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Breaking Ground {Unofficially}: Mademoiselle Gus By P&M Patterns

Bonjour, Mademoiselle Gus!
I am thrilled to be part of the Pm-Patterns Blog Tour this week, sharing my introduction to this lovely French designer with you! Karine, the woman who is Pm-Patterns, has been hard at work expanding her line of French language paper patterns into PDFs with English language options. Her currently line of patterns includes 18 children's styles and 6 for ladies. Rumor is that 2018 will be devoted to not only adding new ladies designs, but expanding the size range as well. 

My invitation to this tour came at just the right time. Winter is finally starting to break and my inspiration is turning to cute tops that can be worn with skirts and jeans for the next several months.
Mademoiselle Gus worn with straight-hem-hacked Lindy Petal Skirt

I was given my choice of pattern for free in exchange for today's post. I knew at first sight that Mademoiselle Gus was the one for me. I was really drawn to the tabbed sleeves, and the fact that it was drafted for a woven fabric. 

Additional Design Features

-Casual cuffed sleeves
-Forward shoulder seam with delicate gathers
-Bias bound neckline
-Back keyhole with tie closure
-Formatted for European sized A4 paper and A0 print shop size file

About That A4 Formatting...

It's pretty much impossible to get A4 sized paper here in the US. At least, it was for me. I called all my local print shops, as well as chain office supply stores. Nada. I looked it up on Amazon, but I refuse to pay the ridiculous asking price for a ream of paper. In the end, the solution was pretty easy: print on legal sized paper and trim as I assembled. Trimming is something I don't mind doing, so it all worked out in the end. Legal-sized paper is easy to find. I picked up my ream at Target (it was on clearance) for just a few dollars. Now, I'll have it on hand for my future Pm-Pattern purchases.

Personalizing My Gus

There was never any question which fabric I would be using for my first Mademoiselle Gus. It had to be the peacock lace from my stash. The lace actually has a little stretch to it, but with the style of top, it isn't a problem.
Mademoiselle Gus worn with North Point Trousers

I immediately set about cutting into my fabric, skipping the muslin process entirely. Usually, that sort of haste really back-fires. Not this time! I selected size 44 based on my measurements and was very happy with the result. The top has a balanced ease which accommodates my larger cup bust, but does not overwhelm the rest of me.
Hello, Sunshine! You were missed this winter!

Cheerfully, I zipped my fronts and backs together through my overlocker, and only when I turned my attention to the back keyhole did I stop to think: How the HELL am I going to self bind this with bias lace??
I thought about ribbon, pre-packaged bias tape or cutting some myself from a scrap of rayon or cotton. But with all those options, I kept coming back to the point that all my raw edges would be on display through the lace.

Pawing through my notions boxes for inspiration, I stumbled upon a package of black fold over elastic. No, I've never used FOE before, so naturally, I did it the hard way...
I used this ribbon for my back ties, also from the depths of my stash....
Came out quite nicely, even if I did forget to remove the seam allowance from the neckline.
That casual sleeve cuff is one of my favorite parts of Mademoiselle Gus, but I decided to skip it this first time around. My lace has a great deal of drape, and trying to cuff it, or keep it cuffed, is really just fighting the nature of the fabric. I shortened the sleeve tabs by a few inches, to really draw the tops of the sleeves up. I think they look cute this way too.
Sorry, I don't have Summer Toes yet. Don't look too closely.

Last Minute Changes

So I finished my Mademoiselle Gus Top nearly 4 weeks before this blog was due to publish. I put it on this past Tuesday to take photos for the blog and decided it was much MUCH too long. If I had looked at the height the size 44 was drafted to fit, which is included in the pattern, I would have known that I might need to chop a little bit off.
So, with no words written, no photos taken and 48 hours before the blog was due to publish, I cut off the bottom and 2 inches of the top in one impulsive moment.
Without really giving it much thought, I took an inch off each of the waistband side seams so it would sit more closely to my hips.
I pulled out another package of FOE, easing it first into the band, and then into the top itself. I ended up with this interesting band that ties into the neckline perfectly.
Don't be fooled by the sun, I'm FREEZING cause it's 30F right now.

Final Thoughts

Mademoiselle Gus is a super cute top. It is well drafted with everything fitting together perfectly. I thought it sewed up very easily, especially when I looked at the directions. There will definitely be a few more of these sewn up this spring in different fabrics as it is a fairly quick pattern to sew. It's true that the directions have you finishing the sleeves and band with a hand stitch. I love those couture touches, as you have a beautiful finish inside. but, if you truly hate hand stitching, or are in a hurry, it's easy to swap out that clean finish for a serged seam, or to stitch in the ditch.
GASP! How dare you hate hand-stitching! 

Pm-Patterns Blog Tour

Please take a few minutes with your coffee or tea and catch up on the PM-Patterns Blog Tour. The ladies patterns are lovely, and the little girl garments are too stinking cute! I would love to hear if you have sewn Pm-Patterns before, or see what you make if you decide to give one a try. You can reach the shop HERE





16yr old me on the beach in Nice, France on the Mediterranean Sea.


Comments

  1. Thank you so much for this article! Your Melle Gus is great. I love how you changed the bottom, that's a great idea.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad you like it! Thank you for inviting me to participate, it was so much fun!

      Delete

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