Cotton Boxer Shorts

The first of the bundle of fabrics I had pledged to sew this year, is done. These two cotton plaids could have been short-sleeved summer shirts, but as I mentioned, husband hasn't worn summer shirts in years. He used to, but lately he prefers T-shirts, so the next best thing for these fabrics was to turn into boxer shorts.

And I can assure you, they made husband really happy. I know cotton boxer shorts are not everybody's choice, but husband prefers them and over the years I've perfected the pattern from Shkatulka.

Pattern: Men's Boxer Shorts with a faux fly by Shkatulka

Size: 52

Fabric: cotton plaid

Time to make: one week

I've had the pattern for at least three or four years now. I just checked and size 52 is still free for downloading, if you want to try them. They are quick and easy to make and they even come with a video tutorial. Years ago, when I made them for the first time, I found the video very useful and inspiring, so I do recommend the pattern, though I suppose there are plenty of similar patterns online.

This pattern features a faux fly, which makes the boxer shorts look just a tiny bit more professional and interesting. If you don't want to trouble yourselves with the faux fly, you can of course skip it and just sew the front pieces together similar to the back pieces.

For the elastic I've found, that the most comfortable and stable solution is two rows of 1 cm wide elastic - it is sturdy enough, but not too stiff, as a wider single piece elastic, which I prefer to use for joggers and pants.

The easiest first two fabric pieces are done, now on to the next project, something for myself :)

Burda 6202 with Roses

A simple set I made this week for Gaby - raglan blouse Burda 6202 and a pair of panties from the remnants of the fabric. I bought the fabric from a store for Italian textile, where I shop fabrics from time to time and I think it is the same print as this fabric I sеwed for Gaby last year, but in different colors.

I asked for 1 m of the fabric, but when I returned home and washed it, I found that I had only 82 cm. I was of course, a bit upset, but I still managed to make exactly the blouse I had in mind, with a pair of panties, as I had planned it, so all was good in the end and I was even super proud with myself and patting myself on the shoulder for my fabric-Tetris mastery :)

The pattern I used is one I've been rediscovering lately - Burda 6202 raglan top. I made a similar one for myself early in the summer and I soon found, that I did not like the wide elastic, so I replaced the elastic with a cuff and I've been wearing that blouse with preference ever since. So, I thought Gaby might enjoy a similar one as well. It is, of course, another matter when she will get it, but as the pattern is more or less classic, I don't think passing fashion would be an issue.

Pattern: Burda 6202 from Burda Catalogue 1 / 2020

Size: 36, shortened

Fabric: cotton knit fabric, 82 cm.

Time to make: 2 days

Pattern: Megan Nielsen Acacia

Size: 0

Fabric: cotton knit fabric

Time to make: 1 day

 

Lingerie

I've piled again some new makes, needing photographing. 

Because lingerie takes so little fabric, soon after embracing clothes sewing I was hooked on making our own lingerie, mostly for myself and husband.

Although my first experience with Megan Nielsen Acacia Underpants was not very successful, I went down a size, changed the shop, from which I buy the elastic, and now these are my go-to undies for myself. I made two new pairs, using fold-over elastic for one and lingerie elastic for the other.

Pattern: Megan Nielsen Acacia Underpants

Size: 0

Fabric: cotton jersey

Time to make: 2 days

I also sewed two pairs of boxers for husband. Cotton boxers are his preferred underwear in these hot summer days and I've perfected the Shkatulka pattern to fit him comfortably.

Patter: Shkatulka Men's Boxers

Size: 52, modified

Fabric: cotton

Time to make: 2 days

Leopard Tunic

I watched and read quite a few disappointed reviews of the latest Burdastyle magazine 06 / 2021, but for me this is one of the best issues lately. I want to sew at least five or six of the patterns and I was lucky to win three of them free by participating in a survey on the Burda ru site. 

My first make is top # 114. I had a piece of rayon knit, a fairly large remnant from a Movie Night Pajamas I made for myself two months ago. I'm definitely not an animal print person and this fabric wouldn't have been my first choice if it wasn't for its tempting price (it was on discount) and super soft and stretchy texture. I do not regret sewing my pajamas for a minute, they are definitely the most comfy PJ I've ever had and frankly - my preferred piece of clothing, if only I could stay in my pajamas all day :)))

I hate to throw away fabric and I try to use up all of my remnants, so I was saving the remaining leopard print for probably a t-shirt of some sorts, but hadn't gotten to it. And when I won the three Burda patterns, it occurred to me that the leopard rayon knit would be ideal for a wearable muslin for  top #114.

The top, which is the shortened version of dress #113, the actual pattern I got, is tailored and features a gathered bust area. As I am fairly slim and small busted, such dress design is very flattering on me and I plan to make at least two more versions of this pattern - a short black dress and a long flower print dress. I don't have the fabrics for neither of these future dresses, but that's my plan, anyway.

As Burda patterns are made for height 168 and I am 156 cm and I have narrow shoulders and back, I had to make quite a few mods on the pattern:

• I shortened both the front and the back by 2 cm above the waist
• I shortened additionally the back by 2 cm at the level of the arm opening
• I eliminated the dart at the back neckline
  
• I narrowed the back by straightening the line from the waist to the neck
  

Trying to match my animal print to the texture of the rocks around :)

Pattern: Burda top #114 06/2021

Size: 36, modified

Fabric: rayon knit

Time to make: 2 days

 

 

This is the Movie Night Pajamas I made for myself from the same fabric, I can't recommend enough this free and supercomfy pattern!

And because I still had some scraps, I made a pair of bikinis for myself as well, using Megan Nielsen's Acacia pattern and two different types of elastic for the finishing. Ever since I bought my serger I haven't bought a single pair of undies (blushing) I love sewing them from scraps, they take so little fabric and are such fun to make!

Movie Night Pajamas

A few lounge wear items I made recently for Gaby - Love Notion's Leggin's size 14 and the top of Women's Movie Night Pajamas by Sew a Little Seam.

I had been eyeing this yellow butterfly bamboo knit for a while specifically with these pajamas in mind and when I finally decided that I like it enough  - it was gone, just about a meter left. I bought the remnant and made the top of the pajamas, but now I'll have to find a matching fabric for the bottom. 

I chose the crew neck with the placket style and long sleeves, but I don't think I'll be making more pajamas with buttons - so much work for nothing. Still, I wanted to experiment with the placket as I also bought a piece of fabric, intended for a t-shirt with a placket, so the practice on these pajamas was definitely useful.

Pattern: Movie Night Pajamas by Sew a Little Seam

Size: 0-2, shortened

Fabric: 100% bamboo knit

Time to make: 2 days

 

I had about 30-40 cm of fabric left, so I made a matching bikini.

Pattern: Acacia by Megan Nielsen

Size: 0 

Fabric: 100% bamboo knit

Time to make: 1 day

Lingerie

Three pairs of undies I made using the overlocker and discarded T-shirts. For all of these I followed the excellent step-by-step tutorial by TomKat Stitchery and two patterns - my true-and-tried Shkatulka pattern and the Megan Nielsen Acacia Underpants. Both of these patterns came free - the Shkatulka is free for my size and you can get the Acacia for free when you subscribe for the newsletter.

These are the Shkatulka undies, which where the first I tried with the overlocker, when  I still didn't have enough black bobbins, so one of the threads is light blue. I like the fit of the Russian 40 size (xs), my only gripe is with the height of the back, which I am still trying to reduce, without narrowing the leg openings. For this pair I used lingerie elastic.

 

These are the first of the Acacia Underpants, size 2, using lingerie elastic. Although I cut the elastic at 85% of the circumference of the openings, I got the lettuce effect and the undies do not hug me. The leg openings and the waist are wider than needed and I'm not sure if I have to go up or down a size for better fit, but these are not a success.

 

The second Acacia pair is however even worse. I decided to try the method, suggested by Whitney - using strips of elastic cotton knit instead of lingerie elastic, attaching the strips the same way as you would for the neckbinding of a T-shirt. Although my navy cotton knit is very stretchy and with excellent elastic recovery, it does not hold the undies steady and I do not feel them comfortable.

All of these notes are not a criticism of the pattern and the methods for constructing undies, but rather a review of my failure to fit the pattern to my preferences. I'm going to try a third time the Acacia, going down a size and using different fabric, to make sure that I've explored all avenues.

 

Make That Look: Terranova Crop Top

In my favourite fabrics shop downtown I came upon a 50 cm remnant of this sweet viscose knit and I snatched it for a crop top for Gaby. This summer she's been wearing a RTW crop top by Terranova and I knew I could make her a similar one.

On a different note, RTW t-shirts now during the sales at the end of summer are so cheap, that to a non-sewist all that money I've spent into buying sewing machines, fabric, threads and needles (and I'm expecting my own labels to arrive any time soon) seem totally pointless. But it's never been about saving money and it's not even about higher quality, though I try, it's about the love for creating, that's all.

To recreate the pattern, I used as a basis a T-shirt pattern by Shkatulka, which I cropped, extended and further modified to match the original crop top. I even made a mock sample out of a white promotional T-shirt I was about to turn in for recycling - to my surprise it turned out quite nice, Gaby liked it and might wear it at home.

The main seams are sewn on the overlocker, the back of the neck is covered with a band from the same fabric (youtube tutorial here), I cleaned the hem edges on the overlocker and then sewed them on the Elna with twin needle. NB! Always check the settings of the machine when using twin needle - I had forgotten mine on zigzag stitch and of course, I broke my only stretch twin needle :(, so I had to hem the blouse with the twin needle for wovens, using paper straps to make it work on my knit fabric.

After I finished the crop top, I had a small piece of the fabric left, so I made a pair of matching undies. The pattern I used is again one from Shkatulka I've sewn already six times and I know it's a good pattern, though I'm still fiddling with the fit, trying to perfect it.

All in all, pretty happy with this set!