Indiesew Spring Collection – Seafarer Top and Envelope Clutch

My friends over at Indie Sew recently released their Spring Collection and I've gotta say it's pretty sweet. I'm thrilled that they asked me to participate in their blog tour to launch the collection. It is full of wardrobe basics that you can sew over and over again. Including two tops, a dress, a pair of jeans and a clutch, it's basically everything you need for a long weekend trip. (I'm leaving on a trip in three short days so all I can think about right now is what to put in my suitcase! Come to think of it, this would be a great collection to outfit yourself for Spring Break.) You can buy all five patterns in the collection or just the tops and dress in the mini collection (I think this a great option for beginners not ready to tackle jeans).

Let's get on to what I made. I decided to make the Seafarer Top by Sew Much Ado and the Envelope Clutch by Noodlehead. (Full disclosure: I was too scared to make the jeans. I conquered swimwear this month and I need to gear myself up again before I try another sewing adventure.)

The Seafarer Top was really easy to make (which you may know is just my cup of tea). I decided to make the version with the sleeve bands but skipped the hem band and pocket. I used a lightweight knit fabric and my overlocker to put it all together. I top stitched the neckline and hem using a twin needle. When attaching the hem bands, I was a little worried about it fitting, as I had to stretch the band quite a bit, but it worked brilliantly. This is a great basic top; one of those items that you try on and don't want to take off again for like a week. The instructions were clear and easy to follow with photos for every step.

I really love how the clutch turned out. For the exterior, I used a piece of mottled grey-beige linen remnant fabric that I've had stashed for a couple of years now and a coordinating black piping. I used a heavier piece of cotton as a backing, rather than batting or fusible of some sort. For the lining, I used vintage cotton that belonged to my grandmother. I so love the lining fabric and opening up this rather staid clutch and seeing the bright colors inside. I made the small size and it's perfect for carrying the essentials–sunglasses, sketchbook and lipstick. I will definitely be taking it with on my trip next week.

If I make it again, I will be sure to first purchase a piping foot. I think it will make it a lot easier to stitch and help with topstitching. I used my zipper foot for stitching on the piping which worked ok for interior seams. When it came to top stitching though, I wasn't satisfied with how it looked and just skipped it all together. (Check out this post on the Indiesew blog about sewing with piping.)

The clutch was more challenging to make than the top. It has a lot of steps and a lot of optional details like an interior zipper or card holder. I will possibly use mine to carry a kindle or tablet so I didn't want a zipper on the inside. (There are actually instructions for sizing your clutch to fit an iPad.) I didn't think I'd use it hold cards so I skipped that too. I did include the wrist strap and magnetic closure–easy and fun features. There were a few parts of the instructions that threw me a little bit, particularly, cutting a piece of fabric smaller after I've already started sewing. But I just trusted the process and it all turned out great. This clutch is really nicely designed and a great way to use a smaller piece of fabric that you love. I recommend it to brave beginners and intermediate sewists. Just take your time (don't try to rush things like I always do!) and you'll be fine.

I'd also love to try a quilted version of this clutch. For Christmas, I made my brother's girlfriend a quilted drawstring pouch for carrying a book in her purse without damaging it. It was fun to do the quilting and I love how it looked.

I'm the last stop on the blog tour so if you've missed any posts you can go catch up right now!