Renfrew Madness!

As I mentioned in a recently post, the Sewaholic Renfrew was the first project I ever sewed in knits. Since then, I’ve made at least 15 versions. Love that pattern!

One of the great things about sewing a pattern many times is seeing how it fits and feels in different fabrics. Just for fun, I thought I’d go back and look at what fabrics worked best for this pattern!

1. The Boring Basics

Stable white cotton knit: WIN! This was my first Renfrew, and despite a few flaws it still gets worn. 

Cheap thin black knit: FAIL. This is that horrible kind of jersey that sticks to itself and pills immediately. Worn only under sweaters!

2. Contrast Yokes

Grey cotton stable knit: WIN! THis fabric is like a classic mens tee, and it holds up really well and doesn’t cling!

Navy double knit: WIN! This interlock is really soft and works perfectly! The contrast yoke fabric was too thin, so I underlined with with tissue knit and it’s help up well. I spray-basted them with quilting spray during sewing to keep the two layers in place. 

3. Pyjama Time!

Thin drapey rayon: FAIL (but PJs, so a WIN!) This shirt is so thin that you can see my bra underneath. The fabric drapes and stretches so much that it’s seriously long with baggy underarms. Best worn around the house!

Girl Charlee Bird Fabric: MEH? Look, lot of people love Girl Charlee, but a lot of what I’ve got from them is this thin knit with heavy ink and poor stretch recovery. This is great as a pyjama top, and my sister gets a lot of wear from her kimono tee in the same fabric, but overall, I’m not a fan of this kind of knit!

4. The Cowls

Oh wait! I had so many Renfrews to photograph that I forgot one of my favourites! Oh well. Let’s pretend it’s there! ;)

Turquoise Rayon Knit: FAIL! This top is a disappointment. The rayon sags, and it’s so thin that everything shows through. Plus, it clings like nobody’s business! I almost never wear this one.

Solid navy stable cotton knit: WIN! It’s plain and basic, but I wear it a lot! The classic t-shirt style fabric gives the cowl some body, and is cosy to wear. 

4. Loose Tanks

Both of these tanks have a loose, a-line shape flaring out below the bust. Technically, I guess this recent #SewcialBee make would also belong in this category!

Thin orange stripe cotton knit: WIN! I love this top in summer! Sadly, the bottom band is a bit thin, and folds up in the laundry… but that’s not the fabric’s fault!

Navy stripe cotton knit: WIN! This is my most worn version! It’s all piled and sad now - I should definitely remake it! The fabric is nice and stable, but also drapes. Since it has a loose hem, I cut the bottom band along the grain. It’s not stretched, so it lets the top hang down loosely. 

5. The Dress!

Cotton spandex stripe: WIN! I cut this one extra snug, but the spandex helps it fit well AND hide what needs hiding! 

(Oh, and I forgot about this dress too!)

So what fabrics work best?

In my opinion, a nice stable soft knit is the best choice! Not something as chunky as a ponte, but something a bit substantial. Rayon knits are a bit too drapey for this pattern - I prefer them for a kimono tee instead. Thin knits sometimes work, but they have to be stable enough to support all the seams… and say “No!” to cheap knits you’ll never want to have next to your skin!  I’m curious to try more versions in cotton spandex. 

What kind of fabric do you prefer for t-shirts (either RTW or homesewn)? Have you made a Renfrew, and how did it turn out? 

Fall Capsule Wardrobe - Done!

About a week ago I posted some sketched plans for a fall wardrobe…

…mostly black, white and coral…

…with some possibilities in other colours!

Well, was the last week of vacation, and I sewed up a storm. I’m done, baby! 

I spent yesterday hanging out with my sister, who was kind enough to take pics for me. I got a little giddy taking pictures in someone else’s back yard for once - as you’ll see! 

First up: 

White Renfrew Tank: Leftovers from my first-ever knit project!

Floral Long-Sleeved Renfrew: I can’t wait to wear this in cooler weather! (Yesterday was HOT!) The fabric was a gift from Sally at the Quirky Peach. Thank you, Sally! I love it!

Coral Stretchy Jeans: Hmmm. I love the colour, but I’m not sold on the fit! I added an inch of width to the pattern I always use, since they usually come out pretty skin tight… but now they look and feel a big baggy to me! I’m considering taking them in from the knee down.Also, you can tell in the pocket picture that this thin denim doesn’t hide ANYTHING! I can’t find any denim locally that is as heavy as the stretch denim in my RTW pants. 

Next up: 

Grey Stretchy Jeans: I had FUN on these! I’ve always avoided contrast stitching, but I went for it on these. Had to make them fun and colourful somehow! I used regular thread and a triple stitch in both red and turquoise. Again, they feel a bit baggy. The fabric is a lovely stretch denim from Gorgeous Fabrics, bought with a gift certificate from my sister for my birthday. (Speaking of which, look how she just happened to match my wardrobe! She’s even wearing a me-made Palova knit circle skirt!) 

Black Mission Maxi Tank: I’ve used this pattern for 3 dresses and about 5 tanks this summer - it’s a winner! I made this one from a metre of amazing black bamboo knit that Anne gave my years ago to wear as a scarf/shawl sort of thing. I wish our local shop still sold fabric this nice! 

Stretch Pencil Skirt: I”m wearing this right now, and it’s SO COMFY! It’s a heavy, seriously stretchy twill that I bought from the remnant bins last year. The pattern is based on the Cake Hummingbird skirt, including my adjustment for a big booty. I didn’t want to have panels cutting up the print on the front, so I traced a version with darts instead. As you can see below, I just sewed a piece of wide black elastic on was the waistband. No zip needed! 

Pink Leggings: I wear skirts with leggings a lot, since I sit/crawl/dance/etc in my work day. I had just enough pink spandex cotton blend to make some short leggings. I use the Style Arc Laura Leggings pattern, and it works great! Just a single seam on each leg and some lazily applied elastic at the waist. 

Sharpie Skirt: My favourite! I got the black and white polka dot heavy cotton at Ikea, and used the same Hummingbird hack pattern as above. This one isn’t stretch though, so I may have over compensated with ease! It sits lower than I usually prefer, and is quite loose around the hips. On the other hand, I can sit comfortably and there’s definitely room for heavy fleece tights underneath! 

As planned, I made the plain skirt first then coloured in random circles with Sharpie. I still haven’t washed it, but I’m hopeful that it won’t fade TOO badly! If it does, I’ll just colour it in again! I’m looking forward to wearing it with bright cardigans in the winter. 

And that’s that! 2 skirts, 2 tanks, a tee, and 2 pairs of jeans. I like the combination of basics and graphic prints, and the slight twist on my usual colours. Everything will fit into my wardrobe easily and get worn often.

Even better, the sewing process was totally relaxing and zen, since it was all TNT patterns. That’s my kind of sewing! 

Now that I’ve depleted my stash of stretch denim, can anyone suggest a good place to buy some online? I’m looking for medium-to-heavy stretch denim or twill, preferably in bright colours? Thanks!

p.s. Some people have let me know they they are having trouble leaving comments recently… If that happens, could you contact Discus? They say everything is ok on my end, but clearly something is going on… Thanks!

Sewcial Bee, Part Deux

We had another Sewcial Bee! This time the Challenge was laid out by Gida Studio: To sew something inspired by food! 

My first thought was to sew a Parfait Maxi, which I was #sewingdared to do months ago… but that’s a lot of little pieces…

Oh yeah, that’s more like it! Now for fabric…

I got this tissue knit online, and the stripes are really wide… which I think might not be the most flattering! I wonder if I can pleats some of the stripes to add some interest?Hmm… 

Watching the Great Australian Bake-Off on Youtube for foodie inspiration!

Got some pleats in, time to cut! Single layer, so the stripes match. I’m extending the shoulders in hope of making a flutter sleeve kinda thing…

Sew it up, then unpick the pleats at the shoulders. Hmmm. Not bad, but didn’t make the fluttery sleeves I was picturing! Oh well. 

This fabric was my actual inspiration: cute Japanese double gauze with red and yellow watermelon *and* horned stag beetles, which are a bizarre obsession of Japanese boys in the summer!

I only bought .5m though… What could I make? To instagram and twitter for suggestions! 

Oh wait, I’m lazy. I’ll just PRETEND that I made it into something! Voila! My watermelon-inspired Sewcial Bee Project! 

We had some new people join in on this round of the Sewcial Bee, and some great projects made! You can see what the others made in the Flickr Group. Feel free to join in next round if you are interested!

Summer is really winding down here… getting down to 10*c at night sometimes! I’m starting to think ahead to fall, and wondering what to make! Are you shifting into the next season’s sewing yet? DO you plan ahead what you’ll make, or take it project by project?