Knit Mania Continues (Jennifer Lauren Handmade-Gable Dress)

March 15, 2017March 16, 2017 by Ashley ♥ 5 Comments

My new favorite thing is looking to the side for no reason

Do you remember a few years back, when Girl Charlee had a huge Black Friday sale? Well, I bought a ton of shit. Most of which I still have, because I don’t typically sew knits. Why I bought so many, I’ll never be able to rationalize. ANYWAY. One of those fabrics was this Red Glasgow print that you see above.

Many furry photobombs are included in this post.

More recently, the lovely Jen of Jennifer Lauren Handmade sent me the Gable Dress expansion pack. If this sounds familiar to you, it’s because I’ve made the Gable Top before, which you can see here and here. I must admit I was pretty stoked about it, I loved making the top and it is SO fast.

The Gable Dress sews up just as quickly. It does feature an edited bodice, so you will want to buy the expansion pack, and not just add a skirt. It’s only $3.50, honestly it’s worth it. As per the usual, I kind of disregarded the instructions again. Having sewn the top before, and fresh of my first clear elastic gathering on the Moneta, I wasn’t too worried.

Despite the pattern being super easy, I really put this one off. That’s partly because life is hectic, but mostly because of this fabric. I was nervous about a plaid for something with a gathered skirt, knowing it wouldn’t line up. Such a bummer! Also my machine just really hated this fabric. No amount of fiddling with the stitches fixed that. Eventually, I just gave up and accepted it for what it was.

I must confess, I wish the bodice and sleeves were a bit more snug. I’m not saying that’s a fault with the pattern, just that I like tight fitting clothing. Other than that, I really don’t have any complaints. It’s a great, simple dress that is just perfect for work. Going completely against everything I am, I like the high neckline. Eventually, I will get my chest done and have to cover that up during the day. Between this and the Moneta, my work wardrobe is becoming more knit dress than pencil skirts. Photo dump below, happy sewing 🙂

A Palette Cleanser (Jennifer Lauren Handmade Gable Top)

December 5, 2016 by Ashley ♥ 3 Comments

After a difficult project, I always find myself craving an easy project. My denim jacket took forever, so I definitely wanted an easy success! I decided on the the Gable Top from Jennifer Lauren Handmade, as I’ve made it before, I know it to be quick and easy pattern.

I opted to use a discontinued cameo print thermal knit from Girl Charlee. I bought the fabric last year during their huge holiday sale, and have been unsure about what to do with it ever since. The fabric doesn’t have the stretch I need for the pattern, so I sized up from a 12 to a 14. That’s the only alteration I made! I honestly don’t have much to say about this make, I believe I said almost everything in my last post.

I made the long sleeve version this time, because duh, thermal. The instructions tell you to do the sleeve a bit differently, but I treated it just like the short sleeved version. Next time, I’ll add about 2″ to the sleeves, they are way too short for my long arms!! I think I would also taper them in a bit at the end, just for personal preference. I like a fitted sleeve. Other than that, the fit seems actually pretty good for me. I’m standing weird in the back view photo below, I don’t think it typically gathers as much in the back. I really, REALLY hate back view photos, you guys. I keep trying to stand different ways to look less weird and nothing works. Blargh. Photo dump below, happy sewing 🙂

A Knit Success (Jennifer Lauren Handmade Gable Top)

September 2, 2016 by Ashley ♥ 6 Comments

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted, I know. I’ve been working on a swimsuit, but I’m having some fit issues. I’ve also run out of summer, so you’ll not being seeing that suit until next year. In the meantime, I’ve had an actual success with a knit fabric, which is unheard of. The pattern is the Gable Top from Jennifer Lauren Handmade, which she so graciously provided to me for reviewing. So yes, the pattern was free, but my opinions are still my own.

Not preggo, just standing weird in high waisted jeans. Also, I like snacks.

There are two things I love in a PDF pattern: a nested pattern (patterns that allow you to print only certain sizes) and a very organized PDF file. Jennifer’s is the later. The Gable Top comes with three sleeve options, and in the instructions, she tells you which pages to print for each. No need to print the whole pattern just for the short sleeves. My cutting area is pretty small, so it also helps that I can assemble sections at a time (bodice front, back, sleeves), instead of the entire garment.

The instructions are really straight forward, this would be a great beginner pattern! There’s plenty of information about choosing the right knit fabric, and explanations of the sewing terms. As you know, I fucking hate knits, and I never ever seem to use the right one. Based on her descriptions, I was able to dig DEEP in the stash and pull out this fabric, which turned out to be perfect! I actually used this fabric for this tank, which was old even then. Yay for stash busting!

Assembly went by crazy quickly. I mean wow. I cut a size 12, based on my measurements (37/29/40), and liked the fit. This top has negative ease, so it’s really fitted. If that’s not for you, size up. Originally I’d planned to do the cuffed sleeves, but didn’t have enough fabric, so short sleeves it was. Now, before I’d even started sewing, I knew I was going to insert the sleeves flat, meaning I would sew the sleeves together at the same time as the bodice. If that makes sense. I was very pleasantly surprised to see that’s exactly what the instructions called for! Bravo, Jennifer.

Realized I can turn my camera to the side, using my tripod, was a revelation.

I did most of the construction with my serger, with the exception of hems and finishing the neckline. You don’t have to do that, it’s just my preference. For the sleeves, I just serged the edges and stitched them down with a straight stitch. For the waist, I wanted a little stretch, but I hate a zig zag stitch. I ended up doing a very shallow (I don’t know the correct term here) zig zag stitch, with a stitch height of about 1.5. On the neckline, you just fold it down and stitch. There’s a bit of play there, so try it on and see what you like. As per the pattern, I added a bit of ribbon on the shoulder seems to give it a bit of stability, that’s topstitched down. That’s all there was to it! Easy peasy. I actually wore this out, and no one believed it was handmade, so that’s a win. I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but…I actually plan to make this KNIT top again. Shocking, I know.