Tilly and the Buttons Allsorts Jersey Ruched T-Shirt

I really enjoyed making this ruched top a few weeks ago and knew immediately that I wanted to make another. It looks complicated but is actually simple to do which is always a bonus with homemade clothes -  I love how professional the ruched effect is. So that the two tops weren't exactly the same I made this one with short sleeves, although the fabrics are so different that it doesn't feel like I have two of the same in the slightest.

This is my second make from the Tilly and the Buttons jersey range with Craft Cotton Co and the fabric was so perfect for this top. I used the 'Allsorts' jersey fabric which is a fun geometric shapes design. I didn't want the print to look too childish which is why I think it works so well with the style of this top. The jersey is the perfect weight for the ruching creating a nice and even bunching effect. My first TATB jersey make was this top out of the 'Love your nails' fabric and while that fabric is fun I like this one a lot more, it definitely feels easier to wear especially when sewn into a youthful design.

I decided to add short sleeves partly as I was limited by the amount of fabric I had but also so that the print wouldn't be overpowering. The shorter sleeve worked really well, for me it adds to the summery look of a top that I'll definitely be wearing on holiday - one day! Both the sleeves and the hem are finished with a row of double topstitching to add a professional feel.

The v-neck is definitely the hardest part of this top and mine is far from perfect! But the best thing about the ruching is that it hides most of the mistakes. I actually found I really like the v-neck style when wearing this top even though it's not something I've been drawn towards in the past, so I might make myself a v-neck top without ruching at some point. I'd really recommend the Megan Nielsen tutorials (here and here) for sewing a v-neck.

The longer back balances out the cropped front of this top and as an added bonus it gives a really nice uninterrupted view of the fabric! You might be able to see that there is actually a scoop in the back neckline. This wasn't something done intentionally and I wouldn't have noticed it had my mum not pointed it out, but it's a random detail that I actually quite like! 

While the sleeves are short they're not cap sleeves as I felt it was important to make them long enough once again balance out the front. I was tempted to make them elbow length, but this has ended up being a nice compromise.

I really love this top! The more complicated design gave a real sense of satisfaction to the making process. It's fun and easy to wear, I really like the style and I think it fits the fabric perfectly. It's definitely one I'll be wearing throughout the summer and hopefully on holiday too. I also made it from hardly any fabric so it's one I'll keep in mind for larger scraps.

Burgundy Papercut Patterns Anima Pants

Today I present the ultimate lockdown sewing project: joggers! Joggers are pretty much all I've worn since the lockdown started, they're the perfect balance between comfort and something that isn't pyjamas. Luckily, I've already made a few pairs and both my grey and my checked Anima Pants have been on contstant repeat. It got to the point where I needed another pair of joggers (and to be honest I could do with yet another!) and I've worn these ones so much since I made them.

I've made the Papercut Patterns Anima Pants so many times now and I still love the pattern, I'm sure I'll be using it again. The main difference between these joggers and my other pairs is that I wanted to be able to wear the others on a day to day basis (I wear my checked ones to school) whereas I made my latest pair with staying at home in mind. This meant that I was able to make them out of a thinner jersey that I probably wouldn't wear out as they look more pyjama-like than joggers made out of thicker fabric. However, I did leave off the cuff and roll the bottom up instead meaning that they look a little bit smarter if I do want to wear them out of the house.

There's another cool twist to these - they're upcycled! So perfect because because I can't go out and buy any fabric at the moment and it's rare to have a piece of fabric lying around that's large enough to make a pair of joggers out of. These joggers actually began their life as a pair of men's pyjama trousers. You may remember my grey ruched front top which I upcycled out of a men's pyjama top; these are the trousers that came with the top. They were actually pyjamas that my dad was given on a long distance flight, he never wore them and gave them to me and I'm really pleased to have actually used both garments to make something out of. The trousers were way too big for me but the change into a pair my size was really easy. I just cut along all of the seams and then lay my pattern pieces on top of each piece of fabric and cut around. This did mean that these trousers are a little bit different to the original pattern though because I didn't have any spare fabric to make pockets. 

The strangest thing about the design of the pyjama trousers is that they had one pocket in the right side seam. Why only one pocket?! I managed to keep the pocket in the side seam so I can use it but I really miss the pockets that I have on my other joggers. It's not a bad sacrifice to make though given that I got a free pair of joggers! The other notable difference is that the waistband on the trousers was much narrower than the width of elastic that the Anima Pants call for. I cut off the waistband and took it in before re-attaching it onto my trousers so it fits, it's just that the joggers are a little bit lower waisted than I would have liked. My favourite detail of this pattern is by far the faux fly, and with a bit of determination (you can't see this but I wasn't able to fold the fabric over as far back as it's meant to go so it's basically just topstitching) I was able to include it on these joggers.

I would probably never have made a pair of burgundy joggers if I hadn't been given those pyjama bottoms, and if it weren't for lockdown the pyjama bottoms would probably still be intact waiting to someday be turned into something else. It's not a colour I would usually choose but they have been so perfect for umm... doing nothing in!

Scrapbusting - Closet Case Patterns DIY Pouf

I've got a slightly different project to share today but one which was really fun to make - a pouf cushion. When the Closet Case Patterns free DIY pouf pattern came out I immediately liked it and stored it away in my mind for the future. What I love about the pattern is that it was created with scrapbusting in mind; the idea is that you make the cover out of scraps and then fill it with scraps too. Fabric scraps are forever a frustration for me, so I thought that this cushion would be perfect.

The only thing I would say is that the pattern requires quite a lot of fabric, so you might not be able to make it fully out of scraps. This is fairly easy to overcome with piecing, although most of my scraps were large enough so I didn't need to piece any pieces together. Exept, of course, for the English Paper Piecing panel! The EPP takes the scrapbusting one step further as the fabric needed for the hexies was next to nothing. I wasn't planning on English Paper Piecing a panel specifically for this project but as I was choosing which fabric I wanted to use I suddenly remembered this project from a few years ago. It was exactly right for the pouf and I was just able to squeeze two triangles out of what I'd pieced together. I mentioned in the post I wrote about it exactly which fabrics are in it and I love how it means that there are even more different fabrics from past projects in this make.

My main goal was to produce a pouf made only of fabrics I genuinly like. It's so tempting to use up scraps that aren't so nice but I kept reminding myself that it should be something that I enjoy having out not something that gets hidden away. I decided to use a blue colour scheme for a couple of reasons. First, I thougt blue would be a nice colour to actually have out in a room and I think blue probably matches our house the best (grey would have been good too but I didn't have a lot of grey scraps). Blue was also good because I tend to make things out of blue so I had lots of leftover woven scraps, especially lovely chambray and denim fabrics.

Some of the fabrics that I used include scraps from these pyjama shorts, my mum's chambray skirt, my wide-legged trousers, my rosa dress, this off the shoulder top and a few other fabrics that I had leftover. The EPP panel contains even more fabrics from old projects. 

For the finishing touches I added a fabric covered button and piping. I was given some metal buttons to be covered ages ago and never found the right project for them but this was just perfect. I used quite a big button and chose the dark blue chambray to cover it with. When it came to the piping I wasn't sure if I would be able to include it as I couldn't find piping cord anywhere and because of lockdown I couldn't go out and buy any. After looking at several versions of the pouf I decided that it needed piping and I didn't want to keep going without any. Enter the ultimate make do and mend situation: I used string as piping cord! Ideally the piping would have been a bit thicker for such a large cushion, but the string worked surprisingly well.

Unfortunately the base requires two fairly large pieces of fabric so I was pretty sure I would have to piece some denim scraps together to make it. However, we were given a roll upholstery weight grey fabric with a kind of velvet feel to it at some point and it turned out to be perfect. I'd really recommend using a heavy weight fabric for the bottom as it's pretty heavy. The zip too involves scrapbusting as again I couldn't go out and buy one - I used the zip from this old jacket. My mum was worried about the zip pull damaging the floor so I added a little fabric cover to it which should hopefully prevent this.

This was such a fun project and I love the result. It has also really helped me tidy away my scraps, it's honestly massive and fits so much inside. The pouf is also very heavy, I can hardly lift it! Despite having quite a few scraps I didn't actually have enough to fill it so I filled about half of it with larger leftover fabric and things like old shirts that I'm keeping to potentially upcycle.

Tilly and the Buttons ‘Love your nails’ Jersey Top

When Tilly and the Buttons announced that they were releasing a line of cotton jersey fabrics with Craft Cotton Co, I was immediately looking forward to sewing with them. With 8 designs to choose from, they are a lovely quality organic jersey fabric perfect for sewing jersey tops. I love sewing with jersey so for me this was the perfect collaboration!

My first TATB jersey make is with the handprint design called 'Love your nails'. It's a really fun design, my favourite part is that the colours of the nails match the colour schemes of the other fabrics! I don't tend to sew with designs like this one but it was nice to make something a bit different. Because the print is the main feature of this design I like that it has a simple black background so it isn't too overpowering. 

Because the top is so simple I did want to add something a bit more interesting to the hem. A lettuce hem is my favourite finish for jersey tops and worked really well on this one. The only thing that annoys me is that the wrong side of this fabric is white and this does show slightly with the lettuce hem. It's not really a big problem but it is something to bear in mind. 

This top was a really fun and simple make. It's not the kind of fabric that I would usually sew with but I really like it. I'm looking forward to making some more things out of the TATB jerseys, they're a really lovely line of fabrics.

You can read more about this top over on the Craft Cotton Co blog.

Scrapbusting! Handmade Cami Top

I try not to have too large a fabric stash, a goal which is fairly easy for me to achieve given that I rarely buy fabric online and am only able to visit fabric shops a few times a year. There are of course exceptions to this, I do sometimes visit my local Fabricland with a specific fabric in mind and I'm lucky to receive fabric from companies in exchange for blog posts. In general though, my fabric purchases are made infrequently but in bulk - my most recent fabric buying trip being in Tokyo last summer. I like to do this to be able to really make the most of visiting fabric shops in other countries (I always plan my holiday around fabric shops, much to my family's irritation!).
However, my fabric stash is very much present nonetheless and what annoys me the most about it is that many of the fabrics are offcuts from previous projects. You know those pieces that are too small to do anything with but too big to throw away? The bane of my sewing life!

I know that there are lots of ways to scrapbust, quilting being the most obvious, but because my sewing mainly consists of dressmaking most of these scraps are jersey which are pretty much impossible to make anything out of as they can't be sewn together to create a patchwork. I love upcycling (this top was made of old pairs of jeans) so I'm always trying to find ways of using those last scraps of fabric.  Recently, I've drafted myself a strappy top pattern for making out of the smallest pieces of leftover fabric.

I'm super pleased with this top, it's made from literally nothing! The pattern is a really simple cami design with a v-neck. I finished the entire thing with bias binding which gives a lovely neat finish and doesn't use as much fabric as a facing. Because I had so little fabric I added in trapezium side panels (much like the ones I added in to my Minttu Swing Top) which make the top wide enough. They were perfect for this project as my leftover fabric was in bits a pieces rather than one continuous piece. I love how the side panels make the top swing too.

You might have recognised the fabric that this top is made from. It's the beautiful viscose fabric that my friend bought for me in India, initially used to make a pair of Marigold Trousers. Although I'm glad to have made the trousers I kind of wish I'd saved the fabric, I'd really like to try and make a midi skirt at some point and it would have been perfect for that. I don't often buy viscose fabrics, they're something I'm on the lookout for at the moment. 

Like I said there was hardly any of this fabric leftover so I'm really pleased I managed to make a top out of it! It's definitely not warm enough for me to wear it at the moment but I'm hoping it will be lovely in the summer. I like that the simplicity of the top shows off the fabric too. If you look closely you might notice the centre back seam. This wasn't intentional but I found it was necessary from the absolute lack of fabric. I think it looks quite nice though, it's neatly stitched down and doesn't break up the pattern too much.

I used to really hate bias binding, I found it was never quite neat enough, but I've come to really love it now. It was certainly the perfect finish for this project, I even added it round the bottom hem to keep every last bit of length! The fabric was well and truly used up and I feel suitably satisfied.

Zip-Neck Tilly and the Buttons Freya Top

There is something so wonderful when a make turns out exactly as planned and I'm thrilled with my new top. I've had this planned for a really long time but wanted to wait for the right moment to make it. The main downside to planning something for so long is the self-imposed pressure to get it right, so I took my time with the sewing. I wanted it to look shop bought and I think it really does but with all the bonuses of being handmade - being able to decide the fit, colour, fabric etc. I just love it!

This was a special project for me because it was made with one of my beloved Tomato fabrics from Tokyo. I've been trying to use the fabrics on things that I will wear a lot and really love, they're just all so gorgeous and I can't buy anymore of them. Those goals have certainly been achieved with my checked Anima Pants and grey Linden Jumper which I wear literally all the time. The thing is, even though I waited a while before using this fabric my plan for it hasn't changed since I bought it. As soon as I saw the circle zip-pull zips I knew I wanted to make a top like this and of course the shop also had the perfect fabric. The fabric in question is a fairly heavy weight rib in this stunning orange/red colour. It's quite a bright but I love it and it goes so well with the grey and white zip. I didn't need to interface the fabric as it was heavy enough to sew the zip straight in. The zip did go in fairly seamlessly but I took my time over it and definitely woudn't like to sew a zip into a light weight jersey. The scariest bit is having to cut down the centre front seam - I was so worried I'd cut too far!

I think I mentioned in my post about my zip-neck jumper that I was planning another top with a zip and this one has been in the plans long before I bought the fabric for the pink jumper. Out of all the styles of zip tops I've seen on the highstreet, the fitted turtleneck with a zip that goes partly down is my absolute favourite. I was initially worried about recreating it because an open zip is just so difficult to get lying flat but decided to risk it anyway. The risk really paid off and I'm thrilled with the insertion of the zip, it's hardly bumpy at all at the end and lies completely flat unlike the other jumper. It's great to have been able to build on that skill and means that I can make many more of these tops (because of course I want to make more!). It helps that this zip from Tomato is just gorgeous, I wish I had bought more as I'm not sure they sell the same thing here.

Like I said there are quite a few variations of the same thing avaliable but I've always liked fitted long sleeved tops (I love wearing this one) and as a bonus I thought it would be perfect for hacking the Tilly and the Buttons Freya top. I often use the Freya top pattern as a base for simple t-shirts but usually leave off the neckband. However, for this hack I stayed much closer to the original pattern. In order to add in the zip, I cut the front bodice at a slight angle on the fabric so that the 'place on fold' edge wasn't lying up with the fold at the top of the pattern. This left a tiny triangle of extra fabric going from about 1cm extra at the top end of the centre front to nothing by the hem. I'm not sure if that's really very clear (sorry if not!) but it essentially gave me more fabric at the top for the seam allowance of the zip without making the front bodice wider at the bottom. I also added about 1cm to the neckband but that wasn't really necessary considering how stretchy the rib fabric is.

The zip insertion obviously changed my construction of the neckband and luckily it all went really smoothly, although there were a couple of moments where I held my breath! I was initially going to topstitch around the zip and also topstitch the neckband down but decided against it as it would have forced the fabric to sit in a particular way. I'm glad I didn't, it looks less strict without the topstitching.

When it came to hemming the top I simply cut along the bottom with my rotary cutter. It gave it a nice smooth edge and as the rib shouldn't fray it worked perfefctly. In general I don't like leaving things unhemmed as the thought of fraying always nags at me, but I tested a few scraps and it seemed to be fine. I tend to finish jersey makes with a lettuce hem but didn't want to take the attention away for the zip on this top. Turning up the fabric and hemming also wouldn't have worked as the rib is too heavy weight and there would have been an uncomfortable-looking bulge where the hem was. With a loud colour and fairly loud design feature, the simple clean finish means there isn't too much going on.

Ah isn't it so lovely to have a new make! I feel like this ticks all the boxes: new skill, a design I love and a special fabric.

Sewing through COVID-19: Handmade Scrubs!

In this completely bizarre period of time, it's nice to hang on to constants and for me one constant is sewing. Having to stay at home is certainly much more bearable with a hobby, and it's even better when that hobby can be put to good use. My mum asked me to make her a couple of scrub tops to wear to work (she usually wears normal clothes) and I have to admit to being slightly reluctant at first (sometimes you just want to sew something for yourself!) but I'm really glad to have made them, especially as she's been wearing them everyday since. 

I should start by saying that this top was actually my second attempt. My mum and I tried to make a patten for the first top together, using a large t-shirt as a base. While the attempt wasn't bad, I made it with ongrown arms rather than having a separate pattern piece for the sleeves so shoulder movement is restricted. The first top also lacks the classic overlapping v-neckband of scrubs and instead has just a v-shaped neckhole with the fabric turned under and topstitched. The next day I used a borrowed pair of actual scrubs to create a pattern which I then used to make this top, a much better outcome. The first one isn't wasted though as she needs two and it's still wearable.

The problem with the request to make two scrub tops was that they require quite a lot of cotton fabric and obviously I wasn't able to pop out and buy some. We managed to find a large piece of this waxed cotton print in my fabric stash which ended up being just enough fabric. My mum was given this as a present a couple of years ago by a friend from Malawi and whilst it felt slightly too far out of my comfort zone to make into an everyday item of clothing, it was perfect for a scrub top. She's bought some navy scrub trousers to go with the top and the overall look is pretty cool! It's fun to have something a bit different to the classic plain scrubs too.

Scrubs are a very easy design and the two tops were really quick to sew. The hardest part was definitely the neckband, to me it's part of the iconic scrub look (if that's really a thing?!) and so I was determined to make the v-neck as precise as possible. I think it turned out rather well! I had to make up the technique as I went along as I didn't have any instructions but I'm very happy with how it looks.

A final detail to make the top look a bit more professional was to add a small slit in the side, this was something that the top that I copied had. The only thing I didn't do was add pockets as Mum thought they wouldn't be necessary, although I think she has since mentioned that they'd be useful so I might go back and add a large pocket to the front.

This was a really satisfying make. It was fun to learn a new skill and make something quite different to what I've ever made before, and it's nice to know that this really useful and will be worn a lot in the immediate future. I couldn't resist adding the stethoscope to the photos on my Adjustoform - it just completes the look!