The Assembly Line’s Cuff Top has been on my pattern crush list since it first started to show up on IG. Such a simple design but oh, those cuffs – they look so lovely in such a range of fabrics. It did take me some (ok, many) months to actually buy the pattern – it would be out of stock when I went to buy it, another new pattern would jump the queue etc, but when I saw on IG that The Selvedge Society was stocking it I went the very next day to buy it (can I just say how good it is to actually be able to walk into an actual shop and buy an indie pattern? The Selvedge Society stock a fab range of patterns).

Anyhow, pattern bought and shopped my stash for fabric – decided on a red chambray that was a bargain Spotlight purchase years ago. I bought several colours of this but this one does seem stiffer than the others.

I chose to make the size L, as my measurements really put me at the upper size range. Perhaps I could have sized down, but the sizing is not the part of the pattern that I actually have an issue with.

It was a fast sew – and could be made faster if you choose to cut the front and back bodice on the fold. I used French seams throughout, and also turned the overlocked edges on the sleeves and neck facing under and hemmed so there are no overlocked seams or edges to be seen.

The cuffs were a bit tricky, and the first one is not as good as the second one. You really do need to do the second cuff seam (when you turn it up) slowly and hold it tight as you sew.

However – once I tried it on I HATED it. There is a large amount of excess fabric under the arms due to the shape of the pattern – the sleeves are an extension of the bodice, and are relatively wide given the need for those (oh so lovely) gathered cuffs. There are no darts or other shaping, and really it probably is best suited to people with less boobage than me.

The neckline also proved to be an issue – it is super high and as a result, doesn’t sit properly (on me anyway). There is not enough room for it to sit flat against my collarbone, and so it pushes out and buckles in the middle.

And so it has remained forlornly hanging on my sewing room door, until this morning when I decided to wear it to work.

The verdict? I am coming around to it. The poufy-ness of the underarm area didn’t look so bad today (maybe hanging on the door for a month made it relax a bit!) – but as for the neckline…it really is too high and was annoying to wear all day. I can fix it – it’s just a matter of scooping out the neck – but the facing is top stitched so I wanted to make sure it was going to be worn before I spend some time with my unpicker.

If I do decide it’s actually worth making a second one, then I will redraft the neckline at the start (honestly – I will probably use the Maya top neckline – it’s my favourite and I have used it in place of necklines before (looking at you Arum dress).

Last night was the spring edition of Sydney Frocktails – the second one for the year!

Like last time, I didn’t overthink my make and just went with what felt right to me. And what felt right to me was the new(ish) Cielo dress from Closet Case Patterns, paired with this (sadly sold out) fabulous viscose crepe from Tessuti (blue still available)

I had this planned in my head for weeks before the night, but as usual procrastinated about both buying the pattern and fabric, and then actually making it.

I first saw the fabric in an email, and fell in love with it. I finally went to buy it (online) a couple of weeks later, only for it not to be there anymore. However, this was the same weekend that Tessuti had a snap online sale, and I have noticed that they do actually take some of their fabrics offline during sales. And sure enough, it was back up once the sale had ended.

But I procrastinated for another week before I ended up walking down to the Surry Hills store during my lunch break (I can walk there in about 5 mins from work – luckily I rarely actually shop there!) – and of course there was none there. They had the blue colourway, but it did nothing for me. Thankfully I asked, and they did have more in stock at the warehouse, so I was able to finally get it a few days later.

Meanwhile, I bought the PDF version of the pattern, and decided that I would try and have it printed via Officeworks – but I was unable to upload it from home. My closest Officeworks is virtually impossible to park at, day or night (there is a gym in the same complex), so I would prefer to be able to upload PDFs from home. I know I can take it in and do it but this just adds time to the process, so I just printed and taped it myself.

Size wise – I went with the D cup in a size 14. I did make a quick muslin of the top to check the size – mind you, I used some lovely linen from The Fabric Store – I only basted it together at the shoulders and sides to check it, but I will sew it up properly (tomorrow I hope!) I do wonder though now looking at the pics whether I should go down to the C cup, or perhaps go down a size…

For once, I did not have to move the bust dart at all – I ALWAYS move it down. Not sure if this was due to the larger cup size, but I was pretty happy with that! The dart actually comes out of the armscyse, not the side seam like most do. The only change I made was to add side seam pockets (I know from experience not to do the type of pockets in view A of this pattern with a drapey fabric – they droop terribly).

The pattern calls for 2.6m – which I bought, not expecting it to actually take this much – but the sleeves are huge and the sleeve bottom is doubled (like a cuff). I do have some left over, but not enough to do much with. (Also want to note here that the sleeves are LONG – they hit me right at the wrist – I would prefer them to be slightly shorter).

It is a straightforward sew, only taking a few hours from start to finish. The fabric was not nice to sew with though – it was hard to keep the pieces straight on the grain.

I really love this pattern – I think it will prove to be a TNT – the two sleeves give the dress/top such a different feel, and they really lend themselves to be made in completely different fabrics.

As for Frocktails – it was a lovely night. Not as scary as last time, given I had met people at the last one. We again met early (although I was late – typical..) for pre-drinks (sound like an 18 year old!), before walking down to the pub. The sewing community is such a welcoming one – it was lovely to chat to old and new friends, and I am already looking forward to the next one!

(Side note – yes, I wore the same necklace as I did last time. It went the best with my dress, so I have decided it can be my Frocktails tradition!)

I have had a pair of pants on my to sew list for some time – years, really. While I love my Robbies, I did want a pair with a more fitted leg. I’ve dithered about a pattern and have bought several, but a few weeks ago I decided to try the Papercut Palisade pants – and when they had a sale last week I finally bought the pattern.

Coincidentally, a friend and I made a quick trip to The Fabric Store on Monday morning. I had no intention of buying anything but this cotton/silk blend caught my eye, and at 40% off it was too good not to get some.

I came home, threw it straight in the wash and proceeded to assemble my pattern.

Then came the size dilemma – I fall between a M & a L, but after some blog research went with the M. In hindsight, maybe not a good decision as I had to unpick my seams and sew them with a scant seam instead (& this now means there are some pulling issues in that area). I also chose to shorten them by 2.5″ – which has resulted in a slightly cropped length – which I like but may add some length back to my next pair.

One point many bloggers made was that the construction method of these, and the lack of an outer side seam, means that I is hard to gauge the fit until they are actually finished. The flat front panel and elastic back reminds me of the Liesl and Co Everyday skirt, and so I used that method to attach/finish the waistband rather than the pattern method.

The front panel waistband is attached and finished completely, and the back waistband is attached right sides together. The front and back are then attached at the outer leg seam and overlocked.

Then the back waistband is folded down to cover the seam, which leaves the two ends open to insert the elastic. (My elastic was not wide enough, so I sewed a channel down the middle and inserted two pieces). This method just seemed to be easier to me, and allowed me to try them on and the adjust the elastic more easily.

The end result is a pair of pants that I really like. I love the leg shape and the overall fit is good. Next time I will grade the waist out to an L, and will also add some length to the back rise (many bloggers commented that this is too high, but I wear my pants on my high waist and they pull down when I am sitting).

My mum recently gifted me some vouchers for The Fabric Store, and so when they had a recent VIP sale I used them all up on some merino jersey – 2m each of rose pink, oxblood and slate. I had intended them for Astoria tops, and knew that 2m (which is the recommended yardage given) was excessive – but forgot to lay out the pattern to get the correct yardage before I went…

The pink has already been sewn up into a ‘twin set’ (because 2m was outrageously excessive – that kind of thing makes me quite cross) – an Astoria top with a matching Wembley cardi.

I decided to use the oxblood for a Seamwork Tacara dress, which a few IG friends have sewn to great effect. In typical Justine style, however, I was reluctant to make a muslin and so did some blog research before cutting into my lovely merino.

Many bloggers said the pockets were too low, so using another pattern as a guide, I decided to move them up by about 5cms. They are fine, but could probably come up a couple more cms. I also went rogue with my pocket method – the pattern has you stitch the pocket to the side seams, clip into the seam and turn to the inside, leaving the unstitched portion to be sewn into the side seam. I did this, but only for the front, and then stitched the other pocket piece to the front (the same method used in the Tessuti Bella dress). I did this as I was concerned about how the pockets would hang and potentially affect the drape/shape of the side seams. Unfortunately, the pockets still do affect the shape – perhaps if I had used the pattern method it may have been better. Overall though it’s not a big issue.

Only other mod was to taper the hem line in by about 5cm (from the lengthen/shorten line), in order to create more of a cocoon shape (which is how the shape of the dress is described, but the bottom is quite straight).

So, size – well, this is supposed to be very oversized with lots of ease (which is balanced by the fitted sleeves) – but I don’t love huge ease in my clothes – big boobs means they just look way too tent-like on me. My bust (44″) puts me in a size 16, & my hips (41″) between a 10 & 12 – but taking the significant ease built into this pattern I decided to go with a size 8 – which has a finished bust measurement of 50″. I did have a panic about the wisdom of this, and even went so far as to lay my Inari dress pattern over the top before cutting – but I am really happy with the size and the amount of ease I have in this dress.

Other points to note – this is the pattern length as is (I am 5’4″). The sleeves hit just below my elbow – I would like them a bit longer given I am intending this to be a winter dress. And on the sleeves – I don’t find them tight (an issue mentioned by a few bloggers), but I would prefer them to be one piece rather than two.

It was an easy dress to make (even though the pocket method meant some construction had to be done on the sewing machine rather than the overlocker), and I think it will price to be a very easy dress to wear (& how fab does my gorgeous Knopf Designs necklace look with this?)