Mother's Day present

I've had this pattern for ages, Simplicity 1366 as I wanted to make the short sleeved top. A while ago, this top was very popular and everyone except me made it. I still want to try is out but when I asked my mum what she wanted for her birthday, which is near Christmas, she asked for some classic camisoles to wear underneath quite sheer tops when her and my dad go out of an evening. There were other criteria too! No lace over the bust and no seams, she wants a smooth finish. I tried looking in the shops but there was absolutely nothing, just lots of jersey knit vests. Ah, that was another criteria, they shouldn't be clingy. 

Somewhere along the line, I remembered I had this pattern so I made a hopefully wearable muslin, using a cream satin-backed crepe from Edinburgh Fabrics. I was too lazy to change the overlocker threads from black to ivory so instead I zig-zagged any raw edges inside, thinking that this wouldn't really be wearable and that I'd have to make adjustments. I cut the size 14 straight out of the packet, then posted the finished camisole to her and waited to hear what she said. Shock of my life it actually fit perfectly! Wish I had changed the overlocker threads after all!

So, at the beginning of March I knew what I was going to get her for Mother's Day, two camisoles...with overlocked innards. So I chose some ivory and pale pink satin-backed crepe from Edinburgh Fabrics and sewed these lovelies up in two afternoons. I used some lightweight iron-on interfacing around the facing, just to reinforce the top seam. I also managed to produce four bias cut rouleaux straps, usually my nemesis in any sewing project.

The most tricky parts were sewing the facing around the top edge and making sure you sew the straps in correctly. Apart from that, it's quite an easy sew. I know it's a top rather than underwear, but depending on the fabric, it's a good pattern for both. I like the idea of sewing up more than one view in a sewing pattern, it's better value for money and seems more of a challenge to myself to think of a pattern as being for more than one garment. Maybe I'm getting too accustomed to indy patterns. 

Anyway, a slightly different post on sewing for someone else. Now I just need to post them to her for Sunday 31st March, Mother's Day in the UK. 

Closet Case Carolyn Pyjamas

I love pyjamas! Especially ones that are long enough in the arms and legs and are made of cosy brushed cotton. Like these new ones are! I spent about a day and a half cutting out the pyjama pieces so the pattern would match. The pattern pieces for the sleeve cuff and leg cuff are cut on the straight grain, unlike the other pyjama pattern I sometimes use. Next time I'll cut on the bias and save myself some time and the inevitable 'pattern un-matching' during the sewing process, Exhibit 1:

I added piping, using No.1 piping cord and purchased satin green bias binding. I also bought some green fish eye buttons. There wasn't anything suitable in my button tin. The fabric was bought last summer from Minerva fabrics. All other notions were from Edinburgh Fabrics. 

I've tried this pattern before and hated the pyjamas so much I 'disposed' of them. I followed the instructions for the collar and just didn't get it right at all. This time I went my own way and the collar is good. It took a couple of goes to get the piping to meet exactly at the join between the facing and collar but it's worth taking the time over this detail. You'll be looking at it in the mirror every time you wear these and only you can judge how much that will annoy you! Or not. This collar is a weird beast. When you're wearing it, it sits beautifully. When you're ironing it, it doesn't behave. 

I added length to the legs and cut the cuffs as per the pattern. They're deep cuffs but in proportion to my height. I used my sewing machine for the piping and sewing the cuffs to the sleeves and legs and overlocker for everything else. Pattern unmatching Exhibit 2:

I like the waistband casing being a separate pattern piece you sew on. I sewed two channels in the waistband and added two narrower pieces of elastic, maybe 10mm wide. It's just what I had at hand. I didn't add the pockets and quite frankly I was probably fed up of cutting out fabric and just wanted to get on with sewing them together!   

This was a far more successful 'go' at making this pattern and I'll be using it again in the future. I'm glad I gave it another try, I like using a pattern more than once. I've actually got a length of brushed cotton and another length of cotton/viscose so there will be two more pairs of pyjamas coming in the future, that's for sure!

A Melilot shirt in dark floral

And the sewing of tried and tested patterns continues! I thought after the last couple of posts 'showcasing' very plain, but necessary winter tops, I'd show you something sightly more interesting. I love the Deer and Doe Melilot shirt pattern and have sewn it up many times in both the long and short sleeved versions. There will be more in the future too.

For this version, I used a bright floral pattern on a black background 100% viscose. I think this was bought from Guthrie and Ghani well before Christmas. I doubt there's any left now!

I wanted to 'streamline' the sewing of the sleeve plackets so I cut a 2" wide strip of fabric on the bias and just bound the edges of the sleeve placket cut. Sorry I haven't got any photos of this. It worked beautifully and after a press, sits flat as it should do. I find pressing and sewing the tiny hems on the plackets very fiddly to do and always end up steam pressing my fingers. I had to do something to improve this construction!

The buttons are plain black ones from Edinburgh Fabrics. It's difficult finding plain, black buttons for shirts. Or indeed shirt buttons suitable for women's shirts. Why is this?

Here's how I wear it at work, with a cardigan over it. Explains the creases after wearing it for 5 hours!

The marvellous Kalle shirt in merlot linen

After my mixed feelings on my green Closet Case Carolyn pyjamas, I already had the Kalle shirt pattern downloaded and stuck together. The merlot linen was purchased from Edinburgh Fabrics for about £14 a metre, prewashed and I was good to go. I absolutely love the finished shirt! This is a great pattern and produces a lovely garment with a high quality finish both on the outside and inside. 

Now, as I show you these photos of my tunic/shirt, keep in mind that I'm 5'9" tall (or 1.75m for metric folk) and remember, I didn't add any length to this. In fact, what you see is the size 14 sewn up without any alterations made to the pattern. At all. Heather's advice was choose the size based on the bust measurement, so that's what I did. Good advice.

I tried the burrito method of encasing the yoke and this time it worked out for me, although it was very strange and took some figuring out. Just do what the instructions tell you, look at the diagrams and put your trust in Heather's knowledge. The first time I tried it, on a muslin for the Kelly anorak which may or may not get sewn this year, it didn't work out and the shoulder seams were on the outside. Ah well, that's what a muslin's for, isn't it?

For the hem, I didn't want to make bias binding from this fabric. It would be too rigid and too bulky. I tried the baby hem, as suggested in the pattern but like Goldilocks, this just wasn't right either and didn't sit well at the hip curve. So I used the front and back pattern pieces to cut 3" wide facings. I overlocked the side seams together, then finished the top edge with the overlocker. I then joined the facing to the hem with the overlocker, turned the facing to the inside and topstitched about 2.5" from the finished edge. It's worked beautifully and adds some weight to the hem which gives it a certain movement that you can feel when walking. I think this treatment suits a heavier fabric like linen and I'd do it again.

I used black iron-on lightweight interfacing on the collar and button and buttonhole bands. I was swithering between lightweight and medium-weight but I reckoned I could do two layers of lightweight if it was too insignificant. I'm so glad I went with one layer of lightweight. It's beefy enough on the linen but isn't too rigid, thank goodness. I don't like seeing collars that 'fly' due to heavy interfacing.

I love the buttons. I finished the shirt and had a good investigation of my button tin but nothing grabbed me. So I took the shirt and went off to Edinburgh Fabrics where I found these little beauties. They're just right for this shirt! The collar is also the right size for me to wear it comfortably buttoned up, which is a new look for me. I like it!

Currently the shirt is on a wash and wear cycle, which says it all really. I could also be frantically trying to wear it as much as I can before summer ends which in Scotland will be in about two weeks time! Did I say I love this shirt?

A couple of Sutton tops

Not the most flattering photo I've ever taken but it demonstrates exactly how much I love the True Bias Sutton pattern. So much so, that I made two black ones before going on holiday to Spain last month. Yes, I was on a bit of a sewing-production-line! I bought two meters of black viscose fabric from Edinburgh Fabrics and cut out a plain black Sutton. I have coveted this version for a few years so of course I decided to copy it! That's how the two black Suttons came about.

The only really fiddly bit is sewing the bias binding onto the lace around the neck. That takes some patience and some time to do correctly but the effort is worthwhile. I sewed the plain black Sutton using french seams throughout. 

For the lace version I used french seams when sewing viscose to viscose but if lace was involved I overlocked those seams. I felt that trying to french seam lace was just too much of a challenge!

For the sleeve hems I overlocked the hem edges, then turned the overlocked edge to the wrong side, and straight stitched the hem. Job done! I absolutely love these two and have been washing and wearing them almost weekly. The thing I love about this pattern is that it sits where you put it. There's no adjusting it through the day when you're wearing it and the v-necked front doesn't make a dive for the floor when you bend slightly over. It just works. That surely must be the sign of a great pattern!

The tale of the second pair of PJs...

Here we go folks, I said on Tuesday in my Tale of Two PJs post that I'd made another pair of pyjamas...and here they are. I'm smiling in the photo but...I just don't like them. There, I've said it. 

For this pair of pjs I used the Closet Case Carolyn pattern for both the top and trousers. I used a 100% cotton poplin bought from Edinburgh Fabrics and prewashed before cutting out. I love the green! I also bought pre-made satin bias binding so I could add flat piping. The five buttons were chosen from my button tin. 

Where do I start with this? Maybe the trousers as I sewed them up first. I've already made the shorts previously so I knew the body part fitted well size-wise. I'd already added a good few inches to the rise and didn't alter that for the trousers. I added quite a few inches to the trouser legs #sewingtall. I added the bottom bands from the pattern and added flat piping too. But...I don't like how thick the band is (I didn't alter this, they're cut as per the pattern). 

I absolutely love the pockets, though! The waistband is cut separately and sewn on. I don't like having a wide piece of elastic in a wide waistband like this so sewed two channels and added narrower elastic in each channel. I wish I'd made the waistband 50% narrower and used one length narrower elastic but this is just a personal preference.

But the worst crime of all is that they are too short. Just half an inch too short. But enough to be flappy...*shudder*. This is the stuff of nightmares for me. This was my fault as I trimmed too much off the leg length before sewing on the bands. Nobody else to blame here!

Now, moving on to the top. I hate the collar. It's just too wide and sits too high up my neck (I have a long neck). I like how the two piece undercollar is cut on the bias. I also have to say that I absolutely, totally and utterly HATED (yes I know I'm shouting) the instructions for sewing the collar and front facings on to the body. I think it is overly-complicated, has too many little steps in it and there are far easier methods out there. 

I added a 1" FBA to the front just to make sure there would be enough room. That worked well and there is a small dart. The front and back body of the top fits well and I really like the shirt tail curved hem shaping. The flat piping is a little wide for my liking but that's probably because there isn't any piping cord inside the take up the slack. I have to say, the piping does meet perfectly at the inner corners of the collar. 

By this point in the pyjama sewing journey I was fed up and just wanted to finish the damned things! I cut out but didn't bother sewing the sleeve bands. The buttonholes went in ok and I sewed the buttons on. Gave it a final press and tried it on.

Oh dear! That's when I found out the trousers were too short and the collar wants to sit it's own way. Taking these photos, I noticed that the sleeves each have a huge vertical wrinkle. Have you got any idea why? I haven't. I sewed the sleeves on flat as instructed by the pattern and also because that's how I do them, if I can. I matched all the notches and the dot at the sleeve top and shoulder seam. So why the big wrinkles? And what's going on with the top button and lower collar? Nothing I do makes it sit properly. 

I wanted to bin them there and then. But I decided to see if they would grow on me after a few wears. They haven't. I went back to my favourite pyjamas sewn using Kwik Sew 2811 last night and the green pair are lying on the bedroom floor ready to start their probably quite quick journey to the bin. I will remove the buttons first though!  

A tale of two PJs

You're going to need sunglasses for this post! The colours and prints are going to sear your eyeballs. Before I went on holiday to Barcelona a few weeks ago, I decided to sew up a pair of pyjama shorts and sleeveless top as nightwear. I've fancied trying the Closet Case Patterns Carolyn Pyjamas so I clicked 'Buy' and started printing and taping. I don't trace so I made my adjustments to the pattern and then cut out the pj shorts.

I love a bit of piping on my pyjamas so made some bias binding and added flat piping to the shorts cuff. I also prefer the waistband to have two channels and use two lengths of narrow elastic. I just find it comfier that way.

I used the Colette Sorbetto sleeveless top pattern as I wanted something sleeveless and quick to sew. I did an FBA on this but can't remember how much I added. I finished the armhole and neck edges with my self-made bias binding...not that you can see it. There's also a pleat down the front which you can't see either! I was scratching my head for a while over that pleat, I just didn't understand the instructions at all but lightbulb must have gone off at some point because it all worked out fine.

The fit on the shorts is good, it's roomy but that's how I like my pjs to fit. I love having pockets! The Sorbetto is very, very roomy, I could do with sizing down but it was fine in the heat of  the Spanish heatwave. I used a 100% cotton poplin purchased from Edinburgh Fabrics for both the shorts and top and construction was with the overlocker and sewing machine so all in all, a quick sew but something I needed for my holiday!

Why the title 'A Tale of two PJs?' Well, I made another pair of Carolyn Pyjamas but I'm keeping those for another post...I'm not entirely sure about them so I'm wearing them to see if I'll get to like them...

Out of my comfort zone...a bit of an experiment with stretch lace

In sewing up things for my holiday I've been trying to use the fabric and patterns I already have. Which has been interesting and also pushed me a bit to try some new things. I give you... Exhibit A some stretch lace and some black viscose jersey I already had.

The observant among you will notice that I managed to find paisley patterned stretch lace...demonstrating my love for paisley patterned anything.

Overexposed photo...but you can see the gathered back section

I used Simplicity 1463, a pattern I have in my collection but this is the first time I've sewn up view C. The black viscose jersey I bought from John Lewis for a bargain £4 a metre and I bought lots! That was a year or so ago. The paisley stretch lack I bought specifically for this top and I bought 50cm of it from Edinburgh Fabrics, which I think I paid £8, but I'm not really sure. Either way it's still a bargain for a top like this!

I added 2" to the length of the body and cut a generous Medium. This top comes out big! I'm not sure I actually needed to add any length, especially not to the back but I'm fine with it. I'm 5'9" tall just in case anyone's wondering about making this top, it's always good to have a height comparison!

The stretch lace was actually easier to work with than I expected. Basically I overlocked everything. For the sleeve hem I overlocked the edge of the lace, turned it up and straight stitched it, no stretch required in the sleeve hems! For the body hem that was a little bit more work. I stitched a straight stitch 1.5cm from the edge and pressed that to the inside. The front and back have pointed centre edges so you can't just stitch blithely around the hem in a one-er. I used my twin stretch needle and started sewing from the edge of the fabric, around the hem to the other point and off the edge of the fabric there too. Then repeated for the other part of the hem. Job done! Yes the double row of stitches overlap each other at the points but it's black and you can't see. It's good enough.

Accessorised with lipstick obviously

This is the bit I don't like though. The raglan sleeves are not in a straight line from the neck to the arm, more of a rounded square. On me I don't think they sit correctly, see the wrinkling? I think they would probably be better shaped as more 'classical raglan' sleeves, with a diagonal line from neck to arm.

The neckband gave me some grief though. It's the correct length and gives some nice stability to the neckline, which is all lace really. I overlocked the band on and found that the inside hem was wider than the neckband so it showed when wearing the top. So I overlocked again and cut more off the hemmed edge. Then pressed it well and used the twin stretch needle to topstitch around the neckband to make everything sit neatly where I wanted it to. You can't see any topstitching among all that lace, it's great!

To join the lace pieces of the sleeve together, the pattern instructs you to use a sewing machine. I didn't (what a rebel!) and used the overlocker so all seams were neatly cut and all edges securely finished. Those are quite full sleeves, not something I have in my wardrobe or that I'm used to wearing.

If you've got any rough patches on your hands, the lace will find them! Top tip...smooth on some hand cream before working with the lace...otherwise it'll drive you mad. I have to say I really like my new top and I'm glad I made it. It's already sitting in the washing machine as I wore it on Saturday, so that's a good sign!

It's not a top!...some putty linen Named Alpi Chinos

Yes, I know I absolutely love sewing tops so it's a bit of a surprise that I've sewn some trousers. I've already sewn two pairs of Named Alpi Chinos before. I bought this lovely putty/grey/beige coloured 100% linen last year from Edinburgh Fabrics and didn't have enough time to sew them up before going on holiday. So this year I challenged myself to 'just get them sewn!'

Frankly, I couldn't be bothered to put these on and take photos so I thought I'd focus on the details. Besides, this is what I looked like last year with the same trousers style if you're interested in what they look like worn.

I used the same alterations as I did last year, adding 1.5" to the front rise, 1.25" to the back rise, 4" to the inside legs. I ended up overlocking 2" of this off the leg hems but as you know, I much prefer adding too much length and having the luxury of removing it if I want to. I eventually overlocked a 2" hem and turned it up once before stitching it. It's not complicated but I don't want bulky hems. I also had to take in the waistband so much the original 3 piece curved waistband is now a 4 piece curved waistband. I also managed to locate the waistband joins not quite in the same location as their counterparts at the back and side seams but I can live with that!

The zip fly went in like a dream and I had also managed to get a YKK jeans zip in the identical colour to the fabric. I used a silver coloured jeans button I already had and thoroughly enjoyed getting the hammer out to bash that in. Very satisfying. Just make sure you poke the back through the fabric before putting the button part on top. There's a little plastic gizmo that helps with holding everything together before you hammer it all in. Still have to be careful of the 'hammer/finger' proximity thought!

The already had the silver coloured rivets so decided to add them too but they were 'wee devils' to use. I used a dressmakers awl to poke a hole through the corner of the back pocket - which was about 5 layers of fabric. This didn't work so well so I used my seam ripper to rip a bigger hole. Like the jeans button, you need to have the back part pushed through all layers of fabric. You need to be careful you don't make too big a hole! When you push the rivet top over it, it will click together I found I had to cover the rivet top with cardboard and give it a good tap with a hammer so get a secure fit.

I'm not so sure about the diagonal hip pockets on these trousers, maybe I need to change the shape to curved. But realistically I'll never be wearing my tops tucked in so it's not such a problem. All in all, I like them, love the neutral colour and have another pair of trousers for the gloriously, balmy hot summer in Scotland. That or my summer holiday in Spain, which seems far more likely!

Snatching victory from the jaws of defeat...or how I managed to rescue a cutting mistake

These are probably also the last photos from my mini-series, the Christmas Tree collection! Never one to waste some good mediocre photos I thought I'd just use them anyway. Call it thrift!

So, yes I made this during the festive break and I like how it's turned out. I haven't worn it yet but that's because I think it's a summer print that's not for steel-grey coloured cloudy skies of Scotland in the winter. What's the cutting mistake? Can you guess? It's staring you right in the face...the central vertical line. That's actually a piece of fabric overlocked to a left front and right front pattern piece. Normally you'd cut this pattern piece on the fold but because of the stripes I was aiming to cut this in a single layer. Except...I cut around one side of the front pattern piece...and then instead of flipping the pattern piece over and cutting around the other side...I started cutting UP the front towards the neckline. So I had two fronts. *sigh*

I was a tad annoyed...until eventually I thought about cutting a strip of fabric and overlocking it to the front pieces. Problem solved, a wearable garment created and actually, I really like it. The fabric is a cotton jersey with a little bit of lycra in it that I bought months ago from Edinburgh Fabrics. The pattern is one I've made before, Simplicity 1463 . I was careful about the pattern placement for the neckband and sleeve bands and the neck band is a smidgeon too long but I've noticed this before with this pattern. The hem is finished with a twin needle. 

All in all, quite a simple top. Have you ever rescued something from a howler of a mistake or disaster?

Too cool for School!

Ah people, I've been looking forward to writing this post for a while! This is my second make for the Vintage Pattern Pledge organised by Marie from The Stitching Odyssey and Kerry from Kestrel Makes. So, it's a skirt. But not just any skirt. This is another 'Blast from the Past' pattern, one that I owned when it was first released, re-found it on EBay and sewn it up again. Why the post title? Well the first time I sewed this beauty up was as my school skirt! So, get comfy everyone, and I'll tell you the story of my old school skirt. First we have to go back in time to the glory days of 1980....

I grew fairly tall when a young lass and my mum despaired of finding a school skirt that we both felt was long enough (and decent enough!). So, after trying on umpteen skirts, she asked if I wanted to sew a school skirt. Yep! So we went shopping in Carlisle and bought this pattern Style 3092.

My mum said I could have a wrap skirt but not a skirt with a split. Looks like a wrap skirt, doesn't it? We also bought some black needle cord fabric, the zip and black lining.  Later, at home nearly 30 miles from Carlisle, I started cutting out the paper pattern only to discover it was a 'mock' wrap skirt and it did indeed have....the forbidden split! However, I received special  dispensation to go ahead and sew it up but I was warned not to make the split too high. Hand on heart, I did not know this pattern had a split until I was home. Just wanted to make that clear! I loved the finished skirt and loved wearing it at school. Nobody else had one like it!

So, here's my favourite bit, what was happening in the most important part of my life (music obviously!) in 1980? I know you're all holding your breath wondering what I was dancing to at school discos back in the day. Well, I was a big fan of Madness and the first vinyl single I ever bought was 'Baggy Trousers'. Even today I am word perfect for the lyrics of this song. Proud to say! Ska was a big thing at school and other bands like The Specials, Bad Manners, The Jam were also on the turntables and we had varying degrees of success at dancing to this music! Disco was still on the school disco turntables too...remember Kelly Marie and Feels like I'm in love (please, please you've GOT to watch this video...it's brilliant...the hair, the make up...the dancers...soooooo 1980!). Mind you, I do remember piling on the green eye-shadow myself for school discos. What about Blondie and The Tide is High? My mum made me walk into the nearest record shop to buy this single for her. The Nolans with 'I'm in the mood for dancing'? Classics. Every one of them!

So, back to the sewing in 2016. This is a fairly simple pattern, with the back cut on the fold, the front has a left thigh seam and split and the waistband is simply a rectangle. I didn't have to make many alterations at all to this pattern, I just added some length to it but can't remember how much as it was a few months ago. The tricky thing is with cutting out the pattern. You have to cut the front pieces on a single layer of fabric and you have to make sure the pieces are the correct way up. I confess I did try making this pattern at the start of the year but accidentally flipped one of the front pieces over. Undo-able mistake! I threw that mess away.

The outer fabric is a non-stretch dark-ish 100% cotton denim bought from Edinburgh Fabrics. I used an 8" jeans zip and some cream cupro lining bought from John Lewis (which at £12 a metre was more expensive than the £10 a metre denim but totally worth it). The pattern was not lined but I just adapted the skirt pieces to make the lining. I used a jeans button I already had and topstitched using black thread. To finish the skirt hem I used some 1" tan and black tiger print ribbon I bought last year from Edinburgh Fabrics during a blogger meet-up in Edinburgh organised by Helen from Grosgrain Green. I knew I'd find a use for it someday! I like using little souvenirs in my sewing.

The verdict? I like this skirt, I don't love it but then again I took it on holiday to Prague and Vienna and wore it a couple of days so it has been a success. The rectangular waistband is not a great fit on me and a bit baggy. The skirt is quite loose, especially in the front and I wonder of that's due to the front seam. I like the off centre split but I think I'm still getting used to the longer length. Will I make it again? I'm not sure but I'd need to make some changes to the pattern if I did. But I did enjoy making it and wearing it on holiday, just need to incorporate it in my everyday wardrobe now!

Lots of Named patterns Alpi Chinos

Well, it seems I've developed a bit of a habit for making a pattern....and then making lots more versions of it. I needed some new linen trousers for going on holiday at the end of June. We went to Prague and Vienna so I knew it could potentially be very warm at that time of year. And for the most part it was and we had temperatures of 36 degrees. After the success of Named Jamie jeans, I thought I'd have another look at the Named website and ended up buying the Alpi Chino pattern. Yes...Alpi Chino sounds like Al Pacino to me too!

The pattern is for non stretch light or mid-weight woven fabrics. Linen was one of the suggested fabrics. Great! I made a few alterations to the pattern before cutting out, I added 1.5" to the front rise and 1.25" to the back rise. I also increased the leg length by 4". These are the same adjustments I make to the Jamie jeans pattern. I also had to take in the centre back seam quite a bit but that's normal for me.

I love the front pockets and the back pockets. I wanted ALL the details on these trousers! The first pair I made was using some Essex Linen, I think it's a Robert Kaufman fabric, that I bought from John Lewis in Edinburgh. It's a 50% linen and 50% cotton blend which I pre-washed before cutting out. I used a jeans button from my stash, a metal jeans zip and added some rivets to the back pockets too. I like the coppery colour of the rivets and button compared with the fabric colour.

So, I was very pleased with how these turned out and decided to make some more! The next pairs were using a black linen that I bought from John Lewis and some kakhi linen I bought from Edinburgh Fabrics. I'm really pleased with both those pairs too! 

  

Can you see the four piece curved waistband? It's utterly brilliant and I love it! It fits so well. I used to hate waistbands so much because they didn't fit me at all and gaped. Now I know that curved waistbands are great and fit me so well and are the only way forward for me.

Em...confession time. Did you see the cream top I made throughout this post? Yep, it's yet another New Look 6217. I used cream polyester triple crepe but I thought I'd need to wear a camisole underneath so I lined it using cupro lining. This lining says do not wash/dry clean but I just wash it in a silk or wool wash in my washing machine, using an appropriate delicates liquid soap and it's always worked for me. The only thing is, if you let it fully dry out after washing, you will never iron all the creases out of it. That seems a small price to pay when you can just chuck it in the washing machine (either intentionally or unintentionally!).