It’s no real secret that I am a lover of Clover and Co. Fabrics. I was so honoured when Yondette asked me if I would sew up some strikes for her first ever official retail drop. The prints that were being released were next level, and the range of bases was incredible. It was so hard to pick just a few to promote.
Alas, I had to choose, so here are my sew’s and the details to go with them.
Midnight Soleil & Stripes of Soleil in Midnight:
I was a huge fan of the original release of this print, Seaside Soleil, so I jumped on the revamp straight away.
I ordered it in lounge rib as it is one of my fave bases to work with. I also love that lounge rib is a great base to sew with any time of year. It is just so beautiful to sew with.
One of my fave pdf pattern companies for kids is Tadah Patterns and I knew their Baby Basics range would be perfect. I made the Classic Tee from the Stripes of Soleil in Midnight and the Bloomers from the Midnight Soleil.
It has sold out in some of the bases but is available to pre order in any base you would like.
A while ago I saw a pic using watermelon fabrics and I loved it. Not long after Yondette showed me the prints available for this round and I was SO excited to see the Pips and Rind as an option!
The Petite Stitchery & Co Skye Tee is one of my faves for colour blocking and this was perfect to incorporate the white and pink to build between the rind and pips. It is going to have a high rotation this summer I think!
The other thing I instantly thought of when I saw the pips and rind was a watermelon bag. I actually could not be happier with how this one turned out.
I’ve never been big into Dirty Dancing, but it has very big ‘I carried a Watermelon’ vibes. Check out the reel I made >>Here<<
If you’ve never made a bag before, I highly recommend it. It is so satisfying watching it come together and Clovers Synthetic Leather is like butter to sew with.
Pattern: Gala Gown Designer: Patterns for Pirates Fabrics: Cotton Lycra Measurements: Chest: 44″; Waist 39″; Hips 47″ Size made: XXL Adjustments: None Pros: I LOVE THIS DRESS Cons: It’s a little fabric hungry but worth every scrap.
Where do I start with this dress? It is so much amazing all rolled into the one beautiful gown. From the minute I started cutting it to the last seam stitched, I just KNEW it was going to be a stunner, and I was right.
Now, fair warning, this dress is HUNGRY. I had a 2m piece of fabric and still didn’t get an XXL out of it. To be be fair though I didn’t preplan my cutting and could possibly have ended up making it work if I had done better tetris, but as it was I ended up putting an SOS out to my friend Laura to grab her 2m piece so I could finish it in time to go away with it. Bonus is I now have another 1.5m of fabric to play with! And I LOVE this print.
I originally cut the smaller v neck but decided I wanted to show off my assets and cut the deeper V and I’m glad I did. It’s just the right amount of cleavage I think, and I fortunately have the chest to show it off haha.
As with a lot of garments these days for me, tummy flattering is a big consideration. The princess seams in this one, plus being a knit fabric, meant it hugged in all the right places and the waist sits at just the right place to skim over anything I’m not happy with. If I make another one I may take an additional inch or so for personal preference, but I am not unhappy with this one.
My other big plus on this one is POCKETS. and those pockets go DEEP. Quality pocket size and nicely hidden in the sides. I could fit my phone & Puffer easily plus I reckon I probably could have got a bottle of wine in there if I tried hard enough haha.
10/10 for me with this dress. The print, the cut, the pockets. Plus Plus Plus!! I felt very beautiful wearing it to my step mums 60th in Far North Queensland.
Have you ever seen fabric companies offer a Pre-Order service and been unsure what they mean? Well read on and I’ll run you through what it means.
Pre-Order
When a fabric company offers ‘Pre-orders’, what they mean is you pick and pay for your fabric before it is printed. Each company will have different delivery terms, but in general, most pre-orders that I have come across are anything from a 6-16 week turn around, and most averaging around the 12 week mark from when the pre-order closes, to when it arrives on your door. A company may choose this model as its difficult to gauge what customers might like and also not entirely practical to stock a large number of designs and bases.
A huge advantage I find with pre-ordering is the ability to choose the fabric base the artwork is printed on. Because you are paying for the fabric to be printed in advance, most companies will offer you a range of bases to choose. This means if you love a design and would prefer it on a swim fabric for example instead of a cotton lycra, you have the ability to get that done. In that same example, you could also get some printed in peach skin or board short material to match the swim for a co-ordinating outfit. That is definitely one of my favourite things about having a pre-order system.
Current October Pre-Order with Clover & Co Fabrics
It’s good to keep in mind when pre-ordering and time frames, that the time till delivery starts from when the pre-order closes, NOT necessarily from when you order. For example, if the pre-order opens on the first of the month and closes on the last day of the month with a 12 weeks turnaround, the 12 weeks starts from the end of the month, regardless of when you ordered within that month. Even if you had ordered on the 1st, when it opens, the artwork and order is not sent to the printer until the last day of the month, so its good to factor that into your time frames.
It can seem like a long time to wait for fabric and it does require an amount of future planning of what you will need the pre-order for. Doing this will help ensure your fabric will arrive in time for your intended project. I will admit I have had times where I have wanted it then and there, but I also like to think of it as a little gift to myself in the future. There is something exciting about receiving a package that I might have forgotten most of what I ordered and being inspired all over again when it arrives.
In Stock Fabric
The other type of fabric model is an in stock service. This is where the company will pay for the fabric upfront to be printed, bring it in to their store and then sell it. The only waiting you have to do is for them to pack it and the postie to deliver it!
An example of In Stock fabric from Clover & Co. Fabrics
While this is great for those that love an instant fabric hit and don’t like to wait, there are some disadvantages. For example, there may only be a small amount left that is not enough for your project. You may also not get the design you like in the base you wanted. This also carries risks for the business themselves as they are having to pay for the fabric up front and take a guess at how much to order in and what base they think their customers will like most. If a fabric doesn’t sell well, they have stock sitting on their shelf taking up space that they have had to pay for, making it difficult to recoup their initial outlay.
There are definite advantages and disadvantages to both, and I generally tend to do a little mix of both. I really do love the future presents to myself, but ordering and having it arrive a couple days later is also lots of fun!
BE AWARE
With the pre-order model, its important to only order from reputable fabric businesses who have a good track record with delivering pre-orders. There can always be things outside of a company’s control, ie shipping delays or problems with printing that may effect a delivery from time to time, but if a company starts to get a reputation for not delivering, I wouldn’t be ordering from them. There is a facebook group that is quite helpful at checking if the company is reputable or not, Aussie Fabric Scams & Information. There are quite a few businesses listed in there and you can find out pretty quickly if a company has bad name or not. There is nothing worse than paying money for fabric and then it never arrives and you can’t get a refund. I recommend doing a little due diligence to make sure you won’t loose money.
Hopefully this helps clears up any confusion over the two different types of services fabric companies offer and will encourage you to give a pre-order a try. If you found this article helpful, I would love if you can share it on your socials to help educate others.
Pattern: 61 – Flutter Sweatshirt Dress Designer: Brindle & Twig Fabrics: Sew Unique Fabrics Skill: Beginner Materials & Notions: Meant for knit fabrics Machines: Generally an Overlock machine / Serger. However in this tutorial I sew the entire garment on my normal Sewing Machine to show you it can be done!
I had a great time sewing up the number 61 pattern, the Flutter Sweatshirt Dress for my daughter in a gorgeous Cotton Lycra from Sew Unique Fabrics. This is a good pattern to adapt to the season. If you want something lighter you can use a Cotton Lycra and if you want something a little warmer, a French Terry works great as well to layer of the top of leggings or tights.
This pattern goes from a 0-3 months to a 6T, a great size range to grow with your children. See the video tutorial below that goes through step by step how to put this pattern together. Enjoy!
Pattern: Be Mine Cardigan Designer: Ellie & Mac Fabrics: Rib Knit from Clover & Co Fabrics Measurements: Chest: 21″; Waist 20.5″; Hips 21″ Size made: XXL Adjustments: None Pros: I love love LOVE this cardigan. It is so flattering and I just love the way it sits Cons: No pockets. Not hard to add, but no pockets is hard to take haha.
I LOVE this cardigan. The first one I made in a rib knit from Spotlight was so so flattering that I knew I had to make another. Both times I’ve made the long sleeve bolero length, which for me hits in the right place just below my hip, flattering my shape. However there is also regular and boho tunic length with options for sleevless, short and 3/4 sleeve.
I am a little sad that it doesn’t have pockets, however they aren’t really that hard to add if you want them. If I made another I’d look at inseam pockets or even perhaps patch pockets on the front.
I also love that Ellie & Mac are very size inclusive. This pattern goes up to a 6XL and is based on their curvy fit block. It is great to make in either a rib knit, cotton lycra, waffle knit, french terry, any fabric with the required 50% stretch.
I ended up doing this one for a Workshop Wednesday as well, see the video below if you’d like to see me sew it up and follow along.