Linen Jily

Well, its been a minute since I last wrote a blog post! Life seems to have been very busy so far this year, and I’ve been pretty slack about taking photos of what I’ve been sewing. We took off to Hawai’i for nearly two weeks at the end of February for a belated honeymoon, which generated a fair amount of panic-sewing (swimsuits and other hot weather gear), which I’ll be working on posting over the next few weeks, and I should really get my wedding sewing up here too before I start sewing for autumn/winter… But here is a quick post about a useful little linen top I made to take to Hawai’i to get us started.

This is another Ready To Sew pattern, the Jily tank. I’m super into Ready To Sew patterns at the moment, you might have noticed! I’ve got another Jazz to post as well. I really like the number of variations each pattern has, Jily has a straight hem version as well as the tie front I’ve made, and I also think it would make a great dress pattern with a gathered skirt added to the bottom of the bodice…but that might have to wait until next summer!

I made this out of just over a metre of linen/cotton shirting from The Fabric Store, in the blush pink I’ve been so into this summer. It creases terribly, as you can see in these pictures, but it’s lovely and cool to wear! I really like the deep, curved V-neck, I don’t often wear a V neck but I’m thinking that maybe I should consider them more often. It’s also nice to have a sleeveless top with wider straps, these ones cover my bra straps nicely and the armscye isn’t too low (or high) cut.

The armholes and neckline are finished with an all-in-one facing for a nice neat finish. As there is a centre back seam, I didn’t follow the fiddly instructions given for how to attach the facing by sewing the fronts and backs separately and then sewing them together by pulling the back straps through the straps between the front bodice and front facing, I never get that right first time! Instead I left the centre back seam open on the back piece and the back facing, sewed the shoulder seams and the side seams on both the top and facing, then sewed them together around the neckline and armhole before pulling them out the right way through the open back seam. Then I just sewed up the centre back seam, it was much easier (though I’ve done a terrible job of describing it…).

The lower portion with the tie is fully lined, so I hand sewed the lining on the inside to avoid having any topstitching. The only change I made to the pattern was to deepen the keyhole between the ties by 1.5 cm so that the front could be tied higher on the top, I thought it looked a bit low on some of the ones I’ve seen online.

This has been a good little top to have this summer, it was very useful in the heat in Hawai’i! Unfortunately I’ve managed to spill something on it pretty much every time I’ve worn it…maybe I need one in a darker colour or a busier print?

Finally, I feel like I can’t end this utterly frivolous post without saying something about the horrific act of violence which occured in New Zealand on Friday. A white supremacist terrorist entered two Mosques in Christchurch and opened fire on those at prayer there, killing 50 people and injuring at least 50 more. I’m so sad, and sick, and angry that this could happen anywhere, but especially that it happened here. My lovely friend Gabrielle has written far more eloquently than I can about what happened over on her blog– it’s worth a read, and I agree with her wholeheartedly.  We have to change so that this can never happen again.

Jazz lover!

Is it too soon to proclaim this my favourite make of 2019? I suppose it might be a little premature, but I can definitely say that this is one of the most complimented things I’ve ever made, and I’ve only worn it twice so far…

This is the Jazz Jumpsuit from French pattern company Ready To Sew, and I loooove it! I’d seen a few pop up on instagram every so often (Shauni has some awesome versions!), and thought it looked like an interesting pattern, but maybe not for me. Then it got really warm just before I went back to work, and I was trying to figure out something easy and breezy and comfortable to make with this awesome rayon crepe, and Jazz popped into my head and wouldn’t leave. I had the PDF printed out and assembled tout de suite, and I was away! The PDF was great to print out, there are a bunch of options with this pattern but there are very clear instructions for which pages to print out for each view, which makes it super easy and means there isn’t much wasted paper.

Big trousers! I only had 2m of this awesome Japanese rayon crepe from The Fabric Store, and it was pretty narrow, so I had a huge headache trying to get the pattern to fit on the fabric and also match the plaid at the vital points. It’s not perfect, but I think I did a reasonable job getting the stripe at the centre front to match across the waist seam, and I got the horizontal stripes to match across the crotch curve and at the side seams, so I’m happy with it. I had only just enough fabric left over to squeeze a matching tie belt out of the scraps! I went down a size from where the size chart put me, looking at the finished garment measurements I knew there would still be enough ease in the size down! I also sewed the centre back seam and the crotch seam with a 1.5cm rather than 1cm, just to bring it in a little bit, and I’m really happy with the way it fits.

There are a couple of things I’ll change when I make this again (I’m already planning a dress version and a silk jumpsuit), the main one being the zip up the back. I can get it done up all the way and undone again on my own (thank god, I refuse to take an assistant to the bathroom with me), but only because I have long arms and flexible shoulders. My friend tried this one on, and couldn’t get it done up on her own! Next time I’m going to put in a shorter zip, maybe a 30cm one, and then leave a keyhole opening with a button and loop at the top, like the one on the Meridian dress. That should make it easier to get out of, and keep the contortion-ism to a minimum! I’ll also make two belt pieces, and secure them into each side seam, so that I don’t have to deal with it being a separate piece (also irritating in the bathroom). I like it unbelted, but I think I’m pretty unlikely to wear it that way out in public!

This fabric is so lovely, I wish I had bought more while they had it in stock! I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with rayon crepe, sometimes I find it really rough and weird feeling, and it grows as you sew it…but this is one of the good ones, it’s soft and has a lovely heavy drape, but its still airy and easy to wear. It was really nice to sew and press as well, I think the texture of the crepe sticks to itself and stops it shifting around.

This pattern is so great! I love the pockets, and the V neck, and the dropped shoulder. Its so comfortable, but I also feel really put together and stylish when I wear it. Its like the holy grail of summer clothing! I’m really looking forward to trying some more Ready To Sew patterns, I think the Jily Tank top will be my next one. It’s on my #2019make9 list!

This is me bribing Scotty to be in my photo with a treat…he’s a bit camera shy!