Hi pals! Back to sewing this week! I recently made the Sew House Seven Remy Raglan (max chest measurement 65.5in) out of the scraps leftover from making this Milton Pinafore. I didn’t have loads left so I had to make it cropped and I had to cut the back on the fold but I think the cropped length works well for high waisted garments so I’m not disappointed! I love finding creative uses for scraps and managing to get these big sleeves out of a small piece of fabric is no small feat!
This pattern was a complete bargain – I got the standard size Remy Raglan paper pattern (max chest measurement 47in) free with Simply Sewing magazine a while back (there are sometimes copies available on eBay). Then I went to the Sew House Seven website and printed off the free sleeve expansion to make this gathered sleeve view. I love it and this is already my second version (I made a version out of a tablecloth a while back but haven’t yet blogged it as I didn’t love the pictures).
The fabric is quite weighty so it keeps a lovely volume to the sleeves! I definitely think it would make good trousers or even a jacket so if you’ve been looking for a thicker gingham, this one is nice and available in several colours. It is a cotton poly blend however so bear that in mind. I don’t sew with synthetic fabrics often, but the 30% poly content in this works wonders for creasing. The fabric responded well to pressing BUT also somehow magically doesn’t crease! I usually find it’s one or the other – if the fabric responds well to pressing then it probably creases easily (I’m looking at you linen) or if it doesn’t crease then it probably also doesn’t respond to an iron (most polyester!). This fabric was fab all round and a pleasure to sew.
The pattern came together quickly and easily – there are no zips or buttonholes to sew, the only gathering is at the sleeve cuffs. A lot of it is very simple and if you are familiar with raglans it can come together extremely quickly. The only thing I took my time over was pattern matching that centre front seam (and the centre back as I didn’t have enough to cut on the fold), I am pretty pleased with how it turned out.
Since finishing this top I have worn it at least once a week and most recently on a very hot day – despite the weighty fabric and the poly content I didn’t overheat, I think the oversized pattern helped with that. I definitely think this will be worn often!
Making and Books 