Itch to Stitch Chemainus Top made from the remainder of the cotton lawn/sateen I used for my Nosara Shirt! I also used the same April Showers Pigeon Wishes buttons! I sewed 4c to 6 hip before, this time I sewed 6c to 6 hip, so the fit might be a little more relaxed.
July's new pattern, Itch to Stitch Nosara Shirt. New pattern on sale 20% off! I decided to make a jazzy summer shirt in bubble print Minerva sateen (lawn) gifted for review, with Pigeon Wishes 'April Showers' lime-blue-cream rainbow buttons. The suggested buttons are 12.5mm, I used 15mm, the buttons are slightly clear so they don't stand out too much, they look like party bubbles, similar to the print. This is a tropical shirt but not a noelty print, I find the geometric styles less overwhelming than other prints. I've been sewing Itch to Stitch patterns for 8 years and it was nice to see a new shirt pattern, this time with a complete collar stand collar and short sleeve for summer. Before I was choosing Mila Shirt or Montana Shirt as my go-to collar shirt patterns then cutting a short sleeve. I would like a collar stand with light interfacing, as you can see both sides when worn, then I hand-stitch the inside collar down, before topstitching. The skirt is also Minerva gifted for review Cotton Canvas.
This is my own design but again it's just a simple technique, I followed a disappearing 9 patch tutorial but arranged the blocks so they formed centre squares instead of diagonal trailing blocks. Then I added a 2.5 inch border in cream Art Gallery Fabric (Ethel's Vintage print), a 5 inch border in Michael Miller cotton, and the binding in the same. For the bobbin I used beige/cream for the main and navy for the binding.
I used charm squares (5 inch), which I prewashed and but did not remeasure them, I think I will try layer cakes instead (10 inch) then cut to size. The packs I used were Connecting Threads Americana, I loved this one but ran out of fabric and it's out of stock, I paired it with the white/cream and some of the navy in two Starlight Gatherings Moda charm packs, I still have some blues left for making a tiny baby quilt for Fallon. I cut extra charm squares from Art Gallery Fabric 'Ethel's vintage, and a white AGF which had tiny gold symbols. For the remaining reds, I didn't have any red fabric, so cut 5 inch squares from a blouse I made in 2016/2017 (too small), the pink and grey cotton I purchased in a quilting shop in Nice, France! Then the black with pink floral was a remnant in small pieces, I had purchased the fabric a few years ago and it was a nice heavier weight poplin, sometimes unbranded cottons are labelled as poplin but too thin for quilting. The backing is 2 metres of Rico cotton in cream with pink hearts, heavier than quilting cotton. The finished quilt is 63 x 51 inches (throw size). Mr W is holding it for photos!
I am very keen to make more quilts or even Christmas crafts! I don't have many fabric scraps, but I am saving 100% cotton scraps and taking apart unworn clothing, which is fewer and farther between these days, now I've slowed down my garment making. I also picked up some layer cakes in a sale, already prewashed! I prewash the cottons as I prewash my fabric by the metre, so it all shrinks at the same rate, and it has less of a crinkled look.