Today I’m cutting my striped knit fabric for the Renfrew Top. Remember how we lined up the ribbed lines along the fold of the fabric to ensure our solid-coloured knit fabric was on grain? We’ll do something completely different to line up our stripes today. (This is a long post but it’s full of good […]
Thoughts on Cutting Knit Fabric, Notches and More
Hello, everyone! I’m back to work on my Renfrews! Look at how the fused pattern pieces cling to the fabric! They’re not ‘sticking’ like they’re sticky, but seem to grip to the surface of the knit fabric and don’t slip around like tissue does. I could probably cut without pinning at all. (If you’re just […]
Cutting Knit Fabric: Making Sure Your Project is Perfectly On-Grain
More Renfrew sewing progress! I started my assembly-line cutting with the solid knits, because they’re easier than stripes. The fabric I’m using is a 95% cotton, 5% spandex jersey knit in a medium weight. It’s heavier than a standard tee shirt but not anywhere near as thick as yoga pants. (It sure is hard to […]
What’s a Stable Knit Fabric?
Let’s talk about fabric! On the back of the Renfrew Top pattern, the recommended fabric is a Stable Knit Fabric. As opposed to any old knit fabric, a stable knit fabric will work better with the self-fabric bands at the cuff and hem, and create a nicer looking neckline band. So, what’s a stable knit […]
Alma Blouse: A Trick to Sewing the Tie Belt
Hey everyone! Today’s post is a little trick to sewing the tie belt on the Alma Blouse. The actual trick is very short to explain, so I thought while I was at it, I’d demonstrate how to make the whole tie belt! You can add a tie belt to any blouse. Thread a contrast tie […]
Adding Topstitching to the Alma Blouse Neckline
Check out how we added a little topstitching to the neckline of the Alma Blouse. Here’s how we did it: We sewed the first row of stitching, following the 1 centimetre (3/8″) guideline on my sewing machine. After that, we moved the presser foot to the left as far as it would go, and used the […]
A Reversible Cambie Dress!
Yes, I said it – a reversible dress! Christine from the blog ‘What’s Up Cupcake’ made her version of the Cambie Dress reversible. One side is a fun print, the other is timeless black, and both look beautiful on her! Here’s the outside:And here’s the inside! Check out her blog for more photos and her […]
Sewing the Cambie Dress Straps
Today, I’ll demonstrate how to sew the Cambie Dress Sleeves (or straps, if you prefer) into the front bodice. This is one of those sewing steps that might become super clear as you’re doing it yourself, but may be a little confusing in the directions. One of the great things that comes out of pattern […]