Lavender Cowl Renfrew

I have made another Renfrew top from Sewaholic Patterns.

View C with long sleeves.

This time I tried View C with the cowl neckline, but made the sleeves long as in View A. I have previously blogged about the Renfrew here.

The only alterations I made to the pattern was to reduce the length of the hem band by 4cm because I am not pear shaped (the Sewaholic patterns are all drafted to suit pear shaped women). I left the width of the body the same as the pattern to accommodate the extra padding around my tummy area.

I love the shape of the Renfrew because it hides all my worst features, yet still looks good.

That bulge on the front is the belt holding up my RTW jeans that are way too big in the waist. I also love the nice slim shape of the sleeves.

The back has a bit of wrinkling and pulling going on. Maybe it needs to have a bit of width added to the back piece? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry about the over exposed photo.

This is such an easy top to whip up, yet it looks quite smart. I used a 'delux lavender ponte double knit' (description from cash register docket) purchased from Spotlight. This was quite expensive at $15.99 per metre and I had purchased two metres to make a long cardigan. When I laid the fabric out for cutting I discovered a large run in the fabric. I was so disappointed. It really pays to check the fabric closely before buying it because a flaw like this can render it useless. Luckily, with a bit of clever pattern placement, I was able to eek out this Renfrew top.

Cowl neckline.

I love the cowl neckline. Even with this ponte it drapes well and is so cosy. I can see myself getting a lot of wear out of this top over the winter which is almost here now.

All seams sewn with the overlocker.

Ponte is such a lovely stable knit to sew. I constructed this top entirely with the overlocker. I used a grey thread because I didn't have lavender and this seemed the closest match. I was quite happy with how it blended in with the lavender and doesn't look out of place. Look how big the cowl collar is...so luxurious.

Overlocked seams.

I didn't top stitch around the neckline as instructed. I just didn't feel it was necessary with the ponte. The neckline sits beautifully as it is.

Side seams match.

Intersecting seams match at underarm.

I managed to get a great result with my seam matching by using this handy tip from Did You Make That. Perfect results every time and well worth making the effort. Badly matched seams are one of my pet hates, and they really spoil the quality of a garment, in my opinion.

If you are one of the very few sewers who haven't tried the Renfrew, you really should give it a go. I don't think you will be disappointed.

Gotta love an instant gratification project.


Happy Sewing