TNT Pattern Numero Uno!

Rochester, Minnesota - a place that holds a special place in my heart!

Guess what?? (Forgive me for a second....I feel like I'm announcing the birth of a child....) I've been sewing long enough to find a TNT pattern! Okay, well, maybe I've only made it twice now. But....since I have not been garment sewing for myself until recently I have made a variety of patterns, but only one other more than once. I hear people talk about TNT (Tried aNd True for those less obsessed) patterns on social media, and I have just not been sewing long enough (again anyway - if you missed my sewing journey story, you can find it here) to be able to relate to this.

Recently I was gifted some fabric from Minerva and I made it into a Lotus Blossom Blouse by Love Notions. That will not post on the Minerva Crafts Blog until Feb 2020, but you'll see it there eventually! I LOVED THIS BLOUSE SO MUCH!

The pattern also has the option to add a contrasting back piece. I did this on the first blouse - but I did not include a contrast piece on the purple version.

Split Point along The Great Ocean Road - South Coast of Australia

I had some awesome crinkle knit that I had picked up earlier this year when I was in Sacramento. I make a habit of wandering into any local fabric shop I can find when I travel. So, Hi-Fashion Fabrics wasn't too far from where I was staying. Loved that place!! If you live in Sacramento, you are lucky! But I digress....I KNEW this fabric would be perfect for the Lotus Blossom Blouse! This pattern is designed for knits that are the same on both sides - read solids and stripes. There IS a work-around - so although the Minerva Crafts fabric had a definite wrong side, I was able to cut the front in half and re-sew it together. That way when it gets twisted the correct side of the fabric shows on both the right and left of the blouse! The purple fabric didn't have this problem.

Manley Beach, Sydney, Australia

I was reading posts on Instagram and saw someone complaining about how knit hems are the worst. I understand this. It might be one of the reasons I quit sewing clothing 20+ years ago. I would hem something and the hem would come out all wavy. So frustrating!! Let me share the trick it took me a bit to find. H E M  T A P E. This is a fusible interfacing type strip that stabilizes the fabric and also holds your hem closed. Here is a picture of it lined up and ready to iron into the hem. It must be completely enclosed in the hem or it will stick to the iron.

It makes it so easy to do a hem and then I also love to stitch it down with a double needle. Let me know in the comments if you need more info on this method. I could do a post about it. After I get home anyway...since I don't have all the pictures needed to write the post now. ;-)

At any rate, I really like the way they both turned out. We are currently spending about a month in Australia - and you can see they are getting lots of wear!!