Plantain top in Anna Maria Horner cotton interlock knit

By

We are nothing if not tireless in our testing of new fabrics for you all. Selfless I tell ya. And then of course we have to wear and wash and wear garments to test how they last over time. So when you see us wearing the fabrics and patterns that we sell, it's all in the name of research. Ultimately, it's for the good of you, our customers. You're welcome.
The print is actually quite straight, it's just how I'm standing to hold the camera!

This is my sixth version of the Deer and Doe Plantain top. I'm sure getting value out of that free download! Having made it using cotton interlock twice before, I wanted to try to refine the fit. The softness of interlock can make it tend to stretch out a bit more in width. I went down one size in the body, grading to two sizes down in the shoulders/armhole/neckline. I also narrowed the fit of the arms just a little. All in all, I'm pretty happy with it. Perhaps ultimately I need to perform some kind of narrow shoulder adjustment at the back but this is very wearable.

This Anna Maria Horner knit, new to us, is 100% cotton, beautifully soft and held its shape well in the pre-wash. The pattern lined up nicely for cutting on the fold. Interlock knit (the basecloth), on close inspection, looks the same on both sides. By nature it sits very flat for cutting, without the curling that jersey (which has two distinctly different sides), and especially jersey with spandex, can be prone to. So it's a great fabric for people with little knit-sewing experience to work with as it removes that potential frustration.

If you're sewing this knit on a regular machine I would definitely recommend a ballpoint (jersey) needle to slide smoothly through the fabric, and a walking foot to help feed the fabric evenly and without stretching. Use a polyester 'Sew All' thread for strength and small zigzag stitch for a little stretch.

We have three prints in this knit in the shop now: Sealing Wax (shown), Cracking Codes and Mary Thistle. You'll need 1.5 - 2m for a long-sleeved top.

- Jane & Fiona xx



Comments

Post a Comment

We love to know who's reading and what you think so please leave us a comment! We'll also try to answer any questions you may have.

Popular posts from this blog

Care of your Boiled Wool

By
Image
We have some lovely 100% boiled wools at The Drapery for this first time this year. The care of these fabrics was a bit of a mystery to us as well as to you, so we've done some investigation. Will my boiled wool shrink if I wash it at home? More than likely, yes. That surprised us, too. One would guess since the fabric is called 'boiled wool' and has a felted, non-fray texture, that it is pre-shrunk and would not shrink further. Not so - please be well aware! Here's what we found: We tried three kinds of gentle washing: - Front loading machine wash 'wool cycle', 30 degrees , with wool wash liquid, rinse, spin. - Gentle hand wash, warm , with wool wash liquid, rinse, press dry in a towel. - Front loading machine wash 'wool cycle' cold , with wool wash liquid, rinse, spin. In both warm washes (machine and hand) the wool experienced 10 - 15% shrinkage in length. There was little to no shrinkage in width. The cold wash showed sligh
Read more

Boiled Wool Shrug - free tutorial

By
Image
We have some luscious boiled wools in stock at The Drapery right now, and have put together a free tutorial for possibly the easiest garment you'll ever make! Searching for boiled wool inspiration, we came across this simple and lovely shrug by Manda of Treefall Design, who was inspired by a ready-to-wear piece. We whipped up a couple of prototypes in the shop and arrived at this which takes just a 75cm cut of fabric and three straight seams. Edges can all be left raw because boiled wool does not fray! REQUIREMENTS 75cm x boiled wool , ours is 150cm wide - would also work in wool knit fabric such as this Japanese wool blend (or this one ) and this Merino Rib Gutermann Sew-All thread in matching colour Cut about 50 - 55cm in from each selvedge so you have 2 pieces approx. 50 x 75cm, each with a 75cm fluffy selvedge. The piece from the middle is spare so you can use it for another project, or perhaps to embellish your shrug. Pin your pieces together along th
Read more

Pattern Review: In The Folds Jumpsuit (free pattern for Peppermint Magazine)

By
Image
Did someone say jumpsuit? Free pattern? By fantastic Australian designer In The Folds ? I was onto it like a shot! Pattern promo pic: I certainly hope Emily of In The Folds is paid quite well by Peppermint Magazine for the patterns she designs for them, because she's a thorough professional. This is a great pattern, a really well-constructed blank slate for individual interpretation or just a really clean, simple silhouette. So thanks Peppermint Magazine , for making this available to sewists everywhere (and for encouraging sewing in general)! And thanks Emily for the fab designs (more online here ). I made a muslin, which we always recommend and is particularly wise for a fabric-hungry pattern like this. You really don't want to use your 'good' fabric until you're sure of what you're doing. Muslin legs not full length because that was not necessary to check fit The pattern states that it's designed for a height of 5'7" which is a good f
Read more