November Makes from the g&g team

I'm really lucky to have such a talented bunch in the g&g team who love sewing and making clothes as much as I do! So here is a little round up of some of the lovely makes they have been stitching up recently!

Alex made the Papercut patterns coppelia cardi, which has two versions; a classic cropped ballet style wrap cardigan and a longer faux wrap. She choose some of our lovely soft modal loopback jersey in black which will be so easy to wear with lots of things.

She sized down as some other g&g staff have made the cardi before and found that its come up big. She made the size small and used 1.6m. She felt the neckline of where the wrap sits is quite low so has paired it with a camisole underneath.

She found it really simple to make as it has raglan sleeves and only took a few hours. She decided to make the tie that wraps round around double the length to give the option of tying it at the back and the front.

I think it looks great and really flattering!

PS. we have more coppelia patterns on the way!

Jo made a lovely smart Merchant and Mills Top 64 using some of our sorona linen. It's described as a loose artists smock with front in seam pockets. She used 1.8m and the fabric did shrink a little meaning that cutting out was tight but she still got it done.

It's a simple make for beginners as it has raglan sleeves but Jo recommends making sure that you stick exactly to the seam allowance as there are 6 seams that feed into the neck opening. If you get the seam allowance slightly over or under then it will mean the facing might not fit exactly.

Jo found it very loose and roomy and suggests sizing down if you don't want that and looking at the finished measurements to help choose a size. For her next one she would reduce the size of the neckline and make the pockets a big bigger and further apart as she found them quite close together.

I think it looks great and perfect for this time of year!

Elizabeth used the True Bias Nikko top and dress pattern with some of our maroon modal loopback jersey fabric to make a long sleeved top version.

She found it simple and straight forward to make and it took her 1-2 hours. The pattern recommends a fabric with 75% stretch and the loopback modal has 50% stretch along the width and 75% along the length. She found that it worked well but the neck is a a bit tight.

If she was making it again she would add 1-2cm to the collar/neckband length and cut it on the lengthwise grain. The pattern recommends 1.9m for this version but she only used 1.2m to make a size 4.

Lesley made the Sew House Seven Burnside Bibs which are lovely and stylish work overalls. There are lots of options to choose; either cropped or full length, fitted or loose and two bib styles.

Lesley made the full length, fitted option which has an invisible zip at the side seam and she made a size 4. She used some of our navy hemp and tencel fabric, which is now sold out but I think our sorona linen is a really close alternative. She used 2m of fabric and for that size the pattern called for 2.3/2.5m of fabric.

She finds the fit good but would shorten the front rise next time and found the instructions for calculating that and adjusting as necessary are really clear. Next time she would also remember to stay stitch the edges of the bib so that they don't stretch out.

The pattern is recommended for an intermediate level and Lesley felt this was right as there are some tricky parts. In total it took her about 6 hours of sewing time.

Overall she's really pleased and quite rightly so! I think they look amazing and super flattering and it has definitely made me want to make a pair!

And finally, Meg used some of the gorgeous viscose from the new Atelier Brunette collection to make this skirt version of the Nina Lee Kew Dress. The fuller shape of this skirt is perfect for this type of lighter weight floaty fabric. She found she has to size down from the dress versions she has perviously made to get a closer fit at the waist band.

She's paired it with a cropped version of the Nina Lee Southbank sweater in some of our super soft terracotta modal jersey. I think they make a great combo and a lovely outfit!

We will be stocking the Nina Lee patterns very soon so keep an eye on the Just arrived section!