Sol Hoodie by Jamie Christina

Another finished knit project. It seems I have sewn only knit stuff the last couple of weeks. This is the Sol Hoodie pattern by Jamie Christina. I got it for my birthday last year and finally had a chance to print it out and make it. It is always so warm here in New Mexico and the winter is quite short, that I didn't feel like making something with long sleeves in the summer. But finally! 

This is the third pattern I made from Jamie Christina and so far I love them all. No alterations. They fit right away. My first pattern was the Abbey Coat. I will share the third project soon.

The fabric is an interlock knit from Fabric.com. The ribbon is by Anna Maria Horner.

I love the pink contrast to the red. In the instructions it says to add the ribbon before inserting the zipper. But that would mean part of the ribbon would be gone in the seam allowance. With this pretty (and expensive) ribbon I didn't want that. I added the ribbon after inserting the zipper. I just topstitched it on the hood and the front. But before adding the hood to the neckline.

I lined the hood with black flannel that I snapped up from my sisters stash :) Lining is optional.

 Here is an inside out view. I didn't serge the seam allowances. Since this knit doesn't fray I got a bit lazy finishing the seams.

 

Here is a close up of the finishing of the seam where the hood is attached. I had a little bit trouble with this one since the fabric is quite thick. I ended up using rayon seam binding to finish it. Doesn't look all that pretty. 

Pattern Description:
A zip up hoodie sewing pattern with features such as: cuffs with thumb openings, and fabric bands outlining the zipper and hood.

Pattern Sizing:
XS - XXL
I made a size XS

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Very easy to follow. Lots of pictures and helpful tips for sewing with knit fabrics.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
The only thing I didn't like is that according to the directions parts of the ribbon would be in the seam allowance of the zipper. I changed that by sewing the ribbon on after inserting the zipper.

Fabric Used:
Cotton Interlock from Fabric.com

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
As mentioned above, I topstitched the ribbon in place after inserting the zipper. That way the whole ribbon shows.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I highly recommend this pattern, if wearing a hoodie is your style that is. Very well drafted easy pattern.

Conclusion:
I love my hoodie and I will sew it again. Maybe a version without the zipper, as sweater.

Coco Dress by Tilly and the Buttons

The moment Tilly announced her Coco dress pattern I fell in love with it. What a cute casual dress. I especially love the sixties style funnel neckline. It also offers a shirt version, two different sleeve lengths, and optional pockets.

For my first version I cut out a size 3, but I think next time I will go for a size 2. It runs a little bit, at least with this fabric. It is a cotton interlock from fabric.com.

Here is the back view. I wonder if it will less wrinkle in a smaller size. Or maybe I have to make an alteration on the pattern after all. 

This shows those wrinkles in the lower back area pretty good, too. 

I am in love with the funnel neckline. The perfect casual dress. And since it has only five pattern pieces it is super easy and quick to sew.Very good for beginners with knit fabrics. 

I can't say this enough: knits are not hard to sew with. In a way they are actually easier than some wovens. No finishing of the seams necessary. Very forgiving, especially when setting in a sleeve, because this can be done before sewing the side seams.

 It looks a bit different on my dress form since the form is not yet padded to my exact measurements.

A closeup of the funnel neck. Love!!! I see more Coco dresses in my future.

Pattern Description:
Breton top or knit dress with multiple variations. Simple to sew, Coco is easy fitting, with no zips, buttons or other fiddly bits.
Designed for low-stretch knit fabrics, this classic style features a boat neckline, choice of top or dress lengths, three quarter length or long sleeves, with side splits at the hips on the top version. Make it your own with optional sixties funnel roll neck, rolled cuffs and patch pockets.

Pattern Sizing:
1 (30" bust) to 8 (44" bust)
I made a size 3, but will move down to a size 2 next time

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes

Were the instructions easy to follow?
Very easy instructions. She has a sew-along on her website

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
Nothing to dislike about this pattern. It has only 5 pattern pieces, no closures, and is very easy to fit. I love the many choices the pattern offers, and especially the sixty style funnel neck.

Fabric Used:
Cotton Interlock

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
I didn't make any alterations

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I will absolutely sew it again, and highly recommend it.

Conclusion: 
Perfect pattern for beginners, very good choice to start sewing knits.

Burda Capri Pants and Simplicity 1716

The capri pants are from the 04/2013 issue of Burda Style Magazine. I still have to figure out my sizes in Burda patterns. I made these in a size 40. They are a bit wide, but very comfy. 

 

 

 

 The top I am wearing is Simplicity 1716 in view E without sleeves. The fabric is a structured knit I picked up last year at Denver Fabrics.



 



 

Here a back view. The top is a very easy quick project, and I love the draped front neckline. There is really not much more to say about this top.

 

So far I made three pairs of these capri pants. This is actually the third one. I had some leftover fabric from the border print I used in the last skirt of this post. My initial plan was to make it completely in the plain fabric, but there was just enough fabric left to squeeze in the legs. So I ended up using the border print (which is actually embroidery not print) as the waistband. And as it turns out I love it.

 

All seams are serged.

 

 

 

 

This is the back waistband

 

And the front waistband

 

 

Here a detail of my first ever used piping

 



 

This was the first pair I made. The fabric was leftover from a pair or Thurlow Trousers I made. (blog post to follow) Brown piping.

 

And another pair, again from leftover fabric of a pair or Thurlow Trousers. White piping.

 

I do love that they have a side zipper instead of the front fly. But I miss pockets. Besides that this is the perfect pair of pants for summer, since I am not a fan of shorts.



Simplicity 1916

Here is another knit top I finished. Well, so far I only made a wearable muslin. Simplicity 1916.

I made view E, it's the cutest of all the options, in my opinion anyway. I don't car much about flowers or flounces hanging off my wardrobe. But view D and E are really cute. A and C are in consideration as well. 

I bought the fabric dirt cheap at a local store. It's quite sheer, but it works for lounging around the house. Another quick and easy top for the summer. More to follow for sure.

Here the back view. The only thing I want to change next time is omitting the seam at the center back. It seems quite unnecessary.

 

Simplicity 1716

Here is my first go on Simplicity 1716. I made view F without sleeves.

The fabric is some kind of structured knit. Another fabric from the big pile of fabric I bought last year at the sales section at Denver Fabrics in Denver (not the website). It's a really easy and quick pattern. And the hanging neckline makes for a fancy look. I am not sure, if I will ever be making the tunic or dress version though. Not quite sure if it is a style that fits me. But we will see. I will for sure make another top or two.

I have some jersey in my stash with a nice soft drape, which I will use for view F with the sleeves of view E. I also got a lot of use out of my serger the last couple of weeks with this and a couple of other projects, which I will share in another post.

A close up of the neckline.

And the back view.The stripes don't really match up, but I don't care. It was supposed to be only a wearable muslin anyway.

And another Kyoko Dress

How many Kyoko Dresses does one need? A lot! 

It's just such an easy and quick pattern. I love it!

This one is made out of some fine jersey I got on sale. I think it was about $4.

What? The stripes don't match? Who cares. I don't! I actually think it's rather nice to break off the symmetry. 

One week from now I will sit in a plane to Germany wearing this dress. I like to wear comfy things while traveling, and thought a knit dress would be perfect.

Kyoko Dress by Modkid Patterns

I finished this dress a while ago, but didn't get around to take pictures. Now I finally photographed it. I don't feel like modeling my dresses right now. So my dress form has to do. 

The pattern front

My version, in Caravan knit kashmir tobacco by Valorie Wells. Here without the sash. The lighting isn't good, sorry about that.

 And here with the sash in matching solid fuchsia. I already worn the dress twice and it feels soooo comfortable. Like a soft sweater. One more go-to pattern in my stash!

First Project with knit and some bags

A couple of weeks ago I bought the Kyoko dress pattern by modkid.

I love the pattern and plan to make it with Karavan knit by Valori Wells, the Obi belt will be from the same line in the Fuchsia solid knit.

But before I was to cut into the good fabric I made this wearable muslin from $1/yard knit that I bought at Walmart a while ago. I have never sewn with knits before and I thought I would try it our first on some cheap fabric. After reading a couple of tutorials about sewing with knits and reading the knit chapter in the "Fabric Sewing Guide" by Claire Shaeffer I felt confident enough to give it a try. This particular knit is very lightweight and has a lot of drape. It looks way better on the dress form, then it does on me, though.

This is the back of the dress. First when I finished the dress I was very disappointed with how it looked on me. But then I decided to make the Obi belt too, and it gives the dress a way better look. At least with this fabric I wouldn't wear it without the belt. The hem of the skirt is finished with a lettuce hem.

I finished all the hems with my serger and I really like the look of it. With the other fabric I will finish the hems with binding from the solid Fuchsia color. The Obi in this version is just one piece of fabric finished with a narrow hem with my serger, since I didn't had enough fabric left to make it from two pieces. 

The intention here wasn't at all to make wavy seams like this, but I am also very new to the whole serger thing and still have to figure out a lot of things. I might take a serger class at the store where I got my Bernina sewing machine. If they let me with my second-hand Singer serger ;-)

I took a break from sewing cloths for a while, because I was so unhappy about the outcome of this dress, so I decided to make some bags. I made this reversible shoulder bag with this tutorial 

It was nice to do some stash busting. I used two different fabrics from Lark by Amy Butler. 

Initially I bought this polka dot fabric for the Dino Baby Quilt I made, but I ordered the wrong kind and ended up with 1 1/1 yard of this cotton duck. So I decided to make this tote from the book "The new handmade" by Cassie Barden. I didn't put the plywood bottom in it. I think it's just fine without.