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Pattern testing

Pine Cove-Itch to Stitch, La Casa Cactus

The Pine Cove Pajamas

by Elsa 1 December 2020

I think I’m ready to hibernate! 2 PJ sewn in 2 weeks. If the first one was footed PJ’s, this one is much more classical. The Pine Cove Pajamas have been designed by Kennis Wong (Itch to Stitch).

This is a rather beginner-friendly pattern, but it’s a fabric hog! Hence my two-fabric Pine Cove.

The Pine Cove Pajamas pattern

Times have been tough lately. So I really need some comfy garments that bring a smile on my face.

The top is a wrap with ties (inside+ outside). The pants are loose, with an elasticized waist.

Nothing tricky there, which is great, but I would advise to be really careful when transferring the markings for the collar band.

I love the topstitching lines on the waist elastic. No fear of twisted elastic in the future!

My fancy pajamas

This charmeuse is from Minerva. The teal color, that has a subtle green hue, attracted me. I knew that it would become PJ’s so I ordered 3 m, being quite certain that I would have enough for the project I had in mind.

Alas, when the call for testers came, I had a shock when I read that for a size 10, I would need 4m20 of fabric…

So long, charmeuse PJ’s. Time for Plan B.

Fortunately for me, I had this printed fabric that had been waiting for a few months on my shelves. Once again, it was for a project, but once in hands, it didn’t have the right feel for that particular project. However, it worked great with the charmeuse.

The poplin being a bit stiff entailed the choice of charmeuse for the collar band. Since this is a rather slippery fabric, I used a fair bit of Wondertape.

You can’t see it, but ther’s a pocket on the right side and 2 slits at the bottom of the top.

So, are you convinced? Will you indulge into some fancy pajamas?

Pattern: Pine Cove Pajamas

Fabrics: charmeuse and poplin

Notions: Wondertape

#itchtostitch #pinecove #minervamakers

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1 December 2020 0 comment

Palermo in Sew Beautiful, La Casa Cactus

Needles and Threads Pattern testing Sewing for me

Palermo a “Sew Beautiful” dress

by Elsa 15 November 2020

As soon as I saw the first sketch of the Palermo dress back late 2019, I knew I had to test it.

Palermo is one of the patterns included in Kennis Wong’s new book, Sew Beautiful, available on Dec. 8 2020. Kennis is the mastermind behind the Itch to Stitch patterns. Ah, ITS patterns, how I love them!

You may have already read about my Carlsbad cardigan. Now is the time for my favorite pattern of all the patterns in the book (I may be a bit partial since I haven’t sewn all of them yet!). I plan to give a thorough review of the book a bit later. We’re currently on lockdown and I may not have the right fabrics for each project.

Palermo is a flowy dress, with a tiered skirt and elastics.

Such an easy pattern for a quick make.

The pattern

A very simple design for a blouse or a dress: a peasant neckline (i.e. elastic around the neckline) with a cute V, elastics at the wrists, and a tiered skirt. You may tie a sash for a more fitted look since the dress is really loose.

The front is not cut on the fold so you may want to play with topstitching. Mine is hidden in the motif however.

What’s tricky with the appearance of simplicity is to get a pattern that is technically perfect and has the right drape, the best look, and the instructions that go with all of the above. Kennis is a designer that knows her job and this dress is effortlessly simple and chic.

One Palermo in fall hues

Right from the start, I kew what fabrics I would used. Which is no small feat for me!

I had some viscoses from the Coupons de Saint Pierre. Viscose is one the fabrics mentioned for this pattern since it has the right weight and drape.

And here I am with a beautiful dress, the colors of which go perfectly with the season.

See how the skirt flows (it was rather windy):

I prefer wearing it with a sash. Or you could add a belt of your liking. I’m not a big fan os gathering, but I did quite a bit of gathering on the tiered skirt. I used the serge method for the large flounce, but used my tried and true pin gathering method for the others. The “pin” method takes more time, but I manage my gathers much better with it.

The “pin” method: I mark the centers on both pieces, pin, mark the centers again on the new halves, pin, repeat endlessly.

I tried many gatherings methods, from the serger to the zigzag-over-dental-floss one (not very efficient…at least, your fabric smells peppermint!), but I always come back to my “pin” method.

I think that this dress will also look nice with tights when the weather will be colder.

I may sew the blouse version. I don’t have a peasant blouse in my wardrobe…yet.

I hope that you enjoyed seeing my Palermo dress.

And a photo session wouldn’t be right at La Casa Cactus without a cute furry friend, Sephora, the barn cat (he’s a HE, we thought he was a lady when he was a kitten).

Pattern: Palermo (from Kennis Wong’s Sew Beautiful book)

Fabrics: Viscoses (Les Coupons de Saint-Pierre)

Instagram: #palermodress #palermoblouse #sewbeautifulbook

This article may contain affiliate links.

15 November 2020 0 comment

Carlsbad in Sew Beautiful, La Casa Cactus

Needles and Threads Pattern testing Sewing for me

Carlsbad, Sew Beautiful’s new cardigan

by Elsa 12 November 2020

It’s been tricky to keep this project secret! The pictures you will see date from Dec. 2019!!!

Carlsbad is one of the patterns I sewed as a tester for Kennis Wong’s first book, Sew Beautiful. Kennis is the designer behind Itch to Stitch patterns and she will release her book on Dec. 8.You know how much I love her patterns and I was delighted to be chosen as a tester for some of the patterns of the book.

Sew Beautiful‘s patterns are aimed at the beginner seamstress, but I will talk about it in detail in another post.

First, let’s take a look at Carlsbad.

Looking plain but…

Carlsbad is a cardigan with no closure system. Much easier for the beginner, right?

That cardigan shows a cascade front that reminded me of the Hvar jacket (I wrote an article about it when it was released).

However, contrary to Hvar that is sewn using wovens, Carlsbad is sewn using knits. Because of the cascade, the knit must have very good drape.

My Carlsbad cardigan

I had some leftover of that striped woolen knit from Lolie shop that I had already used for one Itch to Stitch pattern, the Aveiro cardigan (more about it). But I didn’t have enough so I cut the sleeves in sweater knit.

The drape of striped knit was enough to make a very nice cascade feature at the front.

Hidden detail: the mitered corner of the hem. I love this kind of detail in homemade clothing. You notice it only if you’re close enough, but it brings so much joy to have such a beautifully finished corner. Kennis explains in details how to sew it and it’s so rewarding!

In the end, you get a lovely cardigan that you can easily dress up or down, make with sleeves or sleeveless, and no small feat, can sew it fast.

Pattern: Carlsbad, from the book Sew Beautiful by Kennis Wong (designer of Itch to Stitch)

Fabric: wool knit (Lolie Shop)

Instagram: #carlsbadcardigan #carlsbadvest #sewbeautifulbook

This article may contain affiliate links.

12 November 2020 0 comment

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