Genius ideas: Jalie's Melanie kimono (part one of swimwear sewing)

There are a two patterns to talk about this morning but because these two are best described in pictures, rather than words, I have decided to do this as two posts. If you try to put too many pictures up in one post Blogger will implode on me and who needs that?

The first pattern is the Melanie kimono.

Here's the line art:

Now I have made a number of kimonos in my time, and have even taught classes on making them Japanese style, but I have to say I like this pattern better than those I do working with rectangles.

The reason is that in this pattern the basic classic shape is intact but the shaping (see the slope of the sleeves above as opposed to the traditional boxy versions) and proportions, particularly of the band, just make for a better fitting garment.

I am completely in love with this pattern.

I had originally made it as a swim suit cover-up ( see following post) and took it to Portland to Quilt Mart as a sample.

Managing as I always do to pack both an overweight bag and a bad with nothing to wear in it all in the same piece of luggage, I  ended up throwing this cover-up kimono on over a black Lisette skirt and a black sleeveless top (Jalie 2682 my old favourite) for one day of the show, and felt completely chic in it - a feeling I don't often feel.

Now there aren't many garments you can wear both over a wet bathing suit and striding around at work and feel completely appropriate in both venues. 

When you find something like this it is worth paying attention.

So before I show you some pictures I have to put what you see in context.

I had intended to shoot these bathing suit and cover-up pictures outside beside some pool. However there has been an inexplicable cold snap in Nova Scotia, as in the ruining the grape vines and strawberry crop variety, and it is just too cold to do that. In fact two days ago I actually saw some poor woman in a down coat and mitts walking her dog,

Mitts in June.

This is nuts in a place where eight weeks from now folks will be saying things like "I can smell Fall in the air" as if that is a cheery as opposed to tragic thing (see previous posts over the winter on living in an RV down south as a further reflection).

So to get in the summer mood that wasn't I put on sun glasses and a sun hat and stood in the hall way in my house with the dog and tried to look tropical.

I interpreted this a meaning I should put on bright lipstick.

Of course what I really look like is a grandmother in a kimono in a hallway who should really be doing her dishes.

Oh well.

I trust your imagination.

If you weren't the kind of people who can see the picture in their mind's eye better than the reality you wouldn't be sewers would you?

Now here's to the shots:

You don't need me to tell you this but this is the back

This is not the back, you know that too, but it indicates the role this kimono plays as a cover-up

You can figure out that there are pockets too

All these pictures look the same but I had trouble deciding which one to use and of course I like this garment so much I liked looking at it a lot so that meant a series of near identical shot.

Next: what's underneath the kimono. Brace yourself. I had to. 

Genius ideas: Jalie Clara's leggings and my lovely niece

Before we get started on the wonderful Clara leggings I have a back story here.

Just before I got this pattern printed off (and for the reader who wanted to know how to get the patterns quickly in Oz, I suggest you order the .pdf and have the A0 copy shop version printed. Near instant access and no taping of single sheets) I had just finished making three pairs of a very well-reviewed other company legging pattern.

As it was this first other company pattern was not a bad but it was pretty standard, two tubes with inseams and outer seams, joined at the crotch with a little diamond shaped gusset and a fold over yoga band. As a simple garment they worked fine but when I opened up the Clara pattern I was sorry I had already cut into so much of my legging fabric. The Claras were just so much more sophisticated and so much better designed for a good fit.

We will start with the line drawing and then talk about what makes this pattern different:

Notice anything?

No center crotch seams, right?

I have to tell you this is one nifty bit of drafting. The legging front is cut on the fold with a tiny little seam cut away just under the crotch where a triangular gusset is attached that is later captured in the inseam. Pretty artful and definitely more body friendly, and flattering, and as result both looks and feels smoother, that the pattern I had used previously.

Extremely interesting to make a pattern that just wraps around the body like this with such minimal seaming.

The other thing to notice is the nice, waist-high shaped yoke/waistband on the full legging and capri length. I was surprised how deep this piece is but it does provide some interesting fitting possibilities for those of us with a bit of a belly or wider waist. You could definitely fade in a larger yoke size to give you room where you need it above a slimmer hip/leg measurement, or vice versa I guess if you are more a pear shape. 

I am thinking too that I need to hack these into a maternity pair too by widening the waistband and adding length at the front - stayed tuned for that little experiment - because the placement of the yoke seam would be a perfect starting place for this adjustment.

In the meantime I made this pair for my niece. 

They were a hit.

I pretty much showed to finished leggings to her and they went immediately out the door for a run. When she came back in my niece told me that they were the nicest and most comfortable leggings she had ever worn- so off they went, pre photo shoot, for the weekend.

However I was able to text her and ask for some pictures sent back to me for this blog post.  Her boyfriend and a smart phone obliged from Cape Breton, so here the leggings are in full weekend mode:

No side seams, no crotch seams. Jalie has other pieced leggings, like the Cora, but for everyday wear and fast sewing, these simple leggings are so wearable, in this case like pants, which is how girls like my niece would wear them on casual days.

I can't believe how much my niece looks like her mother, my next youngest sister, particularly from the back like this, and below.

Once again another demonstration that if you are related to me it is only a matter of time before your privates in underwear, or your backside, are made public on the internet. Note too how the absence of side seams make these just so sleek.

I know these are navy but try and have a good look at how smooth the front on these leggings are and how full the waistband/yoke is. Such a clever draft.

Now the next ones will be for me.

Genius ideas: Jalie's Frederic hoodie and my husband with his clothes on

I have made my husband a few hooded or polar fleece jackets in the past, I will mention no pattern names, and I haven't been too happy with them.

To be perfectly honest those attempts looked home-made. No other way to put it. Despite the fact they were actually made at home, this is never the look I am going for. The shapes of those jackets were boxy and the details minimal, they just didn't have style, which when you are making a hoodie is already a major challenge going in.

When something you have made is put on only when the oil has to be changed in the car... well you know what I mean.

So when I saw a preview of the new 2018 spring Jalie line-up I was pretty interested to see a new men and boys pattern for a hooded jacket.

When I got a look at the construction tricks and nifty details (see first post in this series) in this pattern, well folks I knew we had a winner.

So let's start again with looking at the line art:

Now these pictures, although very nice, don't really make evident the really cool features of this pattern. So I am going to share that with you now:

1. The hood is lined with a lighter weight knit. In addition to providing some opportunity for playing around with other fabrics, this means that when the hood is not on the wearer's head it still looks nice and classy open around the neck.

2. Additionally the seam that connects the hood to the body of the jacket is covered with a knit binding. Again this is a finishing touch that shows and is another chance to play around with fabric.

Here's a shot of the inside of the hood:

3. Speaking of which there are a lot of seams for different fabric/colour blocking, on either sides of the pockets, top and bottom of the jacket pieces, and of course the hood lining and binding. I actually used four different kinds of grey and black knit I had lying around in my version.

4. Last but best, the pockets. These are slant pockets (so neat inside and outside and so comfortable for the hands) with a concealed zipper opening. Now I know you are going to think pocket like this sound like a lot of trouble but these pockets are a snap to make - due to some particularly genius Jalie drafting that I can't even begin to describe in my own words. If I would try I would say you sew on on side of the zipper to a front, fold it over so it makes a sort of welt imitation thing and top stitch the remaining zipper tape down. And then you stand back and think to yourself I can't believe how easy that was and how totally slick it looks. Every jacket pattern should have this pocket. I have never seen anything like it before.

Here are shots of the pockets from the outside and showing the concealed zipper:

5. The fit is completely ready-to-wear if RTW in fact fitted better. This is no no-style, sloppy hoodie.

I used sweatshirt fleece in grey and black and assorted remnants of grey to make this. I am pretty pleased with myself for how it turned out.

Now the pictures.

Recently traumatized by wearing turquoise underwear for a photo shoot my husband decided to take his own pictures for this review.

Knowing him well (I do make his underwear after all) I knew right away that this was his maneuver to turn the photo shoot into his favourite thing which is to fool around with a gadget, in this case a remote control shutter he could hold himself.

Since his most recent gadget enthusiasm resulted in the drone being crashed lens side down on a large rock I decided that having him selfie the shots was a good idea. I was also aware after the underwear shoot I sort of owed him a bit more control of our process.

So here is the first shot, showing the jacket pretty well I think:

We thought this picture turned out quite well and gives you some sense of the pockets.

Next my husband thought you would really want to see him standing beside his motorcycle (out of the garage for its first of many seasonal trips down to the grocery store, which is where they most of the time go).

Unfortunately my husband got a lot of the motor cycle in this shot but missed out on his head. Such is the life of remote control technology.

Just ask the drone.

Genius ideas: Jalie's Gerald underwear for the male species and a couple of local geniuses

What goes around comes around and lately I am returning to more sewing for family.

I made all my children's clothes when they were little, but as they got to be teenagers, and I got more involved in my work, I sewed less for them and more just for myself.

This is changing. I am using my sewing again to communicate my family connections.

And in this family there are more than a few males.

Sewing for men is always interesting. 

Despite the fact that boys and men will wear a favourite garment past the stage of utility they can still be pretty fussy about what you sew for them. And also, until recently, there just haven't been many decent men's patterns around. Anyone who has made a Big 4 elephant sized pair of shorts or pyjama pants for a husband or son knows exactly what I mean.

So even knowing this a few years ago when weeding out some of my husband's most loved underpants from the laundry basket (as in weeding them right into the garbage)  I invested in a few underwear patterns. I think I had the very ambitious idea that I would sort of do a DIY upgrade of his underwear drawer, and that my spouse would be both impressed and very grateful.

Of course he didn't have a chance to be either. Once I looked through the instructions and realized how much binding, elastic, and little tiny pieces were involved, I ditched the idea. I think I went on to make myself a winter coat or something else less demanding.

So with all that in my history, Jalie's new release men and boys underwear pattern, short, longer and long johns really intrigued me.

What attracted me to this pattern was:

1. The waist was finished with encased elastic, no extra trip to the fabric store, and the hems were just hemmed.

2. The pieces were simple but very crafty, I knew all this pattern drafting thinking would give me a good fit.

3. The size range, as is typical for Jalie, went from very little and young to very large - I love the economy of this.

So let's start with the line drawing:

I decided to make my pairs without the trap door at the front, as both my subjects (age 3 and 65 ) confessed to never using those. Poppa Leo opted for the longer mid thigh length and Billy went for the shorter version.

Here are some detail shots giving you a sense of just how easy these were to make:

Back view, note there are no back or side seams which really makes them super comfortable according to the clients.

The front views and I could not resist super imposing the two pairs because I just thought this was so cute. Both are made of 100% cotton jersey. Note the interesting inseam gusset.

And finally the shot you have all been waiting for, the actual underwear on the actual guys who will wear them.

I have to tell you that during this photo shoot my son-in-law (Billy's dad) announced this was probably the strangest thing of many strange things that had happened at his house.

My husband, who generally is a pretty good sport, particularly when he senses that being a good sport is the quickest way to get me to stop talking about something, wondered if we couldn't do this picture taking in private. However when I pointed out I was going to post these pictures on the internet, and modesty was a dead cause anyway, he just gave up.

This is a really great pattern but sewers have to see it on to assess fit and make their own judgements.

I personally think they both look pretty cute:

Add caption

Genius ideas: Jalie's new Lisette skirt and Mimosa Tee shirt

Yes I have been sewing my brains out and have a lot to show you this week. 

Today I would like to talk about the Lisette skirt and Mimosa T-shirts from Jalie. 

Let's discuss.

First the Lisette skirt:

This is a pattern for a variety of pull-on knit skirts. The versions with the angled seams are interesting and would probably be quite flattering particularly on boxy bottoms like mine as they would provide some illusion of hourglassness that is not really there. However for my first time out I decided to make the plainer version with the interesting waistline/yoke because it was the higher waisted option.I was interested in the dropped waistline at the front.

I thought this detail would be particularly comfortable (less cutting in when you sit down) and I was right.

I need to mention, and you need to know, that this is a negative ease skirt, fine in a knit, I used a nice ponte, and it will fit right close on your body. This is fine for many of us, but if the idea of something that fitted scares you off you might want to measure the pattern and go up a few sizes for a profile you might be more comfortable in.

I have to say that I do this a lot with my Jalie patterns - I trace off sometimes 2-3 sizes and use them for different fabrics or looks accordingly. 

For instance I use a size smaller than I measure in the Jalie pull-on pants when I want to use a knit, my exact size for a stretch woven, and a size larger for real woven like a linen. Having such a fine graduation in sizes in among the 26 allows me to do this.

For this version of the Lisette I actually made it to size, that meant negative ease and I feel somewhat like I am wearing Spanx in it (I am a woman of a certain age  with a body that got me this far) which is why I made the Mimosa T-shirt to go with the skirt since the Mimosa ends well after the stomach evidence.

The waistband on the Lisette is very much like a yoga waistband, a wide shaped knit band with narrow elastic encased along the top - comfort without much slippage.

Here is a shot of the front of the waistline with the interesting slope:

I was so taken with this waistband that I detoured in my pattern testing and made a maternity version for my daughter-in-law. She wanted a longer skirt so I actually added a centre back seam and a walking slit and for her I added the elastic insert in the back but left it out of the front to make it less constricting on her belly.

She tells me it is very comfortable and just got back from wearing it around a trip to Sweden:

 See how versatile this pattern is?

Now back to the original, my own, teamed up with the Mimosa.

 I see a few horizontal lines in these shots, this skirt actually came right out of my own suitcase. Although my own trip was to Winnipeg not Sweden ...

Now on to the Mimosa Tee, here are the line drawings:

These tees are a real departure from Jalie's line of fairly fitted T- shirts and sort of something I had been looking for to fill a gap in my own closet. I like to float over my belly but am getting tired of all the triangle shaped top patterns I have and this seems to be a bit of a solution. There are several interesting variations (I am happy to see a looser body but with not sloppy sleeves) but of course I made the one with the ties on the sleeves because how could I not?

The particular fabric I was working with was a very buttery rayon knit with terrific drape ( I think the softness of the fabric shows in the bottom of the neckline and if I was thinking I might have added some fusible knit interfacing to the band to counteract this, but I am not at all bothered I didn't do this actually) and I made it in my bust size, a 38, but will probably trace another one with in my high bust size, 35, for some slightly heavier but still drapey knit I have next time. It will be interesting to see how that works, slightly closer to the body particularly around my shoulders.

More and more I am using these Jalie patterns to customize my own looks. I can see this one extended into a dress and even into a night gown. I have some linen knit that I think I will make the long sleeved version in as sort of a pullover (might go up a size so I can wear it over a shirt) and I am definitely going to finally make myself a decent white T shirt with this pattern to wear with jeans.

You never know.     

On genius sewing and the upcoming week of Jalies

You should know that whenever this blog goes dark it is because I have disappeared, head down, into a bunch of sewing. 

When I come to the surface I blog about it.

Sometimes of course, I sew more than keep up with my blogging. Case in point the three pair of maternity leggings that went into the mail to my DIL hot off the machine (three different waistband alternatives - one over, two under) should write about that, no pictures.

Oh well. 

No claim has ever been made that I run a crack operation around here.

But I have been thinking.

Here's what's been going on between the ears this week, and what is going to be posted over the next six days on that subject.

I am interested in the idea of genius ideas.

This is sort of a buzz phrase right now and often is used to refer to things any grown-up should know anyway. Like Dawn dish detergent removes stains or that a can of beer buried in the garden will drown the slugs (although one year some person drank those dug up beers -around the time the boys were teenagers although I can't believe anyone I raised would stoop, literally, so low).

BTW did you ever notice that 110% of all household hints involve either Dawn dish detergent or vinegar?

Bet you are waiting for me to get back on track.

No the real genius ideas I like are the ones that some clever brain has thought up that makes such sense to me but I would never, ever figured out myself.

Like the time I watched Miss Heidi, famous 6 year old chef, cut all the bread in half before she made egg sandwiches (her specialty). When I asked her why she was doing this she had a pretty simple answer:

"Babsie if you cut the sandwiches in half after you make them the filling squishes out. If you cut the bread in half first that doesn't happen."

See what I mean?

Genius.

Which brings us back immediately to sewing.

I have been thinking a lot lately about what kind of a sewer I am. I know production sewers (substitute sewist in your head if you want) who shame me every Christmas. I know fitting sewers who drape and muslin every garment and have a fine time doing it. I know fabric sewers who make architectural shapes that are almost palettes for great fibres.

But me, it's the process.

Sewing is of course two realities. 

One is the garment you have to wear when it's done. I actually know a few people who say they don't really like to sew but they do like well made clothing. I am still trying to get my head around feeling that.

The other reality is the process. 

This is what I love. The process of sewing.

I am just fascinated by how garments are put together and twice as fascinated when they are assembled in a particularly clever way. 

I am of course equally indignant with instructions that tell you to do things the hardest-most-likely-to-fail way, which is actually why I wrote my book - to tell new and returning sewists (see I remembered) that there is an easier way and don't believe everything you read in the instructions (Big 4 I am looking at you). I get bored easily (one of my sisters has recently told me I must have adult ADHD but I didn't stick around long enough to find out why) and love an instruction that fascinates.

This orientation towards genius ideas is essentially one of the main reasons I love sewing with Jalie patterns.

In addition to the practical, I will really wear that in my real life styles, and the fact I can buy one pattern and sew for four generations from it virtues of Jalie patterns, I just love the instructions.

Every time I sew a new Jalie I feel I get a sewing lesson. With every new pattern I experience a clever mind at work at work and I just enjoy that so much.

This new line-ups of Jalies is a real case in point. 

I was lucky enough to be one of the pre-release sewers. I chose to work on patterns that I knew we would wear right away and also had that hint of intriguing construction. Of course now I see what my cohorts have made from the other patterns I suspect I will be working my way through the whole line-up this season.

But right now I want to share my versions of the new patterns with you, with my own comments on why sewing them was such a neat experience.

I have (because the same sister has given me organizational tips) even come up with a calendar for the week.

Here it is:

Monday: Lisette knit straight skirt and Mimosa Tee, including a maternity hack for the skirt.

Tuesday: Gerald male underwear - yes with real family models. Brace yourselves.

Wednesday: Frederic hoodie, looks like a $100 jacket says my husband who actually regards all garments over $20 over-priced.

Thursday: Clara leggings, very strong in the genius idea category, modelled by my gorgeous niece.

Friday: Melanie kimono and Clara bathing suit and maybe even two more bathing suits for the little girls if they bug me enough this week.

Saturday: Elaine scrub top for my gorgeous but also very hardworking nursing student niece. In vivid colours because she is currently working with dementia patients and the bright colours are welcome.

It's going to be quite a week.

Flypaper thoughts why am I still up edition

• Flew in a few days ago
• Busy week
• Sewing my brains out
• Pre-shrinking fabric
• Thinking of the Quilt show I went to
• My apologies to the person whose book
• I am pretty sure I signed Happy Birthday
• Written more birthday cards than signed books in my time
• While I was gone
• My husband decided to air dry all clothes from now on
• Except it was raining
• I came home to socks on my dining room chairs and pants hanging on the knobs
• Funny thing I was thinking I was due for some redecorating
• Inspired by my 90 year old mother's redoing of her bedroom
• The draped laundry look was not what I was planning
• Took Daisy to the vet/physio today
• Who thinks her sore back is because a weak core
• Too many babies and her stomach hangs loose
• We have to work on her plank
• My dog has to do downward dog
• I looked down at my own stomach and decided we share the same belly
• So tonight I did Daisy's workout
• It's actually pretty tough
• And not just the modifying for two legs instead of four
• Plus I don't need a liver treat to lean forward
• I'm serious I am going on her program
• For the price I might as well
• Got interviewed on the radio about sewing today
• The host thought the subject was a bit frivolous
• This from a man who had just finished a segment on a black bear walking around Truro
• In about a week I am going to do about five days on the blog on the new Jalie releases
• I have been working on these in secret
• Except I just told you
• My sister is doing the 12 step Korean beauty routine
• Twice a day
• That's 24 steps a day
• That's 756 steps a month
• Need a fitbit for that
• And I thought a four step button hole was slow
• Going to make maternity leggings for my DIL tomorrow
• Am considering trying them on myself
• Wondering about the fit and if they would be comfortable
• After all I have only been on the Daisy workout program for one day
• Can't expect miracles yet
• But after 756 steps who knows
• I will be mad if it works
• Me the smart aleck with the Nivea
• Doing lateral leg raises with a dog