Tag Archives: Tammy Handmade

Daisy Dress featuring Rare Patterns Boutique Fabrics

The opportunity to collaborate on the launch of the new Artist Collection by Rare Patterns came up and I just couldn’t pass when I saw that the Artist they were featuring was the talented Carolyn Quan. This collection features bold florals printed on premium linen. When I saw the print, I thought of Spring Carnival, Summer Festivals and Wedding Season. This is not only inspired by the colours in the print but the movement in the abstract stokes of the artwork. 

The linen arrived in beautiful packaging, and I loved the inclusion of cute labels. I really liked the beautiful colours in my piece, which is “The Spaces In Between”. I immediately thought of making the Tammy Handmade Daisy Dress when I saw this lovely print. I was a tester for this dress and had made the adjustable strap version. With the linen, it has slightly more structure, so I wanted to make the puff sleeved version. I also decided to use elastic instead of shirring. I think the shirring would have worked but I did that last time, and I wanted to test the elastic method this time.

I’m always a bit nervous when I wash fabric I’m reviewing, but there was no need to worry as the fabric print remained as bold and beautiful after the wash. I’m quite fussy with my clothes which are often made from natural fibres like this linen, so I like to air-dry everything. I gave the linen a good ironing before starting to sew. I used a 70/10 gauge sewing machine needle which works fine for linen.

The Daisy Dress is a quick and easy summer dress to make. It features a shirred or elasticated back which means no zips or buttons to navigate. This pattern also has cup sizes which helps to make fitting easy. Luckily, I’ve already sewn a version of this dress, so my sizing stayed the same. I made the Size 14 for my measurements of 38-inch bust, 33-inch waist and 40-inch hips and I used the B/C/D cup. No modifications were needed. The cute puff sleeves come with elastic gathers at the shoulder and sleeve hem. It means that the sleeves stay where they should and were easy to install. I found gathering and using the elastic was easy with this linen. It feels so soft to wear and feels very breathable which will be good in hot weather. 

I feel so lucky that in the process of recording my sewing progress, I get to sample beautiful fabric and patterns. It feels so good to be able to share such beautiful resources back into the sewing community that has helped and encouraged me with my sewing.

Thanks for reading and happy sewing!

X Em

Cloud Tee

When I first started sewing, I thought I would only sew the “special items” in my wardrobe like dresses but as I started to learn more, I realised that I really wanted the challenge of making a fully “me-made” wardrobe. Part of this is finding the perfect tee. I have made a few favourites, but I was still searching for a boxy tee when Tammy Handmade made a call out for testers for her Cloud Tee. I couldn’t sign up fast enough and I’m glad that I did because the pattern is a great fast sew.

The shape of the tee is boxy with dropped sleeves. I like how the pattern includes three sleeve options. When I started the test, I thought we had to make all three sleeve options! Sorry not sorry because I’m going to be reaching for these a lot. T-shirts are such a staple in the wardrobe so I’m excited to be adding these three.

My t-shirts are all rayon jersey fabric. There is a bit of spandex in the fabric. It feels very soft to wear and although it has a fair amount of drape, it also has a bit of body to it unlike something like bamboo jersey. The pattern has great suggestions for fabric choice. I must admit that I tend to sew more with woven substrates, but you can’t go too wrong with fabric choice with this tee. My fabric was all found at my local fabric store, but I have an eye out for a few jersey pieces especially from Maai Design Artist Collection. It’s great that only 1 meter is needed for the short-sleeved versions. For the test, I’m so happy to pick up the stripey fabric. I’m loving seeing stripes everywhere! 

The boxy shape gives this tee a relaxed fit. I decided to make the size 14 for my measurements of 38-inch bust, 33-inch waist and 40-inch hips. I probably would have also been fine in the 12 but I like the relaxed fit. I had seen a boxy long-sleeved top at one of the stores that my daughter loves. When I finished my tee, she commented that I was very on trend with my look! The shirt has a deep hem which makes it sit well without any chance of the hem curling. No modifications were needed for my tee but I really appreciate how Tammy has detailed these in the pattern.

Speaking of pattern instructions, I really like Tammy’s clear written and illustrated instructions. The patterns are a great learning resource with a lot of extra explanations included. When I first started sewing, I would have to flick between the pattern instructions and google to understand the instructions but it’s all there with Tammy’s patterns. 

It’s great having a quick pattern to sew every now and then. The Cloud tee can be sewn on the sewing machine or the overlocker. It doesn’t take long on the sewing machine but for my second and third tees, I decided to sew majority of it on the overlocker which made it super-fast. I attached all the neckbands on the overlocker. I finished the hems with twin needles. I should mention that I used white tubular ribbing but for the long-sleeved version, I decided to use the same fabric.

Happy to be adding a few core items to my handmade wardrobe. I have a feeling that I’ll be returning to make a few more from this pattern. Tammy kindly provides the pattern for testing and a stipend to her testers for fabric. It’s much appreciated and all opinions remain my own. It’s truly a great pattern and I really enjoyed being part of the sewing team.

Thanks for reading and happy sewing!

X Em