Tag Archives: completed garment

Sometimes there are patterns that catch on in the blog circles that I don't bother with because they seem more like trends than good ideas. I'm the opposite of a trend follower as I actively avoid doing what everyone else is doing, at least till I see some value in it personally.

Enter the Blackwood Cardigan by Helen's Closet. I had seen it around on blogs and IG, so I took some time to stalk it a bit. It seemed to me that it made pretty much everyone who wore it look good, so I decided to finally join in on the Blackwood train.

BlackWood Cardigan by Helen's Closet
BlackWood Cardigan by Helen's Closet

For my fabric, I found a DBP that I fell in love with from Boho Fabrics (search Monique. It's low stock as of now, prob sold out soon). Florals aren't my go to fabric, although the occasional floral on the perfect garment has been known to fall in my wardrobe. This one was great because it was a larger print and it was on a navy background. I found I don't have a whole lot of shirts to wear under it as I usually wear black or blacked based cardigans. Which is just the excuse I need to make more shirts. :-)

BlackWood Cardigan by Helen's Closet - Back View
BlackWood Cardigan by Helen's Closet - Back View

I cut the XL size with no other alterations and went to town. It is a fantastically satisfying sew (read: easy but still looks good). I only screwed it up a couple times (my fault, not the pattern). Somehow I marked the notches wrong and ended up with a weird, and I mean weird, stretching of the neckband. After scratching my head for awhile, I finally figured out where I was supposed to have put the notches, resewed it and all was well.

The other thing is I may or may not have cut the wrong band out for this length. The pattern piece that was sitting on the table next to the piece was the wrong one, but then it went in to the cardigan perfectly, so maybe it wasn't? Who knows, either way it turned out.

This is one of the few makes I've had recently that makes me feel great about sewing. I love it, love it! I made this months ago and am only now posting about it due to DBS (delayed blogging syndrome), and have worn it so many times. Not recently, of course, as the weather here is absolutely sweltering. So, I'm holding out making more till this fall, but believe me, there will be more.

BlackWood Cardigan by Helen's Closet - Side View
BlackWood Cardigan by Helen's Closet - Side View with weird pose... I dunno...

I bought all the products in this post because I love them and am giving my honest opinion of them. Some links are affiliate links and may result in financial benefit for me. Most likely I'll use it for more fabric for blog posts, so click away!

Work has exploded in the last couple weeks, so I haven't been able to get into the sewing room, as sad as that makes me. So, to keep this blog from turning into a completely barren wasteland, I'm going to update about a dress I made back in December but haven't blogged.

The Pattern 4 Pirate's Wiggle dress is a figure hugging dress that is for those who aren't afraid to flaunt it! Normally, this style wouldn't be in my comfort zone, but made up in a black fabric, it's close enough to a LBD that I can feel moderately comfortable in it. I wore it to a date night to see a musical (Waitress - loved it!!) and I still felt like the most dressed up person there. It didn't help that it was pretty cold that day, so must people were choosing warmth over glam. Not me! Ha!

P4P Wiggle Dress - fantastic LBD
P4P Wiggle Dress - fantastic LBD

The instructions are pretty straight forward, but of course I managed to complicate it a bit. I didn't do any pre-cutting alterations, other than to give myself very large seam allowances around the bust. Then, I just tried it on and pinned it and sewed (and repeated like 5 times). I took a large chunk out of the back, kind of like a sway back adjustment, as well as some off the sides. Around the top of it, I took several inches (maybe 4?) out of the upper bust.

P4P Wiggle Dress - Off the Shoulder
P4P Wiggle Dress - Off the Shoulder

The only thing I really deviated on is the finished for the top. Instead of doing encased elastic, I finished it with a band. For some reason the thought of it just turned didn't seem as nice to me. Probably just me, but I wanted it, so I did it. To make the band, I measured the top once all the adjustments were done. Then, I multiplied that by .85 and used that length to make a band from. From there it was just like finishing any banded edge.

P4P Wiggle Dress - Added band
P4P Wiggle Dress - Added band around the shoulder

I cut it originally at calf length thinking I was going to add a circle hem, like a mermaid skirt. However, after trying it on, it was overwhelmingly black. I decided some leg was the way to go and chopped it off just above the knee. With high heels, this was perfect for a night out!

P4P Wiggle Dress
P4P Wiggle Dress

I have a couple other Wiggle Dress shirts (sounds funny to say it that way!) planned. However, if I don't get to them soon, it will be out of season and I don't know if I'll end up making them or not. If I do make it again, I'd like to more of the adjustments up front instead of pinning and sewing after cutting can be frustrating. In addition, I'm going to add more of a peplum/flare shape to the hem of the shirt.

Pink Linen Nantucket

These shorts make me so happy! If you'd asked me if I wanted a pair of pink shorts before I laid eyes on this fabric, I would have said no. But little did I know that I needed them. Truly, needed.

The fabric claimed it was linen (bought from the late Hancock Fabrics), but it wrinkles so little, I suspect it's a linen/poly blend. It's also lightweight and slightly see-through, so I will have to be conscious of undergarment choice. Other than that, it's perfect for summer shorts!

Pink Linen Nantucket - Back

The pattern isĀ Seamwork's (referral link) Nantucket. It was a really quick sew and only a couple minor alterations. I raised the front and back crotch slightly as well as adding overall length, starting from a 16.

I also have a personal distaste of drawstrings. So, I altered the waistband to be flat in the front and gathered in the back. This worked beautifully with one exception.

When I sewed in the elastic on the back, I wanted the sewing to look like ready-to-wear. I zigzagged over the elastic to try to get it closer to that look. However, it stretched out the elastic really bad when I did, so now the waist band is slightly too large.

In addition, I should have taken some waist width out to account for the flat front, so it's all a little too loose. I'll have to take it in soon, as it tends to fall down to underwear showing levels.

Pink Linen Nantucket - Front waistband

Pink Linen Nantucket - Back waistband

Now, I have a fun pair of cool short to wear and they please my inner child. Fun in the sun!

Pink Linen Nantucket

 

PS: I finished these shorts just in time for the last heat wave to break. Isn't that just the way? By break, of course I mean that it's now mid- to upper-80's. Still summer and all of August left to go.