Finished Project: Merino Plantain Top

This is fabric piece #4 of 5 of my beloved merino stash. When I originally purchased the other pieces my main goal was to make warm activewear for winter running. But I couldn't resist buying this extra piece, which color was called 'Seattle Grey'. Living in Vancouver, only 3 hours north of Seattle, that reference to our most common winter weather totally spoke to me.

Instead of activewear, this time I wanted to make a simple every day top, so I decided to try Deer and Doe's free pattern Plantain. I liked the A line shape and the wide round neckline.

I cut a size 36 everywhere except for the hem, where I cut along the size 46 line (which added about 3.5cm to the length). The fit was good right off the bat, although I think I could probably use a bit more ease around the bust.

Other than that, I added 2.5 cm to the sleeve length (long sleeve version). The sleeves where still feeling a little short even with the added length, so instead of hemming them, I added a small sleeve band, which also created a slight gather at the wrist. I like the result.

I've had some issues with my previous merino makes, to get the hem to sit properply and not get all wonky after a few wash - mostly due to the stretchiness of the fabric. This time thanks to the A-line shape, the hem doesn't need to stretch over the hips, so I actually added stay tape to the hem. It worked perfectly to keep it nice and clean (at least much cleaner then without tape).

The pattern came together super easily, nothing difficult about the construction. Overall, a pretty simple to make, easy to wear shirt, with the added bonus of warmth without bulk, as merino fabric is incredible that way.

I've only got one piece of merino left (but quite a bit of scraps which I could probably make underwear out of even), destined to be another running top. But that probably won't happen until later this year as I'm now in the process of making myself...a pair of wide-legged super comfy sweat pants...

We took the photos at the bottom of Bridal Veil Falls near Chilliwack, BC, a pretty scenic setting for an otherwise

Finished Project: Strathcona Henley

This is piece #3 of my Merino wool stash. I haven't blogged about piece #2 but the opportunity to photograph this one presented itslef last week-end so I jumped on it.

This is another piece for B. When I first bought the fabric online, from New Zealand Merino and Fabric, I was really attracted by the color and thoughti it would be great for a garment for him. I can't remember how I thought if the Strathcona Henley by Thread Theory but it turned out to be a perfect pairing.

The fabric is a heavier weight merino knit, colour "Ottawa Blue", although it looks more like a dark blue-ish grey. Super soft and super warm. 

As far as the pattern goes, I cut a size M and it fit pretty well right out of the enveloppe. Looking at the photos now, i think it could have used a broad shoulder adjustment, but otherwise it's pretty good. The only change I made was to add a hem band. My previous two merino knit makes have folded over hems and those tend to twist and flip over a lot, so I thought with a band I would avoid this issue.

The construction is super simple, but I did struggle a bit with the plaquette. The fabric was too thick for my machine so I ended up having to  hand-baste everything to make sure it wouldn't shift or stick while sewing. I also didn't topstitch the collar or cuffs for that same reason. I left the cuffs alone as there was no issue with them flipping over, but I did an invisible catch stitch on the collar band to keep the seam allowance down. It worked well.

I had found the perfect buttons. but when came time to attach them, I could not find them. I went through all the bags of scraps and fabric and notions that are in a state of permanent hanging from one of my dining chairs, and nothing...Turns out my maching wasn't having it with the buttonholes anyways (I did a test on folded scraps first, and it was just too thick). I really wanted to call this finished so I ended up just hand sewing the plaquette halfway to the top, where Brice would have buttoned it up. The result is ok, but after a few wash, the plaquette has become to twist a bit. I think next time, rather than fusible interfacing I might use stay tape or even a lighter weight piece of muslin to keep the plaquette nice and straight.  

Sure enough, after I'd finished hand sewing the button-less button plaquette, B. found the missing butons under some paperwork on our desk...I'm still considering getting the buttonholes done at Spool of Thread (a local sewing studio with machines a bit more advanced than mine), but not sure if I'll even get around to it.

In any case, B. loves his new henley, it's the perfect layer for cooler spring days. We took the photos on while on a camping trip in the Squamish Valley. Doesn't he look handsome?

I have already used piece #4 of my merino stash and made it into a Plantain top, will hopefully take some photos of it soon. I now only have one piece left that is destined to become another running top - might be time to order some more!