Friday, June 28, 2019

Hey June June Giveaway and Button Back Tutorial

I hope everyone has been having a fantastic Hey June June! I know for me personally, I was basically having Hey June Made May, so it's a pretty easy extension. If you haven't seen it all over the interwebs by now, EVERY DAY in June there has been a Hey June pattern giveaway! AND there will be two grand prize winners! Daily prizes are being given away either in the HJ Facebook group, or on the participant's IG. Find my entry and giveaway in the Facebook group. Find details on the two grand prizes here (a little birdie told me there isn't too much competition to win the Trifecta category!). One of the grand prize packages includes a copy of A Sewist's Notebook!

While you can find my giveaway on Facebook, I did want to do a blog post with a quick tutorial on how I achieved my button-back hack. I have a RTW shirt that is similar and I loved being able to create my own. I started with the Union St. Tee pattern, which is by far my favorite pattern of all time. Don't believe me? Check out my saved stories on IG and you'll see me go through all 12 versions!


For this hack, you will need the back pattern piece, some tracing paper, a ruler and a pencil. If you plan on functional buttons and buttonholes (not necessary) you will also need knit interfacing.


Start with the back piece, either fully traced or freshly printed and assembled. We must first create a pattern piece for the back yoke. I chose a somewhat arbitrary line horizontally through the back, ending in the armhole.


Now you have the top yoke piece, but it needs seam allowance added to the bottom. SA on this pattern is 1/4", so add 1/4" of paper along the bottom.


Repeat this step on the other back piece, along the TOP edge.


I also changed the hemline of my shirt to be a longer, shirt tail hem. You can see on my cutting mat grid that at the lowest point (center back) it drops 3".


Lastly, you will want to widen out the center back to accommodate a folded over, cut-on placket. Starting from the regular CB fold, add 3".


Your finished bottom back piece will look like this:


Cut one back yoke piece on the fold. Cut two mirrored bottom back pieces. If you plan on interfacing, cut a piece for that as well (it will be the full 3" width of the placket by however long you need for buttons). Interface your plackets if necessary.

To assemble, fold the placket in 1" and press. Fold it again 1" and press. This will result in a back piece that is 1" wider than a regular back. Vertically topstitch at the folded edge and 1" in from the folded edge, where the red lines are below. Repeat for the other bottom back piece.


This 1" will be overlapped. Lay the two back pieces together and baste them along that 1" of overlap.

Sew the bottom back piece to the back yoke with a 1/4" seam allowance, right sides together. Your back is complete and can be assembled following the regular directions for the Union St. Tee.

Buttons can be sewn straight through the placket, or you can sew functional buttons and buttonholes. I chose to sew buttons straight through the placket. To prevent the flaps from moving around, I also topstitched again vertically on top of my previous topstitching.


I'm so pleased with my button-back Union! Leave a comment and let me know if you make one too. And don't forget to enter the giveaway for a free pattern on my Facebook post!


I paid for the Union St. Tee pattern and my opinions are my own. I was compensated with a free pattern as a thank you for hosting a Hey June June daily giveaway. I bought the Willamette and I'm sure you'll see it soon! I am a Hey June affiliate.



Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Helen's Closet Yanta Overalls

You can never have too many overalls, right? If you disagree, this is probably not the blog for you.


I was drawn to the Yanta Overalls as soon as I saw them. I've slowly been incorporating more linen into my wardrobe, and this was a pattern that looked perfect for that. I ADORE my black stretch denim overalls, but they're not the same as a soft, more loosely structured overall. It was hard to keep this one at the bottom of the queue, especially when I saw this taupe linen at Blackbird Fabrics.


It's literally the most boring color on the face of the earth...but that's what makes it special! I'm pretty sure I can wear this color with anything, which was the point (so obviously I paired it with a grey t-shirt!). This fabric was an absolute dream to sew, and it's even better to wear. I've dealt with scratchy linen, stiff linen, linen blends with more weight and drape, linen the wrinkles beyond saving. I'm fairly certain this is the best one I've ever used. It's the absolute lightest I would use for this type of garment, which means it's easy to wear and isn't heavy. It's opaque. It's a chameleon color that is sometimes brown and sometimes grey.


I have a 33" bust and 38" hips. My bust would put me at a 4 and my hips at a 10. I made a 6. That is the same size I made in the Winslow Culottes, also from Helen's Closet. I felt that the culottes were a touch big, but I figured I could take them in around the hips without too much trouble. I ended up NOT doing that, because as-is they can juuuuuust pull on over my hips without a zipper. I didn't have a suitable zip at the time I was rushing to finish these. So, I finished them as-is and I'll come back at a later date to insert a zip and take in the hips.


The pattern includes a ton of helpful fitting diagrams, as well as detailed finished garment measurements. I was very impressed with the directions. This would make an excellent first-time-overalls pattern (is that a thing?). I do recommend pinning the straps in place and walking/sitting/stooping/jumping jacks to make sure you have the seat dropped low enough for comfort in all those things.


You really have to like patch pockets if you want to make this pattern. The tester versions all have inseam pockets instead of the front patch pockets, but I believe they were scrapped due to the side zip. That means there are five total patch pockets. A fabric that presses well is an absolute must or you will certainly have wonky pockets.


I accidentally put the bib pocket on upside down, but I ain't mad at it. I like it better this way. I did sew bartacks on the corners of the pockets, although they are hard to see in these photos. I used the bartack setting on my machine and they came out...okay. Definitely something that needs practice.


The buttons I used are from Jo-Ann's and were in my stash.


The interior is finished with facings, which provides a perfect place for a cool label. It also means I can pretty easily dissassemble the finishings later to put in that zip. If I do that. Maybe.


These overalls were perfect for an outdoor gathering and dinner on the patio. I was suuuuuper tempted to sleep in them but restrained myself, and instead wore them two days in a row. I have another version planned in a stretch woven, you'll definitely want to stay tuned for that!

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