We firmly believe that anyone can sew anything with patience and perseverance, but sometimes it helps to understand how time-consuming or challenging a pattern will be to sew. Here's how we rate the difficulty of our patterns:
Beginner (⭑): Appropriate for a true beginner with simple style lines and details, quick to sew with no closures.
Confident Beginner (⭑⭑): Achievable for beginners who are willing to learn a new skill, may include more design features and techniques (ie. zippers, buttons, facings, etc). Relatively quick to sew.
Intermediate (⭑⭑⭑): More details and style lines, may include interesting details like a zipper fly or topstitching, projects can take 6+ hours to sew.
Advanced (⭑⭑⭑⭑): Still achievable for most sewists, but patterns will include more pieces and more details, and can take 8+ hours to sew.
Challenging(⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑): Complex, skill heavy projects like tailoring and bra-making. Again, achievable for most sewists but be prepared to spend 10+ hours on these types of projects.
Details
Supplies
Sizing
Info+
Channel your inner “je ne sais quoi” with the Marine Top, our twist on an iconic Breton marinière. With a gently flared sleeve, slouchy fit, dropped shoulder, and classic details like a wide bateau neckline, topstitched facing, and split hem, you’ll feel like you stepped right out of a French New Wave film in this chic knit top.
• View A has a 3/4 length sleeve with a standard neckline facing.
• View B has a wrist skimming sleeve and features a shoulder-wide facing enclosed in the armscye.
We suggest stable knits such as mid to heavyweight cotton jersey and interlock, French terry, sweatshirt fleece, ponte, and double knits. Striped fabrics are ideal for a classic Breton look, but solids work just as well.
Yardage (sizes 0-20) - 58inch / 1.5 m wide
VIEW A - 3/4 SLEEVE + STANDARD FACING ~ Sizes 0-8 = 1.5 yd (1.4 m), Sizes 10-20 = 1.75 yd (1.6 m)
VIEW B - FULL LENGHT SLEEVE + WIDE FACING ~ Sizes 0-20= 1.75 yd (1.6 m),
Yardage (sizes 14-32) - 58inch / 1.5 m wide
VIEW A - 3/4 SLEEVE + STANDARD FACING ~ Sizes 14-20 = 1.75 yd (1.6 m), Sizes 22-32 = 2 yd (1.8 m)
VIEW B - FULL LENGHT SLEEVE + WIDE FACING ~ Sizes 14-26 = 2 yd (1.8 m), Sizes 28-32 = 2.25 yd (2 m)
Additional Supplies
Fusible knit interfacing (note you may not be able to interface textured knits like fleece + terry)
This is such a soft poplin. It has a cool hand that begs to be a summer sundress. It is so light and airy. I find a lot of cotton poplins to be stiff or have an unappealing feel to them, but this one is special. The colors are so bold and fun. Minor to no shrinkage in the wash. I honestly can't decide what to make with it.
Very pleased to finally find a good shirting poplin. Local fabric stores, few and far between, seem to carry predominately material for quilting or children’s clothing.
K
Bamboo Cotton Stretch Fleece - Teal Kate A.
Can’t wait to sew this up!
I prewashed this fleece (and matching baby rib) and it came out well. It’s very soft and cozy, but a little too stretchy, I thought, for my original plans for a Marlow Sweater. I’m going to make an Elliot Sweater instead, or maybe another Toaster. Can’t wait to get to it.
I plan to make a skirt from this fabric. The colors will work well with my wardrobe and the drape of the fabric will work well with the pattern I want to use.
I love this bemberg lining. I’ve used it to line a Wool Jasika blazer and a linen+rayon Magnolia dress. It’s slick but not slippery so it sews and serges well. It also has a great body to use as an underlining, only altering the drape a bit on lighter fabrics to make a slightly sturdier (and opaque) bodice.
