In Issue 40 of Simply Sewing Magazine there was a fantastic freebie pattern by Tilly and The Buttons – The Stella Hoodie!! It’s also available from her new Book – Stretch! Make yourself Comfortable Sewing with Knit Fabrics.

Truth be told, I’ve not had much look with Tilly’s patterns in the past but on a whim i decided to give them another go and I’m glad i did!!

GirlCharlee has kindly provided me with the softest French Terry in Teal that i have ever come across! It’s a bargain at £10.96 per metre! It even behaved really well on my Singer Quantum Stylist 9960 and Singer Overlocker so a def winner in my eyes!

I had a rummage through my stash too as i wanted to add a bit of pop to my hoodie and thankfully i had some left over Grey Floral Cotton Jersey from January’s Sew My Style of the Sunny Top.

According to my measurements I need a size 4 and i risked it by not making a toile but as the saying goes “risk it for a biscuit” and I’m glad I did as it saved myself time and the fit is great! but I wouldn’t recommend it if you do have to grade between sizes as making a toile would make sure you had the perfect fit.

I used my Overlocker for the majority of the construction of this Hoodie as i am sucker for nice neat lines inside and out. Doesn’t hurt have a glass of wine as a companion either, especially when the football is on! Hahaha!

I love my Automatic Buttonhole feature on my machine as it makes buttonholes a breeze and remember if you are using jersey to interface the back of your fabric to stabilise it and to achieve a great buttonhole.

The only thing I did change was that rather have a normal cuff, I wanted thumbholes! Since the weather is still naff and i wanted to try something new!

I’ll show you how to do this! It’s rather simple but uber effective!

I had to shorten the sleeve itself by 2 inches but that’s me with short arms so best check where the cuff would be by pinning the folded cuff piece to the sleeve using 1.5cm seam allowance for guidance.

First of all I pinned the cuff piece in place and added an extra 3″ to the height of the piece.

Take one cuff and pin so that the raw edges meet, right sides together. Now mark 1″ away from the edges at the top and bottom of the cuff and then measure 1.5″ (that will be your thumbhole) so once folded they will line up when you fold the cuffs.

Sew the seam using 1.5cm seam allowance, stopping and backtacking on either side of the holes to leave them open. Start at one end to the 1st pin, remembering to backsticth and then continue on from the 2nd pin as you will need this gap for your thumbhole and repeat to the end of the seam.

I graded my seam allowance down by half and pressed the seam open.

Fold the cuffs with wrong sides together, lining up the thumbholes. Pin together along either side of the holes and along the seam. Yeah… I go overboard with Pins!

This next step is a little awkward on your machine. I flipped my cuff so that the pins were in the inside and gently eased the rest o the cuff away whilst sewing. Sew 1/4″ from the seam from end to end, closing up the sides of the thumbholes. Repeat on other cuff.

Add a bartack at either end of the thumbholes to secure this stress point.

Ta-dah! You now have a thumbhole cuffs! Yay! Can you believe that’s all there is to it!

Just remeber when attaching the cuffs that the thumbhole and seam match to the sleeve seam or you will end up with the thumbholes wrong way round.

Tilly’s instructions are great for making this hoodie and i’m thinking I need a copy of her book as the patterns look fantastix and that this one has fitted really well it’s given me the confidence to try the patterns again! So win win!

I finished the hoodie by using aqua 1.5cm wide cotton tape that I bought from eBay for 99p, gotta love a bargain!

I hope you like this little tutorial on making your own thumbhole cuffs, I have a feeling I’ll be making all long sleeve tops like this now ?

Now here is the finished result hung up.

Of course moi wearing my new secret pj top, it’s soo comfy yet pretty with the floral accents!

Happy Sewing!

Sal xx

The post Tilly and The Buttons Stella Hoody and a Thumbhole Hack appeared first on The Yorkshire Sewist.

February has been a bit hectic for me! Kids on half term and We’ve been planning our trip to Florida in May and everything is now finalised and paid for including the dollars so just need to sort our holiday clothes!

February’s Sew my Style was either the ever so gorgeous By Hand London Rumana Coat or Style Arc Estelle Cardigan.

I opted for the Estelle as I didn’t have the time or patience for such a big project of the Rumania as the Estelle is made with Ponte jersey and I whipped this one up in an afternoon just as the instructions stated.

I even opted for the in seam pockets as a girl can’t have too many pocketed garments can they?!

I made this from my stash from Minerva crafts originally as it’s still on the site here it’s a beautiful Boucle Double Jersey.

The only alterations I made were taking 3 inches of the length of the cardigan and 2 inches off the sleeve length as I am short! ? Like my Hello Kitty pencil?

I didn’t like the too rough and ready look on the edges of my cardi think its the perfectionist in me, so I decided to use a rolled hem using my overlocker and really like the look with the contrast of black and grey.

This is a great staple for my work when I go to head office as it’s quite smart yet relaxed at the same time. I love it!

Now I’m on a roll, i’ve completed 2 projects from sewmystyle now! Boom!

I’m looking forward to March’s project of the Kallie Shirt/Dress by Miegen Nielsen as I can see this being perfect for my holiday as it’s loose fitting and casual, I really like the curved hem of it! Just need to decide on the fabric!

Happy Sewing!

Sal xx

The post February’s #sewmystyle – The Estelle Cardigan appeared first on The Yorkshire Sewist.

Hi all!

Thought I would join in this year to make 9 garments that i actually want to make and wear! Rather than just for a specific event, I’m wanting to make more everyday clothes!

I’d rather have ‘me made’ clothes that are comfy and fit my quirky style of prints rather than boring plain one colour ready to wear from the High Street, which I’ve gotten into the habit of buying!

I’m planning to get in summer clothes into the list as we are planning an trip to USA in the Summer holidays where i would def need light and airy garments!

So here are my 9 that I’ve managed to wittle down!

1. Sunny Top by  Friday Pattern Company – Can’t go wrong with a staple jersey top.

2. Kinder Cardi by Wendy Ward from her new book – I always wear cardis for work but never at home so I’d thought I would make this one as it has awesome pockets and more a casual look.

3. Lilly Cami by Sinclair Patterns – holiday wardrobe part 1. With 2 different options and so simple to make!

4. McCalls M7536 Dress – A cute everyday dress. I’ve not had a v neck dress made in a while and love the 3 quarter sleeves.

5. Bea Blouse Simply Sewing Magazine – A nice smart top for work

6. Copenhagen Harbor Boardshorts by Stitch upon a Time – Holiday wardrobe part 2. As it’ll be an adventure with plenty of fun I’ll be able to keep my modesty better with shorts rather than skirts! ?

7. Suki Kimono by Helen’s Closet – I’ve always wanted a nice Dressing Gown, so why not put on my list to to kick my bum into making one!

8. Tilly and The Buttons Slipper Boots – Don’t know about you guys but I am forever going through slippers!! They must be my favourite shoes since i go through them so much! So i thought well why not having a go at making my own!

9. Monsal lounge Pants by Wendy Ward – I never seem to have a pair of lounge about pants it’s always my pjs lol so it’s be nice to have a comfy sensible pair…. rather than mad print pjs in case of visitors and for them to think why is she in her pjs at 1pm in the afternoon ?

There you go folks! My #2018MakeNine is all set and ready to go!

What’s on your on list?

Happy sewing!

Sal xx

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