Made by a Fabricista: A Trio of Closet Case patterns

Have you tried any of the fabrics in the Pre-Cut and Kit buyout sections? I have been enjoying these for quite some time now, and have been amazed at the quality of the fabrics and the prices! I wanted to make a black and white mini-capsule using some of the white and black pre-cut and kit fabrics that I've purchased, and was looking for some styles that were modern and easy to sew, when I came across Closet Case patterns. I'd heard of them before, mainly of their Ginger Jeans pattern, but since I'm not a jeans person, I hadn't looked any further. But, they also have some very cute tops and dresses, so I decided to give them a whirl!


My first Closet Case pattern was the Ebony- this is a swingy knit top and dress pattern. The fabric is a solid black rayon lycra jersey that came in a kit, and is very drapey.


I liked it so much that I made a second out of a black and white printed rayon jersey. Really a super simple raglan sleeved design, that should look good on everyone! The hemline on all of the versions is a shorter in the front, and I made the difference a little less extreme in my top versions, as I wasn't quite sure how I'd like it.


So, then I decided to try making the dress length version, in a white and black rayon jersey stripe from a kit. This is a completely different draft from the top because it has set in sleeves. Well, what can I say, it was not flattering, in the least. That's one nice thing about doing these blog posts, is that I can see pretty clearly in the photos when something isn't working. So, what to do? I thought about cutting it off to top length, but decided that part of the problem was the color. I threw it in a navy blue dye bath, and voila! Instantly loved it. I really enjoy dyeing fabrics. It's a great tool to have up your sleeve when projects aren't up to your expectations, so give it a try if you haven't yet! One thing to note here- all purpose polyester thread will not dye, unless you are using a dye specifically for synthetics. I had used all black topstitching thread, so it worked to dye the garment after construction, as the black was still appropriate with my color. But, if you have used a thread color for topstitching that doesn't coordinate with your dye color, this may not be the best idea!


I don't think that the dress in this pattern is going to be everyone's cup of tea. I like it much better with the vest breaking up the large expanse of fabric. Plus, I need pockets, and sadly, this dress has none. Of course, that is an easy remedy, and I could easily add some side seam pockets if I make it again. As far as the fit goes, I made the size 14, which I would take in ready to wear clothes, and I thought the fit in the bust, neck, sleeve and shoulder area was great.



I also had ordered the Kalle pattern. Kalle is a shirt and shirtdress made for woven fabrics.



I decided to make the tunic length, View B, with a little extra length, out of a black cotton voile pre-cut with a tiny bird print. The instructions for the front placket are very clever, and in all of my years of sewing, I don't think that I've done one quite like it. I think that this one turned out really nice!


And here it is from the back. I again made the 14 with no alterations, except for length because of my height, and I'm not sure that I even needed that- it's pretty long! But, the designer says that her patterns are designed for a height of 5 feet 6 inches, and I'm 3 inches above that, so I added 1-1/2". I always forget how much time woven shirts take to make. I think that I made ALL of the Ebonys in less time than it took to make one Kalle! But I did enjoy the process, and sometimes it's good to make yourself slow down and focus.


And last, but not least, I tried the Charlie Caftan. This one has two lengths and two versions of the lower front. I decided to make View B, with the pleated front.




My fabric was a black geometric rayon challis from a kit. It was actually described as a cotton, and it had some sizing on it that made it feel more like cotton, but when I washed the sizing away, I could tell that it was definitely a rayon challis.


This is a super comfortable dress, and I again, made no alterations to the pattern except for length.
I can definitely see making this one again, as it is pretty simple and I like the modern vibe.

I had enough scraps from the knit Ebonys to make one more top! The Ebony has one short top version, that is in the line drawings, view B.


Even though I had already added a couple of inches to the length of View B, it was still much too short for me. So in a "make it work" moment, I flipped the direction of the stripes from another scrap piece, and made a little addition at the hem. I like this one a lot, and even though it's from the same white and black striped fabric that I ended up dyeing in the dress form, I think it works better here because there is the contrast neckband and sleeves to add in a little more color.


So, I'm really impressed with the Closet Case patterns that I tried! They worked for me without as many alterations as I usually have to make for the more commercially available patterns, and that's a big plus in their favor. But even more than that, I like the wearability and modern feel that the styles have. I'm sure that I'll be using these patterns again!