#grainline studio

[vitalsocialissuesnstuff]

D³ : Pattern weights by Grainline Studio

I bought the Burda Easy magazine to sew a few of the garments. As my last sewing projects probably turned out rather poorly due to lack of practice, I wanted to slowly try my hand at sewing again. So I started with the Grainline Studio pattern weights. Yes, that’s right, the online shop that sells the instructions for the famous Field Bag. The instructions for the town bag and the stove bag are…

[bronteswannick]

I adapted the free pattern for the Hemlock Tee from Grainline Studio for woven fabric, rather than knit/stretch fabric. My toile worked out really well so I made a wearable one in some lovely fabric I had in my stash. Very pleased, it’s going to be perfect for the summer!

I used bias binding on the neck, the pattern uses a different method but it doesn’t work with wovens.

I’ll be making lots more of these soon!

[makinguselessthings]

Let’s talk a little bit about sewing. 

I am finally branching out and trying out some actual clothing patterns. I have a few things lined up. 

First will be this Grainline Studio t-shirt pattern. The fabric was a birthday gift from a friend. I have been trying to use it for ages, but patterns in English were hard to come by in Okinawa. 

Second I will be remaking the City Gym Shorts by Purl Soho. I made them many years ago (5 maybe?) before I knew anything about sewing. You can probably find my post on them if you dig through my blog. So I picked up this cute comfy flannel, in the hopes that they will make a nice snuggly pair for the winter. 

[sewsarahsmith]

  I’ve made two pairs of Lakeside PJ’s recently; my first pair in cotton lawn and my second slightly redrafted pair in an unbelievably soft chambray for the Minerva Crafts Blogger Network. Head over there to read my post for them – I go into more detail about the process of binding these PJs in that post, including how to use my beloved binder foot – here I focus on the fit ;-)

This pretty Bird & Floral cotton poplin had been laying dormant in my stash for a while; I’d initially bought it to make a SOI Shirtdress an age ago but then decided the pairing. It’s a wonderfully soft fabric and not prone to creasing too much so I really wanted to use it. I’m not that brave with wearing vivid prints  but I figured I could handle it in sleep/loungewear! I then decided to pair it with some hot cerise binding; go me!

With the top, the one thing I really wanted to get right was the fit of the neckline so that when I leaned forward there would absolutely be no chance of gaping there or at the underarm as I’d mostly be wearing it bra-less. (I am wearing a crap fitting strapless bra in these photos because, y’know, *t’internet*) So I decided to try my first ever Full Bust Adjustment and … I’m so glad I did! I sized down and then proceeded to redraft the pattern piece by slashing and spreading following the FBA instructions in the Fit For Real People book to add fabric just where I needed it most. It ended up being such a simple adjustment to make that I wonder why I’ve not attempted one before! I’m fed up sizing things for the boobs and then having gaping at the neckline and other issues. I’ve made a promise to myself that doing an FBA is going to become a standard fit alteration from now on in.

Once that adjustment was done and the pieces cut out, the top is an incredibly quick sew, especially when using a binding foot*. I really love it and quite frankly the top could easily be worn out of the house paired with jeans! In fact I’ve got some black crepe stashed; I’m thinking of shortening the bodice, using velvet binding and making a ‘going out’ top with it; that cheeky little back rise is perfect!

I didn’t use my binder foot on the shorts, primarily because of the construction process. And actually sewing the binding on manually was fine. I deviated slightly from the instructions at Step 13 and did my own thing as I didn’t want two rows of stitching down the side seam; I merely crossed over and bar tacked like this: (*again, I go into more of the binding detail in this post).

I tried the shorts on before adding the waistband and…they were way too big! I took them in at CF and CB and reduced the waistband pieces accordingly before stitching them on. The fit is really comfy now but I dare say they’re still too wide at the side seams.  I went down two sizes for the second pair and you can see the difference. This is probably entirely my fault for cutting out too big a size to start with!

All in all I love this PJ set; it’s so cute! I’ve got enough of this fabric left that I’m contemplating making up another pair of Carolyn Pajamas pants to go with the top. Or maybe that would be overkill? I always fear that if I wear print head to toe, I’d end up looking like a rolled up carpet…d’ya know what I mean?!

All in all though, the Chambray pair are my fave. What do you think?

Until next time (tomorrow in fact, when I’ll be sharing the full details of a new Instagram Sewing Challenge I’ve been teasing about on Instagram – I hope you’ll want to be part of it too!!)

  Instagram ;-))

Two pairs of Lakeside Pajamas by Grainline Studio I've made two pairs of Lakeside PJ's recently; my first pair in cotton lawn and my second slightly redrafted pair in an unbelievably soft chambray for the Minerva Crafts Blogger Network.

[sewsarahsmith]

You may (or may not ;-) ) know that recently I was invited by Minerva Crafts to their Blogger Network. I’m sure you can imagine how thrilled I was; I source fabrics from Minerva routinely and greatly admire so many of the other Bloggers who contribute. So I was a bit overwhelmed initially about what to make for them. Then I drew in a breath and told myself to just make what I would choose to make anyway. And so I chose this, the Moss Skirt by Grainline. Head over to see my post on Minerva’s blog to see why I believe this to be a Perfect Everyday Skirt (I’d really appreciate the support!)

Oh and if you’re curious about the slouchy top I’m wearing? It’s another Grainline pattern; their Linden. I’m planning to post my thoughts on that here in the next few days, with two versions.

Until next time, thanks for reading

Sew Sarah smith

Instagram  //  Twitter

            A Perfect Everyday Skirt : the Moss Skirt by Grainline Studio #MCBN You may (or may not ;-) ) know that recently I was invited by Minerva Crafts to their Blogger Network.

[emilywools]

Honeymoon PJs. Made with some French cotton voile from Marché Saint-Pierre, and some blue silk trim. Working with silk bias tape was incredibly fiddly, and I had a really hard time keeping things tidy. To make it, I did use this tutorial which I found very easy compared to tutorials I have followed in the past. I also finally figured out how to use my bias tape maker, so that was also a big help. I french seamed everything but the crotch seam (I just zig-zagged to finish instead), and I only had 3/4″ elastic, so thats what I used for the waistband. I tacked it down via stitch-in-the-ditchat both side seams (instead of sewing in the middle of the waistband all the way around).

I compared these, my second version of the Lakeside PJs, to the first that I made ~2 years ago, and its neat to see how my sewing skills have improved dramatically since then. The first time around, I vastly underestimated the amount of ease in the pattern, so this time I made a 6 in the top, and an 8 in the bottoms. The bottoms are still a tiny bit tight (!!) but they will work.

SUPER EXCITED FOR NEW ZEALAND NEXT WEEK!!!!!!

[overtonesofreality]

Got patterns to make a coat, my ideal pajamas, and a button-down shirt! Super excited! Also glad my only black friday purchase was from an indie pattern company.