The lovely team here at g&g have all been busy sewing some gorgeous garments again and I've got a lovely selection of their makes to share with you today. The team love sewing their own clothes as much as our customers and getting to know the different patterns and fabric we stock. It's great way for us to be able to help and advise you on your sewing projects!
Some of the fabrics featured may show as out of stock, depending on when you are reading this post, but please do email us on info@guthrie-ghani.co.uk if there is something you like that isn't currently available. We can keep you updated once it comes back into stock.
Lesleys Jenny Overalls
Lesley has made a gorgeous pair of Closet Core Jenny Overalls using our textured indigo 9oz rigid denim. There are several variations of this pattern and Lesley has gone for a lapped side zip with the bib and straps. They can also be made as trousers or shorts and you can change the zip to a button opening too.
Lesley has made the Jennys before and this time she size up to an 8 as they are very fitted at the waist. She took 1" out of the rise and found she had to do a flat seat adjustment too. She found that the video on lapped zips on the Closet Core website really helped her with that stage of construction and recommends baste fitting them before final construction, just like you would with jeans, so that you can check the fit.
They look fantastic with the denim thread top stitching and I'm sure she will get lots of wear out of them!
Helens Block Tee
Helen has made a lovely summery version of the Paper Theory Block tee using our indigo chunky woven stripe linen viscose fabric. This boxy style top has a really interesting construction with the sleeve extending into the bodice giving shaping to the bust area and the chance to use the stripes and really make a feature of it.
She found it very oversized on the fit and sized down to a 10 despite measuring between a 12-14. She found the video on the Paper Theory website on sewing right angles, where the sleeve meets the bodice, really useful and suggests ensuring that you accurately mark all of your notches and pattern markings and stick to the 1cm seam allowance.
The neckline is finished off with bias binding and Helen suggested that you might want to attach that on in a different way depending on your preference. You can also check out our bias binding top tips blog and video tutorial for more help there.
Jos Pearl Cardigan
Jo has made the new and super popular Tilly and the Buttons Pearl Cardigan using our soft and cosy zebra stripe on cream fleece back sweat shirting fabric. Jo sized down to a size 10 and found she still took out about 1" either side seam on this cropped style wrap around style.
For the neckband she cut it a bit longer than needed and eased it in but stretching it as she sewed it on, which is the usual way she liked to insert neckbands of stretch garments as all fabrics have a different amount of stretch. She found the waist band construction a little bit tricky and recommends carefully reading the instructions here.
Jo also decided to shorten the ties so that it would tie at the back rather than the side to help balance out the lovely fullness of the balloon sleeves. Next time she think she would shorten the sleeves a little so suggests its worth checking the finished bodice length and sleeve length of the garment before cutting out the fabric in case you need to make any adaptions there. Of the 1.9m fabric recommended for the size range she was making she managed to get it out of 1.5m - yay!
Hannah J's Durban jumpsuit
Hannah J has made an fab Megan Nielsen Durban Jumpsuit using our washed indigo ramie fabric. This super versatile pattern has lots of variations and customisable features from sleeves to leg length, pockets and belt options. She went for view B and added a belt but left off the pockets.
Hannah found the instructions to be easy to understand but to just ensure you are clear what variation/view you are making from the start so that you only refer to the relevant sections in the booklet. She found the bottom of the placket a little bit tricky as there is a triangle shape to sew, but should you need any extra help there are several posts on the Megan Nielsen blog as well about this pattern.
She made a size 4 and found it was a really good fit, especially with the leg length options as this is something that Hannah often has to make. There is a section in the instruction that explains how to work out if you need to lengthen or shorten the body of the jumpsuit as well.
Hannah F's Rowan Body suit
Hannah F has made a gorgeous version of the Megan Nielsen Rowan Body suit using our super soft and comfortable Tencel Jersey fabric. This pattern is also super versatile with several neckline options, sleeve length and t-shirt or full body suit option. Hannah went for the v-neck body suit option and it looks great paired with jeans - no need to worry about becoming untucked - yay!
Hannah found the tencel to be quite slippery to work with but the instructions were really clear and sewing the elastic onto the bottom of the body suit was much easier than she thought it would be. She had to look up a video to help visualise with sewing the v-neck in but managed it really well in the end! As the Rowan was a past g&g Sewing Society kit you can still get access to the tip tips video that went with that kit, which shows how to sew all the different neckline options.
She found the sizing came up true to size, the fabric is nice and stretchy so it's super comfortable to wear.
Charlies Afternoon Blouse
Charlie joined our team a few months ago now and has made a really pretty version of the Jennifer Lauren Handmade Afternoon Blouse using some of our Hyacinth Watercolour Pima Cotton lawn fabric. This pattern also has a shift dress option and features a faux button closure at the front neckline with grown on sleeves.
She found the instructions easy to follow and suggests making sure that you do clip around the edges at the neckline to ensure it sits nice and flat when pressed. She made a size 10 and found that it was a bit of a squeeze getting it on/off over her head to decided to leave the button closure open and will have a think about adding a real button hole there in the future.
It's such a lovely simple style and a great one for showing off a gorgeous fabric like this!
Alisons Olya Shirt
Alison has made a great version of the Paper Theory Olya Blouse using our moss viscose linen fabric, which has the perfect weight and drape for this style. This classic oversized shirt has some really lovely design features with the sleeve extending into the front yoke section if the garment.
She found the instructions easy to follow but ended up not top stitching the front pockets down. There is a sewalong for this garment on the Paper Theory website should you need a bit more guidance as it's a bit tricky when sewing the corner section at the back where the sleeve attached to the back of the garment.
Alison sized up be 2 sizes as she wanted it to be really loose, but she suggests checking the finished garment measurements and sleeve length as well as next time she would shorten the sleeves a little. This was the first sleeve placket she has tried and she found it turned out really well. Alison also suggests overlocking the edges first before sewing as it made things a bit easier further down the line.
