Tasha Sews

Pattern Review: Simplicity 1460 I have been wanting a jean dress in my wardrobe for a while now and I decided to try it out using Simplicity 1460 . I have to admit I don't tend to go for vintage styles, but the scalloped neckline caught my eye. I chose to pair the bodice from view C with the peplum from view B. I wore this to work last week and this is how I styled it.  I am going to hold my hands up and admit that I should have done a muslin for this dress, especially as it has minimal options for fitting as I sew. I did have major fitting problems with the bodice. There was too much excess fabric in the top of the bodice and the sleeves extended too far. I removed the excess by adding in a 2" dart from the armhole to the bust and in the back from the armhole to the top of the back waist darts and reshaped the sleeves. I traced a new bodice pattern piece and was lucky enough to be able to cut them out of my already cut bodice fabric.  I cut a 16 all over,...

Pattern Review: Butterick 5454 At the beginning of September I went on holiday to Paris.  We were walking past the Galeries Lafayette where Diane von Furstenberg was paying homage to 40 years of the wrap dress. It was such an awesome window display, here is a very sunkissed photo that I snapped.  Suddenly it dawned on me that my current wardrobe does not contain a wrap dress. And I wanted one. Like right now. For this wrap dress I used Butterick 5454 , now OOP. I had made this pattern before ages ago in my pre-blogging days and knew that it would be perfect.  As you may have guessed, I am not a huge fan of dresses with sleeves, so I went for the flounce sleeved version, which is also a bit different and not hugely DVF in style. I cut a size 14 all over and made minimal changes My only alterations were to grade in a bit more boob coverage to the bodice pieces (aka a FBA) so I could wear this bad boy to work and I took 1.5" off the length, no reason reall...

Pattern Review - New Look 6123 I have been in stash-busting mode recently and knocked up another version of New Look 6123 . You can see my previous version here . I love that ponte knit makes you feel as though you are wearing pyjamas, and so coming into the colder months I can see a ponte knits having a large presence in my life. Especially being sat at work when it is dark outside! This teal ponte knit has been in my stash for a while and I knew that it would be perfect for this pattern. I picked this up from Fabricland during a trip to Bristol. Fabricland do a great selection of basic ponte knits for £3.99 per metre. When I wore this to work this week I had lots of comments on how lovely the colour is. Interestingly it looks less blue and more green in real life.  In true creative style I made the same view as last time - cutting a size 14 all over, and made the same adjustment to take out 2" at the top of the centre back. I graded this out to nothing where the...

Pattern Review - McCalls 6562 Similar to my cardigan , my Autumn sewing list has a focus on wardrobe staples. For my September Garment of the Month I decided to add in cute going out top. I do love a good dress, but as London can be pretty casual I often head out with a nice top and jeans. This pattern is McCalls 6562  now out of print. I purchased the pattern when it was on sale and only for view E. I know I complain about pattern envelopes a lot on this blog, but I do think that the other views are pretty strange? I like to think that it is the fabric choice as Cennetta's version is super cute.  I mean look at this! It upsets me on so many levels. No wonder this pattern is discontinued.  Anyway, enough of my ranting and more about the construction. This top is a wearable muslin. This is not a style that I usually wear, and looking at the line drawings I was worried that it would not be fitted enough.  I sewed this version straight out o...

Pattern Review: New Look 6735 So everyone is telling me that Summer has come to an end. Although I am holding onto Summer and refusing to wear a jacket to work, I did rustle up this ( boring ) cardigan to see me through more transitional temperatures.  I used  New Look 6735 . From the envelope there is no way that I would have ever purchased this pattern. It is so not me. Or so I thought until I saw the lovely Andrea from Four Square Walls sporting a comfy houndstooth version . And as fate would have it I happened to snap up the pattern for £2 last Summer. The fabric is a ponte knit from Simply Fabrics purchased for £3 per metre. I wasn't sure how much I would like the final product or how much it would suit me, so in terms of fabric choice I was going along the wearable muslin route. Despite the super cheap price this ponte knit is soft and lovely to wear. I picked up the buttons from John Lewis.  The cardigan is really quick and easy. I cut...

It has been ages since I last posted! I have been travelling to with work to Chicago, Vancouver and Abu Dhabi and my fabric stash has grown considerably as a result. However, my sewing mojo disappeared for the month of July and August, but finally it seems to have returned. This pattern is New Look 6049  which I have made previously here . I was keen to try this in a non-stretch fabric as I was sure that it would affect the fit. I was right and as a result this version is slightly tight across the bust. I added 2.5 inches to the length and went out to a very generous size 16 at the hips to ensure that I would have ease to walk and sit comfortably. My final adjustment was to increase the narrow shoulder adjustment I had made previously. The neckline now lies flat which is great.  The fabric costs £3 and there was only 1 metre left when I picked it up at Nags Head Market in the Holloway area of London, close to where I live. I had originally gone to the market...

Pattern Review: Vogue 8725 I have been itching to make another version of  Vogue 8725 . I knew that I would love a version with a flared skirt for the summer, but I wasn't 100% keen on the front seam in the original pattern. So I opted to use my adjusted skirt from  Butterick 4443 .  I picked up this linen from Simply Fabrics priced at £4 per metre and knew instantly that it was destined for this dress. It is lined with dress lining also from Simply Fabrics (seriously, where else do I buy lining from these days??) priced at £1 per metre.  I don't have too much to add about this dress. For those of you that are new to this pattern I love that it has A,B,C and D cups. It makes the fit really easy. I cut a 14 all over and took it in a tad at the back and under the bust. Looking at it, I could probably have taken it in a touch more under the bust, but I like that it is comfy and allows me to breathe. This was a satisfying and quick sew and t...