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 

#MMMay16, raglan sleeved top with coral sleeves

Today I am wearing my top made from a free pattern which you can read about here: 25: Comparing the free raglan sleeved T shirt patterns available on the internet

Unfortunately, I am wearing RTW trousers with it but they do go surprisingly well and I happen to particularly like this pair of trousers which date back to 1997. 

Thanks for reading,

 Bracken

#MMMay16, Day 18, blue/black raglan sleeved top

 Today, I am wearing my blue and black raglan T shirt made from this pattern:
http://www.itsalwaysautumn.com/2016/02/15/long-sleeve-raglan-sweatshirt-free-pattern.html

It was the first pattern I tried and is a free Tshirt pattern in a large. I would recommed thsi p[attern over all the other free ones I have tried if you wnat a raglan sleeved pattern. It only comes in one size though but the site does give directions on how to make your own pattern from a T shirt that fits you.

Thanks for visiting my blog

Bracken

#MMMay16, Day 17, Upcyled skirt and me-made top

My top I made when comparing free T shirt patterns:  25: Comparing the free raglan sleeved T shirt patterns available on the internet
The skirt I made from a pyjama top my Dad threw out. Its a check cotton. The centre back zip is also upcycled from another garment so a free skirt really. I do not wear it much because its very thin summery fabric, but its so sunny and warm today.  I had problems not squinting into the camera. Most of the photos show me with my eyes closed because its so bright.

Thanks for visiting my blog

Bracken

36: Raglan sleeved black and blue top

Well due to my need to find new clothing for each day in May and already finding myself repeating items I am wearing, I decided to make a new top. I know the rules are not to panic and start making stuff just for this challenge but I just had to! Anyway its towards my 100 garments after all and I obviously need more tops.

This is a very fast pattern to make and I have made it twice before here: 25: Comparing the free raglan sleeved T shirt patterns available on the internet

I got the pattern from here: http://www.itsalwaysautumn.com/2016/02/15/long-sleeve-raglan-sweatshirt-free-pattern.html

I really do like this pattern because it just goes together so easily. Everything works. the seams line up, the neckline is about right although I may attempt a slightly tighter neck at some point.  And even better IT IS FREE! At some point I really must say thank you to the lady who desgined it because this pattern is starting to seriously boost my wardrobe.

This version has a black narrow ribbed lycra synthetic fabric for the body and a black wide ribbed lycra fabric for the neck-band. The sleeves are in a lycra crepe fabric which was sold me as mint green but seems more pale blue to me. It is all serged together with twin needle hems.

Its kind of sportswear inspired to wear with my leggings as well as my jeans and being pale blue and black seems kind of spring-like or summer-ish. Though having said that it is quite cold today with drizzly rain.

Thanks for visiting my blog and come back soon,

Bracken

04/05/16 Me-made May 2016 Day 4

Today I must spend most of my day in Toe-Tector Boots so wearing boots with steel toe-caps. Most of my Me-mad clothing seems to be skirts or dresses which just will not cut it in an engineering laboratory. Well I have found my first real hole in my me-made stuff anyway. Jeans!! And practical every day clothing.

Also a major problem today is finding someone I trust to take my photos since I do not feel comfortable asking people I work with and my other half is in work very early and back late today so I am sorry but its Selfie time! Also please ignore the half decorated bedroom!

To get round this problem with only making skirts and "going out" clothing and also try and stay true to my challenge I am wearing some up-cycled jeans. They are probably a bit loud for the lab but still I have changed them from the shop bought RTW. Originally from Primark in around 2005 when they first opened in Coventry, these jeans cost about £8.00 GBP and were pale grey with slightly darker grey leopard spots. I overdyed them bright pink using Dylon washing machine dye and they came out a rather nice dark cyclamon pink still with their leopard spots. I honesty do like these jeans and they fit me well, hence I still own them.

They are "upmarketed" due to the colour change and I tend to wear them with my bike jacket to got out or with this huge jumper. Anyway worn with them is my original try out of alwaysautumn's free raglan sleeved T shirt pattern that I made here:
25: Comparing the free raglan sleeved T shirt patterns available on the internet
and a hand knit jumper made using Aldi colour change yarn.  I did not use a pattern for this but just looked at average chunky patterns and cast on 80 stitches for each front and back and knitted till very long. Needle size was 6.5mm so pretty big.

I do not particularly like this jumper but I do seem to wear it lots because its warm, big and easy to wear. I like big jumpers cos despite what you may think with my being a blogger, I am a pretty shy person and like to stay well covered most of the time.

Thanks for reading

Bracken

25: Comparing the free raglan sleeved T shirt patterns available on the internet

 If you are, like me, after a raglan-sleeved T shirt pattern ( preferably for free) you will find this article of interest. The following is my experiments with widely available FREE raglan sleeved patterns off the internet as well as a couple of other purchased raglan sleeved patterns.

Some time ago I decided I wanted to make some sports-wear inspired clothing. Not actually for sport but just because I like the style and the details on this kind of clothing. It is also very easy to wash and wear and does not need ironing which is always a bonus. I saw a lovely sports dress, not sure what type of activity it was intended for on a local University sports website. I cannot copy it here in case of copy-write etc. It was really just a very long vest dress but with colour blocking, piping etc and in performance type fabric.

It inspired me because of firstly I love active wear but also because of the details. You can add piping, colour blocking or just do it all plain. I have lots of synthetic 4-way stretch material in my stash. Some of it is actually very high quality high performance type material but mostly it is just average bog-standard synthetics such as polyester some with and some without spandex. Anyway I have lots of colours I would not usually wear such as coral and white due to getting a bit carried away on ebay on several occasions. Normally,I tend to go for darker and richer colours. When it comes to sports clothing however I will happily wear coral and white with no worries. Or even fluourescents. Since I am not the most experienced sewist around I need first to try a few designs out before committing to anything too difficult. I decided the best way to use the colours of fabric I have is to colour block them so for example mix coral with black. Since I am not a great designer the easiest way to do this seems to me to find a decent raglan sleeved pattern and see how it looks.

The first pattern I tried was Its always autumn's free Tshirt pattern in a large. You can get it here:
http://www.itsalwaysautumn.com/2016/02/15/long-sleeve-raglan-sweatshirt-free-pattern.html

As I have previously blogged in a different post I find sizing is somewhat varied. I can be a XS or even a XL depending on the brand. I am a Burda size 36-38 so around a 10-12 UK size in tops. Although on the high street I have bought a UK sized 6 and a UK sized 16 so who knows what I really am.

For version 1, I used some of my coral fabric which was sold to me as coral flair. I am unsure what flair is but its a kind of stretchy textured fabric. I mixed this with some black 4 way stretch polyester type fabric. I did not read the itsalwaysautumn.com tutorial to go with this top before making it which was possibly a mistake. I just set to and overlocked all seems although I forgot the sleeve edge, twin needle hemmed the sleeve edge before sewing up the side seams since previously I have found tight fitting sleeves do not go over my machine once the sides seams have been sewn, and turned the neck edge over, overlocked it and twin needle stitched it. That was a mistake. I should have put a ribbed edge on it. The sleeves are three quarter but the tutorial does tell you how to lengthen them. Well as I said I didn't read it but just went ahead and sewed. It worked well considering I did not do the neck properly - may go back and redo that later. I also think a sleeve edge with ribbing would be better. I cut my sleeves without putting the pattern on a fold so ended up with a seam down the arm which would look good if I was to add piping. As you can see it fits more like a sweatshirt than an exercise T shirt but then thats was it looks like on itsalwaysautumn.com so thats really good.

I am actually after something tighter but I may make this again with addition of the piping down the raglan bits and either down the sleeve seams or I will put the pattern on a fold to eliminate the sleeve seams. I also measured it against an existing sweat top I have (from New Look sized 8 ) which also has three quarter sleeves and its almost an exact copy size-wise.

Really my main issue is not the pattern, although it is looser than I hoped, for but the fabric. I wore it to work and as any regular readers will know I work in a lab where you do not have to be smart. Jeans and T shirts go. It was comfortable but the sleeves are a bit tight round the edge - they are 3/4 so its not the wrist but the calf on our leg. No idea what it is on the arm. Forearm to me is kind of the entire lower bit of limb.Well theres a thought!

And it is not the pattern style but the coral flair! Now this fabric is just kind of old lady blousish. The kind of old-lady-top fabric you get in tops found on a market or out of a supermarket. Thats the only way I can describe it. My next top  I decide to make was made in ribbed fabric. Its a fine rib with cream sleeves and khaki body with a ribbed neck edge and longer sleeves like itsalwaysautumn did herself..



Anyway I am going to try a different pattern out for my next post. I am very happy with this pattern from itsalwaysautumn.com and can only recommend this if you are after a free raglan sleeved top pattern.
I really have to sort out my sports type of patterns because I have so much of this kind of fabric in my stash and I love to wear these kind of clothes.

TO BE CONTINUED........

Thanks for reading

Bracken