Sewing: Two New Renfrew's

I've been a busy little sewing bee! Here are the last two Renfrew Tops, from Sewaholic Patterns, that I will probably be making for a little while because I've used up all of the fabric I'd purchased to make a bunch of different variations. I've already made a long sleeve scoop neck that I love and a short sleeve scoop neck that I badly modified and used fabric I probably shouldn't have seeing as this pattern calls for stable knits.

  Pretty pleased with how lined up the v part turned out  

 I managed to match the stripes up perfectly!

Let's talk about the v-neck first. It fits perfectly, and the knit fabric i chose is sort of fuzzy on the outside but the inside is silky and feels great against the skin. I realized after I cut my pieces out I should've taken better care with how I cut things out on the stripes, however I think I got lucky this time because I didn't really have a problem with things not matching up. I think I might end up top stitching the seam at the waist and arm bands because the seam keeps rolling over and causing the waistband to stick out a bit. Ironing the seams down didn't really make much of a difference and at the neckband where there is top stitching everything lays nice and smooth. Super pleased.

I'm really happy with this cowl neck too. I made this as a 3/4 length sleeve so it would be cozy for dreary days. This was just as simple as all of the others, even with the cowl neckline. I think it took longer to lay out the fabric and cut all the pieces than the actual sewing. You can sort of see what I was talking about with the waist band seam puffing out in the picture on the right. I might top stitch the waist and arm seams on this shirt too. All in all I've really enjoyed working with this Renfrew pattern. The shirts are simple to sew and come together in no time. I can see myself making many more of these especially the v-neck and scoop neck because they're both really flattering.

I've been a busy little sewing bee! Here are the last two Renfrew Tops, from Sewaholic Patterns, that I will probably be making for a little while because I've used up all of the fabric I'd purchased to make a bunch of different variations. I've already made a long sleeve scoop neck that I love and a short sleeve scoop neck that I badly modified and used fabric I probably shouldn't have seeing as this pattern calls for stable knits.

  Pretty pleased with how lined up the v part turned out  

 I managed to match the stripes up perfectly!

Let's talk about the v-neck first. It fits perfectly, and the knit fabric i chose is sort of fuzzy on the outside but the inside is silky and feels great against the skin. I realized after I cut my pieces out I should've taken better care with how I cut things out on the stripes, however I think I got lucky this time because I didn't really have a problem with things not matching up. I think I might end up top stitching the seam at the waist and arm bands because the seam keeps rolling over and causing the waistband to stick out a bit. Ironing the seams down didn't really make much of a difference and at the neckband where there is top stitching everything lays nice and smooth. Super pleased.

I'm really happy with this cowl neck too. I made this as a 3/4 length sleeve so it would be cozy for dreary days. This was just as simple as all of the others, even with the cowl neckline. I think it took longer to lay out the fabric and cut all the pieces than the actual sewing. You can sort of see what I was talking about with the waist band seam puffing out in the picture on the right. I might top stitch the waist and arm seams on this shirt too. All in all I've really enjoyed working with this Renfrew pattern. The shirts are simple to sew and come together in no time. I can see myself making many more of these especially the v-neck and scoop neck because they're both really flattering.

Sewing: Ruffled, Short Sleeve, Dress Shirt - Renfrew Pattern

So I made another Renfrew top , you can see my first one here, and I'm sad to say I'm not in love with how this one turned out. It's mainly my fault and all things I did wrong which is why I don't like it as much as my first version. Firstly, this pattern calls for stretchy knit fabric, the fabric for this shirt is more of a chiffon/dress shirt material. Now that would've been fine to use still, but I should've cut out my pieces one size up in order to make up for the lack of stretch. Knit fabrics have a lot of stretch and are more accepting of things like chests, and round arms, whereas the chiffon material is not. So this is a little tight over the chest area which then pulls on the neckline and arms when I have it on. Additionally because it was too tight in the arms I opened them up at the armpit area so they're more like cap sleeves instead of full short sleeves. One thing I am pleased with is the fact that I chose to add a pleated neckline instead of just a plain neckline. It's hard to see from the picture in the right, but I think you can make it out a little bit. It made the shirt seem more dressy to me and I wanted to see if I could do it, and I like that I did it that way. I'm not sure how much wear I'll give this shirt, unless I lose a boob or two it's not that comfortable to wear. I might see if a friend wants it instead. I still have two more pieces of (knit!) fabric and two more shirts to make: a 3/4 length v-neck and a long sleeve cowl neck. You sew, you learn.

So I made another Renfrew top , you can see my first one here, and I'm sad to say I'm not in love with how this one turned out. It's mainly my fault and all things I did wrong which is why I don't like it as much as my first version. Firstly, this pattern calls for stretchy knit fabric, the fabric for this shirt is more of a chiffon/dress shirt material. Now that would've been fine to use still, but I should've cut out my pieces one size up in order to make up for the lack of stretch. Knit fabrics have a lot of stretch and are more accepting of things like chests, and round arms, whereas the chiffon material is not. So this is a little tight over the chest area which then pulls on the neckline and arms when I have it on. Additionally because it was too tight in the arms I opened them up at the armpit area so they're more like cap sleeves instead of full short sleeves. One thing I am pleased with is the fact that I chose to add a pleated neckline instead of just a plain neckline. It's hard to see from the picture in the right, but I think you can make it out a little bit. It made the shirt seem more dressy to me and I wanted to see if I could do it, and I like that I did it that way. I'm not sure how much wear I'll give this shirt, unless I lose a boob or two it's not that comfortable to wear. I might see if a friend wants it instead. I still have two more pieces of (knit!) fabric and two more shirts to make: a 3/4 length v-neck and a long sleeve cowl neck. You sew, you learn.

Sewing: Long Sleeved, Scoop Neck Renfrew Top

The Sewaholic Renfrew Pattern - $15.98                          My first me made shirt!

This past summer I had asked for the Renfrew Pattern for my birthday, and I was very happy when I received it from my grandma! This pattern is made buy the same lady who makes the Minoru Jacket Pattern.  When I was home over Christmas we took a trip over to this awesome fabric store in Chicago, Textile Discount Outlet, and got some fabric for me to finally sew some tops. I was having a hard time finding fabric that I liked at my JoAnn's, and I haven't really gotten on board with buying fabric online yet. I like seeing and feeling the fabric first, but I know plenty of people who buy online or off of Etsy. One of the fabrics I bought was this grey sweatshirt cotton that I thought would be as comfy as a sweatshirt but more fitted than a normal sweatshirt is. To see more pictures and find out about how easy this pattern was click the link below.

The Sewaholic Renfrew Pattern - $15.98                          My first me made shirt!

This past summer I had asked for the Renfrew Pattern for my birthday, and I was very happy when I received it from my grandma! This pattern is made buy the same lady who makes the Minoru Jacket Pattern.  When I was home over Christmas we took a trip over to this awesome fabric store in Chicago, Textile Discount Outlet, and got some fabric for me to finally sew some tops. I was having a hard time finding fabric that I liked at my JoAnn's, and I haven't really gotten on board with buying fabric online yet. I like seeing and feeling the fabric first, but I know plenty of people who buy online or off of Etsy. One of the fabrics I bought was this grey sweatshirt cotton that I thought would be as comfy as a sweatshirt but more fitted than a normal sweatshirt is. To see more pictures and find out about how easy this pattern was click the link below.