Can it really be almost six months since our last sewalong?? Man, time certainly flies when you're having fun in the sun working like a dawg...! Well, just like we had big plans for our latest and much awaited pattern, the Holly Jumpsuit, so we have big plans for the accompanying sewalong - there'll be even more pattern hacking, way more pattern alteration tutorials, and best of all - more prizes! At the end of the sewalong we'll be rounding up everyone's fabulous Holly's* for you to vote on. One superstar winner will get 3m of custom or gallery printed fabric, plus a BHL pattern of their choice and a super exclusive BHL goodie bag to boot, while the two runner-up sewists hot on the winners heels will also be snapping themselves up a goodie bag each. So are you in??? 

Hell yeah, I’m in! Tell me more…

The first post will be going up on WEDNESDAY 24th SEPTEMBER, so if you haven’t already, you still have time to get your pattern and supplies. We’ll be publishing two-three posts per week, aiming to have our Holly's finished by the end of October - and we'd be lying if we said we weren't kinda hoping to see some Halloweeny Holly's... As well as going over some customisation inspiration and potential Holly pattern hacks, we'll be setting aside a whole week entirely dedicated to pattern adjustments and alterations, covering everything from full busts to full butts, sway backs and camel toe, giving you the tools to create a made to measure garment that fits and flatters.

How do I get involved?

Really all you need to do to get involved is just sewalong with us! Obviously, we love nothing more than seeing your By Hand London creations out in the wild, so if you’d like to share your progress with us and the rest of the world – sharing is caring after all – please feel free to post on your blogs, show some love on our Facebook page, tweet us or Instagram @byhandlondon using the hashtags #byhandlondon, #hollysewalong and/or #hollyjumpsuit or upload your pictures to our Flickr pool.

How will the posts be broken down?

• #1 – Choosing the right fabrics and notions for your Holly Jumpsuit, plus pattern hack ideas
• #2 – Finding your size, tracing the pattern
• #3 – Pattern alteration week! We'll be covering FBA's & SBA's (Full & Small Bust Adjustments), FAA's (Full Ass Adjustments), grading between sizes, sway backs, gapey necklines, lengthening/shortening bodices & trousers, crotch alterations, and more!
• #4 – Cutting, marking and stabilising your fabric
• #5 – Assembling the bodice - Variation 1
• #6 – Assembling the bodice - Variation 2
• #7 – Assembling the trousers
• #8 – Joining the trousers to the bodice, inserting the zipper
• #9 – Finishing touches
• #10 – Round-up party, plus voting for a competition winner!*

*If there is anything we haven’t covered here that you would like us to include, please let us know as soon as possible!*

I can't wait. What do I need?

• The Holly Jumpsuit pattern.
• Fabric. Please check the fabric requirements on the back of your pattern folder or on our product page for advice on how much fabric to buy. A wide variety of woven fabrics will not only work, but have very different and dramatic effects on your Holly… Cotton poplin, quilting cotton, twill, linen, chambray, denim, silk crêpe de chine, double crêpe, cotton silk, viscose rayon, wool tweed, wool crêpe, flannel etc. Choose a lightweight cotton for the facing pieces in Variation 1 and avoid fabrics with no drape or body for the cowl necked Variation 2. Please make sure you pre-wash your fabric before cutting! Nothing worse than spending all that time making something beautiful only for it to shrink in the wash… Been there, folks. Never again. 
• A couple of spools of matching thread – it’s always a good idea to get this when you get your fabric (or bring a swatch of your fabric with you) to get a good colour match. 
• A invisible zipper and an invisible zipper foot. The length of zipper you'll need will depend on the variation you choose to make - please check your pattern to make sure you get the right length!
• 8 small buttons and a buttonhole foot if you're making the button-down Variation 1.
• Various dressmaking supplies: a sewing machine, fabric scissors/rotary cutter, paper scissors, tracing paper, pens & pencils, pins, a hand sewing needle, a tape measure, tailor’s chalk, an iron.

You can jump on board right now and grab the official Holly Jumpsuit Sewalong badge to tell the world that you'll be sewing a Holly along with us - simply save the image below to your computer and attach the link to the image in blog layout. Clicking on it will swiftly take you and your readers to all posts in the sewalong. 

 

 

*Competition entries will be limited to one homemade Holly per sewist. If you've made loads, please just submit your favourite one.