Sewing Vortex

After the advanced sewing work of my Giverny Dress and the fitting puzzle of my Danube Jean Skirt , the quick and satisfying Nottingham Top  from Itch-To-Stitch was just what I needed! Pattern Details Nottingham Top is a relaxed fit knit t-shirt style with an off center front twist.  It is, of course, available in the full Itch-To-Stitch size range, with layered PDF options and detailed instructions from start to finish. You can choose one of 3 sleeve lengths: Long, elbow or butterfly. Guess which I chose...  Yeah, you got me. I made one of each!  Tips For Success There is a reason why most testers made at least 2 versions: This is not a difficult project. In fact, you've probably seen a zillion samples already! If not, check out the launch post HERE . To get the best results, here are my tips for success: 1. Choose a fabric with fantastic drape:  Slinky bamboo knits and rayon spandex are good choices. The Nottingham Top has a ...

Can you believe it? I dove right back in for a second attempt at the Itch-To-Stitch Danube Jean Skirt . The sequel to my first labor of love brings me so much joy! Second Danube For all the heartache my first Danube caused me, this one was a dream to sew! The heaviness of the fabric totally makes a difference. I used a medium weight (linen weight) printed cotton duck from Hobby Lobby. It was on clearance for $5/yard. Because of the weight of the fabric, I interfaced the whole waistband with "shirt crisp light" from Fashion Sewing Supply .  It's top stitched in white, but you can't really see it because of the print. I didn't use my cover stitch this time, I just went back and forth with thread on my regular machine. My button hole went in perfect the first time. I stitched in the ditch to secure the waistband before top stitching, and even caught the edges all the way to the very ends! That never happens to me!! A couple tweaks from the first...

Every now and then, I have a project where every decision I make is wrong, and I have to battle tooth & nail to get to the end. Itch-To-Stitch recently released the Danube Jean Skirt . I love everything about the design of this skirt: slim fitting, DENIM, wind friendly, go-with-everything casual, sits at the natural waist, side slits for something fun and less formal. I was very excited to jump into the testing phase. I had a couple heavier non stretch twill fabrics in my stash suitable for muslins... and exactly 1 piece of non stretch denim which I earmarked for my final skirt. In The Beginning The first muslin revealed the need for some fine tuning, something that should be expected during the testing phase. V2 for the pattern was distributed and my second muslin came together quickly. I got exactly what I expected. A pretty well-fitting skirt except for my prominent full seat which was pulling all my fabric out of whack. No big deal, right? I've had this issue for...

I call this hairstyle: Sea Salt Spray Failure.  I do not look beachy-fresh.  I look slightly frazzled.  Fortunately, my new top is fabulous! This is the Sienna Drawstring Knit Doloman Top from Sinclair Patterns . The Sienna was free for about a month or so with a code in the Sinclair Patterns FB group, and naturally, I snatched it up.  Pattern Details   Sienna is a casual top with cut-on doloman sleeves in 2 lengths: Short like mine, or 3/4. It also features a banded neckline, cuffs and some crazy fun side tie rouching.  This pattern has been getting tons of love in the Sinclair FB Group, and there was a video sew along for it recently as well. I won't reinvent the wheel here; you can pop into the Sinclair Sew Alongs Group and find the videos by searching #SewSienna.  Along my journey to fine-tune my self fitting skills, I've discovered that I have a small shoulder joint and that I often benefit from shortening tops betwe...