Thread Faction - Blog Tour

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity of testing a couple of patterns by Thread Faction.
Pattern #103 (shorties) and #104 (racerback tank), part of the Spring/Summer Collection. And now I get to talk about them as part of this wonderful blog tour.  There's giveaways, discount codes and all sorts of wonderful stuff happening. Check out this post for all the important details.

My daughter loves dresses and skirts - getting her to wear jeans is an exercise in futility. But she has also just learnt to hang upside down.  So stylish clothes that are great for an active young girl are always high on my list of priorities.  And we had a winner with these patterns from Thread Faction.

To be honest, I was a little concerned when I first saw the pattern for the shorties. I thought they might be a little short. But I'm a total convert. There's plenty of coverage with these patterns, and they are super cute.

This set was made in a double knit fabric (possibly scuba knit) I picked up from Spotlight - at the time they were selling knit fabric based on colour rather than type (go figure). It's nice and stable, with a good amount of stretch. And the binding is a light cotton lycra.

I learnt a lot making these patterns. Who knew there could be so many ways to attach a binding? But Liz figured out the best method to suit the pattern, and it shows.

What I really like is the flexibility of the garments. There are a few muslins floating around the house that have been appropriated for also sorts of wear. They were pyjamas in summer, then the shorties were worn under skirts and dresses for a girl who likes to hang upside down.  Now we're approaching winter, the shorties are still under skirts, but the tank tops will be finding their way under tops and dresses.

Of course, worn as they are, they're a great set for activewear - running, jumping, swinging, hanging, practising ballet or whatever you fancy.  As I've made more garments from these patterns, I've appreciated the simple, clean lines (not too much frou frou). And so has my daughter. She's the kind of girl that will want to wear a party dress to a playdate, but she's regularly wearing one of these garments - even though it's finally starting to get cold.

And the change in weather was the inspiration for this pattern (almost) hack. The kidlets have swimming lessons year round, but I missed buying Miss M a new pair of cossies (swimming costumes/bathers/togs/swimmers etc) this Christmas. And it would appear that trying to buy a regular pair this time of year is out of the question.

So I looked at the #104 pattern, and I looked at the free bikini bottoms pattern, and I looked at the lycra remnants in my stash, and the clear elastic I grabbed on our recent trip to Hobart (as you do) and the germ of an idea started to grow.

So I sized down #104 a size - I didn't want it to be too loose.  And I downloaded the free bikini bottom pattern. And ended up with this great tankini!

A few comments and confessions .....

This top is a size smaller than the blue floral one. Looking at the fit, I should have kept the length of the larger size (without adding any extra width to the hemline).

The Lycra/spandex isn't swim fabric. It's just dance lycra that I found in the remnant bin. I hadn't done any sewing with Lycra before, so was a bit nervous, and figure I could sacrifice this fabric - if it didn't turn out, no big deal.  Well the scary Lycra wasn't that scary at all, it sewed up a treat. Looks like I'll be on the look out for some swim fabric.

The bikini bottoms are a really easy sew. The construction seems a bit magic - the way the seams are contained between the lining and the main fabric.  I'm not sure if it's proper swimwear lining, and I used clear elastic rather than swim wear elastic (what I had to hand) - so looks like I might need to head out to find some proper fabric.

So from two patterns, I've made tanks and shorts for play time, and coordinating with other clothes, pyjamas, and a pair of cossies. And I have plans for a bunch more shorties to wear under school tunics.  All up, the more time I spend with these patterns the more I love them. I'm sure you will too.

If you don't believe me about how versatile these patterns are, make sure you check out the other posts in the tour (links won't be live until their publication date).

26/5 Nap Time Creations   |   Miss Castelinhos   |   Swoodson Says   |   Needles to say
27/5 Made By Sara   |   Sew Not Perfect   |   Hello Holli   |   Whisk 'em
28/5 House of Estrela   |   Made By Amanda Rose   |   Max California   |   Brave Fabrics
29/5 Create 3.5   |   Bless by Tone   |   The College Seamstress
30/5 Ma Me Mi Mo   |   Paisley Roots   |   Skirt Fixation
31/5 Sew Very  |  Rebel and Malice   |   Call Ajaire
1/6 Better Dressed Child   |   Buzzmills   |  Handmade Frenzy
2/6 Lamb and ewe crafts   |   All Things Beautiful   |   Pen, Seb & Rox