Blue brocade flares

I cut these out last Spring but never sewed them up. 

Does that make them a UFO?

Maybe! They have sat around for ages really. How long do you need to store a cut out half finished item for it to become a UFO? After all it is still an unfinished object!

The fabric is actually bengaline so it has stretch and so these ought to be comfortable.

I added a yoke to the waistband because these are made using a yoga pants pattern and they are low waisted if made in a woven. They come out with a higher waist if using jersey.

I did similar with my grey (bengaline?) trousers I made a few months ago and they have turned out to be very comfortable and I have enjoyed wearing them.

 These will be good for Autumn on nicer days and add a small bit of glamour to my otherwise pretty boring winter wardrobe so far. And of course they are also ok for work which is a bonus.

 

The grey trousers are trimmed with the selvedge fabric from this brocade so they are quite similar though look very different to each other.

I am hoping this pair is as much as a success as the grey ones. They will update my Autumn wardrobe a bit anyway and this blue almost looks like denim so should be easy to carry off while the fact they are brocade adds a bit of luxury and style.

Thanks for visiting my blog and hope to see you again soon. Have a great week,

Bracken

Grey flares with a brocaide trim

 

Right now in Kilsby its a very dull, damp, though not rainy day. Its the middle of summer in the UK but you really would not know. Its certainly not warm!

So I am making transition clothing. I bought this fabric which was described online as stretch denim. I received it and decided the reverse which is duller and grey is better so was then going to use it for work clothing but am currently making summer clothing which I hope will be ok to transition into autumn. 

So I am using what I think is probably the reverse of the fabric. The other side is a shiny black denim. I bought "Black stretch Denim". However its trimed with a different fabric which is the same kind of weight and actually extremely similar though its a brocaide. I used the selvedge edge of the brocaide which has a machine made frayed edge so very useful for a Hippy kind of frayed trim.

The brocaide was sold to me as Bengaline. I am really not sure exactly what that is. I am especially confused by the name as well after buying a second piece of stretch fabric called Bengaline which appears to be a shiny cotton mix of stretch denim similar to the stuff I was sold as denim and have used for these trousers. 

Still it really does not matter that much. I am making a second pair of the same pattern trousers from the brocaide as well because its a lovely fabric. I decided to use the patterned fabric to trim these to stop them having that "school uniform" look. They do look a little that way without it but right now I have accumulated so much grey fabric I am targetting that in my makes. 

So far as well it seems to be giving me a very wearable wardrobe that everything can work together in a mix and match way and thats a really nice way to live because getting dressed when you are in a hurry to get to work ( or anywhere) is so much easier if you can grab this or that top and bottom and you do not end up having to empty the wardrobe to find X top because its all you can wear with X trousers. Have to say I am loving my new grey look. I just need a bit more magik I think so it slightly more Fae/ goth look and I will be happy. The brocaide though makes me feel very happy with what is otherwise a pair of ordinary trousers. Me made though. And so easy to wear!

Anyway despite the fabric is intended for work I decided I would like it as a basic but "decorated" pair of flares. Its a very stretchy fabric really but is woven not jersey. I was not really sure this would work out if I am honest, but went ahead anyway. One of those adventurous sewing moments I suppose!

 

Anyway the stretch woven fabric used with a jersey pattern worked well though the trousers did need a yoke to raise the front and back waist but I will remember that for next time and just cut them higher if I use this pattern again. I suspect I will because the fit is great and I love these and so far have worn them four times in two weeks. 

Because the patterned trim is relaively subtle I reckon I can also wear these for dress down Fridays at work. I would not wear when I have an important meeting to attend at work but they are still work worthy. Right now though I am on holiday anyway so I do not have to think of work and I have been enjoying them very much.

And these were made using the free yoga pants pattern from Naptime patterns. I have made them loads of times before. They are high on my TNT pattern list of favourite patterns as well. Until now though I have stuck with jersey to make them but they do work in woven if you add a rectangle for the yoke and then add elastic at the natural waist. Otherwise you will get very low waisted 90s style pants. Thats fine if thats what you wanted though and will work but I wanted some normal waisted pants this time hence they needed a yoke. 

Ah they are worn with my camo pixie top.

Have a great week, 

Bracken

Aubergine velvet flares.

 

These are worn with the cardigan dress I made a while back now. To be honest that dress is currently in pieces on my sewing table because I am not at all happy with it. Anyway its the same fabric so I decided to wear these together. 

 

To get these flared I added 4cm onto each side seam and then graded out from the knee line. Because the pink pair worked I am adding some paper into the original pattern so I can repeat this more easily over the next few months since I have several fabrics in my stash that would make lovely flares and my aim right now is lots of comfy leasurewear for lounging around this winter.

 

The pink pair a made last year I only added 3cm so I decided to go a bit further this time. After all I can always chop the extra cm off! They are made using the free pattern from here:
http://ifonlytheywouldnap.net/2015/03/06/free-yoga-pants-pattern/

This pair are quite a lot more flared than the pink even though I only increased the side flare by 1cm. I never nowadays do the yoga band waist. I just add a normal waistband because I prefer it. 

The camo bralet/ underwear is made from the free Noelle pattern. Its one of my favourite "underwear" tops - possibly because its camo!

Again I when I cut these trousers out I was praying this will not twist round the leg seams because I did have that problem with my dotty trousers and I have a constant worry this might happen again when I make jersey trousers. I used a different pattern for the dotty trousers though. All I can do really is try to keep the grainline straight and hope. Anyway they turned out fine and no twisty seams. 

To be honest I always have the same aim about this time of year - Party clothes at Christmas and sportswear in January etc etc - but this year instead of my usual dithering around and plan plan plan and make very little, I am bulk cutting all my stretch velvet out into basic items to be sewn up over the next few months. It sounds like a cop out to just sew up loads of TNT patterns but I like them and wear them and I am hoping it means I get to do other stuff as well since I will not be wasting time clearing up to cut out the same thing again and again. So I have a huge amount to sew all stored in individual freezer bags so hopefully I will not lose bits.

This should then free up time to trace some more interesting patterns - and the fact is my stash has grown far too large so if I can bulk cut and clear lots there is still easily enough for some nice and hopefully more interesting Burda magazine patterns - or maybe Patrones. 

I have yet to decide but when you own over 50 magazines and they are not being used then its time to sort the basic needs en mass I think. Normally I have great ideas and just not enough time so I end up making small amounts of eg joggers with an aim to trace a more interesting new pattern. 

It does happen but in the meantime the weather gets colder, so do I - get cold that is. And its not for ages that I actually get round to making things. And this velvet fabric needs to go. I have I have no idea how much of it I have stashed, but its too much no matter how lovely it is. It will be much better to just wear it all this winter.

 And just to think of the nice new warm wardrobe of clothing I can make in the odd free hour when normally I have nothing cut ready for sewing up. 

So this winter I will not waste my time thinking about what I would like to make - THINKING! I will do it. Or thats the plan.

I am still sometimes working from home and every day have a 30 minute lunch break. Even if all I do is get my machine out and pin something together thats a job done in the making of something and its less time wasted overall, and more garments made so watch this space because I am hoping this new way of working might just increase my productivity. I am thinking I can do hems on 2 or 3 pairs of joggers at once. Twin needle all at once etc. I tried this a few years ago and it was great but then I went back to the old way of just cutting out one or two things and sewing each then thinking! Thinking is such a waste of making time. 

So is reading magazines. Though that of course is necessary, especially when much of what you own in your collection is 70s or 80s or even 90s because they are not online. In fact recently it appears that the older 2000s Burdas are no longer online either so I cannot just google to check which issue I want anymore. Still its nice to browse magazines sometimes.

Have a lovely weekend

Bracken

#MMM day 21

This morning I wore my cold shoulder jumper to do allotment work and this afternoon I went to the supermarket in my black flares and my wide neck top which I am now considering adding two shoulder straps to, to make into a cold shoulder top.

Jumper here: http://brackencrafts.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/94-upcycled-pyjama-top-into-cold.html
Trousers here: http://brackencrafts.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/98-and-99-sports-top-and-flared.html
Wide neck soon to become cold shoulder top here: http://brackencrafts.blogspot.co.uk/2016/06/53-wide-neck-off-shoulder-over-top.html

Thanks for reading,

Bracken

 

Pin Stripe Trousers #MMM17 day 15

I needed new work clothes. Particularly trousers so I made a second pair of the Burda Flares I made here but in pin stripe:
http://brackencrafts.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/98-and-99-sports-top-and-flared.html
 since I like the first pair so much. I am not so sure to be honest about that front seam but they are made now and perfectly acceptable as work clothing although with hindsight I should have spent a bit longer and mated the pattern better. Still the fabric which is a very stable knit was only 99p off ebay so its not the best experiment so far but has given me an ok pair of work trousers. Next time I would change the direction of the side stipe if I was making again then it would not matter so much about matching the pattern on that front seam. It simply does not match!

Worn with them is my top made here:
http://brackencrafts.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/25-comparing-free-raglan-sleeved-t.html

Thanks for visiting,

Bracken