Hello Everyone,
For my blog post this time I selected this beautiful Art Gallery Cotton Jersey called Serein Branchlet, I love the mix of blue, pink and grey with the touch of red for the berries. I thought this would make a fantastic autumn dress.
I chose to mix 3 patterns for my make. I selected the Iris Pleated Top from Forget Me Not Patterns as well as the Agnes Top and Freya Sweater/Dress from Tilly and the Buttons. I wanted to use the ¾ sleeves of the Iris Top, the dress of the Freya and the neckline of the Agnes. As part of this blog post I will be posting a tutorial video for how I did this on my YouTube channel, find me here
Quite simply I layered the different pattern pieces, traced the new design then made a test version in cheaper fabric before moving onto my final fabric for this post.
I love the way it turned out and feel it’s a super cute make for autumn. It will be great layered with a cardigans and jackets, with different coloured tights in the cooler weather.
What Makes Art Gallery Cotton Jersey Different?
I have made multiple garments with Art Gallery Cotton Jerseys in the past and have been incredibly impressed with the quality. It has become my go to brand when wanting to sew with cotton jersey.
Art Gallery cotton jersey is super soft to the touch, with a lovely smooth feel. Its composition is 95% Cotton 5% Spandex, I have compared it to other jerseys of this same composition, but they don’t seem as soft.
This cotton jersey has great stretch in both directions making is perfect for so many sewing patterns. I have measured the stretch found that it has 60% stretch both ways. The drape means it could also work for patterns which require viscose jersey as well. This jersey is a lovely medium weight, I have used it to make dresses and t-shirts/tops with great success.
Art Gallery Fabrics have a beautiful range of designs especially floral patterns which are my favourite. Over the years I have struggled to find a range of prints on high quality cotton jersey, but when I found Art Gallery Fabrics I was sold.
I revisited some of my Art Gallery Cotton Jersey makes to see how well the fabric had lasted over time. Garments I made years ago which I have worn regularly have stood the test of time and look as good as the day I made them. If it lasts like that, the price is definitely worth it.
Tips for Sewing with expensive fabrics
When buying fabric I always consider the quality versus the price, more recently I have purchased higher quality fabrics as I really want my me made garments to last and feel amazing. Especially when I have spent so much of my time making them. Here are my tips for working with expensive fabrics.
When sewing with expensive fabrics try to choose something you have made before; I like to choose my TNT (tried and true) patterns. This will be less of a risk as hopefully you have sorted the fit and making process of the garment. Alternately you could make a test version in a cheaper fabric to test the fit and process before cutting into the more expensive fabric. This is what I did in preparation for my blog post.
Make sure you choose the needle appropriate for your fabric and use a new needle for your project. For my make with this cotton jersey I used a ballpoint size 80 needle, this was the perfect choice for the project and flew through my fabric like a dream.
Try to choose a thread to match the dominant colour in your fabric. Lamazi fabrics offers thread to match your fabric in the haberdashery section of their website.
Always remember to prewash your fabric. I usually just wash the fabric on the same setting as I would wash the final garment. I also add a colour catcher if washing multiple fabrics together.
I sketched my pattern hack using a croquis to see how my idea would look. I love to do this as it gives my brain time to think the design over. There are many different ways plan your makes and it really adds to the fun of sewing to think up different ideas.
Lastly, make sure you take your time when sewing, concentrate to get things right and enjoy the sewing process.Even if things don’t go to plan remember it is just fabric and you will always learn something in the process.
Choose a beautiful fabric today and get sewing with it!
I hope you have a great day,
Kealy (Voice of a Creative)
