Of Decovil and Dinosaurs...

The working title that Jane Austin didn't use. 

I'm at it again with the product testing over on Minerva Crafts.  Click here to hop on over for a read if you fancy knowing more about Decovil and how it can turn fabric into 'leather' as well as a little tutorial on how to make your own purse!

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Last of the Summer Sewing - Part IV

Today I wanted to round off the summer months with what has become somewhat of a personal blog tradition with 'Last of the Summer Sewing'.

Me-made in Barcelona (the dress, not actual me. I think.)

This time it comes in the form of a self-drafted shirt dress, which, I'll be frank, went seriously awry.  None the less I just wanted to share it and give the fabric a royal shout out because it is like wearing MELTED BUTTER.

Blue yarn-dyed stripe viscose come to mama and stick on my body. Actually more to the point it did NOT stick on my body and that's why it makes the ultimate comfort wear for 30 degree Spanish heat. This gorgeously soft piece of deliciousness was from Fabric Magpie - a shop who is rapidly becoming one of my favourites and who has recently taken most of my salary.

I used the very same template I used for my polka-dot maxi but for some reason this turned out huge. Granted it's a loose fit and needs a belt but the bust darts were way off! I have no idea what I've done wrong but for a casual, cooling and wearable dress it's still a keeper.
 
 And let's just skip past the Harry Hill style collar and say no more about that shall we.

As you can see I only had 2m of fabric to work with so some stripe placement playing occurred and I really liked to effect. Does it have pockets? Is the Pope Catholic?

I very nearly omitted pockets (::gasp in horror and hides face::) due to having really used every last inch of the yarn-dyed viscose however I found some scraps and voila, the pockets were born. Mish-mash patterns but again, I don't mind and it seems to have charm!

The dress above was made for a late trip to Barcelona where we experienced  La Mercè - a festival celebrating the end of Summer. Interestingly it was really nice to put a full stop on the end of summer as the next week did then feel like the beginning of autumn was like opening a new chapter.  

Now bring on that knitwear!  

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Frantically Finishing Fiona - Closet Case Patterns strikes again!

Nothing like a self-imposed sewing deadline is there? (Why do we do this people.....WHY?!)

I cut this out weeks ago and had a bit of a sewing lull for a while. Then decided a few days before our Norwich Sewcials Super Sew Day that it would be a great thing to wear on the day.

It is of course - the Fiona Dress from Closet Case Patterns (yes I hear you all yawning - the next one will be a different pattern maker I assure you!)

The thing that drew me right in with this is the back - check that sexy navy t-shirt out. In my mind I was going to wear it with nothing underneath - it was the heatwave when I cut it out. Then I totally bottled it because I felt a bit exposed and whacked a tee underneath for the milder weather on the day.

Fitting situation: this was a dream!! Usually skirts do not fit me and I have to mess with them for an age to get the waist/hip/sway back just right. I cut the pattern as per directions. Grading between 10/12/14 and the result was fabulous. No messing needed.

I did however make the mistake of using my normal bust measurement - forgetting that going backless means no bra - which meant the top looked a little sad and baggy with nothing to fill it out - hence the t-shirt was not just weather related but it also made the dress fit way better on top.

In all fairness I think it will get way more wear with a t-shirt anyway - for the handful of days its hot enough to wear this and nothing else, was not worth the epic alterations it would have needed to change the fit.

The straps I found super tricky. Even yoga could not prepare me properly to pin the back straps in alone. I also decided not to sew the top facing bands down until the very last minute as the straps also needed a little adjustment for length and angle to get them to sit flatly on my back and shoulders. It was like the rubix cube of construction.

These pictures were taken at stupid o'clock in the morning and the fabric isn't very clear - but its a lovely blue and white stripe chambray from Higgs and Higgs. Soft and easy to wear but it had just the right amount of structure to hold the shape of the dress.

Let me tell you though, if you're not into button holes this is not for the faint hearted. 15 of them keep this beauty from falling off your body. 15.

Fortunately I am lucky enough that my machine does some pretty nice button holes and it made short work of them. I did rotate the top buttonhole however as I did not want to play chicken with the final hole and have it chew up by bodice band. There are a lot of layers in there and no doubt it would have got stuck in them.

Once again the instructions and construction method of this pattern were flawless and gave beautiful results inside and out. Although it took a while to materialize, I'd definitely recommend giving this pattern a go. Just don't forget your bra.

It got finished just in the nick of time and I had some lovely comments on it from people at the Super Sew Day (thank you :blush:) Thank you again to all the sponsors involved in the day, attendees and suppliers of tea for making it a great success :)

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Amy Jumpsuit - Closet Case Patterns

"My jumpsuit brings all the torts to the yard....."  (That's how that song goes right?)

Well, Sammy and Clyde got extremely curious when I was taking pictures of today's creation and they came scooting on over to join in!

I didn't think I was a jumpsuit kind of person, especially RTW where there's actually no chance my top and bottom halves would be the same size. I also didn't think I'd be making any more warm weather gear this year either but here I am with Amy.

The Amy Jumpsuit by Closet Case Patterns seemed to come out of nowhere and initially I was not wholly sure due to it's romper style in the pictures. As more tester pics came out though, and the version with the belt materialized I became a bit obsessed with it, and to get that out of my system, made it.

This fabric is BEAUTIFUL black Tencel from Fabric Magpie.  Perfectly flowing but sturdy enough for an easy sew without it shifting around. Jet black soft natural fibers....yum. A perfect pairing for this pattern.

This was the Craig David of jumpsuits really - bought it from Heather on Monday, pdf printed on Tuesday, arrived and cut it on Wednesday, Thursday sewing it up and wore it on Friday.

Much thanks to Sarah of Print Your Pattern who got this out within minutes of ordering or so it seemed!

Size-wise the instructions said that there was no real need to grade between sizes due to how roomy this jumpsuit is. I spanned 10/12/14 so decided to grade between 10 and 12. It does fit but it's not as loose as others look and it is a tiny bit tight on top. I think next time I would go up a size to a 12/14. I do like however the slightly more fitted feel of this though as the back looks nice and smooth.

I love this jumpsuit but my only gripe is that the zip isn't long enough for me to get in and out of it comfortably. The side zip ends at the top of the pocket, which wasn't quite low enough to get it fully over my hips. (Have I done this wrong?!) I do have to do a rather spectacular wiggle to get in and out of this. It's a one cheek at a time situation. (I'll leave you with that wonderful image) Big booty issues. Not a huge problem but it does make me worry I'll break the zip if I'm out and about! Always travel with a safety pin?

It may also need a slight body lengthen for me however perhaps the larger size would have accommodated this and the zip entry issue, I'm not sure. I wonder also whether the zip could go up the back instead for extra length. I do not want to forgo the pockets as they are obviously a keeper-feature.

The pattern is of course beautifully executed as always, simple but beautiful. The bodice has a lining and the method of attaching this, by rolling the zip seams inwards, was a wonderful new technique to me. The top very much reminded me of the Ogden Cami however I do prefer this method of construction as there's less faffing about involved with the straps.

The shaping of the back is just beautiful and I would love to hack this into a dress version next year. The thick straps get a thumbs up aswell as you can still wear a bra. I reckon this would be good dressed up or down for daytime. What an all rounder!

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Norwich Sewcials - September Super Sew Day!

Myself and Pippa (aka The Fabric Wrangler) are so pleased to announce that we are hosting a Super Sew Day on 8th September!

We created a little sewing community in Norwich in August 2016 after realizing there were absolutely no dressmaking groups, social groups of that sort in our area. And mostly because we decided we needed more friends that loved stroking fabric and chatting all things pattern related. Norwich Sewcials was born.

We now have a wonderful group of regulars and often have people drop in when they can for our monthly evening coffee meet-ups. We have been hosting Sew Days since that time, pretty low key, where we hire a hall and spend all day whipping up projects fueled by tea.

To mark our two year sew-aversary we did however brave up and decide to run a Super Sew Day to treat our lovely sewcialists! We have loved seeing all these meet-ups pop up over the country but alas we have missed out by dates or distance - so we created one for us out here in the sticks!

Super Sew Day will consist of a morning coffee, and attendees will be getting some absolutely AMAZING goody bags - and I mean AMAZING. We'll be having free sewing all day, breaking for a nice lunch and a massive pattern and fabric swap. Let the rummaging begin. We have accumulated an incredible amount of stuff over the 2 years so anything left over will be donated to charity.

In the afternoon we'll be providing an afternoon tea with cakes and drinks, and announce the winners of our Super Sew Day Raffle!

We cannot get over how kind the sewing community and businesses have been in helping us put this day together. A massive thank you to those who have donated goodies for the bags and for raffle prizes. A little shout out goes to the following businesses for their donations:

Fabric Magpie; Simple Sew; Girl Charlee Fabrics, Helen's Closet; Love Sewing Magazine; Minerva Crafts; Sewisfaction; Naked Wines; Empress Mills; Janome UK; Sew Me Sunshine; TiaKnight; Print Your Pattern; Fehr Trade; Pink Coat Club; Sew Over It and Closet Case Patterns

I cannot tell you how much restraint I have been showing in not sharing the entire contents of these bags and raffle with you. Not to spoil the surprise too much, but here's a little glimpse, seeing as I have already released these pics into the wild this week (oops). 

Fingers crossed this all goes well and people want to come- for two fairly socially awkward people this was quite an achievement to put together in the first place.

If you fancy a trip to Norwich, tickets are available now! x

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Pony, Seasalt and Seagulls

This is a pretty mish-mash post today but thought the patterns and fabric were worth a share. And the seaside theme seemed appropriate for the weather :)

First up is a pattern new to me - which is the Chalk and Notch 'Pony Tank'. This totally appealed because me and things that go over leggings will always be friends. And a loose tank that covers the butt - yes! Also I recently been on a mission to find the perfect tank/vest top to make some basics.

Of course, I did not make it basic. I made it seagull.

Breton stripe with a twwwiiiiiisssssttt!!

If anyone was interested the amazing seagull and chips necklace is from Sugar & Vice and was part of a collection for the Maritime Museum.

The fabric is a really soft cotton jersey from Caboodle Textiles, a great source of novelty print and jersey. I've bought a few things from there now, including some Breton stripes with dinosaur! (Will I ever grow up?)

As for sizing, that was great. The shape is not fitted around the waist and hips so I went by the bust measurement and that worked just fine. The original is supposed to be a bit looser I think but that's why I love jersey, so size forgiving!

Having found a bit of leftover fabric in my stash whilst having a clear out, I made my sister a dog version! She's not a fan of tight fitting either so fingers crossed this will fit just right. You may notice a slight 'make it work' moment on the side where I had to add panels in the sides as the fabric was just a tad too small for the entire front piece.

Second up today is the ever so amazing Closet Case Patterns and the Ebony Tee Dress.  This stemmed from a trip to Southwold (the loveliest seaside town ever on the Suffolk coast) where we also took my sister on a recent visit. Beach huts, seagulls and chips there were a plenty (although oddly we could not find a doughnut anywhere) as well as Seasalt shop for browsing.  My sis loves this store and was in heaven and picked out a great stripey dress - however in true crafty family style we thought.....let's make that.

The idea of a simple stripey dress got slightly amplified.

Voila, the Southwold Seagull Ebony Tee was born. Now with added pockets.

I'm happy to report this has been tried and tested and fits. Yay! Selfless sewing success.

Although not that selfless as I bagged the leftover fabric to make the Pony Tank above. Oops.


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Kimono a go go with Minerva Crafts

It's Kimono time! In conjunction with Minerva Crafts I have made a (hopefully) easy to follow tutorial on how to make a Kimono dressing gown...

The challenge was minimal waste - go check out the post and see how much was left over from 2 meters ;) 

Hint: not much!

If you fancy a lightweight dressing gown this season please do head on over - all you need is fabric, thread and you're sewing machine. This dressing gown kimono has all the bells and whistle - belt loops, neat bias bound neckline, hanging loop and best of all....comfort!

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