Yes, this Helen’s Closet York pinafore makes six. Goodness!

I figured that it was time that I had one in traditional indigo denim! I have one in brown denim, one in green denim, a lined version in brushed cotton, one in printed barkcloth, and another in textured linen (which was never blogged), but surprisingly nothing that could substitute for blue denim jeans!

I’ve sewn all of these the same size, with length alterations to better accommodate my 158cm height. Most of my Yorks have been sewn with the lower scoop neckline so this time around I went for the higher one. I have used the large curved front pockets every time.

I assembled the pinafore mostly on the sewing machine (overlocker used to finish seam allowances separately) using navy thread. I wanted to be sure that the bias binding used to finish the armholes and neckline was secured correctly from the wrong side without having to worry too much about a contrasting thread on the right side. Then I went back and topstitched over the navy stitching from the right side in a contrasting yellow (keeping navy in the bobbin). This worked really nicely!

The fit across the back isn’t as good at the moment; my measurements have increased. However that isn’t evident in terms of comfort during wear. I hemmed a length of printed crepe that was in stash to make a coordinating scarf.

The York has turned out to be quite a heavy lifter in my wardrobe!

Okay, it’s another repeat.  You know the drill.  A few photos, links to the previous posts.

The Helen’s Closet Blackwood cardigan always feels very sleek to me. Althought this is my third go at it, I have only made the longline version. See here for the first one I sewed, and here for the second.

This striped ponte came from The Cloth Shop. As well as the need to do some stripe matching, it provided me with the opportunity to have a bit of fun with stripe direction on the bands, cuffs and pockets.

I sewed size 14, the same as my previous versions. Construction was mostly on the overlocker, with the machine used for topstitching to secure the pockets and the front bands. It’s really quite fast to make – I think that it took longer to cut out because of the stripes!

Worn here with Style Arc Misty jeans in stretch black twill from Drapers Fabrics, Vogue 9057 top, Ebb & Ive scarf, Django & Juliette boots.

At the moment there appears to be a glut of patterns for loose fitting dresses with gathered skirts and gathered sleeves.  Despite having many in my stash that could have fitted that brief or be easily adapted to it, I bought the Helen’s Closet March top and dress pattern when it was on sale.

I decided to sew a winter version, so used a brushed wool blend twill that was in deep stash and matched it with a paisley printed vintage wool for the contrasting bodice overlay.

From the pattern page: The March top and dress is a fun retro-style pattern featuring voluminous sleeves in two lengths and a gathered skirt (View A), gathered peplum (View B), or a straight peplum (View C). We love this whimsical design because it is comfortable, easy to style, and fun to wear! The interfaced front and back bodice panels add visual interest and provide a great place for a featured fabric or embellishment like embroidery. Views A and B are finished with a neck tie that you can tie in the front or leave to hang open. View C has a clean neckline finish with no tie. The neck tie can be added or removed from any of the views. The dress view features extra deep inseam pockets that are secured into the waistband seam.

As you can see, I chose to sew the dress view A with the neck tie, and the longer sleeve length. Of note, the contrast bodice panels are an overlay, applied like an external facing – they are not panels with seamlines that provide any shaping.

I sewed size 12, without alteration. The skirt is at pattern length. The sleeves are gathered both at the head where they join the bodice, and at the wrist into a narrow band. No elastic!

The inseam pocket insertion is very nice – well explained and illustrated, and it results in pockets that are secured across the waist seam plus have minimal bulk. I’ll use the pocket pattern piece and insertion method again.

I prefer this without the neck tie done up; it feels a bit high at the front neck on me when tied (which is common for me and my forward shoulders and forward head) and I don’t love the look of it tied on me either.

The dress layered nicely under a coat and with boots when I last wore it (in the days before lockdown) plus there was room underneath for a merino tee for additional warmth.

This is a pretty versatile pattern. As with most Helen’s Closet patterns, there are plenty of ‘hacks‘ on her blog that suggest ways to modify and adapt the pattern for even more garment options. Definite props to Helen’s Closet for excellent pattern illustrations and instructions too. I suspect that I’ll give this pattern another whirl at some stage.

My first Helen’s Closet Pona jacket has been a welcome addition to my wardrobe.  So much so that I have used the pattern a second time!

This time around I sewed it in a textured thai cotton, a fairly mid-weight stable fabric.

The most difficult thing about sewing this jacket was deciding which side of the fabric to use! It’s woven in navy and white, and the floating white threads make a different pattern on either side. As you can see, I eventually went with the more ‘hashtag’ effect.

From the pattern website: The Pona Jacket is a modern outer layer that is easy to make and style. An extra-wide facing allows this unlined jacket to drape open in the front, no closures necessary! Pona has an oversized blazer feel, complete with pockets and a statement lapel. Make a modern, cropped Pona in linen for warmer weather or a longer jacket in wool for fall and winter. Pona is a perfect beginner jacket pattern! Recommended Fabrics: Light to medium weight fabrics with no stretch, such as mid-weight linen or cotton, corduroy, and wool. Pona can be made in a lighter-weight, drapey fabric such as Tencel twill for a more fluid look.

As you can also see, this time around I sewed the longer version. Those deep pockets are highly practical! As I mentioned the last time I sewed this jacket, the large lapels have really grown on me since this pattern was first released. They somehow give it a little drama while simultaneously adding to the casual feel of the jacket. Sounds contradictory, but I think that it works. The collar rolls so nicely too.

This is a terrific relaxed, unstructured light layer for in between weather. The instructions were excellent – Helen’s Closet is outstanding in that regard. Helpful, clear diagrams, good layout, and words carefully chosen so that the finished product is just as it should be.

Helen’s Closet have a nice little freebie pattern, the Luna tank.  It’s just one pattern piece; the same for the front and the back.

From the pattern page: The Luna Tank is a super swingy, summery tank top that is comfortable and quick to sew. Luna features a knit binding finish on the neck and arm openings. You have the option to do a hidden or exposed binding with Luna. The hem is left raw for maximum swish and swing. Two lengths are provided and the sides of the Luna Tank curve upwards. We bet you can’t make just one! Recommended Fabrics:
Four-way stretch knits with at least 20% stretch horizontally and vertically. The Luna Tank works best in a lightweight knit fabric with plenty of drape like bamboo jersey, rayon jersey, modal jersey, lightweight cotton jersey, ITY or rib knits.

I used a something/spandex knit that came from the Darn Cheap Fabrics $2 table forever ago – I bet that plenty of my blog readers have some of this in their stash too! It came in a few different colourways. It has quite a nice amount of drape – I think it’s possibly a cotton/rayon blend. Not sure!  I did stripe match along the side seams.

I have a feeling that I sewed size 14, but really the only measurement that matters for this pattern is your high bust. There is a considerable amount of flare. It’s a great pattern for practicing band attachment. I did all the construction on the overlocker and topstitched the band seam allowances with the machine to secure them. I even left the hem raw as per the instructions!

I don’t wear this type of top very often, but it’s a good little tank pattern which I am sure will be easy to wear.  It’s also an excellent way to try out Helen’s Closet patterns, if you haven’t already. As always, the instructions and associated illustrations are superb.

I had plenty of teal textured stretch bengaline left over from my Style Arc Cassie pants.  I really like teal – I think that it’s a colour that works well with many others, and looks good on most people.  I also think that it’s going to work as well with my greying hair as it did with my red hair.  Originally I considered sewing a pinafore from the leftovers, then I realised that I actually had a bit of a wardrobe gap (anyone who’s seen how much is in my wardrobe would laugh at that) for a teal mid-weight, woven jacket.

I looked at many, many patterns when before making a decision on which one to use. I wanted something shortish, casual, unlined, and with a fairly open collar. After rifling through my extensive paper pattern and pdf pattern stash, there was nothing that quite ticked all the boxes. When the Helen’s Closet Pona Jacket was first released I didn’t particularly like the size and proportions of the lapels. However, I took another look at it and decided that it might actually be just the right pattern for my fabric.

I really enjoyed sewing this jacket. It’s size 12, without alteration. I decided that I’d use a Hong Kong finish on the facing edges, as they were likely to be exposed at some stage considering that this jacket is unlined. I also added a little hanging loop. The bias strips are cut from Japanese cotton leftover from a dress that I made years ago (and still love).

Does anyone else like to sew in components? I assembled the facings first, then the collar pieces, then the pockets. Construction of the body of the jacket came next – and all those components were ready when it was time to add them.

From the pattern website: The Pona Jacket is a modern outer layer that is easy to make and style. An extra-wide facing allows this unlined jacket to drape open in the front, no closures necessary! Pona has an oversized blazer feel, complete with pockets and a statement lapel. Make a modern, cropped Pona in linen for warmer weather or a longer jacket in wool for fall and winter. Pona is a perfect beginner jacket pattern! Recommended Fabrics: Light to medium weight fabrics with no stretch, such as mid-weight linen or cotton, corduroy, and wool. Pona can be made in a lighter-weight, drapey fabric such as Tencel twill for a more fluid look.

Clearly I didn’t stick exactly to the fabric recommendations – they are for a fabric with no stretch. However, I think that this stretch woven has worked really well in this jacket! I did of course take the stretch into account while sewing, with more pins than usual, and seams stitched on the machine. I finished seam allowances with the overlocker when not using a Hong Kong finish. As is always the case with Helen’s Closet patterns, the instructions are excellent. There are clear, helpful diagrams, and the language that is used is also easy to understand. I highly recommend these patterns to beginners.

The eagle eyed among you may have realised that the pants I am wearing in these photos are sewn from the same fabric as the jacket, just in a different colourway!

The large lapels on this jacket have really grown on me. I often find that it’s just about ‘getting my eye in’ with new designs; the more that we are exposed to a particular style, the more we like it (most of the time). This pattern will definitely get another outing. I might give the longer line jacket a go, maybe in a linen type of fabric as suggested. Wait and see! Casual coats and jackets work best with my lifestyle; I don’t need anything fitted or that feels at all restrictive.

Well, things have really ramped up here in Victoria since I last blogged.  Was that only two days ago?  Clare is at school today for the last day for who knows how long.  What a way to do year 12.  She’ll hand in some work, sit another assessment, then bring home all of her books and Stella’s.  We’ve kept Stella home, and Dan and I are working from home, if I can find the focus somewhere in me to work effectively today.  I tried to do some sewing over the weekend, a hoodie that was already cut out, and couldn’t even finish it.  I just couldn’t concentrate.  Weirdly though, crochet seems to be working for me!  Maybe because I can just sit in front of the tv, yarn over, hook in, pull yarn through, repeat.  Stella is playing lots of Minecraft, much to her joy.  At some stage we’ll need to find a new structure for our days, but today isn’t the day for that.  Today we’re just grieving all the losses and disappointments that are already behind us, and preparing for the many more that are ahead.  I know that sounds depressing, but we’ve never faced a situation like this one.  We’ll get through it and out the other side, but there’s lots of in between to go.

So, back to sewing. Good thing that I had a few unblogged projects! I cut out this Helen’s Closet Blackwood cardigan from the Super Cheap Fabrics ponte left over from my Lodo dress. I’ve now used up every scrap of the ponte.

This is size 14, in the B cup option. I shortened the sleeves a couple of inches before cutting out. Most construction is on the overlocker.

Those are lovely deep pockets. I really like the way that the top of the pockets is constructed, as a double fold that is overlocked to the bottom half of the pocket. Much nicer than just turning and hemming the top of the pocket. I still did some topstitching of the seam allowances to secure them and add a little detail.

The cardigan is a lovely fit. The sleeves are very slim, and the overall long lines of this cardigan option make it extremely easy to wear. The front isn’t designed to close.  The neckband sits nicely at the back against my neck – and that’s even without a forward shoulder and/or forward head alteration!

Once again, this is way more black than I would usually wear, but with coloured glasses frames and some lippy, along with the low key colour in the print, I think that it works.

I figure that this pattern will become part of my regular rotation, and I’d still like to make the shorter version. This is a time when I’m very grateful for my extensive fabric stash. I’m sure that my sewjo will return!  I am trying to work out what will be my favourite ‘working from home’ outfit for autumn/winter.

I feel as though I might be one of the last people to sew the Blackwood Cardigan.  There are SO many great examples of this pattern on the internet and instagram!

This cardigan is described as follows: The Blackwood Cardigan is a cozy and versatile addition to your wardrobe. Designed with layering in mind, it has minimal excess fabric in the front and a close fit around the neck and shoulders. It’s fitted shape and extra long sleeves make it perfect for wearing under jackets and vests, while also looking stylish over tank tops and dresses. View B ends at the hips, while View A extends down to the mid-thigh and includes patch pockets at hand level. The Blackwood is intended to be worn open and is not designed to close at the front. Recommended Fabrics: Light to medium weight knit fabrics with at least 40% stretch widthwise and 20% stretch lengthwise. Try a cozy sweater knit or french terry for a warm layer or make it in jersey for a lightweight cover-up. This cardigan delivers everythng that it promises.  Firstly, there is no hemming involved.  Sleeves, front edges and the bottom hem are all finished with bands.  If you left off the pockets you could sew the entire garment on the overlocker and not even need to thread the regular sewing machine.  I find that bands give a really nice finish, as there is a double layer of fabric that provides stability and a tad of structure.

That said, I did thread up the machine because not only did I add the pockets, but I topstitched down the seam allowance of the front bands.  The topstitching decision really would depend on the type of fabric that I was using. In this example I was sewing in ponte from Eliza Fabrics.

Unfortunately I didn’t have any matching overlocker thread in my stash. My new Juki really doesn’t like the cheaper Birch thread that I tended to use in the old one when I needed ‘unusual’ colours. It wants quality cones of thread! I need to head into M. Recht and purchase some overlocker thread in a khaki green, because it’s not actually an unusual colour in my sewing! Some orange might be a good idea too. Anyway, in the end I used grey. It’s the only thing that I am disappointed with in regard to this cardigan – when it flaps open, you can see that the thread doesn’t match. Dammit.

Otherwise, this is a wonderful addition to my wardrobe! Size wise I think that I sewed size 14 in the B cup option. This pattern comes in a signifance range of sizes, from 0 to 30, with a B or D cup draft depending on which end of the size range it is. It’s a few months since I sewed this, but I also think that I shortened the sleeve length a couple of inches.

I’ll definitely sew this pattern again. I really like a long-line cardigan, and the slimmer sleeves of this one make it extremely wearable. No accidental dipping of sleeves into your food! I would also like to give the shorter cardigan a try. Some clothes combinations look better with a shorter overlayer rather than a longer one. And obviously I could try it in different knits rather than sticking to the ponte that has worked so well here.

Overalls.  Hmmmmm.  Will I or won’t I?  Maybe I should.  After all,  I hadn’t anticipated how much I would love my Helen’s Closet York pinafores – maybe the Helen’s Closet Yanta Overalls would be another surprise hit!  They have similar ‘cocoon’ shaping.  Okay, give them a go!

Well what do you know! They’re okay after all!

From the pattern website: The Yanta Overalls are laid-back, artist-style overalls with a comfortable fit through the waist, hips, and legs. These overalls have classic features like a v-shaped back and a pointed chest pocket. The Yanta straps are secured using buttons. Make your Yanta Overalls cropped pants or summery shorts. Both views have front and back patch pockets. Yanta is comfortable, modern, and fun to sew! Recommended Fabrics: Medium to heavy weight woven fabrics such as cotton twill, denim (up to 10oz), linen, corduroy, and canvas. Crisp lightweight fabrics such as cotton and lightweight linen can also be used for warm-weather overalls. Use more drapey fabrics such as Tencel twill, wool crepe, or linen/viscose slub if you want to experiment with a softer, less structured look.

Obviously I chose the long version.  Did I shorten the legs?  I think I did, but after the fact.  I chose to use a mid-weight tweedy wool from Super Cheap Fabrics rather than one of the recommended fabrics, and think that it still worked quite nicely.  I somehow forgot to use the front pockets on the front and instead put them on the back (and didn’t use the back pocket pattern pieces at all)!  Given my fabric choice I think that leaving the two front pockets off is okay.

I lined the yokes with a coordinating quilting cotton, and found a couple of large wooden buttons in stash that worked nicely to secure the straps. I didn’t bother with the size seam invisible zip, as I was pretty sure that my waist to hip ratio wouldn’t require it. I was correct.

The instructions were terrific; easy to understand and beautifully illustrated. I really do feel that Helen has perfected her pattern writing style. She does her thing so well! I’m still not sure about overalls on me, though. I feel that I look a bit like my dad, or like I should be chewing on a piece of hay. But I don’t want to get stuck in a style rut!

By the way, the long sleeved tee that I’m wearing underneath is the one I was talking about a couple of blog posts ago – my merino Plantain/Concord mashup. Combined with the wool overalls, this is a very cosy winter outfit. I am planning to give the Yanta overalls another go though, but in something lighter weight; maybe a textured cotton or linen for more transitional wear, with the legs rolled up to 3/4 length and all the pockets.  Maybe I’ll cut that out this afternoon!

The Helen’s Closet York pinafore has been my surprise hit garment of the past year.  I wear the first one that I made very regularly, and this one almost as much.  I’ve actually sewn it four times now, and am about to cut out a fifth!

I picked up this patterned flannel when Obus had an outlet sale of end of bolt and offcut fabrics. The piece of fabric was weirdly shaped but I was able to eke out the pinafore pieces.  I chose to make the version with the higher neckline this time around.  Because the fabric is brushed I knew that it would stick to whatever I was wearing underneath, especially my tights, so I fully lined it with some lining fabric I found in stash.

Lining was straightforward – I used the same pattern pieces as the pinafore but removed and inch from the length. To construct, I sewed shoulder seams of the pinafore and of the lining separately, then sewed the necklines together right side facing, then sewed each armhole together burrito style. I understitched all of the seams as I went so that the lining wouldn’t roll to the outside. Then the side seams were sewn in one long go. I don’t think that I’ve explained this all that well; take a look at this tutorial for the general concept.  I also topstitched around the neckline and armholes to add detail and provide a little structure and stability.

I really do love the huge curved pockets on this pinafore – so much so that I haven’t even tried out the kangaroo pocket!  Maybe for a future make.  I’d really like to sew this in a lighter weight fabric for summer to wear over a short sleeved tee.

The long sleeved tee I am wearing under the pinafore is my new favourite mashup pattern, which I will talk about in another blog post. The beautiful striped knit comes from The Cloth Shop, Ivanhoe.  This is an incredibly easy outfit to wear.  The lining makes the pinafore slide on so easily and stay comfortable in wear, and the high front and back necklines provide a little additonal warmth.  It’s no wonder that there are so many examples of this pinafore on blogs and instagram – it works well for many people of a variety of sizes, shapes and ages, and clearly fits in to many lifestyles.  It has the added bonus of being quick to sew.  What’s not to love!