More travel items

 Just a quick post with a few more things I made for my travel capsule

Cardigan (based on The Kinder Cardigan By Wendy Ward)

Cargo pants a mash up of Style Arc Delta Cargo pants with New Look 6216 and some extras of my own

Shirt in usual Prima pattern in cheese cloth/seersucker fabric

The Super Basic Tank from Halfmoon Atelier

The Super Basic Tank from Half Moon Atelier. 

The body is a remnant someone gave me and the bands/pocket scraps left from another project.

The main fabric is quite thick cotton tubular knit but has no recovery, so it's too hot for a tank and might be distorting the fit? 

The fit is not good on my body. The neckline is too wide and the underarms stick out, but the tummy/hip area is fine. 

I probably need to grade from one or two sizes smaller at the upper area out to the size I have lower down. I'm pretty sure this isn't worth trying to fix, so will add a label and donate. 

The little pocket is my own addition to try to tie the two fabrics together. I also curved the back hem down to be a little longer(the pattern is straight across)

It's a free pattern - https://www.halfmoonatelier.com/blogs/news/super-basic-tank-top-tester-round-up

I just cut a pocket shape from a suitable scrap because I loved the little bird.

I might try this again, with a smaller size at the top, and in a lighter weight fabric.

Floral blouse in cotton lawn

Cotton lawn blouse with pattern matching across the front placket and front patch pockets.

This will also be for my travel wardrobe, but pretty to wear at home afterwards too.

The fabric is a John Louden Superfine Digital Lawn, very lightweight. I bought it for £4.50 a metre at Boyes in the centre of Nottingham.

I used one of my TNT shirt patterns Prima shirt dress pattern from 2020, shortened to shirt length, changing the placket and cuff and adding pockets.

Delta Cargo Pant

 This is my version of the Delta Cargo Pant by Style Arc. These are also for my travel wardrobe.

I had made some changes to the pattern before I sewed it up, but once I had sewed them up I still needed to remove the waistband, reshape the front and back crotch some more and remove excess width at the front and back.

This has resulted in my losing the mock front fly and also moving the back pockets down a bit (the markings do not match the illustration above).

They are now wearable, and I have also added belt loops.

The main thing to note about this pattern is that it is very straight up and down, so if you have a curvy bottom you'll need to make some changes.

I might be better using the pockets and adapting my TNT pattern to look more like this style.

The fabric is Mocha bengaline Stretch Fabric from T9 fabrics.

Shorts for my travel wardrobe

Khaki stretch woven shorts

These shorts have replaced a similar style pair which are now worn out. In an improvement over the old pair I added zipped pockets into the side seams.

In these shorts I inserted a zipped pocket in both sides, but I often only put one in the right side (as I'm right handed).

How to Install a side zipped pocket when sewing trousers/shorts etc

1. For each zipped pocket you need one concealed zipper and 2 pocket pieces. If you have front slash pockets, construct these first.

2. Finish the side seam of the garment and the matching area on the pocket pieces (as you won't be able to do this later).

3. Open the zipper. With right sides together install the zip into the side seam using a concealed zipper foot. Check the zipper works!

4. With right sides together sew one pocket piece to each side of the zip using a standard zipper foot. Leave the bottom 2.5cm (1 inch) unsewn.

5. Close the zipper and lay the garment face down on a flat surface with both pocket pieces towards the front. Due to the zip tape width they will not line up perfectly, this is how it should be. (I find it easier to cut two identical pocket pieces and then offset them, rather than having different sizes and remembering which way to put them!)

6. Pin the pocket pieces together and stitch round the pocket, turning back the seam allowance of the piece underneath (use a zipper foot for the tricky bottom bit), then neaten the edges.

7. Sew up the rest of the side seam, up to the point where the concealed zip was sewn in. From the top stitch down about 2.5cm (1 inch) to make sure the zipper tape doesn't show there.

8. Stitch the excess zipper tape to the side seam.

9. Finish constructing the garment.

These are a bit fiddly to do, swapping between the concealed zipper foot, zipper foot and standard foot, but I love having both types of pockets, especially when travelling.

The pattern used was the trousers from New Look 6216, shortened to knee length.

Planning a Travel Wardrobe

DH and I have an exciting upcoming trip to Vancouver and Vancouver Island in Canada, so I've been planning my travel wardrobe. 

I like to have a limited colour palette so that whatever is still clean and weather appropriate can be worn.

I bought a new raincoat in a greeny blue colour and have shoes in olive and sand.

I'm still refining the casule, but these are the current picks.

We've only got 2 and a half weeks until we go, so not loads of time for sewing new things. So I'm trying to use my head and not get carried away!

P.S.

If you live in the Vancouver area and want to get in touch about the trip you can contact me at 

sew DOT ruthie DOT style AT zoho DOT eu