Sew Help Me

Minerva Core Range Striped Cotton Jersey

June 06, 2022

I have been absolutely loving the new Minerva "core range" fabrics. These are fabrics that Minerva can reorder repeatedly so you always know you can get more. I certainly made the most of the striped cotton jersey Minerva recently gifted to me, making a McCall's 6886 cropped to be a t-shirt, a fitted Itch to Stitch Lago Tank and even a pair of Megan Nielsen Acacia Underwear. I wish I'd ordered more, good thing I still can! To read more about these makes visit my profile on the Minerva page and click here to order your own striped cotton jersey, in any number of colors!

This fabric was gifted to me in return for a post on Minerva's site and this post contains affiliate links. I love this fabric and will certainly be ordering more! Thank you for your support.

Marissa

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Stanton Sweater in White French Terry

June 01, 2022

I was recently gifted both the Stanton Hoodie pattern and this beautiful white French Terry from Minerva to participate in their #TopIdol challenge. The most fun feature of this sweater, for me, is using the reverse side of the French Terry for the cuffs and bands. You can read all about my make on the Minerva site and purchase your own Stanton Hoodie pattern and French Terry here.

This fabric and pattern were gifted to me in exchange for a post on Minerva's site. This post contains affiliate links and I appreciate your support! I love this French Terry and am glad its part of Minerva's "core range" which can be purchased again and again.

Marissa

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athleisure bamboo indie pattern June and Lu knits pants Robert Kaufman t-shirt woven

Linen Hudson Pants

April 29, 2022

I can hardly say enough good things about these linen joggers. I just LOVE them and have been wearing them nonstop since they came off the sewing machine!

I used the True Bias Hudson Pants patterns and sized up two sizes to compensate for the woven fabric. I already owned this pattern in tissue, which I had cut out in my size to make my first pair of French terry joggers. You should have seen me trying to add back in the additional two sizes while cutting out the pants - actually you can see a reel on my Instagram account. Its kind of hilarious in retrospect, even if it wasn't too funny at the time!

I also increased the ankle cuff pattern pieces to 12" x 5" so I could fit my foot through the opening and use the same two inch elastic I used in the waistband. If I make woven joggers with this pattern again I would increase the length to about 14", allowing putting my foot through the opening a bit easier.

I used a shoelace purchased from Amazon for the drawstring and, since I wanted to make this a "luxe" look I splurged on gold aglets for the tips of the laces. I love how the coarse texture of the linen contrasts with the polished drawstring details.

To complete the look I traced off my favorite Athleta top and tried to recreate it with a complementing bamboo. I think the bamboo was just too heavy and this top feels too big, not to mention the hems on the body and sleeves aren't particularly pretty even though I used stabilizer. I may turn it inside out and pin out some of the excess material to try to salvage it because I'm not loving it right now.

Eversewn generously donated the sewing tools I used to make this "luxe for less" look. Thank you Eversewn! I love my new linen joggers, and am working on loving the top.

Patterns: True Bias Hudson Pant, Athleta dupe t-shirt

Size: 8 Hudson Pant

Fabric: Robert Kaufman Essex linen from June & Lu Fabrics

Time: Both garments were surprisingly fast sews, I would estimate I spent about 6 hours creating the whole look.

Cost to Make:

pattern - previously owned the Hudson Pant pattern ($18.50 value) and created the t-shirt pattern using my favorite Athleta t-shirt ($54.00 value)

fabric - $19.50 for 1 1/2 yards linen, $24.50 for bamboo yardage

elastic - $9.00 for 2" soft waisband elastic from JoAnn

shoelace and aglets - $7.00 for set of 55" shoelaces and $9.00 for 4 gold aglets

thread and stay tape from stash

TOTAL: $69 for the both pieces, a $141.50 value

Marissa

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Baby A’s Easter Dress

April 16, 2022

I made the Little Lizard King's Monet for Baby A's first Easter dress because the shape closely resembles my new Essex Dress. I absolutely love how it turned out; she on the other hand could deal with less ruffles so close to her face. Ha!

This dress was a fairly simple sew and the cotton was a breeze to work with. I changed the top sleeve ruffle layer slightly by adding a seam in the middle to compensate for the directional print. Top stitching the ruffle sleeves down was a bit bulky and didn't look as crisp as I usually prefer although I don't notice that once Baby's in the dress.

I made a "hand stitch" boarder on the front bodice piece with my new Pfaff Expression 710. I was able to taper the stitch to 30 degrees at the corners and really like the delicate detail of the tone-on-tone stitches.

Three glass buttons up the back finish the dress and don't detract from the fabric or compete with the pattern details. However, the back placket on the skirt is my least favorite part of the dress. I found it hard to make the placket lay flat without a pucker at the bottom pivot point. Thankfully the skirt is gathered and hides this little imperfection.

Pattern: Little Lizard King Monet

Size: 12m

Fabric: 1 yard Rifle Paper Co. Camont Mint Metallic Lemon Grove and 1 yard coordinating green cotton

Time: Estimated 3-5 hours (who can tell with the interruptions of sewing around nap time?!)

Cost to Make:

pattern - $9.50

fabric - $16.00 (purchased on discount)

buttons and thread from my stash

TOTAL: $25.50

Marissa

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Essex Dress in Cotton Poplin

March 21, 2022

I recently made the Essex Dress by Sewing and the City. I loved the style as soon as I saw it released late last summer and knew I would need to make one myself. In preparing to make this dress I searched Instagram for other people’s versions and their feedback. Many mentioned that it was a touch short and the V was a bit deep. I decided to address these common fit issues while cutting out my pattern.

Based on my measurements I should have been a size six, but after reviewing the final garment measurements I decided to make a size two and I’m glad I did. (I decided this after a tissue fitting of the pattern. Thankful Sewing in the City includes cut and stitch lines on patterns!) I’m 5’1” and added one inch to the bottom of the skirts pieces. I wouldn’t want it any shorter! I also raised the fabric of the V by pivoting the front bodice piece on the upper shoulder point one inch from fold (at the deepest point of the V.) After a few pin fittings I also decided to raise the center seam 1 1/2”, which worked because I have a smaller bust. I’m very happy with the results and will make these adjustments again in the future.

I love working with all wovens, especially cotton shirting, because it isn’t slippery and can so easily be persuaded to do what you want it to do with a bit of steam. Cotton is a natural fiber and has great breathability and adaptability to climate, it deals with temperatures changes well. And as I’ve worn this cotton shirting I’ve found it wrinkle resistant too!

I like to make blouses/tops and daily wear dresses with cotton shirting. It’s also great for little girl dresses, which I plan to be making a lot more of in the near future! The addition of bias binding to the flutter sleeves of this dress allow them to keep their shape and be a real statement! This fabric and notions were gifted to me by Style Maker Fabrics and you can learn more about cotton shirting on their blog here.