One Thimble 7: The Prince Hoodie

I thought the last post was a long time in coming, but this one takes the cake!  I have had an exceptionally dramatic couple of months, including not one but three hospital admissions.  I am finally back behind the sewing machine and have a few post planned over the next month or two.

In my last post I promised a review of the Prince Hoodie from Issue 7 of One Thimble E-zine.  This gorgeous little number (by TigerLily patterns) sat in my sewing room for ages in a mostly finished state. 

The first thing I did when making this hoodie was go on a "prince hunt" to find a prince that Mr 3 would connect to.  I rummaged through our DVD collection, and came up with Sleeping Beauty.  Mr 3 is a bit of a fan of this movie (mostly due to his obsession with dragons) and it makes it into the watch rotation regularly.  I looked at the prince and their was two outfits shown throughout.  The wedding outfit (NO WAY! It's white! It wouldn't last for long on my boy) and the brown and black outfit he wears in the forest and most importantly, fighting the dragon.  A rummage though the stash provided a good match for the fabric with some Spotlight polar fleece in pale brown and black.

I found the pattern pieces lined up well and the pattern pieces went together nicely - aside for my silly mistake of putting the pattern pieces on the wrong side of the fabric when I cut (LOL) What can I say?  I wasn't well. I decided to persevere nonetheless. Mr 3 won't notice the buttons are on the wrong side!

The hardest part was putting in the buttonholes, but that is due to my old fashioned technology.  My machine is from the early 80's and the buttonholes are completely manual.

Mr 3 loves his new hoodie.  There is also a version for the princess in your life, and you can get both patterns with Issue 7 of One thimble.

Happy sewing :-)

One Thimble Issue 7 - The Amenity Top

This month I have been lucky enough to participate in the first blog tour for the Aussie based One Thimble E-Zine. One Thimble is a great little online sewing magazine which has gone from strength to strength since it's launch in late 2013.  This issue has some fabulous patterns, including the Amenity Top by Addie K.

This is a great comfy sweater that sews up very quickly.  I spent more time choosing the fabric from my stash than actually sewing it!  The sweater is designed in a baggy, batwing style and is very easy to wear. It comes with two options for the neckline, a lower one and a full turtle neck option,  I used the lower neckline as I don't like the feel of turtlenecks.

I chose a lightweight sweater knit with a textured finish, which I think gives it a slightly dressy feel. The pattern can also be made with any knit with 25% or more stretch. I am tossing up whether to make my next one from ponte or french terry.  Hmmmm... toasty!

The loose fit and easy movement make this the ideal top for chasing busy toddlers and bigger kids too.  Just the thing for a busy mum like me!

If you want to see more patterns from One Thimble's Issue 7? Stay tuned for my post on the Prince Hoodie and follow the blog tour using the links below:

• Wednesday 13th May 2015 - Molly and Mama and pen, seb & rox and From a Box

• Thursday 14th May 2015 - Handmade Boy

• Friday 15th May 2015 - The Toffee Tree and Horris and Deedle

• Saturday 16th may 2015 - Sewvolution and FABulous Home Sewn

• Sunday 17th May 2015 - Sew Today, Clean Tomorrow and Sprouting JubeJube

• Monday 18th May 2015 - Sew Happily Ever After and Made By Sara

• Tuesday 19th May 2015 - Phat Quarters Blog and Hibbadoray

• Wednesday 20th May 2015 - Mabey She Made It and Blue Wren Handmade 

Happy Sewing :-)

Cake Patterns - The Cabarita Top

 

Here I am doing the first post of the year!  It has been a while in coming.  I have recently taken over the running of the Facebook group Australian Pattern Designers - Make and Create with my BFF.  The group is aimed at raising awareness of Australian sewing pattern designers and the patterns they create.  This new venture and a few other outside issues have kept me busy away from blogging.

As you would know, this is right up my alley!

This being the case you will be hearing a whole lot more about Australian pattern designers here. :-)  Today I am going to talk about the Cake Patterns Cabarita Top.  I have been eyeing off Cake Patterns for a while, and was tickled pink when I found out they were Aussie based. After watching for a while for a sale, I decided I couldn't wait any more and after much deliberation (so many awesome patterns to choose from), purchased the Cabarita Top.

I'm going to start by saying that this is the most adjustable pattern I have every used. The best description I can come up with (provided by my BFF) is a dot-to-dot. It has markings for every size from 30" to 50" bust and 24" to 50" waist and hips.  WOW!  The result is a top that is made to your exact measurements with minimal fuss.  I love this feature.


Once I had traced the pattern, the top went together quickly and easily.  The biggest drama I had was not being able to locate one of the back pieces I cut out - apparently I cut the collar out of it - Ooops! Even seasoned seamstresses (I hate that word!) make silly mistakes when they are tired.

I used 100% cotton jersey from spotlight. As I am not a fan of wearing stipes - which would show the lovely V-shape on the back of the top. I chose the rows of spots as I thought it would give a similar feel.

The result is a stylish and comfortable top, which is now a staple in my wardrobe.  I see more Cake Patterns in my future.

You can purchase the Cake Cabarita Top here.

Happy sewing xx