I have always professed to have little to no interest in pyjamas or loungewear, so although they look great, those comfy hoodie, jogger and pyjama sewing patterns have never been on my sewing list. It took an almighty convergence of circumstances (and fabric) to bring handmade PJs into my life, but I’m sold, friends. Fully sold. Who knew pyjamas were so awesome?
The Portobello Trousers by Nina Lee is a pattern I’ve had for ages but for some reason never got round to making. I’ve been getting more into trousers and separates, so the time was finally nigh to make some Portobellos!
I’ve always struggled to get trousers to fit (maybe the real reason behind the Portobello-avoidance is coming to light), so I decided to toile these and make a pair of shorts to begin with.
There are many basic slouchy sweatshirt sewing patterns out there, and I’ve found The One for children, in the form of the Casper sweater from WISJ patterns. A family-run pattern company, WISJ (it’s the first initial of each family member’s name combined, in case you’re wondering) sells patterns to create your own fun, quirky, yet practical childrenswear.
When talking about our aims for the year ahead on un:CUT podcast, I said I’d like to make more clothes for my family. Max is 3 years old, he’s a big lad, and finding clothes that fit him nicely is a bit of a mission. I decided to start with some projects for him, and came across WISJ on Instagram. Max has a builder’s bum that never lets up. Seriously, it’s just always there. Cue: the Casper sweater. With its dipped hem at the back, this sweater solves the issue perfectly!
The CocoWawa Honeycomb dress has fast become a favourite of mine, so I decided to make another one straight away! In the name of variety I decided to hack the Named Saraste dress collar onto the Honeycomb bodice. It was a learning journey, and one I thought would be good to share, as the principles can be applied to any pattern combo.
While most people are lamenting the end of summer, I’m getting really excited for the new season; clearly the back-to-school feeling of a fresh start has never left me!
However, as much as I love to track the seasonal trends, I think it’s really important to make sure you’re making (or buying) clothes that you’ll love year in year out. So herein is my round up of the trends for autumn/winter, but ones that you’ll want to wear well after this whirlwind of a year is over…
Pump up the volume
Big sleeves are still everywhere!!! They’ve been around for a while and from the look of it, they are here to stay. The easiest hack for this would be to make a mega gathered sleeve, but if you’re after some patterns to satisfy your sleeve needs, the Thea Boho Sleeve Shirt from Liberty, the Lima Dress from Cosedo Studios, and the Cologne blouse from Bella Loves are right up your street.
Continue reading “Haute stuff: My top 5 autumn trends…and patterns to sew your own”
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