helmitrenchblouse helmitunicdress
Nice pattern with a fancy, but slightly fiddly hidden button placket. Nice rounded collar or mandarin-style collar. Can be made as a shirt or a dress.
Pattern
Named Clothing, size 38.
Fabric
- Blouse: Wearable toile from an old cotton bedsheet with Gothenburg-themed print: seagulls, oyster catchers, boats, rocks, seals, waves.
- Dress: Poplin abstract waves black from Kattun Stoffe. 1.3 m bought. - Oct 2024
Adjustments
Dress
Waistband: For the dress I added waistband by making a channel from the skirt part and threading an elastic through. Without it the dress would have been quite shapeless and not very flattering, just boring looking. With the waist, it looks much better, but it was slightly too high placed, so bodice is a bit too short and the whole dress shifts upwards over time. Not the most dramatic thing, but a bit annoying and uncomfortable. Lining: Because the fabric was a bit thin and I wanted to avoid it sticking to my legs with tights, I sewed acetate lining into it before constructing the skirt part. It worked quite well and didn’t get too bulky. I didn’t like the bodice. However, because I didn’t have the patience to figure out how to add pockets to a skirt with lining, I didn’t add pockets, which I regret afterwards.
Next time
Blouse
Size 38 is quite roomy, but perhaps 36 would be too tight? I didn’t do the trench-style cuffs, but the sleeves look a bit “self-made” without any decoration. Could make them nice next time, either a slightly broader cuff or elastic? Definitely hand-sew the rounded collar next time, it turned out quite angular with the sewing machine.
Dress
Definitely add a waistband again (like I did in the first version), but place it better at my natural waist. Lengthen the bodice by a few centimetres. Mandarin collar is cute, but it’s hard to keep the collar open, it only looks good completely done up, which sometimes looks a bit too “strict”. So I think I would prefer a normal collar next time. Short sleeves are cute. The curved hem is fine but not my favourite design element. But maybe it is what makes this dress stand out a bit more as compared to just a boring straight hem? Add pockets! I added a lining, which made adding pockets more complicated, so I left them out. But next time take the time to look up how to add pockets to a lined skirt, it’s worth it.
Vest
Could be a cute vest layering piece maybe? Bodice part of dress with mandarin collar, and without sleeves.
Photos
Side-slit detail:
Slightly wonky collar, and button stand with hidden plaquet:
Finished Helmi tunic dress with mandarin collar.
Helmi tunic dress: focus on button detail.
_Lining in skirt portion of Helmi tunic dress _
Waistband channel for elastic, made by flipping the seam allowances of the skirt + bodice seam upwards.
High-low curved hem on the Helmi tunic dress.
Front view of the finished short-sleeved Helmi tunic dress with elastic waistband.
Combination for pyjama set
Combined with Tula pants to get a whole pyjama set of the same fabric. Made: Oct 2024
