Freya 2023 v4. still not a T&T tee

The last of this summer's tees. 

I retraced the v3a pattern ready to file for next time - well the sections were held together with pins and masking tape. Being a good software engineer, I had to make one more tee to test the tracing in case the bits had shifted, and to test taking another 1/8" excess fabric from front underarm scoop. Being a resource conscious human, I reclaimed fabric from a damaged pair of pj trousers (pink background, blue butterflies).  

Yes, I know it's an inch shorter than my preferred length. I used practically every undamaged square inch. And there's excess fabric at the underarm when hands are by my sides. I'd like to nibble it away if I can do it without affecting movement ease.

The piecing needed to reuse fabric tells me I 'need more practice' making horizontal seams in jersey - spot the stretch below front waist. Oh dear, another pathway for interesting experiments. First time using purchased stretch binding, always something more to learn, in this case to put the binding against the feed dogs. 

The overnight test wear tells me it looks better at front yoke than v3, and is really comfy.  No underarm friction sleeping or sitting, and flexible enough to reach the back of the kitchen worktop. Even this test garment, from last-legs fabric, was worth finishing. Hooray! 

EDIT: before I put the pattern pieces away, I compared them with the original TATB design. If I were to nibble away at the cap height as well as the overbust, it brings us closer to the original design, pulling the lower armscye and sleeve cap into the pit more. Maybe do this 1/8" at a time when I make winter/spring tees, so long as it doesn't affect movement ease. I don't dare shave anything off at abdomen height, otherwise the back won't drop again after I lift my arms.

Another EDIT: live dangerously, little mouselet. Since this poor fabric is already bruised and battered after years of use, let's experiment now. Can't spoil um. What I ended up with was taking in the front overbust in by 1/4", scooping a bit more at front armpit, and lowering the sleeve cap. Back overbust is unchanged. Interestingly, the upper arm is now a little tight, not restricted though, since the whole sleeve has narrowed as it moved up. So the flat pattern change was to pivot (a tracing of) the cap and raise the base 1/4". This widened the whole cap 2x1/8" at the base, which I trimmed off. Allowing the front to move in 1/4" each side, fading to nothing between underbust and waist.

And now I still have an incompletely tested flat pattern. Guess I will have to look out some autumn/winter fabrics. 

Still a work in progress. 2023 Freya v3

2023 v3 is really comfortable but not particularly elegant. Despite this being my umpteenth version of this pattern*, I'm struggling to find a fairly fitted version which allows reasonable movement.  The final picture in the collage is shows how I stand when using our kitchen worktop. A standard desk, too, needs a persistent zombie pose when you are 5'2".

 

* The distant ancestor was Tilly and the Buttons Freya tee. At each variation it has become more relaxed and the neckline lower. My earliest surviving version is still working well for formal occasions. It was a little black dress and underdress made for DD's graduation in December 2019. However, as my fitting was far from perfect, its intended negative ease was restrictive when attempting a range of activities.

The front is better than the back. As many people find, tees look fine at the back in the changing room, but ride up on the bony ridge at high hip as soon as you start moving around. This one is a little tight at underarm and bust. And guess what, I'd trimmed seam allowances too much on one of the iterations, so can't fix it on this version. I added a godet to the centre back which helped somewhat. Given fabric restrictions, it is now shorter than my preferred length. It does show my problem of  increasing fast enough as you go from waist to high hip, without letting the draughts in a couple of inches below that dratted ridge.

Verdict: Much comfier after  a round of armscye and sleeve cap changes, but still needs more practice.

I haven't helped myself by using old measurements - even though my weight is a fraction less than six months ago. The original measurements envisaged ease added later, whilst this time I wanted quite fitted. Your silly mouselet forgot to add in the bulk of a trouser waistband, again. On top of that, my posture does vary, depending how my back is doing. 

So... Ready for the next version, I've taken a new set of measurements using my most recent trousers. I used the bottom of this waistband as a landmark. Today the out seam on the trousers is tilting forward (it didn't a month ago, I checked the photos). Confession - I pinned the tee side seams an inch back of the trouser side seams and used them as my fixed lines.  I've added underbust and overbust front and back to my measurement set, which informs how much extra for sticky out shoulder blades due to sway back. This weekend it'll be time to trace the flat pattern and try again. 

Eagle eyed readers may have noticed I bumped the tee up the queue. I'd planned to work on the woven top  OOP Burda 8957 - last version comfy but poufy at the back - but realised I hadn't prewashed the fabric. Glad I waited. The new measurements tell me I need to increase back waist relative to the front. 

EDIT, Friday morning. I'm not allowing myself to cut fabric until the housework is done, but have done the Freya tee flat pattern adjustments. The paper fitting is promising. 

EDIT 31st July. V3a was made in the same fabric, without the godet. In fact, when I'd added a small swayback, the centre back seam was so nearly straight, I got out the ruler. I also moved some wedges of fabric from centre front, where it was pooling, to the sides where it was needed. Not just a successful test wear, it's been first off the dry washing pile to pair with the sage or coral trousers. So good that I retraced the revised pattern and made just one more tee . V4 was made from reclaimed fabric, pink background with blue butterflies. I'm even happier and think it deserves a separate post :)

2023 June roundup

I started June with a tidy of my fabric. There's a cabin-sized suitcase with autumn /winter fabric, mostly inherited but some of my choices, waiting for me to improve fitting and construction skills. A carrier bag with summer weight fabrics, mostly my choices, with a few for H, ready to join the queue. And I'm down to one carrier bag of leftovers, old sheets and garments for resizing, repair or just pattern testing fabric. There's a bulky overflow length, fleece to trial a better cardi or light jacket. Three decent lengths of inherited summer weights, that didn't suit either of us, went to a charity shop. That's about the right size fabric stash for me and my flat - the 'right' collection size is about personal needs and preferences. 

I talked about my summer clothes sort as a time-poor Me Made May in an earlier post. There are fewer garments altogether, fewer so-so items, and fewer orphans than in previous years. I'm very happy about that. 

Sewing wise, it's been an excellent month. One good garment for me, the linen pants in the previous post. A simple top for H, who agreed to let me practice fitting skills on her, and was happy with the result. I forgot to take a hanger shot before giving it to her, but posted a shot of pattern and fabric a few days ago. 

Four improving toiles, wearable as pj's because they are so comfy, but too thin, too print-flawed or too pieced to wear around visitors. NS258 pleated trousers in mint sheeting were v5, and have become summer favourite pj bottoms already. The picture is here, http://little-mouselet.blogspot.com/2023/06/a-tale-of-many-toiles-muslin.html. NS258 cropped island pair v4 are also fine for sleeping, but they're not always warm enough first thing in the morning when I'm doing daily jobs. Annoyingly, I'd already cut the flawed-print leftover of leftovers to trial Burda Easy 8957 v3 bodice, so the remaining scraps aren't enough to reach my ankles. I have a fitting post in mind for B8957, coming soon - it has already passed its night time comfort test and its morning task ease test.

The final toile, a relaxed descendant of Freya tee by Tilly and the Buttons, was a can't spoil 'um project. The bodice was from parts of a woodland print women's tee, with sleeves cut from a thinning man's white tee. It's promising - I've worn regularly as pj's with the mint trousers. However, with so much piecing at the back yoke, it's not a fair test of the pattern. Nor something I want to show off. 

All three patterns are in my back-to-basics list. NS258 pleated pants is ready for good fabric, though I want to retest the waist and and add back the integral pockets. The simplified version of B8957 semi fitted woven top is close enough for good fabric, though I haven't tested the collar/lapels as printed yet, nor frankenpatterned a cuff. The Freya descendant, relaxed long sleeved tee, is worth testing on new fabric now. None of them quite qualify for T&T status (Tried and Tested, Tried and Trusted, Tried and True - depends where you live). We are getting close. 

Knitting, not so much. The Hermia summer cardi is progressing slowly. I have had to stripe in an odd ball of similar weight yarn. One sleeve is done, the second a few inches above the cuff, the bodice down to underbust height. Even when I've carted it out with me, it's hard to pick up something this size for just a few minutes. I need to sort out another portable project. 

   

Repairs:

Zip in H's flowery dress.

Add waistband tucks to last year's summer trousers (and for a linen pair that stretched over the day, removed tucks and then restored them) 

Strap on cloth bag reattached for DD. 

Button on DH's trousers reattached. 

Stitch harvest mouse shirt lapel, to prevent finished inner edge showing. 

Restitched and patched a favourite shopper. Who wouldn't want to keep a mouse/woodland creature bag? 

Made a key leash so that the damage doesn't repeat itself. 

Unblocked the auto-defrost drain on the fridge.

Chose not to do:

After testing out a few ideas. Crochet cuffs in cotton/linen/silk. A beautiful odd ball of yarn, however it wasn't spun tight enough for crochet. Maybe come back to the idea when in the mood for knitting.

Shorten sleeves on flowery pj top. Knuckle length is actually warmer for sleeping with elbows well bent, though a pain in the kitchen at breakfast time.

Wardrobe acquired:

Two scarves from charity shops. One man made but soft, pale colours. one brown and white fish print with buttonholes (what!) 

I think I can say a productive month 

Happy sewing everyone. 

    

Pleated pants NS258

You might remember I posted about multiple attempts at fitting trousers to my tilted pelvis. Not trivial. Well finally I have a pattern that fits, and a lovely pair of linen pants. I chose a pleated style because it provides some sitting ease at the tum, without adding much bulk when I'm standing. 

I'm describing them as sage, because they read as green in some lights, grey in others. It's a beautiful heavy weight fabric bought on Leeds market at least 5 years ago, that has been waiting for me to acquire the skills to do it justice.

Apologies that these are not properly pressed. Photos were taken before the test wear, so I hadn't confirmed the final stitching lines. They were fine. 

I'm at least the third custodian of the pattern, out of print News of the World 258. Does my garment look like the envelope picture? Well as close as someone with my proportions ever will.

What changes did I make? 

Design wise, I widened the legs for summer comfort, and have replaced the pockets with a patch pocket (not yet attached) to simplify the fitting process. 

Fitting wise, I need a shaped waistband, changed leg angle, different crotch curve, widen side seam especially at mid/high hip. Replaced back dart with two much shorter ones. Widened back thigh for sitting comfort. Small dart over front hip bone. There's a fuller list in my sewing diary. You'll get the picture that I'm nowhere near a standard shape, even though I believe I'm not unusual. 

Here's my pattern pieces overlaid on the original, folded to size 14. The angle on the centre back seam is from a previous fitting attempt, at the position of a knobbly vertebra. 

You'll see that I needed three shorten lines, 4" altogether. There's one stupid mistake - that somewhere during the trial process I lost part of the fly facing - which I had to work round. But mostly the differences are the sticky-out bones at front high hip, and the bony ridge at the same height all round the back. The sticky-out tum is mostly a consequence of sway back. I angled the zip to make room for it, rather than insert into a curved line.

At the end of all this, and after a full day's test wear, I'm really pleased that I can stand, sit or stroll in these. Yes, all three!

As a bonus, two of the toiles (muslins) are fit for pj's. The mint sheeting pair has been a favourite while we've experienced two hot weeks. That's probably the British summer for this year. 

Hope you're comfortable where you are. 

Things I chose not to do this June

Sometimes it's interesting to think about what projects and tasks you choose not to do, as well the ones you tackled. Some are turned down when your materials aren't quite right (no crochet cuffs in a lightly twisted yarn). Some you realise why they don't need fixing (unusually long sleeves on a woven pj top can stay, for warmth because I sleep with arms crossed ).

There were some chunky challenges I fancied doing this month, but settled for a fraction of each. 

Me Made May 2023. Considered doing this with the same theme as last year (let's assess). I was still in the cool weather clothing till the end of May, though. And when the sun arrived in June,  I realised that the verdicts would be much the same as last year. The smaller thing worth doing was a summer sort. I got rid of a handful of items, including (sadly) the two peach and white raindrop print tees which were Very Regularly worn. And I've put something in my detailed notes about the odd new item. 

Sew What You Need in June 2023. This challenge sounds like the perfect follow up to Me Made May. But bother, I have too many things in progress* to take it on. I am, though, working on basic necessaries: woven trousers that fit when standing, walking and sitting, fussily I want comfort all the time; a basic tee with the right amount of movement ease for me; and a semi-fitted woven long sleeved top. The trousers and tee are at the confirmation test stage, maybe needing 1/8" tweaks. The woven top will need at least one more toile (muslin) before I use good fabric.

* You'll have to wait for month roundup to find out how I got on. 

Great British Sewing Bee. I've often fancied taking on the construction challenges as a skill builder. Not in front of the cameras, and not under that time pressure. In my fantasy, these fit H who is petite but needs few other fitting changes. I did manage a boxy top for her, reading the instructions and taking no short cuts. The trial garment would have been good enough if it hadn't been made of worn-out sheeting. She was happy with the real thing (seabird print quilting cotton, K6217). Success! 

Is anyone else tempted by month long challenges? Do you ever try to do something even when you choose not to do the whole thing? Do you count it as a small success? 

2023 May roundup

Managed to stay in my own nest a bit more this month. That means less knitting and more sewing. 

The main project has been many toiles (muslins) in prep for some summer trousers. Two of the five have been good enough for pyjamas. The final one is also fit for pj's, and is close enough to transfer final changes to the flat pattern and make a good tracing. 

The Teal Hermia summer cardigan has moved slowly. I didn't have enough yarn after all, but the contrast stripes look good on the sleeves. One cuff, one quarter sleeve, and the lower quarter bodice to go. 

The cheerful Teddy was finished, and is looking for a home. A baby hat just needs casting off, when I dig out an odd bigger needle to do so. 

Repairs. 

Removed the wobbly patch from the event shirt, it needs a firmer fabric anyway. 

Stitched down the sleeve ties on a rtw dress, they'll never stay in place otherwise. 

Adapted the old sofa throw for the new sofa, which of course is a slightly different shape. 

In the household, yet again I cleared out all the small stuff from my living room/work area whilst a job was done. But this time I'm not allowing myself to bring anything back until it has been assessed, cleaned, and has a proper place to live. There are still a dozen shoe boxes to check, however the task is mostly done. 

A tale of many toiles (muslins)

Fitting a rump is hard! For comfort, the trousers have to fit both standing (without sagging) and sitting (needing extra ease). 

Two tips I wish I'd known earlier. Put a temporary button and loop on, rather than trying to always pin in a consistent place. And stitch unadjusted seams with a toning thread, but put changes on with a contrast thread - so that I can undo the change, or bring it forward to the next version. 

Version 1 and 2 happened in April - starting with a skirt, adding leg extensions, and refining. Version 3 was cut calf length, blue ex-duvet cover leftovers. It sagged and bagged, but has been worn comfortably as pjs. Version 4, leftovers from the island dress, is less baggy and has been worn once comfortably as pjs. Both of these are only calf length, due to limited fabric, but are long enough to test with bended knees. 

Most of the changes were additions to the rump and upper inseam, then removing excess from the outseam. 

I prepped a new pattern from v4 for version 5, but have obviously missed something. Made it up full length, from a slightly damaged mint sheet. I made a quarter inch fisheye dart at the front waist, and added a little more width at lower cb rump. 

As at 31 May, I'm switching between removing 1/4"x2 from the cb seam at the waist, or the same amount split between the side seams. Also considering how much to lift at back waist, and across what width. Think there might be an adjustment at inner knee, too. 

The front is fairly good, the back I feel I'm just moving fabric from one wrong place to another. I hope D comes to knitting club tomorrow - she has a good eye for these things.

Edit 29 June. 

D made a couple of good suggestions. 

Here's photos of v3, v4 and v5