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Hello chums,

I stumbled across Lekala patterns during Indie Pattern Month 2015 when I made  a dress as part of the New to Me challenge. I haven’t looked back since and quite like some of their designs.

When I bought this lush John Kaldor fabric from Sew Essential I wasn’t sure what I wanted to make with it – only that I was drawn to the colour and the print. When I received the fabric I was more than pleased and knew I wanted to make a pussy bow blouse.

Luckily I had #4286 pattern that I had picked up during a Lekala 5 for £5 sale – effectively making this pattern cost 1£.

In keeping with my experience with Lekala patterns, I did not make a muslin. The fit is always perfect for me with Lekala. Unsurprising given that the patterns are drafted to your measurements. I think the trick is to take your measurements properly. You can even select adjustment for a broad shoulder or a longer torso. With this pattern I selected the broad shoulder option and it fits like a glove with the shoulder seam exactly where it ought to be.

The John Kaldor Rosaline Fabric in blue and black is a medium weight polyester satin with a crinkle finish. The blue is very vibrant. Its also available in a gold and black colourway that I think I will also get.

The fabric shifts around a lot so I had to buy spray starch.I sprayed it on and it stiffened up which made it so much easier to cut and sew. To remove the stiffener I just rinsed it out after I had finished sewing. I only bought a 1m of the fabric though so the bow was cut on the cross grain rather than bias.

The design actually has a zip on the side but I didn’t bother with zip as I can pull it over my head easily. Using fusible interfacing was a no no since this John Kaldor has a beautiful crinkle texture to it – the fusible was removing the crinkle. Instead I used silk organza. It was my first time using this technique and am impressed with how well it came out.

The black pencil skirt took less than 30 mins to whip up. I have made 2 of these already. For this one I used a thicker elastic. I was going to turn the elastic under but I really liked the empire waist feel it added to the skirt. The fabric has a beautiful texture – its a scuba.

It sewed well and it washes well as well. I wanted a dark pencil skirt because my autumn wardrobe plans include pencil skirts silhouette. After a very swishy summer I am looking forward to a sleeker look in fall……..wait and see…

Verdict. I love the John Kaldor fabric and I love the blouse. It feels so comfortable to wear which is a must for me.

Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the interwebs.

Happy Sewing!

Hila

xox