Love Is Sweet Inspiration
As always I have put together a pattern inspiration post for you, a few ideas of how you might use the fabric that came in your boxes this month. I have to say, this list could have been a long one. The fabrics are so versatile and I had to stop myself from browsing all the gorgeous patterns that are available before my bank balance took rather a large hit!
I’ll start with a few ideas for those of you with a handy little one meter of fabric.
This sweet little pyjama set from Tilly and the Buttons could be made with a contrasting fabric for either the top or bottom. It’s a great pattern for working on some new skills such as creating bias binding and sewing fabric on the bias which is what gives the top a lovely drape.
The Peter Pan Blouse from Simple Sew has a sweet colour that would look great made from lace and is buttoned down the back. It uses just 90cm of fabric, making it a great stash busting project.
The Louise Top from République du Chiffon is a PDF pattern currently only available in French, although they are working on an English translation. It’s a sweet little top with slim straps and a flattering neckline that goes across the front and back.
The Polloux Top is an Egyptian inspired pattern from Swiss brand Opian. The PDF file is available in both French and English. It features Raglan sleeves and the contrast yoke can be made from 30cm of fabric with a little more strength to it. With the main body of the top in black you can really go to town with the contrast yoke!
The Sew Over It Silk Cami top is a fab little staple pattern for a fabric with drape to it. Although it requires a little more the 1 meter of fabric, you could use a contrast fabric for the lining to make the inside look a little more exciting – as a sewer I do love it when the inside looks just as nice as the outside, it feels a little more professional.
Another pattern from Opian is this Ortles Snood. This can be made in so many different fabrics to create something new each time and is therefore versatile as a winter scarf of a something more lightweight for spring and summer.
So, now onto patterns that require a little more fabric…
The latest offering from Sew Over It is the Nancy swing dress pattern made up of panels and extra darts to give it a gentle fit, there are no tricky closures to deal with here as it pulls over the head and is closed with a hook and eye.
The Sudley dress and blouse pattern from Megan Nielsen has about a million different options making it a really versatile pattern. Three-quarter length, elbow or cropped sleeves, optional peter-pan collar, long or cropped length blouse, dress with a high gathered waist line and keyhole opening that can be worn at the front or back!
Bringing some glamour to your nightwear is the Cinnamon slip or camisole from Colette Patterns. Featuring a bias cut dress, pointed front midriff and gathers at the bust with double straps.
The Alix dress pattern from By Hand London is a stunning 70s inspired dress and top with billowing raglan sleeves, V-neck yoke, inset waistband and ties at the back. Whilst the full length dress requires over 4 meters of fabric there is a shorter dress option and blouse version.
The Simona Shirt from Wear Lemonade, another French pattern company. Their website is gorgeous, and although the pattern is in French they have a sew-along video on their website and some extra information on their blog Make My Lemonade so if you’re confident give this a go.
The Dominique skirt from Tilly and the Buttons is a lovely easy skirt pattern for beginners or a quick make for someone with more experience. This floaty knee length skirt is another one that is cut on the bias. If you don’t know what that means, basically it’s when you lay the pattern piece at a diagonal angle from the selvedge, rather than parallel to it. It was actually one of the first things I learnt when I started home sewing as I made a circle skirt using this technique. TIP: Make sure you hang your skirt for at least 24 hours before you hem it as it can stretch slightly. If you hem it first you’re likely to end up with a wonky hemline.
I absolutely love this Skater Dress from Simple Sew Patterns with it’s sweet boat neckline at the front and V-neck at the back, three-quarter length sleeves flattering waist and full length skirt. Gorgeous!
Finally the Arden dress by Seamwork is a gorgeous babydoll dress reminiscent of the 60s with a modern twist. It has a contrast yoke, shawl collar with centre front bow and full sleeves. Different fabrics will create completely different styles making it another great versatile piece.
As I said, I think I could have gone on forever, but hopefully I’ve given you a few ideas to get you started. With these fabrics I do recommend making sure you finish your seams properly, either with an overlocker, zig zag stitch or my personal favourite, french seams as they have a tendency towards fraying.
So… what are you planning to make with your new fabric?