Completed: Granville too

Good Evening guys! I hope you are all well and hopefully the sun shone where you were today too :-) I'm really glad its our long weekend this weekend I have been feeling so rundown! It's glasgow fair weekend this weekend - its a fair that dates back to the 12th centuary, Wikipedia has more info if you're curious - however it is now pretty much a bank holiday for all intents and purposes. If the weather holds we're off to my grans on friday to pick blackcurrants :-D.

 I have a bit of an impromptu make to share with you all tonight - another sleeveless Granville shirt from sewaholic. I had decided that after the previous version that I would like to make up another few similar shirts. The problem is that I dont really like this one. The fabric is the right weight and looks really nice and all it's just a result of sewing when I haven't been feeling well for a couple of weeks and this is riddled with mistakes.

I think that overall I got a better fit with this second version than with the first - I sized down from a 10 to a 6 and performed an FBA. I still need to add about another cm to the FBA but I think the darts are sitting ok adn it fits well around the neck and shoulders. Whereas the front looks not to be pulling- that is because of mistake 1 - instead of making a double fold on the left front I only folded once. HMPF! I only noticed after the collar and stand had been attached and by this point there was no going back. I fixed up the raw edge with bias tape. Problem solved.

Another thing which I annoyed myself with was my lack of attantion paid to the back of the shirt. I have made enough sway back adjustments by now that I know I should do them every time. But I forgot. For next time I will make this alteration! Due to the fact there is no CB seamline the back piece will have to be cut on a single layer in future.

While I sized down by two sizes so the shirt wasnt as baggy as last time I kept the few extra mm that the length of the 10 gave me. I serged the bottom hemline and then folded over once managing to create some additional length. While it may not be necessary I kind of like having a few additional cm at the hemline. I managed to line up the bottom of the button band and facing on this shirt better than the last time too: the button holes even sewed up really nicely and I think the buttons are lined up relatively square too. UNTIL I HAD CUT THEM AND REALISED THEY WERE ON THE WRONG SIDE!!! Face palm all round. The result being that the buttons sit very obviously off centre.

So the shirt os OK. it is wearable and will probably live under a sleeveless jumper if it makes it to an office situation. I was considering donating it however if i'm not happy with the finish I can't imagine other people would buy it! Finally:

Got to love a good outtake pic! Apparently John thinks this looks like I am lusting after a runner in lycra running past the flat....ahem!

Have a great week folks!

Jenn

Completed: Sewaholic Granville Shirt Sans Sleeves

I greet you all today with the news that I have secured myself a new job! My PhD funding officially came to it's conclusion today...and my summer job starts umm....tomorrow!! To tell the truth it's with the same people I have done my PhD with and I'm still working in the same department however I am now no longer a student and therefore have to pay adult bills like council tax :-(. Ahh well the run had to end sometime!!!

So before the news of the new job came about I decided the best way for a pick-me-up was to buy fabric. I bought 1 m of cotton lawn with a slightly different top in mind however at the last minute changed my mind and decided to make a Granville. But due to fabric constraints it would have to be sleeveless! Not a style that I have ever worn before however I wanted to at least give it a try - after all I managed to waste the other 1.5 m on a top which looked so dreadful that I turned it into a cover for my over locker :-\

The fabric I used was this blue lawn which I think was £8/m. It handled really well and to be honest as I was being super lazy making this up I finger pressed most of the seams. And they held! Based on my measurements and the finished measurements I cut a 10 - and I think the fit is ok! There are a few areas that I want to tweak but then this is more of a wearable muslin so these were to be expected. I do however really like the way the sewaholic patterns make up on me and given that I used this size for previous patterns I was confident that this would leave me with a shirt that was quite wearable after a first pass.

To make the shirt sleeveless I followed the directions as presented here and here. I like the fact the sewaholic blog shows pictures of how to do this as I work so much better with illustrative examples. As this was the first time I had made this shirt I really didn't have much to go on with taking length off from the shoulders and armseye so I started with an inch at the shoulder and 1 cm at the yoke like in the (sewaholic) tutorial. It seemed a legit method... When it came to adding the binding on the armholes I used 0.68 inch bias binding to the raw edge to help remove some of the excess which still existed cutting this down so that there was only about a half inch on the inside. The next time I make up this sleeveless version I will be a bit braver and cut a little more off the shoulders and armseye and add in a little at the underarm because it seems a little loose for me here.

This was my first completed shirt and I have to admit I did find the collar instructions a little confusing but I think it worked out OK - if we ignore the different coloured collar stand... When I was cutting the shirt out I didn't think this would matter too much and the stand wouldn't be too noticeable, however I'm good with a random print on print eyesore!

I did really like how the method of attaching the yoke left lots of neat internal seams! As I have only ever made the Negroni before this shirt I'm not sure if there is another alternative method which works too?

I definitely want to make up another few of these shirts with the noted fitting adjustments - maybe even a few with varying lengths of sleeves... I also need to take some of the volume of fabric out of the front - another dart maybe or even just sizing down the front pieces as the fit is quite loose here but works well on the back (save for the usual excess which I was too scared to pre-empt!). Alternatively I may use this tutorial found on the curvy sewing collective blog. All I will say on the matter of making more shirts though is before I do make any more tops I will have to start on that objective of making trousers! (Please don't judge me on the horriffic state of my ancient RTW trousers!!!)

Has anyone else made up either of the two newish sewaholic blouses? I'm really feeling the sleeveless shirt look now :-)

Take care guys and have a great easter weekend!

JCS x