Must Make Monday 05.15

The Old Town Handmade Society is excited to launch our new blog series today: Must Make Monday! Stitch Sew Shop and fibre space are joining forces to showcase projects using both yarn and fabric; we hope to inspire you to make a complete handmade outfit!

We know many of you are accomplished knitters and sewists, and we love seeing your fabulous handmade clothes and accessories when you’re in our shops. The Old Town Handmade Society has really grown into a vibrant community of makers! We also know that while some of you only feel confident calling yourselves either a knitter or a sewist, many of you have expressed an interest in learning some new skills. We hope this blog series will inspire all of you to get stitching, confident bi-crafters and the bi-curious alike!

Despite the weird weather lately, it’s May in the DMV, which means only one thing: soon it will be so hot and humid you will want to wear the least amount of clothing allowed by law. We’ve got two cute projects that promise to keep you cool while looking stylish and all-around fab. First up, Emma Version B by Julie Weisenberger::

This pattern is published in the Cocoknits Pattern Workshop collection of patterns:

Put on a coordinating camisole underneath and you’re good to go! We recommend using ITO Washi, a fingering-weight “paper” yarn, a popular Japanese-style yarn:

54% Cellulose/46% Rayon/Viscose

Next up are the Chataigne Shorts by Deer & Doe. These cute shorts can be made with either a straight or scalloped hem:

You may have seen them stitched up in this brilliant chartreuse twill in the Stitch Sew Shop window! (photo below). Click here or here to see how other sewists have made these adorable shorts.

These shorts can be made in a variety of fabrics; we recommend using one of these colorful linens:

Or one of these lovely twill fabrics:

And of course classic khaki fabrics are always a winner:

Want some help getting started? Need help choosing the right fabric or yarn? The Shop Girls at Stitch and the Yarnistas at fibre space are at your service! We hope this inspires you to create your own unique summer outfit.

Any projects you’d like to see featured in this series? Any fabrics or yarns you’ve been eyeing but are not sure what to make with them? Let us know in the comments below.

Happy Stitching!