Tag Archives: 5oo4

How is it half way through January already?!

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Well I think it’s quite clear that my resolution to sew more in 2021 (or at least blog more) didn’t actually materialise! Following on from my grand clear-out of fabric offcuts & those fabrics I bought with great intentions several years ago but never actually used, I thought this year’s 9 to Try should be things I already have the fabric lined up for!

I know the ‘classic’ name would be “Make 9” but that always makes me feel like I’ve failed if I don’t achieve making all nine! So I feel “nine to try” is better, as that counts any that might get started and subsequently abandoned.

My Nine to Try for 2022

Hey June Handmade Amherst Shirt*
A friend gave me some fabric for Christmas several years ago, with the idea I made it into a lap blanket. I think the fabric would be much better suited to being a shirt, so that is this year’s aim! I also have some England Football cotton (probably originally designed to be a duvet cover, given the size of the print and the extra-wide fabric), and some “splotchy” purple cotton which would also make a couple of great Amherst shirts.

5 out of 4 Zen Trousers*
A couple of years ago I bought a “stretch fabric mystery package” online, and received a white floral cotton lycra, and a black crepe-like jersey. Along with the purple cotton lycra I’d originally bought to make a top from, I’m hopeful that these will make some comfy Zen trousers.

Ellie & Mac* Around the Block Hoodie*
Bright blue and navy sweatshirt fabric (as long as the colour doesn’t bleed out from the navy!) would make a striking Around the Block hoodie, with those diagonal lines being much more noticeable than on my original Around the Block make.

Woven PJ Bottoms
I have some Winter themed cotton that would make a great pair of PJ bottoms – I just need to finalise the pattern I want to use!

Tilly & the Buttons Joe PJ Bottoms
I bought the pattern and fabric a couple of years ago, to make these as a present for a relative. Unfortunately the relative was reluctant to actually let me measure him… but this year I’m determined to make these PJ bottoms!

Woven Nightie
Much like the Joe PJ bottoms, the woven nightie was meant to be a gift for a relative. I’m hoping that this year she’ll let me measure her, so I can get the nightie sewn!

Blank Slate Bookworm Shirt
Depending on the fabric content (I thought it was cotton, but I’ve got it written down as jersey), this will either be another shirt for K, or a t-shirt! Whatever it’s going to be, I’m aiming on getting it made for his birthday in the Spring.

Megan Nielsen Dawn Jeans
or Winter Wear Designs Endless Summer Shorts*
I have quite a bit of denim set aside to make jeans, although I have put weight on since lockdown, which isn’t a problem but does mean I need to re-measure myself and maybe change the size of pattern I was making previously! If I don’t feel confident enough with the jeans, then I do have some fabric that would make Endless Summer Shorts (and that pattern is easier to amend the sizing).

Megan Nielsen Matilda Shirt Dress
I’ve never actually got as far as making myself a shirt dress, and this is actually the only one on my “9 to Try” that I don’t have the fabric set aside for. However, I do like the idea of dresses, even if I can’t wear ones with a zip in the back as I really hate the idea of having to get someone to help me zip it up!!
My alternative to the shirt dress is to finish the faux fur bears I’d cut out years ago but never actually got as far as sewing.

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Astronomy Dress

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I will admit I actually made this dress last year, but somehow it missed being blogged! I wasn’t too sure what to make from this cotton lycra, but once I saw the Knot Your Average Top* had a dress option, I knew this was what the fabric would become.

Unlike my Polar Bear Knot Top, I followed the pattern exactly for this dress. I do have some excess fabric bunching above the knot on both sides, and I think maybe that could be resolved on a future Knot Top by losing a little of the height between the shoulder and over bust.

I didn’t want to feel the dress was too snug on the hips, so I picked the a-line version. With the way the cotton lycra holds its shape, I think I could actually get away with the more fitted version. I’m considering taking in the side seams on this one, to make the shape a little more flattering.

I do think I could have used a deeper hem, as that would have helped stop the hem from wanting to flip over – since I made this dress, I’ve discovered that a 1 inch hem is a lot more practical.

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Pattern: Knot Your Average Top* by 5 out of 4 Patterns
Fabric: Cotton Lycra fromFashion Fabrics

Sleeveless jacket for the allotment

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It hadn’t ever dawned on me to try making a showerproof jacket to wear on the allotment, but each time I’m working there, it’s almost guaranteed the weather will be either blazing hot sunshine, or showers. I had considered buying a showerproof coat, but after looking at the prices, they all seemed way too expensive for something which would most likely end up covered in mud after the first time I wore it, and no doubt would get snagged on the raspberry thorns!

I didn’t want to attempt a sleeved jacket, as non-stretch fabric potentially wouldn’t allow me the range of movement I would need to be gardening. However, I’d had my eye on the Aspen Fleece Vest* from 5 out of 4* for a while, and after asking if it would work in a non-stretch fabric, decided that I would try making my own showerproof gilet.

I was advised I could go up a size to allow for the lack of stretch, but after making this one, I think I’d be tempted to actually go back down a size for my next one, as this seems roomy enough.

I used ripstop for the outer, so in theory if it gets snagged on the thorns then the hole won’t spread. The lining (which isn’t part of the pattern itself, but was just made to the same size as the outer, then stitched together at the armholes, neckline and base hem) is a plain microfleece. I used the fleece for both sides of the collar, so it makes it more comfortable to wear.


The stitching isn’t perfect (the lining seems a bit big compared to the outer on the side seams), and I know I messed up trying to sew the armhole seams…. I really need to learn the burrito method! But the jacket is perfectly usable – it’s really comfy, and all I need to do now is go out in the rain to test out how waterproof it is!

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Pattern: Aspen Fleece Vest*
Fabric: Ripstop and Microfleece from Sewing Studio

Fruit Polo Polar Bears – finally finished!

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Ok, I will admit I finished this Knot Your Average Top* late last year, but I realised I hadn’t ever blogged the finished top! Back in May, I had got to a sticking point with this Polar Bear Knot top, when I wanted to add in a shelf bra style part that isn’t in the pattern, but wasn’t too sure how to make it work.

After what felt like hours of instruction-less fabric origami, I wrangled the shelf bra into place, but had to unpick one sleeve as I’d made a basic error in attaching that to the shelf bra armscye. But that was mostly user error, and trying to add in a shelf bra for the first time, on a pattern that doesn’t include that option.

I won’t be sharing how I eventually achieved adding it in, as I made it ultra complicated – I need to try adding it into a few other patterns to perfect my method, before feeling confident at sharing it!

As with my other Knot your Average tops, the bust section has folds where it appears there’s too much fabric. It’s still there even when I change the cup size on the pattern (even on the smaller cup size top I made from scuba), so I’m assuming that it’s down to either the fit on the shoulder, or maybe needing to take out some height between the shoulder and underbust (that’s not an adjustment I’ve ever tried doing).

So ok, it’s not perfect but then if I’d bought a ready to wear top in a similar style, that was never going to fit me perfectly anyway. I had fun sewing this top, and learnt quite a bit in trying to add in the shelf bra, and that’s what matters!

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Pattern: Knot Your Average Top* by 5 out of 4 Patterns
Fabric: Cotton Elastane from Fashion Fabrics

Zen Chameleons – another finished project!

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I had a pile of trouser projects needing hemming, so I picked these Zen Pants* out at random so I had something finished this week. 

I did make a slight error on the waistband – I didn’t cut the elastic short enough, so the waistband is a little wavy in places. I’ve got around that by folding the elastic over, which disguises it a little. 

I might try making the low rise next time though, as this mid rise ended up more where the high rise is meant to hit. That’s mostly down to my lack of height though – where my advantage is that I can usually squeeze trousers onto a smaller piece of fabric, I do need to learn how to make alterations on the rise…. or at least use the lower rise for patterns where there’s multiple options.

These are really comfortable to wear, and the wavy elastic isn’t something I’ve noticed, so that’s not anywhere near the problem I thought it could be.

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Pattern: Zen Pants* by 5 out of 4 Patterns
Fabric: Cotton Lycra from Fashion Fabrics

Fruit Polo Polar Bear Knot (UFO)

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I wasn’t planning on making another Knot Your Average Top* quite so soon, but when I came across some digital print Cotton Elastane in the fabric shop, I knew it was going to make a great top!

I’ve got “so far” with this top, and had to stop to try and figure out just how to make it work – I’ve added in a second layer to the top bodice part, as a ‘shelf bra’. That bit went well, but I’m trying to work out how to add in the elastic and sew the side seams neatly without getting too many lumps of crossing seams!

I think it’ll be worth the effort though, and will make a great top for the autumn, as it’s probably going to be too thick to wear on a hot summer’s day!

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Pattern: Knot Your Average Top* by 5 out of 4 Patterns
Fabric: Cotton Elastane from Fashion Fabrics

5 out of 4 – 20K Blog Tour

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If there’s one thing about the British weather, it’s remarkably unpredictable! We always joke that you can spot a tourist by the way they’re unprepared for rain, or unusually cold snaps, so it seemed a logical step to make myself a warm fleece as part of the 5 out of 4 20k blog tour! Yes, you read that right, 5 out of 4 patterns* has hit 20k members in their facebook group!
Keep reading to check out my make, and read right on to the bottom of his post for details of the 40% off sale and giveaway!

I used the Ascent Fleece* pattern by 5 out of 4 patterns* again, but you’ve probably noticed that my fleece looks totally different from the other Ascent I made before. I’ve got a couple of RTW full-length zip fleeces, but I never find it comfortable to zip them up further than the base of my neck, so I thought a lace up style might be more user-friendly, while still keeping me warm!

I had to deviate from the pattern quite a bit to achieve the lace-up look, so I hope you’re paying attention at the back there, if you want to follow along!

Place the facing and front pieces right sides together and stitch as per the instructions. If you prefer to have no raw edges showing (although as fleece doesn’t fray, it’s not the end of the world), you can overlock / zigzag the two long sides and base of the facing first.

Cut down the centre of the facing stitching, and turn the facing in. The right side of the facing should now be on the wrong side of the front piece. Pin this in place.

Making sure to leave enough space for the eyelets, stitch down one side, across the base, then up the other side to secure the facing in place. I used a straight stretch stitch just for strength, as it won’t really need to stretch much (if at all). I used 4mm eyelets – there’s not really any need to use huge ones, as long as you can fold the tape or fit the cord through the hole.

Add the collar as stated in the instructions, but bear in mind that the facing is already sewn in (there’s no zip to fold it around), so when sewing the inner collar to the outer, you can start at the base of the short edge, sew up, along the top, then down the opposite short edge, before turning the inner collar to the inside.

I added in the holes for my eyelets at this point, but because the inner collar base hasn’t yet been stitched, I didn’t add in the eyelets – you really don’t want to be sewing over the top of them!


I used a straight stretch stitch on the ‘stitch in the ditch’ around the collar base, but decided to skip the top stitching around the top of the collar. I didn’t think it was necessary as the collar stands up fine without it. Really that’s just personal preference – the majority of RTW fleece tops do have that topstitching.

I started fitting the eyelets at this point, but stopped part way through as the thickness of the fleece was proving a bit of a challenge. I will admit I made a mess of 5 or 6 eyelets before I managed to get the fleece to behave, and all the eyelets in place.

I used a metre of plain tape and just threaded it through the eyelets as if I was lacing a shoe. I could probably trim the tape down a little, but I’d rather have it too long than not long enough. It was worth the hassle of the eyelets, as it certainly helps to keep the cold out, while being fully adjustable!

Can I just say that I love patterns which use a 3/8″ seam allowance, as that is the same as the width of my walking foot, so it’s really easy to line up on straight edges and on curves.

On to the pockets next, and another small deviation. I don’t have a concealed zipper foot for my machine (and really don’t want to fork out £20 or so for a branded one), so I picked out two standard zips instead. Rather than following the instructions, I used the method I came across before, for adding a zip to a dress.
You sew the side seam, then backstitch just where the zip is meant to start. Change the stitch length to the longest straight stitch you can, and tack (baste) for the length of the zip. Change back to whatever stitch you were using on the side seam, take a couple of stitches forwards, then backstitch to lock that in, before finishing sewing that seam.

If you look closely, you can see the difference in stitch length between the main seam (to the right of the zip) and the tacking where the zip will be.

Then you place the fleece wrong side up, and position the zip face down over the tacked stitches. I did straighten the zip out before sewing, as I realised it was somewhat wonky the way I’d pinned it to start with!

Turning everything right side up, carefully sew the zip into place. I kept the walking foot on for this step, so I had to sew half the zip at a time (I couldn’t get the zipper pull to move past the walking foot), but if you sewing machine will cope with the fleece and a zipper foot, that is a much better option.

Then just unpick the tacking (basting) stitches to open the pocket up and make it usable! This method will result in the stitches and the zip showing a lot more obviously than if you were using a concealed zip.

I added the pocket linings as the instructions stated, although I did use the main fabric for the pockets as well – I like to be able to plunge my hands into warm, cosy pockets on a cold day, so fleece was a necessity! That has made the front a little more bulky, but to my surprise my machine handled all those layers with no trouble at all when it came to hemming the base.

Although it was a cold windy day when these photos were taken, I was perfectly warm with my fleece top. It was definitely a wise idea to use the same fabric for the pockets, as my hands were suitably warm and toasty!

  

Never a wise idea to not have your hair tied back fully when it’s windy!

Wondering where the blog tour will take you this week? Here’s a handy little schedule to make sure you don’t miss any of the stops 🙂

5 out of 4 Patterns 20k Blog Tour Schedule

April 2 – Tales from a Southern Mom | Miss Marah Sewn

April 3 – Dragon’s Flame Designs | Poppy Monroe Collection

April 4 – Pear Berry Lane | Candi Couture Designs

April 5 – Sewing with D | Kathy Kwilts and More

April 6 – The Sassy Seamripper | My Heart Will Sew On

And to top off their celebrations, 5 out of 4 patterns* are not only offering 40% off their patterns (excluding Gloria) from Monday 2nd April through Saturday 7th April with the code SOBIG, but also have an amazing giveaway you can enter! Check out the prizes on offer (and how to enter) in the Rafflecopter box below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And good luck!

*

Pattern: Ascent Fleece* by 5 out of 4 patterns*
Fabric: Mark Pickles Sewing Studio
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Knot your Average – take two

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After my previous  Knot Your Average Top* by 5 out of 4 Patterns, I decided to try making one without the contrast colour and also in a slightly different size to see if it ended up as a better fit.

I got on better sewing the knot this time, although there are still a couple of points where I had to hand stitch the seam line, as I still didn’t get the sewing machine needle quite close enough to the knot itself!

I will admit I forgot to change the sizing on the back, although the front is now a S all the way through. Maybe in a slightly less ‘clingy’ fabric it wouldn’t feel quite so slim-fit still.

I stuck to the pattern instructions with the hems this time and the front panel obviously went in a lot better, as there are no awkward lines coming down from the knot! Maybe next time I will remember to alter the sizing at the waist and hips, so it has a more relaxed feel.

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Pattern: Knot Your Average Top* by 5 out of 4 Patterns
Fabric: Fashion Fabrics

Knot your Average

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I wear t-shirts pretty much all the time, but they’re not something I’ve made an incredible amount of before. But there was something about the Knot Your Average Top* by 5 out of 4 Patterns which caught my eye. They recently ran a sew-along for the Knot top, with extra videos and instructions for each step, so I decided to give it a go.

I cut the fabric to fit my measurements…. which was a bit of a mistake. This pattern is more of a slim fit than the style I normally wear, so I think next time I would grade out to a S or maybe between a S and M below the waist.

I wasn’t too sure about the colour scheme to start with and originally intended on adding in a hem band to the base just to tie it all together. Unfortunately I had already cut out a second Knot top from that fabric, and only had enough left to band the sleeves! I think the sleeve band works better than a hem band was going to.

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Pattern: Knot Your Average Top* by 5 out of 4 Patterns
Fabric: Fashion Fabrics