Charlotte Emma Patterns Clove Vest

I love finding sewing patterns that are fun to make and will give you useful additions to your wardrobe. For me, the Charlotte Emma Patterns Clove vest is just that! As evidence of how much I like it, I've already made three versions - and I've got two of them to show you today.

The Clove vest is a knit vest top with V-neck or crew neck options and two hem lengths. The vest has tall hem bands sewn in two parts with a split at the sides. The V-neck option has a wide neck band, while the crew neck is finished with a facing. The armholes also use facings. 

It comes in two size ranges, with the B-cup range covering bust sizes from 32" to 46", and the D-cup range covering bust sizes from 44" to 60".

The pattern is intended for medium-weight knits and it's great for layering. I have a tank top that I knitted a few years ago that I like wearing in the colder months, so I thought a Clove vest would be a welcome addition to my wardrobe - with the added bonus of it being much quicker to sew a top like this that it would be to knit one!

This was my first time using a pattern from Charlotte Emma Patterns, and I was impressed. The instructions were really good - clear, easy to follow and nicely set out. They have just the right level of detail and I didn't have any trouble sewing up my Clove vests. It has to be said that I haven't tried the V-neck and that's probably the slightly trickier of the two neckline options, but having had a brief look at the instructions, it didn't look like it would be too complicated.

The instructions result in a nice finish too. I've never used facings with knit fabric before and I was slightly concerned about how they'd turn out, but they actually work really well. They're also all topstitched in place, so there's no danger of them flipping out onto the right side of the vest and they look nice and neat.

I made a size 16 - my measurements currently put me just below a 16 but above a 14, and having looked at the finished garment measurements I thought the 16 would give me more of the fit I wanted. Given that it's intended for layering, you don't want the vest to be too closely fitted. I didn't make any alterations, and I'm happy with the fit of the vest.

Initially, I made the full length version in plain navy blue French terry from Dalston Mill (the one I ordered no longer seems to be available). When I tried it on, it looked OK but I thought it would probably fit in with my wardrobe better if I'd made the cropped length. I was about to cut the extra length off but then I realised that I had enough fabric left (I was sent a VERY generous one metre - it was more like 1.5 metres) to cut another cropped version. So my mum was very happy to take the full length one off my hands, and I made myself a cropped version.

I then realised that I hand enough of the floral French terry (which I bought in a closing down sale a few months ago) left from making a dress recently to make myself a second cropped version. 

The vest really doesn't use that much fabric at all - particularly if you're using leftovers and have a main chunk of fabric that you can use for the front, back and waistbands and some smaller pieces that would fit the facings.

I think this is probably the quickest that I've ever made three versions of the same pattern, and that's a fairly good indication that the Clove vest gets a big thumbs up from me! And I might not be finished yet because I've found some other leftovers that might be just about big enough to squeeze a vest out of. Watch this space!

Homer + Howells Ingrid Dress Pattern Review

Hello there! It's been a while since I last posted, but I've got what I think is a good project to share to break the silence. It's the  Homer + Howells Ingrid dress - a pattern that I liked as soon as I saw it, and have now finally sewn for myself.

The Ingrid is a gathered panel dress with asymmetric seams and a centre front bust tuck. It comes with options for a midi or mini length dress or a top, and also has the choice of a classic tee sleeve or gathered cuff sleeve. I used the midi length and tee sleeve.

The pattern is drafted for bust sizes from 31½" to 48⅞" and hip sizes from 34¼ to 52".

Ingrid appealed to me because the asymmetric seam lines make it a bit different from the (many!) other dress patterns that I've made.

This is the first time that I've made a Homer + Howells pattern, and I wasn't disappointed. I bought the printed pattern and the envelope, instruction booklet and printed pattern are all really good quality, which is always a nice start! 

Sewing the dress was no trouble at all - the instructions have just the right level of detail and are easy to understand. It's the kind of pattern where you do need to keep track of which piece is which, and make sure that you cut everything out right, but there's clear information about that on the pattern pieces so as long as you follow that you should be fine. 

I would say it's a slightly more time-consuming dress to make than some others because you have to sew the two front and two back panel pieces all separately rather than making one bodice and attaching it to one skirt, but it's still not particularly complicated. 

It's worth taking time to make sure the bust tuck lines up across the centre front seam - I actually hand basted the two front pieces together across the tuck, then sewed the seam in two stages - first going from the bust tuck up to the neckline and then from the bust tuck down toward the waist.

The sizing seams good - it's intended to be a relaxed fit, and it achieves that without feeling baggy and shapeless. I made a straight size 14 (which is what is recommended for my current measurements) with no alterations, and I'm very happy with the fit. It's a really comfy dress to wear.

The fabric that I used is a lovely needlecord that I bought from Sew Much Moor. These photos aren't entirely doing it justice - the drab January weather is making the colour less saturated than it is in real life. The photos on the Sew Much Moor website are a much better reflection of it.

I really enjoyed sewing my Ingrid dress, and I'm happy with how it turned out. I don't think it'll necessarily be a pattern that I make over and over again - I tend to do that more with simpler dress styles that look different depending on the fabric you use, whereas the unique design of Ingrid makes the dress itself stand out (if that makes sense?!). I think a summery version in chambray would be nice though, so something along those lines may find its way onto my sewing table!

Stitched in Wonderland Daydreamer Dress

Needlecord is one of my favourite fabrics for autumn and winter sewing. It feels beautifully soft and is cosy to wear, and as an added bonus is also easy to work with. What more could you want?! With that in mind, it's no surprise that needlecord was my fabric of choice for my first autumnal project of the year - a Stitched in Wonderland Daydreamer dress.

The Daydreamer dress is a relaxed fit dress with a button front bodice, grown-on short or long sleeves, gathered knee-length skirt, optional tie belt and (importantly!) in-seam pockets.

The bodice comes in three cup sizes (B, C and D) for bust measurements between 30" and 52". The hip measurement range for the pattern is 33" to 53".

The dress is a relatively straightforward project and my Daydreamer seemed to come together fairly quickly. The instructions are detailed and I found them easy to follow. They're illustrated with photos, which were mostly clear enough and did have additional marks added to clarify some details.

The only thing I might do differently if I make this pattern again (a definite possibility!) would be to sew the buttonholes before binding the neckline. The buttonhole function on my sewing machine is generally fairly reliable, but it does struggle a bit on thick fabric or if there's a thick layer just before/after a buttonhole so I actually ended up unpicking a small section of the neckline binding above my top buttonhole, then sewed the buttonhole and finally sewed the binding back in place.

In terms of sizing, I'd say if you follow the sizes recommended for your measurements then the fit will be very relaxed. I used the C cup bodice and made a size D at the bust, blending out to an E at the waist and hips. The D bust is a size smaller than recommended for my current measurements, and my waist is currently between an E and an F. The combination of the D and E sizes worked out well for me - my finished dress is a nicely relaxed fit without verging into sack-like territory.

The only alterations I made were to lengthen both the bodice and the skirt by 2 inches each. That's partly because I'm a bit taller than average (I'm 5'9"), and partly because I wanted the skirt to be slightly longer than knee length.

As I mentioned at the start of this post, the fabric I used is a lovely needlecord that I bought from Sew Much Moor. It's a dark navy with a pretty design of small white flowers with little gold accents. The fabric is great quality, is really perfect for this dress and feels like it'll wear well.

I really like how my Daydreamer dress turned out, and it's so comfy to wear. It works well on in its own, with a cardigan or layered over a t-shirt so I know that it'll be getting a lot of outings over the coming months! How's your autumn (or spring if you're in the southern hemisphere!) sewing going?

In Complete Stitches Planetary Backpack

Every now and then I like to step away from sewing clothes and indulge in a little bag making. It's still sewing obviously, but you get to use slightly different techniques and processes, and of course there's no need to worry about fitting. My latest bag project is the Planetary Backpack from In Complete Stitches.

The Planetary backpack is a lined drawstring backpack, with a top cover flap, outer front pocket and inner slip pockets. It uses webbing for the straps.

Fellow dressmakers will probably appreciate the fact that the pattern provides pattern pieces rather than giving cutting measurements, and even has an A0 file that you can send to a printer rather than having to tape together a PDF.

The instructions are very detailed and are accompanied by helpful illustrations. I found the directions very easy to follow and didn't have any trouble making my backpack. 

There are helpful tips included along the way, such as pointing out areas where you may need to hand crank your sewing machine where there are quite a few layers of fabric - I definitely had to follow this tip a few times.

I used the idea in the instructions for hemming the ends of the drawstring casing instead of using eyelets because I didn't have any eyelets. I also used a magnetic snap fastener instead of a regular snap fastener for the outer front pocket, again just because I already had some of them in my stash. 

The rainbow motif on my top cover flap is my latest hand embroidery project. It's a pattern by Hope Steward from issue 28 of Love Embroidery magazine. I bought a thread pack from Hello Hooray to make sure that I'd have nicely complimentary bright rainbow shades (I didn't use the lighter green in the pack because the pattern only uses six colours in the rainbow). 

I enjoyed stitching the design and found it very relaxing. I'm really pleased with how it turned out - I often struggle to get satin stitch looking neat, but I think I've done a fairly good job here.

All of the fabrics that I used for my backpack came from my stash. The indigo denim that I used for most of the outer is left over from making my Yanta overalls, and the white and red striped cotton twill on the outer and floral white and red cotton for the lining were both from charity shops. 

I really like the rainbow webbing that I used for the straps - it seemed the perfect choice to use with my rainbow embroidery! I found it on Etsy - although just to note that the webbing I was sent is different from the photos of the rainbow webbing that were shown in the listing when I ordered and that are still shown in the listing as I write this.

I enjoyed sewing my Planetary backpack and I'm pleased with how it turned out. I'm looking forward to taking it out and about for some adventures! I'd happily recommend this pattern, and I've got my eye on a couple of the other patterns from In Complete Stitches for future bag making projects.

Megan Nielsen Durban Jumpsuit

The Megan Nielsen Durban jumpsuit has been on my "to make" list for some time now, and I'm pleased that it finally reached my sewing table and now has a firm place in my wardrobe.

The Durban jumpsuit has lots of mix and match options so you can make quite a few different versions, giving you good value from the pattern. 

You can choose from a round or V neckline, short or long sleeves or a sleeveless bodice, patch and/or in-seam pockets, tapered or wide full-length legs or shorts, and optional belt loops with a tie belt or D-ring belt. That's definitely a lot of scope for creating variations!

The pattern also comes in a good range of sizes, with the regular version of the pattern covering hip measurements from 34" to 48", and the curve range going from 42" to 62" hip. As someone who is slightly taller than average, I also appreciated the fact that the trousers are marked for regular and tall in-seam lengths.

For my version, I used the V neckline, sleeveless bodice, tapered legs, in-seam pockets, patch pockets on the back (there is also an option to put the patch pockets on the front of the jumpsuit instead), belt loops and the tie belt.

The instructions were very detailed and easy to follow, with nice clear diagrams. The skill level is rated as 3 out of 5, and I think that's fair. There's nothing that's very tricky, but there are quite a few steps so it might feel a little overwhelming for a beginner. You do also need to be quite accurate to get a nice finish at some points. 

I took my time working through the project and really enjoyed the sewing process. I thought that sewing the bottom of the front button placket might be a bit fiddly, but the instructions made it nice and simple. 

In terms of sizing, I made a 14 at the bust blending out to a 16 at the waist and hips as recommended for my current body measurements. I also used the tall in-seam length. 

The instructions include advice about how to measure yourself to see if you're going to need to lengthen the pattern, which is helpful. I definitely needed to lengthen mine - this is an adjustment I almost always have to make. 

I added 2" to the bodice for my toile and that got the waist to the right place, but I felt like I needed a little extra length in the rise of the trousers so I also added 1" there for my final version. As I'd added extra length, I also used more buttons than the pattern calls for - I think I ended up with eight instead of six.

I'm pretty happy with how the fit turned out. There's enough room for the jumpsuit to be really comfortable to wear, but it's not baggy. 

The fabric that I used is a printed chambray/lightweight denim from Croft Mill. It was a really easy fabric to work with and I like the sweet and simple floral print. I've used other printed chambrays from Croft Mill before (in my Lyra dress last year and my Cassie dress a few months ago) and they've worn really well so I'm hoping the same will be true for this one too!

All in all, I'm really happy with my Durban jumpsuit - the instructions were great so it was a pleasure to sew, and the finished jumpsuit is just what I wanted. I think it'll also work layered with t-shirts underneath, so hopefully I'll still get a bit more wear out of it as the temperatures start to drop - I hope I do anyway because I don't want to leave it sitting in my wardrobe until spring!