Sewingplums

The Stitchers Guild annual Sewing With A Plan contest comes to an end on Tuesday April 30. So it’s time for an update of patterns that can be sewn in less than 2 hours – to help with any last minute sprint to the finishing line 😀

The SWAP requirement this year is to make a couple of different capsules of :
5 items : 3 tops, 2 bottoms, or
4 items : 2 tops, 1 bottom, 1 dress
plus a linking item which can be worn with both groups.
Giving a total 9, 10, or 11 items.

There’s a very wide variety of patterns available which the pattern companies claim can be sewn in less than 2 hours.
As there are dozens of them, I’m giving more information here about the few that I haven’t covered before, and just giving links to the ones I’ve shown drawings of previously.

[2015 update : There’s a download pattern line, Seamwork from Colette patterns, which claim to be makable in less than 3 hours.]

This list includes patterns that are oop but still available from US BMV (in 2013).

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Wardrobes and outfits

Simplicity 1561 described as sleepwear, but could be tunic, camisole, pants

Simplicity 5314 – sleepwear robe and pants. Shorten the robe for casual jacket-pants.

Simplicity 8589 – quick maternity wardrobe, for wovens.

Previously mentioned patterns :
New Look 6816 – knit top, skirt and pants.
Butterick 5225 – Life Style Wardrobe coded Easy rather than Very Easy. Butterick say it (presumably each garment) needs 2 hours of sewing time.

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Outerwear

Nancy Cornwell’s 90 minute fleece book has patterns for capes, ponchos, vests, scarves.

Previously mentioned patterns :
McCall’s 6209 – ponchos with a variety of shapes and necklines.
McCall’s 3448 – even easier, 1 hour ponchos.

And see the capes below.

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Costumes

Make on the day needed. (Though, having once supervised the making of an entire Shakespeare play costumes in style like the nativity ones, in 2 days, I wouldn’t recommend this for peace of mind !)

McCall’s 2339 – nativity.

McCall’s 6142 – clowns.

McCall’s 4139 – vampire capes.

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Dresses

Simplicity 1609 is a vintage 60s dress pattern for wovens, which they call a ‘Jiffy’ dress. In the 60s it was a quick make in comparison to what had gone before. But as it has a back zip and many darts, it’s not quick by today’s standards.

Many quick dress patterns have been shown in previous posts.

Knits

McCall’s 6074 – gathered front, sleeveless.
McCall’s 5893 – empire bodice, short sleeve option.

Wovens

Butterick 5211 – shift, short sleeves.
McCall’s 6551 – shift with 2 necklines, 2 sleeves, 3 hems.

McCall’s 6465 – slightly a-line, 4 sleeves, 4 hems.
McCall’s 6102 – a-line, cup sizes to C and D, sleeveless or short sleeve.
McCall’s 9172 – a-line, sleeveless or short sleeves.

New Look 6804 – sleeveless.
New Look 6889 – sleeveless or cap sleeve.

New Look 6890 – gathered neckline, 5 raglan sleeve options, 3 lengths.
McCall’s 6558 – peasant style, 3 bodices, elastic waist, 4 hems.

This post – Quick patterns update 2012 – tops, dresses
includes quick dress patterns from independent designers.

Or find some of the fabric that is shirred along one side. Simply cut a length to go round you comfortably. Sew one seam to make a tube with the shirring at one end, and there’s a sun-dress. Well, you might like to take the time to add some straps.

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Jackets

I haven’t found anything new, but there are many existing possibilities.

Knits

Butterick 5224 – many empire waist options.
McCall’s 5241 – cascade style cardigan, 3 front lengths all with the same back.

Wovens

Butterick 4989 – various cascade/ waterfall front options.
McCall’s 6084 – cascade shawl collar with 4 sleeve lengths.

Butterick 4138 – unlined blazer they say can be made in 2 hours ! Choice of pocket styles and long or short sleeves.
Not so quick, the Palmer-Pletsch 8 hour jacket, McCall’s 6172.

These posts – Quick patterns update 2012 – skirts, pants, jackets, and Fast jackets – both include quick jacket patterns from independent designers.

Least-effort jacket ? Shirley Adams shows how to make a fleece jacket in a few minutes – in her Bog coat video.

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Vests

McCall’s 2260 – unlined vests

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Tops

Several tops which I have given pictures of before, and which are still available :

New Look 6807 – 4 raglan sleeve options, knits.
New Look 6892 – raglan ‘peasant’ style, many sleeve options, wovens.

McCalls 5855 – 1-hour kaftan.

Butterick 5948 – dartless pullovers with various necklines, body and sleeve lengths. Site used to say they could be sewn in 2 hours, but no longer does. Borderline perhaps!

The 2015 Palmer-Pletsch shirts are :
McCall’s 6932 3 hour camp shit.
McCall;s 6613 band collar shirt – makes no time claims !

And many of the dress patterns can easily be shortened to make a top.

This post – Quick patterns update 2012 – tops, dresses
includes quick top patterns from independent designers, mainly for knits. Peggy Sagers demonstrates sewing Silhouette patterns 600 Classic Blouse for wovens in 1 hour in her associated webcast.

Many people have tee/ knit patterns they can make in a whiz on a serger/ overlocker. But if the pattern company doesn’t claim that, I haven’t mentioned it.

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Skirts

Previously mentioned patterns :

McCall’s 5430 – wrap flared skirt.
Silhouette 2050 – straight wrap skirt with darts, button closure, no vertical seams.
McCall’s 6567 – elastic waist skirt with various lengths and hems, also a mock wrap version.
Simplicity 2368 – dirndl, mock wrap and 4 gore styles, 3 lengths.

Or make a dirndl skirt by cutting 2 fabric rectangles and sewing a casing for elastic around the top.

Skirt and pants
Simplicity 2414 – tiered skirt + elastic waist pants.

Pants
Butterick 5153 – one-seam pants, for women, men, children, various lengths.
McCall’s 6568 – elastic waist pants, 3 lengths, 2 leg shapes.
McCall’s 5889 – 1 hour tapered leg pants include several lengths.

This post – Quick patterns update 2012 – skirts, pants, jackets – includes quick skirt and pant patterns from independent designers.

new pattern 2015 : Simplicity 1068 for knit skirts and pants.

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Dozens more quick sewing patterns at AllFreeSewing. Though of course there’s no guarantee of the quality of the patterns or instructions.

What a rich selection, so many styles to choose from – pretty, casual, elegant, business-like. Which do you like ?

24 days left to the end of the SWAP contest.

So you need no more than 5 minutes of sewing time a day to make one of these patterns in the time available.

Or – whew – starting from scratch ? There are so many of these patterns to choose from – you could make one item a day starting from now, make a whole SWAP wardrobe, and finish with two weeks to relax and recover before the end of the contest !

Enjoy your sewing, make what you love.
So only do speedy sewing if you find it fun 😀

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Patterns and links available (some patterns oop and only from US BMV) April 2013

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This entry was posted on April 6, 2013 at 9:44 am and is filed under speedy sewing. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.