Simplicity 9380 Dress

If anyone fancies a fun new jersey dress, the pattern that I have to share with you today could be just what you're looking for! It's Simplicity 9380 - I picked up the pattern in the Sew Direct Black Friday sale at the end of last year, and have been looking forward to making it ever since.

Simplicity 9380 is a pullover sweatshirt dress with high-low, straight and tiered skirt variations, and options for long regular or gathered elastic cuff sleeves. You can also choose between a hooded version or a regular neckband. I chose the high-low hem, regular sleeves and neckband (a mixture of views A and B).

It's available in sizes up to bust 46", waist 39", hip 48".

The instructions for this pattern are quite good. They weren't quite as in-depth as some indie patterns would be, but I felt like they were more detailed than commercial patterns often are. 

The dress is also fairly simple to sew, so as long as you're happy sewing with stretch fabrics then I wouldn't think you'd have too many problems making this pattern.

I would say that the sizing is generous. I made a medium - my bust measurement is just slightly over the top for the medium range (but below the large), and my waist and hip measurements are firmly in the large range but the medium fits me fine with room to spare. I'd definitely recommend looking at the finished garment measurements (on the pattern paper) to see what size will work best for you - particularly if your measurements fall towards the bottom of a size.

I made my usual adjustment of lengthening the pattern - I added 2 inches to the bodice and an inch to the skirt. 

If I were to make the pattern again using the regular sleeves, I'd either slim down the sleeves or shorten them a bit - I think they're meant to have a bit of a slouchy look, but my wrists are proportionately quite slim so the sleeves have a tendency to fall down over my hands. I might go back and adjust the sleeve hem - I'll see how I feel when I've worn it a bit more.

I'd possibly also make the neckband a little wider - it's quite narrow as it is. Part of me likes that, but part of me thinks a wider neckband would be a little better around the back of the neck in particular - it feels a little low there (but not low enough to put me off wearing this version!).

The fabric that I used is a brushed French terry from Jelly Fabrics (no longer in stock). It's a lovely print, was great to work with and it's so cosy to wear. I think it was a really good choice for this pattern.

All in all, I'm a big fan of my Simplicity 9380. It's definite secret pyjama territory - it's so comfy and cosy to wear. It was also a nice simple pattern to sew, and I can easily see myself making it again. I'll have to keep my eye out for some more lovely fabric!

Tilly & The Buttons Nora Top

Hello there! It's been a little while since my last post, hasn't it? Things tend to get a bit quiet on my blog towards the end of a year because I'm busy making Christmas presents that need to be kept secret. But now the gifts have all been given, we're into a new year and I have a project to share with you - the Tilly & The Buttons Nora top.

Nora is a modern, boxy t-shirt or sweater with drop shoulders and wide sleeves. It has options for a high neck or regular neckband, and you can also choose between short, elbow-length or extra-long sleeves as well as a long hemline or a cropped and stepped deep hem with side splits. Plenty of variations to play with! 

I opted for the high neck, extra-long sleeves (more on that later...) and cropped and stepped hem.

The pattern is fairly simple to sew and has excellent instructions. I didn't have any trouble when I was making my Nora, and it was finished within a couple of hours. The boxy shape also means that you probably won't need to worry as much about fitting as you might with more figure-hugging silhouettes as this is a fairly forgiving style.

The pattern is available in UK sizes 6-20 (bust sizes 30" to 44"), however there is quite a lot of ease in the pattern so it might work for slightly larger bust sizes too. I went a size down (my measurements put me in Tilly's size 5, but I made a 4) and there's still plenty of room for me.

In addition to sizing down, I also lengthened the pattern. This is a common adjustment for me because I'm 5'9". I added my standard 1" to the length, but probably should have added a bit more - if I'd followed the instructions it would have ended up just a bit too cropped for my liking (you don't want to have a sweater that's supposed to keep you warm but actually exposes your middle!). As the pattern instructions mention, the hem for Nora is quite deep (7 cm), so I just made mine a bit shallower (4.5 cm) to give myself some extra length. So in total my Nora is about 7cm/almost 3" longer than the length out of the packet.

Along with lengthening the bodice section of the top, I should have lengthened the sleeves too. I like the look of the extra-long, wide sleeves, but even if I'd have used a smaller sleeve hem than the pattern intended, the sleeves would have ended up a length that just didn't look quite right on me when combined with the wide shape. I decided to solve the problem by cutting a couple of centimetres off the end of the sleeve, then using a 3cm hem and inserting 2cm-wide elastic (just a touch longer than my wrist measurement) to cinch the ends of the sleeves in a bit. I really like the effect, and I think it'll make the sleeves much more practical for me.

I'd also recommend you consider the length of the high neck piece. I have a large head, and my fabric wasn't super stretchy so I added a couple of centimetres to the neck piece - I'm glad I did because I can just get it over my head now. The neck is quite high, but that makes it nice and cosy. It also looks good folded down in half as I've done in some of these photos.

The fabric I used for my Nora is a sweatshirt fleece from Fabric Godmother - although it's currently out of stock. The colours are lovely and bright and the fabric itself is nice and warm so it's the perfect choice for keeping me cheerful and cosy during a chilly January!

All in all, I'm really pleased with how my Nora top turned out. It's nice to start the year with a successful project, and I'll have to explore some of the other options in the pattern at some point - a t-shirt version would definitely be fun for the summer!