Me and My Sencha

Is there anyone out there in the sewing world who doesn't own a Sencha yet? The Sencha blouse seems to be ubiquitous, popping up on so many blogs in so many wonderful variations. This is the first Colette pattern I have worked with and I'm really happy with the result.

But let me tell you, things weren't always this happy. Me and my Sencha were off to a rocky start. I made a muslin out of my roommate's old bedsheet at first and when I put it on it looked like an odd hospital gown, as if I had just fled surgery. It was decidedly unflattering and even if I had taken photos at that stage I sure wouldn't post them. Believe me, it looked dreadful. 

For a moment I thought I'd abandon the project thinking that sadly Sencha just isn't for me. But then I decided to make View 1 into View 3 by haphazardly cutting a key hole into the neckline and suddenly things didn't look that bad any more despite the many shades of faded light blue and the starchy feel of the fabric.

So, I went for it and I'm sure glad I did because I absolutely love this blouse. Love, love, love it. The blouse is so elegant and yet so easy to wear. The material is comfortable and the cut so ingenious that it feels like I'm wearing only a simple t-shirt.

The sewing process was pretty straightforward except for some minor alterations. I cut a size 6 and made a an FBA and took the blouse in at the waist, because it was far too roomy after the FBA. With this blouse the defined tucks at the waist are really what make or break it. The original hospital muslin was far too wide, which gave it an unflattering and boxy shape.

The sleeves were a bit tricky to sew. My catch stitching on the inside of the sleeve looks pretty sad and certainly not polished. Some of it unravelled the first time I washed the blouse. I also made matching self-cover buttons, which were a breeze to make and yes, well, match perfectly.

I really want to make another Sencha soon. It's a great blouse for summer. I've already eyed some beautiful red cotton eyelet in my favourite fabric store and I'm thinking of making a version with a scoop neckline. I will probably simplify the process by using bias tape at the neckline and sleeves so that I don't have to do any more of the evil catch stitching. I'll keep you posted.

Modelling my Half Slip

Do you remember my post on Vintage Pattern Nudity from back in February? Well, I have been thoroughly inspired by all the sassy posing and have discovered that I, too, can look intellectual while wearing only a half slip. Phew!

Don't worry I won't be posting any pictures of myself in any of the other sassy poses in the future. After all, a certain level of decency has to be maintained on this blog, right?!

I used Gertie's Vintage-Inspired Half Slip Tutorial to make my slip and found it very easy to follow. I'm usually a helplessly slow sewer, but this was a very quick project. So, if you are ever in a sewing crisis and need a quick and uplifting project to remind you that you haven't completely lost the ability to sew, make yourself a half slip.

I made mine to go with my black wool skirt, which I didn't line. The half-slip has come in very handy and I've since worn it with many other dresses and skirts I have which are not lined. I may be making more soon.

Sewing with Stretch Fabric

I am not very easily intimidated by difficult sewing projects and if I want something no matter how complicated the pattern or style, I usually just go for it hoping for the best. The one and only thing I have an unreasonable fear of is sewing with stretch fabrics.

I would really like to get into sewing stretch, because I think it would be an easy and quick way of making some very wearable garments. I can't live without t-shirts and tank tops and making my own will stop me from buying bad-quality, cheap H&M tops and the like. I do not have a serger or overlocker but my sewing machine has pretty good options for stretch seams so it should be easy enough.

I also have several kinds of stretch fabrics at home that I bought on various sales, some of which have been in my fabric stash for ages. I bought this stripey knit from a lovely German couple who sold stuff out of their garage in a tiny little picturesque town in Lower Austria:

I also have a largish piece of grey knit with unindentifiable fiber content:

Both these pieces are probably suited more for winter. My latest conquest is a meter of this beautiful coral-colored cotton jersey:

The grey and coral fabrics are not very stretchy and I’m really unsure about how stretchy fabric has to be for certain designs. I will probably err on the safe side and use the these ones for a more woven-type pattern.

The thing I’m concerned about when sewing with stretch is how to get seams and interfacings and all that jazz right, without having seams, necklines or hems stretch and wrinkle and look awfully home-sewn. I bought Sew U: Home Strech ages ago but don’t think this book is a good resource at all. It comes with a couple of basic patterns, which you can alter into various designs, as shown and explained in the book. However, the book has no information on seam stabilizers, interfacings or other tricky little details. There are also no pictures in it at all, only illustrations, which makes it difficult to assess what the designs would look like in fabric and what fabric would be best to choose. I have never used the book and am considering to e-bay it off.

Instead I would really like to buy a good resource for sewing with stretch and knit fabrics, but don’t know which book would be good. Do any of you have recommendations? Books or online resources? What about The Stretch & Sew Guide to Sewing on Knits, which looks terribly eighties?

Has anyone used this book? Do you have any other recommendations? What resources do you use for working with stretch patterns? Thanks for the help!

Green March Blouse

I know it's not March anymore, but I made this blouse in March and it just reminds me of lush green March fields and Irish celebrations. The blouse is very summery and definitely unfit to be worn in March, so I haven't had a chance to wear it yet. But I think it will come in useful when the sweltering heat of summer sets in. I'll just have to be patient. Here I'm wearing the blouse with my black wool skirt.

I drafted the blouse myself. The blouse has princess seams and sort of a shawl collar. The collar was meant to look a little different but I didn't have enough fabric and didn't think it through enough before cutting my shawl piece. The shawl should have been long enough to go around the entire neckline but ended up being too small, so I left it open in the back and added a decorative button from my stash to keep it in place.

The fabric is from a local fleamarket I went to last summer and only cost about a Euro or so. The fabric has little heads woven in. I think it's supposed to be Geisha heads but some look a bit like sad Virginia Woolf faces.

I have no clue what the fabric is made of but it's a little sheer so I chose to do two layers. There is also some stretch to the fabric which made it difficult to sew with, but since the blouse is still a bit wide around my waist I could sew it without a zipper or buttons. I experimented a little with the styling of the blouse and tried it with a belt to give it more of a Vintage feel.

Yes, it was very sunny. Maybe I should have worn sunglasses. Happy Easter!