Isla Sewing Pattern is HERE!
Isla Sewing Pattern from made by rae
You guys! My newest pattern, Isla, is here!! Isla is designed for knit fabrics and has a fitted bodice with a gathered skirt attached at the natural waist to make either a dress (like my Observer Dress) or a peplum top (like my Strawberry and Yellow Striped peplum tops). As you can see, I’ve been sewing this design for years, so I’m excited to add this pattern for knits to the pattern collection!
Skills for Isla
I know that sewing knits can make some of you nervous, so I want to assure you that the construction for Isla is not complicated. Sewing this garment requires basic knit-sewing skills, with some fun and clever techniques thrown in. Here’s a quick overview:
Basic knit seams: Shoulders and side seams can be sewn with a regular sewing machine set to stretch stitch or zigzag, or with a serger.
Neck and armbands: The scoop neckline and armholes are finished with folded bands that come together amazingly quickly. I’ve never shared this technique on the blog before, and I think you’ll love how easy it is and how great it looks.
Gathering knits: Elastic thread is used to gather and attach the skirt to the bodice with a technique called shirring. If you’ve never done this before, you can check out my helpful Shirring Tutorial for some photos and tips, OR you can use alternate techniques for gathering. Allie at Indiesew has shared two super tutorials for gathering knits: the floss method and the elastic method that you should definitely check out if your machine refuses to shirr!
Hemming: hemming is the final step, so check out some great tips in my hemming knits post!
And that’s it! I think you’ll find that sewing Isla is achievable even if you are relatively new to knit sewing! But if you’d like a nice easy project to practice your knit skills, why not try my free Knit Baby Leggings first? or check out my Knits Page for more knit sewing info!
Presto!
Isla joins the Luna Pants and Gemma Tank in my “Presto Patterns” collection. The idea behind Presto patterns is that they are simple and easy to make, drafted and tested with the same level of care as the rest of my patterns, but include more abbreviated instructions (read more about Presto patterns in this post). This also means that you get the Isla pattern at the bargain Presto price!!
Isla Dress and Top
Isla is available as a PDF sewing pattern, which includes print-at-home pages as well as copy shop files (in both A0 and US formats), just like the rest of my women’s digital patterns!
More Info
I’ve put together an Isla Page where you can find all of the blog posts and resources pertaining to Isla. In the Isla shop listing, you’ll find additional photos, plus all the charts for sizes, finished measurements, and yardage.
Share with us!
I’d love to see what you make with the Isla Pattern! Please use the hashtags #islapattern, #madebyrae, or #raemademedoit on Instagram and Twitter to share your photos, or post pictures of your finished tops and dresses to the Rae Made Me Do It pool in Flickr and see what others have made! I also have a Made by Rae group on Facebook now, so if you’d like to join and be a part of the sewing community there, please request to join!