Friday 27 July 2018

Walkley T-shirt

It is a strange thing to hear myself saying this but I don't have any T-shirts! I have got to the useful end of most of my shop bought T-shirts over the last eight years and when I went to pack for holidays in May I realised I had two - a grey one and a black one. meh!

From Minerva this month I chose an indie designer I had not tried before. MIY collection is small but interesting. On opening my parcel I was surprised to see the Walkley T-shirt pattern in a paper bag. It was useful because when it was all cut out, I popped everything in the bag for a sewing day.


This is a great pattern for anyone starting out with stretch knit fabrics. The shape is simple and the neckline and armholes do not require bindings. This is s good skill to have but if you want to make your first stretch item this is a fantastic pattern. It comes on one sheet and can be modified into a T-shirt dress very simply.


This fabric is super top quality - a little more expensive than single jersey but worth it. If I am making a T-shirt I want it to last and not go baggy. It is John Kaldor Cadiz stretch cotton jersey and comes in nine colours. It is easily a good enough grade to make the dress. I chose red because I wear a lot of navy and it is good to make solid colour garments from time to time. I learnt this during Me Made May 2016.



It goes with lots of things and I really like the shape. Such an easy sew. I already have a cream marl one cut out. 





Just a little aside and a snazzy tip, I use up all the thin off cuts of jersey that curl up by stretching them into tubes - so satisfying. What for I hear you cry?


They make great garden ties for tender plants, runner beans and roses. They flex as the plant moves in the wind and they do not cut into the stem. They are easy to untie instead of having a knot in a piece of string. I have used old T-shirts of Andy's in the past but I always use off cuts too. See. This is my new passion flower which is growing at a tremendous rate of knots.


Thanks Minerva for this top quality jersey knit. Jo xxxx

9 comments:

  1. How is it possible I have missed so many posts. I love the baby blankets, the colors are perfect. Nothing like a bit of crochet to move a project along quickly, it is so much faster than knitting. Love the latest t-shirt, you look fab my friend.

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  2. This is lovely. The colour is really nice and the pattern is a nice shape.

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  3. Your latest T shirt is beautiful, the colour really suits you. What a great tip for the off cuts, ingenious.

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  4. A lovely addition to your wardrobe, very versatile and I love the tip for the plant ties. x

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  5. This is SUCH a nice top and it looks great on you! And what a great use of the leftovers than to recycle into useful bits for the garden :D

    Mary
    goddess-within.me

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  6. I did smile when I saw the name Walkley,as it is my mums maiden name lol.Loving the T shirt tho and the colour.It really suits you,another winner.xx

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  7. I love your t shirt, red is my favourite colour!
    I can't believe you only had 2 t shirts, but then as we get older we have more nice 'made by me' tops and shirts and go to less concerts so I guess it makes sense to have less t shirts!

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  8. Pretty good post. I have just stumbled upon your blog and enjoyed reading your blog posts very much. I am looking for new posts to get more precious info regarding the t shirt clothing. Big thanks for the useful info

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  9. Another bravo from me to you :) xx

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