Sirocco - The Silver Spacesuit

Happy holidays people whatever you may be up to!

I just thought I'd do a little festive (ish) post today - and by festive I mean the fabric was every so slightly glittery.



I have not really ventured much into jumpsuit territory before however French pattern company Deer and Doe teased me into that territory with the Sirocco jumpsuit pattern. 


It's obviously not a new pattern, but it took me this long to pluck up the courage to give it a go, knowing it was probably going to be a sewing fail what with me being super picky about how trousers fit, and the issue of a pear shape. That being said I have heard that Deer and Doe actually draft for that body type!

Much insta-stalking ensued to see how the jumpsuit fit on different body shapes and to read every review I could find about fit and pattern changes. In the end I just took the plunge, cut my size (graded between 44 on top and 46 downwards) and went for it straight out of the packet.

Construction wise I ignored the instructions. I figured that if I made the bodice and trousers separately, there would be a better chance of fitting that awkward 'crotch rise' area which was probably the most likely culprit for a fitting issue.

I'm glad I tried it on this way as although the separate elements (top and bottom) fit quite nicely - they did not meet very well in the middle!

Cue awful mid-construction photo:


As you can see - with the very tiny waist band, there was not much of a chance that bad boy was going to stretch and attach to the trousers!

I re-cut the waistband with an extra 3cm in width and had to snip the old one off the top as I'd already overlocked it. I think I lost a bit of bodice length there which may be why the jumpsuit is now a bit too high-waisted. But not so much as to be unwearable.


It certainly isn't the most flattering thing I've ever worn but actually it's one of the comfiest!
I feel a bit paranoid about my bum/tum in this however I test-wore it to a Sew Day a couple of weeks ago and actually people were very complimentary about it which was very kind. I suppose we should not worry about these things!

The fabric is fun - it is a good quality stretch jersey from Fabric Godmother described as 'metallic denim'. I was going to do a straight up dark blue one however this fabric struck me as something a bit more special. I've paired it up with some glittery trainers. Of course.



I'd definitely give this another go in classic black, I think that would hide a few lumps and bumps and be a good 'throw on and go' option for various occasions. If anyone knows where I can find some really good quality black jersey do let me know!


And with that bit of sparkle I shall wish you all a happy holiday period, whether you celebrate Christmas or not, have a lovely time. Whatever you're doing, do it with love.

 
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Sasha and The Techincolour Trousers

This was one of those project ideas where it gets inside your head and just won't quit until you make it...

Totally inspired by these joggers from Hush, I decided that nothing other than rainbow stripe trousers would do. I actually thought these were proper trousers until looking at the website. Turns out these are just comfy joggers. Not sure about the boot/jogger combo myself - looks like something I'd whack on to get the laundry out the garden in. #anyshoeswilldo


So why buy something when you can make it for about 3 times the price and 10 times the effort. (::eye roll::) The answer dear friends is...BECAUSE WE CAN.

My version of these are here...



Fabric
I knew instantly that the quality ponte fabric from Minerva would look beautiful with colour as it is solid, strong fabric and so black it's almost invisible.  (Unlike my last post, I did buy this ponte!!) It's not cheap, but it's worth every penny in my opinion.

I then had to 'crowd source' the rainbow side stripe but putting a call out on The Fold Line Facebook group. It was there I discovered Little T's Haberdashery and the rest is history (rainbow ALL the things).

Stripes
They sell actual SIDE stripe!! I was thinking normal coloured elastic would probably do the trick as the main fabric is stretchy and the side seams wouldn't need to move too much. Enter the side-stretch elastic - bendy both vertical and horizontal! A revelation.



Pattern
After a bit of pattern, and soul, searching I resided myself to the fact that much fitting would have to be done on these dream trousers. I then discovered to my amazement, my Sasha trousers from last year still fit (even though nothing else does) and the crotch curve on those are great - so why mess with a perfectly good system. The Closet Case Patterns Sasha Trousers it was!

The trousers are designed for stretch cotton so I figured a sturdy ponte would be able to handle it.  Plus - comfy. They did not disappoint.


Pretty guts
I went to absolute town on the inside of these. The facings were made from scraps of viscose I used in my Armidale dress and the overlocking/coverstitch just had to be rainbow really didn't it. Another fab purchase from Little T's ;). I attached the elastic stripes with a chain stitch for stretch - the looper thread is rainbow and the top thread matched the stripe colour so it didn't show on the outside. I just hope it stays in place :-/


I know I say this a lot, but these are really one of my favourite makes to date. I think because I spent a lot of time and care trying to get every element just right, and the end result paid off as some comfy trousers that make me feel good to wear. Stylish but functional.



Not massively seasonal but a great pair of trousers for all year round!

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Winter Woodland Wear

'Tis the season to wear some bears.

So we've developed a weird tradition in our family that I make me and my sister matching sweaters for December. This year I thought we'd take it a step further a make a hoodie.

Enter the Lane Raglan by Hey June Handmade. A super versatile pattern with so many variations - including a hooded top! The perfect December lounge wear.



I chose less 'Christmassy' fabric and more of a 'winter' theme so it could be worn more than 1 week per year... This absolutely beautiful french terry is a watercolor painting print from Jelly Fabrics called 'Woodland Animals'. And yes, I was partially swayed by the bears and trees reminding me of Canada.

 

The Lane Raglan is so quick to whip up and the hood attached in a beautifully simply cross-over at the front. I found some great 'hoodie laces' from Little T's haberdashery which gave a nice contrast to the black.

In the absence of eyelets, I just made a buttonhole for the laces to run through and that worked just fine.


I chose the curved hem version and the length is lovely, just perfect for skimming over leggings and the fit of the top drapes really well over the body - not too loose, not too tight - juuuust right. The 3 bears would be pleased.


In addition to the jumpers, I also had enough fabric to make my friend's babies some cute little dungarees! I picked out the Sew Over It - Dandelion Dungarees and whipped up a couple of them in 3 months and 6 months old sizes. How fast is kid's stuff?!?! Tiny little pieces fit so well on the fabric.


The dungarees are reversible so you can flip them and have black dungarees with woodland cuffs aswell.

I'd got some lovely Prym Love snaps to add to these however after about 400 practice attempts, I could not for the life of me attach them so the larger pair have a nice big button closure.


By pure chance (or was it?!? The robots are listening), my Amazon account threw up a 'suggestion' of a Prym Love snapper tool for the pliers. Turns out I hadn't been using the right tool for the job. A swift purchase of the right equipment later, and now snapping capabilities were mine mwahahah.

So the next little dungarees have cute little heart snaps on them. Which turns our are really really easy to apply once you have the right gadget.


There we have it, a bit of winter wear this season :) What cosy things have you been making? x

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Monsal with Minerva - Wendy Ward Joggers

This week I'm back on the Minerva blog with some epic black ponte roma fabric that was JET black and ideal for some cosy autumn joggers. (Hint - they were made quite a while back!!)

I've been working my way through the Wendy Ward  book of all things stretch and these Monsal joggers called to me.



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Crafty Clyde's Emporium - Tortoise Time

Hello all

I lost my sewjo for a little bit back there but it seems to be back in action -yay! Unfortunately although I've made a few bits - poor light, poor weather and lack of time means I just haven't been able to grab any pics just yet.

So today dear folks, I just wanted to do a little post about my Etsy shop. Crafty Clyde's Emporium.

I always fancied having an Etsy shop, and over the years used to sell a few handmade bits and pieces - bags, purses etc. But it was always a bit random. One day I just wanted to make a tortoise necklace so I thought - go with what you know!

The other reason my shop has gone totally turtle is because there is a huge lack of tortoise related goodies in the UK. For all the tortie lovers out there (and I'm assured it's not just me) I thought I'd do us all a favour and create a little gift shop based on my 3 little lovelies.


I designed these little drawings based on Clyde (big green), Sammy (melllow yellow) and Esther (the little lovely) and ran with it...


So far I've gone for washi tape, stickers, necklaces, keyrings, glitter tortoises and tree decorations! If there are any tortoise types out there that would like to request something do let me know!


Little Esther has proved to be quite popular, as are the tree decorations at the moment which is nice. Now don't get me wrong I can't retire off this and move to Hawaii or anything, it is just a hobby!

Anyway I thought I would just share this on here - should anyone have tortoise types in their life that would love a little reptilian based gift you know where to go!

Many thanks for reading - normal sewing service shall resume shortly.....

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Long Leopard Armidale - Style Arc

So here's a new one. The Armidale dress by Style Arc.

New to me for sure, and new to the Style Arc collection at the time I made it! So new in fact there was very little on the interweb that I could stalk for inspiration.

Inspiration came from a different source this time. I remember my Nan had an amazing red leopard shirt dress that she had made herself. As I kid I loved it, it was glamorous lovely Nan. As the leopard trend came about I was hoping I'd find a perfect leopard shirt dress that was similar but it was not to be. For ages the fabric was not available either but then..... this amazing 'ruby leopard' viscose from Sewisfaction appeared!

It was just calling out to be something elegant and gorgeous and fulfill its destiny. As if by fate, the next day this amazing pattern by Stle Arc was released! As a big fan of the shirt dress, this pattern really stood out to me. It is simple in its design but flowed in all the right places.


I've never made a Style Arc pattern before and heard rumours of the sparse instructions. This was partially true. Whilst the instructions aren't all singing all dancing coloured step-by-step like you get on some indie/beginner patterns - there is a pretty comprehensive construction sheet, complete with map of what piece attaches where! (That bit is really useful and a nice touch). In my haste I had not realized this, and was going by the text on the pattern sheet itself. The lovely people at Style Arc have since reached out to me and sent the full instruction sheets (3 pages of text and diagram) - so check you have them! (Thank you Style Arc!!! It makes much more sense now!)

Fortunately for me the dress only consisted of very few pieces and it was FAIRLY straightforward to put together.

I say fairly - as I did mess it up initially. The skirt portion of the dress has 6 pieces to it. I had only cut out 4 (back, front and two sides). Panic set in - I had no more fabric! Sheona to the rescue as there was more in stock and an emergency meter was purchased....

I hadn't realized the side panels were 2 each side. To allow for a pocket. Of course!! How could I forget the all important pocket!!

I made a straight up size 14 expecting it to need a bit of tweaking - but not so! The relief...


The collar and bodice has a really vintage vibe. There are no darts, but the bodice is shaped with tiny gathers under the bust and at the back. I'm not usually a big fan of gathers (*yuck*) but these are beautiful and serve a purpose. The gathers are forgiven.


The collar is a simple shape and just attached around the top neck, trapped into the facing.

As I mentioned before, due to the mishap with cutting the skirt, I definitely didn't have enough fabric for the button and neck facings which are one large piece going right from the bottom of the skirt all the way up to the top neck. I didn't take a picture but basically these facings are patch-worked together from red leopard scraps and pieces of black viscose! It worked. I'm happy.

This has yet to be worn in the wild, but I intend to get in some use this autumn winter by wearing it with a tights/boots/biker jacket combo. Would I make this pattern again - yes! Does it make me feel nice and think of my Nan - absolutely!


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Kalle and the Bears

Hello :)

I'm back with something a little more seasonal this week. Seasonal...but not new.



It's Kalle again! I contemplated a different shirt pattern - but if it works it works. I find the Kalle to be the right amount of roomy, has all the features of a loose shirt you may need, and a wonderful length for wearing as a tunic/long shirt over leggings.

Now this Kalle was serving a purpose. You may have seen on Instagram that I've been on my honeymoon (#honeymoose) in Canada and OF COURSE I wanted to take a brushed cotton plaid shirt with me.

I found the perfect plaid on Minerva and ordered this lovely blue colour. Which incidentally matched my surroundings......  (gratuitous holiday snap incoming). It's gorgeously soft and very cosy to wear in the drizzly weather.


There had been a lot of bear chat before I left - do we need bear spray?! Would we even see any?! So with that in mind, what better way to celebrate going wildlife watching with little bear buttons...


This is the long sleeve version of the pattern. Like a fool, I did leave this until the last minute and my sleeve plackets are awful - however if someone would like to criticize my sleeve plackets in a day to day non-sewing-related scenario I would invite them to reassess their life priorities. You say badly made, I say woodland rustic.


In such desperation to take my shirt on holiday, I did actually leave it a bit 'unfinished' with no mini placket cuff buttons and no pockets attached! Those got added at home afterwards...


Days went by without a sight of much wildlife at all until......


BEARS!!!! Don't worry folks this was taken from a safe distance. We saw a momma and baby black bears in a clearing as we drove to Jasper! (No doubt any Canadians reading this will wonder what the big deal is but I'd always wanted to see wild bears :)

By day 10 you couldn't shift for bears.


These grizzlies were however in a safe sanctuary hence the pics - otherwise you wouldn't have seen us for dust...or just wouldn't have seen us again.

So there we have it. Kalle and the Bears. New band name. (An entire post without a tortoise reference! Apart from that one. Oops.)

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Blending in on Union Street

Hey June - howd'ya get your patterns soooo good?

This is not a new pattern for me, but it's certainly a favourite and the most versatile. After multiple attempts at finding the perfect tee - turns out I had it all along. Hey June Handmade - Union St. Tee.

This post is all about blending into the wild.... camouflage at it's best.

Can you see me?


How amazing is this chameleon fabric?! From Olumis, I already used this for a friend's Ogden top and had a load stashed for something fabulous. It has vivid colours and such good quality, resistance was futile.


After toying with the idea of a jumpsuit, I opted for something I would get more wear out of. Enter the Union St. dress hack - again. Simple, sleeveless and sassy. I added a pop of colour to the neckline with some jersey bias binding from Beyond Measure. I tried to add it to the arm holes aswell but it ended up too tight so got snipped.




Next up, a very similar dress but in a really different fabric. This absolute beauty is from Enchanted Fabrics (a UK pre-order site) and is the slinkiest, softest bamboo lycra. Perfect for those urban safari's.



And last but not least - for when you need to go incognito near the sea. BOOM. No-one will be able to spot you near the rock pools in this one.



I have to thank a lady on The Fold Line Facebook group for this inspiration as she posted a picture from Pinterest of this beautiful fabric. It turned out it was available from Spoonflower called Tides#3 and wow I was taken.



A simple tee dress was in store for this to use the print to it's full effect. I only JUST managed to squeeze this out of the fabric, hence the rocky sleeve vs. water sleeve.


I am also significantly wider than the Pinterest girl so on the back there is a line where the image repeats. Who cares though. I haven't worn this yet as I really enjoyed making it, rarely wear white/lights and feel like I'm going to drop something on it! It will get worn though...



It's quite funny looking back at my last few posts as I always used to wear black... Colour feels so much better these days.

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