A Very Happy Birthday Announcement

I had a very special birthday yesterday.

Yes, I've now entered into the realm of my thirties, but I can't say I'm all that bothered by the thought of getting a little older. I had a lovely family party at the weekend, with afternoon tea and cakes and have been thoroughly spoilt with lots of presents.

I even received some lovely Liberty of London sewing notions from my lovely Aunt: a heart shaped patch, mini-sewing kit, tape measure, apple pin cushion and a box of buttons. My Hubby brought me a book on Overlockers- I had a moment of you shock, but he did not in fact buy me an overlocker. Aside from a massive storage issue in our current home, he had no idea what model to choose. I can safely say that an overlocker is definitely in my future!

The best part of my birthday, however, is an experience that will stay with me forever. I had a successful 12 week ultrasound scan, so I can now announce to the bloggersphere ....

I'm pregnant!

I'm 13 weeks and although there is a long way yet to go, I'm feeling really confident that everything with my baby is going to be okay. I have been very ill over the last 7-8 weeks and this has been the reason for my lack of posting, sewing has very much taken a back seat.

I still don't feel all that well and I am currently not making any extensive sewing plans. I have some bunting planned and a couple of small gifts to make as christmas presents but I cannot see myself sewing any garments since my weight will soon start fluctuating.

I do have some baby knitting projects that I would like to start soon, so I plan to use this time to improve my knitting!

Anyways, I thought I would update you all with my news and hopefully I will be able to post some more projects in the future.

Liebster Award

Hello, long time no post. I dare not look back to see when I last posted, but I know it's been a long time. At this point in time, I don't feel the need to share the reasons why I haven't posted for a while. I don't want to give a trite reason of being 'busy' or life getting in the way as I would only be lying, but I might share the real reason at some point in the future.     

A few weeks ago I was delighted to be nominated for the Liebster Award by Beth from Sewing Soothes the Soul. The Liebster Award is basically a way for bloggers to share their love for blogging and other bloggers and to discover new blogs. I never imagined that I would be nominated for an award and knew when I was able to get back to posting I would start off with a post dedicated to this nomination. 

I now need to share 11 random facts about myself, so here they are: 

1. I live in a small village in Kent, although I grew up in Sussex. I love living in Kent and would now not live anywhere else. 
2. I am a teacher. To be specific, I teach secondary Maths. It a job that I adore and despite all the negativity from the press, government and within the teaching profession I strongly believe in the value of teaching. 
3. I am also a doctor. Before I taught, I completed a PhD in Maths and worked as a researcher in a London university. I hated research with a passion and managed to complete my PhD before retraining as a teacher. It's a time in my life that I sadly try and forget, so I don't often admit to having a PhD. 
4. I am a massive Jane Austen fan. I love reading her novels and watching film adaptations. I am a big reader of most literature (chick-lit, romance, historical, sci fi, westerns!) and will not travel anywhere without my Kindle. 
5. I have tried my hand at writing. I'd love to be able to write a novel but my ideas are only half formed and I don't think that my writing is high quality enough to make a decent book.
6. My best friend is my Husband. We've been married for just over a year but have been together since we met a Uni 11 years ago.
7. My husband and I are building our own home. We have only built the garage so far, but next year we are starting the main house. This time next year I will be sitting in my own home!
8. I didn't fly in an aeroplane until I was 18. My first holiday abroad to Bilbao, Spain. Since then I have been to France, Ireland, Italy, Belgium, Holland, USA and lots of times to Spain. I have never had a massive bug to go travelling for long periods of time but love visiting cities. I really want to visit Berlin and Sicily and at some point explore Scandinavia.  
9. It took me 10 years (not consistently) to learn to drive. I passed on my third test but I only have an automatic license. I'm not a bad driver, but I massively lack confidence and it took me a long time to build up enough confidence in my skills to pass. I still hate driving this day and won't drive very far from home!
10. I've never broken a bone in my body. (Touch Wood!) Can you tell I'm running out of fan facts about Fiona?
11. It's my 30th birthday next Tuesday. I don't enjoy celebrating my birthday, as they were often a disaster growing up .... I'm looking forward this year to going to the cinema with the Husband and he's going to make me homemade pizza and lemon meringue pie. Heaven! 

Many thanks, to Beth for nominating me and I now am going to nominate: Shauni at The Magnificent Thread and Twinkle at Looks Like I Made It. 

I have got a few small projects on the go at the moment that I'm working on, so hopefully it won't be long until I post again but I'm not promising anything!

What are your sewing plans? 

Jersey Pencil Skirt

What a week it's been! I'm back to school with vengeance, the first few days have been very tiring and on top of it all I've managed to catch a cold. Absolutely no sewing is getting done this weekend whilst I am feeling so rubbish. 

These photos were taken over the bank holiday weekend, where we hosted not one but two family BBQ's. It's another make from Gertie Sews Vintage Casual by Gretchen Hirsch - the Easy Knit Pencil Skirt. 

I've never worn a pencil skirt before, I've always believed that they wouldn't suit my curvy pear shape. I decided to make this one as it uses so little fabric, only 0.9m, and I had loads of black and white striped jersey left over from making my Stripey Moneta dress.

The pattern is very simple, with a front and back cut out of the same pattern piece and elasticated at the waist with wide elastic. It was very easy to put together and didn't take much time at all.

I'm pleased with the finish of this skirt. I bought a new twin needle, as I have had problems with my old one skipping stitches. I've found that this has remedied the skipping problem, but I still can't get the tension right on my seams - it creates a raised channel. It isn't that noticeable but it bothers me and I'd like to fix it somehow!  

I'm surprised how much I like the fit of this skirt. The fit is flattering and it's very comfy. I'd like to make some more for school, but with a thicker fabric - I don't think this jersey will be that warm in the winter.

I have loads of sewing plans and loads of fabric in my stash, but I have no idea what to prioritise! With so little sewing time, now that school has started, I don't have time to finish everything. Decisions, decisions!!

What are your sewing plans? 

Red Floral Sleeveless Blouse

I've developed a bit of 'thing' recently for sleeveless shirts ... well, before we lost the glorious summer weather. I love the fact that they are so cool and comfy whilst looking smart- making them perfect for my work wardrobe.

I always start my makes by picking a pattern and this one was no exception. The pattern comes from Gertie Sews Vintage Casual by Gretchen Hirsch. The original pattern comes from the 40's style blouse pattern (left picture) which doesn't really appeal to me but there is also a variation for a sleeveless blouse (right picture)which I much prefer.

I really enjoy using Gertie's patterns. The instructions are very well written with nice diagrams to give you guidance. What I really like is that all the techniques are in the beginning sections of the book, so there is no need to stop and find a tutorial or another book when you need to know how to construct an armhole facing using bias binding. Something new to me about this blouse was the fact that I first had to make some edits to the pattern, such as adding length and extending darts.

I picked this red floral print fabric with the blouse pattern especially in mind. It comes from my trip to Walthamstow market and it was only £2.20 a metre of which I bought 1.5m. It was lovely to work with, easy to press and cut so no problems there. It has a nice drape to it which has given the blouse a soft look, rather than a starchy collar.

The construction was straight forward, however, I challenged myself to get this done in a day! I made this on a Saturday and needed to have it finished as I was going down to my sisters the next day. I had it in my mind that I wanted to wear it for a day trip to the Isle of Wight we had planned for the Monday.

I cut it out on Saturday morning and had it sewn up, minus the buttons and button holes by dinnertime that evening. I had just enough time to sew the buttonholes and buttons on Sunday morning and then I finished off the hand stitching and neatened it up in the evening at my sisters. Not quite a day, but some speedy sewing at least for me.

I'm reasonably pleased with this blouse. I wasn't sure about the fit at first, as I wanted it to be more fitted. I did wear it to the Isle of Wight and it was comfortable to wear. On reflection, I'm not sure that it would look right if it was ultra fitted.

Despite speedy sewing on my part, it is neatly finished and the construction went well. I managed to muck up one of the darts on the front left of the blouse but it's not noticeable due to the print. No one ever looks that closely anyway!

The buttons seem to be to far over for my liking and to be honest the colour isn't a perfect match. (Note to future self: take a sample of fabric with you to the button shop!) I think I'm my own worst critic when it comes to my sewing, as my Mum and my Sister didn't notice anything wrong with the buttonhole placement.

For the next one (yes, it's already in the pipeline!) I'm going to consider the fit more carefully and see if I can tweak it to make it slightly more form fitting. Maybe by sewing wider seams just along the sides? I don't like the horizontal buttonholes and so will change these to vertical ones.

This blouse is definitely very wearable - I'm looking forward to wearing it to school when we start back up again - and I haven't lost my love of shirts with collars. I see plenty more in my future!

Do you like wearing shirts with collars? 

Sewing in Pairs

I've been taking stock of my handmade wardrobe and making plans for the Autumn and Winter. My wardrobe contains a lot of items I think of as 'work clothes', which is basically anything I have that is school appropriate.

One thing I have noticed is that there is not much difference between my Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter wardrobes, except tights. I wear the same colour palette of brights and jewel tones throughout the year but bare legs are covered with tights and bare arms are covered in cardigans.

Whilst doing this I also noticed that I sew a lot in pairs. For example:

Two Moneta Dresses: 

Two Hollyburn skirts:

Two Mimi Blouses:

Two Megan Dresses: 

I've also sewn two Alma Blouses and two round neck Simplicity Polka Dot Tops (You can see My Wardrobe here).  So why have I sewn in pairs?

Well, the answer is because generally I improve on the fit of the first make in the second one or I might make a second version because I love the first one so much. I have yet to make more than two of the same pattern.

Ironically, my sewing plans feature some more 'second time' make's and one 'third time' make. So here are my 'up and coming' sewing projects in no particular order:

1. McCalls 6696 Shirtdress. I have some navy blue tile print bought from my trip to Walthamstow, which I would like to make into another shirtdress. This time I plan on adding short sleeves and will try pleating the skirt instead of gathering. 
2. Love at First Stitch Mimi Blouse. This will be my third Mimi blouse which I will be making up with a beautiful navy and white heart print fabric. I have decided that the sleeves do not suit me at all, so will replaces these with the sleeves from the Megan dress. 
3. Gertie's Vintage Casual Sleeveless Shirt.  I have made one previously (yet unblogged) and want to give this pattern another go as I think it could be a good work staple. I have some turqiouse and cerise flower print viscose to make this with. 
4. Gertie's Vintage Casual Sweetheart t-shirt. I love this t-shirt so much and want to make another out of some left over black and white striped jersey. I've ordered a new twin needle as I'm not happy with my current one, so will have to wait until this arrives. 

I'm at the end of my summer holidays- school starts back after the bank holiday weekend- so realistically, not much of these are going to get started for a while. I've spent a lot of this week already working on school bits. I predict that I will have less projects to blog about and less time to blog once school starts, but I enjoy blogging so will continue when I can.  

What is your next sewing project?

Knitting Owl

Following my post on my sewing squirrel, I couldn't resist sharing this little one with you too! I started knitting this back in Easter and the finished pieces have been lurking around in my knitting back waiting for me to finish it. I finally got around to hand stitching all the parts together last week.  

The pattern comes from issue 69 of Knitting and Crochet magazine, which included free yarn to create a range of projects. I chose this Owl as a small project I could complete whilst on holiday.

The one on the left was made by my Mother-in-Law who also liked the pattern.

Enjoy the rest of the week!

Sweetheart T-Shirt

Something I've not sewn to date are jersey t-shirts. I've always figured that t-shirts are so cheap to buy what would be the point in making your own? Until now.

I had some scrap jersey fabric left over from making my Moneta jersey dresses and a spare afternoon and wanted a quick project, so decided to have a go at sewing a t-shirt.

The pattern is the Sweetheart T-shirt from the book Gertie Sews Vintage Casual by Gretchen Hirsch. I've had this book since Christmas but have yet to get around to sewing anything from it. I did get my Husband to photocopy the pattern sheets at his office, to save me tracing the patterns!!

The fabric I have used for this T-shirt is left over from my royal blue Moneta dress. I had very little fabric left, probably about one square meter. I managed to squeeze this t-shirt out of this by cutting the back as two pieces. I added a 5/8" seam allowance along the fold line and just sewed it up to create the back piece!

The t-shirt came together well. I used a narrow zig-zag on my machine for seams and also topstitching the neck and arm bands. This was the first time I have made a neckline like this but is very simple to do and I love the neat effect.  

I think the fit of the t-shirt is good; the fabric is very clingy so it is very fitted. I wore it for a full day after taking these photos and it was very comfortable. I can't decided whether the clingyness is due to the fabric or if I need to size up. 

The neckline is a sweetheart that starts a simple scoop neckline. To create the sweetheart you sew a small dart into the centre of neckline and then pleat and topstitch some gathers at the front of the t-shirt. I think the neckline looks flattering and I also like the cap sleeves on this t-shirt. 

I think this looks nice paired with both jeans and also tucked into a skirt. It kind of reminds me of a gymnastics leotard I used to have as a little girl, which was a similar colour.

I've really been inspired to make t-shirts. There quick, easy and only use a small amount of fabric so are not too expensive. I'm definitely going to me making some more.

There are loads of t-shirt patterns available out there. Here are some of my favourites: The Weekender Sunshine Top by Hot Patterns, The Bronte Top by Jennifer Lauren Vintages and Agnes by Tilly and the Buttons

What's your perfect t-shirt?

Sewing Squirrel

Happy Saturday! I finished this little guy this week and just wanted to show him off. The pattern is from a book my Mother-in-Law surprised me with last week called Sew Sunny Homestyle by Finnanger Tone. When I saw this cutie I knew I had to make one!

A very short project, this took me about 2 hours to trace the pattern, cut out and sew the pieces and then a little longer to stuff and hand stitch it all together. I enjoyed using my sewing machine to sew on the tummy patch using a faux blanket stitch. 

The face hand embroidered and pink cheeks created using blusher! Cute, no?

Have a great Saturday everyone!

Burda 6874: Men's Stripy Shirt

I've actually done some unselfish sewing this past weekend and made my Husband a shirt. This is the second shirt I have made him - the previous shirt hasn't had much wear as it is not as fitted as my Husband would like. We've just had our first wedding anniversary last weekend, so this a (belated) anniversary present for him.

The pattern is Burda 6874. I'm going to go ahead and say that I didn't choose this pattern - my Husband came home from work one day proud as punch with this pattern in hand, which he had chosen and ordered by himself from the John Lewis website. It's really nice to have a partner who is involved and actively encourages my hobbies. However, this is probably the worst pattern I have ever worked from.

The instructions are minimal and sometimes confusing. I agonised over which size to cut out. My poor Husband was subjected to repeat measurements and comparisons of the finished garment sizes. I consulted the size chart on the Burda website but this didn't really help. In the end I went for a size 38, which based on the finished chest sizes would be too big but the yoke should just about fit across his shoulders.



The fabric is a polycotton striped shirting, with a white background and navy blue stripes which I picked up for £1 per metre on a recent trip to Walthamstow. The idea was to use some cheap fabric to create a hopefully wearable muslin to test the fit. It was nice to work with and has a very slight stretch.

I did make some changes to the pattern and the construction:

• I cut Version C, but only used one pocket. I made the pocket square because ironing the seam allowance on a curved pocket was tricky (Shh ... don't tell the Husband, he'll never know!) I also didn't sew a buttonhole onto the top of the pocket #lazyseamstress 
• My Husband wanted a short sleeved shirt so I measured the length of the one his existing short sleeved shirts, added seam allowances and then just folded the pattern piece accordingly.
• I cut the yoke perpendicular to the grain instead of on the bias, so that the stripes are horizontal.
• In order to avoid hand stitching the yoke facing I used the burrito method which is much easier. There is a great burrito yoke facing tutorial by Grainline.
• I totally ignored the construction directions for the collar, instead using instructions on sewing a collar by four square walls. 

Once I had made the yoke I tried the shirt on him, pinning the front plackets together to get a sense of how it would fit. Surprisingly it fitted well, but to give my husband a bit more wiggle room, I sewed the seam allowances at the shoulders, sleeves and sides at 3/8".

As this was only a wearable muslin, I was very lazy with matching up any of the stripes. I did make sure the pattern pieces were running along the grain so there were no wonky stripes. The shirt was actually really quick to make - I cut it out and started it on Saturday morning and then finished it on Monday afternoon. Thankfully, the fit is really good and he is pleased with it.

I also managed to mislay the diamond shaped pattern piece needed to make the tiny triangles at the bottom of the side seams. I just measured the correct width and height to cut them out. I'm pleased with how they have turned out. Surprisingly I had some issues with the curved hem on the shirt, but found an ace tutorial on how to hem a curved edge by machine by Colette, which solved the problem.

I'm still having issues with the collar. I've managed to get it looking neat but I've centred it around the edge of the right front, when in fact should be centred around the inside edge of the placket so it does not sit evenly. It's not that noticeable but now I'm aware of it I will be able to make sure it looks better next time.

My Husband has also requested that the sleeves be slightly longer, so I need to add around 1" so they are a better length. 

I've decided it's not bad for a first attempt! I think it will be a wearable muslin and it has certainly given me the confidence to attempt another to fix some of the issue with this one. 

Have you ever made a shirt? 

Mystery Fabric

I wanted so share this fabric that I have had in my stash for a while now, which is somewhat a mystery to me. It originally came from my Mum's stash; it was part of a bundle of fabric that my Mum saved from being thrown out at her school. It is a really beautiful turquoise leaf print on white background. The mysterious part is that I have no idea what kind of fabric it is. Cotton? Polycotton? It's very sheer and I would describe it almost as a voile. I also have another larger piece of similar turquoise voile, which I found in the remnants bin at a local fabric shop. I bought 1.7m for £4.

The problem I have is that the leaf print voile is only 25 inches wide, although it is 79 inches (2m) in length. I've been trying to think of something for which I can use this fabric. I don't really want to make it into a skirt as it is such a small print that I think would get lost, so would prefer a top or blouse. I'm also concerned about how sheer the fabric is. 

Left: Collette Sorbetto Vest, Top Right: Fifi Cami Bottom Right: Diana Cami by Spit Up and Stilettos. 

So far I've come up with either another Collette Sorbetto Vest or maybe a Diana Cami by Spit Up and Stilettos. Another idea is the Fifi Cami by Tilly and the Buttons, although I'm not sure if I would have enough fabric for this. 

So here's my plea for help: Anyone got any ideas for a garment that I can make which uses such a small amount of fabric?

Black Mimi Blouse

Hi All. I'm working steadily through my 'to sew' list and have finished another make. It's the Mimi Blouse which features in Love at First Stitch by Tilly Walnes. This is actually my second Mimi blouse, I made a white version out of some drapey viscose last summer which I have worn quite a lot. It's very much a wardrobe staple and so I quickly realised that one in black would also be a good addition to my wardrobe.

The fabric is a black polycotton which I ordered online. I can't remember how long ago I cut out this fabric but it was definitely before christmas. After blogging about it here recently, I figured it was time to get it finished!! I originally cut out a contrasting cream collar and planned to add cream piping to the gathers but decided against this.

I cut out a straight size size 3, which is the same as my previous version. I think I cut out a larger sleeve size, as the cuffs on my white blouse are slightly tight around my upper arms. This does not seem to have made any difference though, so in future versions I may need to make some further adjustments to the sleeves.

The construction was straightforward- I have definitely improved my sewing skills and this blouse came together much easier than my previous version. I really like the collar, which sits very nicely and I feel confident with this type of construction. Go me!

The only adjustment I made to the pattern is the buttons. Instead of the recommended 12mm buttons mine were much smaller at only 5mm. I therefore had to change the spacing, which required me to research how to do this. I put together a blog post on button etiquette to document all my research. The blouse front measured 17" without seam allowances, which when divide by 8 (for 8 buttons) gave me a distance of 2 1/8" between each button. In hindsight, the buttonholes are too far in from the edge of the blouse and would have looked better if they had been closer to the edge.

I think the blouse has turned out well. It has a very structured look to it, due to the fabric and although I've gotten away with it, I'm not sure that it is the best choice for this pattern. Whilst it's not a very summery make I think this blouse will get worn loads in autumn and winter. I plan on wearing it tucked into corduroy or wool skirts with black tights.

Anyone else starting to plan or make for the Autumn?