It's party time! Zosia @zosia_knits from our HQ team has made the coolest candy cane striped set, using the Calvin Crop and our Make by TFS Sparrow Shorts. Check out photos and details below!

Project Notes

Zosia picked the Calvin Crop and the Make by TFS Sparrow Shorts patterns for this set, using 1.2m of Candy Cane Stripe cotton for the shorts, and 40cm extra for the top! Additional supplies were a small section of silk twill from her stash, 2m of cupro silk satin bias binding for the side seam pocket seams, 2m of organic linen bias binding for the shorts seams, 8m of ketchup bias binding for the Calvin finishes, straps and lace up back and the Sparrow waist tie, plus 1m of 50mm elastic for waistband. Zosia used the Calvin Crop lace-up back hack from @marliesreukers and she loves the detail and the adjustability the lace up gives, as well as having a top suitable for a hot summers day! This hack makes the sizing around the ribs and strap lengths fully adjustable. The Calvin Crop is an intermediate sewing level pattern, and Zosia made a size 12. Her Make by TFS Sparrow Shorts are a size 10, adjusting to give herself an extra 4cm on the inner leg seam, and an extra 4cm on the outer leg seam to give extra space in the hip. This pattern is a beginner friendly pair of shorts/pants, with an elasticised waist.

Zosia says "Instructions for both patterns were perfectly clear and Marlies did a great job of showing how she made the Calvin lace-up back adjustment on her post here. The armhole binding becomes both the straps and the the lace-up, so I measured where the armhole ended and the straps began, marked with chalk, and then sewed the remaining length of binding into a roule, which turned out quite nicely. To ensure the lace-up loops didn't pull on the fabric, I pre-cut and sewed them to some herringbone tape first, then secured that to the fabric. This keeps the loops neat even under tension. I also put bias binding in the under bust seam too! I don't enjoy cutting thin strips on the bias so I used the bias binding as a cheat to make a roule tie for the shorts too. Very happy with how closely the ketchup matches with the candy cane stripe!"

Download the Calvin Crop from Etsy here, and our Make by TFS Sparrow Shorts online here.

What drew you to the fabric you chose? 

"Anyone who knows me, knows I love wearing red, and when I saw this incredible denim above come in, I could not resist! The bold stripe and the combination of the cream and red together was too perfect for a festive outfit."

Shop Zosia's Candy Cane Stripe online, and see our range of heavyweight cottons here.

Zosia says "I added cute bias cut patch pockets to the back of the shorts to make them slightly less like boxers / PJs, and to lean into the candy cane vibes too!"

"I have some gorgeous 11oz hickory stripe denim destined to be another pair of Coe trousers, I can't wait to wear the Calvin with these for a double stripe moment! I think I'll thrash the shorts this summer, they'll look super fun with my bright pink merino T!