Today I’m sharing with you the Gilbert Top by Helen’s Closet and the Florence Pants by Elizabeth Suzann.

I see lots of sewists I admire totally rocking monochrome looks (the Queen of whom is Gyasti over on instagram), so that was basically the inspiration for trying this look out.

I was wanting effortlessly cool but still put together. Instead, well, I think I have pyjamas!! Realy luxe ones, but pjs nonetheless!!

Oooops, some visions come to life just as planned, some take a slightly different path.

I also find these totally wearable in daylight as separates but something about this camp collar with matchy matchy fabric is just all a bit too much.

Lesson learned: when attempting monochrome chic take particular care to avoid patterns with pyjama like features!

This fabric is cotton double gauze from Stragier Tissu and it is so soft and comfy and squidgy!

I love wearing it. And touching it!!

Sewing with double gauze

Despite having coveted this fabric for a while, it was my first time sewing with it. I’m pleased to report that it was easy to use and all straightforward!

At the beginning, I wasn’t too sure what I should do with pressing, as I didn’t want to press all the squishy goodness out of the fabric.

I asked the collective sewing hive mind for tips, so I thought I would share some of them with you.

After pre-washing, make sure you sew the fabric in the same way that you intend to wear the final garment. For example, if you think you will press it to have slightly less crinkle, then press before sewing. If not, don’t. Pressing can considerably change the size and shape of this fabric so you can have considerable distortions if you prep the fabric one way but intend to wear the finished garment another.

I loved its squidgines as it was, but I wasn’t sure what I should be doing just to press my seams and collar and make sure all teh details were looking solid.

Based on your tips, I always pressed with a press cloth (I just used a piece of scrap of the double gauze itself), which was effective at giving me neat looking seams without squishing the crinkles out too much.

The other key tip was focussing on steaming and using the very tip of the iron against the seams, rather than using pressure to press traditionally.

I haven’t washed these yet so I can’t speak from experience, but plenty of people suggested that there was no need to worry too much in any event as the crinkles would return after washing!

Gilbert top by Helen’s Closet

I’m not going to talk about the Florence Pants in any detail, as they are the exact replica of my first version, except that this time I didn’t accidentally cut them too short. I had added pockets to the Florence Pants pattern.

Turning to the Gilbert top by Helen’s Closet, my Gilbert Top is a size 14, based on my body measurements (my waist had me at a 16, whereas everywhere else I was at a 14). I sewed from the 0-20 size range which is designed for a B-cup, as this best suits my bust.

This is view B, with a sleeve that is longer than the short-sleeved version of the pattern but obviously shorter than the long-sleeve.

The sleeves were my one area of concern going into this project. I had read this great blog post over at Social Fabric which had me on notice that maybe the sleeves on the Gilbert Top were too narrow for the relaxed oversized style. Well, once I’d seen that, I couldn’t un-see it and as I kept checking out the hashtag for inspo, I kept thinking “these sleeves really are just a tad too tight for the proportions”.

So I made sure to check out the finished garment and saw that the size 14 would give me only 1cm of ease in my upper bicep. That is obviously not enough for comfort, especially for a garment which should be cool and breezy.

So I started out by making a full bicep adjustment and adding in a few centimetres more breathing space in the arm.

I have probably gone slightly too far in this regard, but better too breezy than too tight!

Sewing the Gilbert Top

As is usual for Helen’s Closet, I found the instructions or the Gilbert top to be fantastic.

Immaculate!

They really hold your hand step-by-step for constructing the shirt using the burrito method while you have a collar and facings to contend with. I am the first to admit that I couldn’t always picture why I was doing something, with so many steps and layers involved, but I followed every step as written and it came together wonderfully.

That’s what they call high-risk, high-reward sewing!

The Gilbert Top really came together very easily and I am so happy with it – despite it’s pyjamas vibe!

If I had to nit-pick, I found it a bit annoying that the view with the tie front was superimposed on this regular view, so you have to make sure not to lose the piece if you want to use the tie in the future (I just folded it out the way because I’m good at cutting things off and then losing them instead of keeping them clearly marked!).

Finally, I found the recommended pocket placement way off on me and I had to raise it significantly. So I would suggest that you wait until the garment is fully assembled before placing the pocket. I do this is a matter of course for patch pockets where getting the pocket placement right is crucial!

Speaking of things that are just a bit off, these photos have also made me realize that I haven’t pressed my lapels evenly, so back to the ironing board for me!

If you want to see more of my sewing adventures, you can find me on Instagram here.