volunteer work, leaves me with four full days a week for sewing and a few hours here and there. Plenty o' time! So if it seems like I have all the time in the world, it's because I do. For now.

So that about sums it up for today, but as promised, here is my sewing supply haul to complete my tool kit upgrade.

1. My handmade Tailors Ham and Sausage from the Tilly and the Buttons tutorial.  
2. Some new marking tools. Carbon paper, tailor's chalk and fabric marker.
3. I didn't need this but, new pin cushion and pins, mine have seen better days. 
4. Invisible zipper foot.
5. 1/2" Bias tape maker. Excited to use this!
6. New sharp point scissors for clipping notches on curves etc. I desperately need these
7. Fabric stiffener. I looked everywhere for Sullivan's brand spray but could only find this one so hopefully it works the same way.

So I am all set! I've got my tools and I have got my plan, only one week left and then I'm sewing!

Getting Started

There are a few things I need to do before I can begin sewing my garments. I need to make my personalized croquis using the tutorial in the sewing handbook, I'd like to fill in any gaps in my tools, and create some inspiration boards to get me thinking about the kind of looks I want to create.

The first thing I've done is make my croquis. I took a photo of myself, traced my silhouette and lightened the lines on Photoshop. It turned out great! The photo I used was a pretty stiff, straight on shot, I think I might make another one using a slight pose or something to add life to the sketch. My fashion drawing skills are a little bit rusty so I think this sewing project and personalized croquis are going to help sharpen my skills. Here's what my first ever personalized croquis looks like, yes that is the Pastille dress from the front of the handbook.

Next I went through all my sewing tools to see if there was anything I am missing. I am pretty well stocked except for a few (very basic) things I am ashamed to not own already.eek. My pressing tools consist only of an iron and ironing board, so wanted to bulk that up a bit with some tailors hams and sleeve roll. Thankfully I found a great tutorial over on Chance Of Rain, the wonderful, Australian sewing blog. Her tutorial even included free downloadable patterns to print out at home. Anyone wishing to make their own can visit the tutorials here. Last night I ended up making the sleeve roll, small ham and kidney ham. I'm excited to use them.

I also made myself another set of pressing tools from a tutorial over at one of everyone's favorite sewing blogs Tilly and the Buttons. This ham and sausage are a little meatier, pun intended, they have darts to round them off a bit and I altered the free downloadable pattern a bit to make them bigger. If you'd like to check out this tutorial as well, head over to Tilly and the Buttons.

I made a shopping list for some of the other tools I'll be needing to get as well.

• Invisible zipper foot (I only have a regular zipper foot)
• Bias tape maker ( Not necessary, I just really want one) 
• Chalk wheel or chalk pen (I use marking pencils and they never seem to work)
• Small snippers

I am heading to the fabric stores on Wednesday to gather up supplies, I'll do a haul post we I return to show you what I got.

I think as far as tools go, with my new pressing tools and my small shopping list, I think I'm well stocked to start my project.

Lastly, it's all about gathering inspiration and thinking about how I am going to turn these Colette patterns into something that is totally me. I had a hard time trying to articulate exactly what it is that I love to wear, so I spend the morning trawling the internet for things I like hoping I would find a pattern.

I put together a couple of inspiration boards from the things that I found, and upon looking at them I realized that it's pretty easy to explain. I like dresses with full skirts that highlight the waist, and printed cardigans. It took me all morning to find this out.  

Another thing that I notice upon looking at this board of dresses is that while the silhouettes are relatively the same, all the necklines are different. I also obviously like solid colored dresses or dresses with micro-patterns.

I really love cardigans, I swear by them. They are the perfect addition to any cute outfit. I am not an accessory person. I don't wear jewelry or own lots of shoes or purses, but cardigans are my way of adding color or pattern to myself. I could mix and match those nine cardigans with those dresses forever.

So now that I have to tools and the inspiration, I can go ahead and start making a plan of attack, which is the next thing on my To Do List. In the next couple of days, I hope to have a weekly break down of the Colette projects. I will use this break down as a guide and motivator for myself, as well as a tool for you to follow along with or plan your projects as well so check back soon!

Full Steam Ahead!!

A Colette Patterns Sewing Challenge

My name is Dominique and I love to sew. I am self taught, which is to say I was taught by the talented and generous people on the internet and in books. Until recently I had a small business sewing men's bow ties and accessories under the name O'Darlin. I also had a blog of the same name where I would showcase my products and write about them. I made a decision to leave the handmade business world in pursuit of a professional career in visual merchandising, and spend my free time at home sewing beautiful clothes for myself to wear. I am immensely happy I made that choice, for I find I only enjoy sewing when it is just for fun and just for me.

However, now that I am no longer in business, I have nothing really to blog about over at O'Darlin. Everyone who visits the site sees it attached to bow ties and my business. I have tried to turn it into a blog about my personal sewing projects, but it doesn't quite fit. So I have decided to take a page out of the books of Julie Powell and Gretchen "Gertie" Hirsch and give myself a challenge to blog about.

Recently I bought The Colette Sewing Handbook online and I love it. Initially I bought it for the free patterns, but after opening it and reading the intro I was so inspired that I can't believe I didn't buy it the second it came out. Sarai Mitnick obviously loves sewing very much and it really comes through in the pages. She has made me fall back inlove with a hobby that I had begun to resent, and has breathed new life back into my passion. I have been an adorer of Colette Patterns for a while now but have never actually bought one. After buying the book, I bought my first one, the Violet blouse. I haven't used it yet, nor have I used any of the patterns from the book. Which brings me to challenge.

I am going to undertake the task of sewing my way through the complete collection of Colette Patterns, every single one, and blog about it. I will take you into my sewing space and share with you every project, my trials and tribulations, and of course the finished garments using the handbook's five fundamentals as a guide. And of course throughout all of this sewing madness, I urge you to pick up some Colette patterns for yourself and sew along with me. I am on a quest to freshen my closet and sharpen my skills one pattern at a time.

So, there are twenty five patterns at the Colette Patterns Shop and five in the book, which gives me a total of 30 projects to complete. I am really excited for the Violet blouse and the Ceylon dress, and I'm a little intimidated to work up to the Juniper pants and the Lady Grey coat. I have also decided to make this challenge one with a time restraint to force me to see it through. Initially I was thinking twelve months, which works out to about 2 -3 projects a month, but that's too easy. Also winter is sewing season, what else is there to do but stay inside and sew up a storm. So I've decided to give myself six months instead, now that's a challenge. October is almost over so I'm going begin my challenge in November, starting with the Violet blouse as my first project. I now have about two weeks to get ready - prep my sewing space, make my personalized croquis and start gathering inspiration, but once November 1st hits - I'm off to the races.

So there it is - 30 patterns, 6 months and 1 handsome new wardrobe. I honestly cannot wait!