Kalle Shirt dresses/blouse

Last summer, I decided to try the Kalle Shirtdress from Closet Case patterns.  My daughter in Texas had made one and we both came to the same conclusion:  one great pattern!

The one above was made dress length using a printed cotton that was in my stash. I think I bought it at a quilting store in Nova Scotia, but I really can't remember. The cotton is a wee bit on the thick side for this dress, but it works. My only reservation is that the wrong side of the fabric looks too different from the right side and that shows when the collar is open and also on the hemline. Not a big deal, but something to keep in mind.  You want this dress to be flowy and light. 

The second version above was also made with a quilting cotton bought at Stedmans' here in town. It is slightly lighter in weight than the black version and the contrast between right and wrong sides is not quite so remarkable.

Heather takes a somewhat simple design but gives it some quality finishing touches that make it different from other shirt dresses. For one thing, all the seams are finished as flat felled seams, so there are no raw or serged edges inside the dress. She finishes the sleeve with a kind of cuff that mimics the angle of your upper arm so that it doesn't stick out when wearing it. A little thing but important.  The thing I like the most is the hemline, which is not serged and topstitched, but is bound with self bias. This takes more time to do, but gives the hem a weight that it wouldn't have otherwise and makes it hang very nicely.  Again, a nice finishing touch.

The third version I made is the blouse, which is a very cropped shirt. I lengthened it by 3" in both the front and back so that it comes below my waist which is non-existent at this point in my life. Again, Heather takes the pattern one step further and finishes the hem with a deep 2-3" facing; once again this is a fine finishing technique and gives the hem weight that makes the shirt hang very nicely. This version I made up in a shirting bought from Blackbird Fabrics last summer. It is the perfect weight and I highly recommend the shirtings that Blackbird carry; they are fine cottons, just perfect for shirts, blouses and shirtdresses. They also get some cute prints, the one I used has an all-over pattern of little bicycles.

I also have a rayon with pink flamingos that I bought last year from Fabrics.com and I think I might just have enough for another Kalle dress. If not, it might become the tunic length version.

This pattern is written up all over the internet and it now has the honour of being copied by MimiG, Mimi G's shirt and wide-legged pants, - a high honour indeed. Mimi's version is just the cropped shirt length which she finishes with a deep facing as well, but her version has set-in sleeves which give a slightly different look to the shirt. I bought that pattern when I was in Texas last week and will give it a try and can then compare.

But the Kalle shirt is great, a few tweaks and you have a cropped shirt, a tunic, or a shirtdress. Heather also has a long sleeve add-on on her website, if you want to lengthen the sleeves. Personally, I think the pattern is great just the way it is.

I think my daughter has made 2 Kalle dresses now and 2 cropped shirts. Her tastes run to more dressy-type dresses, but the Kalle is a nice casual option for daily wear. It is fun to be sewing along with my daughter and comparing notes on different patterns. She has made the Ginger jeans four times, I think, and she has only been sewing a little over a year. I told her that I am going to make the Kelly Anorak next and she wants my opinion on it as she thinks it might be the perfect casual coat for their Texas winters.

Before leaving for Texas, I bought wine red cotton poplin and a red/navy/green plaid flannel from Mood Fabrics to underline the Kelly, but I am thinking I would prefer a bright crazy cotton as the underlining, something fun to see when you take the coat off.

And remarkably, I found some lovely fabrics at Joannes' in Tyler Texas. A gorgeous 4 ounce denim that is 100% cotton. Hmm, another Kalle?  And a beautiful deep red linen/rayon blend.  My most favourite fabric in the world is linen and, when it is combined with either cotton or rayon, it is even better. Don't know what that will be, but I have managed to increase the stash with some lovely fabrics.  I tend to buy printed fabrics and these two are solid colours, which are more versatile in a wardrobe. My problem is that I just love prints and love to sew something that is printed. I find solid colours boring to sew, but these two are lovely fabrics and will be a pleasure to handle.

Back to Sewing

I really enjoy reading sewing blogs, but have noticed that many bloggers are quitting and just using Instagram or Pinterest only. I don't like those forums, as there are only pictures and not much written text so you can't really get to know much about the items.

I do hope that sewing bloggers continue to record their sewing efforts. If not, what will I have to read?

I have been sewing but have been remiss about blogging my finished items.

Since the summer, I have made a Kwik Sew classic shirt from some lovely quilting cotton I bought at Dolans' in Renfrew. It is a black background with tiny leaves in mustard and soft purple (what I would call mauve).  Years ago, I read an article in Threads about coordinating your sewing by using a piece from one finished item and incorporating it into the next garment, thus tying them all together. The result was a kind of artsy-type wardrobe, not to everyone's taste, but an interesting concept.  This cotton has me thinking that I should use the remains of the quilting cotton in another garment, and I can see a shirt-dress that is colour-blocked with this print being used as the border on a solid colour dress.
Hmm, we shall see if I actually get to it.

Then I sewed a Coatigan, at least that seems to be what this sweater-coat garment is being called. I found an independent pattern featured in a blog, but it was from Australia and the printed pattern cost $35 plus the price of shipping. Whoa - way too expensive. I found a very similar pattern in McCalls.

                                                 
I ordered a sweater knit from Fabric.com and it is sitting in a box waiting to be cut and sewn. In the meantime, I wanted to make a muslin first and used some black French terry from the stash. The terry has much more body to it than the sweater knit and the result is more like a coat. In fact, because of the colour, I am calling it my "funeral coat". I will be ready for any funeral I have to attend in the near future. As a result of making the muslin, I am going to add 1" to the side seams for better closure and I will shorten the bodice 1" to bring the bottom of that V up higher on me. After all, I am short and the pattern would have been designed for someone 5" taller than me.

Next, I ordered 4 patterns from Grainline Patterns, which came in record time. They have really good service. I made up the Lark Tee in a knit from the stash and it is looking pretty good. I am going to cut down the shoulders and neckline and armscye to a smaller size as they are too big on me, but the body is just right. I can also lose some of the length in both sleeves and body, although I prefer to have the length there before hemming. I really dislike t-shirts that end up being too short, and I have found that I like a deeper hem than most patterns allow for. From the Loes Hinse line of patterns, I have found that a 2" hem on the bottom of a knit top gives it nice weight and it hangs better.

Then I sorted out my pile of fabrics that seem to accumulate in my sewing area. I found a Kalle shirt cut out in a cotton print that I love. I think I bought it from Blackbird Fabrics last spring.  Over the summer, I made 2 Kalle shirtdresses and cut out this blouse. I lengthened the cropped version about 3" in front and 5" in back. Cropped tops on a woman my age are definitely OUT.  This is a lovely pattern, it is so well drafted and the instructions are great. Everything goes together so well, it is a real pleasure to sew.

I do finish my pockets differently, I sew the top facing over to the right side, then flip it over, which brings the sides in, then press and topstitch in place. I also use the Islander burrito technique for the yoke rather than the one that Heather Lou uses. I don't like rolling all that fabric up into a little bundle; too many creases for my taste. Margaret Islander's technique does one side at a time, and there is no bunching up of the body of the shirt inside the yoke.

Now that I am making the Kalle again, I want another shirtdress in it.  I have a teal green cotton blend in the stash that I think would be good. I have to force myself to sew solid colour garments; I am simply drawn to prints time and again. But solids have much more wearability than prints.

Also in January I made a pair of Burda pants from some black rayon/poly/lycra from the stash. So it has been a rather productive time here in my sewing room. I will try and get some photos up here shortly.