Itch to Stitch Glenelly Top

A good t-shirt is a wardrobe staple, don't you agree? While they're a classic piece, it's always nice to have a slightly different twist on the standard t-shirt shape so I was keen to give the recently released Itch to Stitch Glenelly top a try.

The Glenelly pattern has top and dress options and features a square neckline and short raglan sleeves. The dress option has a slightly raised front waistline and gathers in the centre front and back waist. 

The pattern has regular or full bust options and hip sizes from 33 to 62 inches.

While the square neckline was one of the main things that attracted me to the pattern, when it came to sewing it was also the part that I was slightly concerned about. It looked like the sort of thing that could be easy to mess up when in fact you need to sew it accurately or else the top just isn't going to look right. 

Thankfully I needn't have worried because the instructions are really good in general, and are especially thorough when it comes to sewing the square neckline in particular. They break the process down into really small steps and I found that they made it straightforward to get a nice finish on the neckline - it is a little bit fiddly, but if you take your time and follow the instructions it's really not too tricky.

Another thing that attracted me to the Glenelly top other than the square neckline was the fact that it has raglan sleeves, because I think raglan sleeves lend themselves particularly well to colour-blocking and therefore are good for using up leftovers. 

The fabrics that I used for this top are both remnants from past projects - the striped floral that I used for the front is from a Gable top that I made earlier this year and originally came from Threadquarters, while the navy contrast is from a large piece that I bought in a charity shop and has gradually been used for various projects. Thankfully they're the perfect match for each other and work really well for this top. It also means that I can contribute this project to the #RecyclingRemnants challenge that Elle @elleandthestitches is currently hosting on Instagram (if you have remnants you want to use up - check it out! It's running until 11 September).

As I mentioned above, there are quite a good range of sizes in this pattern. I used the regular bust option and blended from a 10 at the bust out to a 12 at the hips. They are the sizes recommended for my current body measurements and they worked out nicely. My top is nicely fitted without being too tight at all.

I'm really pleased with how my Glenelly top turned out - it's obviously super comfy but it feels a little bit more fancy than a standard t-shirt thanks to the lovely square neckline. I'd happily recommend this pattern if you're looking for a slightly different knit top or dress pattern with great instructions. I can definitely see myself making more!

McCalls 8067 shirt

Have you ever found a fabric that you like so much that you buy it twice? That's what happened to me with this star print cotton that I bought from Threadquarters!

I originally bought a length of the fabric back at the end of last year and used it to make a Vogue 8772 shirt. If you're interested in seeing it, there's a photo on my Instagram, and you can find my thoughts on the pattern in this blog post from a couple of years ago. It's a lovely fabric and the print and its colours are so "me" that when it was on offer recently, I decided that I deserved to treat myself to another piece so that I could make a summery top and enjoy wearing the fabric all year round.

Having bought the fabric, I then needed to settle on what pattern to use. I contemplated making the short-sleeved view of Vogue 8772, but I decided that I wanted something a bit looser and more relaxed. In the end I opted for McCalls 8067.

McCalls 8067 features four different views for loose-fitting V-necked button-front tops with pockets, sleeve and length variations. Two of the four views also have a collar. It's available in two different size ranges covering bust sizes from 30.5 to 44 inches.

I went for view A - the shortest top length with short sleeves and no collar, but I kept it super simple and omitted the breast pockets.

Sewing the shirt was pretty simple. The instructions were fairly standard for a commercial pattern - they assume a certain level of knowledge and understanding and don't hold your hand too much, but if you understand basic sewing terms then they're easy enough to follow. The view of the pattern that I chose is also not the most complicated, so it was actually a fairly speedy project. 

In terms of sizing - I made a straight size 14. That's a size down from what is recommended for my actual bust measurement, and two sizes down from my waist and hip measurements. While this is intended to be a loose fitting pattern, I think if I'd made the size recommended for my measurements it would have just ended up being a bit too baggy as I've got plenty of room in the shirt as it is. I'd definitely recommend checking the finished garment measurements (on the pattern paper itself) and judging what size would be best for you based on those.

The only alteration I made other than sizing down was to alter the button placement and use a couple of extra buttons. The pattern only calls for four buttons for this view, and that looked a bit too spaced out to me personally so I used six instead. I also needed to alter the spacing a bit to make sure I had a button level with my bust point to prevent gaping.

I really like how this top turned out - it's easy to wear and will be nice and breezy for hot weather. I think the shape could be nice worn open as a cover-up over strappy dresses so I might be making a plain version at some point for that purpose. And I like the look of the long-sleeved version too, so you may well be seeing more M8067 shirts from me in the future!

Helen's Closet Reynolds Dress Review

As I mentioned in my previous post, having finished my first version of the Helen's Closet Reynolds pattern in the shape of the top for my Ankara two-piece set, I liked it so much that I almost immediately started working on a Reynolds dress. Thankfully the dress is just as good as the top!

The Reynolds top and dress is described as "your go-to summer garment", and I would definitely agree with that. It's a pull-on top or dress (in either knee or full length) with wide shoulder straps and, for the dress versions at least, in-seam pockets and a side slit with mitred corners at the hem. It comes with 0-22 (B-cup) and 12-34 (D-cup) size ranges, which together cover hip measurements from 33 to 62 inches.

I was initially drawn to the Reynolds pattern because it seemed like it would be a great dress to throw on in hot weather. I liked the fact that it has a loose, relaxed fit but with the added bonus that there's shaping in the side and centre back seams, meaning that it's not boxy or baggy.

For my Reynolds dress and top I used the smaller B-cup size range and made a 12 at the bust blending out to a 16 at the hips (for my top, I made a 12 at the bust blending out to a 14 at the hem). They're pretty much the sizes recommended for my measurements (my hips are actually between a 14 and 16 but I'd rather have more room at the hips than less!). 

I'm only including photos of my dress in this post - if you want to see my top, there are plenty of photos in my post from last week.

I lengthened the top by 1 inch, and the dress by 1 inch above the waist and 2 inches in the skirt section - this is fairly standard for me, and is only to be expected as I'm about 3 inches taller than the height the pattern is drafted for.

Sewing both the dress and the top was no trouble at all. With no closures, they're fairly simple garments to sew and the instructions are very detailed and full of helpful tips to make the process even easier. The sewing level is rated is being advanced beginner, which I think is fair - there's nothing particularly complicated about the pattern, but there are a couple of steps that might be a bit challenging for an absolute beginner. 

There are some nice touches in the way that the pattern is sewn, such as turning the bottom of the facing under and topstitching around the facing for a clean finish and the side slit with mitred corners at the hem.

The fabric I used for my dress is a cotton sateen that I got from Sew Me Sunshine last year (unsurprisingly, it's no longer available). It's probably on the heavier side of the fabrics recommended for Reynolds, and it has slight stretch whereas non-stretch fabrics are called for, but it is only slight stretch and the fabric has reasonably good drape so I thought it should work out OK. Thankfully I think I was right. 

It's worth noting that as my print was non-directional, I was able to cut the dress out of just over 1.5 metres of 150 cm wide fabric, which is less than suggested in the instructions.

I'm really pleased with how my Reynolds top and dress have turned out, and think I'll be wearing both of them a lot. It's the kind of garment that allows fabric to shine so could look very different depending on what print or fabric base you used. I can definitely see myself using this pattern again!

Ankara Reynolds x Peppermint Loungewear Set

Hot on the heels of the coordinating set that I shared last week, here's another! Although I think we can agree that this week's combination of Ankara fabric, a strappy top and less swishy trousers have quite a different feel about them to last week's blue viscose creation.

I've been wanting to try sewing with Ankara/African wax print fabric for a while now and was finally given the push to order some by Ankara appreciation week, which was hosted on Instagram recently by Lena King and Juliet Uzor. Thanks to their inspiration, I found this lovely print at Ankara Shop - I really liked the colours and the fact that the print was bold but slightly smaller scale than some other Ankara fabrics. 

I wasn't disappointed when it arrived! The colours are just what I wanted, and I love the fact that the background colour is dark navy rather than black. It's quite crisp and doesn't have a lot of drape so you need to consider that when choosing patterns to make with it, but unsurprisingly for cotton it's very easy to work with so once you've picked the right pattern the sewing itself is plain sailing.

When it came to picking patterns, I knew that this time I wanted to use the new Helen's Closet Reynolds as the top. I was fairly confident that the cropped top version of Reynolds would work well with this crisp cotton, and thankfully I was proved right.

I like the top so much that I'm actually making a Reynolds dress this week so I'll write another post talking about the pattern in more detail once that is finished. If you want the abbreviated verdict though - it's a great pattern with good instructions and the sizing seems accurate. More to come in the not too distant future hopefully!

As for the trousers, I originally intended to make the culottes that are featured in the book Sewing with African Wax Print Fabric by Adaku Parker, but when I came to trace them out it struck me that the overall shape of the pattern is actually fairly similar to the trousers from the Peppermint Loungewear set which I made recently. Being as I had that pattern traced out already and knew that it fit me, it seemed sensible just to use that. So I'm possibly taking the concept of secret pyjamas a bit too far by wearing a pattern that's intended to be loungewear as actual trousers, but that really doesn't bother me!

I think that the finished set works really well together - it's definitely a good combination of fabric and patterns. I also really enjoyed working with the Ankara fabric, and there's still a fair amount of the 6 yard precut that I bought left so I'm looking forward to finding something to sew with that. And I'll definitely be using more Ankara fabric in future!