That Manequim top

Some months ago I mentioned that my sewing plans included making up #266 from the May 2013 issue of the Brazilian magazine Manequim. I finally did it. The top is a drapy pullover V-neck with lots of details that I liked, and some that I wasn't so crazy about: my version has no epaulets with "spikes."

The muslin I made last summer was not promising. (Rant appears here, in case you are interested.) Basically, the muslin revealed my misunderstanding of how Manequim works. I had assumed that, as in Burda, the clothes shown in the photos were actually sewn from the included patterns. Instead, Manequim's photos feature ready-to-wear clothes (clearly labeled with manufacturer and price, by the way), and patterns have then been drafted that are more or less similar to the RTW. In this case, it was less similar . . . though Melissa of Fehr Trade, who has much more experience with Manequim than I do, seems not to have had this issue, so I may have just been unlucky. The main problem was that the V-neck was quite a bit smaller than in the original:

Once I got over my surprise, this was an easy fix. I recut the pattern pieces so that the neckline was a little wider and considerably deeper. I also tapered the side seams in, from nothing at the underarm to a total of 4 inches at the hem, so I can wear it out sometimes, as opposed to tucked in, without looking like I'm swimming in it.

It's worth noting that this is a size 40, two full sizes down from what my measurements call for according to Manequim (not the same as Burda sizes). Like many Manequim patterns, this one comes in only one size. Looking at the photo below, I think it's too wide through my shoulders even so. I know this top is meant to be a loose-fitting style, but it would be beyond loose on someone who normally wears a 40.

This top needs a very drapey fabric. The version in the magazine was made from microfiber, and my first thought was to use silk, as I so often do. In the end, though, I thought it was a good use for a length of peachskin I had picked up at a Pattern Review swap several months ago. Maybe everyone else knows what peachskin is? I didn't. It's a drapey polyester fabric with a brushed finish that makes it feel somewhat like suede. I generally prefer sewing with natural fibers, but this was a pleasure to sew with and feels good.

Pattern review is here.

A note for TV watchers:

My husband and I obsessively watched the first season of a French TV series recently. The Returned (Les Revenants, in the original) involves dead people who start showing up, alive and well, in a beautiful alpine town . . . but it's not just another zombie show. The series has subtitles, lots of interconnected characters, and a delightfully eerie, creepy feel that reminds me a little of Twin Peaks.

The Tour de France edition

It's that time of year when we in this household put many things aside so we can sit in front of the television for several hours a day to watch a bunch of cyclists make their way around France. This is much more compatible with knitting than it is with sewing, but I remember that even when I used to knit a lot I never accomplished much while watching TV (a multitasker I am not). So sewing has taken a hit, along with housework, yardwork, etc., but I do still have a few projects in the works.





Vogue 2900. I've made this pattern up twice before, and I love it. Summery, light, and body-skimming. The fabric for this newest iteration is a delight to work with and fun to look at. I've done everything I can until the interfacing I've ordered shows up (decided it deserved better than what happened to be on hand), but then I'll be right back on it.







Yes, I finally learned my lesson. If I see a new Liberty of London fabric that I really like, go ahead and buy some! Don't just keep looking at it, coveting it, thinking about buying it, until it's gone. I still regret that I missed out on Dr Tulloch C and pointillism D.











Okay, next. The Victoria Blazer, from By Hand London. I'm participating in their sew-along, a first for me. I assembled the lining first, so I could see how the unusual dart/neckline seam goes together. There was more easing in of fullness along the seam than I expected, but everything worked out fine and dandy. I do love coming across construction features that are new to me, like this one.




I picture this project as an easy throw-on jacket over jeans and a white T. The outer shell is a printed linen/rayon, and the lining is a pale blue cotton lawn.

Finally, that Manequim top from the May 2013 issue. In this post I ranted a little about my frustration with this pattern, but I'm going ahead with it. I've altered the V neck so that it is deeper and taken in the side seams a bit. After taking the muslin apart and experimenting with the pieces, I think I've figured out a better way to attach the front vertical strips. So the pattern is ready to go, but the right fabric is lacking. Keeping my eye out for something drapey and raspberry-colored. Or navy.






More about all of these once they are FOs instead of WIPs, bien sûr! Off to watch the Tour now. Meanwhile the garden goes wild.

Estou um pouco desanimada.

No, I don't speak Portuguese. It's just that I've been spending some time over the last couple of days with a Portuguese-English dictionary. (Why do we even have such a dictionary? For the same reason we have a Serbo-Croatian grammar, and a Tibetan phrasebook: You never know when these things are going to come in handy, and I have trouble getting rid of books.)

I was looking forward to trying my first piece from the Brazilian pattern magazine Manequim, but I ran into something odd with it. First I want to stress that, after seeing four issues, I really like this magazine. To my mind, the clothes are beautiful and stylish, and many of them have interesting details that could be picked up for use on other garments.

My choice was #266 from the May 2013 issue, a loose-fitting blouse with a nice open V-neck, but minus the epaulets with spikes.











I made a muslin since I wasn't sure how a Manequim pattern would fit me, and I'm glad I did. Certainly I'm not shaped like the model, but the neckline I got is simply not the same. It's considerably higher and smaller. This is not an issue of sizing, because like most Manequim patterns this one comes in only one size.

I wasn't convinced about the construction of the strips down the front, either, which was my favorite part of the blouse as pictured. At the point shown here, the facing is already attached at the neckline; now you're supposed to turn under the edges (at the lines traced in black thread) and topstitch it into place along the neckline and down the center front. Even with all those seam allowances and edges trimmed and neatened up, this seems like an awful lot of fabric trapped inside what should be a very clean design element.



Here's what I think: The version modeled in the magazine is a ready-to-wear blouse, whereas the pattern provided in the magazine was drafted after the fact to resemble the original but does not reflect its construction or even its exact shape. Maybe only some of the patterns are treated this way? Not sure. I don't think I'll make this blouse up, at least not just now: the neckline is fixable, but the armholes are also tight on me etc. etc. I'm not going to give up on the beautiful clothes in Manequim, but you can be sure I'll always make a muslin.




And now a peek into the stash for a little cheering up, courtesy of Gorgeous Fabrics: