As you can probably tell, I’m off with the kids for Easter holidays so i can finally play catch up with my blog!

The lovely Muriel from Craftine asked if i would like to review one of her bi-monthly subscription boxes as they have recently started offering this beautiful boxes to the UK, well as a Yorkshire lass can’t say no to that!! Hahaha!

Let me explain a little about how it works!

It’s a Sewing Subscription and every two months you will be sent out a Box of Sewing goodies directly to you with free delivery! You can’t get better than that can you!

You have everything you need to make yourself a garment as the fabric given in the box is very generous! I was surprised that inside the box that you even had the matching thread and sewing machine needles a very big win in my book! Plus, a little treat of Herbal Tea, such a nice touch!

The pattern in the box was for Bergamote Top which is sized 6-20 UK which covers a lot people which is fab and there is a link for the instructions online, where I personally prefer this method as it saves paper and I actually get to use the iPad from the kids!

The pattern supplied is a suggestion to use but I didn’t feel pressure to use as they say in the notes which was nice.

Truth be told, i wasn’t a fan of the sleeves but the pattern is in my stash ready and waiting if i ever changed my mind or want to make one for a friend!

So i decided to make The Frankie Top by Tilly and The Buttons. This Top was a freebie inLove Sewing Magazine Issue 50 or in her new book Stretch!

The fabrics supplied were absolutely gorgeous! I’ve never sewn with Milano Jersey before and my word it’s a dream!! Its a great quality thick jersey that doesn’t crease or unravels! Win win! So this fabric would be great for a beginner tackling their first jersey project or even for the experienced amongst us that want a little bit snugness!

I love the fab little note inside the box of giving you all the details of what is inside, tips and info!

So me being me, i decided to live a bit dangerously and use 3 colours to make my Frankie! Well i just thought of Frankenstein( yes my brain works in peculiar ways!) aka Frankie so i thought it’d be quite appropriate for a mash up of colours!

I used Grey Velvet Polka Dots Milano (love it!!) for the Sleeves, Blue ( i would say teal!) Milano and for the collar, i used some Black ribbing in my stash.

I cut out a straight size 4 as with my previous make of the Stella Hoodie but then shortened the 3 quarter length sleeves by 2″ for my stupidly short arms! hahaha!

I put in the new needle out of the pack provided, wound the thread onto the bobbin and tested out which stitch length/width to use before i got cracked on and i’m glad i did as it took me a few attempts to get it right so that the stitches were showing through when stretched. So i set my machine to zig-zag stitch at 0.6 length and 2 wide and off i went!

I’m thankful of the menthol Tea that was in the box too and it helped clear my nasal passages as i was bit congested, blumming kids being caring and sharing of their cold! It was rather sweet yet menthol taste at the same time, unusual but at least i gave it a go!

The Milano was a dream to sew with, it behaved itself with Mr Singer who is known to eat said Jerseys in the past.

I didn’t bother with changing the colour of the thread as i went onto the Grey as i quite like the contrast of the blue to the Grey and i think it helps tie in the colour theme i’ve got going on!

So after a few hours sewing my Frankie was made!!

Of course moi wearing it! It’s a secret PJ Top!!

So my verdict of the Craftine Box is well worth its weight in gold!!

It’s such a great box aimed at the Dressmakers of all abilities rather than Quilters or Crocheters – no offensive of course but us sewists don’t seem to have many ‘Happy Mail’ boxes to come through our letter box like this! I’ve got left over fabric to make myself some knickers, just need some lace and fold over elastic! Yay!

Happy Sewing!

Sal xx

The post Ma Craftine Box Review appeared first on The Yorkshire Sewist.

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.

I was lucky enough to be a pattern tester for this lovely easy to sew top! Now i am advocate for indie designers as a lot of hard work goes into making patterns and i must admit i strangely like piecing up all the papers when it comes to a pdf pattern too!

The Lilly Cami works really well with woven fabrics that can easily be worn to any casual or formal setting.

It’s a staple in your wardrobe for any season. There are 2 different versions included in the PDF, classic and fashion variations. So it can cover an array of occasions

Its such a very beginner friendly sewing project with a detailed tutorial with step by step instructions and photos.

I had bought some lovely Teal Viscose from my Local Boyes at a steal at £2 a metre but unfortunately it was only 44″ wide so instead of lining it fully, i made facings instead but I’ll know for next time…. Buy more than needed!

Of course you need a M and M Cookie Snack to keep you going on a Sunday night!

I made a us size 10 with the fashion back and didn’t grade out to the hips but on my next version I will just for a bit more wiggle room!

But this is such a versatile pattern too as i can see this pattern coming into my nightwear!

With the newly released pattern for the 1st time ever from Sinclair Patterns the pattern is gradable by 2 sizes and you can easily adjust the pattern with fba or a sba with the instructions provided too! Yay!

You can new head over to Sinclair patterns website and grab your copy in the sale for only $7.99. that’s roughly just a mere £6 bargain! https://sinclairpatterns.com/product/lily-classic-cami-woven-top-pdf/ 

Happy Sewing!

Sal xx

The post Sinclair Patterns The Lilly Cami – A Tester Version appeared first on The Yorkshire Sewist.