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: March Makes

Once again I've surprised myself with just how much sewing I managed to squeeze in this month! We even managed a little holiday, and a trip to the NEC Sewing for Pleasure show, so the stash has had a pretty healthy top up, and I'll share my fabric haul with you later on.

 

If you can cast your mind back as far as the first of March (it feels like a really long month!) you'll remember we had a bit of a cold snap, which meant that this fantastic fleece backed sweatshirting, from Fabric Corner at Lincoln's Craftea Sewing Bee shop, quickly became my third Sew Over It Heather Dress. This is pretty much the cosiest thing I've ever owned, and whilst I had a wide-eyed moment at the £16.50/m price tag, I'd say this little jumper has been worth every penny. 

My next make for the month was a little treat for my Birthday. Mr A had promised a surprise of some sort for which I would need to "dress up", so I set about making good use of some aztec print sparkle jersey which I purchased with my gift-voucher winnings from Adam Ross Fabrics back in December. I had seen the cold shoulder look on the high street and though I'm not normally a slave to fashion, I quite fancied recreating the look in my own style. Rather than cutting away at the shoulder and making a very one season dress, I decided to use a pattern with a raglan sleeve seam, which I could then split open to create the look (and close up again when it goes out of fashion in six months time). McCalls 6460 totally does the job for this, but I wanted a bit more detail across the front to stop it looking like an oversized sparkly t-shirt. I have made Butterick 6166 several times and really like the swag detail across the front, so I pinched this pattern piece and added it to my design! 

I really love this dress, although I was a bit over cautious with the sizing after the last time I made it (poor tiny dress relegated to the remake pile) and I could afford to lose at least 2 sizes across the back on this version. But it was really fun to wear on a rare night out and totally appropriate for the Birthday surprise... a performance from Cirque du Soleil!

After a fab Birthday weekend we took a little City Break over to Copenhagen and I came across The Last Stitch's blog about her favourite stores in the city. Lo and behold, one of the shops was only a few minutes walk from where we were staying and we happened to walk past it (total coincidence...) on our way to a few touristy sites. Skipper and Stoffer is one of the oldest fabric shops in Copenhagen, having operated from the premises for more than 300 years. The shop keeper was delighted to show us his treasure trove of ex-designer fabrics, mostly Italian imports labelled with such brands as "Bottega Veneta" and "Paul Smith". The prices were (significantly) higher than I would normally pay, but I totally fell in love with a piece of surface printed slub silk that somehow followed me out of the shop...

It's destined for something really stunning, but I'm not sure what yet!

On returning from my travels it was straight back to NEC Birmingham for the annual Sewing for Pleasure show. This is one of my favourite shows because a lot of the craft and hobby activity (cross stitch etc) is separated out into the Hobbycraft section, unlike at the Knitting & Stitching shows, so there's more room for gorgeous fabric. It's also great to see some of the designer work on display, although admittedly we didn't stop for long as we were on a bit of a fabric shopping mission. The stash got a good top up from favourite stalls The Shuttle, Montreux Fabrics, Rosenberg and Lilli fabrics.

 

I managed to squeeze in one last wintery make before the Spring really sprung in this gorgeous tweed from Fabric Corner. This is a Colette Patterns Selene Skirt. It has fabulous green satin lining!

I spent a bit of time this month destashing a few fabrics. There were a fair few pieces in my stash that I just didn't know what to do with, or that i had bought for an occasion that has passed and have no idea when I'll next get the opportunity to use it. I'll be honest, there were a couple of bits that made me wonder why I had bought them in the first place! In the enthusiasm of destashing I also picked out a couple of pieces from my handmade wardrobe that I haven't worn for a while, or had fit issues, and did some remaking. You can read my blog about transforming my blue dress here. 

My final make for the month was so much fun. A very dear friend gave me a gift voucher for my Birthday, which I put to good use on a trio of fabrics from, you guessed it, Fabric Corner!

I spent a sunny Saturday afternoon making up this fabulous pineapple-print dress from New Look 6070, a Project Runway pattern (thank you Netflix for the recent upload!) which is also my Spring make for the Dressmaking Blogger Challenge. 

The April challenge over on the Dressmaking Blogging Network is "April Showers".

It's definitely the weather for a spring jacket here in the UK, so we want to see your coats, jackets, waterproofs or anything that helps to bust the spring weather! 

As usual it's a just for fun challenge. Share your pics using #dressmakingbloggerchallenge

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Until next time, happy sewing!

Heather: January Sewing Roundup

January has been a busy month busting the winter blues at the sewing machine! The recent cold snap has motivated me to fill some gaps in my wardrobe, and I've also been trying to be a bit more adventurous with the patterns I choose, rather than just sticking with the same classic styles. 

 

Here are some of my favourite makes this month:

Winter Woollies

Made from some gorgeous sparkly crochet knit gifted by Mum at Christmas, I made this up into a matching hat, scarf and jumper, and even made a nude coloured jersey cami to go underneath. The pattern is a Burda jumper which is almost identical to the popular Linden sweatshirt that everyone seemed to be making over Christmas! 

 

 

Cosy Nightshirt

Over on the Dressmaking Blogger Network we've set a little "just for fun" challenge for January which was to make something cosy. 

 

I decided to make a cosy night shirt and you can read the full blog post here.

 

Cleo

The first of my "not my normal style" makes this month was my Tilly and the Buttons Cleo pinafore, which came about as a result of trying to find something to make with a piece of old corduroy. 

 

The keen eyed amongst you will see that this is not a corduroy dress, and you can read the full Cleo story here.

Nancy Dress

Nancy is the latest offering from Sew Over It and one that I really wouldn't have picked any other day of the week. Perhaps it was just the novelty of making something so totally different that appealed to me! 

 

Read all about Nancy here.

Sewing Scuba

My final make to share with you this month is a fab floral spring dress made from stretchy scuba from SewEssential. This was a bit of a tricky make and you can read all about how I tackled the challenge here.

 

Next month's challenge

Now is as good a time as any to let you know about the February Dressmaking Blogger Challenge which is...

"Sewn with Love"

 

We want to see your gifts for others, or something for yourself that's a real treat. 

Share your makes online using #dressmakingbloggerchallenge 

Happy Sewing everyone! See you next month. If you're getting withdrawal symptoms you can find me online at 

Dresstoration Blog

Instagram

Dressmaking Blogger Network

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Links

Fabric Corner and Craftea Sewing Bee Shop

Tilly and the Buttons Cleo Dress

Sew Over It Nancy Dress

Sew Essential

Heather: Speedy makes and December sew far

Once again it's been a month since I shared my makes with you (really, where has 2016 gone?), but it's been a really productive month at the sewing machine, so I thought I'd give you a bumper roundup of some of my recent makes. Each of these projects were "speedy sews", made in a single evening, or in some cases, just a few hours! Hopefully you'll feel inspired. 

 

Velvet Burnout Party Dress

 

First up is Threadcount 1613 made up in a sparkle velvet burnout fabric, made up in around 4 hours. I made quite a few adjustments to this pattern, particularly on the back panels and shoulders, both of which were shortened and tweaked by about an inch to get a more precise fit in the bodice. The fabric itself is quite firm- it has stretch but behaves more like a stretch denim than a jersey- but this allowed for a really close fit without compromising my ability to breathe! 

I'm not normally a fan of a peplum, always believing them to make my bum look big, but I pinned this one together and was pleasantly surprised with the fit and styling, so it made the final cut!

 

Floral Heather Dress

 

Next up, a version of the Heather Dress by Sew Over It (I had to!). Again, a one-evening make as I had already made a version in red sweater knit for practice and I was able to make the entire garment on the overlocker. The fabric is a heavy weight jersey with a low % stretch. The slightly lower than required stretch meant that I needed to allow a little more room over the bust and across the arms than the previous version. I also made two simple alterations to this pattern, adding a cuff to the sleeves (cut sleeves shorter, sew a rectangle of fabric, short edges together, fold lengthways, attach to sleeve!) and a slightly deeper neck band for a roll neck effect. This dress is so comfortable that I want one in every colour!

 

 

 

Stripy Jumper Dress

 

My next speedy make was a self drafted jumper dress made after work on a Friday evening (started at 4.30) and worn out to dinner the very same night (at 6.30!). The pattern started life as a simple shift dress from Burda, to which I added a grown on sleeve, to make, essentially, a giant t-shirt! I've made this pattern up before in black and white ponte and it's a real wardrobe staple for warmer days in the office, so when I saw the pink and navy stripe I knew exactly what I wanted to make. On this version I lengthened the sleeve to the elbow and then added a panel for the lower sleeve. I also added a wide neckband for an extra level of coziness! 

  

Dashwood Annabelle 

 

And last, but by no means least, we have Annabelle, the absolutely gorgeous new floral dress I whipped up last weekend to wear out for lunch with my Nanna. The pattern was free with December's Love Sewing Magazine and the design was quite straightforward. The new Paper Meadow range by Dashwood has some beautiful coordinating fabrics and I knew straight away I wanted to use these together. I also picked up some orange cotton lawn to use as the lining and set to work! As usual I shortened the back length by about an inch at the lower back, and also at the shoulder by 1/4". I did also adjust the front bodice length slightly at the neckline, deepening the curve by about 1/2". I started sewing after Saturday night's Strictly and was at the restaurant by Midday on Sunday! 

 

 

 

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All of the fabrics used were sourced from Fabric Corner at the Craftea Sewing Bee Shop, 22-24 Melville St, Lincoln. Call in for your next speedy sewing project!

Heather: African Adventures

The last few weeks since our holiday have absolutely flown by and I have been holed up in the sewing room with a couple of really special secret sewing projects (try saying that three times quickly!), which I hope to share with you at some point in the future. In between circles of chiffon and layers of lace I managed to squeeze in a quick selfish sew in this stunning African Wax Print from Fabric Corner.

Unsurprisingly, I picked this fabric with absolutely no idea what I would make with it, (stash? What stash?) but without doubt that it was too good to leave behind. If you've handled african wax print before you'll know that the fabric itself is quite stiff- the texture is like a good quality wrapping paper. It has movement but doesn't drape, and it didn't really soften in the wash. After sitting in my stash for several weeks an event came up which I knew the fabric would be perfect for and I set about finding an appropriate pattern. A quick research on Pinterest for pattern inspiration found a whole host of elaborate wax print dresses with full skirts, fitted bodices and, often, exceptional pattern matching. No pressure then. 

Looking at the images shared by others I realised I needed to make a full skirt with pleats rather than gathers, and a simple bodice that would show off the pattern without too many seams. A search through my pattern stash came up short, and just as I was about to fetch my trusty pattern block to begin drafting I picked up a copy of Love Sewing magazine with the free Grace Dress pattern on the front. Fitted bodice and full pleated skirt? Perfect!

Now, I've had a fair bit of experience with pattern matching to date but this print was really a level above. I wanted to make the most of the varied print sections on the fabric and use the heavy border mostly in the skirt. After tracing out the entire pattern as 'full size' pieces (i.e. not on the fold), moving them about on the fabric for about an hour and wishing I had a longer ruler to line up the stripes with, I decided to abandon the skirt pattern pieces in favour of drafting the skirt from scratch. I started by working out the finished garment length, and then marking a chalk line along the full 2m length fabric. I then chose the detail I wanted for the centre point of the skirt, marking this again with chalk, eventually dividing the full two metres into one large and two slightly smaller rectangles. I shaped the waist slightly and then stitched the blocks back together to make the basic skirt. I was pretty pleased with the pattern match in the side seams!

Can you spot the seam?

I made up a quick toile of the bodice to check the fit. Simple Sew patterns are known for being quite roomy but this looked quite small and I was right to be wary- I made a few adjustments and increased the waist size by reducing the back darts, and swinging some excess from the armscye into the waist to get a really good fit. I did include the short capped sleeves on my toile but the shape totally didn't fit me (maybe I have fat shoulders?!) so I drafted a split sleeve instead once again inspired by pinterest.

They look like giant moustaches! 

I spent a considerable amount of time choosing how to place the pattern on the bodice, and used a reverse pattern piece (also known as a piece of paper with a bodice shaped hole in it) to work out where the pattern would sit, eventually deciding on two strong lines either side of the centre at the waist. I pleated the skirt panel to match the pattern from the bodice- much easier than trying line up pleats from the pattern piece.

Pattern matching the skirt and bodice.

I made the waistband out of a single strip of fabric, so it was important for the bodice fit to be perfect before I attached it- no going back once the waistband was cut!

Pattern match through the waistband. 

I took my time to make sure the pattern matching was exactly right!

Pattern match through the zip.

Sleeve detail.

So after a number of weeks of waiting to show this beauty off the special event finally arrived and here is my dress! I can't pretend I'm not super proud of this one! The pattern itself was so simple but the addition of such a bold pattern really set me a challenge. And I loved every second of it.

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The fabric used in this post was kindly provided by Fabric Corner Lincoln, based at The Craftea Sewing Bee Shop, 22-24 Melville Street Lincoln, and at Lincoln's Historic Central Market.