Tag Archives: top

Grainline Scout Tee

This make is all about the fabric for me – it is a gorgeous soft viscose that I brought on sale at John Lewis a couple of years ago. Back then I didn’t yet appreciate the value of a good quality fabric and even at half price this was the most expensive fabric I’d brought at that time so I only purchased a metre. I dutifully prewashed it as soon as I got home, but then it was left sitting in my stash as I didn’t feel confident enough to do it justice.

A few more successful makes under my belt and it was time for this to come out of the stash. Having only a metre meant I couldn’t use my go to top pattern the Sewaholic Belcarra (I need 1.25 metres for that) but thought it would be good to try something different anyway!

Grainline Scout Tee

Enter the Grainline Scout Tee. I’d only heard good things about this pattern from my friend Caroline – check out seven of her Scout Tees that she wore this year for one week one pattern here. Her day five Scout is actually the same fabric in a different colour way so I knew this pattern would be a good choice! Also, I was keen to try another woven top without darts for a design that doesn’t break up the pattern of the fabric (not that it would matter much with this abstract print!) and it is one less thing to worry about when fitting the garment.

Grainline Scout Tee

My bust measurement would put me at a size 8 but I went for size 10 since I have broad shoulders and didn’t want to make a toile. I also lengthened the top a bit since I’m tall. I’m pretty happy with the fit of this in the soft flowing fabric, but think it would be too boxy for me in a stiffer fabric.

Grainline Scout Tee side view

It is my first Grainline pattern and got on fine with the instructions (although this is quite a simple make so not much of a test). One thing to take note of is that the seam allowance is half an inch rather than the usual 5/8. I wanted to use french seams and found the smaller seam allowance a bit tricky for this on the shoulder seams as I don’t have a quarter inch foot. So for the side seams I decided to make it a bit easier on myself and sewed a 5/8 seam allowance, given there was plenty of ease and I’d sized up this wasn’t a problem.

With the flowing fabric and smaller seam/hem allowances I also found the neckline and sleeve hem a bit tricky to sew up neatly so next time I’ll probably use slightly wider allowances there to make it quicker to sew.

Grainline Scout Tee back view

Overall I’m very happy with this make and it has been worn quite a lot already! I love the print and the bright colours and even though it is a basic design think the quality of the fabric really steps it up so this top can be easily dressed up as well as down. Also I have been totally convinced that it is worth paying a bit more for good quality fabric as it makes this such a joy to wear!

Grainline Scout Tee

V neck top with gathers

This top has been a few months in the making largely due to flat renovations taking up a lot of my free time plus having to pack up my sewing machine while the work was being done. However I am now happily reunited with my sewing machine and enjoying the new look flat – which includes a sewing corner with shelves for sewing bits and bobs.

Beige V neck top with gathers and contrast navy blue trim

Believe it or not, this started from the Colette Sorbetto pattern, but the following changes took it a long way from the original design:

  • Add front and back yokes
  • Convert bust darts into gathering at the shoulder yokes
  • Add gathering to the centre back below yoke
  • Raise back neckline
  • Remove front pleat
  • Convert front neckline into a V neck
  • Neckline binding continues to create contrast line down centre front
  • Add slight curve to front and back hems

Beige V neck top back view

The part that took the most time to consider was the stripe down the centre. I have to admit I often found myself thinking about various construction options when I was walking or during other mental down time. But working out details like this is something I really enjoy about making things and it is so satisfying when it works!

Beige V neck top contrast trim detail

In the end I decided to cut the front piece down the centre without a seam allowance then bind all around the raw edge of the front and neckline and sew the centre binding pieces together. It worked out ok, but was quite tricky to do to ensure that the binding was totally straight and even. I think it would be a lot easier to include an allowance at the centre front for overlapping the two sides after completing the binding. I didn’t do this originally because I wanted to minimise bulk, but with a light drapey fabric it shouldn’t be too bad.

Beige V neck top

The fabric used was supposedly viscose (the same as I used for my black Belcarra) in two different colour ways – beige and navy blue. However the beige fabric felt and behaved very differently. It was becoming quite static under the iron and was very difficult to press, so I suspect it is actually a synthetic. It feels alright to wear though and its resistance to pressing also means it doesn’t wrinkle much – the photos are taken after a full day of wearing – which is definitely a plus.

Beige V neck top back view

When I tried it on part way though making I was concerned that I’d added too much ease in with the gathers and it was going to look too big for me. However, I think the finished result is ok and I’m quite glad to get this finished to be honest since it was started so long ago.

Beige V neck top worn with cardigan

Although the weather is getting decidedly colder now and I’m unlikely to be going sleeveless much (especially as I really feel the cold!), I think it looks fine under a cardigan so I should still get some wear out of it in the coming months.

Self drafted kimono sleeve top

Hello there, I’ve got another self draft to share with you today.

This time, a short sleeved kimono top, a basic shape so I thought it would be simple to draft.  I think it has turned out ok, but wasn’t quite as simple as I had imagined!

Kimono top front 1

To create the pattern, I traced around three different top patterns I’ve made that fit reasonably well (Sewaholic Belcarra, Colette Sorbetto and Simplicity 1693), lining them up so that the waist point was the same for each trace.  Then had a bit of a gut feel attempt at drawing the kimono top pattern (aided by internet pictures to get the basic shape).

Kimono top front 3

The arms didn’t fit at all well when I first tried it on!  They were far too tight around the arms and felt a bit long so I cut about 5cm off and lowered the arm opening by about 10cm.  This meant I didn’t have enough material to create a neat finish all around the arms, but as long as no one inspects my underarms close up this should be fine!

Kimono top back

The fabric is a woven viscose from Fabric Land in Brighton.  Given the boxy style, I definitely think a drapey fabric was required.  I’m not sure if I’d like this top in a solid colour (would want to tweak the arms a bit and perhaps make a bit more fitted first), but with this spotty fabric I think it works quite well.

Kimono top front 2

All in all, I’m quite pleased with this as a first version. There are definitely improvements to be made fit wise, particularly around the arms, but I think they would be worthwhile working on as the simplicity of the style would be great for showing off interesting fabrics.

Yep, it is another Belcarra blouse!

My sewing juices were so well revived after making my black Sewaholic Belcarra, that it wasn’t long until I had another cut and ready to go.

Sewaholic Belcarra

I saw the main fabric for this top (a printed viscose) on the Minerva Crafts website last summer and was instantly drawn to it with this vision of a Belcarra using some black trim for the cuffs and around the neck, but at £9.99 a metre it is the most expensive fabric I’ve brought so far and back then I was too scared that I would mess it up.

Now I’m trying to be less fearful and get better at embracing mistakes as part of the learning process, so decided to treat myself and I’m very glad I did!

back view

I was rather concerned when I opened the parcel as the fabric felt crisp and stiff, not at all the drapey loveliness that I was expecting from viscose! Thankfully it soften up nicely after a pre wash. Not quite as soft and drapey as the black viscose used in my previous Belcarra (and for the contrast pieces in this one) but it still has enough drape to be suitable for this top.

One slight gripe was that the grid pattern sloped off grain about 30 cm from each selvedge and since I’d only brought a metre I couldn’t avoid using this part. You can see the pattern sloping down more on the left side of this photo, but hopefully wouldn’t have noticed if I didn’t point it out!

Sewaholic Belcarra

Although not a precise grid, I did take care when cutting to try and get the pattern roughly lining up.

side view

After taking my time cutting out, the top came together pretty smoothly. The only additional pattern change I made was to use the bias strip (half and inch narrower than the original pattern one) for a bound neckline instead of as a facing. I really like the solid black cuffs and neck edge and was even brave enough to use black thread as a contrast for the cuff and hem stitching.

Neck and cuff detail

I’ll move on to a different pattern next, but I doubt this will be my last Belcarra. I’m already feeling the need for an ivory or cream version for summer…

Getting my sewing mojo back with a black Belcarra

After all my recent fitting and toiling, making this Sewaholic Belcarra blouse felt wonderful!  I could enjoy taking my time getting a good finish as I knew I’d have a well fitting garment at the end of it.

Belcarra 4 front

The black one is actually my fourth Belcarra blouse – I made this third flowery version shortly after my second from a lovely viscose fabric brought on Goldhawk Road.

Belcarra 3 front

For the third Belcarra, I used a narrower bias strip and sewed it on using a 3/8 inch seam allowance to make the neckline a little smaller.  It doesn’t feel like the neckline actually is any smaller, but I wonder if I had stretched the neckline out a little, so for the fourth version I made sure to stay stitch the neckline as soon as I’d cut out the fabric.

I also had a valuable lesson in paying attention when using scissors near fabric when I snipped some of the sleeve while trimming the french seam.  Oops!  Luckily, it was only small and near the underarm so just took a little darning and isn’t really visible.

Belcarra 3 hole

The only niggle I have with the third version is that the fold on the cuffs doesn’t want to lie flat after washing.  I suspect this could mean that I didn’t cut the fabric exactly on the bias.  Hence for this fourth Belcarra, I really took my time over the cutting.

The fabric for the black Belcarra is my first online fabric purchase – this viscose from Minerva Crafts.  It is wonderfully soft and drapey and it comes in twelve other colours so I’ll no doubt be ordering more soon.

Black Bercarra side view

I had thought about going for the pin tuck sleeves version since I was using a solid colour, but a plain and simple (but well made) black top was what I really wanted.  Perhaps not the most exciting blog make, but a top I am very pleased with and one that should get lots of wear 🙂

Hacked Sorbetto top with gathers

I felt I needed a bit of a break from the Colette Sorbetto top pattern after my first couple of attempts, but since then I have seen a few takes on it that have inspired me again.  In particular, this version where the bust darts are rotated to neck pleats.

Sobetto top with gathers front view

Instead of pleats, my initial idea was to move the darts to the neckline and then create a gathered neckline.  However, on further reflection, I thought that may not be the best idea for my first go at gathering as without something stable to sew the gathers to I could easily imagine ending up with a rather wonky neckline.  So instead I decided to create front yokes and then rotate the dart towards them.  I also removed the pleat, as felt the gathers were enough for design detail.

Moving the dart

Final front pattern pieces

Before adapting the pattern for the gathers, I made similar adjustments as for my London version (since after wearing the two Sorbettos a bit I realised that the first attempt was actually not such a bad fit).  With the London version I had thought that I’d lowered the armscye too much as the arm hole had a lot of gaping, but after making up this one I’ve realised that the extra length works, but that the base of the armscye is too wide, which was why I was getting all the gaping.  So I took the side seams in by 2.6 cm at each arm – took a bit of time as I’d used French seams, but felt the top was unwearable prior to this so it was definitely worth it.

I also trimmed the front of the armsyce a bit, would have liked to trim a little bit more but couldn’t without needing to redo all the gathering and I didn’t think it was that bad.

I made bias tape using the continuous loop method and hand stitched this down for a neat front finish.  The fabric pattern is probably busy enough that the stitching wouldn’t have been very noticeable, but I actually found the hand stitching quite relaxing and am happy to have done it.

Gathers and bias trim detail

I think the smallish pattern of this fabric makes for good bias tape that would look nice as a trim on a solid coloured top.  (Or maybe I’m just trying to talk myself into buying more fabric…)

The fabric is viscose from Goldhawk Road that has a lovely drape.  Finally feel like I’m starting to make some good fabric choices.  I loved the look and feel of this fabric so much that I had to stop myself going back and buying lots more as they had a few different prints.  I will of course be buying more of this fabric, but am trying to restrict myself to using the fabrics I already have or only buying new fabric for a particular project that I intend to sew straight away so that I don’t end up with an overwhelming stash.

Sorbetto with gathers back view

Looking at the back photos, I wonder if I ought to widen the hem a bit next time.

Sorbetto with gathers front

I’m really happy with this top, it is a very welcome addition to my summer wardrobe.

I would like to make this again, but might try adding a bit more gathering.  Also, I think it could look a bit better with a lower neck line and then longer yoke pieces/lower down gathering.

Have you ever had inspiration from other sewers that makes you go back to a pattern that you were struggling with?

Cotton Belcarra Blouse

As I was so happy with my first Sewaholic Belcarra blouse, it wasn’t long before I made a second one:

Belcarra blouse in cotton lawn

This time I used cotton lawn (from Goldhawk Road), so it doesn’t drape as much as my first viscose version but it still looks ok and is great to wear in the hot weather we’ve been having in London lately.

While shopping for the fabric, I was choosing between a few lovely (but very colourful and busy) cotton lawn prints and so decided to step out of the shop for a little breather while I debated the look I wanted.  But then as I was leaving the shop, I noticed this fabric by the door – pretty unassuming in comparison to the others, but I was drawn to it (and it didn’t hurt that it was a lot cheaper!).  I decided to go for this one as a trial run since I wasn’t sure how much I’d like the look of the top in cotton.  However, I’m now very glad I went with this simple print as it is so easy to wear.   I’ve also noticed that I don’t have many light coloured tops, so this is a welcome addition to my wardrobe.

Must try to remember to give plain and simple fabrics fair consideration on future fabric shopping trips!

Belcarra blouse in cotton lawn

Since it is a simple print I thought it would be a good one to try out the shoulder pin tucks of view B.  I like how this detail adds a bit more interest to the top.

Belcarra blouse pin tuck detail

Adjustments wise, I narrowed the neckline and broadened the shoulders as with my first Belcarra and I shortened the front by 1.5cm (gently curving to meet the original hem line in the back) so it sits better on me.

Not too much to say about the construction as it was straightforward the second time around.  There was a bit of unpicking when I realised I’d folded to a seam notch instead of a tuck notch on my first shoulder, but luckily the holes from the incorrect stitching line pretty much disappeared with a bit of steam pressing .  As with my first version I found the cuffs a bit tricky to insert, but this is definitely getting easier with practice.

My first two Belcarras are getting a good amount of wear, so there could be another one soon…

Simplicity 1693

My sewing plans at the moment have a focus on summery tops as with the good weather we’ve been having of late, I’ve realised I don’t have many tops that I like to wear when it is warm and sunny.

Recently I was kindly offered a Simplicity pattern of my choice in exchange for a review and after drooling over a few dresses that in reality were beyond my current capabilities (and that I’d be unlikely to wear much), I homed in on Simplicity 1693 as it fits right in with my more summer tops plan and includes an impressive number of variations.

For my first version I made view C but without the waist elastic.  I was so pleased with the finished top that I wore it out just a few hours after finishing it!

Simplicity 1693

You may recognise the fabric from my first Belcarra.  It felt a little weird making another top from the same fabric so soon, but I knew that it would drape the way I wanted so went ahead.

The only issue I had with the pattern was the sizing.  Going by the size chart, I should have been a 14 grading to 16, but luckily I made a quick toile and found that the top swamped me.  I then compared the pattern pieces to those of the Belcarra and Sorbetto tops I’ve made and decided that a 12 grading to 14 should fit better.  I also lengthened the pattern by 3 cm at the hem since I’m tall.

Simplicity 1693 side view

The top is pretty straight forward to sew together and I used French seams throughout (the pattern instructions include details on how to do them).  My darts ended up rather wonky, which I think was due to a combination of my trying a new method of making the pattern marks (dressmakers carbon and tracing wheel instead of pins and marking pencils) and the fabric being more mobile than the cottons I’d generally used so far.  Luckily the dark fabric and print do a good job of hiding the wonky-ness!

The neckline and armholes are finished with bias binding facings, so I made bias strips with the same fabric.  For the armholes I tried out the technique described by Lauren of lladybird as part of her outfit along, except I folded the bias tape in half before applying (a la the Belcarra instructions) instead of folding and pressing twice once sewn on.  Even though I’m not taking part in the outfit along, I’ve really been enjoying Lauren’s detailed posts and feel like I’ve learnt loads – the time and thought she has put in is quite something.

Simplicity 1693 front view

I like the button closure detail at the back of this top (the neck is large enough for me that the button opening isn’t necessary, but I like how it looks) and this provided my first go at making a thread loop.  I found a few different ways of doing this online, but ended up just following the diagram in the pattern, think it has worked out ok for a first attempt, you can’t really see it anyway.

Simplicity 1693 button detail

The button closure means there is a centre back seam to this top.  I did think about pattern matching this seam, but didn’t have much fabric left so decided instead to place the pieces such that there wouldn’t be a bright or big flower along the seam so that it is somewhat disguised, I think this worked out ok.

Simplicity 1693 back

Trying the top on pre-hemming it looked a bit longer at the front than the back (I think this must be due to my shape or posture because I noticed the same with the Belcarra).  This was really noticeable if I wore a belt (to try to test out how it would look with the waist elastic), so I decided to trim a bit off the front.  I got a bit carried away and took about 4.5 cm off the centre front, tapering to the original length at the side seams.  I didn’t think the top looked very good with the belt any more so left out the elasticated waist, but I quite like the gentle high/low hem that this has created (like a subtler version of view F).

Overall I’m pretty happy with this top and now will be on the lookout for suitable fabric to make a contrast collar version…

New for me with this make:

  • Making a thread loop
  • New method of applying a bias facing