Anchors Aweigh!

If you've been paying attention for the past few years, you'll have noticed that I'm more than a little fond of the nautical look. My favourite colour combination (blue and white) is often used, sometimes with a bit of red thrown in and a liberal use of large white buttons. As far as shapes and styles are concerned I have a huge soft spot for sailor trousers and large-collared sailor tops…

Deanna Durbin and friends in Three Smart Girls

Adorable sailor collared halter neck blouse (I think)

Sailor sweater, oh I WISH I could knit sometimes!

But for a real taste of nautical chic, there's nothing quite like the winning combo of striped Breton top and high wasted sailor shorts. And brown legs of course, if you're lucky!

Just in case I get an invitation to mess around in a boat this summer, I've decided to make myself this very same winning combo.  For the shorts, I'm going down the denim route, inspired by these beauties.

I'll be using Kwik Sew 3854, kindly lent to me by Zoe. In fact, we did a sailor swap - I loaned her my copy of Simplicity 2654 to make a pair of awesome sailor trousers! I'll be making view B, from a lovely dark, stretch denim. Now I just need to work on applying fake tan for an entire year to get my legs the requisite bronzed hue (ha!)

For the Breton style top there was only ever one contender - the Coco pattern.  I used an unusual green and cream striped stable knit from the Goldhawk Road, which is a lovely quality knit. I went for the ¾ sleeve option and also shortened the body length quite a bit. I do like the original length of the Coco top with the split, but wanted something that wouldn't be too bulky tucked in. The shorter length also means it can showcase any awesome sailor buttons I manage to scavenge for my shorts.  I tapered the waist and hips in by about ½" for a more fitted look and also reduced the width of the sleeves. 

The neck is a bit baggier than I'd like, but I think that's more to do with me using a zigzag stitch. For some reason, all my zigzagged hems came out wavy as hell on this make. The arms and main hems looked ridiculous and the only reason the neck is wearable is because I applied knit stay tape beforehand. In the end I had no choice but to cut the hems off and start again, this time using a twin needle, which seemed to do the trick. Definitely something to keep in mind for next time.  Here it is tucked in...

Despite this, the top sewed up very quickly on my overlocker and I'm pleased with how well it seems to pair with my existing wardrobe.  A good nautical start I'd say! I can't wait to pair it with the sailor shorts in a few week's time. Right, must go and practise a furious dance routine a la Gene Kelly…. x

Coco round two: the dress

I told you I had another Coco up my sleeve and here it is: a dress version with slash neck and long sleeves!

If anything, this was even quicker to make than my first Coco top, probably because I'd been through the whole process once before. Even allowing for matching up the stripes on the side seams, it can't have taken longer than 20-30 minutes to whip up once it was cut out. Definitely my kind of sewing! The original dress length is quite short and flirty so I lengthened it by just one inch, and that's the only change I made to the pattern. Once it was sewn up, I did have to take the arm seams in (about 1cm all the way down from underarm to wrist), which I didn't have to do for my Coco top. I think this was simply due to the double knit I used for the Coco top being thicker.

The fabric I used for the dress version is a very lovely striped Campan Jersey, kindly gifted to me by Dragonfly Fabrics. It's not cheap, but the quality absolutely shines through - it's gorgeous and feels very luxurious to wear. It comes in every conceivable colour/stripe combination, but in the end I played it safe and went for a classic navy with narrow beige stripes. Photographing narrow stripes is a nightmare, so here's a close up to give you a better idea of the colour.

Campan Jersey isn't strictly speaking the stable knit that the pattern specifies. Even though it's only 3% lycra, it has slightly more stretch than a truly stable knit, but I think it just manages to sneak through the net as suitable for the Coco pattern. It's not overly clingy, just clingy enough to pull you in, in all the right places. For the dress version especially, it gives a slightly drapey effect which I really like.

I love this dress, the simple cut and classic stripes make it an effortless outfit. It looks great with tights and a cardigan and I can see it being equally easy to wear in the summer with clogs or flip flops. Another Coco win! Happy Sunday. x

Fabric was given to me free of charge for review. All views my own.

Coco revealed

Have you seen Coco - the latest pattern release from Tilly and the Buttons? It's Tilly's third pattern but the first that's available printed and I was lucky enough to be a pattern tester, wahay! Let's talk about Coco.

Coco is a Breton-style top or dress, designed especially for knit fabrics with lots of style options. Top or dress? Three quarter length sleeves or full length? Traditional slashed neck or sixties style funnel neck? Oh the decisions. To test it, I decided to go for a plain necked top with full length sleeves.

The pattern is intended for stable knits fabrics such as double knit, interlock knit or ponte knit. I chose a red double knit from an eBay seller which is a nice quality, but a bit on the raspberry side of red for my liking. Despite this, it sews up perfectly and washes well. Yes, it's been washed many times already because it's hardly ever off my back. The pattern is sized from 1 to 8, for reference I'm generally a UK10-12 for tops and I made a size 3. It's very flattering and comfortable and a great fit - I didn't have to make any changes to the pattern at all. The fit around the waist and hips does a great job of accentuating your shape whilst still being comfortable enough to do a bit of hoola hooping in, if you so wish.

The top version of Coco only has three pattern pieces and it was super simple to put together.  The sleeves are constructed flat i.e. the sleeve head is attached to the underarm whilst it's flat, then sewn up the side seams and arm seams in one go. Easy! I sewed the main seams on my overlocker and used a double needle for the hems and a zigzag stitch for the neckline, so no fiddling with neckbands. Don't worry if you don't have an overlocker, you'll be able to whip this up on a regular machine in no time.

The weight of my double knit is quite thick and the top actually looks much better untucked. The side splits give it that ohh la la French look, especially when worn with unseasonal cropped jeans and wedges. I know, I know, it's freezing outside but I couldn't resist ('why are you wearing shorts?' my son asked me...) Tilly gives plenty of suggestions for adding your own individual touches to Coco. Naturally, I chose to add a row of nautical buttons to the shoulders, just because.

And finally, we come to the packaging and instructions. In a word (or a few words), the packaging is to die for. I'm easily won over by packaging and the design on the front has polka dots as a background for goodness sake, what's not to like?! The instructions are clear as a bell and come in a full colour instruction booklet with step by step photographs!! Yes, really! And if you still get stuck, Tilly has blog posts a-plenty on sewing with knits etc scheduled over the next few weeks.

I think the Coco pattern is a really important new kid on the block. It's an excellent introductory pattern for newbie sewists and a well drafted, well fitting pattern for those with a bit more experience under their belts. Congratulations Tilly, I know that an incredible amount of hard work has gone into creating this pattern - and it shows.  Coco deserves to do well and I'm sure it will. If you haven't yet bought a copy, you can get one here.

I was so pleased with my Coco top that I made a dress version as well, but you'll have to wait for another post to see that. Spoiler alert: it's fab! x

The Coco pattern was given to me free of charge for pattern testing. All views my own.