RCF - Favorite Things Blog Tour - Constance

If you are new to my corner of the internet, hello and welcome! My name is Trissa and I am so happy you are here.

I am extremely excited to be apart of the Raspberry Creek Fabrics Favorite Things Blog Tour. What a fun idea this is! (If you missed the Suit Up For Summer blog tour, check it out my post here!) Raspberry Creek has some of my absolute favorite fabrics, so it’s only appropriate that they are featured during this tour. The CLUB line is especially so good! I love that there are always new prints released throughout the year and at a great price too. I can always find something for every member of my family (I’ve gotten my mom hooked too!).

I’m kicking things off with two of my favorite notions: a Chalk Wheel and Thread Clippers, and one of my absolute favorite patterns: Sew A Little Seam – Constance.

CHALK WHEEL

For the first few years of sewing, I struggled to find a marking tool that I liked and that actually worked.

Chalk type pencils (but those didn’t seem to write very well. Just think about when you’ve tried to write on paper with a pen that doesn’t have any ink..)
Wash away markers (the first one I tried must have been bad luck because it was basically dried out. The most recent one I bought works okay, but it does bleed a bit, so no tiny marks, However, it does disappear when sprayed with water)
The colored paper with the poky wheel (i can’t remember the actual name for that. These have been a hit and miss for me depending on fabric color but it has always been pretty light and not always the easiest to see. I only use it for things like tracing fancy pocket topstitching lines on)

Possibly a few others but I can’t think of them right now. I’ve also used regular pens, pencils, colored pencils, or skipped the marking all together and just used pins.

After a handful of dud marking tools, I discovered the chalk wheel. I mostly sew knits but everyone needs a good marking tool that works well on most fabrics and this is my go-to. I saw it at my local Joanns some time ago and figured it was worth a shot. The chalk wheel is really easy to hold and maneuver, though I’m pretty sure the wheel only spins in one direction. If it’s not marking smoothly/easily, try flipping it around so the wheel spins in the other way. It has a little chalk cartridge with both white and light blue chalk (though, I haven’t tried the blue color yet). I’ve had this for a few years now and it still has a lot of chalk left, so it lasts quite awhile! The marking line is also really thin, which I absolutely love.

THREAD CLIPPERS

First of all, I hate removing stitched! (But who really does, am I right?) But what’s worse than seam ripping is trying to seam rip with a dull ripper, which seems to be all the time for me. I’ve tried a few different brands of seam rippers (they are all essentially the same thing, just with a different logo/packaging), and I hate every single one of them (though, I still keep one or two around in case I’m in a real pinch). I feel like they work OKAY right out of the package, but then pretty quickly I feel like I’m actually having to rip the seam, with a lot more effort than I feel like I should. It’s almost like I’m breaking the thread rather than cutting through it.

And then I found thread clippers, which are 10x better IMO. I use it to clip all my threads in addition to the occasional seam “ripping” since the tip is small enough to get under the stitches. I probably use these clippers the most out of any other tool/notion in my sewing room (apart from machines). I also love that it’s spring loaded, so cutting thread is a breeze. (I just got this new red one since the one I’ve had for awhile has a dull/bent tip. It’s about time I replaced it!) There are a few different kinds of thread clippers that I’ve seen, but the main difference I’ve found are ones with the ring or ones without it. Apparently the little ring is supposed to be for your thumb, but I find it more comfortable to hold it the other way around with my ring finger as in the picture above. It’s quite comfortable to hold and are way easier to clip threads than a pair of scissors. Just keep them out of reach from your toddler!

SEW A LITTLE SEAM – CONSTANCE

If you’ve ever seen my instagram, you might notice that I sew the Constance…a lot! Once you find a pattern that you like and fits well, it’s so hard to try new patterns that might not give you the same or similar results. (The children’s version of the Constance is hands down my most sewn shirt for my son. I think 85% of his shirts are probably Constance tees.) The Constance is also a pretty quick sew and is only $4. It most likely will never go on sale but it’s already super cheap and 100% of proceeds goes to charity.

The Constance has a handful of options including multiple hem lengths (top, tunic, dress), curved hem options, banded options, multiple sleeve lengths, optional elbow patches, kangaroo pocket and a hood. Whew! The sleeves are also cut NOT on the fold, so this pattern has great shape. On top of that, the instructions on every Sew A Little Seam pattern are phenomenal and thorough. I’ve also found that you can slightly change the look/feel of the Constance by simply changing the size sewn, which makes it a pattern I come back to time and time again.

Continue reading below as I go over my thoughts on sewing one of these up in my measured size, one size up and one size down.

CONSTANCE – SIZED DOWN ONE

This has become my all-time favorite t-shirt pattern! I love the fit of my measured size, but for a tee, I like everything to be a little more fitted. You can see that, even though I sized down, it’s fitted but not TIGHT. I had to do a little bit of manipulation for this though. You see, I measure into a 4/6 in bust and waist and a 0/2 in hips…the 0/2 is the smallest size for this pattern. I started out by first sewing up a straight 0/2 (I know I know, I was being lazy), but the hips were a little too wide. So I stopped being a bum and graded down the hips. I use tracing paper for my patterns, so after the 0/2 was traced, I just matched up the 0/2 size with the 4/6 line on my master copy and redrew a new hip line, blending it up to the waist. (Click the image to enlarge —>) This was MUCH BETTER. This is a pretty easy trick if you need to grade a pattern an extra size up or down than the original pattern, though I wouldn’t suggest grade above the bust, since you’d have to also alter the sleeves, neckband and the shoulders would also be changing (though, it’s still possible, just might be a bit more tricky).

Here’s my sized down version of the Constance in RCF CLUB Double Brushed Poly. (When my hubby saw it, he requested a shirt in this fabric PRONTO. Just not the pink version. So it looks like someone’s going to be getting a new shirt soon! He really liked the linen look.)

Raspberry Creek’s CLUB Double Brushed Poly is probably my favorite base for me. It’s a little different than your typical DBP, but honestly, I think it’s better. I especially love DBP for tops and dresses. The current DBP lineup in the shop is so good. I want them all!

CONSTANCE – MEASURED SIZE

The Constance in my regular/measured size is still a favorite of mine, just not for t-shirts. I prefer this fit for sweaters. It’s not too tight and not too loose. This is the cuffed long sleeve version with a bottom hem and hood. The hood can be easily lined or unlined. It even makes a great maternity sweater with this pretty simple hack! I’m itching for cooler weather so I can wear all the sweaters! I’m over this 100+ degree weather! (Yes, I was totally sweating during this quick photoshoot!)

Here’s my measured size in some super cozy Brushed Hacci Sweater knit! I’m pretty sure I’m going to need at least a handful more of these. If you haven’t sewn Hacci before, I think it’s time to add it to your list! It’s not to thick/thin and the brushed makes it soooo soft.

CONSTANCE – SIZED UP ONE

This hoodie is PERFECT for layering! It doesn’t look overly big but there is enough room that I could comfortably wear a long sleeve shirt under it. (I’m in Phoenix, AZ, so I’m not used to wearing a lot of layers as it is.) I sewed up a 8/10 bust/waist and graded it down to a 4/6 at the hips. I really really like this fit for a hoodie. I think the next one I sew, however, I might try grading the hips down to my measured size of a 0/2. It’s fairly loose on my hips than what I’d prefer and I like the bottom of my hoodies to fit a tad more snug around my hips. Other than that, this is PERFECT. Sometimes I wish I lived in a cooler climate where I could wear more sweaters and hoodies all the time!

Here’s my sized up version in some RCF CLUB French Terry! This is another one of my favorite bases for both me and my kids. The 95/5 Cotton/Spandex means it has great stretch and recovery for all sorts of projects. It’s also a little thicker than Cotton Lycra, so it makes great hoodies, joggers and the like.