Entries Tagged 'Hot Patterns' ↓

It seemed as if this tunic would never be finished, but it is and I’ve learned some valuable things in the making.

The most important one is that the adage ’sew for the body you have’ does not apply to new mothers. Your sewing time might not come as frequently as you desire so it will take you much longer to sew a garment than you anticipated. This means two things. The first is that the winter top you were making might seem a little warm when you finally finish the top well into spring. The second is that in between starting and finishing you might do something radical like finish breastfeeding and discover that your bust measurement is now a good three inches smaller.

Dear me. It flaps about a bit. Which is a shame, because I do like the fabric and I do like the design, but I may as well be wearing a kaftan for how glamourous I feel in it. I remember reading somewhere that Hot Patterns sometimes make up big, which is another way of saying they have a generous amount of ease, but in this case I could do with rather less. I’m thinking that I might have a go at taking the side seams in a bit, and see if I can give it some shape. Another thing, which is possibly related to the general tent like proportions, is that it is rather revealing in the boob area and could not be worn out without a cami underneath, lest I wanted to get myself in trouble. (There is an option for a modesty panel but I declined to add it.)

Pluses are that I like the tunic length, I like the gathering for skimming over my  midsection, and I like the rouleau loop and button fastening on the sleeve. Would I make it again? Possibly, but about three sizes smaller…

I also realised that I need to practise a lot more with the overlocker, and with knits in general, which has led me happily to my make for May. Perhaps that’s the other lesson I learned – sewing begets sewing, and the more I do the more I realise my potential and limitations when it comes to sewing time, which is making the whole process much less fraught than it was a couple of months ago. Onwards!

Don’t forget to vote today, UK folks!

In between balancing the baby on one arm and hanging up laundry with the other (I’d leave the laundry but we must have pants) I have managed to sneak myself into the sewing room for the odd half hour.

Here be proof. I began the make-up bags at the tail end of my pregnancy, and since Fitz decided to turn up a week before his due date (nice for me physically) they ended up languishing in the wip box. They’re now languishing on the desk, but I have at least written a series of post it notes for each step I need to do to complete them. And complete them I must because I am sharing a table with Helen and Florence at the We Make fair in Chelsea on 5th December. Yes I know, it’s very soon – they both said I was brave to even think of doing it. I suppose I’d assumed I’d have a child who took lovely long two hour naps. Oh the naivety of my previous life!

I also managed over a couple of evenings to cut out the jersey for this 3 Graces muslin (yes I’m calling it a muslin) and run it together on the overlocker. It is a very comfortable top to wear, but various reviews around the internet have said that it comes up a bit big, and I’d have to agree. It feels a bit tent like so I’m going to trace off a size down and see how that fits, and just wear this one in bed – nothing goes to waste here. Incidentally I got the jersey from this ebay seller – big range, good prices, fast despatch. I’m going to try the cross over version next but can’t promise progress before Christmas. You can mime my wry smile for yourself…

In the middle of my pregnancy I had a mini wardrobe sort out and moved the things I could still wear to one end. This meant I could only open one door of the wardrobe and not be taunted by some favourite things that simply would not fit. Hilariously even though I knew it would be impossible I’ve been trying on some of those items, and becoming slightly downcast that they will not accommodate the giant boobage I am now graced with. Actually grace is not a word I should be using in the same sentence – man, they are unwieldy.

However, I did slip on the trusty old cosmo dress and found that it fitted (with the right undergarments). Of course! It’s a knit! There lies the answer. I bought some red jersey in February that needs to made into another cosmo I think, this time with long sleeves for the winter, and yes I’ve checked – the wrap front allows for boob access so I can still feed the bottomless pit we call Fitz. Not entirely sure when I’ll get the time to get in there and get it cut out, never mind sewn up, but I do feel like I could do with some time behind the needle, and maybe I just have to force the issue with myself.

The other things I’ve planned for my fourth trimester wardrobe are the new t-shirts and trousers from Hot Patterns, which finally arrived at the weekend, thanks to the postal strikes. (I mean, up the workers and all that, but selfishly I wanted my patterns…) That cowl neck t-shirt is almost identical to an old Jigsaw favourite that the moths got to, and I’m deeply excited to think I can replace it (if I can find decent jersey of course). Shortly after I placed the order Trudy only went and released two new patterns, and I love the look of the dress (for which there is an excellent tutorial on youtube, which should just be compulsory viewing if you want to make clothes/use knits/do both).

The pattern for the t-shirt is traced off and cut out (go me!), so I’ll hopefully be able to do a trial run sometime over the next week, and see where I am with sizing. And no, there is no photo to accompany this post but I hope to remedy that with the next one, and a good one at that.

I finally have my first handmade maternity garment, made from Hot Patterns Boho-de-luxe Peasant Tops. Like all the HP patterns I’ve tried so far it went together very well (once I applied myself) and has resulted in a fantastically comfortable top, just right for this amazing weather we’re having in London right now.

Sadly I cut this out so long ago, and was remiss in my pattern piece marking, so I have no idea if I went up one or two sizes from the usual, but the advice from Trudy (Mrs HP herself) in having a summer pregnancy was to ‘embrace the volume’. I suspect this will start to make even more sense when I’m 8 months along and it’s August, but it is nice to wear things that don’t cling to the skin when the skin is asking to be naked to the wind, as it has for the last two days.

For contrast and a bit of glam I decided to ditch the self fabric binding, and instead used some dark charcoal satin bias I had in the stash for the sleeves, neckline, and then doubled it over to make a ribbon for the empire line tie. I think making the version with the tie is the best decision for maternity wear, otherwise you do end up feeling like a sack of potatoes- pregnant curves are nice, so why not point them out? I also lengthened the top so that it’s more of a tunic length, which should give me enough growing room.

Incidentally, it’s meant to be slightly shorter than this, but I have become deeply lazy about hemming, and just overlocked the bottom, so that I could wear it because of the weather. I’m sure I’ll hem it properly eventually… (I did this with a pair of  trousers at the weekend too, which has to be the laziest way of altering ready to wear ever. I mean, I didn’t even cut them to the right length – I just whacked them through the overlocker and let it cut them for me. Oh the shame.)

So as far as I’m concerned it’s another winner, and the pattern will still be there for me next summer, which is much better value than having bought specific maternity patterns. The other pattern I bought for maternity wear was Delicious Dresses (a possibility for some very nice silk I have), which will last in the same way. Money well spent.

As always with Hot Patterns, there are options for you to make the top your own. These peasant tops (which a friend tells me are going to be in this summer) can have long or short sleeves, a drawstring at the empire line or not, and either a bound or faced neckline. I was going to use the facing, truly – I went as far as cutting it out, but as I pulled the threads to gather the neckline I suddenly reached over to my right, yanked open a drawer and pulled out a roll of bias binding.

You can of course make self-fabric bias, but I chose the quick fix easy route from my stash. The binding has a satin finish, which I like against the cotton – it makes it feel a little more glam, a little more ‘finished’. Sadly the binding does leave me with some tidying up to do – I sewed the lines for the gathering with the expectation of facing the neckline, but the binding doesn’t quite cover the same seam allowance. Out with the unpicker tomorrow…

The sleeves need the same treatment as the neckline since they’re a bit sail-like without it. Hopefully I’ll be able to don such a puffy sleeve without looking like my arms have turned into comedy hams.

In case you didn’t know, Hot Patterns have been putting videos on You Tube, so you can see how their variations work. Top idea, I think, especially their latest videos on how to fit a skirt muslin, but I’ll leave you with the peasant tops. It’s only right.

Hot Patterns Peasant Tops 1

See what happens when you get out of the habit of blogging? Weeks pass and you forget to write down all those things you have swirling in your head. I’m going to attempt to blog every day this week, just to see if I can get back into the habit, althought that might mean that by Friday I’ll be very dull indeed…

So. Maternity Clothes. I’ve been less than impressed with the offerings from the big pattern companies, with the exception of Burda who have a cute tunic I like the look of. The pickings are very slim, and not exactly fashionable. I know I’m old to be heading down the mama road, but I don’t really want to look like I fell out of Laura Ashley circa 1981. Desperate times called for sensible measures, so I fired off an email to the Hot Patterns team to see if they could offer any advice, and got back the most useful email from Trish.

Her recommendation was to take a pattern like the Sunshine Tops (which I already own) and make it a size bigger to accommodate my expanding middle section, possibly even expanding the bust size again, depending on how I grow.

I bought the other two patterns she suggested too, because she’d said that it would be very simple to elongate the peasant tops into a dress (and I think a tunic too). And the delicious dresses would be great for wearing throughout, and most probably afterwards – nothing too tight or clingy. I really need no excuse to wax lyrical about Hot Patterns, but to get such useful advice from Trish herself sets them apart from the competition just that little bit more in my book.

Last weekend I took the best fabric shopping companions I know on a trip to Lavender Hill. A couple of years ago I came across Fabrics Galore at the Knitting and Stitching show, and vowed that one day I’d make it to the shop. I didn’t, because the easiest way to get there from my neck of the woods is on the most unreliable bus route in South London, and I am scared of looking for parking at the other end of new to me driving adventures. It’s one reason I know a really quick route to Ikea, because I know there’s definitely parking, so when I got my license it was a good practise drive for me. Anyway, I know they are terrible excuses, and I have only been spiting myself, because look at the loveliness we found there. Some of my haul is for bags but the middle one above will possibly become one of those peasant tops.

But there’s part of me that knows it would be wise to test the pattern first which is why I’ve got these cheaper fabrics to play with. I can test the fit and make adjustments, but I may still have a wearable house garment at the end of it, if nothing else. I’m just not very good with the muslin concept yet – I want something to show for my efforts.

But I’ve got to practise before I cut into this beautiful silk. It’s so unlike me to choose something like this, but I couldn’t resist. Of course I’m terrible scared of it, so it might still be sitting folded in the stash come Christmas, but at least I’ll have been able to look at it for a few months.

So on to the cutting and tracing. In preparation I thought I’d take my measurements and see how I’ve changed already – cor blimey guv’nor is all I’ve got to say about that…

You know, some people even manage to iron their things before they show them all over the internet. No sir, not me. That’s because I just don’t iron until I darn well have to. This is a really great top (although I admit it looks a little out of proportion on the hanger, and black is hard to photograph well). The fit is loose and comfortable, the sleeves are a good length, and the gathering lifts it above the normal run of the mill t-shirt (even if it did cause a lot of swearing at the time).

I didn’t bother with the FBA because of the gathering, and I think it’s okay – not perfect, but I can live with it. I’ll definitely be making it again, perhaps even in a colour other than darkest midnight, because it’s just the sort of thing you can have fifty of in your wardrobe. When I wore it out my friend thought it was Oasis, which is perhaps not so much a compliment to the sewing as the design. Hot Patterns seem to be able to make patterns that avoid frumpy and feel really modern.

From the latest collection I’m completely struck by the Good Times dress, tunic and top:

I’ll wait until I’ve figured out what I want to buy with it before I take the plunge – the international shipping is $11 for one or two patterns so it makes sense. I should also wait until I’ve made the final one of the three patterns I bought last time, but I picked up a remnant in Japan that should do for the skirt. I know that they seem expensive, but I have honestly wasted more money on other patterns that haven’t been nearly as much fun to make or as pleasant to wear, and when you consider that the above pattern is three garms for the price of one…well, in these money crunching times you can’t ask for more.