Sew Your Zierstoff with the ALIZIA Tee

I made a whole outfit!

Sure, that phrase shouldn’t need an exclamation point, but since I am notorious for sewing pieces with barely a thought given to what I’m going to wear it with: I made a whole outfit!

The pieces for my casual outfit are simple enough, but I gave thought to pairing fabrics that would work together and that’s a big step in the right direction.

Firstly, I made the SVEA Pants (see details here)

My second piece is the ALIZIA Top.

The Alizia is easily constructed; but if you’ve not inserted a V shape before, I’d recommend watching the V neckband instructions from Hey June as a good guide to successfully making a smooth insertion.

So, once completed, I put on my Alizia to see my handiwork and realized I made a tunic. How on earth did I do that? I still need to go back and figure out how I made it so long. I did fit checks along the way, but I was focusing on how the sleeves and width of the bodice fit and didn’t even look at the length. Geesh.

On the positive side my Matilda leggings are a perfect match, since I used remnants from them as the accent pieces on the Alizia. This is not at all the outfit I was aiming for, but it is lemonade out of the lemon of making a way too long shirt. I do like how slimmer I look in this pairing versus the Alizia plus Svea pants combo I originally planned. Loose fitted top plus loose fitted bottoms just doesn’t do it for me.

So, I made an outfit! It’s not what I planned, but I’m still going to call it a success. I’m pleased with the fabrics I chose, but just need to pair patterns that balance each other better. Lesson noted. Let’s see how long it takes to sink in.

Are you sewing up anything from Zierstoff Patterns for the Sew Your Zierstoff contest?

There are prizes to be had, plus you get new wardrobe pieces.  (details here)

To help you along, Zierstoff Patterns are 40% off with code VALENTINE40 until 2/28/17

As always, thanks for stopping by today.

 

Destination Pants… a mini capsule for fall

I joined the Sew Alongs and Sewing Contests group in the last Seasonal Sew Wardrobe (SSW) challenge with “Destination” as the theme. Making & fitting pants was my major sewing goal (destination) for 2016, so I built my mini capsule around jeans and pants.

My original plan with outfits going horizontally:

Liana Stretch Jeans, Megan Blouse, Santiago Jacket; Fold Over Clutch, Birkin Fares, Zircon Sweater; SVEA Pants & Mechelen Sweater

My final mini capsule:

Links to my completed pieces: Birkin Flares,  Ocean Waved Clutch and Zircon Sweater; Liana Stretch Jeans, and Onyx Shirt; Alizia Top, SVEA Pants, and Matilda leggings.

I still need a lot of practice planning and sewing whole outfits, so I fully plan on continuing to participate in the SSW challenges.

Would you like to join in? The next challenge starts soon. Hop on over, join the group, and get sewing with us.

SVEA pants by mahlicadesigns

I have a serious need for pants in my wardrobe, but am not quite ready to make another pair for jeans, so instead I made the SVEA Pants.

I made a size 40 according to my measurements using a double knit. The result was baggier looking than I would have liked and I’m sure the drape of the double knit didn’t help with that. Since the 40’s were baggier and longer than I wanted, I’m giving these to my sister. I know the drape of the knit plays a factor here, so I felt I needed to play with things a little.

On my second attempt, I sized down to the children’s size 170 all around but kept the size 40 crotch length. I still ended up shortening at the hem by 2 inches. I’m much more comfortable with how these fit.

What do you think? Did I get closer to the look of the pattern by sizing down?

Image from Zierstoff Patterns

Pattern:

SVEA Pants from Zierstoff Patterns. Size 40. Shortened by 3 inches at hem.

SVEA Pants from Zierstoff Patterns. Size 170 width & leg length, size 40 crotch length. Shortened by 2 inches at hem.

Fabric: I used a double knit with a subtle houndstooth print from my stash for both pairs of SVEA Pants.

The SVEA Pants took me 2 hours to complete (each).

Total Cost: $10.80(each)    Fabric $5       Notions: $1       Pattern $4.80*