Summer Linen T shirt - Hoodie Dress Hack and refashion

Who doesn't love a light linen top when it hot, hot, hot? I had been wondering about making a Linen top for some time, but couldn't get my hands on fabric that I liked - I need to feel the hand of fabrics like linen to check they are the right weight - I had all but given up on the idea when I devoded to clear out my wardrobe. Lurking at the back were a pair of white linen trousers I bought several years ago from Asda. They were a size too big and initislly went into the charity shop pile as I just don't wear them enough to keep them. However I remembered my desire for a linen top and decided to try and refashion the trousers into a top.

First up I needed a woven t shirt pattern. I knew I loved The Assembly Line Hoodie Dress and I'd made two hooded versions which you can read about here and here, and a short sleeve hood-less version that I made last year.

I used the bodice pieces, the neck facing and the short sleeve that I drafted last year. The trousers were prepared by removing the waistband and cutting up the inseam and crotch seams, leaving the outer leg seams intact.

This allowed me to cut the bodice fronts from the upper part of the leg. Then the sleeves from the lower part. The facing was cut in sections, where I could find enough fabric. There was enough fabric left at the bottom of the legs to add onto the bottom of the t shirt (just over 10cm). I was glad about that as it would have been VERY cropped without it.

You can see the side seams of the legs have ended up just off centre, but I kind of like it - I deliberately mis-matched these with seams on the bottom extension.

This top certain fits the Refashioners 2020 theme of #usewhatyouhave. I was so glad to wear this today as it was super cool to wear at work. I really needed it - It was hot and sticky! I certainly think this will ge far more wear as a top than it ever got as trousers.

In fact my whole outfit is refashioned. The necklace is one I made a few weeks ago with some repurposed buttons and My culottes were made 2 years ago from an Ikea curtain - burdastyle pattern. I love it when I can give something a new lease of life, don't you?

Free Sewing Pattern Review - Peppermint Playsuit

In the current climate, keeping costs down for some people is incredibly important. Sewing can be an expensive past time. Patterns are expensive, good quality fabric is expensive, threads zips and buttons all add up. Over the years I've collected some free patterns and I'm very very grateful to those that offer patterns for free. It takes a long time to draft a design, test and then grade that pattern. I've made three patterns and I know they aren't perfect, I don't pretend they are, but the time it took was incredible. So I'm all up for promoting and supporting designers who are willing to offer freebies and I'm always looking to designers that offer the sewing community Free patters for appropriate ones to buy.

However, right now, while we are in lockdown and many people aren't working it's a great time to review some free patterns and this one includes a refashion. In fact the only thing I bought was a zip.

So this free pattern was created by In the Folds for Peppermint magazine and you can find the pattern here. You do have the option to make a donation if you are able.

My daughter loves a cute playsuit pattern and her prefered colour is black (can you tell?). I didn't have enough fabric in my stash so I raided the refashion pile. I found two pairs of black jeans that had originally been my hubby's but had worn between the legs. With some very careful pattern placement I just managed to squeeze the fronts and backs out of the jeans legs, as long as I cut the jeans apart on the inseam. The facings and straps I managed to cut from off cuts of fabric that was already in my stash. I used two of the jeans pockets to create the patch pockets on the front.

From the photographs you can see that the playsuit is designed for quite a fluid fabric and my denim is certainly not fluid - so I wondered how well this would actually work.

This pattern is drafted very well and the sizes matched the description and body measurements well. I thought I might have to add some length to the body as my daughter has a long torso like me, but it was absolutely fine.

As it's a PDF download I always look at how many pages it's going to take. This one is not too bad at about 30 pages. It uses the layers function so you can select just the sizes you want to print, rather than having to print everything. This makes assembling and cutting out so much easier.

So how did it all work out?

The construction went well. It's a really simple prject to put together and the hardest thing to do is the concealed zip. I've recently changed how I do this and the method I now use has always led to perfect insertion.

Basically - baste the seam closed with a long stitch and press open.

Press the coils on the zip open so you can sew really close to the coil.

hand baste the zip to the seam allowances only, centering the zip on the seam line. Use small stitches.

Rip open the basting and open the zip - right to the end. I use a pair of tweezers or small pliers to pull the zipper pull right to the end.

Sew really close to the coils - in the seam allowances. You can use a regular zipper foot, but I prefer a concealed zipper foot for this.

Then pull the zipper up all the way - you should have a perfectly installed concealed zip.

I do think the denim is a touch heavy for this pattern. it also had some stretch so some of the seams aren't as crisp as I'd like. Something a bit lighter and slightly more drapey would be perfect a Chambray or linen for example. However as part of my contribution to The Refashioners 2020 #usewhatyouhave -  I used what I had.

I thought the legs might be a bit too short, but they are actually quite a nice length. I can see Bethan wearing these with a cropped t shirt or bralette underneath but as the weather is so unseasonal here in the UK (I even wore my warmest winter coat yesterday) she's paired the playsuit with an off the shoulder sweater and leggings.

All in all this is a fantastic beginner pattern. It's simple to construct and a very cute style.

I really like how the seams and pockets from the original jeans add a little something to the styling. Bethan decided she liked the playsuit with a belt as it gave her more definition at the waist. Have you tried this pattern? What did you think?