Cropped Hoodie

As my latest obession is skating. I have been considering clothing that is suitable for skating in. During the Spring and Autumn. It can be quite cold, but once you get warmed up, you don't really need a coat, but a hoodie is perfect. I have a fab hoodie that I wear a lot in the winter, but it is long and doesn't really go with my high waist trousers and wide legged jeans. I also wanted something that would serve as a cover up if I wanted to wear a longer dress or skirt, that wouldn't make me look like a sack.

I decided to use the Assembly Line hoodie dress as a basis for this make. It's drafted for a woven, but it is loose enough to work with this stretch fabric. I've used this pattern multiple times and the bodice makes a great woven t shirt.

 

I didn't have to make very many changes. I did lengthen the bodice by about 3 cm and then added on the hem band, which I cut slightly shorter than the circumference of the top. I considered leaving it unfinished on the bottom hem and that would have worked too.

The only other change I made was to make a hood lining in the same fabric rather than just adding a facing and I think this works perfectly.

The fabric is a dream to work with for a stretch fabric it is nice and stable and doesn't roll too much. It presses well, although I do recommend a press cloth.

This was a super quick make and only took one afternoon to finish it, and I've already worn it out for skating on numerous occasions. Perfect for cool spring days when I would be too warm in a coat, but it's still too cool to wear just shirt sleeves.

I think this will be super versatile - it is great for skating due to the length, I think it could also work over the top of a dress as an extra layer and this colour is just fantastic.

 

Pattern Review: New Look 6299

 

I love a fit and flare dress. So when Minerva offered me the chance to review New Look 6299, I jumped at it!
The pattern has princess seams and the option of cap sleeve or ¾ sleeves. There is a boat neckline or a shirt collar - or plain jewel neck if you prefer. There are optional godets that will add more swing to the skirt. The skirt length is just above knee length but could easily be shortened to tunic length or lengthened to suit your preferences.

Originally I planned to sew this in a range of different plaid fabrics I had in my stash - but they were mainly polyester and of different weights and very different colour and patterns combinations. Once I had cut them out I realised I hated the combination. I raided my stash and found some more of the waxed cotton that I used for this Kalle dress.

 

It was a bit of pattern Tetris and I did have to piece one of the side back panels to get everything out of the fabric I had.

I decided to make view A - which is the cap sleeve version with the collar and no godets. I decided that a full-on collar would be a bit much so I used the collar pattern piece to draft a mandarin style collar instead.
There is about 9cm ease on top of body measurements for this pattern. Which is common for the big 4 pattern companies. My measurements put me in a size 12/14, after looking at the finished garment measurements I cut a straight size 10. 

I sewed it up without any adjustments but realised I could have actually made the size 8 and it would have been perfect. The 10 is a little loose in some areas, but not horrifically so. Once sewn I took a smidge off the front princess seams above the bust and a little just below for shaping. I also took in the side seams at the waist. I could have gone further with this, but due to the structure of the fabric I didn’t need to - it holds the shape well.

The sleeves had a lot of ease in the sleeve cap, more than was really necessary, and again due to the nature of the waxed fabric, this was quite tricky to ease in without any puckers. 

 

I considered shortening the skirt on this to be tunic length but decided to leave it at the full length. I’m  171cm tall, so this will be just above knee length with a small hem. I kept the hem at 2.5cm. 

The dress is constructed with a facing rather than a lining, I think a lining would be a better option. As this is a summer weight fabric I can get away without it. I think this pattern is a good basic dress pattern with lots of options. I think it could be stunning in a brocade, or cotton velvet. I may just make this up as a party dress for next Christmas in velvet, with a detachable collar so I can wear my bling jewellery with it. But for now, this was a stash buster of a project. I’m trying to reduce fabric waste, and I’ve certainly done that with this one.

Hoodie Banket

It's been a while since I shared anything here. I'm still sewing up items on a regular basis but my production has somewhat slowed, so my next few posts will be sharing some of the makes that I haven't blogged about.

First up is the Hoodie Blanket that I made for my daughter as a Christmas present - yes - it was that long ago!!!! This has to be one of my favourite and also easiest makes of last year.
My daughter has discovered a love of dinosaurs in her later teenage years! To the point where she is considering getting a dinosaur tattoo (she hasn't as of yet)! So when I saw this beautiful dino fleece I just knew she would love something made in it.
I  had planned to make my sister a Billy Wearable Blanket, which is a free pattern from Do It Yourself Better Club. www.doitbetteryourself.club/product/the-bill.../

I made that version up in a plain fleece that I bought from a local shop. So I knew that the pattern would work super well for this fabric. The Fleece from Minerva was way superior to the locally bought stuff. It was thicker and more even in texture. It sewed up better and didn’t cause my machine any issues.

I decided to sew up the longer version, my daughter is a student and her room is quite cool so, something cosy to snuggle is is a perfect option. She has also told me it will be great to wear when the fire alarms go off in the middle of the night - don’t you just love student accommodation?

I constructed this pretty much completely on the overlocker, with the exception of the hood and it’s lining which was made from some Jersey from my stash). The pattern calles for rib cuffing, but I couldn’t find a close enough match or anything that would perfectly constrast so they were made from self fabric and are fine. I did check that hands would fit through these as the fabric isn’t very stretchy. One thing to note is that sleeves are quite short. Bear that in mind if you have long limbs.

This has A LOT of ease. I sewed up the XS size and it has plenty of room. The pattern features a hood and a large kangaroo pocket. There are options to make this without the hood or as a fully lined version. It would be a great with a waterproof outer and a fleecy lining as a changing robe for outdoor watersports. Or made in towlling for a beach change/ coverup. However, we like snuggles and comfort and I can say that my daughter has worn this on heavy rotation over the winter months.

She was rather reticent to model for me - so instead she took the photos and I was the model. I did convince her to let me take a quick photo though.