Sewing Indie Month: My SBCC/Britex outfit

Despite popular belief, it really isn't that bad being short.  At 5'1", I've got step stools all around the house and I can manage just fine, thank you very much.  My biggest beef with being petite is that non-petite clothing just doesn't fit.  It's one of the main reasons I sew my own clothing: with some small adjustments, I can shorten bodices, rises, sleeves, and pants to suit my size.  You can imagine my excitement, then, a few months ago, when I did a search for "petite Indie sewing patterns" and stumbled upon Skinny Bitch Curvy Chick!  So when given the chance to participate in Sewing Indie Month with Britex, I immediately knew I wanted to make a whole outfit from SBCC.  What fun!

For my petite-centric outfit, I chose the SB310 blouse in silk chiffon from Britex (sadly, no longer available) and the Manhattan Trousers in lightweight stretch wool.

This is my second version of the trousers (first pair here) and again, I lengthened the rise slightly (after two babies, I prefer a slightly higher rise!).  The fit is spot on and they feel just right--amazing!

The fabric is very lightweight, but I chose not to line the pants so I could wear them in more seasons. I did have to shorten the front pocket bags, since the outline was visible on my thighs (not very attractive!)

The pants are a modern, sleek shape with great design details.  I chose to make the length slightly cropped to balance the blouse, but these trousers could be easily widened or lengthened.  The two piece waistband is contoured as if it were drafted to my body--it's incredible.  Truly, these are my new go-to pattern for all my trouser needs!

One thing missing from this otherwise incredible pattern were back pockets.  Over the years, I've added welt pockets to any pants, shorts (and sometimes skirts!) that lack them, so I went ahead and sewed a pair of welt pockets to my Manhattan trousers.  And since I love welt pockets so much, I went ahead and wrote up a tutorial (with free downloadable pdf pattern!) so you can make your own!  Wahoo!

I am so proud of my zip fly!  If only it were socially acceptable to show people the inside of my pants. And that perfectly matched metal zipper?  From my stash.   

For the top, I went out of my comfort zone on all counts.  The pattern is not my usual fitted blouse, with its trapeze shape and drapey overlays.  And I have never in my life sewn silk chiffon.  But while choosing patterns and fabric, both just kept calling to me, so I decided to go with the challenge.  The blouse is definitely not perfect, but because it's all flowy and loose, no one would be the wiser!  

When the chiffon arrived, it was about as sheer as possible, so I quickly purchased this ah-mazing white silk for a lining to make it decent.  

All seams are of the French variety, so there is an awful lot of sewing in this relatively simple top!  But aren't they lovely??

It's pretty decadent to use silk bias tape to finish your neckline and armholes!  For this top, I chose to secure the tape to only the lining on the inside, so the seaming isn't visible from the outside.  

For all hems, including the overlays, I used a narrow rolled hem foot.  It's still a bit tricksy and definitely not perfect, but other than hand-rolling the hem (no thanks!), it was the only way to go.  With a little more practice, it may yet become my favorite machine attachment.

You see how sheer that is?  It was like sewing cobwebs.  

All in all, I love my new SBCC outfit!  A huge thank you to Betsy at Skinny Bitch Crazy Chick for the patterns (and all the helpful exchanges over email!) and Britex for providing the fabric.  I love Indie patterns and am so happy to have been able to participate in the Sewing Indie Month!

Resewlution 2014, May garments #3 and 4.