Hi Guys! This post is a long time coming. I feel like I finished these tops and this pair of jeans quite a while ago, but just never got around to blogging them! Both patterns are from the Sew Over It City Capsule Collection: 2 Molly tops and one pair of Mia Jeans. (Side note: this post seems uber appropriate as I am currently in London, and just visited Sew Over It this afternoon. I've been to the shop in Islington before, which is really great, but today we went to the Clapham store. It was just as cute, but it may have had slightly more fabric jammed in, if that's possible.)
For the tops, I did exactly what I did for my Molly dresses. I cut a size 12 but graded out to a size 14 just at the bust. I'm super happy with these tops. They are super quick to sew up and really comfy to wear. The black tie-dyed striped top is made from a lovely poly knit from Blackbird Fabrics. It's very stretchy and has a very nice drape (I actually loved this fabric so much, that I bought it in all 3 colours, you can see the purple here, and the blue is still in my stash) The grey and navy striped fabric is another knit from Fabricville in Montreal. It feels nice and soft, but I'm not sure it's the best quality. We'll see how it washes over time. Oh! I should also mention I made the grey and navy one first, and it's at the length drafted, whereas I shortened the black one by 2 inches. The black knit is quite fluid and heavier, so I think that's why you can't notice a big difference in length. ;)
Okay, so now let's talk about the Mia Jeans. So while these are made out of denim and look very much like jeans, they are missing a few key details for me to consider them "jeans". They don't have back yokes, and no front pockets. 😱 Plus the waistband is quite narrow. I would consider these more of a "jegging" or just a skinny pant, but that's just me. That being said, they are really comfortable, and I can see myself making them again. Having no front pockets also cuts down on bulk in the tummy area, and makes this pattern super quick to sew.
As you can see the back pockets are quite small. This is exactly how they are drafted. Personally, I like a bigger back pocket on my jeans, because I think a slightly bigger pocket makes your bum look smaller. That's just my opinion though. I know that some people feel the opposite. I did want to give the pockets a try as drafted as Lisa Comfort described them as "a nice petite pocket that's flattering for you bottom", and I would agree that's the case on her bottom, but not mine. LOL (Also, do you watch Lisa's videos? I really like them!) I don't normally wear my tops tucked in, or short tops, so you won't really see them anyway.
These jeans are high waisted (on my body anyway). You can see that they are sitting right at my natural waist. I'm not sure how I feel about high waisted jeans. Over my jeans making career (Ha!) I've found that I am happiest with a mid-rise jean. So, for me that means I like when jeans hit just below my belly button. I've also found that rise is kind of subjective because everybody's bodies are different. You might try these on and find that they are mid-rise, or even low rise on you, but on me, they're quite high. Anyway, just another reason to make your own jeans, because you can get them sitting right where you want them, and right where it feels most comfortable for you!
As with all the Sew Over Patterns I've sewn so far, the drafting is great and the pdfs both went together quickly. The only complaint I have is the lack of lengthen/shorten line. Again, I just kind of guessed on where to shorten these jeans, and I think I should have chosen a little higher, as you can see they ended up quite tight around the calves. It doesn't bother me as I quite like a good skinny jean, but I'll adjust that for next time. ;) These jeans also have a 2.5cm seam allowance for the side seams which allows quite a bit of wiggle room for fitting, so keep that in mind if you decide to try them. The fly method is also a little tricky, so I probably wouldn't make this pattern my first fly front pattern. They did add a video tutorial to help you along since I've made them though, so that would probably help immensely.
So here are the gritty details on the Mia jeans: I started with a size 12, I majorly scooped out the back crotch curve (by about an inch - next time I probably need a proper full seat adjustment), and then I shortened the legs by 2 inches. In my notes, I've mentioned that next time I will probably make a size 10 graded to a size 12 at the waist. I know that they look quite tight, but I still have quite a bit of room especially in such a stretchy denim (this stuff has 3% lycra and is about 9.5oz in weight).
So all in all, I'm very happy with all 3 of these makes. I would highly recommend the City Capsule Wardrobe e-book . I think all the patterns are very wearable, and it's so cool that they all go together as a capsule wardrobe. I know that the £20 price point (which works out to be about $33 Canadian) might sound a little steep, but really you're getting 5 patterns (all which have a second variation, except for the Mia jeans but you could argue different fabrics make them different). So that works out to roughly £4/pattern or $6.60 CAD/pattern, which is a lot cheaper than most indie patterns. Have I convinced you yet? I'm starting to sound like a I'm making a commission, but I assure you I am not.
Hope you all are having a lovely Friday! If you want to see what I've been up to in London (and my fabric shopping), you can follow along on Instagram.
