La Bella Donna - More Inclusive Than Ever

Pattern - Love Notions La Bella Donna
Skill Level - Confident Beginner
Fabric - Discovery Fabrics Bamboo French Terry
Skills - Hemming, Pressing

Love Notions' popular pattern, La Bella Donna, has been re-tested and re-issued.  This super-easy and oh-so-comfortable pattern is now sized XS to 5XL.  What's more, it now has a full bust pattern piece. It comes with three sleeve options; short, three-quarters and full length.  You can make it with the scoop neck or have a hood or cowl instead.  And for finishing off?  Hem, facing or shirt band.  It comes in shirt and tunic length.  As usual, there are so many options!

The pattern calls for medium weight knit fabrics with at least 40% stretch, and I chose to make mine from Discovery Fabrics' Bamboo French Terry in a lovely periwinkle blue.  This fabric has beautiful drape and stretch and is so comfortable to wear.  Everything I've bought from Discovery Fabrics has been top quality and the service is great.

I chose to make my latest La Bella Donna with three-quarter sleeves as I'm always pushing them up anyway.  It's such a comfortable length for me.  There's a long cuff, but the seam is above my elbow - the perfect spot.  This is a very quick pattern to sew - so few pieces!  Body, optional cowl/hood, sleeve cuffs/bands - that's it!

I don't know why I haven't made a cowl neck for myself before - I just love it.  And for a person "of a certain age" it's a perfect neckline!  Made in my French Terry, it drapes beautifully.  And once I sewed the cuffs and cowl on, all that was left to do was hem the bottom - I told you this was a quick pattern!

You have a choice of a band at the hips to finish or a hem which can simply be turned under a half inch and stitched, or faced and stitched.  I decided to hem.

You know I can't review a pattern without throwing in a hint or two, and since La Bella Donna has that flattering curved hem, I thought I would show you how easy it is to hem a curved edge.

The first thing I did was to turn the hem under .5" and secure with lots of long pins.  And then you notice that the curved hem gives you lots of bulges.  Don't panic - it's easy!

This is where your steam iron comes into play - I hate ironing, but I can't sew without my steam iron. Simply press the iron on the bulges and they shrink!  And now you can see why you use long pins.

And just like magic, the bulges are flat.  And if you wind up with a tuck or two, it doesn't matter because it's on the inside of the garment.

Let's look more closely:

Before

After

After you've stitched your hem (I did mine on my coverstitch) you may notice some waviness.  Time to press again.

I turn my  iron sideways and slide it gently down the body towards the hem.  And any waviness is a thing of the past.

La Bella Donna - which is Italian for beautiful lady - is a pattern that is quick and easy to make and the result is an attractive, comfortable garment.  There are so many options that you can make it time after time and each one will be unique.  If you bought this pattern in the past, you can get the updated version in your Downloads on the Love Notions website.  If you don't have it - you need it!  You can get it from my affiliate link below.

Love Notions La Bella Donna sizes XS to 5X

Forte and Chitosante for summer comfort

Pattern - Love Notions Forte Top & Dress
Skill Level - Confident Beginner
Fabric - Discovery Fabrics' Chitosante Interlock
Skills - personal adjustments, markings, finishing seams when not hemming

Now that the warmth of summer is approaching, I needed a top that would provide coverage from the sun as well as keeping me cool - it's a tall order!  But with the right pattern and the right fabric I knew I could do it. (To see a picture in more detail, simply click on it.)

First of all, the fabric.  I had 2 metres of an amazing fabric from Discovery Fabrics called Chitosante Interlock.  You may not have heard of this before, but the properties are mind-blowing!  It's a polyester fabric made with chitosan, which is biomass from crab or shrimp shells combined with textile fibres.  It's antibacterial, odor-resisting, moisture-wicking, breathable, fast-drying, pill resistant and as if that wasn't enough, has UPF 50.  I'm not sure you could ask for anything more in a fabric!  It's also light as air and doesn't curl (psst - no hemming needed!)

And as for the pattern, I'd already made a few Love Notions' Forte Tops - view B - which is fitted on the bust, but loose and airy below.  And it's a sure sign that you love a pattern when you already have several hanging in the closet and are prepared to make more!  It's one of my favourite patterns.

I also knew that there would need to be a few adjustments made to the pattern to fit my unique body.  I am 5'8" tall and usually have to add to allow for my height. 

I have to put some of that addition above the bustline so that my full bustline matches the pattern's.  This is especially important for the Forte View B so that the seamline is below the fullness of the bust.  The last thing I want at my age is to look pregnant!  So I add 1.5" above the bustline.

I also need another inch for my height, so I add that to the skirt part.

Having added 2.5" to the front, I now needed to add the same amount to the back and I distributed it in 2 spots, just as I did for the front.

This taken care of, I now had to decide on the sleeve.  I love the bell sleeve - it's so classy looking - but for everyday wear, I needed something a little shorter.  I decided to make the bell 8.5" long, but I would need more flare.

I slashed into the shortened bell 3 times, spread the pieces 1" apart at the ends and taped them in place.  I would add this to the sleeve cut on the bell line so that the end of the sleeve would fall below my elbow.

Pattern adjustments made, I was ready to cut and sew!  But I always have to throw in a few tips, don't I!

Marking

Transferring pattern marks is so important!  I use multi-coloured quilting pins and designate a certain colour for each marking to make sure I'm putting the pattern together correctly.

For sleeves, I use yellow for the shoulder seam, white for the front marking and the green pin goes right between the 2 marks for the back.  I use those same coloured pins for the armscye of the bodice.  I used orange pins for the skirt and bodice marks and made a mental note which side of the skirt was the side seam - so easy to get mixed up if you don't take care!

When Not Hemming

My Chitosante Interlock doesn't have a curl and because it's so light, I decided not to hem the sleeves or bottom.  I needed, however, to make sure that the ends of the seam were secure.

Both seams were serged, so I threaded the serger tail back through the seam and finished it off with a dab of Fray Stop.

I love my new Forte made with Chitosante Interlock - it's like wearing thistledown!  I know that I'll be comfortable and protected through whatever summer decides to throw at me.  If you'd like to check out this amazing fabric and the wonderful pattern I made it in, there are affiliate links below.

Discovery Fabrics - Specializing in technical and performance fabrics for outdoor and activewear.

Love Notions Forte Top and Dress - XS - 5XL

Love Notions' Octave Coat - and a few hints

Pattern - Love Notions' Octave Coat - XS to 5XL

Skill Level - Intermediate

Fabric - Discovery Trekking Outfitters' Polartec Windpro Stretch
Skills - making belt loops, marking, pressing, hemming

Love Notions' newest pattern is a stylish coat with either a shawl collar or a dramatic hood.  You have the option of a button closure or a belt - or choose both!  It comes to mid-thigh which is the perfect length for covering a tunic top.  You can make it lined or unlined and the pattern includes the new expanded sizing.  It even has a full bust pattern piece!

The Octave Coat is drafted for woven fabrics but can be made with stable knits as well.  I chose to make my coat with Discovery Trekking Outfitter's Polartec Windpro Stretch fleece - a fabric I fell in love with the moment I laid hands on it!  It's light, yet warm and is water repellant and wind resistant.  It cut and sewed beautifully and has just the right stability for this pattern.

I've bought a few coat patterns over the years - some I've tried and failed at and others I was just too intimidated to try.  Until now! I found the Love Notions Octave Coat a much easier sew than I was thinking it might be.  Tami's patterns often have videos to take the mystery out of some of the techniques and this pattern is no exception.  You will find a video to help you with the unique pocket construction and two to walk you through steps in lining the coat.  And I have a few hints to help you along!

Making Belt Loops

When I took a serger course, I learned a quick and easy way to make belt loops. 

First, serge a tail that is longer than the loop pattern piece.

Tuck the tail in the centre of the pattern piece and leave it hanging out the end.  Now fold the loop piece over the tail, keeping the tail in the fold - well away from your needles.

Serge your seam allowance - in this case .5".

Use the tail to pull the loop right side out.  My fabric was thick and I had to work a bit to get it started.

And there's your belt loop!

Marking

Make sure you transfer all the pattern markings to your pattern pieces.  I use coloured pins for sleeve/armscye markings and always use one colour for the back markings and another for the front ones so that I never get mixed up.  The markings for the pockets, though, require something a little different.  I found a fine felt marker that contrasted with my fabric.  Since my fabric was quite thick, I wasn't worried about it bleeding through, but you can get fabric markers that will wash out - or you could use tailor's chalk.

I insert a pin through the marking on the wrong side of the fabric and pull back the pattern piece so I can apply a mark to where the pin goes in the fabric.

After I've transferred all the pocket markings for that piece, I give each one another dab to make sure they're clearly visible.

Pressing

I hate ironing clothes but I simply couldn't sew without an iron.  Some fabrics, however, aren't supposed to be ironed, and my fabric fell into that category.  You can still give those seams a press, however - all you need is a pressing cloth.  Mine is an old piece of sheeting.

Set the iron temperature for as low as it will go and still provide steam. Prepare your seam for pressing - is it pressed open or do you need to press it to one side?  Put a cloth over the seam and press over the cloth.  That's all there is to it!

Hemming

The Octave Coat has a slight curve to the hem and that means that unless you allow for that, you'll have tucks in the hem.  That might not matter in a thinner fabric - such as cotton/spandex - but in thicker fabrics it might distort the hem and I want it to look clean on the inside, too.

To get around that, I serged the raw edge of the hem with the differential on my serger turned up.  This draws the fabric in a little.  Now when I pin it, I can give it a good press and I don't need to worry about tucks.

The Octave Coat can be made in woven or stable knits like I used and covers sizes XS to 5XL.  The videos and clear, concise instructions will help you walk through the construction.  It can be dressed up or made more casual depending on which fabric you use.  Comfortable, stylish - this is a coat that belongs in everyone's closet!  You can get the pattern through my affiliate link below.

Love Notions' Octave Coat

Serging a Vented Seam

If you have a serger, you kinda want to use it everywhere!  You get such a neat, tidy seam, it's a shame not to be able to use it all the time.  Side seams with a vent had me stumped for a long time!  Sure you can stitch that seam with your sewing machine but I really want to have that seam finished with my serger!

Then Tami Meyer of Love Notions Patterns posted how to do it on Instagram!  Lightning bolts!  So that's how you do it!  So now I'm sharing it with you.

Straight stitch a couple of inches first

I took my pattern pieces to my sewing machine and straight stitched about 3 inches down to the stopping point in the vent.  Reverse a couple of stitches to secure the end of the stitching line.

Snip to the stitching line

Next I cut to the stitching line using the top of the vent as my guide.  Then I took it to my serger.

Serge the seam

Serge down the seam to near the bottom.  Fold the vent back so you don't catch it as you serge off the seam.  You can see in the above picture how I veered off, but the seam line is intact to the point.

Press the seam open

Steam press the seamline, with the seam going to the back side of your garment and the vents pressed open.

Now you're ready to hem.  I like to mitre my corners and show how on my post on the Game Day Jersey.  

If you have a coverstitch and would like to use that on your hem, here's a link to my blog post on coverstitching corners

Constellation - and a Tip or Two

Pattern:  Love Notions Constellation
Skill Level:  Confident Beginner
Fabric: Brushed French terry and cotton/spandex from l'oiseau fabrics
Skills:  Installing a zipper and reducing bulk in a hem.

The newest star of Love Notions is the Constellation.  This is the grownup version of the children's Navigator and one that will find a place in everyone's closet.  As usual with Love Notions patterns - options!  Do you want a hoodie or would you prefer a collar?  How about the hem - a fold-over on a curved hem or would you rather have a band?  It also lends itself beautifully to colour blocking!  While it does need to be made from fabric with at least 25% stretch, you can make it as light (cotton/spandex) or as heavy (sweatshirt fleece) as you want!  There's something here for everyone!

One of the things that really sets this pattern apart from other pullovers is the finish - no raw seams in evidence here!  Instead, a bias binding finish on the neck raises this to a professional look.  In fact, you'll want to show it off!

The Zipper

The zipper is such an easy install and as with so many Love Notions patterns, there are videos to help you - one for the zipper and another for the bias binding - that take all the mystery out of these steps.  I'm going to show you a trick I learned from a school chum of mine who is now a top-notch sewing instructor.  The way to make zippers behave is to use double-sided washable basting tape!

Once the outside piece of the collar has been attached to the body, you're ready to do the zipper.  Instead of using pins, I attach the first side of the zipper with double-sided washable basting tape.  I run the tape right down the edge of one side, trim at the bottom and then remove the paper topping.

Now I place one side of the zipper - just as the video shows - but instead of using pins, the tape holds everything securely in place.

Then I simply take it to my sewing machine, and with the zipper foot in place, I stitch right down this side of the zipper.

The other side of the zipper needs a little more care.  Again - watch the video to see how Kelly shows you how to make sure that your neck seam will match.  I pin that little bit and check to make sure my seams match.  When I'm sure that I have it in the right spot, I machine baste that small section and then put basting tape in all the rest and stitch on my sewing machine.  And just like that, you're done with the trickiest part of the sew!

The Bias Binding

Just a small hint for you here.  I love this finish so much that I make my own bias binding!  After I've stitched it to the inside collar piece, I trim just a hair off the edge of the seam so that it will fold over easily.

The Curved Hem

A curved hem is really not that difficult.  I use lots of pins to secure it in place.  You can see that the curve creates lots of bulges in the hem.  So now I bring on the iron.  I steam press the hem on the inside of the garment.  I just press down with the iron and that seems to shrink the fabric just a little.  With all the pinning, if there are any tucks created, they will be tiny.

And as you can see, I now have a nice flat surface for stitching.

The front of the Constellation poses another possible challenge.  The kangaroo pocket means you have a double layer of fabric which could result in a bulky hem that sticks out.  And there's a way to get around that.  After I've pressed the front portion of the pullover hem, I then take out the pins, and using the pressed fold of the pocket lining as my guide, I trim off 1" of fabric.  Then I fold the hem back in place and press it again.

Now I have a much less bulky hem to take to my coverstitch machine that will hang properly when I wear it.

I can see that I'll be making more of the Constellation Pullover.  Its options and the fabric I use will let me make each one a unique garment that I know I'll be getting lots of wear from.  If you don't already have this terrific pattern, you can get it through my affiliate link below

Love Notions Constellation Pullover

Sewing Tools Part 1 - Measuring

A dear friend suggested that I do some posts on sewing tools.  It struck me as an excellent idea!  Some of these little gadgets I'd be totally lost without and others I use infrequently, but am grateful for them when that time arises.  So let's start with measuring tools.

Cloth Tape Measure

Now this one is absolutely vital!  If you're planning on sewing clothes, you need accurate measurements!  Since I also do pattern testing, I even take my measurements before the beginning of each test.  It's a little disheartening - but definitely necessary!  These days, tailoring tape measures are generally made of a fibreglass material which resists stretching.  Just out of curiosity, I tested my tapes against a hard aluminum ruler and my cutting mat and was surprised to find that over 36", they were out!  One was 1/4" short and the other was 1/4" long! This probably wouldn't make much difference in a waist or bust measurement, but if you're gauging accuracy in a 1" square on a .pdf pattern, it would probably be better to use an inflexible measurement tool.

Rulers

There are times when you really need a straight edge and hard rulers are what you reach for.  The one I use most frequently is a quilting ruler 6" wide and 24" long.  Perfect for cutting cuffs and neckbands!  It also does double duty as a pattern weight on my cutting mat.  I have it secured to the bulletin board above my sewing counter within easy reach - a necessity as I use it every day.  A 6" plastic ruler and 36" aluminum ruler complete my collection.  Sometimes you need just a little ruler with both metric and imperial measurements and the 6" ruler fills that need.  If I need to cut bands longer than 24", or accurately cut a straight edge to a wide piece of fabric, the 36" ruler is invaluable. These last two items aren't used in my sewing room very often, but there are times when nothing else will do.

Seam Gauge and Hemming Gauge

The seam gauge is another tool I use constantly.  I use it for everything from marking hems to gauging the distance from stitching lines on my machines.  This tool is a definite necessity in my sewing room!  When I was searching out measuring tools for this post, I stumbled upon my old hemming gauge which I haven't been using, but checking out the various markings on it, I can see I should try it again - especially for those curved hems.  It has curved hem markings from 1/4" all the way up to 2 1/2" and can be used with an iron because it's made of aluminum.

Cutting Mat

My final measurement tool is my cutting mat and this one is a definite necessity!  Nearly all of my pattern cutting these days is done on a self-healing cutting mat with a rotary cutter.  So much easier and gentler on these aging hands!  I have 3 cutting mats - a small one by the sewing machine and 2 big 24"x36" ones for my cutting table.  The small one gets used for everything from cutting a quick cuff to providing a hard surface on my ironing board so that I can pin something in place.  The big cutting mats I simply couldn't sew without these days and their clear markings make sure that my straight edges are accurate.

Now there are definitely lots more specialized measuring tools, but these are the ones I find most handy.  In future posts, I'll explore tools for cutting, pressing and those accessories that defy categorization.  Stay tuned!