Erica Bunker | DIY Style! The Art of Cultivating a Stylish Wardrobe: top

Linen 2-Piece Outfit!

1:00 PM

What is spring and summer without a great linen look? It's even better when it's a matching set, that works together or as separates in your wardrobe!

I'd recently acquired this beautiful cut of linen from Zelouf Fabrics. It's the Rebecca Stripe Linen in Ivory. The fabric is so subtle... it just makes perfect sense to use it for a design that has some flair to it. I thought I would be making a jacket and pants. But after I pre-washed my fabric and all of the sizing was removed, the linen was so soft that I knew it would make a great top.

Vogue Patterns 1700 Top -- Fabric is from Zelouf Fabrics.com -- Erica Bunker DIY Style!

My top is Vogue Patterns 1700. It's a perfect replica of the Rosie Assoulin Lantern Sleeve Top.

The top retails for $795. I'd had this saved on Pinterest for a while... so I was glad when it was released by Vogue Patterns last year.

This top is pretty simple to sew and it has really cute designer-esque details. I cut a 14 and graded out to the 16. The bodice is really roomy, so I didn't need to do a FBA.

One of the main draws to this pattern is how it's designed to allow you to play with the stripe placement.

The bodice is lined. I used a lining fabric from my stash.

Have you seen my tutorial on how to sew a shirt yoke?

When this pattern was first released and posted to the McCall's social media accounts, there were comments like: "Who's going to wear that?"; "I can't wear a neckline that low. That's too much boobage!"; "I don't like it. The sleeves are silly and impractical." Insert eyeroll! You don't have to buy and make every pattern that is released. Everything isn't for everyone. And you're sewing the garment. Make necessary changes to suit you! Like, I sewed up the bodice to a level that I was comfortable with. The sleeves were extremely long. If I'm telling you a sleeve is long, it's long AF!

I took one inch off of the lower sleeve and I also took an inch off of the length of the sleeve cuffs. It was also too wide for my liking. So I reduced the width by 3 inches. It's not a real sleeve cuff that's interfaced and whatnot. It's just a "faux cuff" with a hem.

Closet Core Patterns Pietra Shorts -- Fabric is from Zelouf Fabrics.com -- Erica Bunker DIY Style!

My shorts are the Closet Core Patterns Pietra Shorts. And they're my new favorite summer item. If you'd asked me a couple of weeks ago how I felt about pants with elastic waistbands? I would've given them 2 thumbs down! But I liked the way the front of these are drafted and I knew my top would be long enough to cover the top of them if I hated the back waist, so I went for it. And I love them!

One of the things I used to hate about RTW shorts is how they would ride up on the inside of my thighs and make the crotch are look horrible when I'm walking. Once I learned to do a full-seat adjustment and to lengthened the crotch curve, my life was changed. As long as I've been sewing and engaging the online sewing community, I rarely see women that look like me with similar body types making pants fit adjustments. Pants get such a bad rap when it comes to fitting, because there simply isn't the RIGHT information out here to help women with curves properly fit. I've read A LOT of fit books over the years and through trial and error, I've learned to make the adjustments that I need.

I love both of these pieces, and I can assure you that these will be highly rotated through the spring and summer!

Fall 2020

Sewing Knits on Janome Memory Craft 15000!

5:30 PM

I've had my eye on those super trendy padded shoulder muscle t-shirts for months now. I'd toyed around with the idea of doing a DIY version using an oversized premade t-shirt. There are a gazillion tutorials on YouTube. But I ran across a pattern that already had the pieces. It's from Sister Mag Patterns.

I wanted a substantial weight t-shirt fabric... nothing that would look threadbare in a couple months after constant washings. I picked Telio Stretch Rayon Bamboo French Terry Knit White Fabric from Fabric.com. It's soft enough to make baby pajamas!

Sewing knits can often be challenging. If not handled correctly, you can easily have a garment with stretched out seams and wavy hems. I'm going to give you some tips on how I created this shirt using the Janome Memory Craft 15000. Now, you won't have to call that wavy hem a "lettuce edge" and pretend that you meant that!

Sewing Knits using Mettler Seraflex Elastic Thread - Erica Bunker DIY Style!

Have you ever noticed that even when you sew a knit garment and even use a stretch stitch, you sometimes hear threads popping when you put it on? Using the right thread is vital. I normally use all-purpose high-quality polyester thread. But if your seams will be taking a lot of stress, I suggest trying a stretch thread. My new discovery can resolve that. It’s called SERAFLEX and it’s the perfect sewing thread for all elastic fabrics. It makes especially the straight stitch extremely stretchable (elongation of approx. 65%) and double seam elasticity can be achieved compared to seams with conventional sewing threads. Here is a video where you can see more about it.

Sewing Knits using Schmetz 80/12 Stretch Needles - Erica Bunker DIY Style!

Use a ballpoint sewing machine needle or a stretch needle. I always use Schmetz 80/12 Stretch Needles.

Sewing Knits using the Walking Foot on Janome Memory Craft 15000 - Erica Bunker DIY Style!

Use a walking foot if you have one. If you sew knits often, you need to invest. It's a life saver for sewing with difficult fabrics.

Sewing Knits on Janome Memory Craft 15000, using the Sewing Applications feature. Erica Bunker DIY Style!

There's a lot of debate on what type of stitch you should use when sewing knits. If your seams will be taking a lot of stress and expanding, then you'll need to use zig-zag or stretch stretch instead of a classic straight stitch. On the Memory Craft 15000, there's a feature called Sewing Applications and it takes a lot of the guesswork out. It contains preset stitches for different applications. For sewing with my knit, I used Stretch/Knit under seaming and Medium under the seaming category.

Remember that knits don't fray, but the edges tend to roll like crazy.

I always use spray starch and press them flat.

I DIY'ed the shoulder pads...

This is a cute pattern, but I felt it hanged down the shoulder farther than I'd imagined it would. So, I added pleats to each side to draw it back up.

I finished with a one inch hem with a zig zag stitch.

The pants are Simplicity 8749.

cropped top

The Only Thing I'm Neutral on Is Wardrobe Pieces!

9:30 AM

Simplicity 9114 - Two-Piece Linen Set from Mimi G Style - Erica Bunker DIY Style!

I've been a blogger for a long time. I've always wanted to keep the "aesthetic" of my platform purely about sewing and only sewing. I hardly even talk about my own family UNLESS it's sewing-related. I haven't discussed anything political since Barack Obama was elected, because that was just monumental and my ancestors' wildest dream. I had to shout about it from the rafters. The only time I've "acted up" was when a troll needed to be dealt with swiftly. I'm always going to advocate for myself. There's no taking the high road when you're being openly disrespected. You have to let them know... train people how to treat you. I've witnessed a lot of things happening in the 15 years that I've been taking up real estate on this little corner of Al Gore's internet. A lot of unrest... a lot of unfair treatment of disenfranchised folks. And I kept it strictly about sewing, even when I've noticed systemic racism and implicit/unconscious bias within our sewing community, because my sewing has always been my peace.

I use to be able to just go to my sewing studio, turn on the TV and sew until my little heart was content while blocking out everything else in the world. That's how I protect my mental health and keep my anxiety in check. It was my little protective bubble. But when people are protesting in the streets, I just can't sew away civil unrest. And when you see the brands that you've loved, spent copious amounts of your discretionary income supporting, given them free advertisement on your blog and social channels (because I can sew all day and blog it without mentioning a pattern, you know...), you would think that they'd have common decency to stand on the right side of history and support a large portion of their demographic. You simply can't be neutral and ride the middle. It's like being "a little bit pregnant". Either you are or you're not. And who wouldn't want to make it known that their brand/company is Anti-Racist, unless -- you're not. Let that sink in...

And if you don't see the injustice, well... you need to check your heart and your head.

In the last week, I made this two-piece linen set from Mimi G. Style. I haven't worked with line in a while. This Oatmeal Medium Weight Linen from Mood Fabrics was super stiff and crisp when it first arrived. But after I washed, dried and pressed it, it softened up. It's 100% linen, so every time you breathe on it, it wrinkles. I know that's the characteristic of linen, but I'll be glad when these pieces are broken in after they've been washed a few times.

The top has a good amount of ease and bust darts. I was able to cut a size 14 without a FBA.

However, since it is a cropped style, I did add an inch of length so it would hit the waistband of my pants.

I cut a size 16 in the pants. A few years ago, I was all about the flat-front, wide-legged trousers. Who knew what I needed in my life was a pair of pleated high-waisted, straight legged pants? For Mimi to be the designer, her pants are always drafted pretty long. I didn't even measure the inseam and just added my normal 3" of length and I ended up having to take that off at the hem.

The pants are drafted with a beautiful fly front. Everyone does these slightly different, so I referred to her sew-along video to see how she was installing this. I used my edge foot to stitch-in-the-ditch to finish my waistband. It provides the cleanest finish possible without hand stitching.