When Sam sent us a photo of a top she wanted to make, we were instantly backing the idea because the top was so unusual but gorgeous and stylish. We set about deciding which fabrics would be best and Sam chose from the swatches we sent. Read on to see how her make turned out.
For my next top, made with the lovely jersey fabrics supplied by White Tree Fabrics, I did a bit of pattern hacking with the gorgeous Bella Dress pattern. This was a free pattern with a Love Sewing magazine issue, from Simple Sew patterns. I’ve been wanting to make the Bella Dress for ages but as I hardly ever wear dresses, I thought it would be great as a top. The blue-grey warm jersey from White Tree was the perfect fabric to use.
The Bella Dress is a lovely flattering shape, which comes in at the waist and has back darts which give a wonderful shape. The sleeves are fluted which again gives a really nice shape and the neckline is a slouchy roll neck. I decided to trim the pattern just below the hips to make a long top and I straightened off the curve which goes over the hip, so that the top didn’t pull in at the bottom. I also made the next size up to what I would normally choose for this pattern as it’s a nice figure hugging dress and I wanted it to be a loose-fitting top.
Some tips on sewing with jersey fabrics: use a ball point or jersey needle in your sewing machine. Use a polyester (all-purpose) sewing thread, which has a little stretch and won’t break easily like cotton thread would. Remember to use a stretch-stitch and use an over-locking stitch to finish all the raw edges. I used my over-locker for the raw edges and main seams and I used my sewing machine for hemming. Don’t stretch the fabric as you sew it, unless your pattern specifically tells you to do so. Just gently guide it and let the feed dogs move it through.
Following on from this post, Skye has successfully completed her 'trio of tees'. Here's the final one, as promised at the end of the first blog entry!
For my next White Tree Fabrics Project, I chose this incredible warm jersey in grey. I intended to make the long sleeved top from the V8879 pattern, but after making the blue version, I knew that this fabric needed something different.
Enter the FREE Hemlock Tee from Grainline. This pattern has been sat in my downloads folder for far too long, and I knew its time had come.
This pattern is amazing - I can't believe it's free! Jen clearly knows her stuff, and the hundreds of versions of the top you can find online by other sewers is testament to that. I can't wait to make tons more, especially proper tshirt versions and not jumpers! (If White Tree Fabrics start stocking stripy jerseys then I'm in real trouble!)
Anyway, the fabric is amazing and exactly what I'm looking for in a knit fabric. It's soft, cosy, has a subtle marl effect and was so nice to work with. Basically, I can't sing its praises enough!
I was a little worried about using a heavier knit for the hemlock pattern, but I love the finished result and it came together so quickly.
All in all this has been a winning combination for me, and I'm pretty excited to see this jumper become a part of my everyday wardrobe; thank you White Tree Fabrics and Jen :)
Now for something a little more casual! This project features our best-selling plain jersey fabric 7678 which is available in 20 colours - with more colours coming soon. This project is from Skye, one of the very first bloggers to sign up for our blog team. We're really pleased to bring you this one!
Well would you look at that! Skye, the girl with the huge jersey fear has finally bitten the bullet and made tshirts.
Even though I had moments of second guessing my choice to keep things simple for my first White Tree Fabrics project, I'm so glad I did now as I feel like I've had a little sewing breakthrough.
The pattern is Vogue V8879 and I've made view A and then a mix of B&C. If I'm honest, I'm not 100% sure that I'd call either top a roaring success in terms of fit, but the fact that I made them (mostly) problem free is definitely an improvement on past experiences with stretch fabrics.
The twist on the arms of the blue top is a feature I thought was pretty cool, but I'm really not sold on it in these photos. I also love the fit of the black tshirt, it's the perfect oversized slouchy fit that I go for, but again there's something not quite right about the sleeves.
My determination to really take on making my own hand made wardrobe has increased tenfold, and I have a feeling these fabrics had something to do with it. These jerseys were amazing to work with. Still slippery little suckers, but man what a difference good quality fabric makes. Although they're a little heavy for this weather, I love the drape of them and I hope these tops will become everyday pieces for me when it's cooler.
I have one more top to share with you which I'm saving for another post, and it's definitely my favourite make so far.
Stay tuned :)
