The g&g team pattern review June 2019

The g&g team always have lots of sewing projects on the go between them, and if you subscribe to our newsletter you’ve probably seen the weekly ‘what’s on our cutting table’ section that features one of the projects they are working on.

We are always chatting about sewing too, but then every few months we spend a bit more time reviewing some of the patterns that we have in the shop. So here are this months lovely makes from the g&g team

Liesl + Co All Day Shirt in Robert Kaufman Check fabric

Ben has made a few all day shirts in the past so decided to customise it this time and add in a few lovely features. He used this lovely medium weight Robert kaufman cotton linen checked fabric that looks so summery! To make it more fitted at the back he added some waist darts, using the Thread Theory fairfield shirt (that comes with darts) as a guide. He then also added a grown on sleeve shape onto the pattern himself along with a short sleeve that looks really nice turned back to make a cuff. The pattern matching of the checks is spot on and well worth the extra effort and time cutting out and sewing. He reckons it took him about 2 or 3 evenings to make but would probably be quicker next time in a fabric that doesn’t need pattern matching and now that he has the changes to the pattern worked out. I think it looks lovely and great for summer!

True Bias Emerson Trousers in Tencel Twill

The rust tencel twill fabric that Jo picked for her project looks great made up in these wide legged Emerson trousers. They are pull on and have neat, flattering pleats at the front and an elasticated waistband at the back - so super comfy too.

She picked the size 12 high rise version and found that despite normally needing to lower high rise trousers, these ones actually sat at the right level for her, so she recommends that if you are longer in the body to check the height of the rise and consider altering it. They are sitting at a really nice cropped length on Jo and she took about ⅔ inches off the length.

The pattern recommended 2.4m for her size but she managed to use 1.5m as the pattern pieces fitted in next to each other rather than stacked, so that might be something worth checking out too before ordering your fabric. Jo’s outfit with her Grainline Hadley Top using some Atelier Brunette moonstone viscose looks brilliant!

Named Patterns Inari Tee in Stardust double gauze

Lesley is a huge fan of the Atelier Brunette Stardust fabric and for her Named patterns Inari tee she picked the lovely forest green colourway. She wanted something with a little bit of structure that would hold the a-line shape of the top.

The Inari is a super versatile quick and easy to make and would be suitable for beginners or those still new to dressmaking. You can actually make it in a woven or a stretch fabric and depending on that you have two neckline line options - a facing for woven fabric and a band for stretchy fabrics.

She made a size 8 and found the fit good and true to size but did lengthen this cropped version by about 2 inches and still feels like it could be a bit longer - so that’s something worth considering if you aren’t sure about super cropped lengths. I think it looks great, really flattering around the neckline and I love the little fold back cuff detail on the sleeve.

Lisel + Co Classic Shirt in embroidered cotton fabric

Meg used some of our lovely new summery white embroidered cotton fabric and underlined it with some plain white cotton voile for her version of the Liesl + Co Classic shirt. This pattern comes with a bust cup option to help with choosing a size. To make the most of this Meg recommends following their guide to working out a cup size rather than choosing what bra size you would normally make. The pattern suggests working out the difference between your high and full bust measurement and then using that as a guide to choosing a cup size - it’s explained just below the size chart on the pattern envelope.

When sewing it up she found that there was a lot of ease in the sleeve head and collar piece so make sure you have plenty of pins to help get everything smooth. As she has made several shirt before she mainly followed the Closet Case Patterns Kalle method for attaching the collar and yoke rather than following the instructions that came with the pattern.

To get the short sleeve she just shortened the long sleeve pattern piece and ended up shortening the bodice by about 25cm and straightening the hem line out rather than having it curved like the pattern. I think it looks lovely and fresh for summer and will be lovely and breezy on super hot days