Monday, February 23, 2015

A New Twist on the Turtleneck (and my first Lekala Pattern)





This started off with good intentions, I promise.

I wanted my next project to be something easy, simple, wearable. A top that I could actually put on on a daily basis.

But all that went down the drain as soon as I remembered about Lekala patterns.

I learned about Lekala only a little while ago when Anne from The Clothing Engineer made a really neat sweater from one of their patterns. Lekala is a Russian pattern company that--get this--generates customized, pre-fitted patterns based on the measurements that you input! Their patterns are bought and sold entirely online. You order in through their website and soon thereafter are emailed a PDF pattern that you print and assemble yourself.







The first time I went on the Lekala website to browse oggle, I was immediately drawn to this.

Lekala #5217, a draped wrap dress.

What a pattern! I love high necklines paired with big shoulders, and this dress takes it to the next level with horizontal pleating that creates a ribbed effect.







The thing is, I'm not in the market for another dress right now. What I did need, was a shirt. I decided to cut the pattern off at the waist and get rid of the pleated draping across the chest to create a seriously funky top.

Thus was conceived the most complicated black turtleneck anyone has ever aspired to!



Fabric!

Before I did this project, I didn't even know we had this fabric. Turns out we had about ten yards of it sitting in a bin in the garage. I have a new respect for my mom's stash. 
This is a beautiful, soft, supple. black knit. You know, turtleneck fabric.

The actual body of this shirt went together really fast. When I got to the interesting parts--the pleating in the neck and shoulders--is when it got hairy.


I should have seen this coming, but the fabric that I used was not cut out for the type of rigid, structured pleating that is required for this garment. It didn't iron at all and wasn't stiff enough to hold a fold. The pleats I made fell out completely and looked more like gathering.

So I had to artificially tack the pleats in place. I ran a line of stitching along the inside folds of the pleat, and then slipstitched them into place.

The inside of the neck. 
To add some stiffness and body, I actually interfaced the entire sleeve cap (which also removed the stretch, but that's ok because the top of the sleeve is very voluminous). Nevertheless, I still had to sew the pleats in place like I did for the neck to keep them from unfolding.

I originally handstitched the pleats into place, but when I curved the sleeve to sew it into the armhole, they started stretching and falling out of place, so I went over it again with the special hem stitch on my mom's machine.
And I seriously had no black interfacing :( 


Now at this point I had already invested way more time and energy into making this shirt than I had anticipated or was willing to spend. That's when I went to sew in the zipper. Unfortunately I didn't get the news flash that sewing zippers into stretch fabrics without some sort of stabilization is a no-no.

Mom, I'm turning into a camel!
A little interfacing on the center back seam did the trick.


Guys, it's a miracle I finished this shirt at all. This was way more time-consuming and complicated than I wanted to spend on a top. Lesson learned: seriously reconsider before overcomplicating a project!

What do I think about Lekala?
This was the first time I've tried a pattern from this company (or any non-Big 4 company, actually).

I wasn't crazy about having to assemble the pattern yourself from a PDF. I took me at least an hour to assemble the pattern (there were 55 pages total--that's what I get for making a shirt out of a full-length dress pattern). Here's the way I think about it: had I spent that time working at my current job, I would have made enough money to buy quite a few Simplicity patterns on sale. I'm just not sure the price ($3) makes up for the time it takes to prepare the pattern.

The instructions for this particular pattern were very cursory, which was ok for this shirt because it was pretty simple to put together. The only thing that I wish had been elaborated upon more was the pleat markings. I would have loved if the pattern included directions for which way the pleats were supposed to fold. For instance, I wasn't sure whether to pleat or gather the sleeve cap--I ended up gathering because I thought it made more sense.

But the overriding plus for this pattern was the totally awesome and utterly unique design. I've never seen a design like this before, and I'm never going to find anything like my turtleneck. That's what I aim for :)

But the real question is


Does this shirt make me look more like a football player or Katniss Everdeen?

;)



17 comments:

  1. This is wonderful! It's extremely well made for first go/minimal instructions and you've styled it perfectly, right down to the hard stare. Definitely Katniss. If only I didn't have so much on, I'd go straight after you and make me one.

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    1. Haha the funny thing is, I didn't realize until after I put it on the uncanny resemblance to the Mockingjay costume, lol! Maybe it's subconscious self-expression and I should take up archery instead of needlework ;)

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  2. You look like Katniss in a wearable way which is great! This is such a cool outfit, and it fits so perfectly down your back once you got the zip sorted!

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    1. Thanks Lauren! The custom-fit pattern actually fit me pretty well! I did take in the sides and sleeves a little bit, but then again I'm a stickler for form-fitting garments.

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  3. Good for you for being tenacious! Your turtleneck is unique, flattering, and fits you perfectly!

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    1. Thank you so much! Ultimately, I really like how it turned out, so I'm glad I didn't get fed up and throw it in the trash halfway through, like I was sorely tempted to ;)

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  4. Hi, I just found your blog via Pattern Review, and wow, you are sewing some fantastic things. I am now following your blog and look forward to seeing more of your creations. PS I also made a lot of Vogue designer patterns when I was in high school - so it is fun to see what you are doing. And that turtleneck is fierce !

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    1. Thanks Beth! I've been following your blog for the past little while and I'm blown away by some of the garments you make--the quart coat you just finished was so chic and polished, I wish I'll be able to tailor that well some day! Vogue is still my #1 pattern source. I love hearing about other people who sewed from a young age!

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  5. I, too, came here via PR. Well done!
    And I am totally going to snag that Entemann recipe knockoff - looks so yum!

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    1. Thank you! I'm so glad I can help to bring more buttery delight to the world ;) Comment back and let me know how it worked out for you!

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  6. What a beautiful top! You didn't awesome job on this and looks so professionally made! Great job and DEFINITELY NOT a Linebacker!

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  7. … For Pete's sake, I meant did an awesome job!

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    1. Thanks Myra! It was looking a little linebacker-like when I was first putting it together, but after some tweaking it all came together. Phew! ;)

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  8. You're definitely Katniss. And well for this shirt. I've got the same pattern but I didn't dare sewing it..

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    1. Haha I'll save this shirt for when I'm feeling really fierce! If you give it a go, I'd love to see your version.

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