Sew + Tell | Birgitte of Indigorchid

Sew + Tell | Birgitte of Indigorchid | Grainline Studio

Sew + Tell | Birgitte of Indigorchid | Grainline Studio

I'm excited to finally debut the new Sew + Tell feature I've been planning for a while. There are so many amazing variations of the Grainline Studio patterns that I thought it was high time to start showing them off here!  First up is my friend Brigitte of Indigorchid. A little back story on us, we met at Columbia College when I was her flat patternmaking TA.  Birgitte is crazy talented and I always love the fabrics she chooses as well as her styling. Without further ado here's Birgitte!

Name  Birgitte

Pattern Tiny Pocket Tank (discontinued)

Birgitte's Blog  Indigorchid

Her Project Post Tiny Pocket Tanks

What type of fabric / materials did you use?  "For the first tank, I used an african print cotton voile, with extra gold printed on it. That was getting to be a little too much for me, so I used the backside of the fabric to tone it down a little. The gold still shows through a little, but I can handle the small amount!

The second tank is made from some mystery knit, which is behaving a bit like linen. I actually used the wrong side of this fabric as well - I thought the purl side was less shiny and more versatile. I decided the pattern would work up really well in a knit too, and it does!"

Tell us more about your project!  "I made the printed version first, and it was one of those days I just absolutely needed to finish a project (instead of just starting them!). In my haste I cut into the 1 metre of fabric in a stupid way, so I ended up having to seam the back piece. It worked out alright - both the front and the back have a symmetrical pattern, just different from eachother! I used flat felled seams everywhere, and instead of making matching binding - which there wasn't enough fabric for anyways - I used some contrasting homemade bias binding I had on hand instead. It was mostly out of laziness, but I love that the neckline has a pop of green on the inside!

The linen knit top needed to be finished a little differently, so I overlocked a strip of the knit fabric to the neckline and armholes, then folded and stitched with a twin needle, which gives more of a binding look.

These two tanks have been such workhorses in my wardrobe since I've made them, and it pleases me to no end to have selfmade things getting this much genuine use! Next up for me is one in silk, for a dressier version of the tank. I also love how it doesn't use a lot of fabric, so you can squeeze out a garment from small pieces! Yes, there is no hiding it, I'm a total fan! "