by Sherri Sylvester | Jun 8, 2015
Inspiration from a 80’s rock band anyone?! This top is a first “wearable” muslin of the Vernazza Color-Block Top. It’s not perfect, but I like the front panel and colour-blocking so I decided to take photos anyhow! This pattern is from the book: Just for You, that I recieved as part of my Sewlebrity Sewalong post in January. I have finally gotten around to making another project from it, and finished just in time to be part of May’s Sewalong.
Since it was Made be Me May last month, I was looking for another top to sew for myself so I could round out the photos I was taking. It so happened that I read a post on Sew Can She’s blog and remembered that I could make this top. I had also just picked up a knit panel at the fabric store and was trying to find somewhere to use it.
Thoughts on the pattern:
- It’s well laid out and written.
- The photo instructions are very clear.
- Includes tips to make your top look less handmade. (Which I failed to do because my knit hemming/top stitching skills need lots of practice!)
Here are a few things I love about it:
- It’s really well thought out and explained pattern.
- Comes in sizes XS-XL.
- Uses proper techniques to finish seams etc.
- The style of the top is different, I don’t know of many other top patterns that have side panels.
Thoughts on the fit:
- LOVE that it fits pretty well. Especially on the front. The back is a bit large, but that could be because I altered the pattern quite a bit (see below).
- I find that I generally should have made one size down from whatever I think I need on most patterns. Not sure if I am bad at measuring myself or if I tend to like a more fitted finished product.
Things I changed from the original pattern:
- I removed the color blocking from the back to save a bit of time when sewing it. This probably altered the fit quite a bit since I had to curve the pieces a bit to fit them together properly.
Things I might change next time:
- Use a more structured knit. This one was so thin it was hard to hem – as seen in the photos!
- Use hem bands to omit the hemming all together and see how it looks.
- If the hem bands don’t work I’m going to make the sleeves a bit smaller around.
- Try one or two sizes down, or make alterations – this was a first muslin after all!
Reader Feedback: Do you have a favorite sewing book? What project from it do you like the most?
P.S. Hmmm… I wonder what we are doing on our vacation today?! Come over and find out!
Thanks for reading! Follow along to get more great tutorials and posts:
by Sherri Sylvester | Jun 2, 2015
June is a good month! We are leaving to go on vacation tomorrow, school will be out at the end of the month – and it’s my month to pick the bundle for my sponsor Fabric Spark’s fabric subscription program!
This subscription features a bundle of 12 fat quarters from Maureen Cracknell, Very Shannon, Fresh Lemons, Blue Elephant Stitches, Modern Sewciety + The Tattooed Quilter, and me! It was finally my month pick a bundle, and so mid-May I visited Daryl from Fabric Spark and spend a couple of hours choosing my bundle. Not an easy task with such an amazing collection! In the end this fun bundle (loaded with my favorites and lots of Cotton + Steel!) was born and I decided to make a quilt with the bundle she gave me.
If you follow the blog you know I’m not a quilter – but I was determined to make something with all of these fat quarters in it. Because I put them together, so they must remain together! I sorted them by colour (there are 3 of each) and started with a “Trip around the World” in mind. Here’s where I went wrong….
- The groups of colours were not all the same value – ie. 2 dark navy and 1 lighter – they didn’t produce the nice even diamond shape I was aiming for.
- The bicycle fabric ended up all on one side because I made another newbie mistake – I wanted all of the fabrics “right side up”. This meant I needed to make each block with the diagonal lines going in the correct direction, and I couldn’t change them later based on how everything looked.
- The backing is going to be a (most gorgeous ever) border print, but the quilt is a bit larger – so I need to add to it. And since the quilting was going to be in straight lines, I have no idea how to pull off making the quilt top and backing line up so the lines are not crooked on the back.
- I have a navy backing and multi colourful front fabrics – which colour do I quilt in without ruining one or the other by having the thread show up “too much”?
Thankfully my friend Lisa (from Lisa in Port Hope) was over for our Sewcial and gave me a few tips that I think will help.
- Unless a quilt is hanging for a show, you don’t have to have everything to be right side up. You can lie under it whichever way you’d like, so aim for the fabrics to be right-side-up from the centre out.
- If I had not made everything right-side-up I could have moved the blocks around so the fabrics were spread out more evenly.
- Quilt on the diagonal to avoid having straight lines that are not parallel to any lines on the back.
I am not certain that I have solved the quilting thread colour issue. It was suggested that I use gray, but I don’t know that I want it to show up that much? Any suggestions?
Don’t get me wrong – I am not in any way sad or disillusioned about the quilt. I really LOVE the fabrics. It’s the picky details that are bugging me and I could have made it so much simpler by following the second list of “rules” above! (“Wasting” time gets on my nerves!)
I’m taking my machine and quilt(s) with me on vacation, hoping for a bit of down time during our 10 days off. If all goes well I’ll sort everything out and come back with a finished quilt! That would be fun!
Disclaimer: Fabric Spark is a sponsor of this blog. I was given this fat quarter bundle in return for this blog post. As always, my opinion is my own – thanks for reading!
by Sherri Sylvester | May 28, 2015
So, you’re window shopping on a summer Saturday – or you’re headed to a sparkly roof-top party downtown? No problem, the Indiesew Summer Collection has you covered. (Crazy hair colour not included!)
This year I have been lots more successful in making more of my own clothes. I’m starting to sort out what fits and how to make it fit if it doesn’t. It’s a great feeling to actually be able to participate in #memademay15 – and not just watch everyone else doing it! Today I get to show you how I expanded my handmade wardrobe as part of the Indiesew Summer Collection Blog Tour. (and I am not just a little giddy that I am in a tour with all these talented bloggers!)
Indiesew has been creating seasonal collections for about a year now. I’m a huge supporter of bloggers, indie sewing patterns and online fabric shops (especially in Canada!). I love that the sewing community has grown up so much in the past few years.
Indiesew’s mission is to bring everyone together. They have amassed a large collection of the best indie patterns and you can purchase them, upload your photos and view others’ creations – loads of inspiration. Plus, sewing tips and tutorials on their blog. Their branding makes my designer’s heart super happy! (Yikes, didn’t mean to go on a long speech there – I really love the back story to their site!)
Speaking of supporting Canadian online fabric shops, I found the small-scale check shot cotton for my Ella Top at Flare Fabrics during Creativ Festival. I had been hoping to use a gray check or plaid and was happy to find it so easily!
It’s my attempt at a summery nod to the lumberjack shirt trend, and it’s super soft. Though it doesn’t have much drape, I was hoping for a bit of a boxy, long “crop tee” look anyhow. They also have an amazing oversized check and so many colours. Shot cotton, rayon challis and chambray are my new favorites for clothing!
PATTERN REVIEW: Ella Top, by Liola Patterns
Fabric: Gravel Peppered Check Shot Cotton (Flare Fabrics)
This top is the perfect summer project. It’s beginner friendly and uses just over a yard of fabric. (Less if you shorten it!) I want to make more and live in them all summer.
Here are a few things I love about it:
- The back yoke detail is fun to play with. You could use lace, bias or fussy-cut fabric!
- The pattern only has 15 pages to assemble! Hooray!
- It is fully constructed with french seams so there are no raw edges and no edge finishing to do.
- Well written, illustrated instructions.
Thoughts on the fit & my alterations:
- The fit is true to the given measurements.
- I adjusted the sides of the top to fit size small at the top down to medium at the bottom.
- I also did a small bust adjustment and sway back adjustment like I usually do on #memade tops. (Don’t be scared, they are not hard and let you customize the fit to your body.)
- Raised the neckline by 1″.
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Things I changed from the original pattern:
- I love the length of the original pattern – but it looked a bit long with the not-so-drapey fabric so I shortened it by almost 5″.
- I used my favorite imagine gnats trick – using a knit instead of a woven to bind the edges, soooo much easier. Bias tape and I don’t play well together!
Things I might change next time:
- Use a flowy fabric. I’d love to see one in rayon challis – the shot cotton is amazing, but does not drape really well.
- Make on in the original length or longer, or make it into a tank dress.
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Fabric: Black Rayon Challis (Canadian Fabricland, no link)
Since I am not so much a trendy fashion follower on my own – I love having the Indiesew collections to help me out. I don’t think I ever would have made myself proper harem pants without a little push – and now I want them in every colour. (And floral… and ikat print!)
Here are a few things I love about it:
- The MOST options ever. You can make these pants 9 different ways. If you mix and match the options are almost endless!
- Well written and organized pdf instructions with clear photos.
- Comfy, comfy, comfy!
Thoughts on the fit & my alterations:
- The first pair I made were really baggy. I sized down 1 size for these even though the hip measurement is smaller than my measurement. I’m much happier with a more fitted pant.
- The only alteration I made was to lower the front rise by 1″. They already sit low on your waist (love that!) and now they fit me perfectly.
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Things I changed from the original pattern:
- Nothing! Aside from my alterations to the fit.
Things I might change next time:
- I’d love to try a pair in a knit fabric with contrasting hem and waist bands.
- Also, maybe shorten them to 3/4 length.
- I would love to re-visit these in the fall with a bit heavier fabric (maybe take in some excess from the elastic waist) and hem them using the lounge pant option.
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Visit the links below for more Summer Collection inspiration:
Tuesday, May 19th: Rachel | House of Pinheiro
Thursday, May 21st: Katie | What Katie Sews
Monday, May 25th: Anna | Noodlehead
Tuesday, May 26th: Andrea | Knitty Bittes
Wednesday, May 27th: Erin | Sewbon
Thursday, May 28th: Sherri | Thread Riding Hood (Hi, That’s me!)
Reader Feedback: What is your go-to clothing pattern to make for this summer?
Thanks for reading. Follow along and join me for “thread ride”!
Disclaimer: Indiesew provided the patterns used in this post free of charge as part of this blog tour. Flare Fabrics also provided a discount on their fabric in return for a mention in this post. As usual, thanks so much for reading! All opinions are always my own.
by Sherri Sylvester | May 25, 2015
Happy Monday to you. Why don’t we start this week off with a giveaway. Sound good?!
Today, I am happy to introduce you to Seam Allowance, a Canadian Online Fabric Store – and the 14th post in our Canadian Online Fabric Store series. I recently found out about this new Canadian Etsy shop. Seam Allowance has curated such a lovely selection of fabrics that I emailed right away to ask if I could feature them here! #shopCanadian
Nikki opened shop last September, and by the looks of things she’s got exactly the same taste in fabric as I do – lots of Cotton + Steel, Art Gallery & knits. So good!
I love their tagline. “sew happiness” sounds right to me! Before we get too far, here are my favorites from her shop:
Here’s a little bit more about Seam Allowance:
“I’m a wife and a mother to four young children, and a maternity nurse on the side. I really started sewing when I was pregnant with my third son. I discovered sewing blogs for the first time, and was suddenly inundated with ideas and inspiration! Sewing seems to bring a little bit of sanity and a sense of accomplishment to my sometimes harried life, and I love it for that.” ~ Nikki, owner
Seam Allowance currently ships within Canada and the US. Canadian orders over $125 ship free and all other Canadian orders ship for their $8 flat rate. US orders have a $15 flat rate shipping fee.
Thread Riding Hood: Why did you decide to start Seam Allowance?
Nikki: I started Seam Allowance after being constantly frustrated by the selection at my local fabric shops. I usually ended up purchasing fabric online, but could only find American shops that carried what I like. The shipping, exchange, and duty were getting to be too much for me, so I took things into my own hands, and Seam Allowance was born!
Thread Riding Hood: What is your favorite type of sewing project? Quilting, Apparel… ?
Nikki: I love all kinds of sewing, EXCEPT alterations or mending. I usually end up sewing clothing for my kids or my nieces, although I recently sewed myself a shirt for the first time ever, and I love it! I’ve made a couple of quilts for my family, and although I consider myself a total amateur, I really really love making them.
Thread Riding Hood: What is something coming up in the near future that you are especially excited about?
Nikki: I’m really excited to be expanding the fabric selection I have in shop. My shop is new, and I started small, but now I’m able to bring in some more from my long-time favorite designers, and I’m super excited. I’m also VERY excited about getting my first-ever serger, and learning how to use it.
Thread Riding Hood: Thanks Nikki!
Today, you can enter for your chance to win a $30 shop credit from Seam Allowance!
This giveaway is open to Canadian and US readers, from today (May 25th) until midnight June 1, 2015. Use the Rafflecopter widget below to enter – and if you don’t have Facebook to sign in with, just use your name and email address. There’s a “click to enter”, no social media login entry too!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks for reading. Don’t miss a post – Follow along!
Disclosure and Privacy Policy: I asked Seam Allowance to be a part of this series. I will never recommend or highlight a shop that I do not love, and my opinions will and have always been my own. Thanks for reading! Photo credits: Seam Allowance Fabrics
