Grainline Linden top

A while ago I promised a photo of my Grainline Linden top and here it is.

There are few things you need to know about this pattern. 

First there is a lot of ease in it. 

Probably designed for sweatshirt fabric or as a layer, although this loose bamboo knit version was great for a home day for me. I made a 12 which fit my measurements exactly and this is the fit. 

In a class I am doing for beginners with this pattern students tried on samples and most of the younger women are making a 4 when their measurements are more 8-10. 

Consider that.

As you can see the neckband is quite narrow, fine, but for beginners I am having them it twice as wide because getting used to stretching a neckband with your hands to fit the neckline first out is hard and I want them to have a success.

Also it should be noted that this is a raglan T shirt, something that we haven't seen too much of lately. Raglans are really the most comfortable sleeve shape, good if you have sloped shoulders, and easiest to put on children, and those with mobility issues. Worth remembering. I always sew raglans for babies.

Not too much else to say except this picture is taken on my daughter's back deck and you can see the state of the landscape around here.

I am also confirming my status as the sewer with the least staged pictures on the internet, notice the sock feet. In Canada we take our shoes off the minute we get in a house and Canadian homes usually have entries full of random piles of shoes. It is considered sort of rude to leave your shoes on even in the summer. A by product of all the slush, snow and salt we would otherwise track in I guess much of the year.

I am wearing some Barb pants by Stylearc in this shot too if you are interested. As well as about 20 extra pounds I see, proving that those second helpings (I have the appetite of a 14 year old boy, although I do understand I am not a 14 year old boy) do take residence.

Going to do something about that some day.

Now off the finish the chair project. Have to get that in the out basket today or else.

Linden sweatshirt, new sewers and new sewing spaces

In November I am doing a two night workshop on the Linden sweatshirt and on sewing knits. Almost certainly the students will be new sewers or sewers who have not sewn knit fabrics before.

The Linden is a simple pattern for a raglan sleeved relaxed fit sweatshirt - like I have made over the years a thousand times before.

I say this because it requires a bit of a rewind of my head to realize that such a classic pattern has new life as an "Indie" and fairly pricey pattern.

Like its sister knit tops the Renfrew or Frazer sweatshirt from Sewaholic  the bands at the sleeves and bottom, which in all cases are more one-to-one than the gathered in bands of traditional sweatshirts, get around the issue of hemming in knits for new sewers. As a result these patterns tend to produce garments that work first time out.

The raglan sleeves are also nice. 

Not sure if we all remember it but a raglan is the easiest top to put on. That's why it my favourite when sewing for small children, seniors, or those with mobility issues. 

I also feel the raglan seams really suit the sloped shoulders many women have and are natural for adjusting the computer body - you know bent shoulders that mean a pull across the back and a narrow chest - just add more to the back/sleeve seam and take in the front/sleeve seam.

It is always easiest to adjust a pattern that has seams exactly where you need to make the adjustment.

The neckband on the Linden is the standard ring stretched to fit. 

I must say though that this band, although it looks very nice done, is fairly narrow and with 1/4" seam allowances, as are used throughout this shirt, may have the potential to be tricky for a new sewer struggling to get the hang of holding onto one layer of knit while stretching it, and being careful not to stretch the bottom layer.

In class I think I might suggest students cut the band wider.

The cult like status of many indie patterns among new sewers is interesting. In so many cases there are scads of similar patterns available for so much less cash from established pattern companies. So why do new sewers go for the indies first? I am sure there are some heads shaking in corporate offices wondering the same thing.

Here are my thoughts.

First off so much of sewing is about community and connection. It is also, for a generation of new sewers who did not grow up in homes with a sewing machine in the back of every hall closet, about education just as much as about instruction. Education and instruction are different.

The Linden comes not with an instruction sheet but with a nice little book that explains every little thing in great detail in a really human and conversational tone. 

Patterns like this - small business products generated by a designer/blogger/real person who writes about themselves and is totally relatable - are invitations into a shared culture as much as they are about making a garment.

I am aware that this too is part of my job in my workshop - we are going to have two 3 hour sessions to make this top -  my dialogue about sewing and my sewing habits and my sewing stories are what the students seem to enjoy most.

So the indie pattern movement isn't about making something to wear as much as is about finding the creative person inside and joining the community of sewing. Classes like mine, taught in a beautiful small sewing shop/studio/lounge, are part of the same impetus.

And of course the Linden is a pretty well drafted pattern too.

This old hat sewer will be making more of these in future.