Stripes of every stripe – some Grainline Studio tops

I always think that blue and white stripes – the traditional Breton style – are perfect for spring. After months of black and grey there is something really fresh and bright about blue and white together. This week I mixed blue stripes with Grainline Studio Hemlock and Linden tees and made my new favourite tops!

I made these both a couple of weeks ago and they have been in regular rotation since then – fresh colours and long sleeves (for less than perfect weather) – just right for spring!

Apologies for lots of pictures – but who doesn’t love a stripey top?First the Hemlock tee – I have made numerous Hemlocks now – see more here and here. I made two last year (which I never got round to blogging) where I added some extra width to the body to make it super over-sized. I did the same this time – cutting the main body piece about two inches wider than the pattern piece. For this extra stripey Hemlock I used a lightweight viscose jersey from Minerva Crafts with three different stripes – this fabric is no longer available but you can find alternatives here. The stripes are printed rather than woven, so the white fabric shows slightly if the the stripes are stretched out and I suspect they may fade over time.

I made the sleeves out of a solid black viscose from my stash – inspired by the contrast on this RTW top from Cos.My stripe matching was pretty good here – both the sides and shoulders matched up beautifully!Grainline’s Hemlock is a free pattern – you just need to subscribe to their newsletter. It’s really quick and easy to sew up and requires absolutely no fitting! For the Linden I revisited my split hem variation. My first attempt at the split hem is here. I combined the bottom half of the Named Talvikki sweater with the Linden to make the changes but you can easily make the changes without using a pattern.

The fabric is a little bit odd. I found it last year on the Fabworks website – in their ‘Bits and Bats’ section. I was drawn in by the stripes and ordered some without seeing a sample. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting when it arrived and so it was a while before I found the perfect project for it.This is a fairly stable viscose knit fabric which is textured and quite slippery – the back is looped a bit like a terry knit but not as soft. I think the heavier fabric works really well for this split hem Linden. Stripe matching was a bit more mixed here – the side seams are reasonable – after a lot of pins and a certain amount of unpicking! I didn’t really try to match the shoulder seams though and I don’t think it looks too bad?

After making slightly more complicated dresses it was really satisfying to whip up a couple of tops. With Me-Made May on the horizon it’s always good to stock up on wearable basics.