On clothing patterns waiting to be sewn...
These are the supplies I've been gathering to make a pair of Clover trousers. It's odd though: when it comes to clothing I think that my main reference points seem to come from overseas through many of the blogs that I read...so in my head this garment is rapidly becoming 'pants' and not 'trousers'. I'm being curiously de-anglicised without even leaving the country...or even my desk.
I've chosen some thick black 100% cotton chino fabric - a 'chino' makes me think of men walking the smart-casual line at weekend gatherings wearing shirts very neatly tucked in....we'll have to see if the outcome is determined by the fabric name or vice-versa. I'm hoping for the latter. The pattern says that a fabric with 3% stretch is preferable, but then Sarai made these beauties, which she told me had very little stretch in them...so I'm hoping it will end happily. Or I could be the girl bursting the seams of her chino pants as she sits down at a weekend gathering. Don't worry - if there's a risk, I'll wear these as Standing Pants Only. (My lovely mother - thank you, Mama! - bought me this pattern as a Christmas gift from here, for those looking for a stockist on English shores).
There was much blogging silence last week and I was left looking like a human petal for far longer than I would have wished - we were waiting for an engineer to come and make our internet work for more than a few minutes at a time and while I waited I threw myself into some more dressmaking (although I was diverted from re-drafting the petal collar by making a skirt that demanded a place in my wardrobe immediately) - it's amazing how much you can achieve when the internet isn't available. I'll show you it later in the week when I've finished the top that I'm working on.
So for the moment I have several clothing patterns lined up in my head to be worked on...I'm imagining them in a holding pattern circling London waiting to land from the sky like a delayed aeroplane. The Clover trousers could be up there for some time, but I'm so looking forward to getting started on them.
Added to the holding pattern only this morning, is the much coveted Tova top by Wiksten. Yes, almost too exciting! I've never been able to justify the cost and postage from overseas involved in owning this pattern, but, what luck, Jenny has now released it as a downloadable PDF pattern! If you've fallen in love with it too then you can now buy a copy here. (Thank you so much to Kerry for letting me know about it).
Florence x
Can't wait to see all the things you are making!
ReplyDeleteSoon! x
DeleteLove the pants - us Kiwi's say pants to - have to watch my p's&q's in the UK! I could do with a pair of these myself... And thanks for passing on the info about the Tova top - I have fancied this for ages!
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome!
DeleteDo make the clover pants soon. Yet another lovely version (like yours is sure to be) might be enough for me to justify the purchase of the pattern.
ReplyDeleteI always wait for others to tip me over the edge too...I can't remember which pair of Clovers it was that did it in this instance.
DeleteLove the fabric and the bias tape. Yesterday when I was following my couture dress class @craftsy.com Susan Kahlje suggested cutting the sleeve on the bias to allow for movement. Perhaps you could try this with the pants...not sure if they would stretch too much or if they would twist because they are off grain, I have never tried it myself. Maybe you could try with a muslin. BTW, Like you I seem to get all my info from overseas though I am in Europe :o)
ReplyDeleteI thought that might be a good idea too so had googled it - I've found one Clover maker who had cut it on the bias and found it worked, but another very experienced dressmaker who advised against cutting bias for trousers...Mmm.
DeleteMy plan-planes have been circling up there so long that I'm pretty sure most of them must have run out of fuel and dropped out of the sky by now. Oops. I'm going to try to let some of your productiveness inspire me to get on with it - recently I've been actually switching the laptop off (!!!) to force myself to do things. How have I never heard of this Tova top? It looks great - very similar to that pintucked one you drafted yourself last summer, though, no?
ReplyDeleteYes, that was exactly why I couldn't justify it - it felt too similar to something I was capable of drafting myself...but sometimes it's nice not to have to and I always learn new techniques and ways of doing things that I might not have thought of when I'm using patterns from others so I'm looking forward to it.
DeleteEven without your drafting skills I couldn't have persuaded myself to part with $30 for a pattern! But at $10 I might give it a try. Looks like something I and my sister could get a lot of use out of.
DeleteMmmm, I've never seen a bad version of it anywhere actually, so it's obviously been drafted well to flatter any figure...possibly priceless! (I'm hoping my one won't be the one that defies that rule!). I think if you and your sister share it, it could have almost been worth the full price for the paper copy!
DeleteWell, Sister wasn't interested (?!) but I bought the download for myself anyway. Have you printed yours yet? I was alarmed to discover that standard printer paper in the US is not A4! Hoping that hasn't thrown it all off...
DeleteOK, it was thrown off pretty badly, but Jenny is re-doing the whole thing to fit A4 right now...
DeleteMy clothes sewing waiting list is way too long, but Tova may jump to the top. I was too lazy to draft my own!
ReplyDeleteDitto. Although I do think there's something so lovely about the cut of it that even if I'd been able to draft something similar it's unlikely it would have had the same magic, so I'm very happy to part with the money. I'm thinking of going on a pattern cutting course as my attempts always feel inferior having only learnt bits and pieces from books...I feel if I'd had tuition from a real person things would stick in my head more and it would all feel easier.
DeleteThanks for the info about the Tova top. I've lusted for it from afar for a while but the shipping costs have been onerous. As a download...well that's a different thing altogether :-)
ReplyDeleteGo, Evie, Go! x
DeleteHi - like some others, my waiting list is growing not shrinking. My girls keep asking me to make them things for summer so i feel i must do theirs first before mine. I sit and oggle at my fabric though just dreaming about what it is going to become. I had somehow missed the Tova top but it looks like a must - so thanks for the info on that. x
ReplyDeleteLook forward to seeing it - I wonder if Wiksten has a Tova Flickr pool?
DeleteOh yes I do that too! Not just with clothes patterns but with all crafty things to make, add to that some of them are for birthdays and it can all get a bit muddled up there in my wee brain!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link to the Tova top!
Amy
There's never quite enough time, is there.
DeleteI splashed out on the Tova pattern last spring but am yet to cut into the fabric to make it - oh the guilt!! I think there's a link to the Flickr pool on Jenny's blog. Can't wait to see your version!
ReplyDeleteHafwen :)
I think the Tova pattern is fab too, but am going to attempt something from the Japanese patten books I have just bought. As I have only ever followed a pattern before this is a leap of faith, especially the patterns where I have to decode the Japanese symbols first. Oh well, nothing ventured nothing gained. The patterns are quite lovely. I was wondering where you buy your pattern paper and interfacing and that sort of thing. The fabric shops seem to do the lovely things, but not those sorts of basics, do you get them on eBay? That's where I was going, but then thought there may be somewhere better, (I recently bought both items from eBay that then turned out to be not quite what I was after). X
ReplyDeleteStanding Pants Only - love it :)
ReplyDeleteI've quite a few in waiting as I gave up sewing clothes a while back - I just couldn't get a good fit. I've loved all the Tovas I've seen but not sprung for the paper pattern but I couldn't resist when it came out as a pdf. I'm a little scared to start just in case my dream top doesn't come out as nice as the ones I've seen online.
ReplyDelete