Opal Ogden Camillia

I’m not sure what to call this combined outfit, so hence the strange title! This is the Opal Cardigan from Paprika Patterns, True Bias Ogden cami and Magdalena Langa Camellia skirt.

Opal Cardigan

This has been on my wishlist for a while. I decided on view B but with a round neck. This view is thigh length and has patch pockets.

This fabric is a wool with very little stretch from a shop in Oamaru on South Island. It has a pale grey back and the front has a pale pink lacy front. It was not cheap! But I fell in love with it and it had to come back with me. Straight away it was going to be a coatigan and this seemed the perfect pattern. The problem was it was so thick, my poor machine really didn’t like sewing it once I got more than two layers. Attaching the pockets and the neck binding was not easy. The neck binding is stitched to the main body of the coatigan by hand, it was not possible to stitch it down as I might normally.

The pattern is easy to follow. It’s not a difficult pattern anyway, but the instructions and images were clear and if I’d got a thinner fabric it would have gone together lots quicker! I even managed to break a needle on my overlocker due to the thickness! Ouch!

I’m not sure why my pockets are so high. I thought I’d followed the position on the pattern, but it seems not! They are quite high and look a bit odd, however due to the fabric thickness and the fact it’s a nighmare to unpick this the pockets will have to stay put for now!

My version also seems to be a lot bigger than the samples online. I increased the seam allowances to 5/8″ to cope with the thick fabric and sewed them as such, but it still seems to be big. Perhaps I should have cut between a size 4 an 6.

The deets
Fabric:  Double thickness wool from the Oamaru Silk Centre.
Notions:  Thread
Pattern:  Paprika Patterns Opal Cardigan, size 6
Changes made:  None really, except to increase the seam allowances to 5/8″ to deal with the fabric thickness.

Another one/recommendations:  Even though I’m kinda on the fence about this one in the end, it could most likely be due to my fabric choice. I like it, but it is just really big, it’s very cosy though! I might just try it again with a more forgiving fabric. I will lower the pockets an also shorten the sleeves. It’s just difficult with this fabric to unpick anything. I had to use my walking foot with a ball point needle with the longest stitch length and very narrow zig zag.

Ogden Cami

Definitely late to the party with this one. So many of these have been in the blogasphere and I’ve only just made one up. Being this late to the party means you can read lots and lots of other sewers comments and reviews. Result 🙂

Taking other reviews on board, I raised the front neckline and also made the straps a bit wider. I lengthened the whole thing by about an inch and a half. I also lengthened the facing, I read somewhere that someone else with larger girls needed to lengthen the cami and the facing to make it sit better over those larger girls than on the True Bias sample!

Since this was really intended to be a muslin, I finished the seams with my overlocker rather than using French seams which might have been better with this fine fabric. However, I’m really impressed with my rolled hem. Check this out!

I think raising the neckline must have shifted the alignment of the straps and they drag into the middle showing off my bra straps. It’s a shame, since I actually really like this top. I’m sure I can find some contraption to pull the neck wide to cover my straps though. I hardly used the instructions, it wasn’t rocket science to put together and went together so quickly.

The deets
Fabric:  I’m not sure, something floaty and fine which I got as a remnant. Lined with a black silk crepe.
Notions:  Thread
Pattern:  True Bias Ogden Cami, size 14
Changes made:  Front neckline raised, straps widened, shell lengthened and facing also lengthened.

Another one/recommendations:  This was intended to be a muslin and this is definitely a wearable one. I don’t care that it doesn’t cover my bra straps, cos I love it! When that summer comes (it’s oh so far away at the moment), I’ll be making more. I definitely need them from floaty fabric, or I’ll need to take in the hips, else I’ll be looking a tad pregnant! I’ve worn this quite a bit already. I went across to Sydney for work the other week and it was perfect for the evenings with a cardi on top.

Camellia skirt

What’s that pattern, I hear you say? Yeah, this is not a well known designer, but check this out. It’s a lined pencil skirt with four darts, three pleats and a back vent. I love me a pencil skirt!

I had so many problems putting this together. The instructions to make the pleats on the bodice and attach the lining were just a nightmare. The instructions are not clear at all. The images are in a different place to the words and it’s just difficult to follow. In the end, I followed my intuition and made it up. The top pleat still didn’t stay flat and I had to use teeny tiny pick stitches to ensure it laid flat. Possibly as a consequence the top pleat seems slightly misaligned, but you can’t see the pick stitches! I ended up not really using the instructions for the remainder of the make.

There is a dart on either side around hip height. It’s the strangest dart I’ve ever seen, but works. There’s also darts for the back waist.

This pattern comes without seam allowances added, so you’ll need to make sure you add these when cutting out. I added around half an inch. I wasn’t sure how the fit would be, so added that little bit extra just in case I needed to give myself more space.

I pattern does have a pocket on the back, but I decided not to add this. I also changed the zip from an invisible zip to a lapped zip. I’m not a fan of sewing invisible zips and I couldn’t find one in my stash, hence the invisible zip. The waistband I didn’t use the pattern piece for, I just used my waistband stiffening and made a straight band to fit the skirt.

The lining is a grey polyester lining I had in stash. I’d have loved a pink lining, but I wanted to use up stash rather than buy more. I decided to hem the skirt using purple hug snug.

The deets
Fabric:  Grey stretch polyester suiting with a pale pink stripe from Arthur Toye. Possibly bought in 2013, I think! A grey polyester lining from stash.
Notions:  Thread, interfacing for the waistband, zip and a button.
Pattern:  Magdalena Langa Camillia skirt, size 12. I got it from IndieSew, but it’s also available on Etsy.
Changes made:  I didn’t use the waistband piece drafting my own to fit my waistband interfacing, but other than that no changes.

Another one/recommendations:  I like my skirt and I’ve worn it a couple of times this month. I’m not sure I’ll be making another one. I don’t know what has happened to the skirt above the top pleat, it seems to have twisted on the waistband somehow. It might be the stretch fabric. It was just such a nightmare to sew the pleats, that it’s kinda put me off making another. The fit however, is really good and I’m happy I didn’t need to make any adjustments.

Phew! What a lot of photos and what a completely mixed set of items, but a whole new outfit. Time will tell if I actually wear them all. The skirt and cami already have been worn, but I need to get the coatigan in as regular wear, otherwise I can see that sitting on the shelf and not being worn.

Link to my own blog post with some more photos is here. That is me now done for IPM 2017. Over and out, see you next year! Phew! If I’m worn out, I reckon our editors must be completely had it! Thanks folks for all the planning and posting.