CoudreMODE » Marfy

Marfy #9865 – Finished

coudremode — Mon, 03 Sep 2007 19:20:57 +0000

I’m happy with the way this shirt jacket turned out - even though Marfy is pretty much an Outward Bound sewing experience, the patterns are expertly cut and they fit together beautifully. When I do tailored shirts like this, I turn into the Template Queen. Years ago I learned the hard way that the only way I can really replicate the crisp look of RTW shirt details is to use templates. I just can’t rely soley on my eyes and hands for neat and tidy details.

Details

There are a few design details on this shirt that really stand out: the topstitched bellows pockets with flaps, and the epaulettes. The beauty of a template is that each detail will look exactly the same - sure you do need to make them, but a piece of thin cardboard or a manila folder works fine and cutting them out takes just a few minutes of extra time. Here are the templates I made for this project:

The cardboard for these came from the back of a legal pad The big payoff with a template is nice crisp pressed edge for details such as patch pockets. The only other tools you need are a piece of silk organza to use as a press cloth and some spray adhesive to hold the template to the wrong side of the fabric (spray the template, not the fabric.) The template/fabric sandwich is placed right side down on a big piece of silk organza. Grab the silk organaza and use it to pull the fabric over the edge of the template as you press down the edge with a hot iron and lots of steam. Let the pressed piece cool completely and remove the template.

An Interesting Challenge

I must admit to being perplexed when I first saw the collar pieces. The fact that there were two of them made sense – there is an upper and lower collar, and they are different sizes as you can see – but the stand incorporated into the collar really had me stratching my head. The fashion illustration really looks like there is a separate collar stand, and in the end I decided that must be the case and seprated the two pieces (the photos below show them before they were cut apart.)

Another thing I do with a collar stand is to mark the stitching line all along the curve of the stand at center front – it’s just impossible to rely solely on my seam guide and still get a perfectly curved edge. If I mark the seam line there’s no guesswork.

Sizing

This is a 46 and when I orderd the pattern I used a Burda WOF size table to help me decide, and I erred on the small side. Still, after I did a muslin it was clear I had to narrow the shoulders a full 1/2 inch on each side – I do have narrow shoulders but over all the shoulder and back width seems large to me: 16 1/2 inches across the shoulders. I also shortend the waist a solid 2 inches and the sleeves 3/4 of an inch. The back was let out 2 inches below the hips and no adjustments had to be made for the front hip area. The patch pockets were moved down a bit so they don’t hit me right at the waist. The fabric is a Rayon Poly Stretch twill from Gorgeous Fabrics.

So – on to another Marfy! My Fall/Winter 2007-08 catalog just arrived, and inspiration abounds.

Taking The Marfy plunge – #9865

coudremode — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 12:09:32 +0000

I’ve been hanging around the edges of Marfy for a while now, and since most of the recent stuff from the Big 4 just bores me to tears I might as well go for something new. All of those floaty, drapey, funky, peasent-y styles aren’t for me (even if I was a lithe 20-something it still wouldn’t be me.) Whatever happened to sportswear and tailored clothing? But that’s a rant for another time. Clearly I need a challenge so Marfy it is! My first project is 9865, a sporty jacket-like shirt:

My patterns arrived yesterday; both were in this 5 x 7 inch envelope, neatly folded, each identified with a large sticker:

Much to my surprise, and a big change from what I’ve read, is that Marfy evidently now provides a little more info than just simple notches. The pattern pieces are rubber stamped with simple notations in four languages, and the center front piece even has button hole placement! Notice though the pattern peices themselves are not identified, and the pattern number doesn’t appear either – I’ll have to add that info. There are also lettered match points on the seams, much like the Bruda WOF numbering system:

Marfy has also thoughtfully noted fold lines for the pleat on the sleeve and pockets, and these are marked by hand in pencil. The epalet looks at little strange, I might separate that piece. Based on the pattern pieces, I’d say this is an upper intermediate pattern for difficulty (there is a stand collar.) The fabric I’ll be using is this dark brown rayon poly twill from Gorgeous Fabrics, with umber colored topstitching and tortoise buttons.

This is a size 46, and I will definitely need to do adjustments, so I think I’ll do a machine thread traced muslin with extra wide seams and then use the altered muslin as the pattern for the fashion fabric.

Stay tuned!

Marfy Spring ’07 Faves

coudremode — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 15:40:44 +0000

Lately I’ve fallen back in love with dresses – they’re so easy to wear! You just put them on and off you go. A while back I made the HotPatterns Plain & Simple Shirtdress out of a fine wale corduroy and I wear it almost once a week.

Marfy has three great sporty dresses for Spring ’07, and it going to be hard to decide which one I like the most.

All three of these would be great in a cotton pique, linen, denim, seersucker, or a twill.

F1312

This style has really great lines, I love the slanted inset pockets on the skirt and the button front. The machine embroidery concept for the skirt looks kind of dopey, and instead I’d use one half of a metal tooth zipper as an edge trim for the pockets. I might also replace the button front with a nice Riri zipper, and again use the extra teeth to trim the edges of the inset pockets.

F1310

Reminds me of my fave HP Plain & Simple Shirtdress. This would be killer in a dark wash denim with snaps and rivets as fasteners. Another great combination would be white linen with brown topstitching. I’d wear this to work with a tight cap sleeve T-shirt underneath and in the fall I’d wear it over a long sleeve body suit and tall boots.

F1313

Now, the only thing I don’t love about this style is the dowdy length on the skirt – do you know any woman who looks good in a hem that hits right below the knee cap? I’d raise the hem for sure to right above the knee, and other than that I love the 70′s neckline and all of the zippers (Riri again would look fabulous), snaps, and topstitching.