linen pajamas

July 14, 2020 ~ Tia Dia ~ 15 Comments

I have been in sore need of decent summer pajamas for a while now, and finally made some up from old stash linen, using cotton scraps from this old pair for piping and the shoulder straps on the tank top.

I used the Sewing-Universe-Famous Carolyn Pajama top, which I haven’t yet worn – it’s just too hot! But I see this getting a lot of wear in the spring and fall. The bottoms are Burda 12-2014-135, which I’ve made several times for myself and DD2.

I have a pair of Bedhead pajamas and like how the front facing is stitched down to keep it from flopping around. I did the same on this top, although the instructions did not include this step.

And to keep cool during the summer, I made a linen version of Burda 5-2013-101, which is also comes as a dress pattern.

As far as style goes, linen isn’t the best choice for this top: a drapey silk or viscose would be a better choice. But it’s cool and comfortable and plenty roomy for pajamas.

And, just for fun, I added little ‘tags’. Actually, they have a practical use in the tank and bottoms, as they indicate which side is the back!

And because I needed one, I made a quick kimono robe from some printed linen that I’ve had lying in stash for a few years. The pattern is Burda 2-2012-116. Honestly, trying to find pictures on Burdastyle.com is such a hassle. Whoever designed their new website should be fired, because it’s absolutely terrible. The Russian site is far superior, imho. You can search images and issues all the way back to 2004. They even have the year 1987 listed!

And here’s my version. I’m not modelling any of these, because, seriously! I am past putting pictures of me in my pj’s up for public consumption. Be thankful.

mccall 6696 in linen

July 5, 2020 ~ Tia Dia ~ 12 Comments

I must be an idiot, because I really hate the new WordPress block editor. I don’t want to add a block. I want to type and have the option of embedding photos without clicking on a plus sign.

Ok. My frustrated little rant is done, and now on to the reason for this post: a shirt dress made last summer from a lovely cross-dye medium weight linen. I confess I have so many fabrics. My stash is an embarrassment of riches, and I really loved this linen when it arrived in the mail a couple of years ago. I originally had planned to make summer linen trousers with this, but I had two lengths, one of which wasn’t quite a metre, so trousers were out.

What to do with it?

I decided on the very popular shirt dress pattern from a few years ago: McCall 6696, dictated by the lengths of the two pieces of linen. It was my version of a muslin, although this is definitely not a muslin. I wasn’t sure I would look good in the style or be comfortable wearing it. It’s a little more ‘office attire’ than I had intended, but that is a result of the fabric. And, typical of how I work, when I make the dress again, I will change a few things: raise the armscye 5cm, and forgo the short waist adjustment. These will both be necessary in a sleeveless version, which I would like to make.

My favourite part of the pattern is the blousing in the back.

And I used up some bemberg from a previous project for lining the skirt and binding the armscyes. I always like a lined skirt, and it helps the linen to not be too wrinkled by the end of the day.

I added extra hooks and thread loops to where the waistband and the front band intersect to help it lie closed, instead of flipping (or straining) open.

I like to finish the interior of my garments as nicely as I possibly can because it makes me happy when I put them on, and when I wear them. And bemberg feels so amazing to wear. I know people prefer crepe de chine or, in the case of a linen garment, cotton voile or batiste, but there is nothing that feels cool and slippery in the heat, or keeps wool from sticking or itching in the winter, like bemberg, imho.

I’ve only had a chance to wear this dress once, but I am very impressed with the quality of this linen. The photos were taken after wearing for the day, and you can see for yourself how little the linen creased. Oh, and as for the rant about the WP blocks, a little reading soon made my life easier. Ha!

Vogue 1454

September 19, 2017September 16, 2017 ~ Tia Dia ~ 15 Comments

Thank you all for your kind comments on the last post. You realize, right, that the topstitching on the previously posted trousers is now The Standard, which I shall drive myself insane trying to meet for the rest of my sewing life….. 🙂

Earlier this summer I went on a stash-busting spree. No particular motive in mind, except that I was so sick and tired of feeling ugly and underdressed. It started at Easter back in the spring, and I’ve been sewing up a storm, but never feeling like I wanted to photograph anything when I was wearing it. So I’m working backwards.

In August I took DD2 and DD3 on a month-long road trip to Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. I grew up in western Canada, and had a deep need to drive for miles under the open sky, wind through the mountain passes, and dip my toes into the Pacific Ocean. Along the way we visited Drumheller in the middle of the Alberta Badlands and home to the Tyrrell Museum. It’s ground zero for dinosaurs. Now, I’m not particularly interested in dinosaurs, but I do love the geography of the Badlands. It’s dry, windy, dusty, incredibly surreal and other-worldly. See?

I’m wearing the second version of the slim BurdaStyle trousers mentioned in the last post. The fabric is a stone-coloured stretch denim from EOS that’s been languishing in my stash for I can’t remember how long. It was a roll end, I believe, and there was just enough for these jeans. (Trousers? I always want to call them ‘trousers’, even if they’re made of denim, because they don’t have all the traditional ‘jeans’ details…)

This is a softer, stretchier denim than the peach denim in the last post. This was actually the first iteration of this pattern.

The top is from the last set of Donna Karan patterns that Vogue put out. I purchased it just because it was a Donna Karan pattern, and I’m glad I did. I love this top. It’s boxy, but it’s so comfortable and so fun to wear. I made it up from a linen blend from very deeeeeeeep stash. I honestly cannot remember where I purchase the fabric, and that’s saying something, because I always remember where fabric comes from.

Now, I really dislike fabrics that show the outline of undergarments, and this wasn’t quite opaque enough for me. So I self-lined the bodice, and used flat-felled seams to ensure nothing will ever get shifty.

But it didn’t quite work out in my favour at the hemline… lack of planning, I suppose, in terms of which direction the ‘fell’ went in the flat-fell. 😀 But it’s not really noticeable while I’m wearing it, unless you’re a fellow seamstress looking closely at details. Yes, this is the right side of the garment, looking at it from the front. oooopsie…

It was windy on the photoshoot, which worked in my favour, because it shows how the back flounce moves on this top.

Here’s another photo to show how much ease is built into this design. It made for a cool top in hot weather!

And a last one from the front. Like I said, it’s boxy, but I’m somehow liking this at the moment.

Burda 02/2014 #128: Painted Moto Jacket

September 25, 2015October 6, 2015 ~ Tia Dia ~ 29 Comments

I have been furiously working on a project that was not in my plans, queue, remote thought, or imaginary nighttime sewing. I was pleasantly surprised to make it through to the Second Round of the PR 2015 Sewing Bee, but the challenge we were given was out of my experience and comfort zone. I quote from the rules:

1 – You must start with an existing piece of fabric. That fabric can be either woven or knit, from stash or new.

2- You must alter or embellish the fabric with a method such as one of the following techniques: stamping, dyeing, free motion embroidery, sashiko, piecing, applique, reverse applique, screen printing, stenciling, painting, embossing, quilting, beading or smocking.

3 – You must use that fabric to create a garment. The garment you create must be a garment wearable by a person, such as a dress, top, trousers, skirt, jacket or jumpsuit. Accessories do not qualify. You may use any pattern you wish (commercial, self-drafted, draped, etc.). Note: you may also reverse the order of rule 2 and 3, modifying the garment after construction, if that works better for your selected technique.

So, what to do? I immediately started to panic, then gave myself a stern talking to and settled down to think what I should do. I wanted to use what materials I had at hand without having to purchase anything, therefore I was left with four options: dyeing, embroidery/beading, smocking or other fabric manipulation, or painting. A couple of fabrics that have been mouldering in my stash popped into mind: a yellow-ish embroidered linen whose colour I had grown to loathe over the years, some golden yellow cotton piqué, or the remnants of peach linen from Vogue 1175. I did dye more than one (for back up purposes, should the first project be an utter fail), but I thought I may as well use the remnant of peach mid-weight linen, since it mattered the least to me.

Now, I have no idea what I’m doing with fabric paints or dyes. So I just jumped in. I had brown, red, purple, pink and white/opalescent fabric paints that I chose to use after finding an inspiration fabric.

I had no method and no plan. I just went to work. First I splattered with brown. When I was done, I realized I didn’t have enough brown paint and should have watered it down… a lot. *shrug* Nothing I could do, so I forged ahead with the red. I took care to splatter it differently, but ended up using a scrub brush to give large brush strokes to the fabric. Ghastly, thought I. Let’s see what the purple will do. I mixed some of the pink with the purple to create a lighter shade and dry brushed it in places. The texture of the patio stones (yes, I did this outside) rubbed through the purple… kinda cool. Then I splattered with opalescent/white.

It was the most horribly ugly anything I could have possibly created. Ugh. What to do? Find the empty paint pots, add a lot of water to each, and splatter the fabric with the diluted mixture again. Seemed a bit better…. But I was still horrified at the result.

I let it dry for about 2 hours (not the recommended 24 hours), and rolled it all into a ball and put it into the dryer on high for 40 minutes to set the paint. When I took it out, I hated it. I had a tub of avocade green dye sitting unused after dying the yellow embroidered linen (a much happier result for a different project) earlier that day, so I cut off a piece of the peach linen and stuck it into the dye along with some lightweight RPL that I was planning to make into a cardigan.

In about an hour, I checked the peachy linen and it was still very peach. I was at least hoping for something in the brown range… y’know… pink and green together should make some sort of brownish shade. Not this linen. It was peach, and it was going to die peach.

Not to be beaten, I thought I could try leaving the entire mess in the dye bath overnight. I began to wet the linen, and the paint started to smudge off. Brilliant!! I put it into a hot wash, then the hot dryer again and was much happier with the worn, faded look of the paint.

I was still truly horrified at the result, but my darling eldest daughter and DH insisted it didn’t look as bad as I thought it did, and both declared I should continue with the project. DH also had very specific ideas about the jacket pattern I should choose, but I only had 1.75m to work with. In the end, I chose this lovely little number from Burda 2/2014.

The shaped yokes and sleeve cap pieces would be useful, I thought. So I set to planning and cutting around my red paint splatters and brushstrokes, which seemed rather gory to my mind. I had visions of blood-splattered clothing from a crime scene. Ah well…. at least it would only cost me time. Besides, I was starting to enjoy the challenge of working with what to my mind was an impossible piece of fabric.

So here’s the finished jacket. About half way through the construction I almost threw it all away, but my DH and DD1 insisted that I should finish it and that it would be much better than I thought it was. I won’t bore you with the construction details, except to say that Burda’s instructions for the reverse corners are atrocious. Vogue would have walked the sewer through the procedure step-by-step and thoroughly. So I went my own way, which I will share in a later post.

It is unlined, except for the shoulder yokes and sleeve caps, which was fell-stitched into place. I used a hong kong finish on the facings and lower armscyes. All the seams are flat felled for a clean interior.

After finishing the construction, the jacket cried out for something other than the paint, so, to emphasize the shoulders, I followed the painted patterns with beads in brown and reds.

And the result? Well, I think this is going to be something that actually gets worn, despite it’s short length. It’s not wonderfully styled in these photos, but I was in a hurry to meet the entrance deadline for the Bee.

If you’d like to see more pictures of this project, please check out my Flickr album.

Vogue 1038: The Dramatic Shirt

June 20, 2015June 20, 2015 ~ Tia Dia ~ 29 Comments

Wow. It feels good to be sewing so much again. And sewing garments that I like, that fit and that are fun to make and wear! Case in point, this fantastic over-sized tunic – blouse? – shirt? – from Donna Karan, courtesy Vogue 1038.I’ve made the skirt, although I’ve never blogged it. You can see the skirt here. It’s a dream to wear. But this post is about the shirt. That glorgiously oversized off-the-shoulder shirt that I don’t wear off the shoulder…

I delved into my linen stash for this very lightweight semi-opaque woven stripe, and started cutting. I’ve always loved Donna Karan’s designs from a construction point of view, and the fact that they are so very unusual. This top was no disappointment in either department.

The yoke is cut so that the shoulder seam is actually sitting on the bias. Because I don’t really want to have to wear this off the shoulder, I added strap keepers at the shoulder points along the collar seam.

It makes the back yoke curve down a little bit, but it’s secure this way, and the sleeve cap sits at the edge of my shoulder like it should this way.

I made absolutely no adjustments to this shirt, except to add a self-fabric wrapped 3-inch long piece of spiral steel boning at the CF to tuck behind undergarments in order to keep the front securely in place.

The silhouette of the shirt is so dramatic. It’s got great lines from all angles. And people love seeing Donna Karan garments. Wearing this shirt was no exception. People stopped to comment on it and ask “who I was wearing”.

I’m not a model, so wearing it with the skirt is completely out of the question.

See? Ridiculous on anything but a 6 foot stick with legs.

I’ll pair it with one of my many versions of another Donna Karan pattern: Vogue 1039. I’ve tried to make this pattern a TNT – I just love the details on the capris – and I’ve made them up just recently in a leopard laminated denim and the light olive stretch denim I’m wearing with this shirt for these pics.

Yeah, maybe it’s a bit on the big and loose side, but it’s super comfortable and something different for those days when I crave “unusual”. Have you made anything outside the tried and true world of staid jeans, trousers, tops or dresses? Do you wear your unusual make very often?

#jumpingintojune with red linen

June 5, 2015January 28, 2016 ~ Tia Dia ~ 35 Comments

Well, I’ve gone and jumped on the jumpsuit trend, thanks to Chris at Said & Done and all the general silliness that led up to it. Y’know, a late night, one comment, and then another, and a dare and here you are! I have no memory of ever wearing a jumpsuit. Or romper for that matter, so the last time I wore one must have been before the age of two. And I have no photo proof of that, either, so for all I know, I never have worn a jumpsuit until today. Actually, I had an extremely artsy roommate during my undergrad years, and she had a beautiful jumpsuit with fish skin leather accents. I confess to stealing it when I knew she wasn’t going to be around once or twice. But it always looked better on her and I always felt like an idiot wearing it.

For this project, I decided to keep it simple and go with Burda 6/2010 #141. It’s a plus-sized pattern. Yup. I’ve officially crossed into plus-sized territory, and I wanted this to be a cut-and-sew make. So I measured twice and cut once.

You know I’ve loved Burda pants blocks, and this is no different. Every measurement matched mine from crotch depth to crotch length, hip width to inseam fit. Without tweaking. How lovely is that? And here’s the proof from the back. Even Mrs. Mole has gotta be happy with this one!

I did do a 1.5 inch FBA after I shortened the bodice by 3 inches. I could have shortened the bodice another inch – the blousing is a little too much for me, particularly at the sides. And I kept the super wide legs and left off the shoulder straps. I thought I may as well go the whole hog on this one. Since it’s a jumpsuit. And it’s red.

I delved deep into my stash for this washed red linen. It was washed and dried several times prior to cutting because I was hoping for that really washed linen softeness/drape. Although it still wrinkles and creases like linen. Looks best from the back!

I lined the bottom half with bemberg rayon to the knees. I cut the lining on the cross grain, so the selvedge is the lining hem. Less work for me and it doesn’t create unwanted ridges when the garment gets pressed.

I treated the lining and the trouser part of the jumpsuit as one and used the bottom edge of the bodice to create the casing for the elastic. Burda’s version calls for elasticated ties, but I’m always going to wear this with a belt, so I left them off and stitched down the ends of the elastic on either side of the CF, so that the CF waist is flat.

My favourite thing about this pattern? The pockets. I love them! It’s basically a welt pocket without the welt. A long rectangular opening about 2mm wide that is topstitched 3cm from each end, leaving an opening for your hand. I wasn’t going to bother with them, since pockets always add bulk around the hips, in my mind, but since fitting is almost non-existent in this pull-on garment, I thought I’d just keep them. Coolest pockets insertion ever. I’m super happy with them, and they don’t add that much extra stuff across the high hip…. I think.

The first of several dance performances for DD1 was tonight, and when she saw this, she insisted on my wearing it. I honestly wasn’t going to, as it screams RED JUMPSUIT. But I did, and it was surprising easy to drive in, sit in, walk up and down stairs in and it was cool in a hot stuffy theatre and warm in the cool evening dampness after the show. I didn’t lose the top. I didn’t trip over the super long-and-wide trouser hems and no one stared at me. (Well, that I noticed, anyway. People can be very discreet about side-long glaces.) My DD’s loved it (DD3 has asked for one). DH said nothing except, “Your pants are too long. They’re dragging on the floor.” And a good friend raved about it. Well, now I have a crazy jumpsuit in my closet.

Are you making a jumpsuit?

Sheer Linen Drapes

February 9, 2015February 6, 2015 ~ Tia Dia ~ 3 Comments

I’m still struggling with the colours for my silk drapes, but I need something over those windows for now. So I made up some sheers. This is a gorgeous Belgian linen with woven stripes, and it was 118″ wide! It is railroaded, which, in drapery speak, means the design runs sideways down the length of goods. It also means I needed about half the yardage to make up these sheers as I had originally calculated.

I chose box pleats for these because it’s clean and simple, and the silk drapes will have box pleats. Good idea to keep them similar, I’m thinking.

The only hand sewing in these was the tacking down of the pleats and slipstitching the linen into place over the buckram heading. Everything else is machine stitched, so it was a rather quick project. I always find calculating the pleats in such a way that is even and pleasing the most complicated part of making drapery.

Baby Blue and Navy Blue

June 25, 2013July 11, 2013 ~ Tia Dia ~ 20 Comments

It’s done and on its way to Alberta. I couldn’t be more pleased with this outfit – simple, chic and I’m so happy with the way it came together. The ice-blue sheath is Vogue 2396. Here it is without the lace shirt.I pre-washed the linen when it was purchased about 12 months ago (longer, maybe?). I had originally intended to simply underline it with silk organza, but it was a little on the show-all-possible-undergarment-lines semi-opaque, so I also lined with bemberg. I added a small kick pleat at the CB, since my DF isn’t a fan of hemline slits. This is such a lovely simple design that it will be wearable for many occasions. I faced the armholes and neckline with a self-drafted facing instead of taking the lining to the edges as per Vogue’s instructions. I think this finishes up the edges in a much nicer way, and the support afforded by the self-fabric keeps everything in shape properly during wear. Isn’t that icy blue such a pretty summery colour?And now the nitty gritty of the lace top. I folded the lace in half, matching the scalloped selvedges, laid the front of the dress pattern over top to get an idea of the neckline shape, took a massively deep breath, and slashed from the centre front out to the shoulders. I’m sorry I don’t have pics of this process, but it was pretty simple, and I’m hoping I’ll write well enough for you to follow along. Then I put the lace “top” on over the dress as it was on Ms. Vintage, adjusted the shoulders so that the hem hung horizontally, pinned it to the shoulders of the dress, and carefully trimmed away the excess to match the dress’s neckline. Then I tried using my silk ribbon to bind the neck edge. I’ve not pictures of that either, and for good reason. It was an atrocious ugly mess. Of course, I can hear some of you more experienced sewistas muttering, because silk ribbon is not bias, and therefore will not shape smoothly. Yup. Stitch and learn.

So I tripped down to the fashion district last Friday and matched the lace with silk chiffon (since French navy silk organza is NOT to be had anywhere in this town and I’ve not tried dyeing anything and didn’t want this to be the start of a foray into that art form). I cut long 1″ wide pieces of bias and made a couple of yards of narrow bias binding. Not the most fun job in the world with chiffon, but it worked.Then I carefully trimmed away all but 1/8″ of the uglified silk ribbon neck edging and stitched the chiffon binding around the neckline by hand. I didn’t trust my machine. Once the neckline was all finished, I put it on Ms. Vintage again and started draping the side seams. I ended up trimming 2″ off the front and backs at the sides, tapering to a short sleeved kimono shape. Then I bound each long edge, back hem to front hem, and fell-stitched 8 inches of the edges together from the hem up to create the shape of the shirt.The bias binding is not uniform in width, but it’s complementary to the variation of widths in the design of the lace. I think so, anyways. It’s a pull-over style, and I’m hoping it will get worn with a myriad of other outfits. When my DF picked up the dress she was wearing a backless spaghetti strap black maxi dress. She tried on the lace shirt and it looked amazing with the dress she was already wearing. And here’s a final shot of the back. This was a fun project. I love working with linen and these sorts of garments are what make my sewing heart leap with giddy joy. Next up: boring snoring cake for DD1 and another go at the Vogue 1039 skinnies pattern. *yawn*

The Classic White Shirt

May 27, 2012May 28, 2012 ~ Tia Dia ~ 10 Comments

Sleeveless version, that is.

This is the first sleeveless white shirt in my closet. Ever. I’ve never wanted one before. And I don’t particularly like them. But they’re growing on me when I see other people wearing them. So here’s mine! I used Vogue 8094 again. I’m certainly getting my money’s worth out of this pattern. I’ve made the capris, used the capri pattern to alter a previously me-made pair that I disliked, and now I’ve made the shirt. I have to say I did make the 3/4 sleeved version years ago out of Liberty Queensbury, and would love to have another Queensbury shirt, but I can’t find the fabric anymore. On my first version I hadn’t learned yet how to do an FBA, and I really needed one.

For this version, I used an ivory cotton/linen blend, I think. It’s a bit heavy and 100% linen it certainly ain’t. I’ve never seen so much lint in the dryer filter after pre-washing and drying linen. I could have sufficiently stuffed a baby pillow with it. It was ridiculous. And I underlined it. Even though it’s a mid-weight fabric, you could still see skin versus pants through it. I used cotton voile, and, flimsy and sheer though that fabric be, it does add that extra coverage layer. And just to test it, I wore a dark brown bra for these photos. Pretty good, eh? I love the collar on this shirt. I think the fabric makes it roll perfectly. I had intended this to be a quick project. HA!! Classic white shirt does NOT equal fast and easy. I didn’t do a muslin – just did the baste and fit as you go method. The front fit beautifully after doing my usual FBA. The side darts are pretty deep – not quite deep enough from the photo below – and I was concerned about how they’d shape. Sometimes I like to split up a very deep dart into two or more smaller ones. I think next time this pattern gets made I’ll do the smaller darts because it’ll make the shape more pleasing. Don’t get me wrong! I’m quite pleased with this shirt, but as you all know, we sewists can get really really picky over anything that doesn’t fit perfectly. And I think I’ve developed slightly sloping shoulders over the years. Jeepers. I wasn’t expecting my shoulders to drop as I age. This is slightly more evident in the mandatory back view of the shirt. The front and back darts are very long in this pattern. Necessary, I guess, to obtain the fit that drew me to this pattern in the first place. And I’m not crazy about the five buttons. The last one just seems like one too many, so I’ll probably wear it unbuttoned. I’m short-waisted enough that it won’t make any difference.

Rachel Comey Skirt: Vogue 1247

May 24, 2012May 24, 2012 ~ Tia Dia ~ 15 Comments

Well, I’ve jumped on the Rachel Comey bandwagon with this skirt, mostly because the interesting pockets were very similar to those throughout the SS Chanel couture show. I made the skirt out of the same brown linen of my latest pair of trousers and underlined it with cotton voile. I’m liking the underlining with the linen instead of lining it. It hangs and wears so much better than just a with a slippery lining underneath it. The voile did add a little bit of heft to the linen, which I was concerned would possibly make it hotter to wear in heat and humidity, but after wearing it today, I can say it made no difference to the comfort factor. I was actually more confident wearing this underlined skirt because I felt that it was holding it’s shape and staying as crisp as underlined linen can.

The pattern sews up very quickly, although all the bound seams take a while to do. It does look nice on the inside, though! Here are the front pockets. I really don’t think I’ll be standing around with my hands in them, though.They’re placed so that if I did have one hand in it’s respective pocket, it may look a little odd.

Here’s the back zip. I was a bit concerned about the bulkiness of the bound voile/linen yoke seams, but the invisible zip went in just fine. And I really like the waistband. It’s probably 1 1/2 inches wide, which I think is perfect. It sits at my natural waist, so the yoke seams sit exactly at my hip, which I also wondered at, since accentuating my hips is not something I really like to do. But it’s not noticeable, and doesn’t add any bulk. And I’m very in love with this linen. It’s just divine.Even the hemline was bound with bias. The binding was very time consuming, but the end result made it all worth it. I love finishing details like this in a garment.

And I lengthened the skirt by a full 8 inches to get this length. I’m a little shy of wearing 15 inch long skirts.

Conclusion? It’s a cute little skirt, but I think I love it so much because of my fabric choice and all the finishing that went into the construction. It’s A-line, but I may prefer straight or pencil skirts on me. The bonus of the A-line is that I can carry on with my daily business with ease of movement.

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