Tuesday 15 May 2018

I sewed something!

After a loooong time away from the sewing machine I've finally sewn something! Well, three things to be precise - three Sew Over It Molly tops. Nothing complicated, nothing fancy, just simple everyday tops that will be worn a lot (I'm wearing the pink one as I type this...)


There are several reasons why I haven't been feeling it on the sewing front recently, but the main one is that I'd more or less reached saturation point with my handmade wardrobe. To put it simply, I had more than enough clothes and didn't need to sew more. Unworn garments were piling up and it felt wasteful and wrong. So I stopped sewing. And if I'm perfectly honest, I've enjoyed the break and the lack of pressure to sew things. 

When spring finally arrived in the UK I had a long, hard look at my wardrobe and was pretty ruthless with the clothes that no longer fit me, both in terms of style and size. A combination of middle age, menopause and eating too many pies (and what a lovely combination that is!) meant that quite a lot of the super fitted styles I used to love so much had to be slung out. That's when I noticed a gap for a few stylish T shirts and tops, preferably made from knit fabrics for the comfort factor.

The light blue Molly top was actually sewn a few weeks before the other two, using Girl Charlee denim coloured cotton spandex from my stash. I made a straight size 10 as per my previous version


Molly is a really simple but stylish pattern and in a few short weeks this top has been worn a LOT. The fabric was lovely to sew with too, so I decided to sew a couple more. I bought a darker denim version of the same fabric and, very unusually for me, a dark rose pink, both from Girl Charlee. 

It took just a morning to make the two tops on my overlocker (hems and neckbands were top stitched with a double needle) and they turned out exactly as I'd hoped. The dark denim one is basically a carbon copy of the light denim one and will be worn until it falls apart. The fabric is light enough to wear on spring days or can be layered up when it's really cold.  

I think this one is my favourite.
I left off the sleeve cuffs for the pink version as I thought the colour was more suited to summer. I also levelled off the hem to give it a neater shape. 


I must admit it was good to get back behind the sewing machine again. If you've had a bit of a break from sewing, here are my top tips for getting back into it:

1. Choose a pattern you've used before and you know fits well. You can then just cut out and sew, knowing that the finished garment will fit.

2. Don't over complicate things with a difficult design. The Molly top has just three pattern pieces (four if you add the sleeve cuffs) and is ridiculously quick to sew.

3. Avoid patterned fabric for the same reason. Who can be arsed to pattern match when you're after a quick fix?!

4. Knit fabrics are your friend, they're quick to sew up and easy to fit.

5. Cut out more than one garment at the cutting stage. If you only have a few seams to sew, an extra garment doesn't takes much longer to sew up, especially if you use my canny overlocker thread tip

The new additions to my wardrobe are already on frequent rotation, which I'm delighted about. Rumour has it there's a Tilly and the Buttons Bibi skirt in the pipeline too, so I'm clearly on a sewing roll! Small steps... x







25 comments:

  1. Yay! Welcome back! I've left off sewing for quite some weeks, too ... it all seems to be stuff demanded of me by others. Not nearly so much fun as sewing for one's self. (Oneself? One's self? Neither looks correct to me. Sigh.)

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  2. Very nice. Love all three colours!

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  3. Nice to see you back! those tops look perfect for starting again and for filling wardrobe gaps.

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  4. Hello there! I am really pleased to hear that you're sewing again but also that you are in the next round of sewing for yourself, because that evolves just like any other aspect of our sense of style. I am pretty sure you already know to avoid polyesters especially for top half garments, as the big M does not love a polyester. I am getting more tolerant again but had a terrible heat flash at work this week wearing a merino wool top in our overly heated office and had to escape. Why can they not happn when it is cold? lol. Welcome back!

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    1. Ah thanks Maryanne! Yes, I’ve already discovered the importance of natural fibres, last year I couldn’t even tolerate anything with sleeves never mind polyester! x

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  5. I liked the look of those tops so went to Sew over it, but couldn't find the pattern. Is it discontinued? You wetted my appetite and now I can't find it.

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    1. The Molly top is part of the My Capsule Wardrobe: City Break ebook

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    2. Anonymous, you beat me to it, thank you! Gill - the first mention of the Molly top in this post links straight to the City Break e-book.

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  6. These look gorgeous! I love the colours, I’m sure you’ll get lots of wear out of them.

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  7. Totally agree with your list of how to get back into sewing. Thats what I do whenever I lose my sewjo! Anyway glad to see you back and I love your tops.

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  8. Good to see you are sewing again, I love all three tops. Great tips for getting back in to sewing too!

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    1. Thanks Catherine, glad the tips were helpful! x

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  9. These look so great on you! I live girl charlee and love a good quick fix pattern! I have been having trouble with tunneling using my twin needles for hems? Any tips for a clean, flat hem on knits using a double needle?

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  10. Oh, I need to go through my closet and get rid of clothes that no longer fit my aging body. Although clothes generally fit my hips, I can't fit in the waist. And I don't like form fitted clothes anymore.

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  11. I love these. The pink really suits you. I haven’t been brave enough to sew my own clothes yet, but one day maybe x

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  12. Wow! This look gorgeous in your post! love all the three colors. Awesome pictures you captured. Thank you!
    marble artifacts

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  13. I have been going through my closet ruthlessly as well. Not finished, so I haven't done a reckoning yet. I love these tops. They really suit you, Jane. And, just so you know, you have been missed! I'm glad you enjoyed your break.

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  14. They all look great (my favourite is the dark rose). 3 down, 26 of our other colours to go (although with your blog being about not sewing beyond saturation point that may be a few too many!). Thanks for the kind words about our fabrics and glad to see you back sewing again!

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  15. Hey Jane! Welcome back. I can't take my eyes off those perfect necklines all in a row. And I'm loving the idea of sewing up more than one thing at a time. I'm hoping to get at least one toile in this weekend. Work has trumped sew recently but I'll get the balance back if it kills me! x

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  16. Such great tips, they are perfect for beginners too. I love your tops, especially the pink one.

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