Lutterloh Patterns Come Alive!

Supplement 340 - Model #222 - 2026

 Cape Vest in Sweater Knit

    Hi there fellow Lutterloh enthusiasts. The Lutterloh company has generously sent their newest supplement #340 to me and I couldn't be happier. This flowy cape type vest looked so interesting that I lost no time in drawing it up in my size. I'm glad I tried it in a fabric scavenged from my donation pile because I'm sad to report that this pattern was a total fail for me.

 

Pattern Hints:

    The pattern itself didn't seem to have any problems as I enlarged it to my high bust measurement. The fashion drawing indicates that the shoulders are somewhat dropped below the actual shoulder joint. I didn't want this vest to look too sloppy so I chose my high bust measurement to draw out the entire pattern. Once enlarged my pattern looked pretty much like the miniature pattern except the arm holes seemed to be rotated outward a little at the bottom. Below is a comparison of what the back should look like according to the pattern page and what the actual garment turned out to be.

    On the left is the drawing provided on the Lutterloh pattern and the right represents the shape of my finished garment. You can see where my arm holes are not only rotated out at the bottom but there's also much more space in between them. This resulted in a vest that either fell off my shoulders or drooped down off my neck when I pulled it up to keep it from falling off. Below is a photo of what it looks like in the back if I try to mimic the look they suggest in the front.

 Believe me, I tried so many ways to try to get this to work but it is just too big or at least too wide between the arm holes.

 

Design Changes:

    I made no changes to this design. It seemed straight forward enough but I thought I should test it first. Boy am I glad I did. Below is a photo of what I suspect needs to be changed to make this pattern work.

The rotated arm holes don't seem to be the issue with the fit here. If I were to try this again I would cut at least 4 inches from the center back of this pattern. I measured the distance between arm holes on my largest dropped shoulder top and found it to measure 14 inches. This cape vest measured 20 inches between the arm holes once finished.

 

Fabric Used/Suggested:

     The pattern for this cape suggests a knit and that is indeed what I used. My animal print fabric is a thin, poly/spandex sweater knit. The lining is the same fabric so there is plenty of weight to add to the cascade of the folds. My original plan was to use a sweater knit for the outside and a lightweight solid knit for the lining. I thought it would create a nice contrast when the collar was folded back.

 

Closing Hints:

    Well, even though this garment was an epic fail I feel I still learned something from it. The lesson I take from this is, if it looks a little off then at least measure the pattern to compare it to a favorite pattern or garment. I won't be trying to make this one work. There are too many other patterns that I'd like to try. This vest is now nicely folded and back in the donation pile. It may work for someone else who has a much wider back.

 

Here's hoping your next Lutterloh project is a great success!

Happy sewing everyone, from,

 

Ann in Calif.   

Start with a great base

Tunic length T with added fullness at the hem

 

    Hello again folks, I hope you're staying warm. I thought I'd share one of my favorite holiday looks from last year. You may recall Fonnell's post from a while back 

https://sewingnhumming.blogspot.com/2009/09/difference-between-ease-and-fullness.html   

I used my favorite T shirt pattern to create a swingy tunic to wear over slightly sparkly leggings for casual holiday festivities. In this post I will outline my steps for you. The leggings are from a pattern I reviewed here.

 

The Pattern:

    I have reviewed this T-shirt pattern before here. The important part of this process is to start with a T-shirt pattern that you have carefully fitted to your liking. Your favorite pattern may have a bust dart or maybe not. The alterations to add fullness to this pattern are all done below the waist so your dart will not be affected. Once you have worked out all your necessary fit alterations then the fun can begin!

 

The Alterations:

    The lines I drew in red, where you will slash and spread the pattern, all occur from the waist down so the fit on top is mostly unaffected. 

Below is a photo of a scaled down back pattern piece against the actual finished garment.                                                          

Feel free to practice this on paper in a smaller scale just to get the hang of it. Make sure to leave the paper attached at the side and back seams to make it easier to spread the pattern to add paper behind it. The white line drawn in the photo is where I created a slightly longer, curved back hem to make sure to cover my behind.

The front pattern piece is done similarly but with one crucial difference. Because I still wanted to cut the front in one piece, on the fold of the fabric, I only cut the center and side spread lines to add fullness to the sides but not the center of my front piece. Again the white line drawn in represents the additional curve I added to make this more of a tunic.

    Once you're satisfied with the fullness and length you've added, the seams will need to be trued to be sure the length and shape of the side seams match. The back will have to have a center back seam now to accommodate the extra fullness in the pattern. This center back seam allows for further tweaking of the fit in case you'd like your top more or less fitted through the waist.

You can see where most of the added fullness falls to the back in soft, vertical folds. This top is fairly fitted from the shoulders to the waist and the drama falls below. 

 

The Fabric:

    This particular top is made up in what I would call a slinky fabric. It is a medium weight knit with a jacquard like animal stripe. The weight and drape of this fabric turned out to be a perfect fit for this holiday tunic. I have made this same top in a rayon knit but find it clings a little to my leggings. I like the feel and weight of the slinky knit better. Most medium weight knits should work for this as long as they're not too clingy or too stiff. 

 

Conclusion:

    Don't be surprised if you need a couple of test garments to get the fullness just right. I sure did. The challenge is to get the right fabric to match the fullness added to the pattern. Now that this pattern has been altered for this shape I will absolutely save it for the next time just the right fabric comes along. 😉

 

I hope you find yourself a pattern that fits to a T. It's worth it to have one on hand that can be a base for any style that suits your fancy. 

Until next time then, 

 

Happy sewing everyone from,

Ann in Calif.     

One Last Nursing Top Hack

 Supplement 271 - Model#70 - 2008

Hidden 2 way zipper under a flap at the bustline

 

    Hi folks, this is the last nursing top, I promise. The new mother is off to a good start and I've discovered that sewing for babies is pretty fun, too. 

 

The Pattern: 

    Once again I used this close fitting T-shirt pattern as the base for this nursing top. The photo below demonstrates approximately where I cut the pattern apart to insert the zipper.

  

My cutting line may appear to be just below the bust point, but my stretchy fabric made the seam end almost under the bust. The test garment revealed quite a bit of vertical stretch in this fabric. Fabrics with differing amounts of stretch may need the cutting line on the pattern adjusted. Once cut apart both pieces will need seam allowance. This is the seam where the zipper sews in. To get the overlap that nicely covers the zipper, I added 2 full inches to the pattern just half an inch above the original cut. After adding the 2 inches to the pattern I marked the fold line at 1 inch and folded the paper to true the pattern with the fold of the fabric.

 

The Alteration:

    The dual slider zipper installed in the seam allows for an opening as large as you need to nurse a baby comfortably. The 21 inch zipper that I used ended at each side seam so the ends are well anchored. To avoid any stretching out at the zipper seam I did use tricot interfacing on the whole overlap and the adjoining zipper seam. The size of the overlap is really something that can be customized to suit your fabric and the wearer. 

 

The Fabric:

    As I mentioned, my fabric is fairly stretchy, both horizontally and vertically. If you want to use a close fitting pattern like this one from 2008 then I would suggest a knit with stretch in all directions. Your favorite T-shirt pattern may allow for a greater range of knits.

 

Conclusion:

    Well, I'm pretty sure I have established that this is my current favorite for a close fitting, basic, T-shirt. It is easily fitted to your figure and infinitely adaptable once properly fitted. 

 

Alright then, I'll close with a wish for a happy new year for everyone! Thanks for visiting the blog.

 

Ann in Calif.