Renfrew

27 comments
Did you know that I like animal prints? ;)

Yesterday I made myself a Renfrew t-shirt. Sewaholic makes this amazing pattern which I ordered a little while back. Why did it take me so long to sew up? To be honest, it was because I was afraid of sewing with a knit fabric. Someone (I don't know who) put it in my head that knits are hard to sew with and I have been scared ever since. Lauren must have sensed my fear because she wrote up this awesome guide for my scaredy cat self! 


Before I started sewing I made sure to get ball point needles and twill tape. Both of these were new to me, but not hard/scary to use in any way. The shirt was so easy to sew up, it only took me maybe three hours or so. The version I made is a short sleeve shirt (view b), but with a scoop neck (view a). I didn't make any adjustments other than adding 2.5 inches to the length because I don't like short shirts that ride up and show my tattoos. And I don't like the random weirdos that talk to me about tattoos!

Basically, I am obsessed with this pattern and I want to make this shirt in every knit available. Once you find a pattern that works, you stick with what you know, you know? My work is a jeans and t-shirt kind of place, so the Renfrew is perfect for my life. 

27 comments :

  1. Hooray hooray Renfrew! Yours looks great: if I didn't know, I would guess it was a storebought tee, and a pricey one at that. :)

    What sort of knit did you go with? The inscrutable phrase 'stable knits only' alarms me, and all the fun prints are in decidedly non-stable jerseys!

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    1. I don't think mine is a stable knit. Honestly, I found some cheapy fabric and bought it. My plan was to make a wearable muslin to make sure I felt comfortable sewing with knit before splurging on some nice stuff. I'm really happy with how it came out though!

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  2. Erin, your top looks fantastic! I would like to know more about twill tape though... what is it, and how do you use it??

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    1. I bought twill tape because the pattern required it, I had no idea what it was :) It's sewn in the shoulder area and acts as a stabilizer. If you read Lladybird's post she goes into more detail!

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  3. This is really cute, I wish I could find more fun prints like this in stretch fabrics! Isn't Renfrew fun and easy?

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  4. This shirt is so cute!!! Seriously! And it is a mission in life for me to hide my tattoos. If I hear "where'd you get your tats at?" or "sweet ink" one more time I'll kill myself!

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  5. Your Renfrew looks awesome! This pattern is outstanding -- one of my favorites. What's neat is that everywhere I see it, ladies have gotten a great fit. It's so flattering.

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    1. Thanks, Michelle!!! And I agree, it looks good on everyone.

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  6. Love ittttt! It looks so good on you! I'm definitely adding this to my list of patterns for the summer :)

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  7. Its super cute!! Everyone's version of this pattern is so cute! I don't know why I've been resistant... maybe I have a latent knit phobia as well...

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    1. My fear has been squashed. Now I just want to sew up more Renfrews :)

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  8. This is so, so cute! I love the animal print! Great job!

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  9. Your version looks so lovely! Bravo on sewing with knits and having such a fabulous result!

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  10. Very nice. Three hours you say? I've had this pattern around and still haven't opened it. Might have to now. A three hour top is hard to pass up!

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    1. Ok, approximately three hours sewing time which does not include tracing and cutting the pattern. That takes me awhile because the cats an dog are jumping all over the place.

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  11. I pink puffy heart your shirt!! Glorious!

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    1. I saw you pinned it :) You are awesome! Thank you!

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  12. Oh I love your version! Yet another reason I need to stop being scared of working with knits. So aside from the ball point needle, did you need a walking foot? The sad part is, I have the pattern and the fabric, I'm just still nervous about taking the plunge into knits.

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  13. I love your print version. It really is certainly going to be a workhorse of a pattern for me as I keep wearing the 3 that I've made for myself and I haven't event explored the neck variations past the cowl. Different fabrics and sleeve lengths will make it a pattern for all seasons.

    Tasia had some information about "stable knit" in her comments on one of her posts. What to look for is something that bounces back rather than stretches out, key for the bands at the bottom and sleeves. I didn't notice the stretch guideline at the bottom of the pattern until making my third version. So far I've made all of mine from fabric that was much stretchier than needed but all have good recovery.

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  14. Meow!!! Oh, hey. Nice tat. What's it mean? Where'd you get it? Got any more? Can I see? I'll show you mine...

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  15. One of your friends saw a sewing pattern of mine on Burda Style and pointed me to your website. I'm so glad she did! You have given me so much inspiration! Your finished projects are super cute and look so good on you. I hope to one day have such an impressive website. I look forward to seeing your upcoming projects!
    Best,
    Jen

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    1. Jen, you are so sweet! Thank you for the kind words! xo

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