Colette Phoebe and McCalls 6649

I'm sure there will be lots of Colette Phoebes hitting the blogasphere soon, as Colette is currently running a sewalong.  Unfortunately I had already nearly finished mine before I knew the sewalong was coming.

I picked this pattern because I rather liked the Colette version

.... and I think mine looks pretty similar.  Hopefully it doesn't look too much like a school uniform.  As you can see I chose to only have 8 buttons rather than 10.    Because I really don't like high necks which feel a little restrictive I dropped the neckline by 3/8" front and back, which gives a little extra room.  I also raised the waist by 5/8" (I usually raise by 1" as I have a high waist).

I particularly like the fit in the back.

The fabric is a most gorgeous  teal coloured stretch velveteen with 5% spandex.  It's £14.90 per metre and I managed to squeeze it out of 1.5 metres.  The stretch meant that although it is quite fitted, it's still very comfortable.  I bought the fabric because of the colour and the stretch, however, I hadn't really thought that it might actually be quite similar to velvet to sew!  This meant that you have to cut everything in the same direction, you have to be very careful with pins, and pin in the seam allowances and if you unpick it is going to show.  I also realised you can only iron on the wrong side and I also did this on top of a towel to try and prevent the nap getting squashed on the right side.

I cut a size 10, but actually the front piece doesn't quite line up with the princess seam, so I could have done with a little more room in the bust.  I graded to a size 8 at the waist and skirt, but then tooke another 1/5" extra off all the seams to make the fit a bit snugger.

Looking at the pattern I think I expected this to be a really easy sew but it was a bit more challenging than I expected.  You are dealing with a lot of layers at the front waist (5 where there is the overlap) and with this quite thick material lining up took patience and I don't really like the finish at the inside waist.  I'm also not used to sleeveless lined bodices where you have to be careful to get the lining absolutely right.  In retrospect I wish I had lined the whole dress, because at the hem the velvet tends to stick to your tights.

 

I chose to do an invisible zip which looks great on the right side but I just couldn't work out how to make a really nice job on the inside, but it's OK.  In summary though I like this dress and I will wear it to work.  The pattern instructions are clear and easy to follow.  (The lining is teal not green but the lack of light has changed the colour).

 

I'm wearing my phoebe with a McCalls 6649 in Atelier Brunette Hirondelle, which is lovely fabric to sew and wear.  I really like this pattern and this is my third version.

 

I think Colette patterns are probably my most used indie patterns, and I am on a bit of a Colette roll ...coming up the Wren!  Have you sewn any Colette patterns?

McCalls 6649 and Grainline Alder mash-up

The fact that I can write this title feels like some real progression in my sewing achievement, because it represents being able to imagine a garment and then alter patterns to achieve it, and this is pretty much what I imagined.

I wanted a soft-floaty blouse made of swiss dot fabric.

I used McCall's M6649 as the basic pattern.  This is a great pattern for me (if you ignore the dated envelope illustrations) because it has different cup sizes and means that a fba isn't needed.  I cut a size 14 C cup.  I took my usual 1" from the length to raise the waist line and 6/8" from the width at the shoulders.

I cut the side and back panels (shortened to the right length) from the alder dress pattern and use the blouse cut-outs on the blouse fronts and back.

I'm really pleased with how it has turned out, and the fit is pretty much what I wanted.  I did realise about half-way through that I had gone to a lot of trouble to create a look which is rather like the Bruyere!  I think the flat front panel, and the extra gathers work well though.

I'm particularly proud of the finish on the inside.  Because the fabric is somewhat transparent I French seemed everywhere and this generally went really well, even the sleeves.

The only mistake I made was in the French seaming of the inset panels at the corner.  Somehow I think I didn't do the snip at the corner correctly and, as you can see below, there is a pull, which is annoying but I can live with it.

Pretty good continuation of the dot through the yoke! (Sorry do I sound like I'm bragging, but hey I am pretty proud of this one!).  I think I should have used silk organza rather than iron-on interfacing which has made the yokes rather too "white", something for another time.

This is actually my second 6649 (forgot to blog the first one).  My first was made in Liberty fabric as a bit of an experiment.  Before you start thinking I can afford to use liberty to experiment, this was £5 a metre from Standfast and Barracks.  I'm not sure about the result, I love the fabric but it is probably a bit busy for a garment for me (and hence not worn yet).

 

I had imagined the swiss-dot blouse worn with the Stonecutter jumper, the contrast between a delicate blouse and rustic sweater.
 

I haven't knitted the sweater yet, though I've bought the pattern (think it might take some time to knit!)



I have knitted a cardigan though!  This is the Kelly cardigan, knitted from Erika Knight's Classc Knits.  I first came across this cardigan when I was admiring Anne's cardigan worn in the first series of the Great British Sewing Bee.  Anne used up different ends of wool to create her stripes.  I wanted a lazy way to get stripes and I already had this wool in my stash.  It's Drops Kid-Silk (a mohair and silk mixture).  I've already waxed lyrical about Drops wool, it is fantastic value.  It's on offer at £3 a ball at the moment and I used 7 balls for this (though it might have squeezed out of £6 without the use of two colours).  I used colour 24 petrol for the bands and 25 sea-green for the body.  You knit the whole thing with two strands of wool, which makes it really cosy, though trying to maintain clean stripes requires some thought.

This is a great basic cardigan pattern and a good beginner's knit.  Looking at the photos I do need to work on the fit of my knits.  I should have reduced the length a bit and narrowed the shoulders!

 

.... and there's more.  I also finished a little cowl (bit out of season, but it is still cold!)  This is the Eleanor Cowl.  This is a really enjoyable little knit.  Interesting lace pattern, but not too difficult and a quick little knit.  The wool is scrummy, Madelinetosh Tosh merino dk.  This is not cheap!! But you only need one skein!

Otherwise I'm enjoying a few days off this half-term and having a good sew (of course!).  The weather is pretty grotty, though I had one lovely walk with Dan and all the dogs!  Monty is growing.

Rosie and Tess are pretty scruffy at the moment and don't be fooled by this "we are really good dogs" trick, they are expecting a treat!  Hope you enjoyed the long weekend.