Jalie 2449 Crossover top

I must be one of the last people on the planet to make up this pattern, there are lots of great reviews on Pattern Review so I thought I would try it.  I bought this pattern some time ago and of course it has been gathering dust since then.  I had a small piece of black and white jersey purchased as the end of the bolt that I could just squeeze this top out of and I used some black jersey scraps to make the contrast bands. I made the short sleeve, straight hemmed version.

I've never made a Jalie before so went with the size corresponding to my usual BWOF 38 - a U (or medium or US 10).  Straight out of the envelope the fit is really pretty good, possibly a bit roomy under the arms, but at least I don't need an FBA with this size.

It's very simple to make and the instructions are good, except the written instructions and diagrams are printed on the pattern paper and I had to keep opening it up to see both at the same time.  But I probably won't even need the instructions next time so it's a minor gripe.  I made this entirely with the serger so it took around 1 and 1/2 hours all in, the next one should be even quicker now the pattern is traced.  One important thing to note if like me you are used to Big 4 or adding your own seam allowances - they are 1/4 inch. The only small change I made was to stitch the fronts together at the crossover point to stop any possible wardrobe malfunctions.

I'd definitely consider trying some more Jalie knit top patterns based on this one and I'm sure I'll be making this one up again.

Patrones Issue 261, 50, DSA2 skirt - details

Here are the details and order of construction for the skirt I posted previously. This will be a very dull post unless you speak no Spanish and want to make this skirt yourself, skip straight to the next post if you don't fit into that category.

You can see all the garments in this issue here

Here are the line drawings and magazine photo for skirt 50. You can see that mine looks quite different due to the fabric, and also I left off the tie and tulle hem attached to a lining. There were blog discussions recently about using linen and I boldly stated that I never make bottoms out of linen because it wrinkles too much. Well I lied! OK not completely, I think you can get away with linen in this shape of skirt because there is no strain anywhere when you sit down so it's unlikely to bag out. I did cut the waistband on the selvedge to prevent stretching and also used Carolyn's tip of prewashing the fabric 3 times before using it, it really does soften it up and make it less prone to wrinkles.

The skirt itself is extremely easy as it has so few pieces and is a good beginner Patrones pattern. If you have made a skirt before this will be no problem. There is just one pattern piece for the skirt front and back and the waistband is just a strip of fabric. (Of course if you add the tulle there are pieces for those too). You need to join pattern piece 1 to 1A before cutting the fabric. The front and back skirt are both cut on the fold so you need 60' wide fabric for this pattern, or you can do what I did and cut it on the cross grain. Mark the pleats and you're ready to sew. Here is my order of construction;

Fold pleatlines and stitch as marked.
Press flat and topstitch either side of seamline to hold pleats in place.
Insert invisible zipper in left side seam, finish side seams
I added a lining here and stitched it to the top of the skirt before adding the waistband.
Attach waistband, fold at desired depth, fold edges in onto skirt under free seam allowance and topstitch around entire waistband, ensuring you catch in raw edge.
Add a hook and eye/thread loop to the waistband
Hem skirt (and lining if applicable).

Goodness I hope that makes sense to anyone who needs it, I have renewed respect for the BWOF instruction authors now!

Instant Gratification Skirt Version 2

Thank you everyone for the comments on my recent outfits. I wore the saffron jacket and print skirt out to lunch last weekend and my (male) friend said to me " that's the nicest I've seen you look in a long time" !!! I suppose there is a compliment in there somewhere!

Sometimes a fabric just tells you what it wants to be and that's what happened with the embroidered black and white cotton I bought recently. I made another version of the easy skirt - BWOF 03/2008-105. I added in a silk satin lining and omitted the belt detail on this one. This one proves what a versatile pattern this is, I can wear this all year round by pairing it with different garments. And I can make it up in a few hours, I'm sure there will be a version 3 before too long.

Here is the summer look;


Here is the winter look, this is my favourite, I almost can't wait for cooler weather to arrive. I'm wearing it with the Vogue Montana denim jacket that I made earlier this year.

I'm also rather impressed with my seam matching and invisible zipper on the centre back!

My first Patrones outfit!

Well this has been an adventure, I've completed a top and a skirt from Patrones, the skirt is fine, the top pattern needs a bit more work to fit properly in the bust area, but has enough promise to invest the time in making it again.



Wrap top - Patrones issue 257, June 2007, #74



Pleated skirt - Patrones issue 261, October 2007, # 50

That is about the extent of my Spanish translation skills! I will take some pictures in daylight and post more detailed reviews and my own order of construction separately in the next couple of posts. Overall I am glad that I have taken the plunge and tried the patterns, it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be although I deliberately picked simple patterns that I thought I could manage without instructions. Mostly this has helped me get an understanding of the sizing. For reference my BWOF size is usually 38 & FBA for tops and 40-42 in bottoms. In Patrones a good starting point for me seems to be 42 top with FBA (but smaller than the one I made on this top) and 44 bottoms.

Janine asked about fabric shopping in Singapore. I was short on (personal shopping) time on my last visit so those 3 fabrics I posted all came from Spotlight. I see from your blog that you are from Sydney so I can't imagine you'll be shopping there, but if you do, Spotlight is at the Dhoby Ghaut MRT end of Orchard Road. I would suggest visiting Arab Street (you'll need to haggle) and Serangoon Road in Little India. I know there are also some fabric shops and a textile market in the Chinatown area, but I don't know the exact details, sorry. If you like shoes, Takashimaya department store on Orchard Road is awesome! Have a great trip!

Here by the way is where I lost my wallet/filofax. We went to a restaurant called Novus inside the National Museum. At the time it was lit up with these amazing lights which changed every few minutes, during the day it's a regular old white colonial style building.

Back in the swing of things

No I didn't collapse in a heap after finishing my jacket, instead we went for a short trip to Singapore. Had a fabulous time with gorgeous weather - the only downer was losing my filofax/wallet so I lost all my cards, cash, diary and address book. I really hoped someone would hand it in, minus the cash even, so I filed a police report, but no news yet. But fortunately I only lost it after I had hit the shops and bought 3 pairs of shoes, some jeans, underwear (why do they sell my size in Singapore but not in Hong Kong, I don't get it?!) and some fabrics.

Here are the fabrics I got, an embroidered cotton, a printed georgette and a cotton embroidered border print.



Since I now have no access to money, my husband gave me some at the beginning of the week which lasted me quite well, but today I finally found the red shoes I have been looking all year for. They were really cheap, from H&M, but I had to completely empty my purse to afford them. Then I had to walk home in the rain, but it's worth it. Priorities!!

I'm going back to visit my family and friends in the UK in a months time, including my Spanish (but living in London) sister in law who is my Patrones dealer. So I feel I really had better produce something from these magazines instead of just looking at the pictures and that's going to be my focus. I'm working on wearable muslins for the dress I started a while back and also a red wrap top which is nearly there and looking good. See I really just had to get those shoes!