Introducing Calendula and Jasmiina from Tauko Magazine

Last May I got an email from Kaisa Rissanen, one of the founders of Tauko magazine, asking if I’d be interested in designing a pattern for a new independent sewing magazine that was to be published later this year. Obviously I said yes!

The first issue just came out last week (mid-November 2021) and the theme is “The Age of The Makers”. I’m proud to be featured in it.

In the first issue you’ll find 12 designs by international designers, complete with full size paper patterns and step-by-step sewing instructions. But also articles and interviews which highlight makers as artists, revolutionaries and designers. Have a look at their website here to find out more. Tauko Magazine is available worldwide!

I got my own copy of the magazine last week and it was so cool to see my design appear on the pages.

Calendula & Jasmiina from Tauko Magazine

That’s how I named my design. Calendula is the blouse version and Jasmiina is the dress. I wanted the statement sleeves to become the protagonist of the piece, so both are otherwise simple, high-low shaped designs. Jasmiina also has pockets!

There are no zippers, which means that besides the sleeves, the garment is quite easy to sew.

Here are the official pictures from the magazine, by Laura Oja. Both are made from linen.

I wanted to publish a sewalong to be able to include pictures that accompany the written instructions in the magazine.

About Materials

I designed the Calendula and Jasmiina patterns for non-stretch woven materials.

When choosing a fabric, consider that the sleeve gathers will create bulk. Therefore, it’s better to use lightweight or midweight woven materials. Also, ensure that the fabric is not see-through as there is no lining. Although it would be easy to add one to the bodice.

Good alternatives are, for example, lightweight wool, linen, lightweight denim, cotton (such as chambray, lawn, and poplin). But there are several other options, too.

I like to see these sleeves in a material that has some crispness to it; If you pick too soft materials, the sleeves will look droopy, if you know what I mean. Although you can always add tulle to the sleeve head to sustain it, as I’ll show you later.

Here’s what I picked from a local shop for this tutorial. Something fancy for Calendula and something unexpected for Jasmiina. Both are lightweight, but not see-through.

If someone has a clue about what the fabric on the left is called, I’ll be happy to add t here. The clerk called it brocade but I’m not sure if that’s correct.

The Pattern and Cutting

You can find the pattern sheets at the back of the magazine. It took me a while to find the various pattern pieces, because it had been so long since the last time I’d been tracing magazine patterns. Notice that many of the pieces have been divided into two halves that you then trace from two different pattern sheets.

The seam and hem allowances are included.

Once you’re done, let’s make one addition: the armhole notches! You’ll find them useful for attaching the sleeves. Basically, just place the front and back sleeve pieces on top of the front and back bodice pieces (respectively), and copy the armhole notch position from the sleeve to the bodice.

Then you can cut the fabric.

Both the front and back bodice pieces are cut on the fold. I struggled a bit with my tartan fabric as I needed to keep both sides identical to match the stripes. A slight déjà-vu..

The Neckline

Once you’ve cut the pieces, stay-stitch around the neckline straight away because it will stretch really easily. Stitch from the shoulder, towards the CF and CB. Then close the shoulder seams.

I absolutely recommend making the neck facing using a ready-made bias tape. It’s so much more hassle-free and usually also more lightweight than the garment fabric. You only need to press the folds off with your iron.

You can find the bias facing measurements for each size in the magazine. Once you’ve cut the piece (whichever material you chose), close the bias facing into a circle.

1. Divide both the neckline and the bias facing into four even sections. You can snip little notches or add pins.
2. Pin one edge of the neck facing around the neckline, keeping the right sides together and matching the notches. If you chose the bias tape, you won’t be able to align the edge, because the neckline has a 1cm (3/8″) seam allowance. Instead, pin the bias tape lower so that you’ll be able to sew at 1cm following the neckline’s edge, as shown in the picture.
3. Trim off half of the seam allowance and then press the neck facing towards the seam allowance, away from the neckline.
4. Understitch flattening the seam allowance towards the bias tape.

5. Turn the wrong side of the blouse up and press the unsewn edge of the neck facing to meet the neckline seam.

6. Next, make a second fold and press the entire neck facing to the wrong side so that it remains completely hidden.

7. Then, sew near the fold.

Finish the neckline by pressing it flat.

For the tartan I used this lovely satin bias tape.

If you’re making the Calendula, at this point you can close the side seams and hem the bodice. As there are no pockets, feel free to serge the front and back seams in one go and press them towards the back.

The Pockets

For Jasmiina dress, the pockets need to be attached before closing the side seams. Here’s how.

1. First, finish the pocket bag edges with your preferred method, the serger or zig-zag stitch. There are two pairs of pocket bags. While you’re at it, finish also the side seam edges of the bodice front and back pieces. If you lose the pocket notches, use the pattern pieces to find them again.
2. Pin the pocket bags aligned to the side seams of the dress’s front and back pieces, keeping the right sides together, matching the notches (and in my case, also the stripes!). The pocket bag curve should be pointing downwards. Stitch the pocket bags into place with a 0.7cm (1/4″) seam allowance, stopping at, 1 cm (3/8″) from both ends of the pocket bag. This way, the pockets will sit slightly inside, and the seam won’t show.

3. Turn the pocket bags away from the dress skirt and press. Avoid ironing in the direction of the pocket opening so that it won’t stretch. You could also fuse a narrow strip of interfacing on the inside of each dress piece side seam, where the pocket opening is if your fabric stretches easily. But do that before attaching the pocket bags so that you can stitch over it.

4. You may also understitch the pocket opening at this point. The seam allowance will be flattened towards the pocket bag.

5. Pin the right sides of the front and back pocket bags together and stitch at 1cm (3/8″). Try to keep the previous seam out of this one, so that it’ll be easier to sew the dress side seams.

6. Pin the right sides of the dress’s front and back pieces together at the side seams, and then stitch at 1cm (3/8″) on both sides of the pocket opening. Stop stitching where the notches are. This means that the dress side seams extend slightly over the pocket opening (see the arrows).

7. Press the dress’s side seams towards the front and press also the pocket opening so that it looks nice. The pocket bag should end up towards the front as well.

8. You can finish by sewing tiny stitches at both ends of the pocket opening to fix the pocket bag towards the front and to prevent the corners of the pocket opening from ripping when using the pockets.

You can then hem the dress.

Calendula and Jasmiina: The Sleeves

Now the rest of the garment is done, but the main thing: the sleeves, are still missing. In case you’re wondering, yes, I flipped the front sleeves. 😀

These sleeves can be made elbow length or full length. They consist of a front and a back sleeve piece that are gathered both in the center and around the sleeve cap for that extra full puff effect.

Begin by serging or zig-zagging all four sleeve pieces along the edge to become the center sleeve seam. Ensure that you don’t cut into the seam allowance if you use the serger method. Find the notches again with the help of the pattern pieces if you can’t see them anymore. Place pins where the notches are.

Sew two rows of gathering stitches between the outermost notches (see the arrows): first row at about 0.7cm (1/4″) from the edge, and the second row between the first row and the edge.

Gather all the four pieces between the notches. They need to become a specific length, which is mentioned in the instructions for each size.

Pin the right sides of the front and back sleeve pieces’ central seam together, matching all three notches. Sew and press the seams open. This might be a bit tricky because of the bulk the gathers create.

To fix the gathers in place, you may stitch a stay tape in the middle of the seam (on the wrong side), in the area where the gathers are.

In this example I’m just pinning and sewing the tape, but it’s easier to baste it in place and then sew. You see, the stitching should be as invisible as possible and be done exactly inside the previous seam. Hence, you need to sew with the right side on top.

After this, close the remaining sleeve seam and finish with a serger or zig-zag stitch. Then, stitch two rows of gathering stitches around the sleeve cap between the armhole notches.

This part is always difficult to photograph, but basically, turn the bodice wrong side out and the sleeve right side out. Place the sleeve inside the bodice, aligning the armhole and the sleeve cap.

Pin the sleeve at these four points first. Then gather the sleeve so that it matches the armhole size and add more pins.

As there’s so much to gather, you might prefer basting the sleeve before sewing with the machine. Evaluate the distribution of the gathers from the right side before sewing, too.

Sew at 1cm (3/8″). Press the seam allowance towards the bodice and finish with your preferred method.

Hem the sleeves by folding them twice and stitching near the innermost fold.

With or without Tulle?

I mentioned in the beginning that I’d show you how to add some extra support inside the sleeve head. In my case, the fabric I chose for the Calendula blouse was a bit too drapey so it needed the support.

Here you can see the difference:

Pick a tulle that isn’t too scratchy against the skin. I happened to have a very basic, midweight tulle. You only need two 50cm (20″) long, 16cm (6 1/4″) wide strips.

1. Fold the strips in half lengthwise.
2. Fold and stitch about 1-1.5 cm (3/8″-5/8″) -wide knife pleats to the folded edge. They don’t need to be precise, so you can fold as you stitch.
3. You should end up with a CA 20cm (8″) long piece of pleated tulle.

4. Attach it to the seam allowance of the sleeve, distributing it evenly between the front and back sections of the armhole.

5. To avoid the tulle from scratching your shoulder, you can then stitch a piece of satin bias tape on the top, folding it around the seam allowance.

Calendula and Jasmiina, the Final Looks

That’s all there is to sewing these two designs, my contribution to the Tauko Magazine.

Here’s how the fabric choices worked with them. First, Calendula. I decided to flip the front sleeves wrong side out to create a more interesting look. I think the tulle was the right choice here. The sleeves are puffed, but just the right amount. The fabric with its golden accents makes this look like a fancy blouse. 😀

And here’s my tartan Jasmiina dress! Choosing this fabric was quite a bold choice for my mainly monochrome wardrobe. I was a bit worried about having such a large area covered in tartan, but I was positively surprised in the end. I guess the tartan pattern creates a nice contrast to the puff sleeves. It’s very comfy and warm.

I hope you enjoyed this sewalong. What’s next? Well, head over to Tauko Magazine‘s website and check out their Instagram feed, too, to get an idea of all the other cool designs that are present in the first issue.

This pattern (digital) is also available separately on Tauko Magazine’s website.

It would be amazing to see your versions of Calendula and Jasmiina if you end up making them. Do tag me!