Jurassic Park! An Everyday Tote for Minerva Crafts

Oh I have been looking forward to sharing this!

Since making this beautiful bag (flaws and all) I have not stopped using it - it is so ridiculously practical and seems to fit in everything you could possibly need and more, a la Mary Poppins.

This is the Everyday Tote bag pattern by Bagstock for a product review on some spectacular dinosaur canvas fabric for Minerva Crafts

Both bag pattern and fabric were an absolute dream to work with - hop on over for the full blog post on Minerva Crafts for some bag making tips on this particular pattern, and to read more about this beautiful Art Gallery fabric. 

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Riding that Blackwood Bandwagon

This pattern is one that mystifies me as to why I hadn't made it earlier..... I cannot count the times I have needed a good cardigan and gone searching high and low around the shops for something suitable. (To no avail either!) I think it was my last foray into knitwear that may have put me off.

It's not like it hasn't been across the whole sewing world or anything is it... Man is this a popular pattern and now I see why!

Another minor mystery is why I cut it out in February, and then only just got round to finding it in my UFO pile and finishing it off. All told it took less than an hour to cut out, then less than an hour to sew up. In just happens that those two hours were about 3 months apart.

So here it is, and just in time for the spring weather - my Blackwood Cardigan by Helen's Closet!

I used some coral cable knit fabric from Higgs & Higgs  which turned out to be PERFECT for this pattern. The right amount of weight-cosy-colour ratio together with being incredibly workable and sewing machine friendly. I hadn't considered myself to be a 'pink' kind of gal but I really love this. So cheerful to wear. It's already been a staple go-to piece for the last few weeks so it must be a winner.

The pattern size for this one was a Large graded out to Extra-Large at the hips. I'll be honest I did fall prey to vanity and exclaimed at the 'extra-large' label however it fit like an absolute dream.

The only change I made was to give the sleeve a wider width at the bicep than the XL called for, which then meant pinning and tapering it back down from the elbow to the wrist. Not a big deal though as it was so easy to alter with the ol' pin and fit method.

I went for the full length version, with cuffs that come mid-hand for keeping warm. You could easily omit the cuffs, as a friend of mine has done, which made for an equally very smart and chic look.

Pretty much the entire thing was done on the over-locker save for attaching pockets and top stitching the edges. It's been an absolute revelation to me  that you can use regular thread in an over-locker to do decorative stitching. So coral and yellow insides it is!

The pattern is so versatile - colours, fabric types, weights. I'm particularly looking forward to trying the maxi-hack with split hems. Definitely a repeat make pattern!

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Grainline Linden - It's the absolute dogs...

Hellloooo! Back up on the blog today after a mini-break and another minor loss of sew-jo. However, I'm pleased to report that's now back in action - funny what a bit of sunshine can do.

Today is not a massive post and nothing particularly original however I did want to share this make due to the absolute epic nature of the fabric.

Now, we all know that the Grainline Linden is an absolute gem of a pattern, and despite not having made myself one yet, I did make a polar bear version for my sister. This time another bit of selfless sewing for my sis in the form of this Dog Linden!!

She has a lovely little dog called Treacle and when I saw this fabric from Stoff + Stil I knew it would make a great present. When I bought this fabric, the shipping costs where absolutely crazy so it did make this a rather expensive make, however I have noticed just now that they seem to have added a UK site with UK shipping prices. This is still priced at £8 for DHL but free over £50 spend so maybe if you were buying in bulk it would be good as some of the jerseys are beautiful and very original.

 I am pleased with how this turned out and the fabric was superb to work with, such high quality and went through the machine like butter. There was even a fair amount left so maybe a summer vest top could be squeezed out of it? Any pattern suggestions for a vest-top?
 

So it's bank holiday weekend here in the UK and weirdly the sun is out so off I go like every other person in the country racing outdoors whilst it lasts! Happy weekend folks x

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Cobra Kalle and Heist Tights Love

It's bacccckkkkkkk.... of course I made another Kalle. I bloody love it.

 

This gorgeous fabric is the Cobra Corsage viscose crepe from Fabric Godmother. I already used the lawn version for a McCalls shirt (which has already hit the 'out' pile as I didn't really like the shape)

The fabric has a lovely drape and is opaque so I wanted to make an easy to wear shirt dress - enter Kalle! This is the 3rd Kalle I have made - and I like this one as much as the others. The style is pretty roomy so this one got belted for a sleeker silhouette.

The high/low hem still works I think and adds a bit of interest, great with tights underneath for this cooler weather.

And just a little minute here to appreciate the wonder of Textile Garden buttons that added that extra pow to this beauty. 

On the subject of tights - I really just wanted to share something I have recently discovered (I may be 100 years late to this but whatever, revolutionary for me!) - Heist Tights!!

This is in no way sponsored, I just wanted to give them a shout out as I hate wearing tights, they make me feel like a segmented worm. However, I gave these bad boys a go and MAN are they comfy!!!! Firstly - just look at the pretty packaging (all recyclable aswell)

I received HANDS DOWN the best customer service of my life. The lady online advised as to what size I needed, high waist requirements and she sent me 2 pairs that arrived the next day. One of them was a bit tight so I inquired again - and they sent 2 more pairs in the next size for free!!!

The tights themselves are so high quality its unbelievable. You get a little cotton bag to keep them in labelled with the size, denier and style and the tights have a ridged marker inside indicating the back.

They don't pull or move, they have no seams, the waist stays up and over your tummy giving a nice shape and also pretty wonderful is that they don't really stick to clothes!

If you have also seen these and were wondering, here's 20% off. 

  Now time to make some more shirt dresses I think...

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The Forum Makers Month 2018

Wow it feels like an absolute age since I posted anything! Ah well, trying not to feel too guilty about that, health and work had to come first.

I thought I would however break with the project posting for today and pop a few pics of Makers' Month up on here.

The Forum in Norwich hosted a month long event whereby each day there would exhibitions, talks and different workshops teaching you how to knit, sew, crochet, spin, weave, print, embroider, quilt, draw, paint, sculpt, whittle...you name it, it was there! It was an excellent project designed to encourage people in the region to give creativity a go. There was something different every day which was wonderful.

Our local group Norwich Sewcials were kindly invited and we hosted a Sewing Surgery and Pattern Translation Station for beginners to ask anything they liked about making clothes and sizing themselves. It was lovely to meet people from all walks of life and chat with interested folks keen to give things a go.

Hands down the best thing about the event was a little cabin playing a Nudinits movie. I would highly recommend taking a look! All about the villagers of Woolley Bush and Jim's prize winning cock.

Photo credit: Nudinits.com

And did they save the best activity until last? Possibly! Myself and the Fabric Wrangler decided to catch up over a clay dinosaur sculpting class.... normal. Learning the techniques from Ray Noakes, making dinosaurs for film and television, off we set with an open mind!

Turns out, it was a fab way to spend an afternoon, very relaxing, bit different and thoroughly enjoyable to chat to others present.  We were presented with a concrete skull, reference books and Ray's guidance on how to build up the muscle structure and features and a whole host of creatures were born!

With time for a cuppa whilst they were dried I'd say that was an afternoon well spent. With a bit of luck The Forum will continue this event with Makers Month 2019 and I'll definitely be signing up to more of the workshops!

Happy crafting peeps.  Feel free to comment and come and say hello on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Bloglovin too :-) xx

Let's get something straight - Minerva mini steam irons!

This week is something a little bit different..... If you want to know why I took a mini steam iron out for a cup of coffee hop on over to the Minerva website to find out!

  Spoilers: I love this little beast almost as much as the other beasts

Ooooohhhh Snap! It's all about the pliers

This week brings another cheeky review for Minerva Crafts - and its the turn of hardware!

To find out more about this super-duper all-singing all-dancing Prym set for all your fastening needs hop on over to my tutorial here on how to get the most out of it :)

Snap to it folks....... (eye roll)

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