I’ve always liked the True Bias Ogden cami but I’m out of their size range. I saw a YouTube video by Penguin and Pear Dressmaking on grading up the Ogden, so I decided to give it a whirl on my Liberty Atlas tana lawn scraps, using the bias binding method by Sew North as I didn’t have enough fabric for the facing. And here is my first effort:
What you can’t tell from this view is that I couldn’t squeeze a full back piece out of the scraps, so had to cut 2 halves and piece together. Unfortunately I was an idiot and cut two of the same half, so had to squeeze a THIRD half out of what was left, which puts the pattern at an angle!
After making it I realised that the straps were far too long, and the back would get pulled down and the front would rise up. Shortening the straps helped a lot with that, but I suspect that I may also need to grade up a bit more. Other than that, I was relatively happy with the fit and it is a cute little cami that I will definitely get some wear out of.
The bias binding method is relatively straightforward – I made a few mistakes but I’m very much a beginner.
2 days after finishing Ogden #1, I decided to cut into the fabric I’d earmarked for my first “proper” Ogden, I.e. sewn as intended and not pieced out of scraps.
Et voila! I love it – the facing really helps it to sit nicely, the print works brilliantly with the pattern, and it is classic. Unfortunately with the facing it is a little too tight on me – I cut the same size as my bias bound one, but the facing must have reduced the amount of give in the fabric. I’ll just have to lose a bit of weight!
Following the proper pattern instructions was really straightforward – it is a nice easy pattern. I’ve made a cami before (hello to the Nullaboor dress sitting on my sewing table waiting to be finished) so it was nice and familiar and I could concentrate on finish.
Conclusion: the Ogden is a lovely pattern and I’m sure I’ll be making more!
Sew Pippa 