Say Hello to Capital Chic Patterns

I'm always excited to find out about a new pattern company, because it means there are even more pretties to add to my collection. So it was no surprise that I yelled "Yes, Yes" when Sally of Charity Shop Chic contacted me about a new line of patterns she was starting. MOAR Patterns!

Sally's new line of patterns is called Capital Chic and focuses on work wear, cocktail wear and day-to-night looks.  The first collection features 6 patterns with clean lines and a modern style aesthetic.  The patterns are available as print-at-home and print-at-copyshop PDF files. You can check out the whole collection over at captialchicpatterns.com.

Disclaimer time - Sally gave me the option of testing what ever patterns caught my fancy for free, in exchange for my feedback. The two patterns I chose to test were the cocktail dress Martini and the button up blouse Bellini.   I also used it as an excuse to buy a bunch of fabric. Sorry stash busting pledge.  I tested the beta versions of the patterns, however no major changes were made for the final version. So what you see in my sample garments is what you'll get in the purchased version. OK, now on to the fun stuff.

Martini -  Have I ever told you that I'm secretly a cocktail dress junkie?  It must stem from some past life hobnobbing with Don Draper at ritzy bars.  Oh Don, you're such a cad, now bring me another cocktail. Being a fictional character, Don never did bring me that drink. That's OK, I sewed myself a martini instead.

Martini can be sewn as a one-piece dress or a two piece pencil skirt and crop top combo.  I chose the one piece dress version because "my girls" would be working overtime trying to exit the bottom of the crop top. They're sneaky like that. The one piece dress still gives you the illusion of wearing a separate top without having to worry about the effects of gravity. Seems like a win win to me.

One thing that really impressed me about Sally's patterns is that they are designed to be as pretty on the inside as on the outside.  On Martini both the bodice and skirt are lined and then attached together with a french seam at the waist. The dress also has the detail of a zipper shield for the invisible zipper. I'll fully admit that I'm not a big sticker for finishing beyond overlocking. (*cough* lazy *cough*) But these kind of touches were appreciated by me as an experienced dressmaker.

Details you might like to know
Fitting - As someone with a bottom heavy hour glass figure, very little fitting was needed on this pattern. The skirt portion fit perfectly with no changes.  Due to my low set bust I had to lengthen the bodice by 1" to keep the bottom of the crop top below the girls.  I also made my standard fitting adjustments of 1/2" forward shoulder and dropping the bodice darts an 1".

Sewing confessions - I only skimmed the directions before choosing fabrics and didn't realize that the CB of the bodice self fabric is not attached to the zipper.  Probably would have chosen a black lining instead of cobalt if I'd known that. Oops (I did read the directions later, cause that's good testing and froggie was holding a ruler in a threatening manner.)

I love the textured ginkgo print suiting used for this sample, but it does not hold a press at all. That makes all the edges of the garment fluffy instead of my preferred crisp look.


Bellini - I also wanted to sew up one of the more causal patterns. You know, something a stay at home mom actually needs in her wardrobe. It also let me buy this cherry print broadcloth from Fabricmart. Cherries girls, Cherries!

Bellini is described as a loose fitting blouse with cap sleeves. While it has no darts, it still skims the body in a flattering manner. Bellini comes with two collar options, a straight collar and a scalloped one.  The scalloped one sold me on the pattern, but sadly it just didn't look right on me.  No matter, straight collars and I always get on.

Just like a Martini the insides are pretty, pretty.  Both the shoulder seams and side seams are sewn as french seams.  The armholes are finished with bias binding and the collar completely encloses the seam in a clean finish.

Details you might like to know
Fitting - Due to the looser fitting style, I didn't need to make many fitting adjustments on this pattern either.  I made the standard for me adjustments of  1/2" forward shoulder and 1/2" sway back. Looking at the finished garment I could have used a larger sway back adjustment  The shirt was also lengthened 5/8" for personal preferences.

Sewing confessions - Had this not been a pattern testing garment, then I would have added a side seam bust dart.. I think a little dart shaping on the front helps garments hang better on my body.

This garment was the first time I played with the buttonhole attachment on my snazzy Bernina 350.  In my excitement I made them a little too far away from the edge. Whoops.  It's good to know I'm human, right? ;)

To celebrate the launch of Capital Chic Patterns I'll be giving away a digital copy of the Martini pattern. To enter leave a blog comment and your information in Raffelcopter, so I have information to contact you if you win.  The drawing will run from 6/26/2014 till 7/3/2014.  Till then enjoy a candid of the Martini dress in action. The boy says we must DANCE!