It’s a strange one today, as the finished item in question was a super speedy sew that was made up in the space of an afternoon, but somehow it’s taken the best part of three months to share it….
Part of that’s down to the item itself; whilst making for a very practical piece of clothing that’s great for throwing on during lazy weekends, it’s not so strong on the pretty photo stakes as a lot of my usual makes.
So, without further ado, let’s get on with this!
There’s something incredibly snuggly about sweatshirt material. I think it’s probably something to do with the way that it looks like it’s been constructed from hundreds of teddy bears to give it the ultimate comf factor. When you get that comfiness and put it into something that can be worn for work as a cover up for smart dresses without looking slobby, well then you’re on to a winner!
I’ve had this for about two months now [let’s not look at my making to blogging time lag in too much detail….] and I can confirm that it is fab and gets worn with pretty much everything. In fact, I’m wearing it right now as I type this (and I have the picture to prove it!).
What is it?
A cropped sweater
Is it blue?
You betcha!
What’s the fabric and where’s it from?
A super comfy sweatshirt jersey from Guthrie & Ghani. I had my eye on it for ages and then found a metre in the remnants bin; just enough for an Astoria. It’s like it was meant to be!
What’s the pattern?
The Seamwork Astoria
What was good about making this?
It continues to be a super swift make, which is a definite bonus
What was bad about making this?
I’m not entirely sure I had the fabric rotated the right way… Which isn’t exactly a bad thing per se, it’s more just that I found myself getting confused!
Would you make it again?
It does make a great throw over for dresses due to the crop of the sweater… I think if I could find a comfy grey I probably would (I truly love a grey jumper) but otherwise as much as I love it I might be exhausting the number of Astoria’s I can get away with!
x
One of the very first patterns that I found when I started sewing was the Colette Sorbetto. It’s a free to download top and I thought “well that’ll come in handy”.
Two years later, I was looking for something quick and easy to sew up for a weekend during Me Made May. Turns out, the Sorbetto was very handy!
What is it?
A simple sleeveless top with exposed bias binding
Is it blue?
Yup
What’s the fabric and where’s it from?
The fabric is the remnants of the super lovely elephant fabric that the boy bought me back when I started sewing and some bias binding I had that by complete fluke was exactly the right shade of blue.
What’s the pattern?
The Sorbetto, but hacked to remove the central pleat. I found a tutorial for this on the Colette blog which was really straightforward
What was good about making this?
It was so quick and easy to sew and a great way to use up a bit of fabric that I really didn’t want to get rid of.
What was bad about making this?
Ummm…… honestly? Pretty much nothing.
Would you make it again?
Yup, I’ve got a couple of leftovers that would make great tops and, as if they knew, Colette have just run a week of different hacks on the pattern. They’ve got a knit one, a dress one (although I probably will keep the neckline on the original) and a modernised one. I’m going to end up with one for every day of the week at this rate!
x
Part of the shopping trip to London included the super exciting purchase of some very sparkly fabric to make a dress out of for New Year’s Eve. In my panic of shopping I ended up buying a good half metre (and then some) more than I actually needed. Combined with knowing that I wanted to make an Astoria out of some very lovely teal sweatshirt material I got as a bolt end from Guthrie & Ghani, it seemed like the perfect time to test out the Astoria pattern and a couple of embellishment ideas I had in mind at the same time!
What is it?
A cropped sweater made in a super shiny black and gold jersey with gold topstitching at the collar and cuffs
Is it blue?
No
What’s the fabric?
Black and gold jersey material
What’s the pattern?
Astoria by Seamwork
Where’s the fabric from?
Another Walthamstow find, this one was from a shop that (surprise!) I can’t remember the name of. It had loads of rolls lined up and they were all under £5 a metre (indeed, this stuff was maybe £3 a metre?)
What was good about making this?
It was so fast! I think it took maybe an hour to get from cutting out to trying it on. I shouldn’t have been surprised given Seamwork pride themselves on patterns that take three hours or less, but it was nice to find out it was true! It was also good fun to test out using gold thread for topstitching (especially as it worked!)
What was bad about making this?
Nothing. Actually, the amount of waste paper produced when printing out the PDF. Though I’m not sure what could have been done about that?
Would you make it again?
Yes, I just need to get round to prewashing that fabric!
x
ps. Apologies for the awful train selfie of this one. I’ve worn it loads since making it, but somehow never managed to get a decent picture!
What is it?
A t-shirt with a peter pan collar covered in tiny foxes
Is it blue?
Yes. Well sort of. It might be a blue green? I think it’s blue though.
What’s the fabric?
Kokka Company “Little Foxes” double gauze
What’s the pattern?
Grainline Studio’s Scout Tee, adapted by me to add a faux peter pan collar
Where’s the fabric from?
Tomato in Nippori Textile Town, Tokyo
What was good about making this?
It was very quick to put together, including drafting the fake collar. Instructions were clear and simple
What was bad about making this?
The bias neckline was fiddly, especially with the addition of the collar. I also misjudged how long the collar pieces needed to be so they don’t meet in the middle as a proper Peter Pan collar should.
Would you make it again?
Yes. Both with and without the collar. Although I’ll redraft those pieces first if I do!
What is it?
A loose-fitting button up blouse with pleated sleeves and altered by me to have a pussy bow collar and piping on the yoke.
Is it blue?
No!
What’s the fabric?
A flimsy material (not very good with technical terms….) that’s white and covered in teeny red polka dots
What’s the pattern?
I used the same pattern that I used for the blue blouse, but followed the instructions in the book to add the piping on the yoke and this hack tutorial on the collar
Where’s the fabric from?
The Fancy Silk Store in Birmingham
What was good about making this?
Managing to get the hack to work and figuring out how to do the piping
What was bad about making this?
The fabric was slippery which made it a bit hard. It also took me a while to figure out how to do the piping without actual piping. I ended up getting bias binding, sandwiching it and trimming it down. Looked pretty effective though so ultimately a plus.
Would you make it again?
I’m not sure. I like the softness of this blouse far more than the previous one, but with both versions they’re pretty low cut on me so I have to wear them vest tops underneath. If anyone has a suggestion for an alternative feminine blouse that I could make that has a slightly higher neckline it would be much appreciated!
What is it?
A loose-fitting button up blouse with pleated sleeves and Chelsea collar
Is it blue?
Yes
What’s the fabric?
Some blue cotton I had in my stash
What’s the pattern?
The Mimi blouse in Tilly Walnes’ Love at First Stitch
Where’s the fabric from?
Ikea I think?
What was good about making this?
It gave me a chance to have another go at a lot of skills
What was bad about making this?
The pleats took a couple of attempts to get right and when the blouse was finished, due to the weight of the fabric it didn’t seem to sit very well (although it is better tucked into skirts).
Would you make it again?
I did; see the pussy bow blouse