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:

Toaster Sweater Sew-Along: October 10th

toaster sweater sew-along & vado jean recap

sign-up for the Toaster Sweater Sew-Along!

 

Toaster Sweater Sew-Along: October 10th

Toaster Sweater Sew-Along: October 10th

Toaster Sweater Sew-Along: October 10th

October 14th and 15th, I am leading us through the Toaster Sweater sew-along! This sew-along won’t be hosted here, but instead at Sew House Seven’s site. For the pattern, you can purchase either sweater – or both – in a print or PDF version.