Garment number three for the year was for Clare.

It’s the top from the Saturday Skirt Set, by Friday Pattern Company. I have sewed a few of their patterns for my daughters now, and always been very pleased with the results.

As per the website, this set is for when it’s Saturday night and you have ‘nothing to wear’. The Saturday skirt set is made up of a wrap top and midi skirt that are comfortable, glamorous, and fun! Both patterns are designed to be easy to sew. The wrap top features long sleeves brought in at the hem with elastic. It can be wrapped in several different ways! The skirt is a flowy a-line dream brought in in the back with elastic for an easy and comfortable fit, not to mention the skirt features roomy pockets. Make this set from a silk for a party-ready get up. Make it in linen for an everyday uniform. These pieces can be worn together or mixed and matched with other Friday patterns. The Saturday Skirt set pieces are sure to be a versatile addition to your handmade wardrobe.

Well, Clare didn’t wear it out on Saturday night – she wore it to her University tutes on Friday! The top can be worn with the front tied rather than wrapped around the body, which she has kindly modelled for us. It’s a vibe!

The fabric is a very lightweight, semi-sheer cotton (maybe a blend) bought at Stonemountain and Daughter in San Francisco. It was on sale and I only paid around USD $13 for the piece. Such lovely colours in the print! I interfaced the collar of the shirt with lightweight fusible woven interfacing, but there’s no other interfacing in it. The ties are doubled, and the neckline is fully faced. I sewed size S, without alteration.

This was very straightforward to sew, and I always find the instructions from Friday Pattern Company to be very comprehensive with excellent diagrams. I actually read the instructions from my laptop this time around rather than printing them. There are just too many pages for me to justify printing them out, but I do prefer reading pattern instructions from paper than from a screen. I’ll get used to it as I do it more, I suppose! I need to note that the pattern illustration has some small gathers at the top of the cap, but I found that the sleeves were drafting to set in without any gathering at all.  The pattern photos appear not to have any gathering at the sleeve cap, or if there is, it’s very little.  Maybe this depends a bit on what size you are sewing, or even the fabric that you’re using.

I have discussed sewing the skirt from the pattern in a solid, to coordinate with the top but not match it exactly (not that I have any of the same fabric left for a skirt anyway). That’s somewhere down the track. Clare rather likes the top worn with denim.  This style in this fabric is great for keeping the sun off her delicate skin while also staying cool.

The Friday Pattern Company hasn’t been selling pdf patterns for a long time, but since it launched a few years ago Chelsea has certainly made a big impact in the sewing community.  I’ve sewn the Wilder gown and top (for me and for Freya) and the Lucida dress and the Vernazza two-piece (for Clare).  I think that the styles skew younger rather than toward my generation, but it’s really about what you prefer to sew and wear.  No age rules! Both my daughters have been eyeing off the Sagebrush top as well.

Anyway, Friday Pattern Company also has a FREE pattern for a relaxed v-neck tee, the Sunday V-neck. From the website: The Sunday V Neck is an easy-to-sew wardrobe staple. It features raglan sleeves and a ribbing that crosses at the center front. Make it in a single color or mix and match different fabrics! This tee can be a great scrap-busting project. Designed for knit fabrics with at least 25% stretch, you’ll want to make this tee again and again. This pattern is for everyone and looks great on all genders! Size XS-4X included in pattern. The download includes: print at home PDF pattern (A4 or letter sized), A0 copy shop file, and instructions! The pattern is drafted for someone around 5’6″ with a B cup bust. I chose to sew size Large which was the size suggested for my chest measurement, and think that was a good choice for this relaxed style.

Obviously, I need to talk about that fabric! It is deadstock fabric that I bought from Obus when they were selling off excess a year or so ago, and the length of fabric came with both prints, each taking up half the width of the (wide) fabric. It’s a lovely quality, with a bit of spandex in it, and the two different prints are designed to work together. So that’s what I did! One fabric for the sleeves, another for the front and back. As it happens I had enough fabric to cut out a second top; I’ll blog that one later. I have picked up this fabric SO many times trying to figure out what type of garment would work best, and I reckon that this was a good choice.

Construction was on the overlocker with the twin needle used to secure hems. The neckband instructions were excellent – V-necklines can be tricky – and I used the machine to attach the neckband before finishing those seam allowance on the overlocker. I’m impressed with the quality of the designs, drafting and instructions from Friday Pattern Company and don’t hesitate to recommend them.

I have a few un-modelled garments from last year to show you – they were gifts, and the recipients haven’t yet provided me with photos.  This first one is a Friday Pattern Company Wilder blouse, sewn for my cousin Freya as a Christmas gift.

Isn’t that fabric absolutely divine! Slightly sheer, super soft, and stunning colours and print. It entered my stash from someone else’s, and I’ll be forever grateful.

The Wilder gown/blouse pattern is a good one for gifts, as it is quite forgiving fit wise. I think that I sewed size L this time; could have been M. It’s a roomy style but needs the ease so that the neckline gathers properly.

It’s also very straightforward to sew. I’ve now used this pattern three times – I’ve sewn myself the blouse and the gown – and I’ve noticed similar styles in the shops, so it’s clearly on trend.

The Wilder Gown, by the Friday Pattern Company, has really taken off since it’s release.  It’s everywhere on sewing blogs and Instagram!  It has surprised how I have gone from someone who first though ‘nah, it’s a nightie’ to someone who has really embraced this silhouette and pattern.

One of the joys of this pattern is finding fabric that has terrific flow and lightness. This polyester crepe from Super Cheap Fabrics is just perfect for it – and the colours and print is perfect for me. It’s got a crepe texture, gathers really easily, has a bit of body while still being slightly sheer, presses well and it swishes perfectly. I often avoid polyester, but honestly there are some excellent polyesters around.

I had sewn this pattern in the top version earlier in the year to get an idea of sizing before I tackled a dress.  I made the dress in the same size as the top, XL in line with my bust measurement.  Interestingly,  in this fabric I think I should have made the L.  It’s just  a more voluminous than I would prefer.

Because so many people have sewn this already I was able to get some ideas from the hive mind about what tweaks might work for me. I lengthened the bodice an inch or two (can’t remember exactly which), and cut the skirt panel pieces two inches shorter than the pattern suggested. I’m not very tall! I also decided to just cut the skirt panels to the width of the fabric. So the top tier is the full width of the fabric, gathered in to the top, and the bottom tier is twice the full width of the fabric.

I think that my skirt cutting decision has resulted in a top tier with less gathering than the panel, and a bottom tier with more, but it still works just fine! The bottom tier is narrow hemmed. I did the gathering the old fashioned way with two parallel rows of lengthened straight stitches sewn on the machine. I have learned how to gather on the overlocker, but some habits die hard! I also like the amount of control that I get from hand gathering that way.

I suspect that part of the appeal of this dress is that it’s simple to sew and to wear, yet the gathered neckline is a detail that isn’t often found in otherwise simple patterns. It’s not hard to fit, due to the style, and fabric choice makes quite a difference to the overall look.

I’m SO unlikely to wear this with the gathered neck tied at the front, but I really do like it just left open and untied. That said, I’ve seen it look super cute on others when tied in a bow.

Because this is slightly sheer, I have been wearing a purchased slip under it. That’s been a bit to do with the weather too though – I’ve needed that little bit more warmth. Melbourne has been unseasonably cool this November/December. It is certainly a stand out garment, especially in this bright fabric. Although I’ve usually thought of polyester as a hot fabric, this one doesn’t feel like that. Fibre technology really has changed over the years!

Super Cheap Fabrics gave me open slather to choose a couple of lengths of fabric to make whatever I liked, and share it with you in a blog post. Since I often sew with their fabrics anyway, that was an offer that I wasn’t going to refuse! They’ve also offered a discount for my blog readers. It’s a further 10% off your entire order if you enter the code Thornberry-10 at the checkout.  Although they have a couple of physical shops in Melbourne, nowadays a huge amount of their business is online, and they’ll post fabric anywhere.

It always fascinates me watching certain patterns become Instagram/blog hits.  I think that most of you could name some – patterns that are released and instantly pop up absolutely everywhere.  Some of them I immediately like, others I think ‘nah’, then upon repeated exposure I fall for them.  This one was an unexpected hit for me.  It’s the Wilder top/gown by Friday Pattern Company.

When I first saw this pattern, I thought ‘nightie’. And I thought ‘no way would I wear a bow tied up at the neck of a top or dress’. Then the more I saw it (and I saw it often) I thought ‘oh, I could leave it untied’ and ‘oh, that would be incredibly cool and comfortable and would easily accomodate weight fluctations and would provide good skin coverage from the sun and wouldn’t it be great in something floaty….’. Well, you get the idea. I was sucked in.

The pattern website describes it as follows: The Wilder Gown is a loose, flowy, tiered dress that can be sewn up in a bunch of different ways! It has raglan sleeves and ties up at the neck. It is easy to sew and is perfect for drapey woven fabrics. The Wilder Gown can be made as a top or dress, long or short sleeved, with one skirt tier or two. The design is fairly modular so it is easy to customize to your vision! SUGGESTED FABRICS: You will get a different look depending on the type of fabric you select. A drapey rayon or silk will give it a more elegant dressy look, while a more sturdy fabric like a linen will give you a structured everyday dress. We encourage you to be creative and daring with fabric! It would look amazing in a cotton voile, rayon challis, or chiffon.

I figured that I should sew the top to check for fit before committing lots of fabric to the long tiered dress (which needs three to four metres).  After burrowing through stash I pulled out this lightweight checked seersucker (I think it was originally from the Darn Cheap Fabrics $2 table).  There was just enough left over from a previous project to eke out the short sleeved top.  Hooray!  Scrap busting, a fit test, and a new garment all in one!

I sewed size XL in line with my bust measurement. This pattern goes from a size XS (32 inch bust) to 4X (54 inch bust). Regarding sizing, their website says: The fit of the Wilder is loose and flowy with a lot of ease. It fits kind of like a nightgown. If you are making the gown, the waist seam is designed to hit just below your bust. The short sleeve option is on the longer side and the hem hits a couple inches above your elbow. The length is designed to be a long midi. This pattern was drafted for a B cup and a height of 5’5” (1,65m). It was tested and found suitable for a variety of cup sizes and includes instructions for a simple full bust adjustment.

This was very easy to sew. Raglan sleeves are always a breeze, and the neckline is self-faced with a channel sewn for the tie that then gathers in the ruffle. There are only four pattern pieces for the top – front, back, sleeves, tie. Very quick. And I do really like it!

I’m definitely going to sew the dress. The chances of me wearing this with a bow tied at the neck are pretty much nil, but the effect of the ruffle is still lovely with it left untied. I’m glad that I jumped on to this particular bandwagon.