Going Green

 

I have had a few projects in mind that required drill fabric. When Minerva offered me the chance to review this cotton drill, I made those projects a reality. First up was a utility kilt for my husband.

Last year he bought a bright blue one last year, thinking it was a little darker than it was. Of course, when it arrived I studied the construction and announced that I could make him one, and make it better - TBH it was very crudely made! 

I asked him what he liked about it and what he didn’t. He announced that although he liked the pockets, the loosely attached one was annoying. So I went for a welt pocket on the back and D rings added to the belt loops so an additional pocket/ bag could be added if required. He also asked for a slightly longer length. 

The purchased one had all the pleats stitched down in order to prevent them from falling out and this is wise in this type of fabric. I used the basic measurement of the original one to guide my making of the green drill one. This fabric is a little lighter than the original and needed some interfacing in the waistband.

I started with the centre back of the skirt. Each half was measured and the fabric was cut to length following the grain. I halved the fabric on the cross grain and used about 3m of length. This was less than I thought (look out for my next make!). The pieces were joined to make a long 6m by 70cm strip.

The hem was created first, using a double fold to encase raw edges. This was then pinned into pleats, pressed down and stitched in the front and reverse of the fabric. The original had some grading in towards the waist, but as my hubby has narrower hips than the waist I kept the skirt straight. The top 15cm of each pleat was stitched down to create a yoke effect. 

I then added a single welt pocket on the back. Making this nice and deep as he has a habit of losing things from them falling out of pockets! The apron pieces at the front were temporarily pinned to approximately the correct width while the waistband was made.

The waistband included buckle straps at each end, Belt loops anchored in the seam and a couple of button holes to thread the inner strap through to allow it to be fastened on the outside. Once the length was checked the inner waistband was added and it was top stitched in place. The belt loops were secured and an additional strap was added to the top of the skirt to enable the hip to be adjusted.

The belt loops were added at the correct place and I used 5mm eyelets in the holes. 

The fabric is perfect for a lighter-weight utility kilt for the warmer months. It was a joy to sew with as it pressed really well and kept its shape - perfect for pleats. It also didn’t stretch out too much when sewing and was beautifully stable.

I just need to add the removable pocket bag, but I’m still waiting for the hardware to arrive. My hubby is loving rocking this and it will also go well with the waistcoat I made him last year as part of his punk suit.

The second make from the bottle green cotton drill is a pair of cargo trousers. I have been loving the cargo pants trend, but I was struggling to find a pattern that suited my needs so I drafted my own.

I had just less than 2m of the fabric left after making the utility kilt. Perfect for a pair of trousers!

Most of the patterns I had seen for cargo trousers were fitted waistbands and wide legs. While I love that aesthetic I wanted something more casual. My aim was to create a relaxed fit with a slight balloon shape and be ankle grazing. I wanted pockets and an elastic waist with a drawcord. 

When the cotton drill first arrived I thought it might be a little too stiff, but once it was washed it softened up really well, while still keeping a crisp pressed edge, which made these a dream to sew.

I had never drafted and sewn up a pattern without checking it and doing at least 3 toiles. However, I was confident that my drafting was good I decided to take a risk and go for it!

I used Metric Pattern Cutting for Womenswear by Winifred Aldrich. I drafted the easy-fitting trousers and used my measurements, rather than relying on the standard sizes. These are trousers designed to be made into baggy pants or dungarees.

Once I had the draft I traced the block, lowering the waist by 4cm and shortening the length to be at the high ankle. I added a slight balloon length to the side seams and tapered the ankle by a couple of centimetres. I then measured the waist seam before cutting a waistband. Here I nearly made an error. As I’m not a standard size - my hips are much bigger than my waist - I realised that the waist was not quite big enough for my hips. Not an issue if you are adding a zip but a big issue if the trousers are pulled on. I widened the waist seam by 1cm both front and back with equated to a 4cm increase, which was enough to get these over my butt.

I walked the seams and trued all the measurements, constructed slanted hip pockets and drafted a back patch pocket and an inverted pleat pocket and flap.

I interfaced the pocket flap and buttonholes with some lightweight interfacing. The fabric didn’t need anything in the waist due to it being elasticated. The wide elastic was stitched in place to stop it twisting in the casing and a cord threaded through the buttonholes.

I was actually pleasantly surprised with these. I expected there to be several issues that would need to be sorted, but they are pretty much as I intended. I haven't drafted anything in ages. I think I might try it again soon. Meanwhile, I have a cool pair of cargo trousers that has taken me through cooler summer days and into the autumn.

 

 

 

Hoodie Parka - my style of coat

I'm not one to follow fads. I rarely buy patterns when they are first released. I always have a look through my stash to see if I have anything similar I can hack or adapt, or I just draft things myself.

However. I. love. this. pattern. I have loved it since I first saw it on The Assembly Line website well over a year ago. I didn't buy it. When putting my Christmas list together at the back end of last year - on it went and my lovely hubby bought it for me.

I have a long coat, it's one I bought from Next before I started sewing, the piping on it is cracked and it's so old the colour has faded. It's still warm, but I need something a bit more me and this pattern is it. It's completely gift funded - well almost. I had Minerva Crafts vouchers from my sister in law for Christmas and bought some black drill fabric - just enough. She had also given me the fabric I used for the lining for Christmas 2018, which I think she got from the stitching show. There wasn't quite enough for a full lining, so I bought regular black lining for the sleeves. not quite as cool, but much easier to get on and off than lining sleeves with cotton.

A word on fabric requirements; many patterns are generous with their requirements and you can get away with far less. Not so TAL patterns. they are carefully planned and leave you with very little scrap fabric. If it says you need 2.4m then you really do need 2.4m - pay attention!!!!

The pattern is for an unlined coat. It just has a hood and yoke lining but I decided that adding a lining would make it much more effective as a wearable coat and go to planning how I would cut the lining pieces of the coat to make it work. essential I treated the bodice and skirt sections as full-length pieces and cut them less the amount that was folded in for the facing. I did have to think carefully about the order of construction and do things a little differently from the instructions in order to fit the lining in. I constructed the hood lining separately and fully bagged the rest. I also used the lining fabric for the pockets and the underside of the pocket flaps. I also made sleeve heads from some spare fleece fabric, to keep the shape at the top of the sleeves.

The pattern is excellently drafted and is multi-size, which some of the earlier versions of TAL patterns weren't. I made a size small (which is where my measurements put me and the same size I used for the hoodie dress, which is a good fit) and the coat fits, but I think I'd struggle to wear anything thick underneath it. That's ok as I planned this to be a lightweight spring/ summer coat and it's already had a bit of wear. If I was going to make a warmer version I would definitely size up to the medium.

I used Prym snaps for the fastening, but already I've popped one and lost it - thankfully they come in a pack of 10 and I didn't use all of them when first applying them to the coat. It took me quite a while to work out the placement of the snaps as I felt the directions would be unbalanced, so I worked out my own distances between each snap - I think it was about 11cm.

This has to be the coolest coat and now I want to make more. but I have a list of things to make and it will be a while until I finally do that.