I don’t really like it, and that’s OK
TL;DR: I made my first garment and it took me a long time but that’s ok because I’m still learning. I don’t like the fabric I chose but I do like the pattern and will make it again after giving more thought to the fabric.
Pattern: The All Well Box Top from the book How to Sew Clothes by Amy Bornman and Amelia Greenhall
Fabric: Birdsong: July Floral in Raven by the designer Gingiber for Moda
Notions Used: .25 in wide black double fold bias binding by Wrights, 50 wt black cotton thread by Guttermann
Size: 3, no modifications
In the first full week of autumn 2023 I started working on my first garment. I chose what looked to be the absolute simplest garment I could, and that’s the Box Top from All Well Workshop. All Well is a collab between Amy Bornman and Amelia Greenhall. They sell patterns on Etsy (and their own site has a pay-what-you-can for their studio pants pattern) and they have a newish book (published by Abrams February 2023) titled How To Sew Clothes. They both have their own Substack newsletters found here and here, as well as an All Well newsletter found here. I subscribe to them all, they’re both great writers and have interesting, valuable things to say about creating. I cannot for the life of me remember how I found out about All Well Workshop but I’m so glad I did! This book came at just the right time for me. In April 2023 I set up my home office space into my sewing studio because of a burning desire to start quilting again. I hadn’t sewn since 2017 (except for a hand sewn felt alphabet I made for my kid in the beginning of 2021). I’ve kept up my sewing practice ever since spring of 2023, more or less, but it wasn’t until the fall that I finally had a desire to start making my own clothes. I picked up the book How To Sew Clothes from my local indie bookstore (*PLEASE CLAP*) and dove in. It’s so approachable and truly a perfect guide for the complete beginner garment sewist such as myself.
When you start making a new garment in a new-to-you pattern most experts tell you to make it out of muslin first so you don’t cut into your “good”/expensive fabric in case the fit is off. Did I do that? No. I did not do that. I just wanted to start and hope for the best that I measured myself correctly and selected the correct pattern size. This time it worked out for me so no regrets, it’s nice and boxy and what I expected! What I wish I had done, though, is take a beat and actually decide if the fabric I selected for the project made sense for me. Where was I planning on wearing this top? What would I wear with it? Do I even like the print I chose for a garment?? The answer to that last question is a no, unfortunately, but I didn’t realize this until I started sewing and then decided I might as well finish and see if it fit well.
I found the fabric I used for the box top while shopping at SR Harris (the chaotic one in Brooklyn Park, MN. If you’ve been, have you ever given thought to how many dead rodents are probably in that place? Sorry!). When I saw it my immediate thought was “cute print”! SR Harris doesn’t seem to usually carry fabrics like that there. It’s a print called Birdsong: July Floral in Raven by the designer Gingiber for Moda. It IS a cute print but there’s just something about it that I don’t like. It’s too busy for my taste, I suppose? I don’t usually wear florals either so I don’t know what I was thinking getting it for a shirt. It’s also a quilting cotton so it’s not exactly the softest, nicest textile to have against your skin. If I were making this shirt again for the first time I would’ve chosen a solid fabric or a simple grid or plaid patterned fabric and maybe not a quilting cotton (it is easy to work with though!). Maybe you’re seeing the photos and you like it and I love that for you. It’s a cute fabric and I could totally see myself using some of the leftovers I have in a quilt. But for me, I just wish I had made a boring black shirt.
Since this was my first time sewing a garment I wanted to have help available if I ran into trouble. Normally I would turn to my mom for assistance who is a great sewist and knows her stuff but we don’t live in the same city. I know other people who sew but I also didn’t want to be a bother. When browsing the adult enrichment community education class catalog I came across the perfect class for my needs called Sewing Workshop. It was 3 consecutive Thursday evenings and each class was 2 hours and 45 minutes long. The great thing about this class is that you can work on whatever you want and an experienced, knowledgeable instructor is there to help you if you get stuck. All you need to bring to class is your own pattern, fabric, and notions; if you don’t have a machine (or don’t want to haul yours there) they have sewing machines and sergers available too. I found out after I signed up that many of the students are repeat customers, having signed up for the class several times before. Some just find it helpful to have that time carved out of their schedule in a place away from their home to work on their sewing projects. It was also really energizing to see so many of us working on different things–one woman was tackling overalls for her partner, another was making pillowcases and most of the rest of us were making tops.
I regret not writing about the minor hiccups I encountered sewing the box top at the time they happened because I’ve forgotten them all now. The one thing I do remember happening is during class my machine suddenly started to make a funny noise while sewing that it wasn’t making before. The instructor inspected it and decided what if we just tried changing out the needle for a brand new one? Admittedly I wasn’t sure when I last changed the needle. Thankfully that did the trick and the noise disappeared.
I think the average person who makes this top would finish it way faster than I did. It took me all 3 classes plus extra time at home to finally complete the box top, but I did it! In hindsight that’s kind of embarrassing it took so long to make such a simple garment but we all have to start somewhere. I did all but the bias binding around the neck opening during class time. When my mom was in town for a visit she was able to help me complete the bias around the neck as I found that to be the most challenging part of the pattern. I tried probably 3 times to make my own continuous bias binding out of the same fabric as the shirt and failed each time. All Well even has a video tutorial on how to make this but it didn’t work out for me so I just bought some black bias tape and called it a day. This skill is definitely on my list of things to learn though.
If you want a peek into the book before buying I found this YouTube video of a woman basically flipping through the book with commentary to show off the different things you can learn (or get it from your library! I know my library system has a few copies). The book is only tops/dresses/jackets and bags so if you were hoping to sew some pants, a jumpsuit, shorts, etc this is not the book for you! For the most part I liked the illustrations of the steps but sometimes, some steps are just better suited to a photo so there were times I wished those were included.
Will I make another All Well Workshop box top? I absolutely want to and I want to try some of the variations on the top that they offer in the book. Next time I’ll:
- Choose a solid or simpler patterned fabric
- Maybe try color blocking the front?
- Do a high/low hem
- Make the box dress?
When I do, I hope to write about it. If you made it this far, thanks for reading!
Ash
A Perfect Sandwich 