Astoria & Toaster Sweaters

Recently I've made a couple of simple, speedy projects. They're both repeats of patterns I've made before, meaning I might not have as much to say about them as a completely new project, so I thought I'd combine the two into a quick post to share with you today.

The first is a Seamwork Astoria top. This project was really inspired by the fabric. It's a very colourful (as you can see!) French terry from Flamingo Fabrics, which sadly no longer seems to be in stock. I thought it would be good for brightening up the duller days of autumn and winter so I treated myself to a piece without knowing quite what pattern I was going to use it for.

When the fabric arrived, I decided it would be perfect for the Astoria. I made a few versions of the pattern not long after it was released (here and here) a couple of years ago, and they're all still in fairly regular wardrobe rotation. It's a style that works well with lots of my dresses and skirts/culottes so I knew that it would get a lot of wear.

The Astoria is a simple and quick pattern to make, so after a couple of hours of sewing I had a nice new top to wear - and it definitely brightens up my day when I put it on!

The second top I have to share today is a Sew House Seven Toaster sweater (version 1). This is another pattern that I first made not long after it was released, and thankfully it's another one that has been a success for me.

This time I bought the fabric specifically with the Toaster pattern in mind. It's a quilted cloqué jersey from The Textile Centre. It's also no longer in stock (sorry, I'm not being a very good fabric buying enabler today!) but they do have other similar fabrics available. I'm slightly in two minds about the fabric - I really like the textured pattern and I think it looks good as a Toaster, but it does get a bit bulky at some of the seams and it definitely feels fairly synthetic to me when I'm wearing it. I tend to lean more towards natural, more breathable fibres and this definitely doesn't feel very breathable, but on the plus side it does keep me warm.

In case anyone's wondering about the pin I'm wearing in these photos - it's a super sparkly glitter heart that I bought from Claireabellemakes not long ago. I'm wondering if I can justify gradually adding a whole rainbow of them to my brooch collection!

Overall, I'm calling both of the tops a success and I know I'll definitely be wearing them over the coming months. I've paired both of them with needlecord Winslow culottes in these photos (navy pair blogged here and teal pair here). I wear these culottes loads at this time of year - definitely more than I would have expected when I first made them. Hopefully my new Astoria and Toaster tops will be just as well loved!

Jennifer Lauren Pippi Pinafore

What's your opinion of pinafore/dunagree dresses? Personally, I love them! I wear both my denim Lilou dress (still going strong four years after I made it!) and last year's Freja dress loads, and for a long time now I've been meaning to add another pinafore or two to my collection. I was very tempted to make another Freja dress, but then decided that it would be good to try something a bit different so opted for a Jennifer Lauren Pippi pinafore instead.

The Pippi pinafore has a fitted bib, deep patch pockets and a side button fastening. The skirt has pleats in the front and darts in the back to give it a little bit of shaping. The straps cross over at the back, and the instructions include directions for using either buttons or traditional metal overall hardware for attaching them to the bib. 

The fabric I chose for my Pippi pinafore is a lovely magenta stretch denim from Sew Me Sunshine. As the fabric description says, it really is a perfect weight for a dunagree/pinafore dress and the small amount of spandex in the fabric makes it super comfortable to wear.

You're actually getting a double dose of Jennifer Lauren patterns and Sew Me Sunshine fabrics in this post, because the top I'm wearing under the Pippi is a Gable top that I made earlier this year using some Cotton & Steel jersey from Sew Me Sunshine (sadly no longer in stock, but it is available in a different colourway).

I really enjoyed sewing the Pippi pinafore. As with the other patterns of Jen's that I've sewn (my Raine dress, my Gable tops and dresses, Bronte top, and Enid sweaters), the instructions were really clear and detailed. I particularly liked the way that the skirt notches are labelled with letters that are referenced in the instructions so that you know exactly what notches you're meant to be using for each step. 

One thing to note so you don't make the same silly mistake I did - make sure you cut the button band and buttonhole facing the right way up! I'm a fan of pattern piece tetris and often flip pattern pieces over to cut them out if it means I can be more economical with my use of fabric, but you only cut out one of the button band/buttonhole facing so they do need to be cut the right way as indicated by the pattern piece. 

The Pippi pattern gives you a really nice finish on the pinafore. The lined bib and waistband give you neat insides (I used some lawn left over from my Susie blouse for the lining), and I really like the side button closure.

I chose to use buttons instead of hardware for securing the straps to the bib, mainly just because I like buttons better than hardware. While I was tempted to use some pretty buttons, I decided to be sensible and go for buttons that stood out whilst being neutral enough to allow me to wear the pinafore with as many tops as possible.

In terms of sizing, I made a size 14 and used the A cup bib (the pattern includes cup sizes A to D). That's the size recommended for my measurements, and it worked out nicely. The only adjustments I made were to lengthen both the bib and skirt by an inch, which is fairly standard for me. The finished pinafore has just enough ease to be comfortable whilst still being fitted enough to give it a bit of shape. 

All in all, I liked my finished Pippi pinafore as soon as I tried it on, and now that I've worn it properly I really love it. I'm already dreaming up more versions of the Pippi that I'd like to make in the future which is always a fairly good sign that a project has been a success, don't you think?