March Indie Pattern Update!

So it seems March is a good month in the Indie sewing pattern world! Lots of beautiful spring collections. It’s got me inspired to sew up a new spring wardrobe and now I’ve got my new sewing space set up in my flat all I need is time to make it! I’m heading to NYC at the end of the week and will have my eyes peeled in the garment district for spring/summer prints and colours…my favourite time of year to fabric shop for!

New Patterns

• Style Arc’s new releases this month include the Harriet Jacket, Renae Woven Dress and Natasha Woven Pant. The free patterns with any purchase this month were the Tania Tabard and Terry Tie Cardigan so if you've got your eye on those you've got until the end of the day to jump on them!
• The latest pattern from Wear Lemonade is the Lena Shirtdress. The line drawing looks super 1920s to me with it's loose fit, dropped waist and box pleated skirt. I'd love to make it up in a vintage inspired silk.
• Sew Over It released another PDF only pattern, the Susie Blouse. I love the combination of the v neck with flat collar and how the cut just skims the figure. It has three sleeve options too.
• I’m always mega excited by the release of a new collection from Named and this time around it’s the Elizabeth Gown that has really caught my eye. The Royals Collection includes 8 new patterns in total, five in plus sizes and all PDF versions now have the layered feature so you can print just the sizes you need
• Decades of Style added the Girl Friday Blouse to their 1940s pattern collection. That huge layered collar is such an awesome design feature.
• Blank Slate Patterns released the Rivage Raglan which is a pattern for an easy to make and wear knit dress or top. I love all the colour and print blocking they have done with their samples!
• Deer and Doe released their Spring/Summer 2016 collection which includes the Zephyr Dress, Melilot Blouse and Lupin Jacket. I think my fave is the jacket; love that cropped look at the moment and the sample with contrasting sleeves!
• Another company treating us to an entire new collection is Itch to Stitch with the Zamora Blouse, Salamanca Jacket, Hepburn Turtleneck and Seville Skirt. As always Kennis has nailed some classic styles with a beautiful cut.
• Grainline Studio released the Driftless Cardigan, another company nailing those staple garments that every woman’s wardrobe needs. It's a proper classic cardigan with dropped shoulders and pockets. I think my wardrobe might need one or two!
• A pattern which really caught my eye this month is the new Falda Jacket from Pattern Fantastique. I’m always drawn to unusual designs which look like they would be fun to make as well as wear and I love how the design combines a classic shape with a more contemporary bomber style and big Victorian inspired sleeves
• Kate & Rose’s new Uptown Folk Blouse was released as a free download with Sew News magazine. It’s available through them until May and will then be on the Kate & Rose website with their other patterns
• Jenny from Cashmerette has released a free expansion pack for her Appleton Dress with includes instructions to hack it into a wrap top and pattern pieces for new cuff and shed tie options.
• The Charleston Dress is the latest release from Hey June Handmade. It's their first women's dress pattern and it's a fitted knit dress with panels which makes it perfect for getting creative and combining different textures, colours and prints of fabric.
• I think I often miss a lot of the new releases from Tessuti but their new Demi Pant pattern as really caught my eye. I’m not usually one for being drawn to a trouser pattern but these might be just what I need for spring!
• I’ve been keeping an eagle eye on the release of the Nita Wrap Skirt from Sew DIY. I’ve seen some beautiful pattern test versions popping up on Instagram and can see it working well in lots of different weights of fabric.
• Colette Patterns released a free downloadable pattern hack for their pattern of the month, the Zinnia Skirt. It includes everything you need to draft cowl style pockets for your skirt. The skirt pattern itself is 20% off until the end of March.
• Kelli from True Bias released the Colfax Dress. It's an A-line shift style dress which I particularly love the neckline of and (bonus!) it's currently 25% off in her pattern store!
• The Florence Kimono is the latest release from Sew Caroline. It's a simple flowing jacket that looks like it has great volume to it. Perfect timing to get one sewn up for summer don't you think??
• Salme Patterns' released the Olsen Dress as a free download to all mail list subscribers. It's a quick and easy simple dress with elasticated waist which would be a great starting point for experimenting with hacking your own designs.

Sew-Alongs

• Lauren from Baste & Gather has been putting up and ever so thorough Jeans Sew-Along on her blog. Parts 1-4 are now available with 5-8 coming soon!
• Kelli is running a sew-along for her new True Bias Colfax Dress pattern which kicks off on her blog on April 11th. There's a competition to win fabric vouchers if you share your completed dress by the end of the month!
• Salme Patterns are running a sew-along for their free new Olsen Dress. If you're a beginner seamstress I really recommend following this asset's a nice simple design and Elis employs some great techniques.

Upcoming!

• Couture Nomad have a blazer pattern coming soon. I can't find where I spotted that now to give you any more info but spot it I did!
• There’s a new menswear pattern coming from Thread Theory soon! It’s called the Fairfield Button-Up Shirt, a garment which will be the perfect addition to their current collection of menswear classics
• As well as their new raglan pattern Blank Slate Patterns have two more patterns (Marbella and Forsythe) coming soon as part of their spring collection
• Following the success of their Rushcutter Dress pattern In The Folds are hard at work on a new design.
• Zoe from So Zo… is currently testing a maternity camisole pattern which has an optional bust support panel.
• Tilly and the Buttons has a new pattern coming soon, there was a sneaky peak picture on the end of her last behind the scenes blog post!

Other Exciting News

• Alongside their new collection Deer & Doe relaunched their website. It's clean, fresh and modern to match their new branding and packaging. 
• Gertie from Gertie’s New Blog for Better Sewing latest book ‘Gertie’s Ultimate Dress Book’ has been released! I've got her last two books and am looking forward to having a flick through this one.

I’ve definitely missed a fair bit of news this month in amongst a hectic work schedule and house move so please add any info you have in the comments below and I’ll do my best to update the post ASAP. I might be slow to respond to comments or post for the next week or so while I am in the states but am looking forward to getting back into the swing of regular sewing and blogging when I return!

Despite feeling decidedly spring like in my sewing plans this month the garments that have been really inspiring me from around the sewing blog community have had quite an autumnal feel!

• The Waver Jacket from Papercut keeps catching my eye but I never quite take the plunge...Julie's awesome oilskin version might be just the one to tip me over!
• I've got a thing about corduroy at the moment and the vintage one Rachel used for her amazing Adrienne Skirt is incredible. She looks so chic and elegant in it.
• Sophie can basically do no wrong with whatever she makes in my eyes and she has absolutely nailed these Birkin Flares. I don't think flares do anything for my proportions but I WANT some.
• Camille's version of the new Zephyr Dress is so gorgeous. I love how the simple lines of the design show off the fabric and as the print is a subtle one it shows off the lines of the dress too.
• The Sylphide Dress was a big hit with me when I made it a few years back and now i'm itching to make another in a beautiful print for summer just like Kate's!

Grey Ribbed Knit Rigel Bomber

I've been meaning to sew up this pattern forever. It's the Rigel Bomber from Papercut Patterns and I've fallen in love with basically every version I've seen on the internet. Every time I've seen a new one I've hopped on over to the website and hovered over the buy button. I've always hesitated though as I've never been tempted by the bomber style in RTW and wasn't sure if it was one of those designs that looked amazing in other people and like lots of fun to sew but yet wasn't quite 'me'. Then Papercut had a Black Friday sale and and the pattern dropped through my letterbox about a week later...

I can't believe I've waited this long to make it. I loved constructing it and despite it being a trial version in non-ideal fabric it has rapidly come one of the most worn handmade items in my wardrobe. It is designed for woven fabrics but at the time of buying the pattern I’d recently picked up a piece of really interesting grey marl knit with quite a pronounced rib on a trip to the mythical knit warehouse in Tottenham. It was £1/m (as is nearly all the fabric there, I kid you not!) which is pretty much the perfect price for the first attempt at a pattern which you are apprehensive about because of all the new aspects and techniques. I figured the relaxed fit of the jacket would quite suit a knit and there’s not much stretch in my fabric anyway. It turned out so perfectly for this jacket I’m now having a hard time imagining making it in anything else. The rib adds a bit of interest, whilst the grey means it sees a lot of wear as it goes with just about everything in my wardrobe!

I put the question of what colour ribbing to use to Instagram as I just had no idea! Isn't it tempting when you are making a garment for yourself to go crazy with colour blocking, prints and contrast because you have the choice is all yours. Sometimes it's hard to reign in the creativity to make sure you end up with something wearable and that can actually be worn with more than one other garment in your wardrobe! In the end I came across this grey ribbing in UK Textiles on Goldhawk Road which is just a few shades darker than my main fabric so that those features don’t disappear into the bulk of the jacket. I’m glad I kept it simple and didn't go for too strong a contrast or add in a colour as it's meant that I have been able to wear this with EVERYTHING! It feels really cool and casual whether over jeans or a dress.

I was a bit apprehensive about the quality of both fabrics (especially the main knit as it was so cheap!) but actually it has sewn, washed and pressed really well and the ribbing has great recovery. I would say this pattern does work in a knit but I probably should have stuck with a woven for my first try at this style. I think I would get a cleaner, neater finish in a woven. Things got slightly out of shape around the hem and zip! I think I stretched things out when I topstitched these areas.

A knit fabric probably wasn’t the wisest choice either for my very first welt pockets! I am fairly happy with how they turned out in the end but I had to fiddle with them slightly to get everything to sit right. I would have been much more accurate in something nice and stable. These were definitely the trickiest aspect of the jacket construction wise. The other part which took some concentration was getting a nice sharp corner where the ribbing meets the main body of the jacket at the hem. I am really pleased with this part though. I almost didn't topstitch this area as instructed as I didn't want to risk messing it up but it does need it to sit flat.

The ribbing was actually easier to handle than I would have imagined. There’s no special techniques required as you simply cut the pattern pieces from the ribbing and attach them as you would any knit band or cuff.

Man was the right length zip hard to get hold of, and I was only looking for a pretty standard colour! I ended up buying about three different types and lengths from John Lewis where I could return them. It cost more than any other part of the jacket! Even though it’s a slight pain to stop the sewing process when you’re so close to finishing I’d recommend getting the point of inserting the zip before you purchase it and measure that front opening so you can get it exactly right. My zip options were either slightly too long or slightly too short so I went with slightly too short and eased it in as I thought that was better than stretching that front edge out and ending up with a dip at the centre front hem.

The pattern doesn’t include a lining and although I’ve seen many other bloggers add linings to theirs as I was making quite a casual version of this jacket in a knit I decided to do without. I think it absolutely works with just the facings apart from the fact that the welt pockets can look a little messy from the inside. Especially if you’re me and don’t think things through before you start and use a black fusible interfacing to stabilise the pocket openings because it’s all you have to hand in the right weight…O well, I’ll get over it! Next time I’ll definitely try to add a lining, Clare from Sew Dixie Lou gave some great tips on how to do this and keep the facings when she made her version and it looks pretty straightforward.

I sewed the whole garment with a narrow zig zag stitch and finished the seams on the overlocker where I could. I think I should have finished the edges of the pocket pieces before I assembled that part as it was tricky to do this neatly afterwards. Another reason to tackle lining it! I just used a straight stitch to insert the zip and for any topstitching as these were all in areas which didn't require stretch. To be honest this garment doesn’t need stretch in the stitching as it's not designed for it and the ribbing is placed where you need the stretch. However as my fabric has stretch and so gives a bit as I pull it on and off I didn't want to risk stitches popping when they didn’t move with the fabric.

Disregarding the lack of a lining it’s a great pattern which I’d probably say is an intermediate sew. I love the v-neck style and amount of ease in the relaxed fit. I’m not usually into very relaxed fitting garments as I’m on the petite side and feel like they can overwhelm me. I was between sizes on the Papercut size guide and after looking at some other blogger versions I opted to take a risk and cut the smaller size, XXS. I’m glad I did as I love the fit of this and the length too. I also love sewing a raglan sleeve; it feels like the garment is coming together so quickly! We’re heading into the perfect kind of weather for this jacket so I’ve got my eyes peeled for the perfect (woven!) fabric for my next version which hopefully I’ll now nail the construction of!

Charcoal Cotton Knit Turtleneck Top

When one of my lovely new sponsors offers me the choice of sewing up any fabric from their site which includes a huge range of prints, stripes and colours of knit fabric you may think my choice to use a charcoal grey cotton spandex knit slightly odd...maybe even boring! But I had a vision in my head for this project which I could not be swayed from and I'm pleased to say it turned out just as I had hoped. It seems that I do indeed take after my Mum and am a grey kinda girl. Thanks Girl Charlee for making my grey marl dreams come true!

I've been after a good turtleneck pattern for some time and had been eyeing up the Papercut Patterns Rise & Fall Turtlenecks but neither variation had quite the classic slightly sixties vibe I was after. I sat down one evening to have a good browse through Style Arc's PDF patterns on Etsy and low and behold they have about three! It was hard to choose between them as Style Arc don't provide photos of sewn up and modelled samples of many of their patterns and from an illustration it's hard to accurately assess differences in the cut and fit. I eventually went with the Debra Zebra Top; what swung my choice was the lack of a seam around the neck. I'm not a huge fan of having wearing anything high and tight around my neck but like the style so really wanted to finally make myself a turtleneck I felt comfortable in. Removing the neckline seam reduces bulk and irritation in that area and really does make it more comfortable so it gets a big thumbs up from me! The neck is constructed simply by folding the end back inside and securing at the side seams.

The fabric is this Heather Charcoal Grey Cotton Spandex Knit which has a decent amount of stretch in all directions. Although I feel confident sewing with knit fabrics now I feel my knowledge of the properties of them could still be improved upon. I continue to feel a bit clueless about stretch percentages, weights, drapes and fibre content so when ordering online it's always a bit of a mystery to me about what is actually going to arrive! This luckily turned out exactly as I had hoped and was the perfect match for this style and pattern. It's a snuggly soft cotton knit which has a great weight for tops like this as it doesn't cling. I'll be honest and say I have heard mixed reviews about the quality of Girl Charlee fabrics (which is actually why I took them up on their offer of trying some fabric out) but in this case he fabric seems top quality, really durable and has been washing and wearing well. The 5% spandex content gives it great recovery and none of that shine/turning slightly sheer when it is stretched over the body. The high cotton content means it's quite a stable knit that doesn't slip about as you sew and I didn't worry about it getting stretched out of shape.

One thing I really liked about the Girl Charlee site is that all the important information you need to consider when buying knit fabric is laid out really clearly; the weight, spandex/lycra content and stretch percentage. I almost always prefer to buy fabric in person rather than online as I think being able to touch the fabric and assess the weight and drape is key. However, after this experience I'm starting to think that perhaps in the case of knits it's easier to match fabric to your project online as things like lycra content that you can't feel with your hand are spelt out plain and simple. It's definitely something I'll consider. EDIT Mark from Girl Charlee has also just informed me that they do provide a swatch service through their contact form here, which makes it even easier!

This was my first time using a Style Arc pattern but from reading about them on other blogs I vaguely knew what to expect. I had no problems at all with the pattern itself (it's a great little design and an enjoyable and quick project) but had the same quibbles with some of the other aspects as many other bloggers. My first being the biggest; that each size is provided as a separate pattern. When buying a PDF you can buy a bundle of three sizes but each size prints separately so grading between sizes involves printing more than one copy of the pattern. Also if the sizes you want to grade between are not in the same bundle you'd need to buy two. EDIT An anonymous reader has informed me that if you request a three separate sizes that are not already provided in one bundle Style Arc will create a listing for it on Etsy!

The instructions are even more brief than I expected but I actually quite liked that! Literally, 7 bullet points including cutting and the final press, no illustrations. If it was my first time sewing with knits I would have been slightly terrified by that but as it was it's such a standard construction and I've racked up a good few knit top projects it was totally fine. To be honest I tend to skim read instructions of patterns that I feel confident about now as I have worked out my preferred ways of doing things. But I will be wary of buying any Style Arc patterns which look like they have an unusual or complex construction method though as sometimes I need a bit more guidance.

The instructions may be brief but the pattern pieces themselves contain pretty much all the information you need for a simple garment like this. The notches are clear and seam allowances are all marked on the pattern pieces. It was really well drafted, every seam matched up neatly and as expected so there was no point when I felt confused. There are only three pattern pieces which is a lovely speedy treat. As I assembled my PDF pattern I was surprised to discover that the front and back pattern pieces are provided flat and whole, rather than half pieces which you are instructed to cut on the fold. I couldn't fathom the reason for this as I folded them to check that they were indeed symmetrical. It seems like a waste of paper, ink and assembly time to me.

I cut the size 8 and the fit sewn straight up was was actually lovely and close to the pattern illustration, However, I wanted a closer fit to tuck into sixties/seventies style mini skirts which I have been wearing to death with black tights this winter. I simply took it in 1/2" on the double down each side seam and right along the arms. These seams are actually sewn as one anyway after the sleeves have been set in flat so it was super easy to do. I probably should have just sized down initially as I had a feeling it wouldn't be as snug a style as I wanted but I erred on the side of caution as it was my first time using a Style Arc pattern. I am getting some wrinkles across the upper chest so I think I might leave a but more room across the bust next time. The only other adjustment I made was to take a whopping 3" off the length and I still think it looks a touch long!

Construction wise I adopted my favourite knit sewing techniques. I used a stretch needle and a narrow zig zag stitch on my machine for accurate assembly and then finished all the seams on my overlocker, stitching as close to the original stitching line as possible. It's really important to think about the stretch of your stitches around the turtle neck as that has to stretch a lot to get over your head. I finished the hems with a twin needle which worked really beautifully with this fabric. I had no problems with skipped stitches or weird tension. I also chose to stabilise the shoulder seams with some clear elastic. I've come to the conclusion that I prefer using this to twill tape or any other form of elastic as it is less bulky but still very strong.

I'll definitely be using both this fabric and pattern again; both really satisfying, straightforward and wearable!