My TNT Brand — Cashmerette Patterns

Greetings, fellow Sewcialists!   Syreeta Briana here, sending you warm sewing wishes from the Big Apple.  You can find me sharing most of my sewing adventures on Instagram (@syreetabriana) though I’ve also been known to blog on occasion.

So we’re here to talk about TNTs.  For me, whipping up a TNT is the sewing equivalent curling up with a delightful novel and a pot of steaming hot tea. *aaahhhh*

While I do sew a range of pattern lines, Cashmerette Patterns, by Jenny Rushmore, is my absolute favorite.   In case you’ve been living under a rock, these patterns are for built for curve-rich figures.  I love how each pattern automatically includes adjustments for swaybacks, pillowy hips, and bountiful bosoms (up to a G/H cup).  It’s rare that I have to do more than add a little length to accommodate my height and narrow the shoulders.

What makes most of her designs fall into my TNT pile are the simple style lines, minimal required adjustments, and only a handful of pattern pieces.  Once I’ve tweaked the fit, I trace the adjusted pattern onto cardstock and treat it like a sloper — ripe for hacking to bits and creating almost anything.

Having so many well-fitting slopers encourages me to be a bit of a lazy sewist.  Just the thought of adding a 36HH-level FBA to a Big4 pattern sends me scurrying back to my curve-friendly TNT pile.   These days my closet runneth over with Cashmerette garments. In fact, I’ve sewn over 25 iterations of Jenny’s patterns, this year alone!  Guess that makes me Cashmerette Fan-girl #1 *woot woot*

Just for fun, I included some of my favorites below!

Now for a little something new!  For this post, I wanted to experiment.  Since TWO TNTs are obviously better than one, I decided to try a mash-up of two favorites — the Dartmouth top and the Turner dress.    Pencils in hand, I sketched out a design using the bodice of the first, the skirt of the latter, and a self-drafted bell sleeve.

Isn’t she pretty??  I just started sketching my sewing plans this year.  It helps me get a sense of how the final garment will look on my figure and avoid potential pitfalls (I’m looking at you, Vogue 9107).  Breaking out my colored pencils reminds me of being a kid again and soothes my creative itch when sewing time is limited.   But I digress — on to construction!

First, I made up the top in its entirety and tried it on.  With a fabric pen, I then marked the desired waistline and zipped the excess right off with my rotary cutter.  Since the skirt has a bit of weight to it, I added clear elastic into the seam to prevent excessive stretching.   To wrap up, I hopped over to my coverstitch machine to finish the hems.

Et voila! — a dress so nice, I made it twice.I think the dress matches my sketch pretty well.  Since I used a TNT pattern, the fit is spot on.   I pulled this Lemon Yellow ITY Knit from the depths of my stash.  Though I’d originally intended to create yet another Appleton maxi dress, I rather like this one better — it’s perfect for twirling.  Plus, hello yellow!!!  In such a bright sunshiny fabric, how can you not smile all day!

I can’t wait to make more of these.  In fact, my sewing queue has filled up with future versions including a purple wool jersey, a drapey sweater knit, and definitely one or two options with an added waistband or color blocking.  The possibilities are endless!

Thanks for stopping by!  Have you ever tried Cashmerette patterns?  Or mashed-up your TNTs to create a brand new outfit?  Shout out in the comments below!