Summer tops: Palerme in teal, Mom’s favourite top and New Look 6952 in Liberty

I love a brightly coloured and comfortable summer top. I’ve made a few over the years but they haven’t made it onto the blog so now’s the time!

Le Top Palerme in teal

In a frenzy of holiday creativity while on holiday in France a few years ago, I bought a French sewing book called ‘Couture pour l’ete’ (‘Sewing for Summer). This was ambitious since my French is weak at best, but I figured I’d stumble along and work it out step by step. The first pattern I tried was Le top Palerme in a teal viscose. It’s a simple little top with a styled pleat in the neckline and little hints at sleeves.

These types of pattern books are fun to browse through but quite irritating to actually use when you have to decipher the multi-layers of patterns and copy the pieces off before you can even start. Nevertheless, pattern came together relatively easily despite having to translate and note the translations in the book. The teal viscose was a little fiddly but super soft and lovely to wear and I LOVE the colour. It does require ironing though which is not ideal for me.

The top is easy to wear and having a solid colour is a useful addition to my wardrobe, but it’s not my favourite. I feel like it doesn’t fit quite right (pulls across the bust) and maybe a bit more length and a shaped hemline would add a bit more interest.

Mom’s Favourite top

My mom has a favourite shop bought top that she wears very regularly, so I took the opportunity to copy the pattern and make it up in a fun viscose stylized floral print in turquoise, blues and greens. As with any self drafted pattern, it takes some brain power to work out the construction (well for me any way), but it came together well except for the placket where I cut it too low and sewed too close to the edge so there are some threads sneaking out and I had to hand sew a tiny bit to close the neckline a little.

I like the simple collar, the capped sleeves and the little gathers at the shoulder (difficult to see in the picture). The interfacing I used for the collar and placket is a little stiff so it doesn’t lie nicely which is a reminder to me to use softer interfacing.

The shaped hemline works well for me and the fun fabric makes me happy. I wear this top a lot and it’s interesting now, comparing it to the teal Palermo and trying to work out why this one is a go-to garment while the other one just isn’t.

New Look 6952 in Liberty

This beautiful pink floral Liberty fabric called out to be a fun shirt that can be worn smart(ish) or casual. The New Look 6952 pattern seemed like a good fit and the shirt making began. For some reason I ran out of steam at some point and for a long time it was left in the drawer-of-unfinished-projects until my mom-in-law came to visit and I co-opted her into helping me with the buttons and button holes. It was then that we discovered some fatal flaw in the shirt and the two sides didn’t match up properly. The one side was considerably longer than the other. I don’t know how that happened and once again I was disheartened and the shirt went back into the drawer-of-unfinished-projects.

I finally mustered up the courage to fix the mistake and made some adjustments and sneaky little tucks here and there to finish off a shirt that ultimately is decidedly wearable and not at all the flop I had thought it was.

The soft cotton and bright pink colour is a very happy summer fabric to wear with a smile.

The shaping darts in the front and back make for a flattering silhouette and the ruffles on the three-quarter sleeve are a fun addition. I can’t blame the pattern for the misalignment so I might need to attempt it again in one go to avoid going wrong again.

Three summer tops each with their unique characteristics and sewing challenges, but they are all fun in their own way and they each get their time in the sun.

Me-made-May 2024: Week Two

Me-made-May is in full swing and as the weather is getting colder, I’m realising there might be quite a few of my favourites that won’t even get their chance. Some other things I’m learning:

• I don’t particularly like having to take a photo of what I’m wearing every day. Although I do like the process of recording which me-made item I wore.
• I will need to up my game for colder weather clothes
• There are days when I enjoy planning out my outfit and executing it, and others where I can’t be bothered and it feels like a bit of a chore to think of what to wear.

Overall though, it’s a fun exercise and certainly making me rethink how I wear some of my pieces and also encouraging me to pull out some of the oldies from the back of the closet.

Day 6: Pietra pants in plaid

Like: I love this pattern…which is fairly obvious since I made three pairs! I love that it has no closures, the pockets are great and the lines are flattering.

Don’t Like: I don’t like this poly blend fabric. It looks ok but doesn’t feel great and makes me regret choosing a cheapo synthetic. This version’s waist is also not quite tight enough but it works for a quick throw on.

Day 7: The Elizabeth Skirt

Like: I like that I created this pattern myself and the two contrasting Shwe Shwe prints in green make me happy.

Don’t like: The uneven hem length was a design choice and although I do like it, I think it’s the reason I don’t wear this skirt as often as I could.

Day 8: Grey Pencil skirt

Like: The tease of ‘corporate in the front and cheeky red zip and red Shwe Shwe pleat at the back’.

Don’t like: It’s not a bad skirt but maybe not the most comfortable.

Day 9: My first Renfrew

Like: One of my all time favourites. Very comfortable and wearable… especially before an icy ocean plunge

Don’t like: It’s just getting a bit old.

Day 10: Renfrew in beige

Like: warm, comfortable, a good staple in the cupboard.

Don’t Like: It’s a bit of a boring colour, but sometimes we need that.

Day 11 outfit 1: Mom’s favourite summer top

Like: I wear this top a lot. The fabric is great, the design is good – I copied a top my mom has and wears all the time.

Don’t like: The neckline is fraying a bit – I don’t think I sewed that part very well.

Day 11 outfit 2: Sirrocco jumpsuit in gold

Like: Oh how I enjoyed making and wearing this! It came out much better than I expected and I had a blast wearing it.

Don’t like: I can’t wear it every day!

Day 12: The forgiving floral shirt aka Mother’s Day shirt

Like: A classic oldie pattern, great floral cotton that feels great.

Don’t like: If I made it again, I wouldn’t have a different fabric under the collar and the buttons aren’t my favourite.

Me-Made-May 2024: Week one

Me-Made-May is off to a good start and already I’m learning lots, not only about the pieces I’ve made, but also things like: May in the southern hemisphere can be a cold time to commit to wearing self-made items when I prefer making summer things!

Day 2: Summery shift dress

Like: I love the cotton fabric and how it feels. The print is fun and happy. I like the shape the princess darts create.

Don’t like: There isn’t much I don’t like about this dress. The slit at the back is a bit high but still workable.

Day 3: Fancy Hawaiian shirt

I realise that I didn’t ever blog about this one. It was made while on holiday in Maui many many years ago. The fabric is a beautiful floral print from Liberty…I think.

Like: I love the soft cotton in the bright floral print. It makes me smile. The two shaping darts in the front are very flattering and the shape of the collar works quite well.

Don’t like: When I completed this shirt as per the exact instructions, I was very irritated to realise that I was told to make the button holes horizontal, not vertical, and too far away from the edge. This just annoys me and taught me the lesson that sometimes my judgement is better than the pattern instructions. Although I thought I’d like the simplicity of the collar that is part of the shirt front pieces and no button stand, I think I actually prefer separate pieces for those elements.

Day 3 outfit 2: Open back beaded dress

I made this one for a New Year’s Eve party years ago and while it’s a fun outfit to wear, it seldom gets its time in the limelight. An impromptu ‘Fancy Family Friday night dinner’ was a great opportunity to pull it out.

Like: It’s a fun style with a very dramatic back. The beads are a great element that are perfect for shaking on the dance floor.

Don’t like: I don’t love the base fabric and for some reason I made the lining way too short so it rides up. It’s not a dress you can sit down for long in because of the beads and choosing the right underwear makes it a difficult dress to wear regularly.

Day 4: Ziggi Jacket

Like: I LOVE ZIGGI!

Day 4 outfit 2: Sirrocco jumpsuit in green

This one is hot off the sewing table so I haven’t blogged about it and the fun and games in the making thereof. That will come. For now I’ll just speak to the wearing part.

Like: I love the colour and the soft comfortable feel of the cotton knit. The shape is great and I feel good wearing it. I like that it has no closures.

Don’t like: Given that there are no closures, I have to be very careful I don’t damage the waist seams when I put it on and take it off. Otherwise no real complaints from wearing it.

Day 5: Pink longsleeve t-shirt

Like: It’s comfortable. A great Sunday-around-the-house top. Bright pink is fun.

Don’t like: I made it pre-overlocker days so it’s not particularly well made and is falling apart in places. The neckline finishing was an experiment and I waver between loving it and hating it.

Me-Made-May 2024: Let’s Begin

I discovered Me-Made-May, a fantastic sewist challenge created by Zoe from ‘So Zo, What do you know?’ years ago and it’s been a whole decade since that first, and only, attempt. I loved the challenge of wearing something I’ve hand crafted for each day of the month but what with life, three children, moving country, four different demanding jobs and just all the admin of adulting, I haven’t had the foresight or mental bandwidth to do it again …until now. So here goes!

I, Mary of DodgyZebra.wordpress.com, pledge to wear at least one me-made garment every day for the month of May 2024.

I love making clothes and I love wearing the clothes that I make. But there are definitely winners and losers and as I endeavour to be more thoughtful about the clothes I make, I hope this challenge helps me better understand and articulate what it is about each piece that I like and don’t like. And in doing so, I hope to create more of the clothes I love to wear and fewer of the pieces that frustrate me and get shoved into back-of-the-closet-purgatory,

Day 1: Bat wing top:

What I like: Love the vibrant colours and the combination of woven in the front and knit in the back. I like the general shape and the simplicity. I like the wide binding / narrow facing of the woven fabric – it’s a clever way of dealing with finishing off a neckline for a knit fabric.

What I don’t like: I don’t like the way the hem curls up in the front centre. I really don’t like the synthetic, clingy feel of the polyester woven front fabric (despite the great print) and I don’t like the way I am constantly adjusting the neckline to stop choking me.

This is starting off very critical, but I think it’s good. If I’m challenged to wear a wider variety of the clothes I make, I need to know why I don’t wear them more often.

And so Me-Made-May 2024 begins. Here’s to a month of wearing and sharing.

Summer tunic: New Look 6076

The garden shirt that I made years ago became such a summer staple that I wore it to shreds and needed a replacement. I have also, over the years, increasingly appreciated the value of longsleeve summer tops to protect your arms from the harsh sun.

My second attempt at the New Look 6076 tunic started a looooong time ago. I had beautiful lightweight printed cotton in greens and purples that was perfect. For the contrast placket, I originally chose a lime green satin but this is where the trouble began. In trying to press the placket in place, I melted the satin into a big mess and gave up on the whole project in a huff. It wasn’t until years later (literally), that I unearthed the project and tried again – this time with a teal cotton that worked much better and behaved during ironing.

For this version, I went with the three-quarter length sleeves and the tunic length. I like that I can wear it as a shirt or tunic and I’ve already enjoyed summer days wearing this creation.

I can wear the tunic tucked into shorts for a shirt-like look. The three-quarter sleeves are great sun protection.

The pattern is a fairly classic old-school design. I didn’t add the fake pockets but I included the cuffs in the contrast fabric

Worn as a tunic over skinny jeans or leggings gives a completely different look.

It’s also great to throw over a swimming costume after a swim at the beach

Fabric: Lightweight printed cotton in funky purples and greens; contrast teal cotton after a failed attempt with lime green satin.

Pattern: New Look 6076

Alterations: The only change was I didn’t put the fake pockets on.

Do it again? This version is already showing some wear and tear from a few summers of use, so if I find nice summery lightweight cotton again, I may need to make a replacement. Next time I light broaden the shoulders slightly as that is where it is pulling.

The Pool Party Dress

I just finished this dress and wore it to a pool party this weekend so I wanted to share it straight away! I bought a dress in this style years ago and I love it and wear it all the time during summer, so of course I’ve had a plan to copy the pattern and make one myself for a while now. On Christmas day the project finally began when, to the amusement of my in-laws, while the kids were building their new Lego projects and constructing their robots, I pulled my own project onto the coffee table where I copied my dress pattern and proceeded to cut out the fabric. The sewing had to wait until I got home.

It’s a pretty simple design with a front placket – I’ll need to add some buttons but haven’t done that yet, a back yoke, little strips around the arm hole for sleeves, pockets and a curved hem. I’m pretty happy with how it turned out and I’m sure it will become a summer staple.

The fabric is a rayon with large banana leaves in blues and greens that I got from Urban Rag in Wynberg. It shouts “SUMMER!” and it was relatively easy to work with and I’m enjoying wearing it.

Given that I drafted the pattern myself off of an existing dress, there were obviously no instructions and I had to research and remind myself on some of the tricks and techniques for the details. This all takes time and brain power and it makes me grateful for the detailed instructions provided on some of the great patterns I’ve been lucky enough to use.

Gotta love pockets in a dress! For the pockets, I remembered that the Mirri Jumpsuit had a very neat and secure pocket installation and so I copied their method. The piece of interfacing helps to add structure to the opening, however I made mine a bit wide so it adds bulk to the hips. So next time I need a narrower strip of interfacing! For the yoke construction I referred to this lovely clear tutorial from Charlotte Kan. I had forgotten that great ‘sausage’ step where everything gets squashed into the yoke pieces and you think “This can’t possibly work” and then you pull it out and “Ta duh!” it’s a perfectly sewn yoke with all the seam edges neatly inside. I love those sewing moments.

For the placket, this video from Taylor Nour helped guide me.

I used this same technique when I modified my son’s school sweatshirt to fit over his enormous head!

I’m very happy to add this fun summery dress to my wardrobe. Long live summer!

Fabric: Black rayon with banana leaf prints in blues and greens. From Union Rag

Pattern: Self drafted pattern off a store bought dress of mine.

Alterations: I tried to stick to the original but my hem is a bit shorter, the placket and sleeves are a bit wider and I haven’t added buttons…yet.

Do it again? I could see myself making another one of these in a different fun fabric.