McCall's Create It range was a 1990s collection of sewing patterns designed with interchangeable mix and match pattern pieces so that you could customise the design and 'make it your own'. Sadly it looks like the idea didn't take off for McCall's and their Create It line is now out of print. I managed to track down a M5928 Create It dress pattern on eBay though and was excited to give it a whirl.
The M5928 dress appealed because it reminds me of Scarlet et Marguerite's Baba Yaga. It has a long, almost medieval front yoke and lends itself to using contrasting fabrics and fancy braid trims. Once made up it's a much more voluminous affair than the streamlined illustrations on the packet suggest. Still a lovely design, but quite different to the drawing on the packet.
I'm very happy with my fabric choices for this one. The yoke and cuffs are in a John Lewis Daisy Chain archive print designed by Pat Albeck. The body and sleeves are another John Lewis cotton archive print called Cummersdale. Both designs were reissued for the store's 150th anniversary last year. I found both fabrics on sale at a discounted price (they are possibly good seconds) at Ditto in Brighton. I finished the dress with some embroidered turquoise braid.
Following the success of Version A of Burda 7220 I was keen to have a go at making a Version B from this sewing pattern. B is a loose fit blouse with a cowl neck and asymmetrical pleat in the back. There are some beautiful blogged renditions of B, my favourites are at Valerie's Own Sewing Blog and Runamuck Weaving. Then I came across a 1990s Vogue sewing pattern for an Issey Miyake blouse with an almost identical neckline! With vintage Miyake sewing patterns costing a pretty penny, the Burda 7220 suddenly seemed like an absolute steal.
At the top of my stash was a piece of Hemingway Design tulip fabric in yellow – just enough to make this blouse. I've used Hemingway's tulip material before and can confirm that the wash and wear of this Makower fabric is as good as the excellent print design, it's quality stuff. I added a front patch pocket with a decorative wasp tag to the blouse and made the sleeves a few centimetres shorter, to finish just above the wrist.
The finished garment is part futuristic dentist's scrub and part intergalactic Lieutenant Commander's tunic. I love it.
I'm wearing it with a new pair of homemade baggy trousers, a second pair using McCall's M6514. I had a bit of a frenzy of trouser production this summer, clocking up more pairs than I had time to photograph and blog so they may appear here occasionally with future makes... These are in African wax print cotton with a design that looks like it has dozens of giant eels swimming in a river.
Yellow is flavour of the month as summer fades into autumn.
Slouchy, loose-fit harem style pants are everywhere right now and they got me thinking of a beloved pair of peg-leg paisley cotton trousers I wore in the 1980s. They were homemade from fabric bought at Stourbridge market and I wore them with an oversized bobbly brown jumble sale jumper with socks and sandals. Perhaps it's the flush of perimenopause that makes me want to recapture my awkward youthful essence, or maybe my style hasn't really changed much since then, but it's an outfit I want to wear all over again.
McCall's M6514 was the only pattern in stock at C&H Fabrics that looked approximately like it could satisfy this urge to run up a pair of baggy trews. I cut out a size 14, mindful that a smaller size wouldn't fit comfortably over my girth and rear, but needn't have worried. The design and sizing turned out to be über generous and I had to reduce them by 4cms width from hip to calf to stop myself looking like a one-woman MC Hammer revival.
The McCall's pattern suggests stretch knit fabrics but instead I used an African wax print cotton which is closer to the look and feel of my original 1980s baggy trousers. Once I'd cut out the pattern they were a very quick and easy sew (just like it says on the packet) even taking into account necessary alterations.
They have a flat waistband at the front, are elasticated at the back and have deep curved pockets -
so comfortable to wear. They came up very long in the size 14 so I've
given them a permanent turn-up hem (stitched down at the side
seam) which also smartens them off nicely. I love them!
