Made by You
A Rather Marvellous Kit
We always love seeing our dressmaking kits brought to life, especially when customers share an honest account of the sewing journey along the way. Here's one maker's experience of sewing this Clothkits dressmaking kit – complete with a few lessons learned, some unpicking and a finished garment that turned out to be quite different from what she expected.
When I'd finished it and left the buttons off, I found myself rather taken with it for my own wardrobe.
– Varni, ChichesterI have to say, this kit was a bit of a dark horse – let me explain.
When I first saw the front cover, I imagined making it for my 83-year-old mother. However, once I'd completed it and left the buttons off, I found myself rather taken with it for my own wardrobe. What do you think – buttons on or buttons off?
The fabric chosen by Clothkits was perfect: easy to work with and a beautiful colour, although not one I would normally choose myself. The thread was an excellent match too – perhaps a little too excellent, as it made any necessary unpicking rather tricky. And yes, there was a bit of that!
The pattern instructions were mostly easy to follow, although there were a few moments that had me scratching my head. The assembly of the front facing and back/front yoke, in particular, had me reading the instructions several times – out loud, I might add. Eventually it all clicked into place.
The kit before sewing.
As this was the first time I'd made a garment with these construction techniques, I felt quite chuffed when it came together.
The side split took me a couple of attempts to get right, which is where the unpicking began. More followed when I reached the sleeve split at the hem. To be fair, this wasn't a fault of the Tessuti instructions; it was entirely down to my habit of looking at the diagrams and assuming I know what I'm doing before properly reading the text.
I did add a couple of hidden stitches at the corners of the pockets, simply because the seam allowance felt a little generous for my liking. That's entirely personal preference rather than anything to do with the pattern itself.
One thing I particularly appreciated was the amount of stay stitching used throughout the construction. It made creating the hem much less of a faff than expected and, dare I say it, actually rather enjoyable.
Overall, this shirt is full of thoughtful details that really bring the design together. By the time I finished, I felt a genuine sense of achievement and I'd learned several new techniques along the way, which is always one of the joys of sewing.
The biggest lesson? Read through the pattern before you start. I've been told this before (thank you, Jo!) and if I'd followed that advice, I probably wouldn't have needed to buy another reel of thread.
Thank you, Clothkits, for a rather marvellous kit.