Nicole

Thanks everyone! I have the Fit for Real People book, so I will head to the square shoulder adjustment section and see what I can figure out. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction!

It looks great! Congratulations on finishing it! I’m sure the next one will go faster.

Julia, piece 16 is the front placket, which is one of the first things you sew at the very beginning of the instructions on page 1. There is a pattern piece identification chart at the very beginning of the instructions to help you.

You might be interested in reading this blog post from a while back:

ask me: how to buy a sewing machine

If you’re planning to use it for labels then you could look at Etsy stores who will print onto cotton twill tape. Then you could have your own custom labels.
I find eBay, Etsy and Amazon to all be good online sources for notions like this.
Sewing shops will often stock it but may not bother putting it in their online catalogue, so you never know…[Read more]

I vote for serge, personally. If you have a serger all those little clips just sort of disappear in the stitching. Cheers!

I agree with @mlinton. It’s a little difficult to tell from just one photo, but it looks to me like you have a very square shoulder. The Fit for Real People book explains how to make the adjustment very clearly. You’ll need to account for the yoke, but even then I think it’s an easy fix and should help to get you a great-fitting shirt!

If you have a copy of the Building Block Dress book I explain how to draft an A-line from the bodice. You could certainly do something like that for this style if you’re certain you need extra room through the hips. Otherwise I’d suggest gently blending between sizes starting someplace between the bust and waist so you can get an easy curve. I…[Read more]

Louise I’d be very surprised if you needed to. Assuming your upper body (bust, shoulders) fit in a size then the garment is so drapey and loose you probably wouldn’t need any more down below.
One other way you could add some extra swinging width would be to cut the centre back a little in from the fold and make the pleat deeper. The stitched,…[Read more]

Here’s a picture showing how I might try a few little flat pattern changes to deal with that fabric “puddling” above the bust point.
Edit: image too big. Maybe this link will work… https://www.instagram.com/p/_58g8LHsSu/

Here’s a picture showing how I might try a few little flat pattern changes to deal with that fabric “puddling” above the bust point.

Try this. Pinch out about a 1cm vertical dart in the middle of the shoulder and see if that gets rid of the drag lines.
I often do this to flat patterns before cutting. I tend to leave the back shoulder the same and just ease the slightly maladjusted lengths together. For the nape of neck bunching you would do a horizontal pinch, almost like a…[Read more]

Anna, if you post in the Facebook group and on the forum will you do everyone a favor and copy the responses from one place to the other so we’re not replying twice? I see that you had a lot of replies in Facebook, and it would be nice to have them here as well so the question isn’t left hanging. Thanks.

Anna, if you post in the Facebook group and on the forum will you do everyone a favor and copy the responses from one place to the other so we’re not replying twice? Thanks.

Sure, provided that the two fabric work together. I’d be concerned that it would add weight to this top, and I’d probably be personally more inclined to wear a camisole under it than add a lining, but that’s probably a personal preference. Let us know how it turns out!

Sure, provided that the two fabric work together. I’d be concerned that they’d add weight to this top, and I’d probably be personally more inclined to wear a camisole under it than add a lining, but that’s probably a personal preference. Let us know how it turns out!

Are you meaning the crotch seam? I really like to do pyjamas with a flat felled crotch seam. It’s neat and strong (for some reason my kids always turn into karate fighters or pro wrestlers at bedtime).
If you’ve already seen the seam, then be sure to double stitch it between the notches for extra strength. Clip as needed and press to one side then…[Read more]

As I said in the Facebook group, I haven’t tried that pattern in a knit. I think it would probably work, but you would probably want a stable knit. I really like linen jersey, but it does tend to be quite sheer. If you try it, let us know how it turns out!

Did you also see that someone else said she has done it and it worked?