Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Sewaholic Renfrew tee and Ottobre 02/2007-1 tank

Whenever I want some quick and satisfying sewing, lately I have been turning to the Sewaholic Renfrew tee.
This is my fourth time making it, which is nearly a record for me. It helps that they are so quick to knock out. I love instant gratification sewing.
This time, I decided to make the V-neck with long sleeves, out of a snuggly sweater knit that I scored at Walmart for a dollar a yard. It's insanely soft stuff, but also seriously unstable and a royal PITA to sew.
The drapey, unstable nature of the knit is what makes this sweater so cozy though so I think it was worth the pain and agony. In terms of alterations, the only thing I did was my usual cheater FBA on the front bodice and sleeve. The back was already traced from my prior Renfrews, so that saved some time.
Peek a boo!! Unfortunately, the loose knit that makes it so soft and drapey, also makes it totally see through, so I needed an additional layer for underneath. Since the 02/2007 copy of Ottobre happened to be out, I traced off the Tank top (model #1) and sewed it up.
I had a long, skinny strip of slinky knit left over from this outfit, and it was exactly enough for this tank. Yay for stashbusting and for using my Ottobre Woman magazines! I did the same sort of cheater FBA on this, just grading out to the size 40 at the underarm, then back to the 38 at the waist. Slinky is really forgiving, so I didn't stress out too much about the fit.
The pattern calls for binding at the neckline and armhole, but there are very few things less appealing than trying to do a binding with slinky. I just made a plain band and topstitched the neckband down. It was much less fussy than messing around with a binding.
The neckline on the Ottobre tank is a bit higher than the Renfrew V neck, so it shows a bit, but I like the casual, layered look that results, so I'm pleased. I'm glad I finally tried out this Ottobre tee as well. It's the basis for several other styles in that issue, so it'll be fun to try out some of those!

14 comments:

EmSewCrazy said...

Nice! Love them paired with your bright red pants! You always look so put together!

ladykatza said...

I love this. And you're right, instant gratification sewing is good at times.

KID, MD said...

Thank you! What a lovely thing to say! I do try to keep it together. Some days are better than others. :)

KID, MD said...

Thanks! the mojo has been idling on low these days. This helped. I'll get there.

The Hojnackes said...

I love the color (I love all blues, really). So glad you tried the v-neck option. I need to pull out my OTTOBRE woman magazines and try a pattern, too!

Marjie said...

It's a nice sweater, and looks great with your red jeans!

Lori said...

That's really pretty and it looks great on you. The Renfrew is just the best.

Kyle said...

I'm still working out the armpit wrinkles on my renfrew...muslin #3, here I come!

gwensews said...

You can make unending tops from your basics. A girl needs a lot of T-type tops and tanks year round.

Shawn Stephenson Schumacher said...

I keep wanting to buy more and more knit fabric to make more and more Renfrew tops. So fun and easy. I am impressed by your shoe collection. I am married to a shoe maker and have a lot of comfy custom made sandals. He makes me a pair for anniversary each year. I do not own any high heals, they look great on you.

Mary said...

I love this color combo-it sets off your personal coloring so well.

Cindy said...

That's it...I have to get my hands on the Renfrew pattern.;) Love your new top and the tank top for underneath!

SEWN said...

I'm working on my Renfrew today. Thanks for the tips on the cheater FBA.

Dr. Fun (AKA Sister) said...

Beautiful! I'm with Kyle - I have some wrinkles to work out before my next Renfrew....