Tartan Linden sweatshirt view B - and a tale of badly printed knit fabric woes....

Hi all,

Today I am back with my second Linden sweatshirt by Grainline Studio. I received this pattern for christmas and was pretty quick to whip up a first edition that you can see here. When I made my first Linden I was so eager to make it I just decided I would make the biggest size as that seemed right according to my measurements I did not however account for the HUGE amount of stretch my knit fabric had, and I mean huge. My first Linden could keep me and seven other people warm all at the same time!! So second time around I decided to be a little bit more cautious, and plan a little better. I do try and plan my my makes really well, but I think I always let myself down when it comes to stretch and knit garments, I tend to forget there are equal if not more fit issues with a stretch garment than with a woven.  

I worked out that my new tartan knit fabric had no where near the amount of stretch my last fabric had but I still felt that I needed to come down a couple of sizes. I was making view B sweatshirt with the intention of it being layer over a shirt so I didn't want it to be too baggy or too long. I opted for a size 14 and kept the original view B length. 

One thing I also noted on my first linden was that the neckline came out huge on me (think over the shoulder, audition for FAME, do you need some leg warmers with that, wide), so I decided to grade the neckline down from a 14 to a 10. I know this might seem like a huge jump but I wanted a much closer fit around the neck than last time. (I am under no illusions I am a size 10 here folks, have no fear!) 

Ok so the after all the grading and tracing I was like, yeah, awesome, the fun bit, cutting out! I had bought me some lovely drapey tartan knit from Abakhan sometime last year. At the time I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do with it but then I got the Linden pattern as part of my sweet christmas haul and I figured they were a match! So I buy quite a lot of dressmaking fabric from Abakhan, it means I can buy ends of bolts at very reasonable prices for the most part. I also like to shop there because they have a lot of imported prints and It is my ONE and only local fabric store if I don't want to venture into the depths of Manchester which right now isn't an option for me on a regular basis. 

My tartan knit is not my usual colour scheme, because well, there is colour in it, but I liked the shades and I guess the thing that swayed me was the GOLD, it has a metallic gold printed check in the tartan pattern, and I completely blame my magpie eye here, I feel metallic prints on fabrics are still emerging and It fell into my basket with few questions asked. I did not however anticipate the hassle this fabric would give me. 

I decided I was going to be a good seamstress, pattern match all my side seams, pattern match my raglan seams and step back in sheer wonderment at the gold tartan joy I had just created. Yeah, well, that really didn't happen did it, I knew as soon as I lay my fabric out on the counter top to cut it out we were not going to get along. The print was so badly off, and I mean so badly, I had to make a decision. Do I go with the vertical stripes running vertical to my body and all of the other horizontal stripes being off, or do I go with all the horizontal stripes perpendicular to my pattern centre front and the vertical stripes being off. Well I went with the first option, I decided that the bold black vertical lines that ran down the tartan would look much more obvious if they were running all crazy across my body, so this meant my horizontal tartan lines are all kinds of crazy (see bottom hem) but there was literally nothing I could do. I am not happy but I had the fabric and I wanted that Linden. If there was something I missed I would love to know, please comment below :) 

So that kind of meant pattern matching my side seams was near impossible and pattern matching my raglan seams was also going to be difficult. If I am honest here I decided it wasn't worth it, in order to get any sort of match I would have had to completely throw off the one way stretch of the knit and I just wasn't willing to do that and compromise on fit and drape. So no pattern matching for me, but you know what, I think I am ok with it, because in the end, this sweatshirt is all kinds of crazy. 

First photograph please.....

You can barely see the metallic gold here, and I feel I need to justify my fabric buying boo boo, so here is the GOLD......

I had a couple of problems with the neckline on this sweatshirt, I cut the band to a size 12 even though I had graded the neck to a 10. I hoped that the extra length would stop the fabric over stretching and making the neckband too thin, but I think next time I will go up even another size to a 14 neckband so it comes out a little thicker. I know this is mainly a problem when using the same fabric for the neckband as the body of your sweatshirt, when I did a little research other people seamed to have had similar experiences. 

Ooh look at those non pattern matched raglan sleeves ha ha... Shocker!! 

One slightly unusual choice for me on this sweatshirt was that I have decided to keep the hem raw, now I may live to regret this (or not regret it but just put it under my cover stitcher and hem it) but that is my choice for now and I kinda like it! I think that this fabric has a wonderful drape and just lends itself well to being left raw, but we will see. 

 

 

This is pretty much how I hoped to wear this sweatshirt with a shirt underneath, nothing too fancy.

 

Today however Is the hottest day yet and after snapping these pictures the weather was warm enough to warrant shorts and t-shirts.... should you so wish!

 

Thanks for stopping by guys, I will be back soon with more details of my pledge for Me Made May.

 

~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~ 

Selfish sewing week round up

So selfish sewing week is over...:(

I have so enjoyed spending a whole week sewing up new patterns and old ones alike. I have taken on three new patterns this week and feel I have learnt a whole lot. So incase any of you guys missed it, here is a quick round up of my makes in what was a really fun #selfishsewingweek!

I managed to complete;

One tank top for my mum, not particularly selfish, but I gave it to her on Mother's Day and she was over the moon with it!! It was kind of selfish because it was a wonderful excuse to use some of my all time favourite Cotton and Steel fabric by Sarah Watts.  You can see more details about that here. 

My first ever Emery dress also got completed, and I have to say, I now know what all the hype is about!! I love this pattern, so beautifully drafted, and I have high hopes of making a few more of these for the summer. See more pictures here, and if you like silly gifs of people twirling in skirts hop over to my instagram here!

Garment number three is the chiffon blouse that is from a self drafted pattern. To hear about my lucky fabric find and my attempt at testing out a new bit of kit take a look at this post. 

Number three is my mustard Tilly and the Buttons Francoise dress, I chat about fit, fabric choices and my indicision over colour, take a peek here. 

And last and least impressive is my self drafted polka dot vest top. To read a little more about my FBA process and salvaging projects click here. 

Thanks for stopping by over the last week, I have had a lot of new visitors thanks to Selfish Sewing week, I hope you will all visit again.

That's all for now, up next on the sewing table is a new navy dungaree dress, don't go too far. 

~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~ 

Chiffon Blouse - #selfishsewingweek

Hi guys, number three on my Selfish Sewing Week list was my self draft chiffon blouse pattern.

I have made this top countless times, in a huge variety of fabrics. I used to make a lot of these to wear for work as they are really comfortable and so quick to sew up. 

I chose to make my latest version from some lovely digital printed chiffon I picked up a few weeks ago. I got the end of a bolt and ended up getting three meters for just £3.50, so I need to get thinking what I can make with the left over yardage. 

The fabric is really see through, but looks great paired with a white vest top underneath. 

I also got to try out my new rolled hem foot. It definitely seemed easier with more stable fabrics, but I mainly bought it to use with silks and chiffons. I have to say it is a little tricky, but I am sure with practice I will get the hang of it.

This was a super quick make, but I just wanted to share it with you all seeing as it is #selfishsewingweek after all! 

I would be really interested to hear you you guys get on with rolled hem feet, is there a secret to it? Any suggestions I should try, I would like to hear them. 

~HJF~

Tokyo Train Ride Tank Top

Sooo..... I did it y'all!!

I completed the first garment on my list for #selfishsewingweek.

Well... Technically I don't know whether it qualifies for the above hashtag, because, well, the first garment on my list is for my mum. 

It is Mother's Day on Sunday and I like to make my mum something each year when I can. When I showed my mum my new stash of Cotton and Steel from my favourite collection (Tokyo Train ride - by Sarah Watts) she loved the Train Ride print as much as I do and mentioned she would like to make a top from it. I knew she would never buy the fabric for herself though. 

So I ordered extra yardage of the print, from the wonderful The Village Haberdashery and set to making her a top.

The pattern is a vintage Simplicity pattern that has been tweaked beyond recognition and in no way resembles it's former self, so I have no pattern info for you. As you can see it is a basic tank top pattern with just two bust darts at the side seams, and it is my mums tried and tested, go to pattern for the summer.

Unfortunately I didn't have enough fabric to pattern match the side seams, but I think it can handle it due to the amount of awesome pattern going on!!!

I kept it simple with a super fine binding finish for the armholes and neckline. The pattern calls for facings usually, but this fabric is quite a thick linen blend and I think it would have been just too bulky. 

I love this print soooo much, and am super jealous of this top, good job it isn't my size or my mum might never see it ha ha!

As ever I would love to hear any comments you have. 

Is this your favourite fabric collection too?

Thanks for stopping by, next up will be will be my Emery Dress, so don't wander too far!

~HJF~

#SELFISHSEWINGWEEK Selfish Sewing Week - plans, prep and patterns

Hey folks,

I decided to take part in #selfishsewingweek over on Instagram this week. In preparation I cut out five garments to sew and patterns for three others, so I thought I would share with you my hopes for this week, it seems I may be hoping for the best sewing week of my life!! 

1 - Vintage Simplicty tank top 

2 - To toile my first Emery dress (Christine Haynes) 

3 - To toile my first Francoise dress (Tilly and the Buttons)

4 - Self drafted digital print chiffon blouse

5 - Self drafted swing tank top 

The patterns I have cut in preparation for use are

1 - The Alder shirtdress - Grainline Studio (with pattern alterations)

2 - The Workroom Social Tate Top

3 - A self drafted swing tank top 

Phew! It's quite a list and I am pretty sure I am not going to get though it all this week, but it has been a good motivation to get sewing again. 

Anyway..... Feel free to check back to see how my sewing mission is going.... Wish me luck!!

~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~

My first Linden!!!

I was recently a very lucky girl at christmas and received a lot of amazing sewing patterns! But the first one I wanted to try out was my Grainline Studio-Linden pattern. I love sweatshirts and jumpers, let me tell you! So I jumped at the chance of a homemade, raglan sleeved cozy sweatshirt. I have made sweatshirts and hoodies a plenty before but I really wanted to see what all the hype was about! 

When I am sewing jersey or knit garments I like to make one straight out of the packet to see what it sizes up like...... Here lies my error.......

Baggy jumpers are my thing, but well I hadn't quite anticipated this amount of, well.... Slouch! Ha ha 

So here below is my first ever Linden sweatshirt in all it's bad fabric choice, slouchy, loveliness. 

I really like the sweatshirt pattern, I honestly think it is great and I can't wait to make another in some more suitable fabric. This was my toile, hence the rather questionable choice of fabric.

I did encounter a few problems, mainly because my fabric was a lightweight fairly unstable knit. 

I cut the neckband piece according to the pattern but due to the nature of my fabric when I attached the neckband it stretched virtually to nothing, leaving me with an unsightly looking thin neck band. Urgh!!!!

So I ripped out all of my overlooking for the neck (favourite job) and recut the neck double the depth. Second time around and the neckline was much better. 

If you would like to check out the pattern for yourself head to http://shop.grainlinestudio.com/collections/tops/products/linden-sweatshirt

I will definitely be making another, I have some rather nice grey and navy stripe fleece backed jersey that I think will be an entirely different story.

I wouldn't call this a complete disaster, but I have learnt my measuring lesson... I am pretty sure I have learnt that lesson before! 

And here is me in it pre yoga class because it is just perfect for that!