Hello there! I’m Jess. I blog sporadically at willowandstitch.com but you can find me more often over on Instagram. I’m really happy to be here showing you this super cute beach cover-up in some very lovely See You at Six French Terry.
I have been coveting these gorgeous See you at Six fabrics for a little while now so when Maaike invited me to write a guest post here it seemed like the perfect opportunity to play with them.
With the weather finally starting to warm up again here in Melbourne we’ve begun to make the odd weekend trip to the beach recently. My children are bonkers and will happily launch themselves into water that feels sub zero to me, with no apparent regard for their own personal comfort. Having fun always takes priority over hyperthermia and I wouldn’t spoil their fun for anything. However, when they do finally notice that their lips are blue and they can’t feel their feet, it’s good to be able to help them warm up again. I wanted to make a beach cover up for my daughter, something snuggly for after swimming and this french terry is the perfect choice. It’s absorbent, it’s a beautiful weight and it’s indescribably soft and luscious!
I chose to use the Groove Dress pattern from Made It patterns. I’ve made a few of these before and they are always a massive hit with my girl. She (quite rightly) refuses to wear anything that isn’t comfortable and the Groove Dress is not only perfect for running and jumping in, it’s also super twirly. Just right for an action princess.
I made the hooded version because it’s extra snuggly and also provides an option to keep the sun off her head. I’ve found before that sewing the binding around the neck can be a little tricky because you’re sewing through a fair few layers of fabric, so for this dress I opted to line the hood (and bind the seam) with a lightweight blue knit which has the added bonus of providing some contrast.
This french terry is really lovely to work with - it’s really stable so is a perfect place to start for anyone who is hesitant to sew with knits. I was terrified of sewing with knits before I actually gave it a try and realised that it was really nothing to panic about! There’s a really great article in Seamwork magazine that talks you through everything you need to know about sewing knits WITHOUT a serger!
I added the 'Handmade with love' label to one of the side seams for a gorgeous pop of colour. Can you spot it? Maaike includes one of these with every order - don't you just love them?! It makes me want to add custom labels to all of my handmades from now on!
This was the first time that I've ever worked with french terry and I'm completely hooked, I've got at least 3 more projects on my 'To Sew' list now, including sweaters for me and my little boy!
