Tag Archives: shirt

Purple Chevron Renfrew

IMG_6888For my first day of Me-Made-May yesterday, I wore another recently completed Renfrew.

It was a Sewaholic pattern day, apparently, because I paired my Renfrew with my Thurlow trousers…

I’ve had this vintage, light purple knit in my stash for a long time. I think I acquired it at a yard sale a couple years ago. It has a cute, raised Chevron pattern.

I cut the same size as my first Renfrew (4 at the bust and hips, curving to a 0 at the waist). However, the fit is much more snug than the first top because this knit has a lot less stretch than I realized. Continue reading

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Black & White Polka Dot Renfrew

IMG_6736In preparation for Me Made May, I’ve been hurriedly making more casual tops to wear.

I know I’m behind the curve on this one, and the sewing blogosphere has been aflood with these for some time, but here’s my first Renfrew.

I opted to leave off the sleeve and hem bands and used my double needle for the hems. Continue reading

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Floral Pintuck Yoke Knit Shirt

IMG_6467I’ve been working on getting more me-made casual tops into my wardrobe in preparation for Me-Made-May. So, I finished this fun and comfy top this weekend.

I’m happy to report that I’m really making progress on my UFO pile lately.This is another item that I cut out last year but left unfinished. I drafted the pattern around the same time as my lace yoke sweetheart and dolman tops. It was as simple as cutting a yoke out of my basic shirt pattern and slashing and separating to create the pintucks. Continue reading

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Lace Yoke Dolman Sweatshirt Tutorial

laceyokedolmanThis tutorial is essentially a continuation of the basic dolman top tutorial. First, please see this post for instructions on making your basic dolman sleeve top pattern.

Adding the yoke is easy peasy. Continue reading

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Wide Neck Dolman Top Tutorial

dolmantopI decided to split up the tutorial for this shirt and the one for the lace yoke dolman sleeve sweatshirt. I’ll post the lace yoke sweatshirt tutorial immediately after this one.

To make this top, you will need a basic shirt pattern. If you don’t have one, please see this post for how-to instructions. Grab some tracing paper, a pencil, a ruler and and an angle. Continue reading

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Lace Yoke Sweetheart Top Tutorial

SweetheartutorialHere is the first of the three tutorials that I mentioned on Sunday: how to make a lace yoke sweetheart top.

This is a lengthy tutorial because I also included information about how to make a basic shirt pattern and how to make a pleated sleeve.

To make this pattern, you’ll need some tracing or drawing paper, a pencil and a ruler. If you have dressmaker’s tracing/marking paper and a tracing wheel, you can use that instead of a pencil. Continue reading

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A minor sewing injury and several new shirts

I’ve been busy sewing up a lot of tops, lately. I made doubles of a couple of them, and some of them are listed in my Etsy shop. I also have tutorials in the works for several of these designs…
Continue reading

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Self-Drafted Sweater Shirt and Skirt

When I was in California, I didn’t have any of my pattern drafting tools with me but I decided to try to draft a few patterns anyway.

When I found the sweater material above in my $2 bag from Loft, I wanted to make a shirt to go with the skirt I bought while at the thrift store with my sister. . . . Continue reading

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Linen n’ Lace Top & the Great Maxi Mistake

This is the last of the summer sewing catch-up posts….

When my grandparents came to visit, they brought some fabrics and vintage garments from my grandma’s sister, Anne (Thanks Auntie Anne!). The material below was cut out for a loose blouse, with no pattern instructions. I thought the lightweight material would be ideal for a summer tank, and I’d use the sleeves and the bit of leftover material for another top, at some point.
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Birds in My Pockets

I watched the dirt shift ‘round my toes,
Enjoying this new found repose.
Then grasping a feather to admire,
I looked up to find an otherworldly choir:
A beautiful array of birds on a wire….

So I stitched some birds in my pockets
To be always carried by their song.
I may not have wings to fly apace,
But I can use a quill with grace;
I can sing along….

Like the swimsuit that I posted earlier this week, I finished these shorts on the road…
Continue reading

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