I am always excited to participate in a blog hop tour...especially when the tour centers around fabrics by Bonnie Christine, who happens to be my very favorite fabric designer! In fact, Bonnie and I are both posting today and linking to each other, sharing how great Art Gallery's knits pair up the big girls and the tiny girls!
This hop features Bonnie's newest line for Art Gallery Fabrics, Cultivate. I love this line because it is filled with warm, rich colors and beautiful florals. In fact, my sewing room is brimming with Pruning Roses Water from the line, with the roses even painted on my walls. (Want to read more about how Bonnie and I did that?)
For today's blog hop, however, I'm sewing with Bonnie's knit fabrics from Cultivate! These soft knits are so easy to work with, whether you use a serger or your conventional sewing machine. However, I do love my Baby Lock serger, because it makes garment construction a breeze, from start to finish! Sergers also allow the seams in knit fabrics to stretch, which is important for the likes of pull-over tees and tanks!
Many of you know that I am Bonnie Christine's mom, and I have another daughter, too! Her name is Becky, and she's my model for today's post! I've made two shirts, both designs from Grainline Studio. The brown stripe shirt is made from Row by Row Deep in knit, trimmed with a lower band of Plotted Farm Moss. The pattern, Scout Tee, is downloadable from Grainline Studios. I added the moss green band by slicing away the bottom 5" from the pattern piece and using it as a separate pattern piece, cutting it from the green. I added a seam allowance to both pieces, on the edges that join, so that the length remained the same. If you want the same look, I suggest purchasing 1/4 yard green in addition to the pattern requirements for the top. I also suggest you prewash your fabrics, because knits will shrink a little!
I made a narrow, bias band for the neck edge. After attaching it with my serger, I finished it nicely with my Cover Stitch Machine so that it stays nicely in place (below). By the way, a cover stitch is the double row of stitches you may see on the hems of your stretch knit pull-over shirts. I always stitch the sleeve and lower hems in this way.
For the second top, I chose Tiny Pocket Tee, (again, Grainline Studio) for Pruning Roses Citrus. This easy-to-make sleeveless top features bias trim around both the neck and arm openings, also using the cover stitch machine for the final stitching. If you don't have a cover stitch capability, you can achieve the same look with a twin needle and a simple straight stitch on your conventional sewing machine, just be aware that it won't have the same stretch ability.
If you've never worked with knits, I suggest you give this easy, forgiving fabric a try! Is the Cultivate Blog Hop Tour inspiring you? Purchase fabrics (cottons, knits or voiles) all during the hop for 20% off and free shipping at A Stitch in Time! Offer ends at midnight, September 2. Use the code: CULTIVATEBLOGHOP
Thanks for visiting my stop on the Cultivate Blog Hop Tour! Don't forget to visit Bonnie at Going Home to Roost today for another inspirational project! Yesterday, sweet Caroline Hulse of Sew Caroline posted a project that I'm anxious to begin, and tomorrow Caitlin Topham of Salty Oat is up! See the complete list of participating blogs on Bonnie's website. Happy Sewing and God bless! Maxie
