My Handmade Wardrobe Action Pack and a giveaway!

When I was contacted by the team at Crafty Sew and So to see I was interesting in being

part of the blog team for their new pattern launch, I jumped at the chance to support some of my fellow sewists as they launched their latest venture.

My Handmade Wardrobe is a range of 4 patterns intended to be true wardrobe staples. There is a skirt pattern with 4 variations, a jersey dress and tunic pattern, a shift dress and top pattern and a workout set. I was asked to review the workout set, called the Action Pack.

The Action Pack is a set of leggings and a tunic length sleeveless top with a crossover back detail. The leggings are a classic high-waisted legging with only 1 leg seam for a seamless look and the top is a loose fitting shape that would flatter most figures.

The instructions have been written with a beginner dressmaker in mind so at the start of the booklet is lots of useful information to guide you through the make, with the important details like seam allowances clearly labelled so you know what you need to know before you stitch a thing!

I made the top out of some teal jersey from my local market. The top is a good length but I was still able to squeeze it out of about a metre as the fabric was quite wide. I found the trickiest part of the top was the elastic – all of the edges around the neck and arms are finished with one long piece of elastic and the section around the centre back is quite a tight curve. I would recommend using some quite soft elastic if you can – what I used was a bit too stiff for this purpose. I can imagine this would work well with fold-over elastic to bind the edges instead. I cut a single size instead of grading between them as I would normally need to as the fit is floaty and roomier around the hips – definitely a good pattern for those who are pear-shaped like me! This could be a great lounge wear piece for those days when you just want to sit on the sofa and eat your own body weight in cheese (the gym is good too though…), or you could lengthen the pattern pieces to make a good beach cover-up for the summer.

I made the leggings from some fun flock spotted lycra I ordered from Funki Fabrics. I also made these in a straight size and only took off an inch or so from the leg length as I’m not very tall, although I think I might crop this further as my normal preference for running leggings is mid-calf. The only step I omitted for the leggings was sewing the elastic in place to the facing – my machine just didn’t want to do it nicely but the pattern will still work if you skip this step. Keep in mind though that the elastic may twist round in the waistband section! I was able to squeeze these out of just over a metre as the fabric is quite wide. These leggings are great for all forms of exercise but would also work well in a classic jersey for wearing under dresses etc instead of using a sportswear fabric.

Both of these makes are surprisingly quick – both patterns could be made up in a couple of hours each! I did the majority of the assembly on my overlocker which always speeds up the process, but the instructions cover how to make these on a normal machine too. The leggings took less time as the construction is more simple, but making both would give a beginner a good opportunity to try some new techniques too!

In some exciting news, I’m doing my first giveaway! Along with 3 metres of the awesome flock spotty lycra, the team at My Handmade Wardrobe have kindly provided me with a copy of this pattern to give away to one lucky winner! I will be running the giveaway both here and on instagram so there are 2 ways to enter:

1. On instagram: follow @craftysewandso and my instagram (@jennystitched) and repost the giveaway using the hashtag #MHWactiongiveaway.
2. On the blog: follow my blog and leave a comment below letting me know which garment you would make first from the Action Pack and why!

All valid entries both on here and on instagram will be collated and chosen using a random number generator to ensure fairness. The competition will close at 8pm GMT on 21st March 2018 and the prize can be shipped internationally. The winner will be contacted privately to arrange postage. Good luck!

** GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED**

NOTE: I was provided with a copy of the pattern for the purposes of the giveaway but the fabric and any other prizes which may be included were purchased or obtained by myself independently and therefore are in no way endorsements of those products or companies.

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