Carol made this fabulous blouse using Burda 5855 and a drapey poly knit with a sparkly metallic print. This knit is pretty stable so whilst this pattern is designed for lightweight drapey woven fabrics it works well in a jersey too (evidently!).
Superb use of a structured semi sheer designer jacquard organza by Lis, she said “Who can resist the drama of a big sleeve?
When I saw this beautiful jacquard organza from @stonefabrics I was planning to use it for big sleeves perhaps with a contrasting body but when I actually received my 1m of fabric I realised I had enough to make a top and of course it had to be the #closetcorecielo
Despite the fact that the white stripes are sheer, I can get away without lining it .
I used mainly French seams and bound the neckline and hems with matching linen bias binding. To that end I removed the seam allowance and then added the binding which I didn’t try to hide as it matches so well”.
You can find her original Instagram post HERE – do follow her because she is an inspirational sewing extraordinaire ❤️
Anne bought this unusual chevron knit for her amazing (accidental) faux jumpsuit, It’s actually a bodysuit and seperate cropped trousers. Anne adapted the bodysuit was adapted from an ancient pattern for a polo-neck sweater and the cropped trousers were copied from a bought pair. She says “It took quite a while to copy the dimensions, but I really like the wide flare and the angled hem, so I persevered. It was worth the effort because this is the third pair of trousers I have made from the pattern”.
The waistband was from a scrap of black scuba – very comfortable! Though she says the outfit looks more flattering with a wide belt.
This is just simply fabulous ❤️
Daiga has been our beacon for notifying us of all good Burda Style patterns for a long time (Bess generally runs down to the newsagent’s as soon as Daiga sends a new post to her Instagram), this camisole from July 2022 edition is no exception. Beautifully made using the brushstroke print tencel and linen voile, this super drapey lightweight fabric is perfect for this style top.
Daiga Widened the straps and did her usual full bust adjustment. If you cannot fathom how anyone can trace off those crazy Burda overlaid sheets there are lots of good camisole patterns available from other companies, but if you’ve never tried it we would urge you to have a go – where else can you get hundreds of patterns in multiple sizes for the princely sum of £7.95?
This pattern is long enough to stay tucked in (and looks lovely worn that way), or can equally looks good worn loose.
Another joyous shirt from Sue- this time hot air balloon print lightweight linen for her husband. The pattern is Kwik Sew K3422 – a lovely simple pattern sewn beautifully – just look at those perfectly turned collar points. 👍
Not sure if there could be a more glorious shirt than this? Goldfish print Spanish lightweight linen made by sue for her brother, Alex. The pattern is Kwik Sew K3422 which Sue said was lovely and straightforward (that’s what we like!).
Janet made up this super shell top and A-line skirt combo for Lucy using our green and pink archive floral print pima cotton lawn and olive green tencel feel medium weight linen and viscose. Both are unlined and perfect for hot summery days (oh I dream of those!), a concealed zipper is in the back of the skirt.
Absolutely love the juxtaposition of Claire modelling her swanky stretchy red velour in her building site of a house ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
This fabulous raglan sleeve simple top is the much popularised Linden Top pattern by Grainline Studio
Bess made a T-Shirt for her ‘star bellied sneetch’ using black 100% cotton piqué low stretch jersey with pale grey Sneetch star (also 100% cotton jersey), -attached with bondaweb and then stitched, black cuffing on the neck, the pattern is Burda 6602 size 44 with no alterations and it is indeed super easy 👏👏👏
Did you know we sell patterns? We do! We stock Burda, Butterick, McCall’s and Vogue, we also can have Simplicity sent direct to you. Our patterns are not on the website but you can browse them online HERE
Q) What’s more useful than a non-iron super drapey and flattering floaty dress?
A) A non-iron super drapey top and skirt that looks like a dress!
The beauty is the versatility with wardrobe options a plenty. This ‘dress’ is made in a lovely heavy polyester georgette (georgette is a very light fabric so heavy is a relative term here). All self drafted because Emma is a clever chick.
The fabulous Jo made this shirt out of uber luxurious leopard print emerald green stretch silk satin backed crepe, the pattern was an amalgamation of a few patterns she had in store from years of sewing (which is a great defence for those accused of hoarding patterns). Jo is a brilliant dressmaker and this shirt in such a tricky slippery fabric is testament to her skill.
Sue made this simply lovely Closet Core Cielo Top using a viscose and linen blend – lots of drape from the viscose with body and texture added from the linen.
Lindy adding to her white ramie fibre wardrobe with this Leni top by Tessuti – such a lovely cut and really suits this fabric (and Lindy!).
Lindy made this 100% Ramie shirt for her man – a super classic make taken up a notch simply by adding contrast thread to the buttons.
Beautiful.
Lindy made New Look 6560 wrap blouse in lovely parasol print 100% Pima cotton lawn, she used view C, lengthened it by an inch and added a flounce. It has ties which she integrated into the top instead of having one loose one.
Really pleased with it. It’s fabulous.
Corinne used McCall’s M7324 pattern to make up this superfine digitally printed floral silk satin blouse – the repeat on this fabric was 90cm so was fun for placing the print in a waterfall / ombre effect. Fabulous.
Sally made her tried and tested lark tee in super stretchy viscose jersey, and tencel and cotton denim cargo pants using the Itch to Stitch Sequoia Cargo pattern
Bonus points to Sally for an excellent evaluation of these trousers:
Now – what did I think about the Itch-to-Stitch cargoes? I previously made a dress from them (Oia pattern) for my sister-in-law, which was fabulous. The pattern was very well designed and the instructions were so good that even this very beginner sewer succeeded. So I had high hopes for the Sequoia Cargoes. But in all honesty I am slightly disappointed. Why?
Sizing. Based on her chart I’m half way between a 6 and 8 based on hip and a size 10 for waist. Two toiles later, I wound up cutting the pattern halfway between a 6 and 8 for everything except for the waist which I actually graded DOWN to a size 6. Very illogical. The overall fit works fairly well on me – better than any other trouser patterns I have tried. I generally have to modify the crotch pattern based on a pair of RTW jeans that I like the fit of.
The instructions have some anomalies. The zip insertion is strange.
With a 1″ wide zip, the second stitch line would be on the very edge of the zipper tape. And anyway, why would you want the first stitch line/fold not closer to the teeth? I emailed Kerris at Itch-to-Stitch to question this instruction. She didn’t really understand the problem and advsed me to follow her instructions for putting a zip in jeans. I had already put the zip in my toile using my tried and test jeans zipper insertion method. It worked fine, but created a problem later with the sizing of the left and right waist band pieces. So I cut those pattern pieces larger in order to make it all come together right.
The Waistband is ribbing folded around a 1″ elastic. Following this instruction results in the seam joining the waistband intersecting the zig zag stitch. So half the zig zag is visible in the waistband. Again I asked Kerris about this and she pointed out it was a basting stitch and therefore gets removed. But it is not really feasible to remove this zig zag stitch when it is run through with a seaming stitch. So I did the zig zag higher up the waist band. After I inserted the waistband I decided I liked the look of the zig zag running through the middle of the ribbing so I left it in as a design feature.
Finishing the seam allowances: Given my choice of fabric (very prone to fraying) I struggled. I don’t have an overlocker – would love one but just don’t have the space to set it up. So I zig zagged the seam allowances. Not a great finish. Be interesting to see how they wash up.
Overall impressions of the look: I didn’t include the side pockets or the leg straps. I also didn’t put poppers on the back pocket flaps as I felt they were too heavy for the fabric. I wanted a wider leg but find the legs a bit wider than I would have liked. And I think the back pocket flaps are too large. I think a heavier fabric would better suit this pattern. Perhaps even something with some stretch. Will I make another pair? Probably not.
Thank you Sally!
Bess made this shirt a couple of years ago for her much worse half using a Burda magazine pattern – it was a surprise for the Linen wedding anniversary and it took him a few months to actually wear it because the bib bit (according to Rob) “is a girl’s blouse” (🙄). Anyone else have this trouble with their spouses?! Bess swore she would never make anything for him ever again but then he started wearing it (it takes these boys a while to come round to the idea that we are right) and now it’s his favourite -along with another shirt in the same pattern.
Sorona mixed with linen is a lovely combo as it softens the linen and reduces the creasing -which is a good thing because Rob is scared of Bess’s gravity fed iron and Bess isn’t about to do his ironing 😉 . The colour has held true after many, many washes and unlike pure linen it doesn’t wear at the cuffs so quickly.
Sorona fibre is a new fibre made from Corn, it is a supple and stretchy filament that is mainly being marketed at performance wear.
The buttons (barely seen) are upside down abalone shell buttons, the interfacing (not seen!) is the H0023 lightweight knit which stabilises the linen enough for a button hole and collar but allows it to stay soft and floppy.
The lovely Anne made up our teal stretch babycord as a panelled A-line skirt and the bug print cotton poplin as a fun blouse. The sewing is impeccable (of course!) -beautifully turned collar, perfectly straight waistband… she’s a great sewer who kept herself busy during lockdown making a fabulous new wardrobe.
Dark Purpley Blue and Black irregular spot printed tencel twill made up by Sue using the Merchant and Mills Edie top pattern. Tencel has the loveliest drape (like a heavy sandwashed silk) and this pattern with it’s gathered sleeves is just perfect for it. We love it ❤️
This superb leopard print Japanese linen shirt was made by the lovely AND talented Jennifer, she gets lots of compliments when wearing it (of course she does – it’s brilliant!). The Pattern is the Kalle Shirt by Closet Core patterns. She left us to pick the buttons and was pleased with our choice. (we went with bright blue to pick out the accented colour).
Andrea made this superb Agnes top (by Tilly and the Buttons) using a medium weight jacquard knit – just look at that lovely binding! The jersey is super soft and Andrea said it was lovely to work with (so much so she’d like a dress in it too).
Paula is such a regular with us we know her telephone number and address off by heart but it took a Pandemic to eventually get a photo of her! This photo was taken on the week she should have been in Milan then Lake Como, and here is one of the planned outfits for shopping in Milan, guess it will have to wait until next year now 😞
The fabric is an olive green wide chalk stripe linen and viscose mix, it’s a light to medium weight linen with reasonable drape whilst remaining stable enough for those stripes to stay straight.
Caroline made this shirt out of the Dashwood studio printed viscose which has a heavenly drape and handle. The pattern is the Matcha top by Sew Liberated. We Love ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
No Pattern? No Problem! Lesley self drafted her tunic and it fits beautifully! Made with a lightweight floppy floral printed linen, the neckline and arms are bound with bias binding
Angela made this fabulous shirt using a tried and tested (understatement of the week) vintage pattern from 1949 – it is Butterick 6020. Such simple and clean lines work so well with these modern Japanese prints. The fabric is Kokka linen and viscose mix – it’s a medium weight fabric with a fair bit of drape.
Bess loves how the Ogden Cami (by True Bias) doesn’t slip off her shoulders like most camisoles do – that’s some clever drafting. As a c-cup she just about gets away without doing a dart in it so long as the fabric is super light and drapey (like this viscose lawn is). It is also great how you can make a useful versatile top out of a tiny bit of fabric!
Whilst you should always wash fabric on the lowest temperature possible to preserve the life of it Bess pre-washes her viscose on 40˚C to get rid of any shrinking (something viscose is very good at doing!)
This is the @theassemblylineshop #talpuffshirt using a buttery soft black lightweight black linen. It so soft it almost feels like very fine wool. Susie is really pleased with it. The Assembly Line are so clever with their classic and slightly unusual designs. Susie is not one to usually see herself in a puff sleeve blouse but it’s not too puffy and loves the hidden cuff idea, and the envelope neck reminds her of all the easy to put on baby clothes her five children wore.
We love this fabulous peasant shirt made by Alexa using a supersoft washed lightweight white linen and embroidered with navy contrast zigzag stitching. It is the #roscoeblouseanddress pattern by @truebias . As well as the stitching being aesthetically pleasing it helps to keep this very lightweight woven fabric stabilised without using facings (like a heavy duty stay-stitch). Beautiful.
Hannah was quite rightly super pleased with how this #lieslandco shirt turned out in this beautiful light weight fine strip linen/cotton shirting. The attention to detail is fabulous.
Michelle liked the kids bee print T-Shirts she made so much she made another for herself. You can’t beat a good bee print 😍
Julie usually makes beach bags to sell (they are exceptional), but she had a lot of fun making this up in floral print cotton and poly mix french terry jersey. There is no elastane so the stretchiness is fairly minimal. Julie sewed it all on her trusty sewing machine.
Rachel (who is most definitely a dog person) wearing this fabulous cat print cotton & elastane french terry jersey mock wrap top. The pattern is Burda 6848 and is a tried and very much tested pattern.
Super soft and comfy cropped sweatshirt with balloon sleeves made by Jane for Kitcat (soon to be a teenager)
Lynn made this fabulous jumper using cotton mix jumper knit and the Mandy Boat Tee pattern by Tessuti. The fabric seamed stable enough so the neck seam is just turned over with no stay tape- super simple, easy and effective. ❤️
Daiga (who is a long standing member of our Cloth Club) did a grand job on this fabulous jade green stretchy velour top with a twist front using McCall’s pattern M7975. A perfect accompaniment to dress up a pair of jeans, or to go with a flippy, drapey skirt. We love! ❤️❤️❤️
Janet made this fabulous loose fit cardigan using a washable cotton and wool blend jumper knit WITH POCKETS! the pattern is Simplicity 8468 redrafted to lose the collar and get a closer (less coat like) fit
Getting 100% Cotton Jersey for t-shirts is harder than it should be, then we get too many metres in one colour so Bess painted a load of this cream with flicks of a paint brush with fabric paint, and then made this T-shirt for her sister Lulu. The pattern is an ancient Vogue Elements hoody pattern V9926 (we still have an out-of-print copy if you would like one)
Alice made this banana print sweatshirting into a hoody for her bananaphile daughter, Lizby. The pattern is Style Arc Josie, the only changes she made was to line the hood with a contrast ochre jersey and to omit the drawstring around the hem.
Sooooo much fun 😊
Pamela here in the fabulous textured cloqué jersey top made using the Style Arc Fran top (her tried and tested pattern). It’s so good when you get your TNT pattern sorted and can make it up in all sorts of things.
This is Carole wearing this super loose-weave cotton shirt using the Butterick 6070 which she has used several times as the buttonholes are hidden behind the placket. Great if your buttonholes have the occasional wobble!
This cotton is super soft with a gauzey jacquard type weave (unusual), it resists creasing and is great to wear in the hot weather as the drape tends to hold it off the body.
The lovely Celia sent us this pic of her wearing her p blouse using a spotty print silk chiffon blouse, the pattern is Vogue 1385, and she says was technically straightforward as it consisted of only 5 pattern pieces. However, the neckline tucks were very time consuming as the dart markings were on the facings as well as the main pattern pieces and the two had to be aligned exactly. Very fiddly!
Worth the effort Celia- beautiful Blouse, thanks for sharing!
The wonderful Pamela here in her wrap front tunic top made out of a light – medium weight linen and viscose mix – a great blend that gets its drape from the viscose and the coolness and structure from the linen, it’s perfect for this top. We love the proportions of this tunic- the length, the little sleeves, the way Pam has used plain navy to define the wrap neckline. Superb!
Silversewer (carol) made this fabulous #southbank sweater 🤗. with this fun people with binoculars printed french terry backed cotton sweatshirting. This was her second make of this patter -time adding the bottom cuff. The collar can be either folded over or left upright. This is such a great pattern😊. Her daughter 💕 loves it !
Jayne made this fantastic self drafted top using our super slinky navy blue crepe de chine silk and the grey and navy cotton and elastane ribbing for cuffs and neck opening.
Bess made this hoody from an old Burda pattern on the day before going off to a festival and realising she had nothing warm for the evenings. Being somewhat busy she got up a bit early and made it before breakfast – even though it was a pattern she hadn’t used before (needed to be cut out)/there were patch pockets that needed to go on evenly/stripes to match/zip to be inserted. We would like to say it was Bess’s skillz as a dressmaker but most of the credit needs to go to this lovely double wool jersey that behaved soooo nicely.
Miaow on the beach wearing the the big beachy hoody Jane made for her. The pattern is McCall’s 7044 (Jane extended the length). A twin needle was used for the hems, all the seams were done in a jiffy on the overlocker.
This is Joy who came by the shop wearing this fabulous outfit of chartreuse geometric print viscose lawn blouse (New Look K6471) with a turquoise coloured denim skirt (the Arielle by Tilly and the Buttons). ❤️❤️❤️
Bess made up this sleeveless shirt using a fabulous eye print poplin cotton. The pattern is taken and amended from an old White Stuff shirt, the buttons are wiggly eye buttons but how long they will last is debatable as she keeps ironing over them!
As the poplin is very stable and Bess wanted the shirt as light as possible no interfacing was used apart from down the front placket so the button holes would be stabilised.
Whilst Bess lined up the front and back when cutting out no attempt was made to match the pattern. It actually does match where the yoke meets the back piece but that was an accident.
This is a woven shot lightweight linen top made by Sue in France using the Assembly Line cuff top pattern. It’s a lovely simple make with elasticated cuffs, she plans to make it up in velvet for Christmas pressies. Perfect!
When we received the email entitled ‘a pair of strawberry tarts’ we weren’t quite sure what we were opening. 🙀
This is Rachel and Rachel wearing their matching strawberry print cotton and elastane jersey t-shirts along with wolfy the dog (whippet the whippet was locked outside after rolling in fox excrement).
This is possibly our favourite catwalk photo EVER ❤️❤️❤️
Bess couldn’t resist this dichroic glass mirror in Amsterdam for a selfie of her rainbow print viscose T-Shirt (pattern drafted from a fallen apart Great Plains linen T-Shirt). The neck is bound with the same jersey and a stay tape is inserted on the shoulder seam to keep it stable.
Photobomb of Kitcat was unavoidable.
Sue (from French France) made this fabulous linen and Sorona mix shirt using the Closet Case Patterns ‘Kalle Shirt’, Sorona is a new fibre made from corn starch that we hope will take off because added to linen it adds a fabulous softness and suppleness (less creases! Yayy!!). Sue used a bias maker to make the spotty inside collar.
Bess made this fab linen jersey cardigan using her tried-and-tested t-shirt pattern that has been cut up the front. The trim is a sequinned rick rack. It is possible Bess’s life is complete now there is sequinned rickrack in the world. Continue reading Linen Jersey Cardigan with sequin Trim and Iron-On Patch
Bess made up this T-Shirt for Lulu (her sister – not the mannequin) , the pattern is Vogue elements 9926 size small with xs sleeve, zigzag hems and a self bound neck. It took 1 hour (most of which was looking for scissors)
Bess made up this feather print T-Shirt for her little sister using lovely stable Cotton and Elastane Jersey with lots of stretch that makes the binding on the neck a cinch. Plus there is the added bonus that as the fabric is so wide and Lulu is such a squinge Bess can make up the entire thing out of 80cm. Bonus!
The hems are done with a simple zigzag because Bess hates the coverstitch machine.
Sheryl made this lovely tunic up in heavy slubby cotton with a blue paisley overprint. The pattern comes from the book The Tunic Bible. Continue reading Blue and White Paisley Print Slubby Cotton Tunic
Lynn has been making clothes for herself, friends and family for years. She works mostly in soft furnishings and upholstery now so making clothes is a real treat, and what a treat this t-shirt is? Made from 95% Cotton 5% Elastane lightweight jersey with a fun seagull print (seagulls are not best friends in Devon but they are tolerated on a t-shirt)
Trish came to the shop wearing her fabulous taupe geometric print polyester satin vest top, she self drafted the pattern (clever old sticks our customers are).
This top is as versatile as a top can be – perfect for a trip to the shops but equally at home dressed up with some snazzy trousers for a wedding. Pattern heaven!
Sue had never sewn jersey before so approached this project with a little trepidation, a few days later she was showing off her skills with both the white wrap top made in cotton and elastane jersey and the maxi skirt made in multicolour digital print lightweight viscose and elastane jersey. I think it is fair to say Sue is approaching jersey with a little less trepidation now 😉
