Jackie – Victory Patterns

Posted in Uncategorized by ninjajnin

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With sewing my own clothes, I started to get boldly about trying new styles. Styles, i would never have picked from a clothes rail. The process of making, seems to enlarge my possibilities. It`s the creative process, that makes a certain style to my own. From the vision in my mind until the finished garment made with my hands.

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When I first saw the line drawings of the Jackiedress, I didn`t now if it`s for me. Kristiann asked me if i feel like testing it. I slept over it. After imagine all the possible Jackies i could sew, i finally felt in love with a plain, simple and of course grey version. We take small steps, don`t we?

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I`m so glad I gave this style a change. I tryied it on for the first time and it felt great. So comfortable. A secret pyjama that makes you look properly dressed. A clean and simple chic without being to loud. Perfect for everyday. But i could also wear it for going out. I made it mine.

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Victory Patterns has designed an other dress i`m madly in love with. After Hannah and Trina she has set the standard high (see my version here and here). But Jackie doesn`t disappoint in any way. It`s a beautifully drafted pattern. The seamlines shapes the dress so nicely and the opening at the back is a lovely detail, that takes away some of the seriousness added by the high neckline. All is finished with a facing.

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The buttons on the back neck are glorious! I had some vintage ones in my stash, which i covered with the same fabric. Score!

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I sewed version one, with short sleeves. Size 2. The dress is drafted for a height range from 165-175 cm. I`m 168 cm tall and had to shorten the skirt about 12 cm (maybe about 3 cm too much). The hemline should end just below the knee.

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Fabric is a heavier cottonknit with some elastane. Like used for t-shirts. It drapes beautifully and is oh so comfortable. I found it locally.

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I finished all the hemlines with my new vintage industrial coverstitch. It`s such a beauty! It took me three!!! evenings until it was set up the right way and i finally had nice stitches. Small and bigger victories of a seamstress.

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More Jackies are already in planning. Thank you Kris for letting me test! I love that dress a lot!

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Pattern: Jackiedress by Victory Patterns

Fabric: Cotton/Elastane Knit purchased locally.

7Dec2016

It`s Friday

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Yesterday, the Fridaydress by petit a petit and Family finally released. It`s a timeless, modern shirt dress with lots of options.

A perfect dress pattern for any occasion. Sew a chic and sparkling one for Christmas, or just a relaxed dress for everyday wear. This pattern can cover it. You like a feminine touch or maybe more casual, you`ll be fine. Luckily you can sew a ton of different dresses from it, then once you decide to dive into shirt making, you`ll see it`s addictive!

My girl is a size 3. And the fit is spot on. During the pattern testing, I tested version D (waistband and semi-circle skirt). A bad choice. Don`t get me wrong. I love the look. Perfect for a tween who has kind of a waist. It was not so flattering on my little girl who still has a sweet baby bump. I didn`t like it. I couldn`t stand calling it a fail after so much time I spent on it. I carefully seamripped the skirt away from the bodice. Then i added panels until i had the wide of the view B skirt. I gathered and reattached everything. Now, with the gathered skirt, no waistband and the buttons all the way down, she looks super sweet. She felt like trying on the dress as soon as i cut the threads to my sewing machine and didn`t take it off again. A very good sign.

It`s also a good style for smaller children because it`s easy to get in and out. And the deep sideseam pockets are a highlight as always. I finished the whole dress with flat felled seams. Time-consuming fun, I enjoy while making a button up. The inside looks just so pretty.

I couldn`t resist using Snaps. Buttonholes aren`t my favorite part of Shirt making. I was more than happy to skip this part. It`s for a toddler, so whatever, it`s practical.

I had fun playing with the stripes. By the way, I sew a big piece of those nicely bias-matched stripes and then i place my pattern pieces on it. So much easier, than trying to match those little already cut out pieces.

I used a nice yarn dyed Japanese selvedge cotton from Miss Matatabi. It sews up like a dream. Good quality fabric is a live safer when sewing a shirt dress. As a little extra I could use the contrasting selvedge as a eye-catcher on the small pocket.

We`re happy, and I caught the bug. Friday we`ll be good friends! I hope you feel like sewing your own Friday dress. You can get your copies here.

Pattern: Friday Dress by petit a petit Patterns. –> View B without any alterations.

Fabric: yarn dyed selvedge cotton from Miss Matatabi

20Jul2015

Jaanu Blog Tour

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Today i`m part of the Jaanu Blog Tour. You`ve surely already seen the new pattern, An of Straight Grain just released. Actually, it`s a two in one pattern and a collaboration between Twee Emmerkes Water and Straight Grain.

The first version the Elena is a A line dress with 4 box pleats and the Norah which is more a party dress with 6 box pleats.

Have a look at the funny little video!

I`ll present you my version of the Norah dress which I sewed during the pattern-test.

You probably ask yourself, why I did`t iron before the photo shoot. I can tell you, I really made desperate efforts! What you see is the best result I could achieve. The fabric seems to crease really easily. Fabrics are cotton solids from Micheal Miller bought at Petit Couture. The striped one is from Petit Pan found at Petit Pan in Antwerpen.

I sewed a size 18 Months without adjusting anything. The fit is perfect. To get the striped look, I just cut the pattern apart exactly on the lines who indicate the box pleats and sewed everything back together (be sure to add seam allowance!). A bit of work but a fun result.