Boden: The Curious Case of the Culotte.

Boden Culottes--You can find them here, if you want to.

Since joining Instagram, I really have been opened to a whole world of new experiences, including the ever present "reposted" Instagram, which happens when a company spies one of their items on a user's Instagram photo and wants to share the image with their followers.  But it isn't exclusive to companies, apparently anyone can repost anything they desire.  I see it all the time.  I haven't partaken, nor had any of my images reposted, but at 228 followers on Instagram, I am likely a long way away from that (reposted images are from people who have thousands of followers, not a couple hundred).  Anyhow, recently I happened upon a "repost" from an Instagram user who was none to excited about an Instagram she saw at #boden_clothing, which featured a cute girl wearing a summer outfit from Boden that included these above shorts.  Or culottes, if you stretch the definition. (Culottes are technically a skirt that has a split up the middle so that is seamed so that they function as shorts but appear to be a skirt.  This pair above don't really look skirt-like to me, at all. Here is a pair of modern culottes that look like what I expect.)

The original Instagram appeared here at Kim Loves Cloth's Instagram account.*  She received many compliments on her embroidered top, and it does look very cute on her, but no comments on her culottes.  The second time this Instagram appeared was at the "official" Boden Instagram page here.  That time the compliments were fewer and farther between, but still a smattering for the top, and at least one, maybe two for the shorts.  The vast majority were very very opinionated and put off that these shorts were even being offered.  The range of disgust ranged from "too 80s" to "why would you do this to a woman?"  Hmm.  The third time (and this is how I saw it) was at the hashtag I use a lot #bodenbyme, which is the one Boden has encouraged us to use to show off our Boden clothing as we style it.

*They were also featured at her blog at this post.

So here it is, in the form that I saw it.  Same image, but presented by an individual Instagram user in a repost (but directly calling Boden out by using the @boden_clothing, so they would see it) at the #bodenbyme Instagram page.  Her thoughts were very direct.  NOPE.  That's all she said.  And that was all that she needed to say.  The comments were actually kinder at this repost than the one Boden reposted, but were still not incredibly positive regarding the curious case of the culottes.

I have my thoughts, but I am curious about yours?  What say you on the culottes?  :-)

Made by Me Files: Orange Rib Knit Tee (Burda 6910) and Ikat Shorts (Butterick 5044).

Before I start, I want to extend a very big thank you to everyone who left me a kind message, prayed for us, or reached out to me either by email or facebook or text.  All of your words and thoughts are very special to me, and are helping to "bind my heart," as one of the commenters wrote yesterday.  It is a slow process, healing, but one that I know will happen.  I wish I didn't have experience with heartbreak, but dealing with the awful certainly prepares you for whatever you are handed in life.  I sent the oldest two off to school this morning and part of healing will come from routine, and there certainly is nothing more routine-driven than school.  :-)  Anyhow, don't want to dwell too long on it all, but I didn't want to not show my appreciation for all of the love I have been shown over the past day and a half. 

A little while back I sewed up two summer pieces in very quick succession.  For me, this was a huge success, considering how slowly I typically sew things up.  Granted these two patterns are not especially hard to get cut out and sewn up, but considering it took me a month to sew up this skirt, I wasn't betting on actually getting these two pieces done in any timely manner.  But I got a little bee in my bonnet and managed.  ;-)

I will focus on the tee construction first and then the shorts, but I do want you to know that I am skimming over the nitty-gritty details of sewing it up and instead asking you to visit my pattern review for both items for more on the process of sewing, at this post I will focus more on the visual evidence of what was done, the styling aspect, and sizing info. 

Pattern Review for Burda 6910.
Pattern Review for Butterick 5044. 

I received the knit fabric for the top from Fabric Mart in a bundle.  I had about a yard and a quarter or so, and that was plenty for sewing up this top.  Keep in mind that the top is substantially longer when it starts out (it was probably around mid-thigh length before), so you need extra yardage for that so you can properly ruche the sides.

The shorts fabric is an ikat fabric I found as a remnant at Joann's.  I thought it was so pretty and different, and at $9, I knew I could play around with it without feeling bad if I screwed up.  In the end, I could have used a bit more fabric since I had barely enough to eek out a 3.5" inseam.  I had to do a very narrow hem on the shorts, and while it isn't awful, I know that a thicker hem would look better.

From this vantage point, both pieces look pretty decent on me.  The top is a really an interesting design, and while I can see where it is flattering, I had to really fuss with it to get it to look like this for the photo.  While wearing it in real life, I am not really noticing the fact that it fits not so well in the upper body (shoulder and neckline area), but I could immediately see the issues when I started taking the photos.  This photo is one of the only ones I took where the top looked the way it was supposed to based on the cover art of the pattern.

From the side.  The ruching is a cool effect but maybe one that is lost on my frame since I have a flatter chest and a narrow waist to start with...I think if I had more of a larger bustline, the effect would be more pronounced and flattering.  It's kind of sad (lol) that some of those ruching bits have a bigger bustline than what I have naturally.  ;-)

I like the back view best.  Since the ruching is intentional, the usual wrinkling I get from all my tees from my sway back (see this photo for proof of that) is there, but it is SUPPOSED to be there.  Yay!

The shorts look awesome from the back.  It is rare for me to like my back view in shorts.  I am going to sew this pattern up again just because I like the back view so much.  (With a few small changes implemented, though.)

Here is where you can best see how badly the tee fits me in the upper body and neckline.  I knew the tee would be a bit long and large on my body (even though I sized way down on this pattern--usually I wear a size 38 bust/40 upper hip, and in these I cut a size 36/38), but the neckline really surprised me at how large it was.  It appears that if I want to make this top work on me I have to size down to a 34, cut the neckline binding to a 30 or 32, and then make the rest of this in a size 36, with a shorter overall length.  Not so sure I am going to go there.

Having said that all, I am very proud of this tee, even if it wasn't a slam dunk in fit.  I was able to construct this top perfectly using my serger and my sewing machine, and on both the inside and outside, it looks ready to wear, which is pretty darn cool.

Inside view of the top.  Barring a tiny bit of tricot interfacing peeking through at the hemline, this tee looks a lot like ready to wear tees that I own that have the ruching on the sides (mainly maternity tees, fwiw).

To get the ruching to work, I had to sew the elastic onto the sides of the tee while stretching the elastic to fit.  My zig-zag stitch isn't perfect, but it does the job very well.

If you take any Craftsy courses, you may notice that I sewed this neckline on using Linda Lee's RTW application that she teaches in her "Sewing Fashion Knits" class, lesson 7 on edge finishes (specifically ready-to-wear bindings).  It worked like a charm, and looks like it is supposed to...on the top.  If only the neckline had been small enough to lay flat against the body.  (There is a lot of speculation that the neckline binding was drafted too larger for the neckline to properly lay flat.  If it were a bit smaller than the neckline, then it would lay flat.  I did cut this neckline one size smaller, and then added another inch on top of that just to be sure, but even all of that was not enough.  Sigh.)

My first attempt at twin needle hemlines was disastrous, so actually getting it to sew up properly was such a thrill.  Again, I used Linda Lee's awesome instructions on getting a great hem on knits from her "Sewing Fashion Knits" class.  Worked so well!

This is the inside of the lower hem of the top, the zig-zag is created when the twin needle goes up and down making the stitch on the other side.

While the shorts fit, I know that next time I need to add an extra half-inch to the pattern piece in the middle of the piece to get the shorts to fit better over my hips.  See, I had bought this pattern in the larger sizes and when I sewed up some pj shorts in the size L, they were MASSIVE on me.  So I figured I could sew up the M no problem.  Well, it turns out that my lower hips are just a touch too big for the M size, so I will just add that half inch of space to the pattern piece, and with an extra inch overall in the hip area, I will have a pair of shorts that will fit my frame well.

The pockets are fun and were very easy to add onto the shorts themselves.  Definitely make sure you mark where they belong, though...without those markings it would have been impossible to figure out where to add them. 

Okay, that's all for now.  Hopefully I will get back to sewing up my last pair of shorts for the summer soon.  Thankfully VA always has a fairly warm September/early October, so I should be able to bust those out at least a bit, even though I didn't get them sewn up earlier. 

OOTDs: Twice the Pleasure.

Day: Sunday, June 8, 2014.

Where: Bethesda for yummy Cajun food (holla, it's soft shell crab po'boy time again!) and with a friend to a meet & greet with a local Congressional candidate.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) The Emily Skirt (which had its first outing here--all dressed for winter there) has grown on me.  At first I was majorly pissy about the horrible lining, especially since it seemed pencil shaped.  Well it turns out that while the lining's shape is slimmer, because Boden chose to use a cheap cotton, it also doesn't hold that shape for very long.  (So silver lining, pun intended, on Boden's choice of horrible lining fabric?)  Anyhow, the skirt and top and sandals were all really comfy, and I felt very at ease all day.

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) I liked this outfit a lot, but my husband and my daughter were all IN LOVE with it.  CW was especially happy I chose to wear the Zara flowers t-shirt (size 13-14 from the girls line, the 13-14 fits a women's size 4 or 6, fwiw) the same day she wore hers.  I kind of wish I had chosen another top for the skirt, but it did work, kind of, as long as you don't focus on the fact the dandelions have nothing to do with the Scandinavian florals embroidered all over the Emily Skirt.

Anecdote from the Day:  Soft shell Crab Po'boy.  That is all. 

Day: Monday, April 14, 2014.

Where: Pre-bowling, since I would be on a field trip with Rex the next day.

Ease of Wear: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) The outfit wore well enough, but the top was probably the wrong choice for bowling.  In reality, I should have worn the outfit you see next to bowling, and the one I wore above to do the school run.  Oh, well.

The Bistro Short were reviewed by me here, btw.  I liked them so much that I purchased them in a second color, and even though I haven't published the photos, those shorts have also gotten plenty of wear this spring and summer.  You could say I am a fan, since the stretchy cotton sateen and longer inseam work well for my curvier lower half.

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) It's cute.  Will wear it with a different pair of shoes next time.  Love the hair.  Wish it always fell just like that. 

Anecdote from the Day:  It was warm and humid that day, but the very next day it was cold, very rainy, and windy.  So done with DC/VA weather patterns.  I want one temperature, one season, all the time.  I am officially a wimp.  And when I say one temperature and one season, I don't mean winter, spring, or fall.  Guess I should move to Florida already.

Day: Friday, June 6, 2014.

Where: School Run.

Ease of Wear: (4.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.) Not pajamas, so not a 5 out of 5, but the Bistro shorts felt so good and easy.

Cool Factor: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest--for both outfits.) Should have untucked the tee, would have been more balanced that way.  The sperrys look really nice with the outfit, helped make me feel young.  But I didn't accessorize, at all, so ding ding ding down go the points.

Anecdote from the Day:  CW was home that day with Angus and me since her kindergarten graduated a full week before Rex and the rest of the school.  When I went to sub yesterday (6/9/14) she asked if she could go with us.  I think she already misses being at school.

That grin on my face is 100% for real.  I had heard some great news that day.  :-)

Okay, all that's it for tonight.  Thanks for coming by and hanging out over here.

The shorts are running very low on stock. Some of the sizes in the Emily skirt are low in stock, but those numbers look healthier.  If the shorts do popback in your size or you have a hankering for the skirt now, use either the sidebar coupon or the one below to receive 25% off and free shipping. 

OOTDs: Shorting Out.

Phew.  What a week.  :-)  And what a week upcoming.  (CW turns five on Wednesday, and in addition to setting up for her princess party next Saturday, I roped myself into making her a Rapunzel costume from scratch to wear at the party, baking cupcakes for her classmates, and getting the house ready for her grandparents.  I'll be fine, right?)

Okay, so the paragraph above explains the meaning of the post's title, but I figured I would be all "puntastic" and at least show off a bunch of outfits worn recently that include shorts.  Oh, yeah, puntastic.

Day: Sunday, September 8, 2013.

Where: Dinner out.

Ease of Wear: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  These handmade linen/rayon shorts are getting a bit big since I made the waistband too large for my frame.  Downside is that I will have to alter the shorts to wear them again next summer, but on the bonus side, they are SO FREAKING comfortable.

The sequin tee is fairly comfortable, but I am always a teeny bit stressed out that I will snag them on something.  So far, so good, but I know my clumsy ways all too well.

Cool Factor: (4 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) Even with the large shorts, the overall look is pretty cool, especially with the neon clutch.  The look seemed and felt effortless.

Anecdote from the Day:  I don't really remember much from that day, isn't that sad?  I know that it was a relaxed day, but other than that, nothing really to report.  I will probably remember twenty minutes after I publish this.  If so, I will just come on back and write what happened then. 

Day: Wednesday, September 11, 2013.

Where: Winesday/Rex's teeball practice.

Ease of Wear: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Well it was really muggy and hot that night, so although the outfit felt great at Winesday, the outfit was a lot of look to wear while trying to keep my three kids in order at the teeball practice (my hubby was at the Muse concert--originally I was supposed to go with him--sad face).  I ended up wearing the light cardigan with lace back because the bra I was wearing showed through the fabric of this Target top, but by the end of the practice, I sort of wondered if I could have just done without.  Would anyone have noticed?

Cool Factor: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) The look is decently cool, my brother loved the shirt especially.  He said he wanted a photo of me standing next to him wearing that top with the "Fun Times" arrow pointing to him.  Alas, we didn't grab that photo, but maybe the next time I wear it?

Anecdote from the Day:  I didn't post on September 11, because as much as I like posting, and had time to do so during the day, I didn't want to publish a fluffy post on that day.  I felt like silence was more appropriate. 

The day is getting easier to memorialize, though.  The first few years after the attacks, I would well up in tears multiple times during the day, but now that it has been twelve years, I find that I can pray and reflect on the day and all the lives lost without as much sadness.  Of course I am still distressed that the attacks ever happened, but like all hurt, the pain dulls over time.  (For more on my experience on the day of the attacks, read this post.)

Day: Thursday,  September 5, 2013.

Where: Little Gym/School pickup.

Ease of Wear: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  Very easy.  I love these shorts so much.  I have had them for years and years, and as long as I keep washing them carefully, I should be able to wear them for many years to come.  The top is also very comfortable, a gorgeously flowy top from Anthro that I got for a screaming good price last summer (on sale, natch).

Cool Factor: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.) The top is definitely out of my comfort zone since I normally try to wear tops that highlight my smaller upper body, but I wanted to wear this top and was struggling with how to style it.  Finally, after trying on a few other bottoms, I found the sartorial sweet spot paired with these shorts.

Anecdote from the Day:  It took me a day or two to recover from the plane trip home with Angus, since he was a wriggly little monster for most of the flight.  By Thursday I felt good enough to get out the house with him where he could wriggle all he wanted at his "jump around the room" class.

He blows you all a kiss.

Day: Tuesday,  September 10, 2013.

Where: Bowling.

Ease of Wear: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  These shorts are a weird fit--a bit big in the hips, a bit too tight in the waist, and a little too snug on the thighs.  By the second game of bowling, though, they had stretched out a bit and fit better, so they weren't awful to wear or anything.

Cool Factor: (3 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  I love sherbert colors with white, it always looks so fresh and pretty.  This isn't a super cool look, but considering the way the ladies at the bowling reacted to the outfit, you would think I was wearing an outfit like this to play instead of a pretty basic SAHM summer outfit. Ha.

Anecdote from the Day:  I wasn't the only person wearing shorts to the bowling league.  However, the ladies who weren't wearing shorts, though, were all kitted out in long pants, long-sleeved tees, and cardigans.  I mean, yes, the lanes are air conditioned, but it was also 90 degrees outside that day, so hmm.  ;-)

I am now in a different league than last year, so no Dottie (my awesome 93 year old friend and competition), but I would like to report that I started off this year with some pretty decent games, and with an average score for all three games that leaves my last year's average in the D.U.S.T.  Yay!

Day: Saturday,  September 14, 2013.

Where: Fashion Sewing Club at G Street Fabrics.

Ease of Wear: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the most easy to wear.)  These lined wool shorts from J. Crew are comfortable enough, but I still felt like they were too short for sitting properly.  I don't like too much of my legs showing while I sit, so I felt a tiny bit on display.  It's my hangup, and likely no one even cared about my legs being on display, but I still felt weird.

Cool Factor: (3.5 of 5 stars--5 being the coolest.)  Meerkats will always be cool.  End of story.

Anecdote from the Day:  That Rapunzel costume I mentioned above?  Yeah, it is torturing me because I want to make sure I match the pieces of the costume together nicely.  Originally I had a plan to use white velvet for the skirt and bodice front, with a poly taffeta in purple for the bodice and sleeves, and three layers of tulle (two of purple and one of sparkly white) as the overskirt, but then I cut the tulle and realized three layers of tulle stick together something awful and knowing how testy and persnickity I get when sewing, I knew I didn't have the patience to work with three layers of tulle.

So I had to go and buy some fabric at G Street that would work better, and OMG, the 2.97 remnant tables were stocked with all sorts of goodies, including a few yards of purple sparkly tulle, the exact right shade of color and sparkle that I had achieved with three layers of tulle together.  Only issue?  The color was just enough off from the purple poly taffeta that I had been planning to use for the bodice so I had to go and find another fabric to use for the bodice.  (I ended up buying a lavender wool gabardine instead.)

I also grabbed a few yards of some yummy poly jersey (like you see in J. Crew/Garnet Hill/Boden jersey dresses and tops), some swimwear fabric in turquoise, and some amazingly soft silver poly charmeuse.  I normally can't stand polyester, but most of the pieces of fabric I felt on that table felt a whole lot like silk or cotton sateen.  Apparently G Street receives shipments of fabric that are leftovers from New York fabric houses, and they regularly receive designer remnants which may explain why the poly I bought was so much different than the poly fabric I see at places like Target and Wal-Mart.  That doesn't mean that I have fallen in love with polyester, it just means I see the light that not all poly is created equal.  And at 2.97 a yard, I can't complain, either, especially if it means I can finish a darn costume by next Saturday.

Okay, all, have a great rest of your Sunday. 

BTW, I think Boden will be introducing its winter line this week.  It is timed poorly for me, though, since I don't get paid until later this week, so I suspect I will have to cancel most of my order, but I definitely am excited to see all the pretty items on my blog friends in their reviews!

Made by Me Files: McCall's 6519 Top, Burda Magazine 02/2013 Shorts (Again!), and Kwik Sew 3905 Girls' Dress.

Hey, all...obviously I have been busy here in the "real" world, both CW and Rex started school again (Rex--Monday; CW--today, kindergarten!), so I have been a bit unavailable.  Tomorrow Angus and I are headed to CA for my cousin's wedding, so (big ole knock on wood) I may have a few moments to get some junk done in my "virtual" world, too.  Ahhh, vacation (even if one of my rugrats is with me, lol)...

Last week I finished an outfit that I made with the intent of wearing together, the top made from a beautiful quilting cotton called " Tree of Life" by Free Spirit that I received as part of a remnant assortment from Fabric.com and the shorts from a multi-tonal chambray from Robert Kaufmann (a little pink is mixed in the weave of the purple) ( similar color here, my shade is nearly sold out).

I had known the chambray would become shorts, but when I received the quilting cotton in the bundle (you never know what you will receive, but most of the time there are three yards I can use for something for me, and around four yards for projects for the kids), I was stumped.  I knew one yard wouldn't cut it for a skirt, but I wasn't sure if any top pattern I owned would work either since most women's top patterns are cut long and with a ton of ease.  Then I realized my McCall's 6519 pattern had a top pattern in it that could be made for my smaller pattern size (10) as long as I shortened it for my shorter torso.  As long as I did both of those things, I could just squeeze this yard onto those pattern sheets.  (It took me nearly as long to lay out the pattern on the cotton as it did to sew the darn thing up, ha.)

As you can see, shortening the top had no ill effect, in fact, it allows me to wear the smaller size since had I kept the length to its original length (an extra two inches), the hem would have been right on my mid-hip, which is where I am widest.  Having the hem fall so much shorter means the 39.5 inch hip measurement is more than adequate ease for my frame at that part of my hip.  I also get to show off the darling shape of the shorts.

The shorts should look familiar if you are following my sewing journey, these are the same ones as I showed off here at this post (from the February 2013 Burda Magazine).  I changed up a couple of things, I made the pleats in the front smaller and facing out to the pockets (that was a mistake, oops), and I shortened the waistband so the shorts would fit a touch better.

My dad loved this outfit because he said it reminded him of 1950s "mom" wear.  :-)  There is definitely a retro feel to the look, especially if I tuck the top in, which I only did for the photos to show of the shorts shape.  In reality the top's cotton was a bit too thick to wear tucked in and didn't lie as well as when I had it untucked.  I do plan to tuck tops into the shorts, but the material of the top needs to be a bit thinner.

Side view.  I think I won't stop making either pattern because both work well for my body.  The top doesn't constrict me in the armholes, since the holes were made deep enough on the pattern that I don't need to adjust anything for my square shoulder shape, but the top still fits closely to my body, not overwhelming my rather "underwhelming" bustline.

The shorts feature the "Burda Crotch Curve," which apparently is a big deal in the sewing world, since many of the American designed patterns are far too shallow and/or not angled properly for the true shape of many women's lower half.  And so you all know, it isn't even big-bottomed women who need the "Burda Crotch Curve," since I have read that some flat-bottomed and small-bottomed ladies like it, too.  Hmmm.  I have made pants and shorts from other companies, and I have noticed that the area down there is a bit more *enclosed*, so maybe we do need to give the Germans some credit.

Rear shot.  I had to take a bit of the back seam in to make the waistband fit properly (the waistband is a size smaller than the hips).  I should have just made a dart and sewn it flat, but since I am still fairly new, it didn't even occur to me to try that.  Oh, well, next time.

I properly sewed in an invisible zip (thank you, invisible zipper foot!).

All in all, I spent about three hours total on the top, and about three hours on the shorts.  I suspect those times will be dwindling down as I make more from these patterns.

I spent the good majority of my weekend making this dress for CW.  I had cut the ADORABLE Riley Black Little Red Riding Hood fabric ( main fabric here and similar contrast fabric here here) a bit before sewing it up last weekend, I like to cut all at once and then sew all at once, I cut a darling romper for Angus at the same time that I am also entering in the contest (still have to publish those photos).

I knew that I wanted to give her this Kwik Sew dress before she went to school so she could wear it to her teacher's meeting with her, but I also knew I wanted to enter it in the sewingpatternreview.com "Sewing for Children" contest, now that I am a member of that website.  I don't have a chance in h-e-double hockey sticks of winning, but maybe I will grab a few votes?  ;-)  I think it looks pretty darn cute, anyhow.

The back features floral buttons that I machine sewed on...killing two needles in the process.  Whoopsie.  I forgot that if you want to machine sew a button on, you need to slowly turn the handwheel and make sure the needle goes in the hole, then measure the zigzag length by doing the same process with the hole right next to it.  By the fourth button, I got it, but not before my darn machine was getting mad at me (I should treat her better!).  I used this tutorial to teach me how to sew the button (I used my open toe embroidery foot to hold the button down), but forgot to re-check the simple details first.  Don't follow my example!

Here is another set of pleats that look okay but weren't the way they were supposed to be.  LOL.  Oh, well, guess that makes this dress "extra-special."

I heard from someone that the Amish like to have mistakes in their quilts to show they are handmade.  We'll go with that on this dress, too.
 

I ADORE this shot.  I think I might print it out and frame it.

The dress was very easy to sew up, but because of the buttons and buttonholes (both my first real attempt at them), the dress took about two hours longer than it should have to sew up.  The Kwik Sew pattern and instructions are very beginner-friendly, and this particular pattern is great if you have a little girl.  (Especially one who owns an American Girl doll, since there is a pattern for a matching dress for her, too.  Yes, I will make CW's American Girl doll a matching dress.  No buttons, though!)

Okay, you all have a great day.  No news of a Boden sale for Labor Day, but I will be keeping my eyes open for you all. 

Talk soon!