All posts tagged: Tops

McCalls 6612 – A Nearmiss

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Last Monday I woke up wanting to sew. It’s a long time since I woke up with ‘the urge’! I was meeting my crafty friends for lunch and ‘needed’ something new to wear. So after a rummage through my used patterns I decided upon McCalls 6612. A dead easy pattern which I can throw together in an hour or so. It’s actually the first pattern I used when I got back into sewing in 2013, though it took me all day to sew up the first time as I was a bit rusty. I wasn’t 100% happy with it, and it didn’t feel quite right, but I wore it. When I got home after the lunch I had a rethink and decided to finish the sleeves with a band of opposite fabric. I’m a great believer of everything happening for a reason, and here’s proof of that. So thankyou Sewing Gods for my nearmiss and helping me creative something a little bit different which I love. Happy Sewing & Cheerio for now, Thimbers x

Hacking McCalls 6612 – 3 very different Tops

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Following on from the success of my Little Red Dress I decided to use the sleeves I’d cut out but not used,  and some double knit jersey from my scrap bin, to whip up a t shirt. I raised the neckline by an inch and shortened the dress pattern to hip length. I feel a bit like a 5 year old but I’ve worn this loads and it’s been in regular rotation worn with old denim shorts during the last month of what we call ‘summer’. I was thinking of making another when Bea mentioned on her IG feed that she had this gorgeous jersey going spare, I couldn’t believe my luck when I was able to snap it up.  She sent it with a lovely note and some other sewing goodies! As I’m a serial tracer and muslin maker it’s a real treat to be able to whip up a new garment in an hour or 2.  I’ve not really had any TNT patterns in the past but I think I definitely need more …

#GBSBLIVE 2017 & The Japanese Asymmetrical Top

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The Great British Sewing Bee Live was fabulous and just what the doctor ordered!  I’ve been AWOL for the past few weeks, I won’t go into detail but I’m doing ok and hopefully there will be some action on the blog and in the sewing room very soon, and I’ll be back firing on all cylinders. I don’t know about you but the best thing to get my creative juices flowing is having a special occasion to attend.  As the date of #GBSBLive loomed and the days ticked away I was at loss as to what to make, and decided to have a flick through the GBSB books and patterns which accompanied the show. I’d left it to the last minute so I needed to make something quick and easy.  The Japanese Pattern Top from the latest book looked a fairly simple despite the odd shaped pattern pieces. I’d seen on Hila’s Vlog about this top that the pattern pieces were huge, and she wasn’t wrong! Lucky I had some Burda tissue paper which easily …

Good Golly Miss Molly

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Does Molly need any introduction? I don’t think so.  There’s Molly Tops everywhere, all over the internet, and probably in a city near you. It’s part of Sew Over It’s new capsule wardrobe for a city break.   And whilst it’s not the first of their patterns that I’ve bought (I have a paper copy of the Pussy Bow blouse) it’s the first one i’ve made. I’m a bit of a sucker for buying ‘bundles’ of patterns as even if I only make 1 from the bundle, as a Yorkshire lass I need to have felt like I’ve had value for money. I’m not here to promote the patterns, but in case you’re wondering, there’s a top, stretch jeans, skirt, shirt/shirtdress and cardigan in the collection.  Apart from the cardigan, I can see myself making all the garments.  And soon! So far I’ve made 2 Molly Tops.  It requires 1.6m of 140cm wide fabric.  I had 60cm of some gorgeous floral jersey and about the same of a coordinating soft grey. Both were bargain remnants …

Grainline Archer – At last!

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One of the first things I lusted over noticed everywhere when I discovered sewing blogs was the Grainline Archer. They really were everywhere and I really wanted one.  I’m fairly certain that most of you seasoned bloggers will have seen them about, but here’s a couple of my favourites……  Click on the photo to be taken to the owners blog post…please! Carolyn from Allspice Abounds is to me the Queen of the Archers!  Her attention to detail is just second to none.  Overtime she made another and I read her blog post I’d want one even more!   Rachel from Sew South London made a gorgeous Chambray Archer which really showed off her stunning topstitching!  And it was her post that lead me to a different way to attach the collar – which worked really well! Thanks Rachel! I couldn’t bring myself to buy the pdf version, not with all those pieces. So when they announced they were selling a paper version I snapped one up immediately!  Not sure now what all the rush was about. …

Elephants and Indians

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Gosh!  Where’s the time gone?! I’ve had a whole month to rustle something up to fulfil my pledge for the Made Up Initiative which is raising money for the National Literacy Trust. My mum bought this elephant and indian crepe, slightly sheer with a tiny amount of stretch for me a few months ago.  I’ve been umming and arrhing for ages what to make with it so thought if I pledge to make something up with it I’d have a deadline and would do it. And I did!  And I love it! I had a few suggestions on my Sunday Sevens when I was first gifted this fabric.  Sheila from Sewchet thought maybe a baby doll set for the boudoir, but Indians being ridden by elephants…… not sure if that’s an image I’d like to portray in the bedroom! I decided to make the Dimpsy T from Laura After Midnight.  I’d made a hack of this before in a jersey fabric without the collar but thought it was time to stand up to my fear of making …