Merlo Field Tee In White And Gold Velvet

the merlo field tee (a quick-and-dirty sewalong)

Merlo Field Tee In White And Gold Velvet

Look, I get it.

 

The holidays are intense. For those of us who celebrate – or who are shoehorned into celebrations – it gets hectic. We are barely staying afloat – balancing family responsibilities, meal-planning, travel and party arrangements – while struggling with all the regular bill-paying, job-holding, schedule-wrangling stuff we are used to.

 

Many of us are celebrating Thanksgiving – or some form of communal meal – this month. My suggestion for this very quick sew-along is to carve a little space to sew something cozy. Whether you are making this for a friend or your own enjoyment – a holiday gift or something warm and snuggly for yourself – this is a relatively quick project but a satisfying one.

Burnside Bibs pattern description

pattern review: the burnside bibs by sew house seven

Sew House Seven:

I had quite a week, and it cheered me immensely to sew up the Sew House Seven Burnside Bibs. I think of these as “Rosie the Riveter”-style overalls, and as far as I know mine are the first pair in existence to be made out of a knit fabric. This involves the extremely judicious use of interfacings (I used two different types), and in this case – a lot of stripe matching and fussy-cutting.

The pattern features two versions. Version one – the version I made – features a slightly curved front bib, and a slimmer-fit trouser with deep back darts and an invisible zipper at the side. Version two features the standard straight bib, and full back legs. Both versions feature an option for a cropped or full-length leg, and long ties that can be worn a variety of ways, to pass through belt carriers in the back. You can see several versions on the site’s pattern page.

Burnside Bibs pattern description

I may or may not have gone mad with stripe-matching power. If there are stripes, I have to make them match perfectly. I also used the lengthwise, crosswise, and bias grain in ways that were not indicated by this pattern, nor are typical for knit garments.

At the pant leg: a deep blind hem. This gives the pantleg a wonderful weight. I find sewing a blind hem very satisfying!

Sew House Seven:

Sew House Seven:

Shown below: the center-back seam and the back pockets (cut on bias, and fuse-lined). The pockets on the pattern are too low for my body, so next make I will shift them up.

Sew House Seven:

Sew House Seven:

The front pockets are also fuse-lined, and finished with a knit strip rather than the shaped facing in the pattern:

Sew House Seven:

Sew House Seven:
The side invisible zipper, perfect and bump-free as you see here. Version two of the pattern has a looser pants back, and can be pulled over the hips. The back will have a fuller gather at the waist.

Sew House Seven:
I pieced the front bodice on the bias, and used the crosswise grain for not only the pant leg, but also the front waistband and the straps. I think I only used the knit grain “correctly” twice – the bib facing/lining, and the front pockets.

Sew House Seven:
The back of the pant has an internal facing, and six tie carriers. I cut everything out fussy af so my carriers would all be identical, and placed in identical locations on either side of the center back:

Sew House Seven:
Belt carriers, with the chambray tie passing through. These long ties were barely able to be pulled through using the tube method, and I used pretty lightweight fabrics. Save yourself some trouble and either cut a wider tie, sew a narrow seam allowance, or do a test run of loop turning.

Sew House Seven:

I like a lot about Sew House Seven, including the geometric but feminine shapes within the patterns, and the simple fabrics often used to showcase the garment lines. But I recommend them for their instructions, especially. There is a really great methodology to the patterns, and it is a bit different than other indie designers. The methods are very persnickety and precise in a way that I absolutely love, and allow for a really gorgeous clean-finish on the inside of the garment. I think the patterns are miniature tailoring tutorials in and of themselves, and I recommend them to any committed beginner, or intermediate stitcher who wants to up their game.

This pattern comes in bust/hip measurement 31″ / 34″, to bust/hip 47″ / 50″.

Sew House Seven:

Scrunderoos!

scrunderoos for me + u

I was warned the Scrundlewear pattern from Stitch Upon a Time (SUAT) was so comfy you wouldn’t want to wear anything else –

they were right.

Scrunderoos!

So, these are so comfortable I feel the sting of tears.

So: stitchers. Like most forms of briefs, these are arguably best made in a knit with two-way stretch and recovery – what’s commonly called a 4-way knit (knit fabric terminology isn’t standardized and can be confusing – if you have any doubts, please ask!). If you find something that’s 90-something percent cotton (or bamboo or rayon), and a single-digit percentage of lycra, elastane, or spandex (three words for the same thing) – you’re golden. If you have a knit with stretch but without recovery – then go ahead and make the elastic version (either lingerie elastic, or encased-in-bands elastic):


Scrunderoos!

I have a serger (two, in fact) – but I prefer sewing with zig zag on my home machine. ‘cuz I’m SPICY LIKE THAT. I got a secret tip when I sew up clothes: I bring all thread colors to may table, and change my thread/bobbin as much as possible to make sure the thread always matches whatever fabric it shows in. That’s a level of detail most stitchers think is too much but did I mention –

I’M BATMAN!

Scrunderoos!

I am a little sad now because I am basically going to be making underwear constantly and will have little time for anything else. I also know these will last longer than even high-end RTW chonies!

Cool thoughts: Make up three matching pair at a time, it will go very quickly. During other projects, when you’re working with a good knit fabric that’s too adorable, cut out your waistband and leg bands (you’ll soon memorize your own size); safety pin the three and put them in a Ziploc. You can do the same for the three underwear pieces (back, front, and liner). Wait until you’ve got a nice collection of pieces – and have a panty-sewing day!

If you sew these up and love them as much as I do – you might want to consider the expansion pattern of sorts, Bunzies. There’s also a kids’ version of Scrundlewear, so you can make these up for the family. SUAT welcomes you to make these up and sell them for your boutique or one-off projects – make sure to attribute the lovely pattern.

Scrunderoos!

Now to find my crime-fighting sidekick!

Summer Dress In Double-Gauze: Samples

tres mujeres; tres vestidos

So yesterday I had the immense pleasure of spending an afternoon with three lovely women, in three versions of my latest summer dress.

An ivory with geometric motif in charcoal, for Phoenix:

Summer Dress In Double-Gauze: Samples

A gorgeous teal for Astrid (um, what is up with her perfect accessories? Tomato-red toenails and heels; beaded earrings in canary? XOMG):

Summer Dress In Double-Gauze: Samples

And a gorgoues double-faced periwinkle for Jen:

Summer Dress In Double-Gauze: Samples
Needless to say we had a lovely time – and a fabulous lunch afterwards at Frontagers. I couldn’t help thinking these three women looked like three gorgeous summer blooms!

Summer Dress In Double-Gauze: Samples
I am providing a sew-along for this very dress. Here is a supply post: we start stitching on June 15th. This sew-along is appropriate for beginners, intermediate stitchers, or advanced practitioners. In addition, it is a wonderful pattern to get acquainted with Bootstrap Fashion, one of my beloved pattern companies.

See you soon! <3

Summer Dress In Double-Gauze: Samples

summer-dress-in-double-gauze-badge

summer dress in double-gauze sew-along: supplies

A sew-along finished last month: and one coming up!

summer-dress-in-double-gauze-badgeSummer Dress In Double-Gauze: Samples

On June 15th we will be starting up our summer dress in double-gauze. I have created three versions of this lovely fit-and-flare from Bootstrap. The pattern is $2.99 and comes entirely customized to fit, with or without seam allowances, and in any print format you prefer. I’m a huge fan of Bootstrap and I have extolled their virtues time and time again!

Now, the pattern’s design sketch showcases a mid-to-heavyweight, tweedy fabric:

Custom-Fit Sewing Patterns - Fit And Flare Dress With Sleeves

However as you can see from my samples, I am showcasing in a double gauze. This makes for a casual, comfortable effect. The dress still has very feminine shaping, with a fullness in the hips and narrow waist. However, it performs like a well-loved garment that’s been washed and-re-washed and sun-dried. No wonder I’m having so many requests!

Summer Dress In Double-Gauze: Samples

Double-gauze is a wonderful fabric; it handles well, as it is cotton, and has some body and not so much drape. The fabric instantly delivers an elegance and vintage/heirloom appeal that is going to turn heads. There are so many places to get double-gauze, and I’ll be talking more about this in the set-up post for the dress sew-along. But some sources to get you way too excited interested: imagine gnats, fabric.com, fabricworm, Harts Fabric, and various Etsy shops (for your timeline, watch for where they ship from!).

June Sew-Along Sneak Peak
Supplies:

Summer Dress In Double-Gauze: Samples

  1. Your Bootstrap pattern
  2. Your fabric(s)
  3. 1/8 yard interfacing
  4. Invizible zipper, 20″ (y’all know I use my colorcard from Zipperstop)
  5. Matching thread

That’s it! I will be demonstrating a lovely zipper installation method, as well as several seam finishes.

Want to join us? Sign up for email updates! Easy-peasy:

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 See you on the 15th!

Kitten Sewing