Seamwork Eugene

Matt doesn’t always get a look in between sewing for me and for the babies, so I decided that it must be his turn again, and time to tick another make off my make 9 list. I’ve made loads of Metro tee’s for him in the last couple of years, so I decided it was time to try a different t-shirt pattern. I’ve had a Seamwork subscription on and off for a while so had loads of credits to use on this Eugene Henley. Its quite a different look- a bit more going on in terms of construction, and a slightly looser fit.

Though Matt’s measurements put him between the M and S we went for the size S, especially when comparing his measurements with the finished garment ones. I didn’t want it to end up too oversized and I think that was the right choice. It still looks a loose fit, but not too huge.

As mentioned by other bloggers, the instructions around constructing the collar and placket are pretty poor. I did deviate from the instructions a bit, constructing the collar and placket before adding the sleeves and side seams. I also ended up hand sewing the inside of the placket down so that I didn’t have to top stitch a section twice. Next time I would do the edge stitching for the placket at the same time as sewing down the inside edge.

The placket is definitely not perfect. Its a bit wonky at the bottom, but I decided that I was unlikely to make it any better by trying to redo it! I’m happy enough with it, and Matt doesn’t seem to mind! I finished the placket off with plain silver snaps because I didn’t fancy trying to get neat buttonholes, and I didn’t really have any suitable buttons anyway.

There are a couple of other options included in the pattern instructions, including giving the t-shirt a split hem. I used some grey twill ribbon to finish the split, and I really like the effect. Its nice to sometimes make a project more complex than it needs to be. I’ve done a lot of really simple sewing lately, and it was great to have a bit more of a challenge in terms of skills and techniques.

The fabric from this t-shirt might look a bit familiar, because I used it not too long ago to make a Honeydew Hoodie. The t-shirt was actually the original intended purpose of the fabric which was bought ages ago from Fabworks, but amazingly it can still be bought in a couple of different colourways. This one is a medium weight interlock, and has a slightly brushed texture so is really soft. For the contrast I used some solid cotton spandex from Girl Charlee in burgundy, and a scrap of cotton in a very close colour match for the contrast inside the yoke.

This definitely was more time consuming than the t-shirts that I have made previously, especially as quite a few steps need to be done on the sewing machine instead of an overlocker. I think I would consider using it again, but the instructions and finishing of the placket would definitely need a bit of consideration and would be done my own way in future. Matt seems to like it though, and I like it on him as a change from a more basic tee.

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Mix and match baby layette

I’m always amazed at the number and quality of free sewing patterns that are available from a whole range of pattern designers, and so I decided it would be fun to test a few out to make a couple of baby outfits. The great thing about baby clothes is that the use so little fabric and are generally pretty quick to sew so you get lots of satisfaction for very little input!

Because baby is due in November this time around I really wanted to make some footed trousers. We had a couple of pairs when Toby was little, and they were great because you don’t need socks and outfit changes are especially quick! I found this free pattern from Vagabond Stitch for Footed Pants which seemed perfect, so I went ahead and made a couple of pairs in the newborn size.

I was a bit intrigued about how the foot was going to be constructed, but it was so much easier than I expected. The top and the sole of the foot are sewn together, then sewn into the leg in the round almost like a cuff. Much easier than I was envisaging. I decided it would be fun to have a flash of colour on the feet, so I swapped up the two fabrics that I’m using. These are both my ever favorite cotton spandex from Girl Charlee in Mint and Grey.

Another pattern that I have seen a few bloggers make it the Wee Lap Tee from Patterns for Pirates. It seems like a practical option because it has an envelope neckline to make it easier to get over a babies head. In keeping with the trousers, I’ve swapped the colours over on the neckline bands too.

Patterns for pirates have a whole baby set to download for free which is a lovely gift idea. I also used their Teeny Beanie pattern. It has bear ears- need I say more! There are also a couple of other variations including a knotted option which I might have to try out at some point too.

For all the garments I chose to sew the newborn size. I didn’t sew anything for Toby in newborn because I wasn’t sure it would be worth the effort or if he would grown too fast, but I found that even though he wasn’t the smallest of babies, the 0-3m sizes that I did sew for him were too big for quite a while. I think I might well end up sewing some more of the trousers in particular in a few other sizes. Toby’s were so good for things like baby massage, swimming and being weighed where you have to get them dressed and undressed!

Raspberry Romper

I made this cute little romper ages ago to coincide with the #sewtogetherforsummer2019 challenge, but have been thwarted when it came to taking proper pictures by a bout of chicken pox and lots of cold weather. Now a heatwave and our holiday have coincided perfectly and given me a chance to revisit it for some modelled pictures!

This is the Raspberry Romper from Poppy and Jazz and I made a size 12-18 months. Toby is over 12 months now (where has the time gone!) but does tend to be a bit smaller than the clothing size guides so this is still a little big. I was able to use the offcuts from my Spoonflower Alder dress to cut the straps and the bib, but there was no way that I was going to get those massive leg pieces out of the odd shaped bits that I had left, so I rummaged in my stash and found this old blue duvet cover as a nice bit of contrast.

It was a super easy sew, and baby clothes always seem to come together especially quickly. I definitely appreciate the snaps at the crotch for easy nappy changes, and chose plain white prym ones for simplicity.

I’m not sure if the legs look a bit too massive still. I’m tempted to try to slim them down a little, or maybe even take them off completely and redraft something slimmer based on some of Toby’s other dungarees. They look very cute in all the promotional pictures and on some of the younger babies that I’ve seen online, but I’m not sure they are the most practical for a very active walking and crawling toddler!

Even with that in mind, they are a cute look. I had suitable coordinating buttons in my button jars for the straps. The straps are a little long at the moment though, so I might put an extra set of buttons on as another option.

Even though I wasn’t able to get proper pictures at the time, I did manage to get a couple of unmodeled ones and actually won one of the prizes from the #sewtogetherforsummer challenge! I’m still choosing which of the Sew Over It patterns I will use as my prize- if you have any particular favorites let me know!

Adventures in double brushed poly

Well I’ve finally got back on the blogging train, and have a couple of things written and ready to go in the next few weeks. First of which was a bit of a fabric experiment for me. Double brushed poly is one of those fabric types which I had seen cropping up on other blogs and in online fabric shops, but still wasn’t 100% sure what to expect when I finally took the plunge and ordered this one from Girl Charlee! I was feeling a little apprehensive about the polyester content because I usually make all my t-shirts from cotton jerseys, but this actually feels super soft and drapes really well too.

I’ve gone with one of my most sewn patterns from the last year- the Megan Nielson Amber. It really is one of the patterns I’ve had best value for money out of. It makes me feel comfortable while I’m pregnant, but I also know I will get loads of wear out of it after baby arrives too for nursing.

This particular Amber is definitely my current favorite. It comes straight out of the wash and gets worn again! Both of my previous Amber tops are solid colours, which makes them very practical but not quite so fun! This floral print is perfect for wearing with most of my plain bottoms.

The fabric does make this one feel a little warmer and less breathable than the cotton spandex versions, so maybe not perfect for the current high temperatures, but I can see that I will be wearing this all the time once it cools down again, and I’m going to love it next spring too because it feels so cheerful.

So that’s another of my revised make 9 now complete. Its one that will be cropping up some more in the next few months because I already have another top cut out, and have fabric earmarked for at least one more top and a dress, so sorry if this gets a little repetitive, but you’ve got to love a pattern that really works with your lifestyle!