Bellissima Blouse

The May Pattern for the weekend sewing club was the Bellissima Blouse plus some extras for Club members.

I made the classic blouse in some soft cotton fabric liberated from Auntie Joy's stash. I interfaced the collar and collar stand with Vlieseline H180 (lightweight fusible interfacing).

I found the grown on sleeves uncomfortable, so recut the shoulders from my TNT shirt pattern and added some banded sleeves.

I'm happier with it now, but am unlikely to revisit the pattern

The Victory Trousers (April Make!)

Hello, and sorry I've not been posting. I have been away (within the UK) quite a bit, and squished some sewing in, but not shared here.

I have also been working on things for an Advent Swap with my sewing friend RealAle but can't share those until after she has opened them in December!

So I will do a couple of posts to catch up with what I can share.

Today I'll share the Victory Trousers from The Weekend Sewing Club by My Handmade Wardrobe.

This was the Pattern for April 2026, and I did make them during that month

For my version I did a full tummy, full butt and low butt alteration. They sewed up well, but I keep trying to put my hands in the buttoned openings thinking they are pockets!

I tend to wear my tops out, so the button detail is rather obscured. So I am a bit on the fence about these ones. 

Any ideas how I could add some pockets at the front/side to make them more wearable? 

I suppose I could open up the side seams and add in some simple side pockets. I have got a bit of the navy cotton twill left that I used to make them

Burgundy Rib Roll Neck Top

This is my version of the Rib Roll neck top from the Weekend Sewing Club.

To get this to work for me I made various alterations. My usual high round back and scooped front neckline. I didn't want negative ease so added to the sleeves and body and lengthened. I also lengthened the collar to match the scooped neckline and although it is very comfortable it doesn't sit beautifully.

I did a 1.5" (4cm) hem on the body and sleeves on my coverhem.

My 'Sofa Pants' (wide leg joggers) from MHW

This month's pattern from My Handmade Wardrobe's Weekend Sewing Club is the Sofa Pants, casual lounge pants in a knit fabric with wide legs and a few variations.

I made mine in a plain navy Ponte Roma with a good proportion of viscose.

I made a lot of alterations to the front and back rise, crutch shape and depth, side hip (which impacted the pockets), took a wedge from the centre back and shortened the waistband. So they fit me now whilst still looking a lot like the line drawing.

It has become clear to me that no pattern company fits me 'out of the packet'. Not just MHW but also Mccall's, Style Arc etc.  So I'm planning to use my successes to build a library of personal slopers I can use for new patterns. This will be slightly more sophisticated than my current approach of pulling bits out of other patterns that worked and then losing them!

And I'll try not to be mislead into thinking this next pattern will be perfect for me, just as it is.

'Tap to Party' Cowl Neck Top

This is the 'Tap to Party' Cowl Neck Top from my Handmade Wardrobe's Weekend Sewing Club.

I used a remnant of red polyester mix jersey fabric. I sized down to medium. But then graded up for the waist and hips. I also lengthened it a bit. As I have large upper arms neither sleeveless nor flutter sleeves were going to work, so instead used a knit sleeve from another pattern. I was a bit short on fabric so added cuffs to get the 3/4 sleeve length.

An adapted "Sweater Weather Pullover" by My Handmade Wardrobe

The "Sweater Weather Pullover" is the November pattern for The Weekend Sewing Club by My Handmade Wardrobe.

It's a Unisex pattern. I've made an XL as a gift. I added a centre front zip and 3 pockets (two embroidered with a Rugby ball logo)

Sweater Weather Pullover Version 2

 

This is the same pattern but the alternative sleeve plus a few other tweaks.

I put the standard neckband in initially but the layers had shifted, I'd caught it in the overlocker and it was not good. I cut the ruined neckband off, which made the neckline lower and the only long strip of fabric I had was quite narrow, so a new slim neckband. 

This version has the bishop sleeves. I made the hem band and the cuffs slightly shorter in length, but kept the depth. It was a real struggle due to the fabric but I love the end result.

The fabric is a stretch velvet which is very slippery. I had to change my approach a bit to sew it successfully.  For each band I sewed the short ends and pressed the seam open. I then folded the band in half, but before attempting to apply it, I machine basted the two layers together. This then gave me a stable band to apply. To keep things in place I used sewing clips and extra long pins which I wove in and out several times and sewed slowly on the machine checking nothing had slipped, then overlocked afterwards. For a very simple top it took a long time!

The "Sweater Weather Pullover" by My Handmade Wardrobe

This is the November pattern for The Weekend Sewing Club by My Handmade Wardrobe. I've made two very different versions for myself in size Large. Here's the first.

The main sweatshirt is sewn from a thick fleece backed sweatshirting. It didn't have enough stretch for the bands and the burgundy ribbing I had clashed terribly, so I went through my knit fabrics looking for something stretchy enough and co-ordinating. I ended up with this lovely leaf print.

This one is sewn as per the pattern with some minor exceptions. I scooped the front neckline slightly and raised the back neck and I added a pocket, 6 inches wide by 8 inches tall (approx 15cm x 20cm) with approx 1.5" (4cm) hem at the top. I also made the cuffs slightly shorter.

Sashay Culottes from My Handmade Wardrobe

These are my Sashay Culottes from My Handmade wardrobe. It is the monthly pattern for October for the Weekend Sewing Club.

It has a faced waist, patch pockets and a side zip

Having patch pockets on both the front and back confused me a bit, so I've added a label inside to indicate the back.

I've sewn mine from a barely black baby cord from deep stash which I think I've probably had for 20 years

Should be a soft and cosy piece for Autumn Winter.

My version of the Sundown Cover Up

The Sundown Coverup was last month's pattern for the Weekend Sewing Club from My Handmade Wardrobe.

Here's my version in size Large. I made it mostly during the Live Sew Along session. The fabric is a novelty knit of some sort. It has a black mesh background with a sort of boucle type yarn knitted into it.

I added 14cm to the length and did a small hem, but left the pockets in the marked place. I made buttonholes and added three large grey buttons from my stash.

The pattern can be made from wovens, knits or quilted fabrics. I liked the knit and quilted versions the best.

Mine is a bit big, though I cut for my measurements, probably because the knit has a lot of give. I also find the neckline  comes away from my neck and isn't very cosy.

A quick knit top

 Here's a quick knit top to close out September.

Sarah released a long sleeve to go with the Mix It Up Tee pattern and I've been pleased to use it for this top.

The Mix It Up Tee pattern is part of The Weekend Sewing Club at My Handmade Wardrobe.

Pink top

 The Side Tie top from the Weekend Sewing Club

I made the V neck version of the top in a size L. I had limited fabric so the ties are slightly narrower and the facing is from a cream coloured fabric. I moved the ties up slightly so they tie just below the bust.

It's great to be able to make something wearable from 0.7m fabric.

This is this month's pattern from the Weekend Sewing Club.