March 2019 - Merritts Makes

Good morning! Today I’m here with a quick post about my Five Points Blouse. The pattern was designed by my friend Jennifer (@peppermintcreek on IG) who joined me in celebrating the Coat Making Party in January of 2018. She asked me to sew up this pattern which is featured in the Feb/March issue of Sew News Magazine (Follow this link NOW to download the templates for free until March 31st). Alright, let’s get down to the nitty gritty.

Initial Adjustments

Once the pattern was released, Jennifer noted to me that there were a few pattern corrections that were missed before printing/publishing. Namely, the finished pattern measurements listed were about 1″ larger than the actual finished measurements. With this noted, I decided to size up and sew the medium.

The second issue Jennifer pointed out was the arm band/cuff being a bit too small. For the size medium, I ended up cutting a piece 3″x19″ to use as the cuff.

The third issue needed no adjustments, just some attention on my part. The notches on the front and back pieces were incorrectly marked. The double notched side of the yoke should attach to the back of the top and the single notched side to the front despite the double notches on the front.

Fourth, and final issue was one I noticed when cutting the top. In the cutting instructions, it directs you to cut a bias strip that is .5″x34″ for the neckline binding. This would be way too thin to work properly. Instead, I cut my bias binding 1.25″ x 34″ and used the method outlined in this Made by Rae blog post to attach my neckline binding. The only deviation I made from that blog post was to understitch the binding before topstitching it down.

Finally, as a matter of personal preference, I left off the front zipper. I had a zipper picked out for the project but, didn’t love it paired with my fabric once it arrived.

Construction

I found the construction to be straightforward and fairly quick. Overall I spent somewhere around 2 hours making this top including pattern assembly and cutting. Honestly, it probably would’ve come together even quicker if I hadn’t stopped several times to try it on. The pattern uses 1/4″ seam allowances which doesn’t allow much room for alteration. Since it’s a boxy style, this isn’t really an issue.

The only modification I made during construction was slightly tapering the seam where the front bodice meets the yoke. To do this, I used a 1/2″ seam allowance at the neckline and tapered it back to a 1/4″ seam allowance at the sleeve opening. This brought the neckline up just a bit higher since it was previously a bit low for my preference.

Fabric

This fabric is a cotton/rayon blend I purchased from Blackbird Fabrics. It’s currently sold out at Blackbird but, I was able to find some of the same fabric available here at Stonemountain Fabric. It doesn’t have a ton of drape, just enough to keep this top from looking too boxy. My favorite part about it is the way it crinkled when washed, giving it a cloud-like feel and appearance. Thanks to the light, breezy nature of this fabric, I can see it becoming a staple during the scorching summer months. I’m imagining this top will primarily be worn tucked into a pair of linen pants or shorts. Guess I had better sew some of those soon.

Conclusions

Despite a few changes made to the pattern, I actually enjoyed sewing up this top. I opted to write a blog post outlining these changes because knowing the alterations beforehand was a factor in making this sewing process mishap free. It’s always easier to go into a project knowing beforehand if there are any necessary adjustments. In making this top a second time, the only change I would make would be narrowing the neckline a bit. It works fine as is but, does lend itself to the occasional bra strap peeking out. Overall, I’m happy with this top and do see it being worn regularly once it warms up a bit.

There may be snow on the ground, but we’re already dreaming of summer and days spent in our favorite swimmers. Thanks to the Raspberry Creek Fabrics 2019 Swim collection, I’ve gotten a head start on summer sewing. Initially I couldn’t wait to get my hands on swimwear fabric and get to making myself a new suit. A few days later, however, the insecurities set in. Did I really want to share my body in a swimsuit with the internet? Should I get a spray tan? It’s been years since I last made myself a swimsuit, what if it’s a colossal fail? This. This is why I blog and give myself deadlines. If I hadn’t made the commitment, I would’ve let these doubts get the better of me. Despite my doubts, I’m always thankful that blogging pushes me out of my sewing and style comfort zones. Alright, enough about my insecurities, let’s talk about these suits.

My Son’s Palm Euro Suit

My 5 year old has been wearing this style of trunks since 2017 when I met Rachel of Little Fish Apparel. I purchased a pair of her trunks and since then, my son hasn’t worn any other style. Last spring Sew Like My Mom released the Palm Euro Suit pattern and I fell in love with the style and quick construction. My son fell in love with the fully lined inside and options to have his favorite style in a variety of fabrics. There was no question that this would be the pattern for my son’s newest suit. I got this Flamingo Vertical Stripe swim fabric and got to work.

When I say construction is quick I mean that a pair of these can literally be whipped up in the time it takes to get my child ready for the day. I sewed this pair one morning last week in about an hour including interruptions like getting oatmeal for my son, reminding him to get dressed, and answering approximately 100 Minecraft questions. My son wasn’t thrilled with the suit when I first finished it but, was sold after putting it on for these photos. In fact, he opted to wear it under his clothes for the rest of the day. Calling that a win.

This pair is the brief length, fully lined in a size 5. Sizing was spot on when compared to the size chart.

Do we look cold here? We might be a little cold.

Opian Pilatus Swimsuit

The last time I made myself a swimsuit was in 2015 (here). Back then I wasn’t blogging and had a following on Instagram that was mostly limited to family and friends. I shared the photo on Instagram and remember being only slightly nervous. This time I was again nervous, but more so since I planned to also blog about my suit. Upon finishing the suit, my nerves lessened because I realized that this body made a freaking swimsuit which makes me feel pretty good about it. Life is too short to not show your body love for the things it can do. Stepping down off my tiny soapbox because it’s time to talk about this suit.

Fabric and Pattern Choice

With over 30 Raspberry Creek Fabrics swim prints (plus a nice selection of stripes, dots, and gingham), picking my favorite design was a daunting task. Originally I planned to use a Watercolor Palm Leaf print until a moment of inspiration had me changing my mind to this bold Vertical Multi Stripe. Some sewists choose a pattern and then look for the fabric. In my case, I generally choose the fabric first and allowing it to tell me what it should be. This fabric was begging to become an Opian Pilatus. With a cut out back, tie front, and high waisted bottoms, the Pilatus swimsuit combines the fun of a two-piece swimsuit with the security and functionality of a one-piece. Now that I’ve sewn it I can echo others and say that it’s a good one. I did however, make a few changes for my own personal comfort.

Sizing and Alterations

According to the measurement chart, my measurements put me at a size 2 bust with a size 6 waist and hip. Based on this I traced a size 2 top and size 6 bottoms. The pattern is drafted for someone approximately 5’6″ in height so I made a couple more initial adjustments to fit my 5’10” height. To address this, I added 1/2″ to the top of the bottoms, and a total of 1″ to the bodice pieces (1/2″ added to each the top of the straps and bottom of bodice pieces). Finally, I needed to address the coverage on the back bottom pieces. My initial muslin showed much more of my buttocks than I’d like to share with the world. I have no issue with others wearing a suit fitting this way, it was just more than I personally felt comfortable showing. After a couple more muslins, I ended up adding 1 and 1/2 inches at the fullest part tapering to the original pattern lines at the top and bottom. With fitting sorted, I was ready to start sewing.

Construction

I sewed in bra cups but otherwise followed the pattern as written and found it straightforward. Construction took around 4 hours (including lots of try ons between steps because I was loving it). I used my machine’s lightning stitch for the seams and hemmed the waistband and leg openings with neon green thread and a double needle. Upon completion, my bottoms were gaping slightly at the back waist. Begrudgingly, I ripped out the top hem, removed the original back elastic, and replaced it with a piece 1″ shorter than recommended. This fixed the gaping and with a new hem, my suit was complete.

Final Thoughts

What more can I say? Clearly we’re already enjoying our new suits over here and I can’t wait to make more over the next few months. We’re heading to a Great Wolf Lodge next month and my goal is making a new swimsuit for both days we’ll be enjoying the waterpark. Will it actually happen or will I get distracted by other projects? Hoping that typing it here will keep me accountable but not making any guarantees here.

Ready for more swimwear inspiration? The Raspberry Creek Fabrics Suit Up for Summer tour is happening all week. Make sure to check out the other talented ladies included.