Pattern Review

 Sapphire by Little Kiwi's Closet 

I can’t wait to tell you about the Sapphire Tee from Little Kiwi’s Closet!

Having a great deal of love for the Little Kiwi’s Closet Royal-Tee (check out my reviewhere) I knew I’d love the Sapphire! It has the same great princess seam design in the bodice but with a raglan twist.

So you own the Royal-Tee, do you really need this too? Simple answer, Yes! … but read this first!

The Sapphire Tee boasts two silhouette options (with a looser fit curve hem and a swing a-line shape) there are multiple length options and, as is expected in a tee style, sleeve length options too. It also has a cute panel option for the back (see my last photo). 

I very easily chose to sew the t-shirt (hip length) swing style as I have some new jeans I love, and I’ve been looking for the perfect tee which is fitted on the bust and loose on the belly – the Sapphire does not disappoint!

I opted for the PDF a4 print out option which required some sticking together (my preference is a glue stick – more on that later in the blog). Little Kiwi patterns are quick to put together because of the seamless design – just make sure you’re printing at 100%!

I’ll admit, there was a part of the PDF I found confusing but that’s my fault for not fully reading the instructions. My advice if you’re a beginner PDF user is read the instructions fully first before printing, cutting or taping together! On page 6 it says to tape the front neck piece to the top back piece. Make sure you follow that instructions.

The other thing that was a bit annoying was working out what pages to print. This might not be an issue for many of you if you’re planning on printing the pattern in its entirety; but I know that I will be very, very unlikely to ever use the Maxi dress length. Because of this, in my attempt to save paper I tried working out what pages I didn’t need to print. This was too confusing because the pattern pieces are numbered 1 – 56 (logically) however they start at page 14 on the PDF printable (which means pattern page 1 is actually page 14). The print chart is easy to follow if you’re planning on printing the whole length for the swing option (instead of just hip length like me).

I do want to highlight that the intro information is concise and usefully describes the kind of fabric to use, stitch options and the finished fit. The instructions helpfully include photographed steps.

In terms of the steps, here are some tips:

Tips for step #1 (sewing the panels): line up the pieces at the bottom and sew from the hem line up – this way you have the right amount of overhang at the top (that little ¼” triangle Lydia talks about at the top).

Tips for step #2 (insert sleeves): I cut a triangle notch in my “back” part of the sleeve when cutting out the pattern- this helped me remember what is front and back of the sleeves. Do the same for the main bodice pieces if your fabric is the same and you’re likely to get confused.

Step #3 – I don’t have tips – it’s straight forward to follow

Tips for step #4 (attaching the neck binding): The instructions show how to do a binding option; this creates a beautiful and tidy finish! Like Lydia says in her instructions the ‘cuff method’ is a quick and easy neck binding. This method isn’t explained here but is set out in many of Little Kiwi’s Closet’s other patterns I’ve also tried to explain it below.

Step #5 (Hems and sleeve cuffs): I don’t need to give tips here the hem was easy enough to do because I chose the swing style which gives a pretty straight hemline. I admit I do struggle from time to time with those fiddly curved hemlines so would totally recommend you invest in some iron on hemming tape and agree with Lydia’s points that you should PIN WELL.  

Sew time was really short, bear in mind I’d say I’m an “intermediate sewer” (but very comfortable with knit fabric) so I tend to sew without pinning. I also predominately use an overlocker (serger for the American readers) and this creates a tidy but strong finish on the seams.

 The only downside is that the pattern doesn't come with a plain back option. But don't worry, I've got a hack coming up in my next post for a solid coloured back piece.

So here we have it - a stunning and vibrant Sapphire.

Oh yeah, the sleeves are super short as there wasn't quite enough fabric and I didn't properly hem this one as it was my "tester" (new photos of a flash sapphire posted on Monday!). 

And yeah, I did make Sleep Shorts with the tiny off-cuts, hence they're so short. But isn't it a cute set! 

You can check out the pattern and the ‘tester sewists’ photos right here!  You can also purchase this tee for the Mini's in your life; or get the bundle if you wanted to make mama kid matching.  *this is an affiliate link which means I will make a small commission at no cost to the buyer.

This is just a cheapie 100% cotton knit from spotlight. 

Do you think you’d like to give it a try? What fabric do you think I should sew this with next!? Drop a comment down below.

Cuff method Neck Band:

Basically you want to fold your neckband in half right sides together, sew down the short raw edge. Fold in half wrong sides together so the neckband looks like it will on the finished garment. Then with your top inside out slide the neckband inside placing fabric right sides together, raw seams aligned.

To make sure this is even; I divide my neckband and the top neckline into four parts (when I was a beginner I did more). I use clips to mark this and clip neckband to garment neckline. 

So I find the centre back of the top (by folding shoulder to shoulder) and clip the neckband seam to the centre back. 

Using the centre seam I pull back to find the “front centre” and clip. 

I again fold my garment in half to find the ‘centre front’. Then matchup the two clips and pull the sides out flat, this will give you an equally spaced section for clips three and four.

When putting the neckband into your inside out garment match up the clips and stretch between each section while you sew.