Little Red Lilou
Thursday, July 03, 2014
June was been a bit quiet on the sewing front, but that's because everything else has been so busy! I've still somehow managed to stockpile fabric and patterns though. My sewing to-do list is going to be longer than the silly amounts of denim I accidentally buy! In between all the work, newborn babies, hen dos and birthdays I did manage to squeeze in a second Lilou - the Little Red Lilou!
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I was pretty pleased with how the first version turned out - it's had a fair few wears already and has even survived the washing machine, hooray! - but this time I really worked on getting the fit just right. There was a fair bit of patience involved in comparison to my usual 'cut fabric, sew, hope it works' method. After doing my VERY FIRST full bust adjustment and making a muslin of the bodice, I got to make the REAL thing...
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This time I used a bright red polyester crepe with loads of drape. I couldn't recommend the drapey-crepe any more - mine was about £4 per metre from B&M Fabrics in Leeds Kirkgate Market. It was a little bit more difficult to cut and handle than the cotton I used last time, but SO worth it. Just look how well the pleats hang! I couldn't resist making the scalloped version again, though I struggled to get the scallops to turn out quite as deep in the poly-crepe. Still, I think they look alright, it's just more of a 'shallow-wiggle' neckline.
The one thing I didn't quite account for when doing the FBA was the slight increase in the waist measurement. All in all it's not too bad - everyone needs a bit of breathing/lunch room after all. Anyway, I'm getting so close to the perfect fit now, I guess I'll just have to make another - if I'm not careful it will end up becoming my uniform!
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Oh and here's one more thing that should help with garment fitting/pattern adjusting...
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5 comments
This is so beautiful on you!
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question about creating a boat neckline version of Lilou, firstly, I think that would be just gorgeous, secondly you may find that if you simply redraw the neckline higher that it ends up a little tight up top. That's because of the way scoop necklines are drafted to ensure they hold flat against the chest without gaping. What I would do is slash open the neckline by just 1cm or so at two points pointing to the bust points, before redrawing it. If you look up "slash and spread pattern cutting" you might be able to find a tutorial to help you.
I hope this helps!
Thanks so much Tilly, that is really helpful! Definitely useful to know about slash and spread pattern cutting - this will probably save me a good evening's worth of testing plus multiple muslin making! Got a few more projects in the pipeline and then I'll definitely be trying a boat neckline Lilou! :)
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This is lovely, I've never sewn in crepe. But I'm tempted now.
ReplyDeleteThank you Louise! The crepe was surprisingly easy to handle and hangs really well. I'd definitely recommend it :)
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