Staff Pattern Review

Helen has made a beautiful version of the True Bias Shelby Dress using the Fabric Godmother Rita Viscose crepe. This fit and flare style has a flattering v-neckline with princess seams and can be made in different lengths, as well as a romper version.

Helen made a size 10 and suggests checking the finished garment measurements and being guided more by the bust measurement as there is a lot of ease at the waist.

She found the crepe fabric a bit tricky as it can stretch out, especially around the facing/button section at the front. She used Prym forming tape interfacing around the neckline in place of stay stitching, and next time she plans to use knit interfacing on a fabric like this, as it's really good for stabilising the fabric whilst still allowing for optimum drape and movement.

Jo has made a lovely version if the Sew House Seven Remy Raglan top. This is a really great, simple top with various options to customise it so great for confident beginners. Jo picked the teal viscose linen fabric (which also comes in lots of other colours!) and it pairs perfectly as it's nice and drapy which compliments the oversized style.

She made a size 8 grading to a 10 but feels she probably could have gone down to a size 6 for a closer fit.

The changes she made were to take 1.5" off the sleeve and take the cuffs in by 4cm. She also squared off the hem.

Her top tips is to get ready made bias binding as the fabric was fraying and it made the neckline binding a bit more fiddly.

Hannah picked the Elosia pattern from the Named Clothing: Building the Pattern Book and used the Pacific Blue Basics Cotton Jersey to make her version of this really versatile pattern. As the name of the book suggests, you really can build your own pattern here and choose to make a sweater, t-shirt (like Hannah), a tunic or a dress with a circle skirt. She shortened the sleeve on the sweater version of the pattern to get this t-shirt style.

She found the instructions fairly easy to follow but as there are lots of variants of pattern pieces for this pattern, you need to really pay attention to what ones you need for the version you are making when you trace the pattern from the sheets in the book.

The fit is oversized and boxy so she suggests, depending on your preference you may want to size down.

Hannah found that there was lots of notches on the pattern pieces that really helps when sewing the curved seam detail on the front bodice and she used the sewing machine (rather than the overlocker) for this seam and used lots of pins, but found it came together well.

Alison has made a super comfy and stylish version of the Cashmerette Calder Pants using Turquoise Viscose Linen fabric. They are a super relaxed trouser with wide legs.

She found them easy to sew together and only got a bit stuck as the instructions didn't explain the need for a pocket facing and there is a need to watch out for matching up right/wrong sides when making the pocket if you are using a fancy patterned pocket lining. As she was using the same as the main fabric it didn't matter, as there is not right or wrong side of the viscose linen fabric. The photographs on the Cashmerette sew along for the Calder pants will really help if you are getting stuck at this stage.

She found the fit good and made adjustments to make 2" from the rise and 2" from the length after making a toile. There is a more information on the Casherette website on choosing a size and you can pick from an apple or pear fit with this pattern - this is also a tutorial on making it in a knit fabric!