Spring Mornings and Afternoons

 The worst thing to do in the early warm spring days of the year is to stop in and make something to wear on a warm day! Oh, the irony of that choice. With this in mind, I have been sewing on colder mornings and gardening in the warmer afternoons.

This is the Fen Dress by Fancy Tiger Crafts. I made a winter version in brushed cotton with a round neck in January and now this summer one with a V neck. You can also make tops from the same pattern. The fabric is a lightweight cotton sateen. I thought I would choose a large print for a change which I really love.

Another successful make is this reversible Agave skirt by Deer and Doe. The one side is black linen for winter and the other is floral cotton poplin. It fastens with two buttons and has an asymmetrical wrap front. It is genius!

Then I had a go at some bag making this is a REAL handbag! It looks and feels so much like a real one. I had to use a leather needle in my machine and it sewed up like a dream. There are useful front pockets, inside slip pocket and a back zip pocket. It is the noodlehead traverse handbag made with faux leather - an absolute keeper.

I am of course true to my sewing roots and have used up some smaller fabric pieces to make a Linden sweatshirt using up leftovers. I have two of these now and I wear them regularly. I had a few handmade sweatshirts that shrunk a little after washing so these have gone to my big girl.

The view from my studio is unique and when the lunchtime hotspot lands right on the french doors it is time to stop sewing and head outside for some sunshine. 

Bloke has worked hard finishing off the steps outside which I am so happy about. I tripped up them in January which caused my bad arm which I am struggling with at the moment. The sun shines right in my eyes at the sewing table about 1:30pm so it makes me pack up and go outside for the afternoon.

It is refreshing to take the dog out, give my daughters some fresh air and enjoy the spring weather with them.

I have lambs to show you next.... exciting times.

Jo

PS. I have managed to get my blog admin all set up on my laptop so I can blog more regularly and catch up with you folks now. I only used to be able to load stuff on the main PC in the office but we have lambs in there and it stinks! 

Old Habits Die Hard

My sewing adventures of late have been varied - a mix of new habits and the old ones I can't let go of. I make online media content for Minerva which they are going to release later in the year so parcels of wonderful fabric and patterns arrive at my house weekly. It is my job to sample up the patterns and share the process so that makers can sew-a-long. Hopefully my teaching background and endless enthusiasm will stand me in good stead. This brushed cotton winter dress has been one of my favourite garments of late. It is called the Fen dress by Fancy Tiger Crafts. The pattern has lots of variations so I will enjoy exploring more.

Sometimes however I have to make a garment out of a fabric I am not so keen on and at first this was hard for me to do. In the past when sewing was a hobby, I tried hard to make sure that what I made was a really good use of my precious time alongside my teaching job. Now I have got over this and can happily make a garment as a sample because I am being paid to do so. I have to give some items a new home but my mum and my friends are happy with that! On the plus side, it does give me the opportunity to toile a pattern using a delivered fabric and then make it later for myself in a self-chosen fabric.

The Charlotte dress by Atelier Jupe patterns was the perfect example. The fabric above was so soft, drapey and such good quality but boy, who put those colours together?! Anyway, it might be right up someone's street but not mine. I absolutely loved the dress pattern though so I made it again in a piece of seasalt fabric I had been saving for just the right thing...and this tie waist dress was it. I made it a little shorter on the second run and got myself the perfect dress.

I still hold on to my own deep rooted sewing ethos which is to sew for my family by recycling as much as I can. Here is a shirt made for Andy from a tablecloth ready for summer. Well, why not? The cotton was beautiful quality.

I also like to support local sewing shops. If we bought all our fabrics online some shops would be gone altogether...a balance is good I think.

This embroidered cotton was in the sale at Abakhan from £21.95 a metre to £6.59 a metre so I just had to have 1 metre. It's green. It's cotton. It's botanical. I love it. One metre was perfect for the Datura blouse by Doe and Deer. Such a wonderful pattern with beautiful techniques which enclose all the seams and gives a brilliant bust fit for a vest top.

And finally, a trait you will know me for if you have followed this blog for a while - the using up of all the scraps in the most creative of ways.

This is the Scout Tee by Grainline Studio. It is a mix of embroidered fabric scraps I just didn't want to throw in the recycle bin. The Scout Tee is probably one of my most expensive pattern purchases, but definitely my most used. I could wear variations of these tops everyday.

I have also been working on a wedding guest outfit for my teen but it has been quite the negotiation. Can you imagine? More on that one later when I next round up my sewing adventures.

Off to check out your blogs with a cuppa now. Jo xxxxx 

Sewing for Us

I have been sewing up a few items for Autumn. I love wearing cord in Autumn and Winter. Dianne from Sew, Create and Recycle sent me some patterns for a fabric exchange and one particularly caught my eye when I opened the parcel but I put it away ready for Autumn. Now, here it is: the Anneka Tunic by Simple Sew.

I lined it because I think cord is more comfortable when it is not fighting against your leggings or tights as winter wear. It has deep patch pockets and room round the waist for stew and dumplings with apple crumble for pudding! I love wearing this new pinafore; it has a swedish kind of vibe.

I also made a pair of winter cords because, lets be honest here, I can't get in many of my winter trousers from last year! I have had it with this burda pattern now. I used it to learn to make jeans about seven years ago and have made three pairs from it in total but the zip fly instructions are rubbish and I always have to adjust the back yoke so it is time for a new one next time I need jeans style trews.

Another pattern from a magazine cover was The Fiona Set by Sewgirl from Simply Sewing magazine. Maybe Dianne sent me this one too, I am not sure. I cut a size 8 in this so that my big girl would have something to wear if we have a meal out. She has been having something of a clothes dilemma of late because she is so leggy and slim however, adult clothes are too big in the waist,bust and shoulders and the oldest children's clothes are too short in the arms and legs and covered in unicorns!

She has had her hair cut in an older style which has literally been a weight off her shoulders. She likes her dress, it is still a touch big at size 8 so maybe she can save this one in her wardrobe for next year. I thought she might be tired of me making her things by now but she has seen the potential in me making things that she can choose an age appropriate fabric design for.

I sew for Minerva making videos and sampling fabrics, so I probably sew every other day which at first I found hard to deal with from a green point of view. I was making so much stuff that I didn't even need which made me uneasy but now I have found my rhythmn and my family or friends are delighted with the 'by-products'. This teddy bear gillet and hat went to my friend's daughter - hasn't she got just the cutest smile ever? 

Another set went to my dancing friend who is soon to become a grandma to a baby boy. 

Finally, I made a top for myself. I like the puff sleeve craze at the moment but I don't suit the extra width at the shoulders with my short body therefore I plumped for the Assembly line Cuff top paired with challis fabric with plenty of drape. Puff sleeves without feeling silly! Dress, trousers and top: autumn sewing complete.

I like sewing for us.

Jo xxxxx

Some successful sewing

 Making clothes has been pretty prolific since starting to freelance sew for Minerva. I make media content for their site, mainly sewing tutorials, which are not live yet. This means that I am making about an item of clothing a week. The garments are useful for our whole family and many have been gifted to friends too.

Here is a round up of this month's successful sewing.

A vintage pattern make with a touch of 'Call the midwife' about it, but in a good way. I loved making the matching belt which suits me more than a strap with a bow. The fabric is by Dashwood studios and is a perfect cotton for shift dresses.

On a more casual and free vein, I toiled up a pair of Heyday dungarees from a piece of linen mix fabric which my friend bought for her daughter in lockdown but never got round to using. Her husband was going to throw it outcan you believe but she said I could use it - too right. Andy asked me if I wanted him to put on Dexy's Midnight Runners on the ipod! Cheeky.

Sewing has not been exclusively for me. This beauty was made for my big girl for a wedding we are attending on 17th July. She is stuck in the no-mans-land of not quite being in adult clothes but too old for children's clothes. I remember it well. 

This fabric pressed like a dream so it was used to make a tutorial on box pleats. The fabric is cotton sateen which has a kind of lustre finish and is often brightly printed. The princess seams of McCalls 7714 meant that I could take in the bust but still keep the overall shape with the waistband.

The smaller one wants trousers to wear to the same event but she is very specific. She wants floppy trousers and a top which tucks in to make it look like a jumpsuit. She wants to be able to go to the toilet - so wise for one so young. I have made allowances for the trousers to be unpicked at the ankle hems and let down so we should get two summers out of these disco trews. I haven't finished the ensemble yet.

I am currently on a quest to use more solid colour fabrics because my clothes are getting a bit 'busy'. Who wouldn't need a white top for summer to go with everyyyything? The pattern is free called the 'Hello sailor top' I had to make quite a few modifications on my first one because it was too tight across the shoulder blades but this one from my modified pattern was spot on.

Talking of plain colours, I have cut out a pair of cords for Autumn by the skin of my teeth. This is what I had left over.

Last but not least, I made a second pair of PJ's for the big girl to practise making rouleau loops and pin tucks ready for an up and coming tutorial.

The sewing continues... Have you been watching the Sewing Bee on TV? I watched the final with a gin and elderflower fizzy thing. Wonderful!

Off to catch up on all of your blogging news now. Jo xxxxx