Studios – Sew Dainty

Posted on 13/12/2017 by sewdainty — 4 Comments

The #OWOP17 challenge using The Grainline Studios Scout Tee.

A few weeks ago the lovely Sheona from Sewisfaction announced that she would be running the ‘one week, one pattern’ challenge. Affectionately shortened to the #OWOP17 hashtag, it is a challenge to wear a different item of clothing each day for a week, made from using just one sewing pattern. Lots of lovely prizes were on offer throughout the week, and I knew that it would be a lot of fun to take part in.

I chose to use the Grainline Studios Scout Tee. I had chosen this pattern from Fabric HQ about a year ago when I had won a voucher to use at their shop, and it’s a great basic woven t-shirt pattern with cap sleeves and a scoop neck. I decided that this simple shape had the potential to be changed into all sorts of variations.

Day 1.

To kick off the week I wore the first Scout Tee that I ever made which was sewn in a beautiful floral crepe de chine from Material Magic in Leicester. If I’m honest it’s a little on the large side for me now as I have lost weight since making it back in March, but I do still wear it quite alot so thought that I would still include it in the challenge. It is also the only version of the Scout that I made exactly according to the pattern.

Day 2.

For the version that I wore on day 2, I made a couple of small changes. I lengthened the sleeves to approximately elbow length and added a deep frill. It’s not too tricky to do this at all, and changes the look of this top completely I think. I didn’t want the frills to be too ‘poofy’ so cut my frill strips 1.5 times the length of the sleeve opening. This elephant print fabric was already in my stash – I had purchased this from Fabric Land in Bristol a couple of years ago.

Day 3.

It’s never too long before I can be away from a dress. So it was only to be expected that I would make this pattern work into a dress. For a little while now I have had my eye on a loose fitting gathered dress pattern from I Am Patterns. It’s called the Cassiopee dress and although it has kimono/raglan sleeves, I hoped that I could make my Scout pattern into something that looked similar. To do this I basically shortened the length of the Scout Tee (making it into the dress bodice), keeping the slight hi/lo shaping, and added a gathered skirt. To make the gathered skirt I needed two rectangles – a front skirt piece and a back skirt piece. To calculate the dimensions of the fabric that I would need for each skirt piece, I tried the bodice on and decided how long I wanted the length to be, (taking into consideration that the bottom of the bodice was not perfectly horizontal), and the width was determined by the width of each bodice piece multiplied by 1.5 to allow for the gather.

Because the bottom edge of the bodice kept this lovely hi/low shaping, the hem of the dress needed some serious work to make sure that it was perfectly level. It is at times like this that I am grateful to have my super Adjustoform dress form.

Ooh and of course it has to have in-seam pockets. Using my favourite pocket template (is it possible to have a favourite pocket? – yes), which happens to be the pocket from my Colette Peony dress, I worked out at what point on the side seams I would need it, and simply added them in!

The fabric was in my stash, and was a purchase a few months ago from Stuarts Fabrics on Leicester market.

Day 4.

Back to a top again today, and I kept it pretty simple by making up the basic Scout Tee exactly according to the instructions, but then simply adding a pretty lace edged zip at the back neckline. Don’t be too shocked when I admit that the zip is purely for show and is simply stitched on the centre back of the top so that we can all admire its lacy beauty!

The fabric that I used for this one is a recent purchase from The Sewing Cafe in Hinckley. Its a pretty teal and mustard floral viscose and is just dreamy.

Day 5.

Another top today, with a little twist. I have a ready to wear top in my wardrobe which is really cute as it has a little frill around the bottom, so the challenge today was to recreate that. I tried on my RTW top to get an idea on how long I wanted the length of the top to be (not including the frill), and then cut the length of my bodice front and back to this length (allowing for seam allowances). I measured the depth of the frill on my RTW top and again allowing for seam allowances cut a strip to make the frill with this depth and with the length 1.5 times the length of the bottom edge of the top to allow for a little gather. Super simple and a really nice little alteration I think.

I used a pretty oriental print mint cotton poplin from my stash for this one.

Day 6.

Back to a dress again and I used exactly the same template/technique for this one as I did for the version that I wore on day 3. The pictures I have for this version give a better idea of the hi/lo waist seam which I love so much, and the gorgeous fabric that I used was something that I picked up in the fabric swap at The Sewing Weekender this Summer. Thank you to whoever was kind enough to bring that along. Lucky me!

Day 7.

For the final day, I wanted to add a Peter Pan collar to my top. I had seen a really great tutorial on the Harts Fabric blog and I followed this to make my own. It was fairly straightforward and I am delighted with the result. Again I used fabric from my stash – this red cow print fabric was from Material Magic in Leicester bought some time ago, and the black quilting fabric I purchased recently from The Sewing Cafe when I was there recently celebrating Sew Saturday.

When I first began sewing for this challenge, I really wasn’t sure that I would ever want 7 versions of the same sewing pattern in my wardrobe, but I am really surprised with how many different looks that you can make from just one basic pattern.

Thank you to Sheona for the incredible amount of work that she has put in to ensure this challenge was an amazing success, and for organising ( and donating) such lovely gifts for the daily winners. If you would love some #OWOP17 inspiration, then do head on over to Instagram and search this hashtag – you will be blown away by so much creativity!

Take care, and I’ll be back soon,

Kathy x

Posted on 06/03/2017 by sewdainty — 5 Comments

Grainline Studios Scout Tee Sewing Pattern Review

This is my second Grainline Studios sewing make. I love it. They have both been tops but both very different. If you would like to have a quick look at my other Grainline top (The Hemlock), you can see my review here.

As with many of my recent makes, this has been another pattern that I have been meaning to sew up for quite a while. I absolutely love the simplicity of it, and how it would suit a number of different fabrics each giving it a different look.

This pattern is suitable for woven fabrics, light to medium weight, such as cottons, lawns, crepes etc. Whilst I had originally planned my first Scout Tee to be a classic cotton stripe I changed my mind to something more drapey and flowing and decided on a pretty navy blue floral crepe. So pleased I did, it’s shape is fitted at the shoulders and falls into a more relaxed fit below the bust which of course suits a crepe very well.

Supplies need for this are very simple. Fabric and thread! Of course you will need fabric scissors or your rotary cutter and mat, and pins,but that pretty much is it! I used the paper pattern version (rather than PDF), which I was fortunate to choose as part of a prize in December given by The Sewing Directory as part of a fabulous quilt-along challenge they ran. My pattern came from Fabric HQ and if interested you can find it here. Thank you again to the Sewing Directory and Fabric HQ.

This pattern is a breeze from start to finish. A beautiful instruction booklet takes you through the whole process clearly and simply. Only 4 pattern pieces are required ( a front piece, a back piece, a sleeve and a neckline binding). Simple.

After stitching the front and back pieces together the sleeves are inserted in the regular way using gathering stitches to ease them in place. This went very smoothly and I was left with lovely neat sleeves.

Binding the neckline came next. Once again good clear instructions were on hand to take you through this procedure with no problems. My neckline sits flat and was perfectly straighforward to attach.

The final stage of this project is hemming the sleeves and around the bottom edge. A simple double fold hem is required and in no time at all you have a great little top. The back of the top sits slight lower than the front which I think is so feminine and flattering.

I cannot wait to make more of these this year, probably using a cotton fabric next time to give it a completely different look. I would highly recommend the pattern as a must for your pattern collection.

I love the effect that the crepe fabric has on this pattern. It turns a very basic shape into something very special. I can see this top worn with jeans, chinos, linen trousers or skirts. Easy to dress up or down.

I hope this review has inspired you to take a look at your sewing basics. Whilst it is easy to get carried away with new releases and on-trend designs, these simple shapes are always ones we come back to time and time again.

I am also happy to say that this is make number three on my #2017makenine list!

Take care and I’ll be back soon,

Kathy x

Posted on 30/01/201730/01/2017 by sewdainty — 3 Comments

Grainline Hemlock Tee Pattern Review

It’s so cold here at the moment, I must admit that although I am a skirt and dress girl all the way, the temperature has forced me into my jeans and jumpers rather more than usual.

Bored with always wearing the same tops I decided to make a much overdue pattern that I have wanted to sew for ages. It’s the Hemlock Tee by Grainline Studios. Better still it’s absolutely free – the lovely guys at Grainline will kindly send you a free download if you sign up to receive the newsletters on their website here . It’s a cute slouchy long sleeved tee, one size fits all, designed to be worn loose and perfect for drapey knit fabrics.

The PDF printed out beautifully, lovely clear instructions, measurements, cutting layouts and tips for sewing with knits accompany the simple pattern pieces themselves. The pattern itself only consists of a front piece, a back piece, a sleeve and a neck band. Simple. I also had fun cutting this one out when I rediscovered a forgotten guillotine that my husband has in the office. I will definitely use this again when cutting out my PDF’s.

Because of the slippery, stretchy nature of the jersey knit I was using I decided to use my rotary cutter and mat to cut out the pattern pieces. This is nice and quick and I love how neat the fabric cuts out using this technique. Also just to mention as this is a one size only pattern there is no pattern tracing to your size necessary- again a time saving winner!

I found that using lots of pins to keep things in place helped me lots with this project. Jersey is notoriously stretchy and also the cut edges have a tendency to curl over a little so use as many pins as you can to help you keep things secure. I chose to use my ball point pins so that there would be no damage to the fibres of the jersey.

This top was a dream to sew. So quick to make I couldn’t believe it. I did refer to the Grainline Studios tutorial before I started here and one thing in particular from this that I found helpful and used in my make were the tips regarding the neckband. I think I might have struggled if I hadn’t used the techniques recommended in this tutorial.

I used my overlocker/serger throughout this project. Again such a timesaver, and I love any excuse to use it! It coped with the jersey wonderfully. No stretching, nothing.

To finish off the neck band, sleeves and bottom hem I used my fancy new twin needle (ball point) on my regular sewing machine. Again I was so pleased with the result, although I was a little unclear as to whether the twin line of stitching should sit below the neck band seam or whether to stitch is so that the twin lines of stitching ‘straddled’ the neck band seam. In the end I opted to sew just below the seam line and I’m happy with how neat and finished this makes the neck line look. I don’t think it would have mattered if I had chosen the other option either. Just a preference I guess. Any way this gives a really professional finish to your work.

I do know that I will be sewing this top again for sure! The grey marl fabric that I used was only £2 from Stuarts Fabrics on Leicester Market, and what with the pattern being free this was a real bargain top!

Love the relaxed fit and the dropped shoulders.

Just to mention a couple of things that I found useful for this project:

Ball point pins
Gutermann polyester thread, great for knits
Ball point twin needle

And before I go, here’s one for the cat lovers amongst you!

I love, love, love this top and can’t wait to make more. I would thoroughly recommend it to any beginner because of its simplicity and also how quickly it comes together.

I look forward to making the Scout Tee by Grainline Studios which I recently purchased but as this is a short sleeve I may wait until the weather warms up a bit. I must admit I like the look of the Moss skirt too – am definitely interested in sewing more Grainline projects soon!

Have you made the Hemlock Tee or any other Grainline patterns that you would recommend? I’d love to hear your thoughts..

Take care, and I’ll be back soon,

Kathy x