It's been a while since I've sewn anything at all really but particularly for myself. I got pregnant with baby no. 1 in July '18 and didn't want to make maternity wear, partly because I didn't know how big I was going to become and also because I had such horrible nausea and pelvc pain that I didn't really feel like doing anything at all for the whole nine months! After the baby was born I didn't want to make anything until I was back to normal size because I didn't want to cut a pattern to a size I would have to replace later. Then I became pregnant again in July '19... So it's been nearly two years! I thought that I would start simple with the Hepburn Top from Charm Patterns. I haven't used any of Gertie's patterns before but they do look amazing on instagram. I plan to make a suit out of the Stanwick skirt and Princess coat when I've lost a few more inches. Pattern Review: A pretty simple pattern to follow and it does fit as expected. Very easy to sew up and has lots of variations. I chose a harder one: the pussey bow. Although when you have as small a bust as I do and you are making a striped top, it's probably worth moving/getting rit of the dart (it's stretch fabric so you'll still fit) so that the stripes line up. I ignored the advice about how to make the stripes look funky and chevrony because I wanted horizontal stripes so I took out the centre seam as that was one more seam to line up stripes down that I didn't need. In hindsight, that seam would have really helped in lining up the pussey bow. For a very simple pattern, the cross over at the back collar is very fiddly. I think a beginner would struggle. I found it quite tricky and am not entirely happy with the result: I've got about 2mm of white visible that shows I didn't line up the stripes properly. Stretch is a cruel fabric for something that you might want to unpick (you can't!). The front is also a little messy; even with the top stitching to hold it down, the inside facing is visible at the pussey bow knot because the knot becomes too heavy. Next time, I will put in a large facing at the collar so that it looks neat. It's possible that this wouldn't be a problem with a slightly heavier weight fabric. Overall, it's a very pretty and versitile pattern and I'm looking forward to trying some of the other styles. I'd recommend the beginner doesn't start with a pussey bow or one that crosses over on the back collar. The instructions are well-written and there are good diagrams. Also, there are lots of styles to inspire you on Instagram. Sewing Notes I always find stretch fabric a bit tricky to stitch with: it can gather under the sewing machine foot bery easily. To release this, you can lift the foot regularly during sewing a seam but make sure that the needle is in the fabric! I sewed it with a narrow and short zig zag stitch. (B, 1.5mm) and then finished the seams with a zig zag (E) and hemmed with yet another zig zag (D 1.5mm). I sewed a size 10 US but once I've lost a bit more baby weight, I expect I'll want a size 8. I'm normally a Vogue pattern 14. It needed 1.4 m so I bought 2 m of lightweight knit in nautical stripe. I'm very pleased with how the stripes line up. Remember to line them up a SA away from the edge, not at the edge. I'm pleased with the result! I like the stripes: it looks very fun and summery. And I have some fabric left over so I'll be making some outfits for the girls. We'll look so cute at all the summer barbeques that I won't be attending because of lockdown.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Apparently SewYou rip what you sew! Archives
May 2020
Categories
All
|