Technically I made this last year so I figured it’s about time I post it. I really need to get more timely, but then again it’s my blog so I guess I can post whenever I want. This is the Grainline Linden Sweatshirt. Although it’s labeled as a sweatshirt, just about everyone I know who has made it has basically used the pattern as a long sleeved shirt and I’m not any different.

I used some lovely organic cotton spandex from Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics. It was easy to work with, but the pattern itself is also super easy. I’d highly recommend it for beginners looking to get started with knits or someone getting used to their serger. However, you totally don’t need a serger to do this. The zigzag stitch would work just as well! It’s a raglan construction which goes together with very easy seams (i.e., not too many curves). The neckline is probably the most challenging part but it’s well designed so that it lays flat and notches match up so that’s not even much of an issue. The arms and hem are done with cuffs so no need to pull out the double needle either. 

I did however finish mine off with my coverstitch machine. I wanted a little something extra and also wanted to hold down the merged seams. So I gave a stitch around the neck and around the hem band. I did it in hot pink for a subtle pop of color and I think it really elevates what would just be a nice but normal shirt. That’s why you can just see the slightest line around the neckline.

It also makes a great top to throw on over a tank top when you just want an extra layer. I’ve already worn it many times and looking forward to wearing it a lot more this winter!

      

Rumor has it that it’s French Macaron Day. I have no idea who decides when “days” are for various things, but I’ve been meaning to post this dress for a while anyways so today is as good a day as any.

This is the Seamwork (formerly Colette) Myrtle dress. The fabric is Spoonflower’s Performance Piqué printed with the Lichtenstein Macarons by robinskarbek. This was a winner for one of the Spoonflower design contests and I knew as soon as I saw it that I had to have a dress out of it. It’s probably one of my favorite prints ever. It was printed as a Sprout order, so the pattern was printed directly on the fabric, although I did get a digital copy of the pattern as well.

First let’s talk briefly about the fabric. This is my second use of Spoonflower’s Performance Piqué and I really like this fabric. It’s light. It’s comfortable. It’s wrinkle resistant. The colors print really vibrantly and wash really well on this fabric. I’ve washed this one many times and it’s still just a bright. I believe it may be moisture wicking but not sure. Either way, it’s got a bit of stretch due to the weave (not due to spandex) and it’s great for summer. I’ll definitely continue using this substrate from Spoonflower.

Now let’s discuss the pattern. I tried to find a link to the actual pattern, but it doesn’t seem to be available any more (I made this years ago). I’m not sure why they would discontinue the pattern. It’s not a bad pattern and actually looks quite cute. I’ve gotten quite a bit of wear out of this dress.

Things I like:

• It goes together really easily. 
• Pockets! Yes, it has inseam pockets.
• The cowl neck. I like that it’s just double fabric on the front so you don’t end up with the flap that you get with some cowl necks.
• The wide shoulders. I find them very flattering.

Things I don’t like:

• The neck back. If I had made a muslin, I could have fixed this. This was one of the issues with Sprout — making a muslin was hard since the pattern was printed on the fabric. But the back of the neck is a bit too wide for me. I usually have to take a little bit out at the top of most of my commercial patterns. I’ll probably do a little dart at some point since the neckline got further stretched when I rolled over the hem.
• The length. It’s a bit on the short side to wear to work unless I wear leggings with it. But given the cowl neck is a bit much for cleavage, this one never really gets worn to work anyways.
• The back skirt seam. I’m not sure why they put a seam down the back. I think because in the woven version you might add a zipper. But given this was printed for knits, it seemed a waste and sad that the pattern doesn’t match up. But I think that’s a Sprout issue, not a pattern issue.
• The top length. Not a huge issue, but I wish I had just a bit more length in the top for blousing over so I could move the elastic waist down a bit. That being said, it looks fine like this and the elastic does sit at my natural waist. 

I hemmed it using a double needle which was fine, but not great. I don’t really like using double needles and it’s part of the reason that I got a coverstitch machine.

But there we go. At some point I’ll print this fabric again and make another dress, but for now, I’m enjoying this one.

Note: when styling photos with real food, watch out for hungry assistants.

      

Here’s another super old project that I’m just getting around to posting. These photos are from . . . 2017? Yeah, super old. Well, this will be a quick post. And nevermind what I’m wearing in the photos. I’m gardening. I’m not going to be wearing my finest duds when I’m playing in the dirt.

This is the Betz White Reversible Bucket Hat. It was one of the first patterns I tried from the now defunct Sprout Patterns, mostly because it was one of the cheapest and I didn’t know how I’d feel about the service initially (spoiler: I liked it and I’m sad they decided to close). It’s made with Spoonflower’s linen-cotton canvas with a patterns by Groovity. I thought the linen-cotton canvas printed really nicely with vivid colors and would definitely use that substrate again.

With respect to the pattern, there’s not too much to say. It’s pretty straight forward and simple. Highly recommended for a beginner. And it’s definitely reversible. Not the kind where you sorta could wear the other side if you wanted, but actually reversible. I really love the patterns on this hat and may use them for another garment at some point, but not sure the hat is something I’ll wear terribly often because I tend to favor much larger brims that shield my neck and shoulders from the sun as well. But it’s cute. And apparently good for gardening.

      

Yeah, so this one is long overdue for posting. This is the Grainline Archer Button Up Shirt which I made at a workshop with Lauren Taylor at Hello Stitch Studio which is the cutest and most welcoming studio you’ve ever been to. If I lived near them, they’d be like a second home.

Also, you can see my chickens above and my amazing chicken boots. They have chickens on them and I use them for taking care of my chickens. They are surprisingly comfortable actually.

The Archer is a classic button down shirt. It doesn’t have any bust darts. I’m wearing it closed in these photos, but in truth I like to wear it open over a tank top so it doesn’t really matter too much that it doesn’t have bust darts. If I were going to wear it closed, most of the time that might be different.

One of my favorite parts of the Archer is actually the back. I really like the yoke with the pleat. It makes it very comfortable to wear.

I’ve got a couple of progress shots from the workshop like the one above which was when I had finished the body but not yet attached the sleeves. I made a size 2 with slightly shortened arms on Lauren’s suggestion. I think the size 2 was right, but next time I’d keep the longer arms because I like them to hang over my hands a bit. That being said, I do tend to roll up my sleeves so I don’t really notice it too much.

I shrank my pockets down a fair bit — maybe 50%? — because otherwise they would have covered the entire chest area. I’m pretty pleased with the proportions of how they turned out. And no, I did not try to pattern match. It would have driven me nuts trying to so I just let it do its own thing.

The fabric was a Robert Kaufman cotton lawn that I got from Califabrics. Califabrics ships super fast so if you’re like me and you realize the week of the workshop that you don’t have any appropriate fabric, you can order very quickly. I really liked working with this fabric. You can see on the collar that it’s a little sheer, but that’s the under collar so I don’t mind. But it pressed and stitched up quite nicely and has been wearing well through the wash as well.

The workshop with Lauren was awesome and if you have a chance to take one with her, do it. She’s both a super cool person and a fantastic teacher. Above, she’s showing us how to mark evenly spaced buttonholes after positioning the first and most important bust button. She’s showing it on my top because I was moving pretty quickly during the workshop (I actually all but finished a second sleeveless version of the top which I also need to post) so I think I was the first to hit that point for demonstration purposes. This was one of many tips and tricks she showed us. I always walk away from her workshops with new skills under my belt.

I’ve also taken a jeans workshop from Lauren (I’m actually wearing those jeans in the pic above because I couldn’t resist the photo op) and I would take this workshop or the jeans one again just because her workshops and the people who are drawn to them are so fun. I’ve actually kept in touch (albeit recently mostly on social media given the pandemic) with several people from both of her workshops. I was super sad when the workshop I signed up for last summer got cancelled, but fingers crossed the one at the end of this year works out to be safe!

So there you have it, my Archer Button Up (and also some gratuitous chicken photos).

      

This was the final project for the other class I took at Cañada College Fashion Department, Designer Techniques in Sewing. This was such a fun class. We basically spent the semester learning cool and fun techniques you could do to a garment to move from the basic pattern to something that is more “you.” You’ll definitely be seeing more of these popping up in my future makes! I had previously posted another garment from that class and the assignment for this one was similar: using the pattern of your choosing, apply one or more of the techniques you’ve learned in class to the garment.

I had great plans to draft another dress and add a keyhole back (one of the techniques that we learned), but my other project for the pattern drafting class ended up taking longer than I planned (not unusual for me) so I decided to go with a tried a true pattern and modify that which was a totally acceptable option and in fact even recommended.

I used the Sewaholic Renfrew Top which I’ve made several times before (for example) and so I knew it would fit well. I also already had this lovely organic cotton and spandex fabric which I bought ages ago from Stonemountain and Daughter that I had actually bought with the intention of making into a Renfrew. So it actually was a pretty obvious choice in the end — get my project done and mark an item off my todo list!

The modifications I made using new-to-me techniques:

• I changed the v-neck to be a cross over v-neck. The pattern already came with a v-neck bodice, but it had you do a v-neck with a seam down the middle. We had learned the crossover way which I had actually always been curious about. It’s actually not terribly difficult although I did still manage to get a tiny pucker. Not enough that it’ll keep me from wearing it though and I’ll definitely get it right next time!
• I added v-slits to the cuffs and one side of the hem band. I thought to echo the v-neck. I really love this detail actually, especially on the cuffs when they’re rolled up. And I love that it’s only on one side of the hem. It just adds a little bit more interest.

Simple changes, but it makes the top much more interesting.