sewing fabric – Em Sew Happy Blog

Collage Top with Hasting Street Linen

I’ve been having a bit of a crush on Matchy Matchy Sewing Club Patterns, so it was no surprise that when Rose from Devonstone Fashion reached out about some small samplings from their new Hasting Street Linen Range, I reached for the Collage Top pattern. This linen collection from Devonstone Fashion features linen cotton and yarn dyed linen. I gravitated towards the yarn dyed linen because I wanted to test some colour blocking. The yarn dyed linen is made from threads individually dyed before being woven into fabric. I just loved the slight two-tone character of the linen which gives it a more natural and slightly textured look. I was generously gifted 1m mauve, 0.5m olive and 0.5 oyster to make whatever my heart desired.

The Collage Top features centre front and back panels which attach to side panels that have a gathered lower panel. I had enough fabric for the short-sleeved version. The sleeves are grown on and feature a cuff. The boxy fit of the top was what drew me to the pattern. I like how the top sits just below my natural waist. It’s so fun playing with the colour blocking and I love the colours on this linen.

I always prepare the fabric by washing and drying it. I overlock the cut edges before throwing it in my washing machine. People have told me that they often skip the washing and even though these pieces arrived in pristine packaging, I still wash the fabric just in case of shrinkage. The linen was then ironed before cutting and sewing. It handled beautifully when sewing. Linen is a stable woven fabric so it’s easy to sew and okay for overlocking. This linen is 55% Linen, 45% Cotton, 5.6oz/189.8gsm and 112cm wide.

My sizing sits between the M and L in the Collage Top Sizing Chart. I decided on the M which was the perfect relaxed fit for me. I wish I had lengthened the top by 1 inch so as it currently tents out. I did take a risk and sewed this without a toile, but I felt it was similar enough to the Skipper Top. The linen gives the top a lovely crisp and structured look which is what I was hoping for.

It’s going to be easy to style this top with so many items in my closet. It’s not even summer yet and I’ve already started to wear it. I’m currently matching it with high waisted pants, but I’ll be sewing up some shorts soon for beach weather and this will be on high rotation.

As mentioned earlier, the trio of linen pieces are samplings from the Hasting Street Linen collection curated by Devonstone Fashion and Devonstone Collection which are divisions of Two Green Zebras. I’m so grateful and enjoyed every moment of sewing my Collage Top. The yarn dyed linen feels super soft already and I know it’ll only soften even more with repeated washing. It’s a bonus that because each yarn is dyed individually, there won’t be any colour fade as the dye is locked into each strand. I’m loving the natural variation in the tones of this fabric.

It’s been a joy to add this to my handmade wardrobe. Thanks for reading and happy sewing!

X Em

* Fabric was gifted but all opinions remain my own.

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Canyon Dress

It was so exciting to come home to a parcel of fabric from Fibers To Fabric! It’s always a period of adjustment coming home from travels, but this got me excited to get back into my sewing room. I was kindly offered a choice of fabric from Fibers To Fabric so I picked a green and white Buti Print Indian Cotton. Buti print is a textile print that features small repeating floral or geometric motifs. The Indian Cotton is soft and lightweight.

Sometimes, I dismiss a pattern due to the recommended fabric requirements. Initially, I thought that I wouldn’t have enough for the Friday Pattern Co Canyon Dress. I had 3.5m of the fabric with 114cm width. I had such a strong conviction that the pattern and fabric were such a good match that I started the process of pattern piece Jenga. Looking closely at the skirt, I realised that the skirt pieces were chewing up my meterage. I decided to cut two pieces rather than four for the bottom tier of the skirt. I just used the full width of the fabric, and I left out the pockets. So happily, I managed to get all the pieces I needed to make the short-sleeved version of the Canyon Dress.

For my measurements of 38-inch bust, 33-inch waist and 40-inch hips, I decided to sew the Size Large with Cup B/C. My waist measurement is above the sizing of the L but it has an elasticated waist which gives more ease for fit.

I chose this pattern for the fabric because it needed something lightweight for the gathers but something with soft structure for the v-line placket and band collar. The best thing is that even though it has a dressy look, it’s an easy pull-on dress with no zip or button closure.

It’s very easy to prepare the fabric for sewing. It’s always important to start with washing the fabric. It helps with pre-shrinking the fabric so that there is no disappointment if the garment doesn’t fit after the first wash. I changed my needle to a 10/70 gauge sewing needle for the finer fabric. I also rethreaded my machine with matching fabric for my fabric.

It says in the instructions that there are YouTube sew along videos for the patterns, but I found that I didn’t need to refer to them because the instructions included with the pattern were excellent. It was easy to follow and I learnt a lot. I’ve never constructed a v-line collar before, so it was fun to learn. Everything came together without any problems. I sewed this slowly in parts as I was also returning to work.

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The Canyon Dress was a wonderful introduction to Friday Pattern Company patterns. I’ve got the short-sleeved top already cut out. I had used it as a toile for my dress so I can’t wait to go back and sew it up properly. So happy that I didn’t give up on using this pattern because I feel that it’s such a great match for the beautiful cotton from Fibers To Fabric.

Thanks for reading and happy sewing!

X Em

Fern Dress

Featuring Linen from Maaidesign Artist Collection

Maai Design have launched the third drop of their Artist Collection; this time featuring Gabriela Larios and Alison Willoughby. For the collaboration, I was offered three meters of fabric of my choice. I decided on the Strawberry Poem in Linen by Gabriela Larios. I thought it would be the perfect match for the By Galia Patterns Fern Dress which needs a lightweight to medium woven fabric with soft drape.

The Fern Dress is a classic dress design featuring round neck and a gathered skirt. It’s loose fitting which is adjustable with waistline ties that can be tied front and back or on the sides. Galia has included so many options with this dress. It’s something that can be sewn in so many ways and each version could be different. I decided to sew the half-length puff sleeves with elasticated hem. I went with the button closure in the back. Best of all, there are pockets!

There is something about Galia’s patterns that makes you feel so good. The fit description is so accurate. With my measurements of 38-inch bust, 33-inch waist and 40-inch hips, I sewed the size 10. My waist measurements do fall between the size 10 and size 12 but I decided not to grade as there is a lot of ease in the pattern (looking at the finished measurements). The dress is midi length which I did not have to adjust for my height of 167cm. I love how the dress falls below my knees at mid-calf.

Linen is so easy to sew with. I always start by washing and ironing my fabric. I love to line dry my fabric but throw it in the dryer at your own risk, the care instructions do not recommend it. The fabric is quite broad at 140cm but it’s important to note that the pattern does not go all the way to the end. The Fern Dress pattern used most of the fabric which was a relief.

The fabric is 150g/m2 (5oz) which sits at the top end of lightweight and bottom end of medium weight. I used a universal 90/14 gage sewing needle which worked well for the fabric. I finished the seams on an overlocker without any issues. The skirt needed quite a bit of gathering and again, there were no issues doing this with the linen.

Sewing By Galia’s patterns is such a pleasure with her detailed instructions. I feel that as a home sewist, I really appreciate the extra details that Galia puts into her pattern instructions. For example, she instructs double stitching under the arm. The first time I sewed By Galia patterns, the illustrations were hand drawn but for the Fern Dress she has chosen to use photographs which also work well. I only have a black and white printer and I’m not great at following written instructions on the computer while I sew so I printed the instructions but when needed, I referred to the photos as needed on the computer.

It was wonderful to sew this dress. I didn’t make a toile because I felt so confident in Galia’s fitting notes. It’s always a pleasure to collaborate with Maai Design because they consistently curate the most beautiful designs to marry to the best quality fabric. They also allow creativity and choice in the collaboration which means that I will wear my dress for many more years to come. I’ve been a faithful subscriber to Maai Design since I started sewing and I’ve never been disappointed. Sewing with good fabric is an investment. Cut that good fabric and enjoy it!

Thanks for reading and happy sewing!

X Em