I’ve had a disappointing run of making this fall, with more failures than would be ideal, but here’s something that came out well. It’s a silk suit for the girls.
The pattern is Phoebe from Hankie Chic. You can buy the pattern right here. The pattern is for a two-piece suit, with a straight skirt and a fitted jacket with a peplum that opens at the front. The jacket has a small collar and 3/4 sleeves and is lined.
I cut mine of that striped silk in green. I thought the back was too wide – the instructions say to put the back edge of the pattern on a fold, but I subsequently seamed it. This made the back 1/2″ narrower. The jacket is a very precise fit for the Silkie girls (and will be looser on the articulated Silkies) but I’d need at least half of that seam allowance back for it to fit the vintage B girls better. Right now, it goes around the doll and the front edges match, but they don’t overlap.
Here’s the suit on Dusk to Dawn:
Those are little gold shank buttons from I Sew For Doll. I love this shade of green on her!
Because it’s a lengthwise stripe, the direction of the stripe changes in the garment. The bodice top is cut in one piece, without a shoulder seam, so ended up on the bias at the front. I like this construction a lot, as it’s less bulky. I cut the peplum lengthwise and crosswise, planning to use the one for the facing that I liked least. The grain on the center back ends up perpendicular to the front edges – I liked it best when that was lengthwise at the back (even though it means the peplum is crosswise at the front.)
The peplum is much longer in the back than I’d expected. It’s almost like a frock coat. It’s also a lot more full – it was tight to jam in all of those gathers and I’m not sure they’re all needed.
I topstitched the collar and the hem of the peplum. I also understitched the sleeve lining and the skirt lining, all at the hems, but that’s not visible. It stabilizes the hem, though.
There are no grainlines on the patterns from this company, so you have to guess how to lay out the pieces. I put the center back seam on the straight of the grain, which is why the fronts ended up on the bias. It might be interesting to try a variation with the center front on the straight of the grain, which would put the CB seam on the bias. I’ll also likely try one with a shorter peplum, perhaps one that is less full than this one.
I have ideas for many variations and experiments, but the suit came out well as it is and I’m very glad to have a small triumph!
Alive & Knitting 
As always, simply amazing!
Thanks!
Sorry I don’t include grainlines on most of my pattern pieces … not enough room! However, here’s a tip that may help. Generally the label of the pattern pieces (bodice, skirt, etc.) will be perpendicular to the grainline of the fabric, if at all possible. Hope that helps. Sylvia Bittner, Hankie Chic
Oh, that’s interesting and makes sense. Thank you.
btw, maybe you can tell me. I love the dress with Trench Setting to pieces and have made it a number of times, but should the grainline be on the centre front seam, or should it be on the angle of the neck/strap? I’ve put the CF seam on the grain, but my friend suggested that the neckline should be stablized by that line being on the seam (instead of the bias, which is how it ends up with the CF on the grain.)
d
I love that bodice too. I usually put the center front on the grain line, but if I’m using a small hankie or scrap of fabric, I’ll cheat it a bit and it seems to come out fine no matter which way the grain lies. If I’m using a really thin fabric, I’ll iron on a fusible interfacing to the wrong side and that helps avoid any stretching on the bias.
Oh, that’s a good idea. Thanks. I always forget about using interfacing for the girls’ dresses.
btw, here’s the post on that pattern, in case you didn’t see it. (I’m not always consistent with my tagging.)