Linden Sweatshirt Dress - Paisley Vintage Jersey

Hi all,

It feels like an age since I have written a blog post! I have been so busy with birthdays and the like that posting has been put on the back burner. Well I am back today with a super quick sewing fix!

I have been doing a lot of sewing recently some of which I hope to be sharing with you guys in the coming weeks, but I kind of overloaded my self and needed a bit of a break. So I have had a week without sewing pretty much, which for me felt kind of crazy! But this week I gave in and decided I needed a quick simple project to get me back at the sewing table. 

Firstly let me explain, I have a 'to sew' list which changes on occasion but mostly I work my way through it and am pretty happy, but the weather has kind of made that a challenge recently. I had planned my next batch of sewing to be vests, summer tops, dresses, things for my holiday. In fact I had a whole post based around it ( but lets not talk about that shall we) but when the weather decided to stay wet, grey windy and well, very cold I decided, all this summer sewing just won't do! 

I got out my Linden Sweatshirt pattern from the ever faithful Grainline Studio and decided, I NEED more sweatshirts. So that was that, I cut out a lovely grey knit sweatshirt from my newly modded pattern and thought this will be my sewing fix. For some reason I wasn't quite content with that, so I went back to the fabric cupboard and sought out my Vintage paisley cotton jersey. 

I feel I must explain, this is stuff of legends, it is 100% cotton and so thick it could keep you warm in winter like a blanket, it is wonderfully stable, sews like a dream and.....is over two meters wide!

Where did I find such a magnificent piece of cloth, well like most of my snazzy prints it was handed down to me from my Aunty. Back in the day when there were multiple fabric shops on the high street, my Aunty would go and buy amazing fabric so cheaply it now makes me feel a little queezy just thinking about it. She would not only buy for herself but for me when I was a kid, so she has amassed a rather large stash of pretty rad 70's, 80's and 90's prints that she very generously donates to me when I am looking to make something super snazzy.  

Okay, sorry, getting back to the point, I got a little off track there with the whole 80's fabric shopping nostalgia. I  have saved this particular piece of fabric for about eight years, yes, that's right, eight years, I love it that much. I decided it was time to cut that 80's fabric up and have myself a new dress by the end of the day. I wanted a dress that would see me through the pretty poor weather we have been having, something I could wear with tights and a shirt underneath, but equally just on its own in the summer. I wanted to make myself a t-shirt smock dress and decided that the Linden Sweatshirt pattern was the perfect place to start.

I wanted a smock t-shirt style dress, so I set to shortening the the Linden bodice, adding some shaping and then cutting two rectangles to give the gathered skirt I wanted.

Here we have it, I think it fits the purpose I made it for, it is perfect for layering, but also great for when the weather gets a little warmer. I purposely made it just long enough so I could go bare legs if it ever gets warm enough here and the wind drops.... this is not a dress for a windy day...

I have to say I finally had some success with the neckband on this Linden, I feel super happy with the finish on it. ( I was getting a little jealous over here of everyone's wonderful Linden necklines)  I have had a little trouble with this in the past and thought it was perhaps just me being a sloppy sewer.... but as it turns out it was my fabric. My previous two Lindens were out of crazy unstable knitted fabrics that laddered when stretched so adding the neckline had been a challenge. I feel it looks neater this time around, yay for stable jersey!

Here I am laying up my dress because as predicted by the time I had finished my dress it was still mighty cold and I needed my shirt and tights to keep me warm. 

And here is how I hope to wear it if the weather gets a little warmer, however by that point I hope that my legs won't quite blend in to the magnolia colour on the walls quite like they do now.... lets just say I need some sunshine......

I am pretty happy with my quick sewing project, I think I will be making a few more, possibly in a woven next time just to make things a bit cooler for the summer.

I would love to know if you have tried any hacks out with the Linden Sweatshirt pattern. If so please let me know in the comments below!

~HJF~

Shirt refashion with a Grainline Studio Alder Shirtdress

Hello there,

Today on the blog I wanted to share with you a really quick make I made this afternoon. 

I was feeling the need to get in a little bit of sewing, but nothing too mega, (I have a 'mega' sewing list full of, you know, nice projects, that take you at least a day to fully commit to starting) ,but they all require more brain power than I had today, so I opted for something a little more simple. I had the idea of a shirt refashion in my head for a while, but I wasn't quite sure where I was going with it. 

I bought a lovely Jaeger shirt a couple of years back, smart casual, white with dainty blue stripes in a deliciously soft cotton, just my sort of thing.....  I should just stop you now and say I bought it second hand... I am not the lady who can afford to shop at Jaeger for a regular old shirt, nope, not me. So I bought the shirt loved it until I realised it was a cuff links shirt, I mean I get that cuff links are cool, but I am not able to pull off that sort of style so it went in the sewing pile, destined to be refashioned. The shirt was like new when I bought it and there was no way I was going to waste the fabric right? It was only when a piece of my lovely blue cotton chambray fell on top of my shirt did I realise they were a perfect match and had to be partners in a shirt hack up crime. 

So here it is my Jaeger/ Alder shirtdress shirt refashion. 

I used my favourite and go to shirt pattern which is the Alder Shirtdress pattern by Grainline Studio. ( Which by the way is a totally awesome pattern, if you haven't already checked it out... run, don't walk!!!!!) This pattern fits me really well so I figured it was a good place to start. I altered the length and made it shirt length rather than dress length and started to make my changes to the neck. 

I am so pleased with how this has worked out and I can see me making more of these if I come across anymore abandoned shirts in mine or Mr. F's wardrobe! 

I tried my new blouse on and instantly felt summery. So I am hoping it will get plenty of use now, with a sweater and later when (fingers crossed) we get some sunshine. 

That's all from me at the moment, this shirt was a lot of fun to make, and I definitely got my quick sewing fix that I needed for the day, plus I feel good for reusing my old shirt and stash busting my chambray. 

If you would like to know anymore about the process of my refashion, don't hesitate to ask. 

~HJF~ 

Dotty swing vest - #selfishsewingweek

Hey guys,

 I am back again with another selfish sewing week post....

Garment number 5! I (I actually had to check that then... I had lost count!!!) 

Today is another quick sew with my swing vest top pattern. I created this pattern using the same pattern as for my mums Tokyo Train Ride Tank Top pattern, but I did an FBA to get the fit better for me.

I do believe I did it slightly wrong..... Well, I think I did it right, I just put way too much fullness across the front. I could have fit another of me in there too! 

I wanted to salvage the vest top, so I cut out the excess down the front and added in a faux button placket. (Now I know this isn't strictly the right thing to do, and it has made the dots across the front look a little awkward but there was sooooo much fullness across the front I didn't have any other option)

I cut the fullness out of the centre front, then stitched my button placket over the top. Although it looks wonky in this shot, it is straight!! I had problems with the gale blowing outside again... I guess that's what you get for living on the top of a hill. 

Thanks for stopping by to see my selfish sewing this week, I still have two garments that I would really like to have completed by Sunday night...but I am not convinced I will manage it. 

More on those to come, and hopefully a full round up of all my makes this week.

~HJF~ 

Yoke top pattern hack

This make has been hanging in my wardrobe for a little while now, I finished it probably in September, ironed it and forgot all about it, hence not sharing.

I made my first Lauren Guthrie Yoke top a while back in October. I got the pattern free with my subscription of Love Sewing magazine. 

I really loved the pattern but I felt it didn't quite suit my, ahem, figure and the gathers only accentuated that. 

So after making my first yoke top I decided a pattern hack was in order. I loved the yoke and the neckline, but the gathers for me, personally had to go.  

Here is yoke top number one.

Loved the contrast piping, the slightly sixties collar and the a-line fit. I decided the best way to go would be to add bust darts for the shaping and I used Sew Over It - Ultimate Shift dress bodice as a guide. I could have drafted a new lower bodice piece from scratch but I wasn't going for anything too dramatic, and the measurements were pretty much spot on with out too much grading, I just had to shorten it. 

So here it is, my bust darted Lauren Gutherie Ultimate Yoke top. 

I used a rather lovely rayon mix from my vintage stash, which has wonderful drape and I am really hoping will work well for the summer. I usually make my own piping but I was at Chorley market and spotted a stall selling the most amazing jewel coloured bindings and pipings. Well that was it, I bought a selection, lovely. Although I love the colour of the piping, I will be going back to making my own as the quality was a little disappointing. 

For the back I left it pretty much identical, but instead of including a button placket I finished it edge to edge, creating a key hole, with a hook and eye fastening. 

And because my pictures don't quite do the fabric justice here is a close up. 

I am quite happy with the changes I made, but I think I will return to the button placket next time, I just think it creates a neater look. 

Looking forward to making my next one now. 

And here are a couple of me, looking super awkward in bad light, sorry about the bad quality. Hopefully my pics will improve now my remote has arrived and I can take pics in the daytime, yay!

Thanks for stopping by!

~HJF~