Sewing Plans

I once dragged my husband all the way to Fabric Land in Brighton, with the intention of buying some jersey type fabric. In the end I didn't buy any knit fabrics - I totally scared myself out of it by rationalising that I didn't see anything I liked. Everything was either the wrong colour or texture or thickness or too shiny. So come January I decided to make my new years resolution to learn how to sew knits.

After having made this resolution I then did nothing about it. Until last weekend, when I again dragged The Husband to another fabric shop, this time in Tunbridge Wells. And yes, this time I managed to conquer my fear and buy some knit fabric. 

Sewing World has a whole section dedicated to Jersey and fleece fabric so there was plenty to choose from. So here's what I've added to my stash:

1. Royal Blue Jersey

This was the colour I had in mind when I first started to look out for knit fabrics. It's lovely and soft, but I cannot for the life of me remember how much stretch it is. 3%? This is destined to become a basic t-shirt - I figured I would do this first and start simple!

2. Black and White Stripe Jersey

The bolt of fabric was hidden at the bottom of a pile and I had to fairly wrestle it out from underneath. I asked for 1.5m and there was just about that left, so I even gained a little bit extra! It was destined. 

I've already got all the paraphernalia to sew knit fabrics - ball point needles and a twin needle. I've been reading up on various blogs, so the only thing I need now is to get some patterns. 

For the t-shirt, I'm torn between Sewaholic's Renfrew top or SBCC's free Tonic T-shirt pattern. 

 

I know the Renfrew top has great reviews and I know from previous experience how well designed the Sewaholic patterns are. I'm not so sure about the band around the bottom and seeing as we are coming into Spring/Summer I would like something I can wear with skirts. I like the simple clean lines of the Tonic pattern and think it would suit my needs so I'm leaning towards this pattern right now. 

For the black stripey fabric I'm planning to make a Jersey dress. I have some RTW Jersey dresses and whilst the top is ok, they are soooo short, I can't wear them without leggings. Not great in the hot summer. It is still a toss up betweeen Collette's Moneta Dress or Lady Skater by Kitschy Coo. I love the different sleeve variations of the Lady Skater dress but really like the gathered waistline of the Moneta dress. Decisions, decisions!!

3. Blue cotton

I made The Husband a shirt last October and although he wears it, he would ideally like a more fitted shirt - the sleeves look a bit 90's. So the other day he comes home from work and proudly tells me he has brought himself a shirt pattern from John Lewis. 

The fabric he has chosen is a nice light navy cotton. It is similar to the fabric I bought for the last shirt I made him so I know it will sew and wash nicely. The fabric below is destined for the insides of the collar and cuffs. The Husband picked this out ages ago as he liked it at the time, so me making a second shirt was always in the plans!!  

Fabric for the collars and cuffs!

So lots of sewing planned at the moment! I just need to find the time to put them into action. I am hoping to have a sewing session this Saturday - I really, really want to get started on the green Megan dress I have planned but haven't got round to sewing. If I don't hurry up soon, I won't get any wear out of it this season. At some point I'm planing on updating you all on my knitting adventures too! 

Red Sorbetto Vest

What a week! I'm definitely back at school and feeling it this weekend. It's been a full on week, complete with additional revision sessions, meeting after meeting and parents evening. I had planned to get at least some cutting out done, but just don't have the energy :( I've had this post ready to go since last week but sadly had no time to actually get round to posting.

So here it is: introducing the red SorbettoVest by Collette!

Since the pattern was straight forward and I have been on a stash busting mission,  I decided to make a (hopefully) wearable muslin out of some red polyester fabric. This fabric was actually left over from the 150m of bunting I made for my wedding. Despite the fact that the quality is not that good and it's slightly see through, it does have quite nice drape which I thought would be good for the Sorbetto pattern.

I pieced together the pattern pieces on the computer and then my husband printed it off on a massive sheet of paper at his work. I must say the thought of having to stick loads of sheets of A4 paper together sounds tiring and I would much rather have The Husband cheekily print them off for me!!

I cut a straight size 4, following the bust measurements. I'm horrifically pear shaped, but usually find that anything that fits my bust correctly generally fits my waist and hips okay.  I followed numerous advice found on the sewing bloggersphere and lengthened the top. To do this I cut to the bottom of the front and back pieces to a size 18 to increase the length, with the added bonus of flaring the bottom of the vest slightly to fit my hips.

One of the things that drew me to this pattern, was the neat seams around the neck and arm holes made using bias binding. Although I have made bias tape for bunting, I have never used it on a garment before.

I decided to make the bias tape from some of the left over fabric by following the tutorial by Collette. This method involves creating a parallelogram by cutting a 10" square into two triangles and then sewing it together. You then draw in 1" lines, sew the two ends together and then cut along the lines to create one strip of bias fabric that can be passed through the tape maker.

All great in theory. I managed to create the strip of fabric easily enough - although my edge seams were so close to the edge of the fabric I had to go back and redo a couple. The issue I had was in actually feeding it into though the tape maker. It was a complete pain, the fabric kept twisting in the tape maker and every time I corrected it after about 10 cm it would twist itself again! So frustrating!! And the iron kept steaming up my glasses!! Arggh.

In the end, I gave up, took a break, watched some telly and came back to it. I finally managed to finish it with some success and then began to construct the vest. The construction process was quick, considering it was the first time I had made proper bias binding and used it to finish necklines. I actually enjoyed the process of finishing the neckline and armholes and like the finished item.  I'm actually happy with the overall finish for a first attempt.

The fit is ok. It fits nicely across the bust, the darts are in the right place. I have worn the vest, tucked into my denim Hollyburn skirt and it was comfy. Not bad for a muslin!!

I will definitely be making more of these. Changes for next time? I would still like to adjust the length, as it's a tad too short for my liking. I agree with other bloggers that the arm cycles are to high - they cut in ever so slightly, so these will need to be lowered.

I also want to try another bias biding method to get more control over where the joins are. If you look at the photo below there are two right next to each other right at the front of the vest which is a bit ugly. I was thinking about joining just straight strips not on the bias, but I get the feeling its the bias that helps the fabric curve around the arm/neck holes. I think I'll try this Piecing Method which is also on the collette website for my next version.

Overall I'm really pleased with my Sorbetto vest. It was relatively quick to make and a nice simple style that is really wearable. I will definitely make another one, so watch this space!!

The instructions for the Collette pattern were really good and straight forward. This got me thinking about other Collette patterns ... here's the others I like:

 

 I love the Moneta dress and this fits in with my aim of learning to sew knit fabrics this year. The Anise coat looks like the perfect pea coat - but I'll definitely need to improve my sewing skills before attemting this one. I also like the Chantilly dress - I'm thinking of making one for my cousins wedding but it's not till November. Nothing like planning sewing a whole year in advance!!

Navy Blue Polka Dot Top

What's this? Two posts in two days? Why, yes it is!!

I've been on a proper sewing binge this week. I'm not fast at sewing and I don't have a dedicated space, so it's not feasible to fit in any sewing during evenings. This means that I have to wait until weekends or school breaks to sew. Every school break, I plan for a few days uninterrupted sewing. This half term I have completed 3 tops, hence two posts in one day!

The navy blue polka dot top in question is the New Look 6483.  I made version C, which has a high scoop neck. This was the first garment I ever made. I made it in a tan polka dot fabric and whilst the construction is not the best, I wear it loads. It's great to wear to work with a chunky necklace and a cardi, so I've decided to make another stash-busting version.    

The fabric I used was some left over navy blue polka dot cotton from Calico Laine. There was just enough fabric and I used some navy blue cotton for the interfacing.  The pattern details say that it can be made in an hour but it took me much longer! Mostly because I didn't read the instructions correctly and followed the instructions for the wrong version. I ended up constructing it in the wrong order and had to unpick all the side and shoulder seams! D'oh! 

However, I did finish it!! What I like about this top is the ease of construction. It's a simple design, with only two darts and four piece to cut. The fit is good- it's not too fitted which makes it comfortable to wear. It's slightly large around the armcycles. I think if I make another I will cut arms slightly higher to avoid gaping. 

So not a very exciting garment but a great stash buster and wardrobe staple. I've got another make to show you all - I've had a productive week - so watch this space!! 

Chambray lace collar blouse

Ta da!! I did some sewing!

Hello, everyone. I'm back into the swing of things and have finally completed a garment this year. This blouse has taken forever! I started making the blouse in January, but due to work constraints didn't manage to get very far. I spent one Saturday afternoon cutting out and interfacing, another constructing the collar and then finally finished it this week.

So here is my first make of 2015, slightly delayed though it is!

The pattern is the Alma Blouse by Sewaholic. I have made this blouse previously, see this post.  For my first attempt I made the cap sleeve version, but had horrible fitting issues. They turned out majorly puffy and not at all the pretty sleeves I had imagined. I still like my first Alma blouse and wear it none the less, but planned to change the sleeves on my next version. So this time I made the sleeves in the elbow length.

The fabric is a lovely soft Cotton Denim Chambray from Calico Laine. I initially ordered a slightly thicker/darker Chambray to make a Clemence Skirt for the summer, but it wasn't in stock and I was able to exchange my order for this chambray instead.

When it arrived I knew it wouldn't be suitable for a skirt and started envisioning the perfect chambray blouse. I was inspired when I saw this Tutorial by Handmade Jane for adding a lace collar. I have totally stolen the design for her blouse. Jane's tutorial was brilliant- really easy to follow, with clear instructions and photos.

Pinning the lace around the collar. 

I had started with some pretty cream crochet lace but it turns out I didn't have enough to go around the whole collar. So instead I used some lace that I bought when on holiday in Brugues, last October. Anyone else always manage to drag whoever they are on holiday with to the nearest haberdashery?

Overall, I'm pleased with my blouse. The construction was easier the second time around, particularly the collar. I think it's been finished really well - no wonky seams  or topstitching (!) and I used my overlocker foot to finish the internal seams neatly. The invisible zip is also virtually invisible (sorry, no pics) and definitely the best I've ever inserted. This is due one of my christmas pressies - an invisible zip foot, which definitely made the whole process easier.

My only concern comes not from a construction point of view but from a stylistic point of view. The collar is BIG. I was worried it was too much of a statement, but in the end I decided to own it and wore it out for dinner last night. I need not have worried as I received a compliment and an astonished 'wow, really!?' when I told them I had made it myself.

Sewing wise - a successful start to 2015!

Half Term Sewing planning

Before I get into my sewing plans for next week - OMG the great British sewing bee!

Alex, the latest sewer to leave the Great British Sewing Bee.

Another great episode. I loved the idea of making a children's waistcoat and it was great to see so many variations on the pattern. I never think to make children's clothes, although I have a nephew and two nieces who would be willing recipients. I think they all did really well. I was especially impressed with Ryan's waistcoat and Lorna's bird outfit. Can't wait to see what challenges that have next week.

Anyways. It's half term. Few! When you work in a school (Yes, I'm a teacher), every term becomes a countdown until the next break. I don't have time to sew during the week and rarely manage to fit in time to sew at the weekends. Since January I have been working on a blouse but it's still not finished. So I inevitably end up planning and dreaming about what I'm going to make during my dedicated 'sewing days'.

My husband has put me on a ban from buying any more fabric since the box in which I keep my stash no longer closes. So, I'm on a stash busting mission.

Here's what I've got planned:

1. Green poppy print Megan dress with a collar

I got some great teal-green coloured polyester with a black poppy print from Fabricland in Brighton. I'm planning to make another Megan dress, since my first one fits so beautifully and I wear it all the time. For this one, I have envisioned a black peter pan collar. I've made collars before so in theory I know how to construct one. But have never drafted one before, so I'm not sure how to go about it. The dress has a facing at the neckline, so I'm hoping I can use this to maybe trace a collar? I think this is going to need some googling!

Green Poppy Print Fabric from Fabricland.

2. Navy blue polka dot top

I have around a metre left of some navy blue polka dot fabric and also some plain navy cotton which I used as lining. I was planning to make another New Look 6483 top with this, but have been deliberating in my mind if this is the best use for this fabric. I think it would be a useful wardrobe item, with Spring coming up and can see  that I will get a lot of wear from it.

3. Collette Sorbetto

I downloaded the free Sorbetto pattern from the Collette website online. I have a couple of pieces of voile which I'm hoping will be suitable for this pattern, one in turquoise and another white printed piece. Although I am concerned about the fact that anything I make might be see through.

I am so excited to get back behind my sewing machine again. Can't wait! What do you do with left over fabric? Any great stash-busting tips or patterns?

Sew Far

I've been dressmaking since May of last year. In that time, I have developed my dressmaking skills and techniques. What I love about sewing my own clothes is the freedom to create garments that suit who I am. I love being able to create clothes that reflect my image and that fit me and my lifestyle. I'm not massively body confident, but being able to make clothes that actually fit has really given me a self esteem boost. I love choosing my outfit for the day, now that I have so many handmade clothes.

Rather than go over and re-post every item that I have made in this time, I thought I would go over my top five makes. These are my favourites, the ones I have worn again and again. So here goes!

1. Black and White Polka Dot Clemence Skirt

I made this skirt to wear on my honeymoon in July last year. It's the Clemence Skirt from Love at First Stitch, by Tilly Walnes aka Tilly and the Buttons. It's a self drafted skirt pattern, so you fit it to your waist measurements and the skirt is gathered around the waistband. This means that the fit is perfect and it's so comfortable to wear.

I love the boldness of the fabric and it fits in brilliantly with the rest of my wardrobe. The skirt can be dressed up with a nice blouse or just a vest. It's perfect with tights and boots for the winter or sandals for the summer. 

2. Carmel Polka Dot Top

This was the very first garment I ever made. It's the New Look 6483 pattern. It was a simple make and whilst the fit isn't perfect, I wear it all the time. It's great for work paired with a chunky necklace and is so comfy too. It took me a while to realise how much I like wearing this top, so I am planning to make it in another fabric. I'm hoping this will be a good stash buster! 

3. Denim Hollyburn Skirt

I planned this skirt for ages before I could find the time to make it. In the end I finished it just in time for Christmas. It's the Hollyburn Skirt by Sewaholic. It was the second Hollyburn skirt I made, the first one being a lovely maroon corduroy. This denim one tops the corduroy one. It's a more accurate make and the first time I had ever sewn with denim. I love the topstitching on this and the fact that it goes with everything. I wear it every weekend without fail.  

4. Blue Daisy Print Megan Dress

Another make from Love at First Stitch by Tilly Walnes. The fabric was raided from my Mum's stash of fabric. I'm pretty sure it's cotton as it's so soft, in a lovely rich blue. This was the first dress I made. I made a muslin first, to check the fit, out of an old bedsheet! I'm so glad I did, because the fit of this dress is spot on. It's perfect for work with a chunky necklace and a bright cardigan.   

5. Red Pansy Alma Blouse

My pansy blouse is from the Alma pattern by Sewaholic. I dreamt and planned this make for ages, having bought the fabric cheaply online when buying bunting fabric from a craft website. I didn't have much time to make this blouse and ran into some problems with the cap sleeves - they were huge. I managed to fudge them and reduce them slightly but I'm still not that happy with them. I only wear this with a cardi over it, but I adore the print and colour so I still wear it lots.

So there they are. My five favourite makes so far. May there be many more! 

Blue Bobble Hat

So... I guess I'm posting my first make! And it's a knitting project. Since I have rediscovered knitting, I have completed a number of smaller projects from one of the two knitting books I have been learning from, Knitty Gritty by Aneeta Patel. However, these will remain largely unposted, as I doubt anyone is interested in baby booties or scarves! Up until now I've been knitting on straight needles, so not only is this my first make ever posted, it was also the first project I have knitted using circular needles. A double whammy!

So, the hat pattern comes from my second knitting book, Learn to Knit, Love to Knit by Anna Wilkinson. I was drawn to thee pattern when I first bought the book, but wasn't sure if I would be able to knit it as it looked so complicated. 

Bobble hat by Anna Wilkinson

After having developed my knitting over the last couple of months, when my husband asked me to knit him a hat I decided I was ready to give it a go. So, ... here it is!

The pattern calls for a bulky yarn, but checking the tension required a super bulky yarn seemed my appropriate. I used Wendy Pampas Mega Chunky in Nightsky for the main and Toffee for the contrast section. It was really soft and easy to work with and since this was made with such bulky yarn it knitted up really quickly. It literally only took me a few evenings, so this was a nice quick project. It was also the first time had knitted using the 2x2 rib stitch, which I found strangely satisfying to watch it grow. So another first for this project too!

I brought a set of Knit Pro Symphonie interchangeable needles, which were brilliant to knit with. For my first attempt at knitting in the round, I managed to figure it out pretty easily and wondered why I was so worried about it. I'm glad I got the interchangeable needles as I am predicting some more circular knitting in the very near future.

The only real issue I had was near the end of the knit, as I was reducing for the top of the hat, it was quite hard to knit with so few stitches on a circular needle. Not impossible, but it didn't feel all that comfortable at points.

Overall, I'm dead chuffed with this hat. I'm even thinking of knitting one for my Dad for his birthday in March. My husband was pleased and has even worn it out of the house on several occasions, so I guess that gives it the real seal of approval.