'Singin' in the Rain'

I started writing this post back in June, aaaannd... I have finally gotten (Is that a word?) around to showing you.

I made another Renfrew!  Did I mention how much I love this pattern.  Oh. Yes. That's right.  I did.  Well I made another one.  The first one was so easy to sew I made a second one immediately after.  I wanted long sleeves this time around and was thinking of using a cotton t-shirt knit in a solid colour but when I saw this jumper knit in my stash it called out "Pick me! Pick me!"  I've had this fabric for a couple of years now waiting to find the right pattern and this was it.

This is my first attempt at sewing with a jumper knit which in itself wasn't too bad.  Being a lacy knit the fabric was very loose and stretchy and I feared it would stretch out of shape.  It did a little around the band on the body, however it didn't really seem to anywhere else.  I'm still worried that it will lose it's shape when I wash it though.  Mmm... we'll have to wait and see, I guess!

I know as sewists that we are always learning new things and the first thing I learnt with this project is that I really need to buy some T pins, U pins or at least something that will stay put in lace type fabrics.  I've only got regular dressmaking pins and it was a nightmare getting them to stay put while I was assembling this top.  Marking notches was an absolute waste of time too, I couldn't see where they were so I just went with it and matched the seams as best I could given the amount of stretch I was working with.  So the second thing I learnt - I need to use different methods of marking.  How do you pin and mark your lace fabrics?  Any helpful hints for sewing lacy fabrics would be gratefully accepted and appreciated.

The end result.  I still love the Renfrew pattern, it's easy to sew and the fit is fabulous even in this stretchy knit fabric.  I do like the colour and the appearance of the fabric but not the fabric itself so much.  Another plus, I can count this towards my Stashbusting goal which is going along slowly and it also fills my Sewlutions in the Jar commitment, neither of which is being fulfilled completely but at least it's keeping me sewing.  Yay!!

The sun was out the morning these photos were taken but by the time I got around to taking them it had started to rain.  Then the inevitable happened, I started dancing around like Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds in the 1952 musical 'Singin' in the Rain' so I leave you with a few snaps of me being silly :-)