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

Help Is On The Way!!!

I'm an administrator on the Love Notions Pattern Support page on Facebook and we often get requests for help from members new to sewing.  Love Notions has a team of administrators standing by to give help with the Love Notions patterns but there's a ton of information on the Love Notions website itself.  The menu bar on the Love Notions home page will give you links to so many helpful blog posts and articles

The Help Menu

This is where you'll find basic help.

Here you'll find information on log in problems, how to download and print your patterns, how to use the amazing layers function - things like that.

The Blog Menu

This has links to all the blog posts on Love Notions patterns and you can even search for blog posts on a specific pattern.

Maybe we've even done a sewalong on a pattern you're interested in or need help with - all of the sewalongs are linked on this page.

Resources

Then there's the Extras menu.

There's a wealth of information here but I'm going to talk about the Resources link in the Extras menu.

If you're not sure where to take your measurements, there's  a link here to a page you can download.  It shows you exactly where to take your measurements, and if you print it off, you can keep your measurements on the diagram.

There are links to articles on fitting, blending sizes, making alterations to patterns to fit your unique body, techniques such as changing necklines, and a host of other helpful items.

And then there are links to hacks and techniques.  Want to do a cold shoulder on a shirt?  Add a zipper to a pocket? Add a hood to a pattern that doesn't have that option?  You'll find instructions here.

And finally, there's the handy sewing techniques.  Here you'll find articles on sewing neckbands, how to sew in sleeves, hemming, buttons and buttonholes and so much more.  There's also pattern-specific help such as sewing the Trendy Tunic and Whistler pockets and how to do the burrito roll in the Cadence pattern.

And if you don't find the help you need through the website, ask in the Facebook group.  Tami Meyer has a whole team of people standing by to help you solve your problem so that you can wear your lovely new make!

Vanguard! For a Biking Shirt!

Pattern - Love Notions Vanguard Kit long sleeve tee
Skill Level - confident beginner
Fabric - Discovery Fabrics Polartec Delta
Skills - Colour blocking

My grandson is turning 9 in a few weeks.   For part of his present, he said he wanted a biking shirt with padded elbows.  I knew that I couldn't possibly make something that would give him proper protection, but my son assured me that what he really wanted was a shirt with a moto look.

- like the Moto Maxx pants I'd made him the previous year.  Okay - that I can do! (Click on any picture to see it in more detail.)

The Fabric

I had the perfect fabric on hand.  He loves athletic fabrics and Discovery Fabrics specializes in athletic fabrics.  I had 3 colours of Polartec Delta sitting on the shelves - marine blue, apple green and grey - and decided to use them all.

Polartec Delta is a wonderful fabric and I had previously used it to make competition shirts for my son and his training partner.

It's highly breathable, has superior wicking properties, regulated drying, reduced clinging, odor control and is highly durable.  You can see from the picture above that it's also constructed to pull moisture away from your body. Just what my hot-bodied grandson needs.

The Pattern

The Vanguard Kit is one of my most-used patterns.

There are all kinds of options built right in - even colour blocking.  But the colour blocking I had in mind, I was going to have to figure out myself.

Colour Blocking

I drew up and coloured a design of what I had in mind and then printed off and cut out the plain fronted shirt with long sleeves.

Then I drew lines on the pattern pieces and wrote the colour on each section also making a note of where I would have to add 3/8" for seam allowance.  I cut double the middle grey sleeve sections, because it was going to have moto stitching on it.  That was going to be the padded portion.

After cutting the colour block sections, I placed each colour with its fabric.  I was ready to cut out.

I didn't add a seam allowance as all my lines were going to be straight.  I used my ruler as the guide to add the seam allowance.

You can see on this piece that the seam allowances are all there.

Sewing

I worked on the front first.

I laid all the pieces out in order and working from the bottom up, pressing the seam allowance up (and I used a pressing cloth so the fabric wasn't damaged) and topstitched as I went.  The diagonal blue section was added last and topstitched.

Then on to the sleeves.

I laid them out just as I did with the front with the grey section being two layers, pressing the seams up and topstitching.

For the moto stitching, I drew lines with tailor's chalk.

I stitched the lines on my coverstitch machine.  I could have used my regular sewing machine, but I wanted this section of the sleeve to have lots of stretch.  I used a notch on my foot as my guide in stitching.

So here is what the sleeve looks like front and back.

Now with all the piecing done, all I had to do was sew up the pieces, put on the neckband and hem.  Sounds like a lot of work, but it only took me a morning.  I know my grandson will love his new biking shirt.  He loves this fabric and he'll appreciate all the amazing properties which will keep him cool and dry while he's out on the mountain biking trails.  If you don't already have this pattern, you can get it from my affiliate link below.  And do check out Discovery Fabrics for all the amazing products they carry.

Love Notions Vanguard Kit
Discovery Fabrics

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

Rhapsody 2.0 - And Homemade Bias Binding

Pattern - Love Notions Rhapsody & Dress
Skill Level - Intermediate
Fabric - Rayon challis from Fabricland
Skills - French seams, bias binding, burrito roll method
Pattern Links - French seams, burrito roll method, bias binding

My favourite pattern just got an upgrade!  The new Rhapsody still has all the bonus features that the original Rhapsody had - the full bust piece and 8 sleeves options but now there's a dress option and the size range is more inclusive as well!  So much in one little package!  And for those who use a projector, there's a file for that, too.

The raw edge of the neckline is finished with bias binding (although you can skip that entirely if you want and just fold the edge under and stitch). You can definitely buy bias binding but if you make your own, you will guarantee a perfect match.  Making your own is surprisingly easy and you can make more than enough from a 12" square.  There are a couple of links in the pattern tutorial to bias binding articles, but I thought I'd go through the procedure I followed to make my 3/8" double-fold tape - step by step.

Making Your Own Bias Tape

First you start with a 12" square

Cut the square in half diagonally and pin the halfway points top and bottom

Lay one triangle on top of the other - right sides together - matching the centre pins

Now stitch them together on the pinned edge with a 1/4" seam

Press the seam open

Now take the fabric back to your cutting mat and lay it out with the top against a horizontal line.  This helps ensure that your fabric doesn't distort.  Draw lines 1.5" apart - you can use a pen or a pencil as you'll be cutting on those lines eventually.  That's the width for 3/8" double fold tape.  If you're making 1/4" double fold, the lines should be 1.25" apart.  Trim off any excess fabric.

This next part is the only tricky part so take your time.  With right sides together, match lines, but offset one strip.  I usually start pinning in the middle and work my way to the edges.  So you will have a one strip width sticking out each end.

Take it to your sewing machine and stitch a seam 1/4" from the edge.  Press the seam open.

Now just start at one end and keep cutting following the line until you have one long strip of fabric cut on the bias.

Now you're ready to make the tape.  If you're making 1/4" double fold you use a 12mm tape maker (or 1/2") and if you're making 3/8" double fold like I did you use an 18mm tape maker (or 3/4").

Insert one pointed edge of the strip in the tape maker with the right side down.  As it feeds through, press with your iron. 

You now have single fold tape.  To get double fold tape, you just fold it over once more and press.

I store my finished tape on empty toilet rolls and store them in one of my sewing drawers.  And once you know how to make your own bias tape from a small square of fabric, you'll never have to buy it again!

Securing the 3/4 Sleeve Cuff

And one more little thing.  To keep the cuff where it's supposed to be I always do a "stitch in the ditch" on the seamline plus about 5 stitches at the opposite. 

If your thread is a good match, no one will ever know it's there, but your cuff will stay folded up.

Now back to the Rhapsody!  I chose a rayon challis border print to make mine.  I cut my pieces to make maximum use of the print and even managed to get the back yoke and sleeve ends on the border print. 

The Rhapsody is the perfect summer top - it's light and loose, just what you need for warm weather.  If you already have the Rhapsody, the updated version is in your account on the Love Notions website.  If you don't have it yet, you can get it through my affiliate link below.

Love Notions Rhapsody Blouse & Dress sizes XS to 5XL