Toni 3 with Mods

It’s a Toni Jim, but not as we know it……

First one was as per pattern: second one was as per pattern with the centre front seam left open.

Third one is this…..

The other day I went away for the weekend to the north coast where I met a fabulous lady from America. I’ve now met two fabulous ladies from America who read this blog, sew and travel. They don’t specifically  travel to Ireland just to see me of course but it’s always nice to combine the two. Are all ladies who sew fabulous in America?

Wendy is from Boulder, Colorado (which I thought only existed in the Westerns). She teaches classes from a beautiful fabric shop and also sews very special things for a select client list. Her work is fabulous – can I use that word again without losing its potency?  But truly, her jackets are tailored but not conventional, little personal touches that elevate the wearer to absolute uniqueness: mostly sewn in silk or linen, always muslined first and lined. She makes her own patterns and is a living, breathing, walking encyclopedia about fabrics, style, techniques and colour. Wendy is building a website at the moment and I can’t wait to show you her work when it goes live.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, knowing that we were meeting, Wendy carried all the way from Boulder a length of fabric just for me. Truly kind. I’m rarely gifted fabric but when I am I always feel a little pressured into making something  special with it.

I received about 2.5m of burn-out cotton/poly jersey, very akin to a Marcy Tilton fabric. One side is pure grey, the other is black with random circles cut out to reveal the grey backside. You know how I love my greys…….

I really wanted to maximise all the fabric in one garment and decided a top/T-shirt just wouldn’t do. I opted for a winter version of StyleArc’s Toni dress, with modifications.

First, I lobed off the pointy bits at the sides – mainly to fit on the fabric and secondly because the drapes just don’t work.

I also cut the back on the fold to avoid the centre back seam ruining the circles.

I used the ‘wrong’ side of the fabric for the collar and eliminated the in-seam pockets in preference for front patch ones.It would be really good if both pockets lined up…..duh!

I added full length sleeves by just using the pattern as a cutting guide at shoulder height and shaping down the width to fit my wrists – essentially two rectangles. And when folded back the insides match the collar and pocket tops.

It’s loose and long and I just adore the collar. Housewifey with a touch of elegance. So easy to wear – pair of boots and you’re ready!

The dress still has flare and drape even without the pointy bits but somehow is also elongating and skims the body without bulk or being baggy.

Thank you very much Wendy . This dress will (has) become a very firm wardrobe favourite.

Panelled Toni

Neglectful, that’s what I am. I’ve been sewing nearly everyday since the beginning of July and I’ve hardly shared a thing with you. So time to stop sewing, take a few photos as proof and start blogging.

Style Arc’s Toni dress has been on my To-Do list for months: I printed the PDF way back just waiting for the right fabric to find its way home to me. Surfing the net turned up some hits and misses with this pattern – let’s just say it’s not your regular dress and most of the misses are just not getting the drapes right which is not the sewer but the fabric. Style Arc sell both paper patterns from their online shop in Australia: they are also on Etsy for immediate PDFs.

The simplicity of this pattern is the key to this designer dress. The wide side drape falls softly into the narrow hemline. You will love the flattering collar that sits high on the neck and continues into the front “V” insert panel. This is such a comfortable, easy-to-wear dress with a designer look. STYLE ARC 

 

Loose and draped and long and with the best collar ever, Toni encapsulates the classy art teacher; the confident woman; the I’m not buying M&S again this year; the individual.

Let me show you these:

Thornberry

Cyberdaze

The Needle Works (double)

Material World

Pattern Review

MeggiPeg

 

Now, let’s step away from Toni for a moment and go to Mezzo  Couture and her ingenious use of bordered fabric. We all love a border print fabric but are often at a loss to make the most of it.

A very lightweight rayon from Croftmill, vignetted white to pink with line sketches of flowers and roots in black. I bought 3 panels. The most obvious way to use this fabric is to have the graduated tint running lengthwise down the body, white at the neck to pink at the hem. Let’s turn it 90 degrees instead: now we have one colour at the front and one colour at the back.

Of course, nothing ever goes to plan and there’s a major problem to be solved……….

Once the panel is folded for cutting it’s 5″ (10cm) short! There was a bit of patching and hacking and make-it-up-as-you-go-along style of sewing and I got the width needed to make the dress. NB: you need at least 48″ wide fabric for a single cut.

I’m only standing in front of the laundry just to show you that sometimes the sun does actually shine here and  it can actually get very warm. Having said that, white on white is maybe not such a good idea….

The drapes at the sides might need a weight stitched in to hold them down but this fabric is so lightweight that I’m wary of doing that and am happy to let things flow.

There’re pockets – but you all knew that already

I absolutely adore the collar but my little dumpy not-ballerina neck is not the best to showcase it. Just as well it can be worn folded down.

Indulge me enjoying the sunshine – you look at the dress and I’ll document this historic weather moment; the sky so blue it is reflected in the white sheets.

A Jekyll and Hyde dress this one – white on front and pink on back. Just a different way to use a panelled fabric.

Construction is fairly simple and straightforward: two fronts and backs with centre seams and remember StyleArc use 1cm. Collar and revers are the most complicated and really they’re not that complicated – take your time and mark the notches as you cut – the notches are very important. The side pockets are inseam and attached just above the flare for the ‘almost’ drapes’.

 

One of the last things to be sewn closed is the centre front, which got me thinking……

What if I didn’t sew up the front?????