Toddlers grow at an alarming pace. Much faster than I can sew. And can you believe it I have actually depleted my knit stash from Japan. I can actually buy and ship them in from Japan but knits are bulky, and most shipping forwarders charge by volumetric weight. So even if the price of the knits are reasonable, by the time I get it shipped to me it may be double the original price. So… I have been on the lookout for knits. Good quality knits that are comfortable and can withstand the abuse from a toddler ;P It is hard to find nice prints for boys too. There are lots of pastels and pinks and unicorns out there but I the range for boys is limited to cartoonish cars, superheroes, and I usually don’t like the bright and gaudy colors they come in. Then I came across Sew Good Knits, a Facebook group for preordering European knits. They are based in Singapore so it’s extremely convenient for me (don’t worry, they ship internationally too!)
They specialize in knit fabrics that are made in Europe, most of which are certified organic according to Oekto or GOTS standards, which is more reassuring given that I am buying them for my toddler. To be honest, I have been a little hesitant in ordering because they are quite pricey. I do know that it is due to the quality and I have heard lots of raves from others in the group who are big fans and vouch for the quality of the fabric. But I held back until…….
I saw this fabric! My boy is totally into diggers right now, and dump trucks, and tractors…. the list goes on. So when I saw this, I fell in love instantly. I knew he would love it and I love it too because the print is so simple and well, no gaudy colors!
I used the raglan tshirt pattern from the above book – Knitwear for kids. This is one of my most frequently used book for knits. There are step by step photos for some of the patterns, including this raglan tshirt. Read my review here. Buy from amazon.com or cdjapan (aff links)
Back to Sew Good Knits. So I ordered a couple of prints, and guess what…. they were kind enough to send me some extra fabrics for me to sew and blog about. Yay! Will work for fabrics anytime.
This print was is perfectly co-ordinating with the gravel on the digger shirt don’t you think? I immediately decided it was going to be a pair of harem pants. This harem pants pattern is modifed from an old issue of Cotton Friend. It’s no longer in print though so I don’t think I’ll tempt you by posting it here. 🙂
Look at the complete outfit! So adorable right?
And like how the others had raved about it, the fabric is really soft and amazing. It’s stretchy and soft and the color doesn’t fade after washing. I love it! The best part is, the knits are much wider than normal fabric widths, so even with a fat half, I can make a toddler shirt or a pair of pants/leggings out of it. With a full yard, I can make a whole outfit for him or even something for myself (the mint squares below is reserved for myself ;P)
Now I have a mini stash of Sew Good Knits!
I reached out to Celine, who is one of the founders of Sew Good Knits, to find out more about their little start up, as well as their big plans for the future.
Who are the founders of Sew Good Knits ?
Celine Khoo and Ruth Mak
What inspired the creation of Sew Good Knits?
The love for high quality, organic knits with interesting designs, especially some nice boy friendly designs! Euro knits fit the bill since they were still fairly uncommon locally. Also we were ourselves spending a lot on shipping buying from retailers based in the US who offered a variety of euro knit brands.
What kind of fabrics do you carry in Sew Good Knits?
We specialize in knit fabrics that are made in Europe, most of which are certified organic according to Oekto or GOTS standards. Jersey and French Terry are the most common types of knits we bring in as we feel they are the most versatile. Some of our local customers may shy away from French terry as they think it’s warm for local weather but we try to ensure that the French terry we bring in is lightweight and suitable for the Singapore climate.
We also carry ribbings in a variety of colours to complement the fabrics that we carry and we hope to be a one stop shop for sewists looking for materials for their next knit project. As the majority of our fabrics are made from organic cotton and through processes that are safe and good for the environment, they are very safe for babies and children. At the same time, the high quality of our fabric ensures ease of sewing because of the stability of the knit fabric as well as the longevity of the garment sewn.
In the long run we would love to be the sole distributor for all euro knits but it is a challenging process given the small market here and also the sheer number of European designers. We would love to stock them all!
Do you (or your co-founders) sew? if yes, what type of sewing do you do?
Ruth : I own a handmade business that had been born out of the love of sewing. I sew apparel for myself and my children, and it’s quite fun to try and create certain looks for myself that I’ve never tried before. My boys have also learnt to appreciate that their mama-made items are truly unique to them and I may have created a problem for myself, as I’ve recently discovered that they are having a hard time giving up the ones they’ve clearly outgrown!
Celine : I mainly sew for myself and my kids as currently with my youngest just starting to walk, my crafting time is limited. I love sewing apparel mainly as I find them most practical. I used to have a real fear of sewing knits as I thought them to be really challenging but now when I need a quick stress releasing project, knits are my go-to as they sew up so quickly on a serger and are just generally more practically for daily wear for kids!!!
What are your future plans for Sew Good Knits?
We’re working on an online store, but progress has been painfully slow as we’re both mothers to 3 children each, and managing the pre-order group has been quite time consuming. We are keeping our options open with regards to including wovens in our inventory, especially if our suppliers offer these options as well, but knit fabric will still be our mainstay.
Where can we join your Pre-order group and keep up with the latest news about Sew Good Knits?
Our Facebook Group for pre-orders is www.facebook.com/groups/sewgoodknits
Our IG handle is @sewgoodknits ; and our yet to be launched website is www.sewgoodknits.com
Now that you have learnt more about Sew Good Knits, here is a chance to win some of their gorgeous fabrics!
There will be 2 concurrent giveaways to enter. One will be on Facebook and the other on Instagram. Follow the instructions below to enter either or better still, both! 1 yard of Euro knits will be given away for each giveaway. On top of that, there will be a mystery Fat Half (Fat half) that will come along with your prize!
Here’s how to enter.
FACEBOOK GIVEAWAY
1 yard of the following fabrics from the latest range from Paapii Design + 1 mystery FH will be given away.
CLOVER FOX ORGANIC JERSEY in SUNNY YELLOW
- Join the Facebook group for Sew Good Knits.www.facebook.com/groups/sewgoodknits
- Like and follow JapaneseSewingBooks on Facebook.
- Comment below the giveaway post by telling us your favourite fabric from any of the knits in the Sew Good Knits collection. Hint, you can browse the retail album for existing stock, or any of the fabrics listed in any of their preorder albums. (note that these album links are only visible if you are a member of the group)
INSTAGRAM GIVEAWAY
1 yard of the following fabrics from the latest range from Paapii Design + 1 mystery FH will be given away.
VARPU ORGANIC JERSEY, FOREST GREEN
- Follow Sew Good Knits on Instagram (http://instagram.com/sewgoodknits)
- Follow Japanese Sewing Books on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/japanesesewingbooks/)
- Comment below the giveaway post on my Instagram page, and tell us what you are going to make with these fabrics.
- For extra chances to win – Repost the giveaway banner and hashtag #sewgoodknits
- For extra chances to win – Post a photo of your Euro Knits makes (for example fabrics from Käpynen, Ommellinen, Majapuu, PaaPii Design and more). It doesn’t have to be purchased from Sew Good Knits, we just want to see your creations! Important – please include the hashtag #sewgoodknits so that we can discover your photos.
Items 1-3 is compulsory in order to participate, items 4 and 5 will give you extra chances to win!
This giveaway is open worldwide and ends 6th October 2017 10pm Singapore time (UTC +8)
The lucky Winners will be announced on the following Monday (9th October 2017)
Good luck!
