The Glenelly Top

Hello dear readers!  I'm back again with a quick little post about my newest sewing project.  I'm sure it will come as absolutely no surprise at this point when I tell you that it is, of course, also the newest pattern to be released by Itch to Stitch.  Once again I got in on the ground floor so to speak with this one, and was a pattern tester for it.

I love wearing tee shirts but tend to stick with a few tried and true patterns that consist of either raglan or set in sleeves and either a plain round or scooped neckline or if I'm feeling particularly adventurous, a v-neck.  But you know what they say.  Variety is the spice of life.  And Glenelly definitely provides that!

I was really drawn to the open neckline of the Glenelly top with it's angled front corners and wide sweeping cut. It takes the idea of a plain tee and dials it up a notch in interest both in design and the sewing of it.  Of course, like a lot of ITS patterns, it looks more complicated than it really is.  Kennis is always very thorough in her instructions and walks you through those corners step by step.  

Once you've got the corners down pat, the rest is easy peasy and goes together like any other t-shirt neckline really!  And the rest of the shirt?  Well, there is absolutely nothing complicated about it at all!  Raglan sleeves, side seams, hems.  That's it, that's all.   Did I mention that the neckline really only looks complicated?  If you take it nice and easy and follow the steps it shouldn't cause any aggravation and I think it's well worth the effort!

I was quite pleased with the fit of this top -  I always say I have line backer shoulders so I found it really suited to my shape as is.  But don't worry!  If you've got narrower shoulders, Kennis has a modification you can do to bring the neckline in as necessary.  Just check out her handy post that's linked from the instructions!

My top is sewn out of the famous Fabric Snob "boyfriend knit" (Sorry I can't remember the colourway - maybe it was Joseph?  Not sure! I don't actually see it on their website right now).  For size reference, I sewed an 18 (full bust) and sized down to the 16 at the hips.  Only alteration needed was my standard 1 1/2" length.

I planned all week to get a dress version done as well to show you, but here we are, release day and I've not even dug out my fabric that I want to use, so I guess that's not going to be happening just yet.  What can I say?  It's nearing the end of June.  There's seven more school days left to go in what feels like a year that's lasted approximately eleventy million months.  I'm just plain old worn out.  (Pretty sure everyone is at this point.  Not just me!)  The end is in site though.  I did my last library classes yesterday and started the year end inventory.  And in a little more than a week I will be on summer break.   And one of the first things I plan on doing is sewing up a Glenelly dress! (I also have another Recoleta planned for those first few days of summer break too!)

Anyways, I hope you'll check out the Glenelly pattern and give it a go.  If I get that dress made next week as planned, I'll pop up an update here to show you how it turned out as well! (although don't hold me to it... I may well be sitting on the deck just staring off into space for a bit. LOL)

The Recoleta Dress

Well hello again!  This is getting a bit embarrassing... I always have the very best of intentions to post and then somehow another few weeks goes by and I don't do it and then I casually saunter back into the blogosphere with another new Itch to Stitch* pattern.  I do other crafty things besides test for Kennis.  Really I do!  One of these days I will hopefully get around to sharing some of those other things...

But today is not that day.  Today is the latest pattern from Itch to Stitch and I am really looking forward summery weather that I can wear it in! (It was only 5C the day I took my photos.  I would have appreciated some summery weather l tell you! Brrrrr.)  

Let me introduce you to the Recoleta Dress. 

Recoleta is in the new Itch to Stitch size range of 00-40 and A-DD cup sizes. It's a empire waisted dress that gets it's shaping thanks to bodice and skirt darts.  It features short or 3/4 length sleeves and has a pretty split neckline.  The neckline is completely faced (and enclosed) which has got me thinking of doing a version with some floral embroidery on it... maybe in a lightweight denim...

Sorry.  I was just daydreaming there.  There are just so many projects I want to sew and so very little time to do them in.  So.  Back at the project at hand.

I chose to make my Recoleta out of a Rose and Hubble Cotton poplin.  I bought it a few summers ago at the Fabricland in the city because I loved the little flamingos marching across it.  Then I had no idea what to make with it, so into my stash bin it went.  I actually had forgotten about it until I went looking for something suitable for my dress.

After I cut out my pattern, I came to two revelations.  The first one being that my flamingos were indeed marching in neat little rows across my fabric.  My second revelation that came close on the heels of the first was that those rows basically acted and stripes and I hadn't given a blessed thought to matching the pattern up at all when I cut it out.  With disappointment at certain looming pattern matching disaster I sat down to sew.  I can not express how shocked I was to find out that somehow my lines were matching up.  Coincidental pattern matching is not something that ever happens for me.  Did I mention it NEVER happens??? I'm the one that will end up with a inconveniently placed flower or a two headed animal, or... well you get the idea.

The one place the pattern did not match up was on one of sets of front neckline.  Easy peasy solution?  Make the unmatched set my facing.  Only I know! (well and now all of you too, but whatever.  Only I will ever see it so that's what counts!)

The only changes I made to the pattern were that I added my standard 1 1/2" of length to the bodice and then I took off 1 1/2" from the bottom hem.  That's all!  I love that I can always count on ITS patterns to pretty much fit from the get go!

I'm pretty happy too that my Flamingo Recoleta goes perfectly with my red clogs and my red Sunshower cardi!

If you're wanting to pick up your copy of Recoleta, it is on sale now for the release week over on the Itch to Stitch site!

Gothenburg Top

I'm back again with another test subject!  

It's probably absolutely no surprise that my latest pattern test is for Itch to Stitch* given it's no secret how much I love Kennis Wong's designing and pattern drafting.  Her sizing is always so consistent and I know exactly what size to make every time with no surprises.  For tops and dresses the only change I ever have to make is to add length in the bodice. (Pants are another story and are my nemesis no matter what brand of pattern I use and always require various adjustments that I never feel I've quite figured out. But that's another story for another day)

The newest ITS pattern is the Gothenburg Top.  It's in the new size range of 00-40 A-DD and is a long sleeved funnel neck top with a gently dipping hem in the back that requires a structured knit to keep the neckline from collapsing.  Ponte, sweat shirting and scuba are perfect choices.  You'll want to leave your drapier bamboo blends and light weight french terries for another project probably.

It's a super simple sew with only three pattern pieces! (Less paper to print and tape! WHOOOT).  I made mine out of a 1.5 meter cut of mystery fabric that I can't figure out what it is.  It has the weight and hand of a ponte de roma, but has the look of a double sided jersey (floral on one side, solid black on the other).  Who knows what it actually is.  What I do know is it is soft and cozy and I'm all about purple lately, so I love it.  It's also been in my stash for a few years waiting to be sewn up into something.

I think my fabric may have been a bit too "soft" as I feel like my neckline is collapsing in on itself a bit. It also has a bit of a sheen to it it that makes it slippery, which thankfully was tamed by some quick hand stitching on the inside. I'm not used to the funnel neck (I don't think I've ever owned one before!) so find I do fidget with it a bit, but I think I need to just get used to the look and feel of a funnel neck and also next time, I'll be a little more careful about my fabric choice.  Kennis gave us a tip in choosing fabric that I thought was ingenious, and that was to fold the fabric in half vertically and hold it up.  If it collapses it's too drapey.  If it doesn't you've got a winner for having a great structured funnel neck!  I'm going to be on the lookout for something more structured than this one to give it a try!

You can get the pattern over at the ITS site and it's on sale for the release week!