Free Pattern Friday: Noelle Underwear for Women

Welcome to my monthly 'Free Pattern Friday' feature, where I road test a free sewing pattern or tutorial: sometimes a children's one, sometimes an adult's one. I try to publish these posts every first Friday of the month, timed to provide inspiration for those who plan to get their sew on over the weekend. I firmly believe that, if you pick your projects carefully, sewing doesn't have to be a crazy-expensive way to clothe yourself and your family. Thanks to all the amazing pattern designers who have offered up their hard work for us to enjoy for free.

Ok, so elephant in the room: yes, I am posting pics of myself in my pants on my blog. Now we've got that out the way. So I've fallen down a Pinterest underwear inspiration rabbit hole recently, in advance of trying to make myself some nice sets of undies that actually fit and feel supportive. If you're interested, you can see my board here. Although Pinterest has made it virtually impossible to tell which pins I've added and which they've suggested. ANYWAY. A lot of the undies I've been pinning are what can only be described as Big Pants. Now, I'm usually a committed hipster undies wearer, but I thought it'd be fun to experiment with a different style. Enter: the Noelle pattern by undies designer Madalynne. 

I first discovered this pattern when searching for free patterns to suggest to the Patrons of my podcast, Check Your Thread, when I was planning an online undies sew-together session. Thanks, as always, to all designers, including Madalynne, who offer some of their hard work up to the sewing community for free. Onward...

(image source: Madalynne)

Pattern type:

What I would describe as Big Pants, the website would describe as 'feminine, everyday high waisted underwear'. The waist and leg holes are meant to be finished with picot elastic. 

Sizing info:

The pattern isn't the most size inclusive, covering natural waist 23" - 41" and hip sizes 33" - 50", which is divided into sizing XS - 3XL. I made the size M, as per my measurements which I felt was the correct choice. That said, the stretchiness of your fabric will effect the fit greatly. 

Fabric info:

This pattern seems to have been designed mainly for stretch lace with a power mesh/net lining. However, the list of suitable outer fabrics does include jersey or any fabric with a 4-15% spandex content resulting in a 30%-40% stretch. I prefer cotton jersey with Lycra content for undies, so I used a scrap of such a fabric that has a little less stretch than perhaps would be ideal, but ultimately was fine for this project. I chose not to line these undies because honestly who lines undies?

Findings:

The biggest surprise for me, aside from that I quite like wearing Big Pants, is that this pattern doesn't include any instructions! From what I understand, this pattern appears in Madalynne's book, 'Sew Lingerie: Make Size-Inclusive Bras, Panties, Swimwear & More; Everything You Need to Know', which, I assume, tells you how to make them. The instructions can also be accessed in the form of a Creativebug online class, which currently costs $9.95. Aside from those definitely not-free options, you're on your own. 

That said, if you've ever made undies before, you will be able to figure out the construction easily enough. The head-scratching occurs, or at least it did for me, with trying to work out how long to cut the elastic. In the end, I did some maths to work out the percentage difference between the leg holes and waistline, and the lengths of elastic required on my own free undies pattern, and then measured the leg holes and waistline of the Noelle pattern to which I applied the same percentage difference. This worked out well for the leg holes, but I feel the elastic at the waist should have been a tiny bit tighter.  

There's a bit of faff involved in actually obtaining the pattern pieces: you go through the online shop to access a download that is actually just a page from which to then access a document that includes the pattern pieces and some info on supplies and cutting. The pattern consists of a front piece and back piece, with a shaded area on the front piece to show the shape from which to cut the crotch lining piece. Rather than tracing that crotch lining piece off the front piece, I just printed out the lower part of the front piece twice.  

The pattern pieces came together easily, using only my regular sewing machine because I couldn't be arsed to rethread my overlocker for what I was hoping would be, at best, a wearable toile. My fabric wasn't the greatest quality, but they've definitely come out wearable. That said, because I was using fold over elastic, rather than the suggested picot elastic, the crotch has turned out a bit wide. If I were using FOE again, I'd narrow the crotch area. 

I also found them to be too high, particularly at the back. Even with my highest waist jeans, they peek out over the top! For future pairs, I'd skim off about 2cm from the waist edge, but leave the waist elastic the same length or even tighten it a bit as that came out a smidge loose. 

Would I make this again?

With the adjustments stated above, I can DEFINITELY see myself using this pattern again with some nicer fabric. I'll even bother to thread up my overlocker to make the seams on the inside neater. I'd also like to play around with creating seam lines and panels with different fabrics. This pattern is a great canvas for all sorts of potential undies making. 

Free Pattern Friday: Stellan Tee for Women

Welcome to my monthly 'Free Pattern Friday' feature, where I road test a free sewing pattern or tutorial: sometimes a children's one, sometimes an adult's one. I try to publish these posts every first Friday of the month, timed to provide inspiration for those who plan to get their sew on over the weekend. I firmly believe that, if you pick your projects carefully, sewing doesn't have to be a crazy-expensive way to clothe yourself and your family. Thanks to all the amazing pattern designers who have offered up their hard work for us to enjoy for free.

The Stellan Tee pattern by French Navy Patterns has been on my radar for yonks, and I've been recommended it countless times. After my recent splurge on lovely fabrics to channel a French Girl Chic style, I was looking for a casual style top pattern to make out of some lovely, striped jersey. The Stellan also appealed because it has a more contemporary, modern aesthetic, with gentle, dropped shoulders the right amount of volume throughout the body. Thanks, as always, to all the sewing pattern designers who share their work with the sewing community for free.

Pattern type:

The designer says it best: 'A modern take on the basic T-shirt, the Stellan Tee has a boxy, slightly cropped fit, proportionally long sleeves (super cute when rolled-up) and a subtly curved hemline'. 

Sizing info:

This pattern is graded for 31.5" to 59.5" busts, making it a very size inclusive style. Larger busts might want to create an FBA, adding a bust dart perhaps. I made the size C, grading out slightly for the waist and hips, as per my measurements. 

Fabric info:

This pattern calls for light to medium weight knits with moderate stretch. I think you have some leeway here because of its looser fit. I bet it would be lovely in a super lightweight, slinky jersey. Or a slightly more hefty knit for a boxier look. 

Findings:

As you know, I loves me a layered PDF file so I can select only the size/s I require. I got this pattern printed out in A0 format so overall the prep was minimal. 

The instructions are excellent, and I feel this pattern would be suitable for a beginner if you omitted the back neck binding. And if the seam allowance wasn't a scant 6mm (1/4"). But speaking of the back neck binding. The instructions for that were excellent and I ended up with my most successful attempt at that yet. 

There were a few points in which I veered away from the instructions in favour of my preferred T-shirt making methods. Firstly, I stabilised the shoulder seams with clear elastic tape. The Stellan instructions do give you the option to topstitch down the shoulder seams, which would probably eliminate the need for stabilising the seam with elastic. I also chose to hem the sleeves and the curved bottom edges of the front and back pieces BEFORE constructing the garment. 

In general, this was a really enjoyable project to put together, and the resultant garment looks pretty cool. There is one thing about the fit, however, that would probably put me off from making it again. Perhaps it's more noticeable because my fabric is striped, but can you see the drag lines that are directed towards the neckline? My feeling is that those have occurred because the pattern is drafted for someone with squarer shoulders than myself. There is also the possibility that they're occurring because I made the neck band a tiny bit too tight. I'm not sure which.

Would I make this again?

I really like the fit of this T-shirt in the body, and the sleeves rolled up looks really cute. I would definitely reference this pattern for the fit, however, because of those drag lines on me, I don't think I'd make this pattern again. Which is not to say I'm not going to wear this garment a ton, because I already have! 

Free Pattern Friday: Lightning Leggings for Kids

Welcome to my monthly 'Free Pattern Friday' feature, where I road test a free sewing pattern or tutorial: sometimes a children's one, sometimes an adult's one. I try to publish these posts every first Friday of the month, timed to provide inspiration for those who plan to get their sew on over the weekend. I firmly believe that, if you pick your projects carefully, sewing doesn't have to be a crazy-expensive way to clothe yourself and your family. Thanks to all the amazing pattern designers who have offered up their hard work for us to enjoy for free.

Oh my goodness! I posted about this free pattern five years ago, and seeing the pictures of my kids so much smaller has slightly broken my heart! But the fact that I'm still banging on about this pattern should give you some clue as to how great it is. Back then, the designer was calling their brand Made By Jack's Mum. These days it goes by Waves & Wild. They have a number of free sewing patterns, but the Lightning Leggings pattern is particularly useful I feel. Thanks so much to them for sharing this excellent resource with the sewing community for free. To access it, you add it to your cart and go through their check out process, without having to pay, of course. 

(Image source: Waves & Wild)

Pattern type:

The Lightning Leggings pattern may appear, on the surface, like a basic leggings pattern. But the sheer amount of options makes this kind of the last word on kids' leggings patterns. There are three lengths (long, capri and knee length), two waist finishes (elasticated and cuffed), two hem finishes (hemmed and cuffed), two fits (relaxed fit which can work really well as PJ bottoms and traditional, slim fit) AND there is a separate version for nappy wearers. See what I mean? What else could you need?!

Sizing info:

The pattern is graded from prem baby right up to approx. 12 years (152cm height). My big kid, pictured here, is actually *just* off the size chart, so I basically graded up one size to make an age 13 (even though they're 11!). But when both my kids were smaller and in the 'proper' sizing, I found the fit to be accurate compared to their size chart. 

Fabric info:

It is advised to use knit fabric with 'good stretch and return (AKA recovery), including cotton/Lycra jersey'. The part about good recovery is key for leggings, ask me how I know.... The fabric I used here is some cotton/Lycra jersey as suggested and it works perfectly. Remember that different amounts of stretch and recovery might effect the fit and size of the finished garment. 

Findings:

It will not surprise you to hear that this pattern is a joy to use. The multiple options are great for kids who have strong opinions on how their clothes should look and feel, and for using up different quantities of fabric. 

If your child is smaller than the largest size, I would recommend getting a printout of this pattern, turning the layers off for all sizes smaller than your child's current size. Then you can trace off the pieces for the size and style options you need as they grow, without using up loads of printer ink each time. 

Would I make this again?

Probably not for my big kid, I'll find an adults pattern for them next so I don't have to keep grading out this one. But I'd definitely use the relaxed fit for my son of the right fabric crossed my path...

Free Pattern Friday: Women's T-shirt. Again

Welcome to my monthly 'Free Pattern Friday' feature, where I road test a free sewing pattern or tutorial: sometimes a children's one, sometimes an adult's one. I try to publish these posts every first Friday of the month, timed to provide inspiration for those who plan to get their sew on over the weekend. I firmly believe that, if you pick your projects carefully, sewing doesn't have to be a crazy-expensive way to clothe yourself and your family. Thanks to all the amazing pattern designers who have offered up their hard work for us to enjoy for free.

As you may have noticed if you've checked out my blog previously, sometimes I re-road test and re-review a free pattern or tutorial. Hopefully, this shows you which patterns I really think are worth your time! And the Free T-Shirt pattern by Closet Core Patterns is one such pattern. The first version I made using this pattern has been worn an absolute TON. The fit is ideal for wearing underneath dungarees and strappy dresses. It's become one of those garments that I really miss when it's in the wash, so I felt it made sense to use this pattern to make another in different fabric. I also took the opportunity to road test the fancy back neck and shoulder seam finishing that I didn't try last time. So, again, big thanks to Closet Core for sharing this pattern with the world for free. 

(image source: Closet Core Patterns)

Pattern type:

The Closet Core T-shirt is a standard crew neck style with set in sleeves. The fit is gently boxy, if that's a thing. View A is a slightly cropped length with short sleeves, and View B is hip-length with 3/4 length sleeves. Throw in a patch pocket piece, and with these options you can mix and match to your heart's content. The pattern files are split into two size ranges, and the larger range features a bust dart. 

Sizing info:

This pattern includes an impressive range of sizes, from 31" to 60" bust. Sizes 0-20 (full bust 31" - 46") are grouped together and sizes 14-32 (full bust 42" - 60") are grouped in together with the addition of a bust dart. 

Based on the size chart cross-referenced with the finished measurements charts, I decided to make a size 8 at the top, blended to a size 10 for my waist downwards. This worked perfectly in my first version, however, in this heavily and drape-y knit, I ended up having to skim quite a lot away from the side seams to achieve a similar fit. 

Previously I made the cropped version and wanted to make a longer one this time. However, due to my fabric limitations, I had to settle for a length almost dead in between the cropped and hip length. 

Fabric info:

As per the listing: 'This pattern can be made in a variety of knit fabrics with at least 30% crosswise stretch. For a more structured look, choose 100% cotton interlock and jersey. For a drapier effect, choose cotton/spandex blends, ribbed or rayon knits.' Basically, you have quite a bit of leeway with your choice of knits, but bear in mind that it will effect the fit (and somehow possibly also the size!) of your finished garment.   

About six years ago, my boss donated me a stripe-y RTW knit dress. I love stripes but rarely wear dresses, so it's stayed in my stash all this time with a view to using the fabric at some point. It's a heavier knit with viscose, polyester and elastane content. The dress had some inseam pockets that were positioned towards the front rather than a regular side seam position, making it a bit challenging to fit the pattern pieces out of it. With a bit of tweaking, I was able to cut out this top.

Findings:

As you suspect from a major, well-established indie pattern brand, this pattern was a dream to work with. The downloads included A4/letter sized as well as A0/copyshop pattern files. I treated myself to some A0 printing because my home printer is close to death, and was able to specify which size layers I wanted. That saved the printers some ink and sparing me from loads of confusing, unnecessary lines. 

The instructions include diagrams to illustrate the steps. Unlike last time, I followed the instructions to bind the back neck and shoulder seam, which is a feature I've always like on RTW garments. Because my knit was pretty thick, I didn't end up with the cleanest of finishes, but I think it looks ok. It also makes it super easy to tell which is the back! 

Customisation ideas:

• use a different colour or printed fabric for the front, or for the sleeves, or for each piece
• cut the backneck/shoulder stabilising band from contrast fabric
• create seamlines and colourblock using scraps and leftovers of jersey
• cut the neckband from a contrast colour to the rest of the garment for a 90s indie-kid look
• shorten the length of the body for an exaggerated crop, or lengthen the top to create a tunic length garment, or even a dress
• shorten the sleeves for a cap sleeve look, or lengthened them for full length sleeves

Would I make this again?

Absolutely! Next time I'd like to try the long sleeved version. 

Free Pattern Friday Is Taking a Month Off!

Hi all, apologies but due to the launch of this year's Me-Made-May, making Check Your Thread and many, many other tasks and commitments, I'm taking a break from Free Pattern Friday this month. 

See you next month!

Free Pattern Friday: Racerback Tank for Kids, Tweens & Teens

Welcome to my monthly 'Free Pattern Friday' feature, where I road test a free sewing pattern or tutorial: sometimes a children's one, sometimes an adult's one. I try to publish these posts every first Friday of the month, timed to provide inspiration for those who plan to get their sew on over the weekend. I firmly believe that, if you pick your projects carefully, sewing doesn't have to be a crazy-expensive way to clothe yourself and your family. Thanks to all the amazing pattern designers who have offered up their hard work for us to enjoy for free.

(image source: Life Sew Savoury)

Anyone who regularly sews for a child will have noticed that the number of pattern options for kids above ten years or so drops significantly. Of course, there are a whole bunch of companies catering for tweens and teens, and I've been meaning to collate them all in a blog post for yonks, but even so it's a small fraction compared to the offerings for younger kids. And if you're a maker who relies on free patterns here are there to make your sewing budget stretch further, the pickings are slim. That makes the Life Sew Savoury blog a valuable resource, because there are a bunch of free sewing patterns for kids, with many that span tweens and teens sizing. It seems that, as Emily's own kids get bigger, she releases patterns in bigger sizes! Thanks to Emily at Life Sew Savoury, and all pattern designers who release their work for free for us to enjoy. When my kids were small I made a load of the Life Sew Savoury tank tops, so when I came across the racerback version for older kids I was excited to give it a try...

Pattern type:

A classic, racerback tank designed for knit fabrics that includes two methods for the armhole and neck bindings. To access this pattern, you add it to your basket and go through the checkout. No payment is required but you are then automatically added to their mailing list, which is fair enough. The download includes the pattern pieces only, the instructions are shared as a blog post. 

Sizing info:

This pattern has been graded from approx. 4 - 18 years, which equates to 22.5" to 35" chest, or 39" to 64" tall. Going on my kid's measurements, I used the size 10/12 for the top part, grading out to the size 14/16 at the waist. 

Fabric info:

'Knit fabric' is the only specification on the blog post (with an affiliate link to an online fabric shop). I made two versions of this pattern (read on to find out why you only see one of them pictured in this post!), the first in a cotton/elastane single jersey that I harvested from an adult's rollneck top that I was no longer wearing because it was too tight in the arms. And the second I made in a 100% cotton single jersey (pictured) that was harvested from a toddler bed sheet. The fabric of the bed sheet had lost a fair bit of its mechanical stretch so probably wasn't the most suitable choice. But the print is super cute and reminds me of when my children were tiny, so it's nice to find a use for it.

You could also use a fine rib knit for this pattern I reckon, or even a thinner pointelle perhaps, which might be nice for nightwear. You cut your own strips for the bindings so the fabric you use for them does't need to have any particular percentage of stretch. Just be mindful as you apply them to not do so too tightly if the fabric doesn't have much stretch and recovery. 

Findings:

Accessing the pattern was easy, and it was simple to print out and put together. Generally speaking, I think the pattern is well drafted, but I did notice that the side seams weren't the same length, so I ended up trimming one down. As for the instructions, if you've been following this blog feature for a while, you know by now that I don't love instructions that are in the form of an ad-riddled blog post, including the extra distracting animated ads. Obviously, I understand the business model: that's one of the ways the designer makes their money, but there's also the affiliate links AND you've given them your email address to access the actual pattern. As Danny Price would say, moving on...

I did like being given two options for attaching the bindings, which they differentiate as 'bands vs bindings' (I prefer the bands method). And all in all the project was a fun, quick and satisfying sew. 

What didn't work out well, however, was the fit. My kid found the armholes to be too high in the first version, and in fact refused to wear that one at all because they found it too uncomfortable (I haven't plucked up the energy or motivation to unpick all that top stitching and overlocking yet). I lowered the armholes considerably for the second version and which worked out well and this second one has been worn to sleep in. 

Will I make this pattern again?

Possibly. There's also a question over whether or not my kid actually likes the racerback style after all (eye roll). 

Me-Made-May 2025!!! Time to plan your pledge...

 

Here we are again! Me-Made-May is a month away, so it's time to decide if you wish to participate. 

The fun and inclusive thing about this challenge is that it really is suitable for every maker. It doesn't matter if you have just one handmade item so far, or an entire wardrobe. You can set your own challenge so that it a bit tricky but do-able for you! So consider your goals and what aspect of your making you'd like to improve on. Once you've figure that out, you can record it by making a proper pledge if you wish:

There are two episodes of my podcast about the challenge that give ideas for pledges and include experiences of previous participants, they are: 

Ep 37: Pledges and Participants #1 with Rebecca and Meg

Ep 38: Pledges and Participants #2 with Amy and Judith

Here's a blank page if you'd like:

If you'd like to hear more about the creation and evolution of the challenge, as well as a longer explanation on what the challenge is, what it isn't, how you can participate and why you might want to, please check out Ep. #84 of my podcast, Check Your Thread. And if time is tight and you'd like a brief explanation, please check out this week's episode: Ep. #177: Me-Made-May Explained in Under 5 Minutes!

I have also created a helpful (but entirely optional!) workbook to accompany the challenge. It will help you capture the lessons you'll learn about your wardrobe so you can apply them to your future making. If you think this workbook would be useful but you can't afford £3.99 at this time, then please email me and I'd be happy to send it to you for free. If you have any questions, please get in contact via email (zoe at checkyourthread dot com).