After making my last two wearable muslins of the Sureau I finally felt brave enough to cut into the liberty Mitsi fabric (the pattern and fabric was a Christmas present so I really didn’t want to mess it up!)
For this final version I:
- Cut a 44 in the shoulders and 46 for the bust and waist (no FBA)
- Shortened the side zip
- Added side seam pockets
- Moved the gathers down a bit so they were in line with my bust apex
- Curved the waist darts
- Added a little cuff to the sleeve
It came together really quickly but not without sacrifice, while attaching the skirt to the bodice I was concentrating so much on keeping the gathers straight that I sewed straight through my finger!
I didn’t hem it as short as last time and ended it just around my knee, I figured I can get away with a shorter skirt if I am wearing tights but exposing my bare saggy legs is not a good look (especially with how white and pasty they are after the winter!) I spent ages looking for the right buttons and eventually settled on the mother of pearl flower ones.
I have been taking a good objective look at which things I actually wear in my wardrobe, particularly knit wise. My most worn RTW cardigans are Navy (one plain, one polka dot) and grey (again one plain and one polka dot!) I usually pick yarn purely on whichever colour takes my fancy at the time which has led to some lovely cardigans but with fairly limited ‘wearability’. I decided to fill an obvious gap by knitting a Navy Miette. I have knitted the Miette twice before and for me it is the perfect cardigan; fitted and simple with a little bit of lace to add interest. Another plus is the raglan sleeves, I’m quite broad in the shoulders and I’ve found that set in sleeves can look quite boxy on me, (I slightly resemble a rugby player!)
I cast on a size 42 and used Cascade 220 in Navy 854 bought from laughing hens. The only modification I made was adding 4 inches to the length (another 20 rows) I blocked it in my usual fashion by putting it through a wool wash in the machine. I used ten mother of pearl buttons, 2 more than the pattern to account for the extra length.
I finished both in time to wear for the Easter weekend. I love the whole outfit and have worn the cardigan almost constantly since it was finished (I’ve since cast on another Miette in Silver Grey!) I like the style of the Sureau and now I’ve added the pockets it’s earned a place as a TNT pattern in my collection (pockets are a serious deal breaker for me!)
The Liberty Tana Lawn is lovely to sew with. I’ve got some Liberty Cotton Poplin to try which is possibly going to become a Chardon.
I also took the plunge and bought two and a half metres of their Summer Tana Lawn which I’ve been lusting at for over a year (No idea why they named it Summer, it’s the least summery fabric they have) I’m thinking of a simple dress with possibly a pleated skirt, not decided on a pattern yet though so I might try using the Emery bodice and drafting my own skirt (I’ll definitely be making a wearable muslin first)
I was hoping to have enough of the Mitsi left over to make some matching knickers but I’m afraid it wasn’t to be. It has reignited my longing for more Liberty knickers though, I’ve found a couple of remnants that are big enough so I think I’ll have to start the production line again soon!
Just Sew Therapeutic 
These both look fantastic! Liberty is great to work with and leaves really great results! I have to agree too about the ‘summer’ fabric – it looks more like ‘winter storm’ fabric!!
I really do love Liberty fabric but I’m always apprehensive about cutting into it because it’s so expensive! I don’t know if they are trying to be ironic with the Summer fabric, it’s got snow capped mountains on it! X
It’s the perfect outfit!
Thanks Susan!x
I love the buttons for your Miette, they’re just perfect.
I’ve got a bit of a thing for mother of pearl buttons, these were from my local haberdashery but there’s lots of lovely ones on ebay too, I can easily waste a couple of hours on an ebay button search! X
That’s a really lovely outfit! It’s a great idea to make matching items that can be worn seperate, too. Even better when the fill gaps, like your Miette. Well done, both of them! 🙂
Thank you, I’ve only just noticed that I tend to sew a lot of blue garments, I’ve worn the navy cardigan almost every day since I finished it, it seems to go with everything! X
That’s a really lovely outfit! It’s such a good idea to make matching items that can also be worn seperate. Even better when they fill gaps like your Miette. Both really well done! 🙂
I love your final Sureau dress – the liberty fabric is absolutely gorgeous (and awesome matching sandals as well!) Since the sun came out I am obsessed with the idea of making dresses so I may eventually get to try this pattern – I finally got going on Chardon skirts this week!
Louise x
I’m in a dress mood too, I’ve got some grey/blue Chambray which I’m hoping to make into a Bruyere dress pretty soon but I’m really struggling for time at the moment. Can’t wait to see your Chardons, I think the pattern will work really well on you! X
I really love both pieces so much. I hadn’t really ever given much thought to the Sureau dress before because I didn’t love the sleeves. Your little addition of the cuff is perfect!
On the first two I made the sleeves felt a bit unfinished, I added a little bit of width to the bottom of the sleeves before putting the cuff on which has helped to balance them out. I’m wondering whether it would work as a short sleeve too! X
Oh I am envious, not only do you have a lovely dress, but a matching cardigan! Cool buttons too!
Thanks Linda, it’s definitely helped to pinpoint the things I like to wear, the navy cardigan goes with so many things! X
I love Sureau in a Liberty Print ! Such a beaut !
Thanks Clotilde, I’m glad I finally got around to making it, it’s a great pattern, I’ll definitely be making more! X
This Sureau looks really lovely on you, especially with the cardigan (and those lovely blue shoes)! You are a girl after my own heart with all those blues! I think your hard work paid off, because it’s beautiful. I am so impressed with your knitting skills too! I love that “summer” liberty fabric too – I can’t wait to see what you make with it!
I’ve only just noticed just how much blue I sew, my favourite colour is actually purple but I’ve only ever sewn one purple dress and a skirt! X
These are both so pretty on you, and suit you perfectly 🙂
Thank you! I’m really pleased with how they turned out! X
I can not say enough good things about this whole outfit… I just love it! The Liberty poplin looks like it will make a great addition to your wardrobe with that pretty pop of red! You know, I never thought about making my own knickers until I started reading your blog. I saw a video on the Trixie Lixie website and it made it look so do-able — even for me!
Thanks Tracy, I’ve not actually got much red in my wardrobe but couldn’t resist the poplin! You should have a go at knicker making, they are really fun and quick to make, mine definitely get a lot more wear than anything else in my wardrobe! X
I love everything about this outfit! The dress is just amazing, Mitsi is one of my favourite prints and it’s so nice to see it made into a dress. The navy cardigan goes so well with it, I think I should be knitting myself a navy cardigan too. I have a RTW one which I wear a lot so it would be sensible. I hope your finger has recovered now! X
My old machine had a finger guard on, it was only after I sewed through my finger that I noticed the new one hadn’t! I used to regularly sew my thumb at school though so it wasn’t the first time 😊 x
Perfection. Beautiful dress and cardi. I love both patterns.
Thank you! It’s nice to have a matching cardigan, it’s usually too chilly to wear a dress on its own! x