Sew Over It Molly Top

When I started sewing I didn't intend that I would make all my clothes but, aside from underwear and the odd cardigan/jumper here and there, it's been ages since I bought clothes from a shop. I'd just rather spend the money on fabric. That's all well and good, but my love of pretty prints and twirly dresses means that the basics in my wardrobe have become somewhat neglected. I'm sure I'm not the only one with that problem, am I? Top spot on the list of things that could do with replacing for me definitely goes to plain t-shirts, which is what led me to make this version of the Sew Over It Molly top.

When Sew Over It released the City Break capsule wardrobe e-book, I liked the look of the Molly top but wasn't really interested in the rest of the patterns (I've seen many other people making lovely versions, but they're just not my style), so I wasn't keen on buying the whole e-book for one t-shirt. I was therefore pleasantly surprised to find that the Molly top/dress pattern is one of the projects included in this year's Mollie Makes Comic Relief Crafternoon magazine (I ordered my copy online from here, but it currently says it's sold out unfortunately).

Serendipitously, I happened to have a t-shirt sized length of lovely jersey from a recent trip to Sewn in Bristol which was originally intended to be another Gable top, but was swiftly reassigned to become a Molly top.

The Molly top is a good staple t-shirt with some nice details (batwing sleeves, curved hem and a flattering neckline finished with a band), which keep it from being boring whilst still not making it overly fussy.

I made a straight size 14, which is the size that matches my measurements. The fit is more relaxed than some t-shirt patterns and there's definitely positive ease around the waist in particular, but it's still fitted enough around the shoulders and bust to keep it from just being baggy. If you like your t-shirts skin-tight though, then Molly probably isn't the one for you.

The pattern was simple to sew thanks to nicely detailed, clear instructions. I had no problems during construction, and for this version I just stuck to the directions in the pattern, apart from using a twin needle instead of a zigzag stitch for topstitching the neckband down and for the hems.

For my next version, I'd make a couple of slight changes. firstly I'd lengthen the sleeves just a touch - probably an inch I think. The sleeves on this one don't look stupidly short, but they are noticeably shorter than my other long-sleeved t-shirts.

I'd also probably remove the curve on the hem and just have a straight bottom edge instead. While the curved hem is a nice feature, I know I'll always wear the top tucked in (it's untucked in some of these photos purely for show-and-tell purposes) so it'll never be seen, making it a bit pointless for me personally.

The jersey I used really is a delight - easy to work with and beautifully comfy to wear. It's Robert Kaufman Laguna jersey, and Sewn currently have it on sale if you're interested in treating yourself. In fact, I like it so much that I've already got my hands on the same fabric in blue. It may also become a Molly top, we'll see!

So there we go! I think you'll have guessed by now that I really like this Molly top, and I can definitely see myself making more in the future. I think this was a good start along the way to rejuvenating some of the previously neglected wardrobe basics. Where do you stand on sewing/buying wardrobe staples?

Winslow culottes

Where do you stand on the culottes trend? I'll be honest, it didn't really appeal to me at first. My main experience of wearing culottes was as part of Brownie/Guide uniforms back in the early 90s. Probably not the sartorial highlight of my life. But then photos of the Winslow culottes from Helen's Closet starting popping up on Instagram. They looked great on everyone I saw wearing them, so I decided to bend my usual "dresses and skirts only" policy and give culottes a chance.

The Winslow culottes are wide-legged, with the volume provided by four inverted box pleats (two each on the front and back), and are designed to be worn at any length from shorts to palazzo pants. The knee length version appealed to me most, probably because it's closest to the full skits and dresses that I'm used to wearing so gave me the chance to try out culottes whilst not really leaving my comfort zone.

The pattern was very straightforward, with thorough instructions and lots of clear illustrations to follow. All the notches and everything lined up perfectly, and the culottes came together really easily.

In terms of sizing, I made a straight size 14 based on my waist measurement. My hips should technically fall into the next size up, but as the instructions state, the wide legs mean there's plenty of room in the hips so there was no need for me to grade up.

I always intended to make a knee length version, but I actually cut out the midi length (view C) because I thought that I'd probably want my version a bit longer than view B, but I wasn't quite sure how much longer. This was both because I'm a couple of inches taller than the 5'6" that the pattern is designed for, and because I wanted knee length rather than above the knee. I made up the culottes, tried them on and then pinned them up to work out the length I wanted. In the end, my version is about 3.5" longer than view B from the pattern.

I chose to use a lovely viscose from Sewn because it drapes beautifully, and I thought that would work well for the culottes. Turns out I was right! It's really great fabric, especially for the price of £5 per metre. I was so impressed with it in the shop that I may have also bought some of the powder blue colourway to use for a top.

Talking of tops, the one I'm wearing here is another scoop-neck hack of the Sew Over It Susie blouse. I made this in exactly the same way as my first version - I'm really happy with how that one turned out and it gets lots of compliments (although I think that's mainly due to the fabric), so there was no need to mess with it.

This one uses some pretty Atelier Brunette fabric that I bought in the Black Friday sales last year and hid away to await the arrival of warmer weather. I'm happy it's now been used, because it's lovely to wear.

My Winslow culottes had their maiden outing last weekend and they were great - all the fullness of a skirt, but with the added practicality of shorts/trousers. Particularly welcome when you're out for a walk on a windy day because it means that you're in much less danger of unintentionally revealing more than you want to! I do love my slightly impractical skirts and dresses though, and these culottes won't do anything to change that, but I'll enjoy wearing them  and I'm already thinking of making a shorter version to wear with tights in winter. If you're thinking of giving culottes a go, I'd definitely recommend the Winslow pattern. Are you tempted?