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Lucinda March 4, 2013

Finished Project: Stripey Renfrew Sweater

Pattern: Renfrew by Sewaholic Patterns
Fabric: Sweatery jersey from Metro Textiles in NYC
Size: 4 graded to a 6 from waist to hips

Skirt: Tommy Hilfiger
Leggings: DKNY

Yup, another Renfrew! I can’t get enough of this pattern, I wear my two Renfrews all of the time when I’m out of work or on the weekends. When it’s not warm weather outside – you know, dress season – I live in basics like long sleeve shirts and leggings. It’s no-fuss dressing, especially in the blah, grey days of pre-spring.

Look at that stripe matching, what what! I really do suck at stripes, though. Somehow, I couldn’t even tell you how, the stripes allllmost matched up when I attached the sleeves to the body of the shirt. I didn’t even think about making sure I matched those when I cut out the pattern pieces, but the sewing gods said yes, the stripes shall match at the seams on this Renfrew. And so they did.

Ok, except for this front shoulder. But I was pretty darn close!

And no, I’m not done with the Renfrew. Wait until you see my other rendition later this week…

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Lucinda October 9, 2012

Pattern Review: Sewaholic Renfrew

Pattern: Sewaholic Renfrew
Size: 6
Fabric: Sweatery knit from Metro Textiles in NYC

Skinnies: Tommy Hilfiger
Shades: Tommy Hilfiger
Flats: Aerosoles
Lipstick: MAC Russian Red

What’s there to say about Renfew that hasn’t been said already? This pattern has been reviewed by so many sewing bloggers and even though it’s a basic garment (think cake, not frosting), it seemed like a great wardrobe builder and has the potential for many design possibilities. Plus, Tasia’s patterns are well-drafted, wonderful to sew with and she offers tips on her site on how to make her patterns. And that’s why indie pattern companies rock – there’s all sorts of extra goodies like pretty packaging, well-written and clear instructions and illustrations, and an online community of support.

Following the sizing on the envelope, I cut out a size 6, which was almost spot on with my measurements. My finished top ended up fitting a little looser than I like for my knit tops, but that’s ok for this rendition – I wanted the fit to feel like a sweatshirt. For the next Renfrew I make (and oh yes, there will be more), I’ll probably cut out a 4 and grade it to a 6.

Stitching it up was a breeze as well, talk about instant gratification. I made it up in the morning and wore it out to go yarn shopping later that afternoon. Win!

The fabric – can I say yum? It’s a thick, buttery knit that’s almost sweater-like, but feels like a luxurious sweatshirt. I originally hoped that I had enough for the cowl version of this top but a only a yard and a half, I could only squeak out the scoop neck version. It’s such a dream to wear and I feel comfy but don’t look like a grungy college student – it’s sweatshirt chic.

If you haven’t sewn a Renfrew: DO IT. There’s a reason everyone raves about this pattern!

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Lucinda June 5, 2012

Pattern Review: Simplicity 2418 [Tangerine Tunic]

(The sleeve caps stick out more than I’d like them to)

Pattern: Simplicity “It’s So Easy” 2418 (OOP)
Fabric: Cotton gauze from Mood Fabric in NYC
Size: 10 graded to a 12

During last year’s shopping trip to NYC (you know, the one that I bought fabric for this top) I also found this yummy orange cotton gauze. Orange isn’t a color I wear much (not at all, actually), but there was something about this bright pop that jumped off of the shelves and beckoned me to buy it. And I’m not one to buy fabric without having an idea first as to what I’m going to make out if it! The fabric has great drape and seemed perfect for a tunic pattern I picked up a few years ago and had hanging out in my stash.

(I’m a pretty bad pattern hoarder, btw. I’ll buy them and not sew them up. Hmm I should sell some of them…)

(This is a little see-through but I don’t need to wear a tank underneath)

Construction:

Honestly, the hardest and most time consuming part of making this pattern was cutting out the fabric. The pattern is cut in a single layer on the bias, which gives it such nice drape, but was a pain in the ass getting a nice and smooth cut edge! Once the pattern was cut out, it took about two hours for me to stitch the top together.

The best part of this top is that there are no exposed seams. I used french seams to enclose the side seams and narrow turned hems for the cowl and bottom hem. The yoke was a little fussy – the wrong sides of the front and back are attached to the yoke and the yoke is then top-stitched over the raw edges of the front and back to completely enclose the seams, as can be seen below:

It makes it more RTW, but still fussy. I love the gathered detail in the back.

I’m not sure if I’d make this again. Sure, it was an easy top to put together in a short amount of time and fits well, but it was more of a “what can I make with this fabric” type of situation (that way I could justify buying more fabric on a recent trip to NYC). It’s a great basic, but I think I’d rather try and make some other patterns before coming back to this one again.

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Lucinda May 30, 2012

Pattern Review – Simplicity 2593 [Calvin Klein Inspired]

Pattern: Simplicity 2593 (Cynthia Rowley)
Size: 10 graded to a 12
Fabric: Cotton eyelet from Mood Fabrics in NYC; Kona cotton from stash

Shorts: Old Navy
Earrings: Macy’s
Hair pin: J Crew

This top is my attempt at copying a Calvin Klein eyelet pullover top I saw in a department store last spring. It was a simple, short sleeve white blouse with no shaping and a silver exposed zipper in the back. So so cute, yet so so expensive: $80! Here’s a picture of the original:

Calvin Klein Eyelet Top - the Inspiration

On an unexpected shopping trip to Mood last summer, I stumbled upon some aqua colored fabric with an eyelet pattern almost exactly the same as the original Calvin Klein, and for $25, I had the fabric to make my own version. (Note: I also found a matching silver zipper, but decided not to go through the trouble of creating a CB seam to sew the zipper in.)

Construction:

I made view A of this pattern back in 2009 and didn’t have much success – it fit well but the twisted band didn’t look good after I washed the tank. A loose fit with a straight up-and-down cut was what I was looking for for this particular top, so I picked view D. This went together in a flash: I cut out the top and finished during an afternoon last week while on vacation (I blogged preview pics about it here).

I did my usual mods of grading the pattern out from a 10 to a 12 from waist to hip and that was pretty much the only thing I needed to change on this pattern. I ran into an issue when I tried to cut out the neckbinding: the eyelet pattern did not run the whole width of the fabric and I was stuck with some of the neckbinding looking like plain aqua cotton, some eyelet. My mom pulled out a cotton from her stash that was almost the right color, but I liked the slight contrast and decided to use that in place of my eyelet. I think it creates a nice, subtle design feature.

The top is a little boxy and I probably could have gone down a size, but it’s nice a cool to wear on muggy days like today. It’s a great go-to and no-fuss pattern for a simple summer pop-over!

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Lucinda May 24, 2012

On My (Mom’s) Cutting Table

I’m home visiting my family on vacation this week and I’m taking full advantage of my mom’s sewing room set-up…huge cutting table, nice sewing machine and iron, good lighting, etc. And for my birthday, she got me new scissors! I’ve wanted a pair of Gingher dressmaker shears for a long time and I finally have my own pair – they’re a dream to cut with and I can’t believe I’ve gone so long cutting with my trusty orange Fiskars (not to knock them or anything…these are just nicer).

The above is fabric I bought last year from Mood for a top that I started and finished yesterday – love it when that happens! I’ll post pictures of the finished garment next week.