June Review

I have sewn quite a lot in the last weeks, but I either had too little time or too little motivation to write about it here. Since I had to write my master thesis and also some term papers, I just had to write and work a lot, which made the blog here a bit too much. But I still want to give at least a short overview over my projects.

To do so I had the idea of a new-to-me format for a blog post - a monthly review. Starting with June I will try to sumup all the pieces I've sewn during one month in a post. I will still write separate posts about bigger projects or projects I would like to set a focus on but as I also sew patterns several times I don't think every piece needs it's own blog post.

So, let's start with my June Review:

Ginger Jeans No. 2 - Closet Case Patterns

Okay - the first piece has already been finished on the 28th of May but I think I can still include my second pair of #GingerJeans in this review.

One of my resolutions from #MeMadeMay 2020 has been that I definetly need more handmade Jeans and as I'm still in love with my first pair of #GingerJeans it was quite clear to me that I'll sew another one.

This time I used a blue stretch jeans fabric and some remnant cotton fabric for the pockets. I also took the time to stitch some little heart details on the back pockets. It was an even faster process than with my first pair of jeans, but no less fun.

I used the adjusted pattern from my first pair but I either gained weight since January or the fabric was less stretchy. Either way the jeans were quite tight and I had to lay down when I first tried them on... Fortunately, the fabric stretched during the wearing and I'm able to put them on normal now. Nevertheless, this was a reminder to always check your own measurements before every project, even if you've sewn the same pattern before!

Selfdrafted Top

You can also already see the second project of June in the picture above - a simple black top.

It's the first jersey top I've ever sewn for myself and I can't belive I was lacking a black top for years!

When I decided to sew myself this top I also decided to not buy a pattern for this but to try and take a beloved top from my wardrobe and copy that. It was quite easy as I only had to copy a front and a back piece but I still kind of lost some in the width.

So, next time I will add some centimeters in the center front and also try bias binding around the armholes and the neckline. But in total I'm happy I have this selfmade wardrobe staple now!

Culotte Bloom - Schnittduett & Colourblocked Shirt Amsterdam - Schnittliebe

Next up are two projects I photographed together:

The #ShirtAmsterdam is the only shirt pattern I've sewn so far but it's versatile and meets my expectations. Therefore, I sewed another version of this pattern by Annika from Schnittliebe. This time I used different colours for the front and the back as I wanted to use the remnant fabric from my #JumpsuitSevilla but hadn't had enough for the whole shirt.

But the colourblocking turned out even better than expected!

The pants are the #CulotteBloom from Schnittduett. The pattern is for wide legged pants with gathering in the front, an elastic waist and side pockets. It includes three different lenghts and is a really quick sew if you don't pull the thread you're gathering with and then gather the wrong side...

I used a black viscose linen mix for these pants and they are the perfect summer pants - breezy, light and comfortable! And I already have some more fabric to make another pair.

Blouse No. 1 - Alison Smith

It has been another one of my resolutions during #MeMadeMay2020 that I just love a good button down blouse and definetly need more of them in my wardrobe.

This next blouse has also been made with a pattern I've already sewn two times before. It's the blouse no. 1 out of Alison Smith's book "Dressmaking - The Complete Step by Step Guide". I've made the second version of this blouse as I really like those balloon sleeves.

The pattern by Alison Smith fits me quite well and I already adjusted it to have a button placket for the striped bow blouse version I made. So it was no question that I would use that pattern again for some more blouses.

This time I used a really soft rayon viscose fabric from Atelier Brunette. The fabric was part of a present I got from my parents for my birthday and it's just so so beautiful!

The name of the fabric is Shade Cactus Fabric and it's part of the "Un été au Rajasthan"-collection by Atelier Brunette. I also got the matching Joy buttons from my parents. And I'm still super happy about this present!

Contrary to my previous versions of the pattern I didn't wanted to have a bow on this blouse. Therefore, I just shortened the bow-piece to get a collar which is just as wide as the neckline. Then I interfaced this piece with the interfacing G700 from Vlieseline to make it more stable.

The blouse turned out really perfect and beautiful on the outside as well as on the inside - I took the time to sew every seam with a french seam. This means that I sewed every seam first left side of the fabric on left side of the fabric, cut back the seam allowance and then sewed every seam again with the right side of the fabric on the right side of the fabric.

I'm really proud of this blouse and I'm definetly looking forward to wear it to work and in my free time.

Shirt Aya - FashionTamTam

Last but not least I have two more shirts to show you and this time I used a pattern which was new to me - the shirt Aya out of the german book "Alles Jersey -Basics nähen: Oberteile, Hosen & Röcke" by Lisa from FashionTamTam.

Aya is a straight cut shirt with folded sleeves and a v-neck. This blue version is sewed after the pattern in a size 44. It turned out quite big and the sleeves are longer than my normal shirt sleeves.

Due to the loose fit and the fabric I used - tencel stretch jersey - it's really comfortable on the one hand but also looks quickly like a pyjama on the other hand. But combined with some skinny #GingerJeans or tucked into pants it still looks good and the comfort is real.

I also sewed a black version of Aya made of pure jersey fabric. This time I changed the neckline to a round neck as I tend to like that more (and it's easier to sew I think).

The pyjama-problem is the same with this version and also the fabric is heavier than the blue tencel jersey. Therefore, this shirt is not as comfortable and it's kind of too hot for a summer shirt (even tho the German summer isn't even that hot at the moment).

Nevertheless, I think I can include these two shirts into my everyday wardrobe and they are basics which where quickly sewn and create a different look than my other shirts.

Bonus: Patchworked baby blanket

Okay, I'm still not finished for today as I quickly wanted to share a different kind of project I finished in June. I made my first patchwork blanket as a present for a pregnat friend. It should be a baby blanket on which her children can lie and crawl. I chose six different coloured fabrics which harmonise with each other.

The squares from the cotton fabric have a sewn size of about 20x20 cm. Thus a blanket with the dimensions of 120x120 cm was created. The back is made of terry cloth and I sewed a volume fleece into the blanket, so it's nice and soft. It is also washable at 30°C due to the choice of fabric.

The blanket already arrived in his new home and is now waiting for the babys to come into it, too!