Heather: September Sewing Roundup

September might have been a quieter month on the making front but it's been a great top-up for the stash!

Remember summer? That distant glimmer of sunshine we had over the Bank Holiday weekend? Well this tried and trusted McCalls 6503 was the very last of my summer makes, using this stunning printed cotton from the fabric swap at #SewUpNorth. With the darker colours in there I'm hoping it will also get some wear into Autumn with tights and boots, and it's a perfect match for a remnant of orange crepe from Fabric Corner Lincoln that I whipped up into my second Sew Over It 'Coco' Jacket.

#M6503 and Sew Over It 'Coco Jacket'.

After the summer weekend had finished I found myself wanting some longer sleeved garments to stave-off the rapidly approaching winter. A month or so ago I hacked the Sew Over It Penny Dress and Juliette Blouse into the 'Julinny' top, and used the remnants of a dress I made for Mum to make myself a top. I think this style will become an absolute wardrobe staple!

Sew Over It Juliette and Penny hack "Julinny'

You'll probably have seen a lot of coverage online of the Great British Sewing Bee Live event at ExCel London at the end of September. I think my esteemed blogging friends have done justice to reviewing the event, so I won't go into great depth but I will simply say that I had a fantastic day out, and will definitely be back next year! Here are a few snaps from the day (yes, we did take an empty suitcase to fill with fabric...)

I will, however, introduce you to my haul of gorgeous fabrics, carefully selected this time in contrast with my usual cheap'n'cheerful approach. I was hoping to get a few pieces for my winter wardrobe and the show did not disappoint! You'll have to check my future posts to see what I managed to make!

Sewing Bee Live Fabric Haul

And finally, on our recent holiday to America I was lucky enough to visit the absolute fabric mecca that is Mood Fabrics in New York City! I have never seen so much fabric in one place in my life, and it was honestly a bit overwhelming! 

#thankyoumood

Lucky for me that wonderful husband of mine spotted the absolute perfect Flamingo Print cotton lawn, that is actually one of Mood's own prints, and there couldn't have been a better choice in the store. The print repeat is over a metre, so I'm not sure what I'll do with it yet, but it certainly will be striking!

Mood Fabrics Flamingo Lawn

And last but never least, the October Dressmaking Blogger Challenge for the Dressmaking Blogging Group is... Costume!

Spooky sewing may not be your thing but we welcome costumes of all shapes and sizes for October.

As always it's a just-for-fun challenge.

Share your makes in the pinned album and tag across the web with#dressmakingbloggerchallenge

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Happy Sewing everyone!

Heather: August Sewing Roundup

August seems to be the month the sunshine forgot, so my sewing hasn't been the floral explosion you might have expected! Still lots of nice makes on this month's roundup, and glad I've finally been able to get out in this end of summer sunshine to take some pictures. I've been doing quite a lot of sewing for family this month, including a jacket, skirt and jumpsuit for my sister-in-law. Maybe she will let me share some pics in the future!

I decided to make some more Ginger Jeans this month. You may recall I made my first pair as my 'piece-de-resistance' at the end of my first year's challenge. I wear that pair all the time, so when Sew Essential announced the same denim was available in black, I jumped at the chance to make a second pair. Unfortunately, the path to good jeans did not run smoothly and I, rather over ambitiously, made the new pair a size smaller than the previous, to account for the amount the first pair stretched. Having had an exceptionally successful few hours at the sewing machine (who knew you could make jeans in under 4 hours?!), I was absolutely furious when I reached the first fitting stage, and they were so tight that the zipper broke (seriously, even the teeth fell out) when I tried them on. Lots of seams let out, a new, and repositioned, zip later and they are a pretty good fit, even if they did cause me some serious stress at the time. 

Doing my best teapot impression in my new Closet Case Files Ginger Jeans

I added some metallic top stitching to the pockets and some detail areas, and was very impressed with how well the Gutermann thread showed up on the dark background. (Still furious about the zip though!)

I stumbled across the Nina Lee London Kew Dress entirely by accident, and I had purchased this lovely parasol print cotton lawn with the intention of making a(nother) Sew Over It Vintage Shirt dress. But I immediately fell in love with the sleeves, and the slight high-low hem ,and the buttons and... well, you get the idea. So I laid the pattern out at about 4pm one afternoon, went to bed at 11pm and stitched the last of the buttons on before work at 6.30am. Mad? Maybe. But totally worth it for such a nicely fitting dress, and lovely to use up a good chunk of my inherited button stash in one go.

Nina Lee Kew Dress in floral cotton lawn

I liked the Kew Dress so much that I also decided it was the solution to my disastrous Seamwork Veronica Dress. I think you'll agree it's much improved?!

Here's my version of the Colette patterns Sencha Blouse, made for a work "away-day" as a smarter top to wear with jeans. The finished garment is actually much altered from the picture I have shared because, on completion, I realised that the bust-to-shoulder length was far too long and actually ended up strangling me a bit. Plus the difference between my bust and waist measurement is only a few inches, so I had to grade and move the majority of the darts to make it work. I actually ended up taking the back darts out completely.  I'm pleased with the finished top but it's very unlikely that I'll make another one. 

Colette patterns Sencha Blouse in printed linen from Weaverdee.

I'm totally head over heels for my next make; the Parrot dress, otherwise known as Butterick 6318. The pattern was free with Love Sewing last month, and I nearly didn't keep it. Undeniably the pattern is lovely, but I've had a few 'misses' from that kimono sleeve (see Veronica Dress above) and I didn't have a piece fabric 'in stock' for the 3m requirement. I spotted this parrot print cotton entirely by chance on the Fabric Guild Facebook page and chanced buying 3 yards (yes, yards, be careful when you place your order...!). 

I made quite a few adjustments to the pattern, shortening the bust to shoulder length on the front and back by an inch, shortening the skirt by 3.5", and cutting the skirt as a single piece, on the fold.

 Changing the skirt cutting layout was the biggest fabric saver, and despite the fabric only being 45" wide, I do have a small panel left at full width. The fit is excellent and I've worn it a few times already!

I've seen a few other blog posts about the lovely new Sew Over It Coco Jacket. It knew it was just exactly what I wanted when it was released with the PDF club this month, and I found the most beautiful wool remnant, just a metre, at lovely Fabric Corner which was made for this. I knew immediately that I wanted to take this with me on our upcoming holiday but also that I would want to be cosy enough to go without a coat. I decided to add a zip to my jacket, also cutting the centre front lining piece in the outer fabric to act as a facing. I'm already cutting out my second version of this in a gorgeous orange crepe which I'm looking forward to sharing with you!

Finally, I had a go at making the Jennifer Lauren Laneway Dress. You may recall I made a lovely dress in a pineapple print cotton earlier in the year, which was really lovely but didn't fit well at all; in fact I've only worn it twice in nearly six months as a result. 

I attended a funeral last week with a "no black" theme and decided that a remake of the pineapple dress would be a good option. The make itself was straightforward enough. I took a lot of measurements and decided not to alter the bust length, though in hindsight I definitely could have taken an inch out at the shoulder. The back length was spot on and no bulging zip, which is my bugbear. It was ideal for the funeral as it had nice big pockets for my tissues, and I will definitely think fondly of the person every time I wear it!

It actually looks much nicer on me than on the mannequin!! 

That's all for this month! Next month's roundup will feature a fabulous holiday wardrobe. Hope you're looking forward to it!

Last thing to do is to introduce the September Dressmaking Blogger Challenge. Of course, the only possible theme for September is... Back to School. 

As usual it's a just-for-fun challenge and you can share your makes on the Dressmaking Blogging Network Facebook group, or by using the hashtag #dressmakingbloggerchallenge. 

If you're coming along to the September Sew it Yourself Meetup (9th September), the challenge this month is "Zero Waste" so have a go at making a project that uses every  last inch of the fabric!

Happy Sewing!

Heather: July Makes

July was another lovely month at the machine with a few makes for friends and family as well as a few pattern challenges of my own. 

First up, a few months ago I bought some lovely geometric floral print cotton from the Craft Outlet at Springfields Shopping Village in Spalding. It was always intended to be a Sew Over It Vintage Shirt Dress, but I hadn't got around to making it yet. I managed at last to make it along to the Lincoln Sew it Yourself meetup (only the second time this year!) and the challenge was buttonholes, so I decided to get on with it. I've made this a couple of times before and I didn't make any changes this time around meaning I was able to run in up in about 2.5 hours. At some point I want to figure out how to take some of the fullness out above the bust, but as I now have three of these dresses it's not exactly at the top of the sewing list! 

Modelling my dress in the gardens at Springfields. The staff at the store were delighted to see the finished dress!

My next make is my new Sew Over It favourite, the Juliette Blouse. I made this the day it was released through PDF Club in a gorgeous leaf print silk crepe from Fabric Corner, which frankly was like sewing with water, but totally worth it for the end result. 

By the time the pattern was released to the public I had also hacked a sleeveless version in white linen! 

And used the rest of the white linen for a simple plain white blouse, from a self drafted pattern, that I've been meaning to make for about 3 years. 

In fact I liked it so much I used the back sections in a hack with the bodice of the Penny dress to make this lovely longline shaped blouse which is a dream to wear for work. Plus it has hidden flamingos, which gives it extra added blouse points. 

I also made the first of my garments from the patterns I picked up at Sew Up North last month. The lovely New Look 6224 is absolutely perfect for this autumnal viscose from Fabric Corner. 

I took a bit of extra time adjusting the fit as the pattern was a 10-20; a bit big across the bust for me. I decided to shorten the bodice above the bust by an inch, front and back, as well as narrowing the back at the shoulder by an inch, tapering in to the waist. I graded the bodice down a size between the bust line and shoulder to get a closer fit. And finally I added some pockets, because frankly O don't know why patterns are ever released without them! (I did run into a challenge with the side zip, but got away with it with a shortened zip.) 

The alterations were totally worth it because it's probably one of the best fitting dresses I've ever made! I've worn it three times in a week and already planning another one. 

Remarkably, all of my other makes this month have been for other people! My sister-in-law picked the most fabulous floral printed denim for a Cleo, and I also made her a bright pink Etta dress, but you'll have to wait for a good picture of that one! 

A visiting friend expressed an interest in making some cushions for her garden, which heralded an impromptu sewing lesson that I was more than happy to give. We had fun with the pattern placement! 

And finally, my first foray into Childrenswear. My very good friend recently had twins and told me she wanted some more dresses for them to wear over the summer. No further excuses needed, I found a newborn pattern in an old Burda magazine and some adorable Benjamin Bunny fabric from the new Beatrix Potter range that is widely available at the moment. I bought a metre of complementary coral fabric and managed to make them 4 little summer dresses. 

They weren't especially difficult to make but I wanted them to last and be comfy, so I french-seamed them throughout and secured the facings with machine tacks. The bias binding on the armholes was pretty fiddly and I think I'd just line them if I make this style again. 

There are 7 buttons down the back of each of them and I have subsequently invested in a good thimble and a button sewing foot! 

Don't they look adorable?! I've definitely got the children's sewing bug so look out, all those friends with small people!

And finally, your Dressmaking Blogger Challenge for August is... "Wedding Season". Whether you're the mother of the bride or a member of the wedding band, we want to see your celebration makes.

As usual it's a just-for-fun challenge and you can share your makes on our Facebook group or online using #dressmakingbloggerchallenge. 

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With special thanks to Fabric Corner Lincoln for fabrics supplied for this month's makes. 

Heather: May Sewing Roundup

Roll up, roll up! It's another sewing extravaganza! Somehow, despite an exceptionally busy month month both at work and play, I've managed to make a whopping 14, yes FOURTEEN, new garments. Grab your candyfloss, folks... we're ready to start the show...

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We start the month with the Sew Over It Vintage Shirt Dress. If I'm being entirely truthful I actually made the majority of it in April but it wasn't quite ready in time for last month's blog. I chose the Liberty Cotton Lawn from (ever fruitful) Fabric Corner in Lincoln and knew exactly what I was going to make with it. I've made this dress once before, with limited success after making some dubious alterations to the pattern. This time round I decided to make the dress as a straight size 8 without any alterations, and I'm really pleased with it.  

After a couple of wears, I would definitely shorten the front bodice across the collarbone as it's a bit gapey; and I have subsequently added two extra buttons at the bottom of the skirt after a slightly unfortunate gust-of-wind-and-first-day-in-nude-tights incident last week. 

I'm going to make another one of these for the #sewtogetherforsummer challenge, though I need to get my skates on!

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I picked up this next fabric, a lovely stripe and floral cotton, from Fabric Corner last summer, fully intending to make it into a pretty summer dress. Then, I wanted to make it into a night shirt. Then a few weeks ago I found some fantastic orange sweat-shirting (once again at Fabric Corner) and the decision was made... summer PJs! Over the course of two evenings, armed with a well fitting pair of Jack Wills PJ bottoms and my trouser block, the Tilly and the Buttons Fifi Pyjamas cami top, and a Burda raglan sleeve jumper pattern, I made these gorgeous summer PJs. I love wearing these and the fit is absolutely perfect for lounging!

The next make of the month was a really unusual choice for me; Vogue 1395, a slouchy wrap dress. I spotted the pattern on a reselling group on facebook for the bargain price of £2 and I was sufficiently intrigued to give it a go. I had picked up some fab printed polyester for my Birthday back in March and it seemed ideal for this make. 

As is so often the case with Vogue patterns, this was definitely not what I would call easy! There is a sweet back gather detail, not pictured, which requires significant dexterity (not to be attempted after a couple of wines, it turns out) and an awful lot of precision top stitching. The pattern also has a full lining, I can only assume because it's intended for more sheer fabrics. I wanted this dress to be cool for those warmer days we had in the middle of the month so I omitted the lining pieces and instead cut a very creative facing piece out of the absolute scraps of fabric I had left over. I was really proud of myself for getting this whole garment (include made up facings) out of 1.5m, seeing as the pattern requires 2.5m!

I'm happy with the finished dress though I'll be honest and say I'm not sure how much I'll wear it. Next time I would shorten the back by at least an inch and probably lengthen the skirt by an inch too. 

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Next up is a bit of a failed project. The lovely Simona from Sewing Adventures in the Attick sent me this lovely abstract poly from her destash, and upon first glance I knew wanted to make it up into McCalls 7094, the free blouse pattern from last month's Love Sewing magazine.

As nice a pattern as this is (and once again kudos to Love Sewing for the multi-sized patterns) I just don't think I'm a baggy blouse kinda gal. The neckline detail was really complicated and definitely not a beginner make. And although I'm really pleased with that part of the blouse, and the fit across the shoulders in size XS is exceptional... everywhere else it's just vast. Huge. Enormous. You get the idea. In a drapier fabric I think it could have worked really well but, sadly, after just one wear this has been relegated to the remake pile.

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Throughout the month I've been taking part in MeMadeMay (#MMMAY17) and whilst I haven't kept up with the pics on Instagram, I have successfully worn at least one hand made item every day throughout May. The idea behind the challenge is to help identify some of the gaps in your wardrobe, but I found it had the exact opposite effect. Having worked in retail for nearly 7 years my wardrobe is absolutely full to bursting with gorgeous, hardly worn high street clothes... which I don't wear! I really love wearing my handmade wardrobe and will turn to one of my own items over a ready-to-wear garment any day. So I had a clear out! A proper, bin-bags-and-stuff-on-ebay clear out. And it feels great! I now have just a handful of RTW garments in my wardrobe and I'm looking forward to filling that space with more handmade items. 

One gap I did identify, however, was in my work wardrobe. Last summer I made quite a few lovely floral dresses, but I didn't feel I had many items that were smart enough for work. Resorting to my favourite Butterick 6166 I made this birdy print jersey dress in about 90 minutes on the overlocker...

... and then did some remnant busting by making these two simple t-shirts from a Burda pleated roll neck pattern which is another tried and tested favourite. 

I also made this elephant print blouse for my work wardrobe, mashing up the Simple Sew Pussy Bow Blouse with a front button channel and some self-drafted sleeves. A very quick win!

(We're more than half way folks, I promise!)

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You'll remember previous blogs that I've made a few items for my sister-in-law, who is always appreciative of a wardrobe top-up! She spotted the Sew Over It Ella Blouse pattern when it was released last month and I made it up for her in this floral viscose as a surprise gift for her holidays. 

Apparently it's a great fit and she really likes it- every sewists favourite sentence. 

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I've been coveting the Butterick range of vintage style dresses by Gretchen Hirsch for several months now and finally bought the pattern in a half price sale last month. It was with dismay that I realised the pattern required 4 metres of fabric and, despite having a pretty healthy stash, I didn't have enough of anything that I could use to make this! Luckily there's a fabric shop just around the corner...

This Palm Tree print viscose was the perfect pick for this dress, and the pattern itself is quite an easy make. Unfortunately everything that could go wrong with this make, did. Having secured my 4 metres of oh-so-perfect fabric, I discovered that there was a very slight, but unavoidable, hole right in the middle of the design. Each skirt panel takes about a metre and a half of fabric, and with the amount of gathering you really wouldn't know it was there, but there was no working round it sadly. Next, I snipped through my stitching when clipping the neckline and the whole thing unravelled quicker than a ball of wool at the paws of a kitten. And then, just as I had finished and pressed the dress, and snipped off the last few stitches ready to get dressed for a night out... the zipper broke. Straight down the middle and no saving it. (As I had made the dress fit really rather well, I can assure you it was a pretty stressful experience getting out of it with no one else in the house too!) Furious, and without time to resolve the issue, I resorted to one of last year's sundresses and popped a new zip in the next morning as well as a hook and eye at the waist to support the weight of the skirts. Lesson learned.

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In the same stack of viscose temptation as the previous make, I also picked up this lightweight black viscose with an abstract check pattern which I made up into another tried-and-tested pattern, Butterick 6016. Perfect for a warm but grey day in the office!

And last but not least, hot off the machine this evening is this totally adorable Sew Over It Tulip Skirt in some red floral border print.

 And I think it's probably the nicest and best fitting skirt I've ever made, not to mention a super quick sew at just an hour after all the pieces were cut out.

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Finally, next month's Dressmaking Blogger Challenge will be... "Garden Party"!

As always it's a just-for-fun challenge and you can share your makes using #dressmakingbloggerchallenge on Instagram or by joining the Dressmaking Bogging Network on Facebook. 

Thanks for reading. Happy Sewing everyone!!!