Bedtime!

Both Mr N and I have been in need of new PJs/nightwear/nighties/night clothes in the last year. We’ve had RTW night clothes for ages, and I’ve been sticking them in the machine with a complete disregard for the fact they had holes in, seams coming apart, etc.

Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey PJs

To be honest I really didn’t know what to make these in. In the end I went in to Spotlight and looked for some fabric which would be fun. I reckon these work!  The pattern is Simplicity 1520 which I had to make some changes to. This pattern is a multi-sex, multi-sized pattern. Mr N likes to have an opening fly on his PJs, so I had to make a couple of changes to incorporate that. So I extended both sides of the front and so that they would overlap at the waist and provide a fly. Sorry, I didn’t take many photos and didn’t draft any pattern pieces. It was a bit of trial and error.

To be honest apart from the fly, these were a pretty quick make. This cotton is so easy to sew and make up. These were sewn on my machine and the seams finished using the overlocker.

The deets
Fabric:  Dr Who cottons from Spotlight, late 2017
Notions:  Thread and inch wide elastic for the waistband
Pattern:  Simplicity 1520, adult size L
Changes made:  Changed the front seam to incorporate a fly, shortened the length by a couple of inches and removed the ribbon tie on the front.

Recommendations:  Well I made two of these in pretty quick succession. It’s a quick and easy make. I didn’t really follow the instructions. Why did I need to? I’d already self-drafted the fly so I certainly didn’t need to follow the instructions for the rest! Mr N is definitely happy with his PJs, so I call this a success.

Nighties for me

Me, I’m not a fan of PJs. My legs get really warm in bed, so PJs don’t work. This first one hasn’t worked as well as I originally hoped. I had a nightie from Peter Alexander which was really comfortable, so I thought I would trace a pattern from the garment and use some fabric from stash.

The pattern has a yoke which extends to provide a kimono sleeve which has a cuff. The skirt falls with a rectangle and then godet type shapes on the side seams to provide a handkerchief hem. Not sure I’ve described that very well, so hopefully the photos help.

The fabric for the yoke is a pale grey and white narrow stripe left over from a T-shirt (not blogged), and was a remnant from somewhere and the grey is a viscose knit with a slight texture which I came from Fabric-a-Brac some time ago.

I have to say, this went together a lot easier than I thought, although the grey viscose hasn’t lasted that well on the side seams and is already showing wear (I only made this around 6 months ago).

The deets
Fabric:  Grey and white stripe, a remnant from somewhere and a grey viscose knit from Fabric-a-Brac.
Notions:  Thread
Pattern:  Self-drafted, copied from a RTW nightie.
Changes made:  No changes, since it’s self-drafted 🙂

Recommendations/another one:  Can’t really recommend the pattern since it’s self-drafted, but I’m happy with it. It’s comfy and it moves with me when I toss and turn at night, which I often do! I’ll keep my pattern, so I can make another if I want to.

I also made two more nighties. Yes, mine were really on their way out, plus going away for work on and off, it’s helpful to have a spare, just in case I’ve not managed to get a wash done, etc!

This time I bought the fabric specifically. These cotton knits came from Spotlight. I love them, they’re so bright and cheerful. The pain was that they weren’t exactly woven straight, so I think they will probably twist over time, but hey, I’m only sleeping in them! I don’t think I lined the yoke seam that well on the striped version, but that’s all good, I’m not worried.

The pattern is a Prima pattern from June 2010 which I’ve made up a couple of times before as a top. One I made up as a sleeveless version and the second, I added the short sleeves. I lengthened them both so they come to mid-thigh length to make them vaguely decent!

When I’ve made the tops, I’ve always added shaping with double pointed darts in the front and back. I didn’t bother with darts for these, they don’t need them.

The deets
Fabric:  Abstract patterned cotton knits from Spotlight, December 2018.
Notions:  Thread and interfacing for the yoke.
Pattern:  Prima patterns, June 2010, size 16
Changes made:  Basically lengthened them from the tunic length, adding approx 6 inches.

Another one/recommendations:  This pattern has been a really good one from Prima. I know there are a number of people who haven’t been that impressed with Prima patterns, but I’ve not had any issues. I amassed a number while living in the UK and the ones I’ve made up I’m perfectly happy with and this pattern I’ve made up 4 times now! Just check out that side seam on the striped version above!

And they are labelled with my labels I got from the Dutch Label Shop not long before Christmas. I can now label ALL THE THINGS!!

Oh and that ticks off number one of my #makenine2019.

 

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Lekala love

I didn’t really know what title to give this – does anyone else find it difficult to think of post titles? But the truth of the matter is, these two pieces are both Lekala patterns and I love them, so hence the very boring alliterative title.

I know very few people who have reviewed Lekala patterns, so here is a brief introduction. Lekala are purely a PDF pattern company. I think they are based in Switzerland, since their main phone number is Swiss. All of their patterns are made to measure for you. The minimum measurements added are height, bust, underbust, waist, hip and full hip. There are then options to add neck and upper arm, plus other options to state if your back width is normal, if the waist height is normal, arm length in comparison to torso is normal, etc. I have to admit here that although I’ve completed this last page, I couldn’t find any references to tell me if something was normal or abnormal to be honest! What I do like is that you can easily update your measurements at any time, you can also save multiple measurements, so for other half, children, Mum’s cousin’s auntie and uncle Tom Cobley and all. 🙂

Once you have purchased your pattern, you can wait up to 24 hours for it to come through, since they will draft it to match your size. There is an add-on extra for seam allowances, options to change to imperial measurements and also change the paper size of the pattern delivery. I think they offer discounts to regular users, but haven’t looked into this. They also have regular discounts on their FB page. I bought five patterns last year which came to the princely sum of approx US $12 – bargain!

The patterns don’t come with fabric requirements, since these are personalised patterns, so you need to work this out from the pattern pieces. I don’t mind this in some ways, it allows for creative pattern placement and pattern tetris! There is also an option to add fabric and colour to a pattern, I think you can upload an image of your own fabric, but I’ve not played with this much either. Descriptions of the design aren’t in the description, they’re in searchable tags on the database.

It didn’t take me long to make up two of those five that I bought. So up first…

Lekala blouse 4548

This is described as a blouse with decorative sleeves to be made up in silk (or some such). It has pleats around the neckline (three either side) and petal sleeves which I really like. It’s a very loose fit.

The fabric, mm, I don’t remember where it came from. I think it’s been in my stash only a couple of years. It’s a more recent acquisition, shall we say. I think it’s silk, but I’ve not done a burn test. It’s very soft, drapey, it was beautiful to sew and even behaved well! The pleats around the neck are not perfect, but not obvious!

The instructions are very much on the sparse side. No images. I have to say for this blouse, it wasn’t difficult, so I was fine with the reduced instructions. I like diagrams, but a lot of the time I ignore instructions and just go my own way anyway!

I didn’t make any changes. I wanted to see how the final blouse would look without changes. Since the Lekala seam allowance is just 3/8ths, I finished all seams using my overlocker. The sleeve and blouse hems I didn’t use my rolled hem foot, I stitched a narrow hem, trimmed it and then folded over and stitched that down on the same stitch line. With a curved hem on both the sleeves and blouse, I felt happier doing it this way.

The final touch is a button and loop at the top of the back. It doesn’t really need this. The neckline is perfectly big enough to go over my head without opening the fastening, but it looks cute!

The deets
Fabric:  Grey silk with roses, where from, I don’t know!
Notions:  Thread and a button from stash
Pattern:  Lekala blouse 4548, made to measure 🙂
Changes made:  None, that hasn’t happened for a very long time! 🙂

Another one/recommendations:  For a first Lekala pattern, I’m very happy. I love this blouse. The fabric I chose is perfect, so it’s light and airy and it’s getting a lot of wear. I even like it tucked in. I’ve not tucked in a blouse for years! I don’t know if I’ll make it again, I have loads of patterns, but I’d definitely recommend both Lekala and this blouse from my experience.

Lekala Skirt S3101

This is described as a maxi skirt with wrap and pleated front. The pattern recommends well-draping medium weight fabrics. So it’s basically a wrap skirt which has a pleat from the waistband on the opposite side to the wrap, creating a kind of mirror image. The overlaps have curved hems, creating a high-low hem.

The fabric I bought September from The Fabric Store in Dunedin. (I’m terrible when I go away for work, I think it’s where most of my purchases come from.) It’s a beautiful cotton linen border print with a fantastic drape. So the burgundy runs down one side of the length with the beige/ivory ivy leaves along the other side. Consequently everything I’ve cut across the grain.

I realised after cutting out that although I put the pattern pieces facing up, they need to be facing down, or my fabric upside down, since it’s meant the overlap goes the wrong way, ie the left is overlapping the right, rather than right over left, the standard female way of fastening. I shortened the back of the skirt (not wanting it maxi length, but mid-calf) and also changed the curve slightly for the front. This was trial and error, since I wanted to keep the front length as it was, but just shorten the back. Fortunately it worked!

Other changes made were to add in-seam pockets to the side seams, because, pockets. I changed the waistband to fit my wider waistband stiffening rather than interfacing. I also used an invisible zip rather than lapped zip since I only had an invisible zip in stash. The waistband is fastened with a waistband hook and bar.

The deets
Fabric:  Dark red cotton linen border print with beige and ivory ivy leaves
Notions:  Thread, zip, waistband stiffening and a hook and bar from stash
Pattern:  Lekala skirt S3101, made to measure 🙂
Changes made:  Changed the waistband, purely to fit my interfacing. Used an invisible zip rather than lapped zip. Inserted inseam pockets in the side seams. Shortened the back hem of the skirt and changed the front curve to retain the front length of the skirt. I made no actual fitting changes, since the fit is perfect. 🙂

Another one/recommendations:  Another great Lekala pattern. Great fit. The only gripe I have is that I laid the pattern pieces incorrectly, not thinking and they overlap the male way, but to be honest, has that stopped my wearing it – nope! I love this skirt. My shortened length fits perfectly in my wardrobe. The weight of the fabric is perfect and it’s so swishy and swirly! It does mean in the Wellington wind, I have to hold on to the front, but I generally wear a slip, so I’m not showing my knickers! 🙂

#2019MakeNine

I’m jumping on the #makenine bandwagon this year. Why? Mm, well that’s a tough one. I often make way more than nine items so in theory it shouldn’t be a problem, but I normally make what I feel in the mood to make and don’t want to be beholden to some resolution I set in January, probably when I’m still in some kind of post holiday stupor! I go with the flow, shop my stash (or a shop on my work travels!), or I might shop my pattern collection and see if something takes my fancy.

My patterns I now have on Evernote, I think they are all there, apparently I have 374 patterns! Ouch! I’ve also just been through my fabric stash (thank you NZ public holidays and Christmas closure!) and measured/photographed everything to try to make a record of that. Next is to add that to either Evernote, Trello or a simple spreadsheet. I don’t know how many metres of fabric is there in total. A lot is the short answer! Too much, is another! 🙂 OK, I’ve done a quick tot up from my notes, there’s about 220m there! Double ouch! My name is Nikki and I have a fabric problem!

Truth be told, I’m a bit overwhelmed by it all at the moment. Going through has helped me find pieces I’d forgotten and those I’d really like to make up. I’m sure there are some I’m actually really never going to make either – time to bite the bullet and sell them off methinks. Here’s the nice tidy stash, which some of you might have seen on Instagram. I also have two baskets with lining fabrics and plain cottons, I’ve not included these.

Well that was a very long introduction and reasoning behind my joining the bandwagon for 2019. And so, without further ado and rambling on, here are my #2019MakeNine.

Project One:  Swimwear
We have a week in Rarotonga coming up in March and I’ve made one swimsuit (never blogged) and want to make another. I have this great swimsuiting fabric in stash to use. At the moment I’m torn between making up a one-piece or two-piece. My last swimsuit was the Closet Case Bombshell, which I love. I’m considering another Bombshell, the Closet Case Sophie or this Jazz tankini.

Project Two:  Burda 7767 (men’s shirt)
I’ve made a few of these shirts for Mr N and I have some pale blue and white striped cotton/linen in stash which will be perfect. So this should be a relatively quick make, once he’s decided if he wants long or short sleeves! 🙂

Project Three:  Frangipani dress
I bought this red fabric covered in frangipani when we were in Hawai’i a couple of years ago. I’m determined to make it up this year. I seem to have been searching for the perfect pattern, but in my head it’s a fit and flare with either cap or short sleeves. I reckon I should go with that. Probably darts rather than princess seams and a pleated skirt rather than gathers. I don’t have the Emery dress in my collect, but so many others which I can use, eg the Gather Kits Mortmain, which I made here; or Style 2721 (which is a princess seam and no sleeves, but a fab pattern made once years and years ago!)

Project Four:  Papercut Patterns Sapporo Coat
I’ve had this pattern since it was released and have been wanting to make it up. Every version I see I love. I was just wanting the perfect fabric. Now I have it and a lining to go with it 🙂 This coat will finally be made up. Like my fabric choices?

Project Five:  Baby somethings!
Some friends have babies due this year and so I’m going to be making something or multiple somethings for babies, be it a blanket (like I knitted here) or some dribble bibs, plus some clothes of some description. I’m not sharing too much since I don’t want said friends to start demanding and getting too much detail! 🙂

Project Six:  McCalls 6696
Finally, another pattern which has been in my collection for ages and ages and is also a big favourite in the sewing world. This classic shirt dress, I have been meaning to make for a while. I know which fabric to use, so finally this should be the year for me to use it!

Project Seven:  Teal tartan coat
This is some fabric I found in my stash this week while tidying and measuring. I’m determined to make it up. It’s been there a while! There’s about 1.8m worth of 150 wide. I need to have a think of a pattern. I’d like it to be hip or tunic length. I think a collar would be good, but not sure on v-neck or round. And I want long sleeves. I have a few patterns on my collection, the Style Arc Stella coat (but I’m not sure if it would work shortened) and this Lekala coat; also Burda 8172. There is also the Pauline Alice Ninot jacket. Finally, I also have this Prima pattern from 2007.

Project Eight:  True Bias Ogden Cami
Yep, this one. I have three of these already and love them. I have a couple of remnants in stash which I’ve bought and these are both earmarked to be Ogden camis. Why not? I’ve got the pattern to fit and the others get a lot of wear. These are the fabric choices.

Project Nine:  Nightwear
I’m not a fan of PJs really and also prefer knit fabrics to sleep in, since I toss and turn a lot, so my fabric has to stretch and move with me. I bought this knit from Spotlight not long ago and have already decided it will be more night clothes, since my others are getting very old with holes and need replacing! I will probably use this Prima pattern from 2010 and lengthen it. I’ve made the pattern three times already, twice as tops (one not blogged) and once already as a night shirt/dress (also not blogged) and it’s quick and easy to make.

Phew! So that is it. My #2019MakeNine. I have high hopes of actually achieving this. All fabric will come from stash and I’m also determined all patterns will come from my collection too. It’s going to be a lean year (famous last words…)

True Bias Southport dress

This was another last minute make for our holiday. Strangely I only have one maxi dress (a BHL Anna) and the need for another was calling me.

This is the Southport Dress from True Bias. I was a bit skeptical at first. I thought the tie in the middle would make me look like a sack of potatoes tied up. I’m not a big fan of blousy things, so there was a quick discussion with the girls first.

The fabric is a border print which came from Fabric Vision in Christchurch. It’s a really fine cotton with a beautiful drape and is so soft. It took a bit of cogitating and ruminating to decide how I might lay out the fabric.

 

As always when making something new, I searched around to find reviews. What did we do before this? Oh and there’s a few of these around – be warned! I made a number of changes following the reviews. I raised the front neckline by around an inch, I also raised the underarm by around an inch and then trimmed it back by around ⅜”. I lengthened the bodice by around 1.5 inches and shortened the skirt by the same amount. I omitted the buttonholes and stitched the buttons through both plackets. There’s no need for those buttons to open! The buttons are from stash. I rarely need green buttons, so was definitely happy to find these. Oh and note I pattern matched on the front button placket! 🙂

I also removed the drawstring waist, added a casing to the inside and inserted elastic. So much more comfortable and I can add a belt that way if I want to. I shifted it to the inside mainly because an additional casing on the front with this already busy print didn’t look good.

The final change I made was to move the front slit to the side seams, so that I could cut the front skirt on the fold and eliminate that centre front seam. I actually prefer these two side splits. It was this version by Jenny which convinced me this was the way forward.

The deets
Fabric:  A border print cotton voile from Fabric Vision in Christchurch
Notions:  Thread, buttons, interfacing and elastic
Pattern:  True Bias Southport dress, size 14
Changes made:  Lots! Raised the front neckline, shortened the armscye to make the underarm higher, lengthened the bodice, shortened the skirt, omitted the button holes, moved the waist casing to the inside and inserted elastic, shifted the front slit to the side seams and cut the front skirt on the fold.

Another one/Recommendations:  Definitely recommended, but with some reservations. I would check the following before making up: the armscye, the front neckline, the bodice length and skirt length. I often have to lengthen the waist, but this I lengthened considerably. I’m also 5’6” and the skirt was way too long for me!

Saying all that, I love this dress. I lived in it while we were away. So comfy with the elasticated waist, I felt so girly and even dressed up in it. I think this is going to get a lot of wear when our summer comes. Thinks, what can I make another in? Not sure yet whether to make another maxi or the shorter version. Oh and it has pockets – big pockets! 🙂

These photos were taken at our hotel in Fiji. There was a bridge to some fancy overwater bures (no we didn’t stay in one!)

Simplicity 2176 – Ohia Lehua

Summer is coming and I’m prepared. 🙂 In all honesty, we’ve just got back from a holiday in Fiji and I wanted a sundress (my previous version being a wee bit tight currently).

This is Simplicity 2176 which I first made a couple of years ago. I love this pattern, such a simple pattern which is easy to wear. This second version is around half inch bigger in the waist and hips, since I’ve put on a bit of weight (oops). This is a Project Runway pattern which now seems to be out of print (or unavailable on the Simplicity site). The front bodice has princess seams. There are a couple of different options, for an overlay at the top of the bodice and also for a halterneck.

The fabric I bought from Fabric Mart in Honolulu, Hawai’i a couple of years ago. When I bought it, I knew then I wanted to make this pattern up. The border print runs along both selvedges, so I used one and a half lengths for the skirt and used the remainder to cut the bodice and straps. The flower is actually a Ohia Lehua, a hardy plant appearing in many Hawai’ian legends. It reminded me of our Pohutukawa trees, sometimes known as a New Zealand Christmas tree.

The drafted skirt is actually curved which wasn’t going to work with this border print, so I just cut it straight and decided to pleat it. I considered a dirndl, but I’m not really a fan of gathers and went for the pleats, which took ages since I had to work them out having deviated from the pattern. There is an inverted pleat at the centre front and the centre back. The pleats then go out to the side seams.

I lined the whole dress. The pattern is actually unlined, but I prefer it lined. The bodice is lined with the plain green shell fabric, the skirt is lined with a white cotton voile. I love cotton voile as lining, particularly for summer clothes. It’s that much lighter and softer.

I deviated from the pattern by attaching the straps at the back first and then the front to get the length correct. They are not great at the back, I don’t think I put them at the right angle, but I can’t see them when I’m wearing it!

The other thing I did was to add in seam pockets to the side seams because pockets! 🙂

The deets
Fabric:  Green poly cotton border print from Fabric Mart in Hawai’i and a white cotton voile for the skirt lining, which I think came from Evans in Masterton.
Notions:  Thread, an invisible zip and some interfacing for the top of the bodice
Pattern:  Simplicity 2176 Project Runway sun dress, size 16
Changes made:  Lengthened the bodice by around 3/4″, added pockets to the side seams, changed the skirt from the pattern to basic pleated rectangles and lined the whole dress. I think I changed the princess seam on the front slightly to fit my bust better, but can’t remember exactly what I did! I also hemmed the skirt by hand. I love a handsewn hem, when I learned to sew, Mum always taught me to hem everything by hand. They take time, particularly when this full, but it means I can have a deep hem and add weight to the skirt. I was tempted with leaving the selvedge, so pretty with the style number, but it was too long really.

Another one/recommendations:  I recommend this pattern completely. It’s a relatively quick and easy pattern to make up. It’s also easy to fit if you need to make any changes. The dress is easy to wear and looks great on and I feel great in it too!

These photos were taken on holiday in Fiji at our hotel. I reckon my Muse Tahi shrug works well to keep the chill off my shoulders 🙂 Only wishing I had my red heels with me too!

Frocktails Flora

Sew Social NZ arranged the first ever Frocktails Wellington at the end of June. I had to have a new dress! OK, so I cheated slightly, I was invited to a conference dinner back at the beginning of May with a theme of “Dress to Impress”, so I had to make something new for that! It was conveniently the perfect outfit for Frocktails 🙂 I ended up wearing it with my Muse Tahi shrug I made ages ago. It’s my go to cover up for occasions and looks great with this dress.

We’ve not long moved house and I really needed something relatively simple to make up, which wouldn’t tax my poor brain too much, or take up too much sewing time when Mr N was expecting me to unpack boxes! I found the fabric first, then decided on the pattern (as you do!) By Hand London Flora was the perfect choice. A pattern I’ve had for a while (it’s a printed version), but never made up! The fabric came from Whanganui where I had gone conveniently for work. 🙂

I did make up a quick muslin of the bodice. I often do this for patterns I’ve never made up. Skirts can fit, but bodices often require a bit more work. As usual, I needed to lower the darts and also lengthen the bodice. I also made some other changes, I lowered the front neckline and lengthened the straps. I also raised the armscye, since this sat very low. The skirt was also going to be too short if I’d have kept it the length of the pattern.

The pattern asks for 60″ (150cm) wide fabric only. That’s not going to happen with silk taffeta, which meant I had to put a centre seam down the front of the skirt. To be honest, I don’t think it looks bad with that seam.

I lined the bodice with this purple lining from stash. This taffeta is an orange shot with purple, so it’s a perfect match 🙂 I wasn’t going to ruin the seam finishes with my overlocker, so I used this purple hug snug to give a Hong Kong finish to the seams. The hem is not deep, and I also used the hug snug to hem the skirt too, which I did by hand. Yes, I hemmed this skirt by hand, it took forever, but gives a beautiful finish. I love the way the hug snug shows when I’m wearing it.

I inserted an invisible zip, even though I hate them. It’s not perfect, but OK. I also added a hook and eye at the top of the zip to make sure the back of the neck had a proper closure.

The deets
Fabric:  Orange silk taffeta shot with purple from Philp-Wright’s in Whanganui. Purple lining from stash.
Notions:  Thread, invisible zip, purple hug snug, oh and the By Hand London and Me label which came with the pattern. Yes, in the days they sold print patterns these labels came with them.
Pattern:  By Hand London Flora dress, variation 2 with a square neck and high-low hemmed skirt, size 17. The 17 doesn’t exist, but I made up between a 16 and 18.
Changes made:  Lots! Lowered the front neckline by 1.25″, lengthened the straps by 1″, raised the armscye by 5/8″, moved the front darts 1″ to the centre and lowered by 1.5″, lengthened the bodice by 1″, graded the skirt from the 16 to a size 10 at the bottom to account for the narrow width fabric, lengthened the front skirt by 3″ and lengthened the back skirt by 2″. Phew! I think that’s it! I could have cut a smaller size in the waist after all that, but I think I’ve done enough!

Another one/recommendations:  I really love this pattern. I don’t know why I’ve left it so long to make up. It’s not a difficult pattern to make, the changes were the most difficult part! It’s simple and the instructions are very clear anyway.

The skirt is a great shape and works really well with this fabric. I’m very tempted to make up another. I have some sateen in stash which is going to work like a dream for this pattern. There’s definitely another Flora dress in my future. I don’t have many things with a square neck and I’m actually really liking how it looks.

This skirt is perfect for twirling 🙂 And to end a photo from the Frocktails evening.

 

 

 

 

Papercut Aomori Twists

So many things I need to blog and photograph if I’m going to have a record on here of my makes! Oh well, one step at a time!

My love affair with Papercut Patterns continues. I bought the Aomori Twist Top when the Sakura Collection was released last year. This pattern was calling to me.

I’ve now made two of these and they both get so much wear. The oversize look may not be perfect for my shape, but I love these tops. The first one I made was in a rust coloured merino from stash. I made this in January before we headed off to the UK and Tokyo. The second one I made from the pink merino knit (also from stash) about a month ago.

The first version I cut my standard halfway between M and L for Papercut. It was so big! The sleeves were about two inches too long as well (the depth of the cuff). I ended up taking in the sleeves and the side seams by around an inch and a half (~4 cm).

The second version I sized down. The fit is generally better, but this fabric is very loosely woven and has still come up big! I ended up taking in this version at the waist to give it a bit more definition. The sleeves I also shortened by the depth of the cuff.

From the photos on the website, I think the sleeves are meant to be long and big around the wrist. I’m not a fan of this and so I made changes. The rust coloured cuffs were really big, so I decided I’d pleat the bottom of the sleeve into the cuff, so that the cuff was small enough for me. The second version, I decided to grade in the sleeves and then stretch the cuff slightly to fit.

For both versions I attached cotton tape to the shoulder seams. I do this with all knit items. I’ve tried clear elastic but it just didn’t work. With the pink version I also added tape to the back of the neck, although you can’t see this since it’s enclosed in the binding.

Don’t look at the binding on the inside. It’s a mess on both versions! I had a nightmare making it neat and tidy on both, so it looks fine on the outside, it’s the inside which looks a mess!

The deets
Fabric:  Rust coloured merino from stash, not sure how long it’s been there and I don’t know where it came from! Pink merino also from stash. If memory serves me right on this one, I think it came from Levana some time ago. 
Notions:  Thread and tape for the shoulder seams.
Pattern:  Papercut Patterns Aomori Twist top, size M/L for one and S/M for the other.
Changes made:  Shortened the sleeves by the cuff length – around 4-5 cm. Took in the side seams and sleeve seams. Pleated the sleeve into the cuff on one version to fit cuff around wrist.

Recommendation/Make again:  These two jumpers are in permanent rotation. I love them. They are not fitted and don’t show my curves off, but I’m loving this pattern. It’s easy to wear and easy to put together. I’m tempted to try a sleeveless version for the summer in a woven fabric. This pattern will work really well in a woven with drape. I might even be able to get the binding neater! 🙂