Day: 23 July 2016

children's clothing, kids clothing, sewing, tween

BurdaStyle top and patternless skirt

Tween sewing came up on instagram yesterday, with a question asking where are all the tween patterns? I will do a separate blog post especially about that at a later date, but in the meantime will share some current tween makes.

top based on BurdaStyle no 144 10/2014 in remnant knits

Both this top and skirt are another example of using up scraps. It’s always such a satisfying feeling! Firstly, the top.

top based on BurdaStyle no 144 10/2014 in remnant knits

This top is based on BurdaStyle No 144 10/2014, which is a pattern I have used before for dresses for Clare. I cut it at top length. So really, it’s just the basic pattern pieces for a raglan top – front, back sleeves. I used scuba scraps for the sleeves and scraps harvested from my friend Karen for the front and back.

top based on BurdaStyle no 144 10/2014 in remnant knits

I bound the neckline by applying a strip of the scuba to the neckline right sides together, stitching it down with about a 1cm seam allowance, then wrapping it around to the wrong side and stitching in the ditch from the right side. I hope that’s clear!

top based on BurdaStyle no 144 10/2014 in remnant knits

I sewed the side seams with a 1cm seam allowance by machine so that I could leave this little split at the hemline. I like the added detail. All hems were secured by machine as well. This was a very fast garment to sew, and apparently filled the brief from Clare for a top that was somewhere between casual and dressy, not to loose and not too tight.

top based on BurdaStyle no 144 10/2014 in remnant knits

I’d sewn the skirt a month or two prior, while at Sewjourn in May. It is very straightforward. Armed with Clare’s waist measurement, and her desired skirt length, I sewed a strip of fabric into a waistband with elastic encased in the centre. Remember that this fabric is scuba, so it easily stretches enough to pull on. The elastic in the waistband provides a bit more structure and stability. Then I sewed the rest of the fabric into a tube, pinned the side seams to the waistband side seam locations, and started to play.

Patternless box pleated skirt in scuba from Spotlight

I created box pleats, distributed evenly with three in the front and three in the back.  I think that in the above photo the skirt is twisted around a little bit.  This took a little bit of maths and a little bit of measuring, but basically once everything was pinned to fit and it looked okay I just went ahead and overlocked it to the waistband.  A quick hem and it was done.

Patternless box pleated skirt in scuba from Spotlight

Clare now wears her skirts on her natural waist, after years of wearing them on her hips. A style like this is SO easy to make, and in a knit fabric like this scuba is comfortable to wear as well as to put on. It doesn’t look like ayet another gathered waist skirt, as the waistband is flat and the skirt fabric is pleated, but it still has some fullness. She likes it.

Patternless box pleated skirt in scuba from Spotlight

If you are wanting to know what other tween patterns I have sewn over the past year or two, I have tried to remember to tag them as “tween” so you can sort by the categories drop down somewhere over there on the right.

adult's clothing, sewing

Style Arc Mason Knit Jacket

This is another repeat – you can see the first Mason jacket I sewed (not in a knit though) here. This time I did as I was told and used the fabric type that the garment was designed for.

Style Arc Mason knit jacket in wool knit from The Cloth Shop

From the Style Arc website: MASON KNIT JACKET: This knee length Ponte knit jacket is given a fresh look with an interesting shawl collar, and large patch pockets , braid or bind the edges or just leave them raw. A truly staple piece for your wardrobe.

mason-jacket

Well, I sort of followed the fabric suggestions, in that I did use a knit.  But it’s not a ponte. It’s a much thicker wool knit with a fluffy jacquard design somehow woven into it.  I bought it from The Cloth Shop on sale at the end of last winter, and stroked it wondering what it would become for some time.

Style Arc Mason knit jacket in wool knit from The Cloth Shop

It took me a while and a little help from instagram to figure out what side I would use as the right side and what side as the wrong. In the end I decided that fluffy needed to be on the outside, with the smoother “painted” look on the inside. Easier to get on an off over other clothes, I figured.

Style Arc Mason knit jacket in wool knit from The Cloth Shop

I left off the pockets, and sewed this up on the overlocker. It was super fast to assemble. My next dilemma was how to finish the edges. I’d cut the selvages off the fabric before cutting out the garment pieces, and decided to apply them to the cuff and front/collar edges. I had barely enough to work with, but the end result is still okay. If I had my time again I would have done the front edges and collar before doing the sleeve edges, which would have made it easier to lay out the pieces of selvage nicely. But I didn’t. That’s the way it goes. I just overlaid the selvedge strips and zig-zagged them in place.

Style Arc Mason knit jacket in wool knit from The Cloth Shop

When working with thicker fabrics like this one it’s important to consider the seam finish of any seams that might show. I sewed the centre back neck/collar seam on the machine so that any parts that did show would be neat and sit flat.

Style Arc Mason knit jacket in wool knit from The Cloth Shop

This is an incredibly warm garment to wear, and is comfortable as well because of the fabric type. In my view, it’s a definite success.

Style Arc Mason knit jacket in wool knit from The Cloth Shop