Best Nine Bingo 2017 - Yearly Round Up


It's that time of year where I like to have a little reflect and see which of my makes were successes and which were the learning curves... always an interesting task.

Last year I hopped aboard the #2017makenine bandwagon and set a few goals, which I'm pleased to say I achieved the majority of in one way or another....with a few blips on the way.


The Sointu Kimono Tee got made twice - this simple sew was a real practial make and I wear them frequently, highly recommended!

Technically I was going to make the Adeline dress by style Arc, but it was so similar to the Lodo Dress by True Bias that I marked it as 'made' in my mind. It was the design idea rather than the actually pattern that I wanted :) Perhaps Adeline might get a go in 2018...

The less said about the Driftless Cardigan the better - as you can see here!

I TOTALLY predicted the release of Kalle by Closet Case Patterns and by far it was as good as I was expecting! A summer day saviour. There will certainly be more of these in future in my wardrobe with all the versions available. 

M6044 got another look in with a whale print version - and you may be seeing another one soon ;) An absolute gem of a menswear pattern.

Rosie Bralette - this did get made and I ventured into lingerie sewing. Suprisingly though I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would and can't say I'll be rushing to make another anytime soon :-/

The Emerson trousers did not get made and I'm not really sure why - probably just ran out of time and warm weather! I'm still after some lovely black cullottes so you never know.

This one is a prime example of not tagging onto a popular pattern just for the sake of it. I thought I would try the Emery Dress by Christine Haynes however I quickly realised there was no way it would suit me or be something I would actually wear. The pattern was therefore donated to a lovely friend who definitely would wear it well :)

And lastly, I do have the Ultimate Trousers pattern however I managed to make a comfy version from ponte which did the job just as well, so I'm counting this one too!


I think my favourite make of the year was this Gertie B6453 dress - the pattern is incredibly versatile and seeing so many versions during the sewalong was a pleasure. Have I worn it? Of course not. ::eye roll::


Another noteworthy contender are these Carolyn PJs - never has nightwear felt so smart. Have I worn them? Comfy loungewear.....Oh yes!

Instagram played a heavy part in sewing this year - looking at everyone's marvellous makes and researching projects. Suprisngly my favs were also favoured by others out there, which is often nmot the case. Here's what Insta has as my 2017 Best Nine!

MakeNine aside, it was another good year for learning and improving, as we always do, and sewing for me played a huge part in therapeutic recovery this year so I am thankful for that and the amazing community of sewists out there that are so supportive of each other and inspirational. I'm looking at you. Yes you. Thank you x

Happy New Year all!


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Nights in Blue Velvet - M6884

In what seems like an annual occurance - I once again pulled out the ol' faithful M6884 wrap dress pattern for a Christmas party! During the usual pre-party panic about not knowing what to wear, apparently I thought making a dress the day beforehand would be a good idea... this time it was!

This fabric is a super stretchy blue velvet from Tia Knight, a total bargain and there were so many colours to choose from! I was debating a simple tee dress but felt a Christmas party and this fabric lent itself well to a bit of a vintage vibe.

M6884 is a super simple pattern to whip up, it is stretch so fitting is not such an issue and the dress is a 'faux wrap' so no wardrobe malfunctions a few glasses of fizz into the night. I've already made two versions of this so was confident it would be ok to make in a bit of a rush.



Being luck enough to attend a Christmas party at The Assembly House it was nice to feel fancy for the evening. Had to have a cheeky pic next to the tree!



The venue was so festive and pretty, we even had a little snoop around the building and discovered the kitchens and cookery school full of copper pans. Also just a short walk away from the Tunnel of Light. Highly recommded if anyone was in Norfolk at Xmas time. Look how lovely...


On that rather festive note, may your needles be sharp and your bobbins be full this winter break. Wishing everyone love and a very Happy Holidays, whatever you may be doing :)

















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Let It Snow! Kleiber Tree Decorations with Minerva Crafts


Those kind folks at Minerva Crafts have been in the festive spirit and gifted me some amazing little tree decoration kits to try!

There's still time to grab one - they make such cute gifts and stocking fillers.


Snowmen Felt Decorations
Whatever you may be doing - Happy Holidays :)


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More Sewing with a latecomer Linden

All of the opinions and crafting are my own in this post however today's project comes courtesy of More Sewing, a lovely little fabric shop and haberdashery in Worthing who very kindly sent me a little bundle of polar bear fabric through the post!


They have a huge range of really cool jersey to choose from, and how seasonally appropriate is this print - as I type it is actually snowing outside. It is gorgeously soft and stretchy so naturally lends itself well to a bit of cosy winter wear...


Considering my love of Grainline Studio (Archer, Hemlock, various Lark incarnations, Scout tee) how on earth have I not made the Linden before???? I see there is a rather wonderful Linden Swap going on again this year amoungst the sewing community - and perhaps next year I would like to join in - however this year this Linden was destined for my lovely sister. (Hey sis, are you reading this? You're getting a sweater :)

With regards to sizing - I have no idea if it fits her yet HOWEVER we are fairly similar and this looks like yet another equisitely drafted pattern as the drape and shape is just perfection in my opinion.



The pattern and fabric sewed up like a dream, a couple of hours at most? The entire thing was made on the overlocker except stitching down the neckband and cuffs. The fabric behaved very well and didn't pull, pucker or get stuck in machinery! (Even being a lazy beast and using a regular needle and sewing foot...**GASP**)


I'm pleased with how this turned out and really hope she likes it - I can't wait to make more now I've finally joined this Linden party, what a fabulous stable for a makers wardrobe!

With regard to the fabric - I thought it was excellent - the print is so cute, its just the right thickness and has great recovery, sitting nice and flat at the seams and neckline. I had a little browse of the other fabrics availabe on More Sewing website and check out these beauties! Bugs and birds...what's more to like?


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Cobra Corsage - McCalls M7629 Boxy Shirt

After having noticed this pattern at a Norwich Sewcials event being made by a friend, I was strangely drawn to this new-ish McCalls shirt. It is not my usual style put it piqued my interest and thought I'd just go with it. In need of a few separates, I thought it could be a good wardrobe builder!
 


The shirt has a few collared variations however I opted for view A which has more of a woven tee feel about it.
The shirt is boxy in style, has no dart at all and only consists of front, black, sleeve and facing pieces!


As there are no darts and froofy details, it appeared to be a great way to use and show off some beautiful fabric without distorting the print.

This is 'Cobra Corsage' in cotton lawn from Fabric Godmother - I may have also bought the viscose version aswell...oops.


 As per usual the McCalls sizing was a mystery. The chart put me at a 14 bust and 18 everywhere else. As my packet only went up to a 14 I just cut that out and hoped for the best. The boxy shape and extraordinary amount of ease in the pattern meant that it fit just fine over the waist. Potentially a little too big if anything.

Weirdly my pattern didn't come with any instructions inside, so I just took a guess how to make it. Thanks to Sew Direct who later sorted that out and sent me a stack of instructions for next time! The only thing I didn't notice was there was supposed to be side vents in this version. Oh well.

I should really have given this a better press before taking pictures however light levels are hard to come by in November and time was short.

The only changes I made were to shorten the shoulder seams by 1cm and then adjust the sleeve piece accordingly, just so it sat a little better on my shoulders and didn't droop so much. I wonder if it may benefit from being a size smaller next time. WITHOUT a cardigan/coat on, the shirt is really nice and comfortable and hangs really well...however when I put a cardy on unfortunately it started riding up and gaping at the chest leading to wardrobe malfunction. I had to pop into M&S and grab a vest top!!

Not sure why it did this - perhaps just the fabric sticking to my knitwear? Any suggestions welcome as its put me off wearing it again, which is a shame as I actually quite like it as an alternative to a t-shirt for casual wear.


I couldn't find any matching buttons but found 2 blue and 2 green in my stash, and after a quick insta-poll, decided these would do just fine. They even match the snake and beetle!

A good quickie project; not a stunner but not a dud either. Another may be on the cards one day but potentially with a few fitting fixes...

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Vilene Hot Spots with Minerva Crafts

Minerva Crafts have once again let me have a play about with some new products - and this one was certainly new to me!

This time it was Vilene Hot Spots! What on earth is that I hear you say? Good question.... 






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Secret Sewing and Plotting Plans...

Hello all, it's been a bit quite on the blog of late hasn't it...

Main reason being I just totally lost my sew-jo for a few weeks. It was a busy October and I didn't get much chance to do any creative crafting, however I also just didn't fancy it - happens sometimes right!

I got a bit stuck on something I felt I needed to make but didn't actually want to. Because I couldn't bring myself to start that project I just came to a stand still. The thing in question was going to be a Christmas gift (relax peeps its November, we can talk about it now). As chance would have it, I found the future-recipient of said gift something altogether different and far more lovely and useful from an actual shop.

If any of my close pals or family are reading this - I'm fairly sure they are thinking 'dear god let that be me....no handmade crap this year pleeeeeeeasse'. Schrodinger's Christmas gift. Until December you both have and have not got a handmade present. Mwhahahah.

However, since setting that idea aside it seemed to free up some brain space and the sew-jo came back. A couple of days ago I went a bit nuts and just started cutting out and planning EVERYTHING. It got out of hand.

So there's nothing in particular to share with you today - just some muttering and musing :)

Secret sewing is back on track and Christmas presents are being made - so of course I can't blog about them!

In other news, as my brain went a bit on overdrive, I've been updating my to-sew list and giving it a revamp. We have a lovely new sofa so I'd really like to make a small festive quilt to go on it from the amazing Higgs and Higgs Nordic Christmas fabric I picked up at the sewing bee live.


I may have given myself WAY too much to do before the holidays. Especially as in the midst of all this selfless sewing - I totally got distracted by the Kalle Shirt dress expansion pack - sleeve version - and have to make that.... of course.

Photo: Close Case Patterns
Also of extreme interest is the project going on over at Randomly Happy. Elena is doing a Capsule Wardrobe for Makers series, and whilst I will never be someone with only 15 items in my wardrobe - I seem to wear only about 15. Especially these days as I now work at home and instinctively reach for something comfortable. There is a great pdf download to get you thinking about the activities you actually do in life  and the types of clothing that would be good to create to fit those needs. I think I'll give it a little go - it could be a good project for the New Year and any potential future sewing plans.


There's a few things coming up on the blog soon - another make for Minerva next week and then a bit review of the M7629 shirt in some fab fabric from the Fabric Godmother.


Wishing everyone a lovely week!

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An ode to the Driftless that never was...

Alas, dear Driftless, we could have been such good friends.

The heartbreaking tale of one woman and a pile of &@£@£ expensive fabric that met a bittersweet end.

As a self-proclaimed fan of Grainline Studio and the Lark Tee and Scout Tee patterns - I thought it was about time I tried out the Driftless Cardigan.

Now I don't think I've ever made a cardigan before so this was new territory - and in deepest December (2016!!) when I started this, it seemed like a great idea. (Oh how wrong I would be). A soft cosy thick knit cardy - what could be better right? Hmmmm....

I found some great sweater knit fabric (aka stupidly expensive horrendously itchy fluff maker) a while back from Fabric Godmother - wool knit in black, red and grey, ex-designer stock. It's beautiful (it was beautiful) but wow does that get messy fuzzy thread everywhere.


A bit of Pinterest stalking later I settled on size.... After reading some reviews of the pattern I lengthened it by about an inch or so because - leggings. I also widened the sleeve pieces by just straightening them up (they are tapered) as this gal has arms.

I should have read the signs at this point. Turns out even doing that I could barely get my arms in the sleeves without feeling like I was having my blood pressure taken. And.....oh....the...itching.

Apart from losing myself under a million tons of fluff and thread, the second disaster was the pockets. Now, this is not the pattern's fault - the pockets are beautifully drafted and actually really simple to construct - if you can see what you're doing. This fabric was so thick I couldn't sew it with a regular machine as it just wouldn't take it so the whole thing was serger based. Not ideal when the pattern calls for a lovely sharp corner. So one pocket was bigger than the other and hangs out a bit strangely :-/


The third epic disaster was that it then destroyed my overlocker. I'm not sure if  I hit a pin or what but the loopers full-on bent out of shape!!! No amount of messing with it could fix it so off to the overlocker-hospital it went. :(

And there the Driftless sat for 2 months...my overlocker came back fixed but with a warning, it should be replaced soon - and I just daren't break it again with the same project! The cardigan got resigned to UFO status whilst I desperately got the satisfaction of making something...anything...before my overlocker broke again. However, a couple of projects later I braved it and tried again.

NO PINS SHALL GO NEAR THY OVERLOCKER EVER AGAIN!!! I made sure clips were used on all of it. Then the &@£$%$ thing broke again and chewed up a sleeve.


The whole thing got shoved in a carrier bag and back into the UFO pile for another good few months. I have no idea why but a few weeks ago it began to niggle at me - I could feel its presence in the cupboard calling out like some weird telepathic tribble.

Time to bring it out again and deal... to finish or not to finish it, that was the question. Expensive fabric and a £250 bill for repairs makes this hands down THE  MOST EXPENSIVE NON-CARDIGAN in the known universe. This is what £300 looks like people...... :(


I'm an avid fan of Yoga with Adriene (bear with me there is relevance here) and I received an email with the phrase "Out with that which once served but no longer has a place. In with practices that serve, me now." This resonated a bit as this year personally has been one hell of an ordeal and overhaul and I like the notion of just bringing some calm back - but also in respect to all these things we hang on to just because we feel we have to, but serves no real joy. 

OUT THE CARDIGAN WENT. Free from its fluffy shackles it was released back into the wild and donated for recycling of threads to be reincarnated into some other state. God speed fluffy pile of fabric, god speed. May you warm the feet of some other soul in the form of socks...

All was not lost then, it left a parting gift of wisdom. So thank you dear fluffy nightmare, for you have taught me well...some things just do not work out the way we want. Walk on. 



Amateur dramatics aside, I'm still not sure how I feel about making heavier knitwear. For a start, and despite my disaster of an attempt, any kind of sweater knit style fabric seems to be very scarce and hard to find. It's also very expensive when you do find it - so in the end its probably costing way more than a really good quality RTW would - which I know is not the point but...it has some relevance. I love a good cable knit sweater or cosy cardy, I'm just not sure making them is the way forward for me yet.

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When in Rome...Orageuse

Rome is where the heart is....and I bloody love this bird shirt. However it did take a fair bit of labour to get there...


This is the first pattern I have tried from French company 'Orageuse' (which I think means 'Stormy') and... it was an experience! Although not entirely unpleasant...just...weird?

Fabric and notions: This incredibly amazing crepe is from Fabrics Galore - 'Bird Portrait'. The bug buttons (yeah I though birds eating bugs was a nice whimsical feature of this shirt :) are from Textile Garden (absolute amazing stuff if you haven't shopped there before!)



Size: I graded between sizes 42 bust, 44 waist and 46 hips. That was the largest size on the chart :( I know French ladies are beautiful and slim but that did strike me as a bit odd (I'm a UK 12).

As I'm new to this company I did do a toile to test the fit - you never know do you how indie brands differ. To my surprise the toile fit like a dream so that was that I thought. I even managed my first ever pin tucks at the back yoke. (A particularly nice design detail about this shirt).


Stuff that went awry: No joke I spent HOURS cutting this out to make sure everything was lined up, pattern matched, not slipping...just so. Despite my best efforts when I came to put it together it was just....off...

The armholes were huge! Down to my waist huge. Visible side boob. However I hadn't noticed this fact until I'd beautifully bound them with green satin. I have no idea why they were huge, same pattern piece, same cutting, same size as toile. Mystery. Rescue plan: I nipped them in where they should have sat and created a tapered dart down the side seam. As the shirt is quite voluminous it could take it. Phew.

In fixing the armholes and trimming excess for 'french' seaming - I cut a hole in the back :( Rescue plan: I stuck it together with interfacing on the back and hand stitched it together. As the print is quite busy it seems to get lost. Also phew.

oops

The measurements and birds defy all known laws of physics. When I went to shorten the shirt - I measured very carefully each side, counted the rows of birds, and cut. But its uneven on one side!!! I still have no idea what's going on there. There are equal bird rows and equal measurements front and back. EQUAL. So how does the left side hang lower?? Oh well - you can't really tell due to drape so never mind. Rescue plan: Leave it the hell alone.


Ordinarily all these quirks would bother me but I actually still really like the shirt once it was done!

Modifications:  My version of the shirt is not exactly what the pattern intended but it is what I wanted. This is what I altered:
  • Regular button placket - I like buttons so I don't want them hidden, the centre section of the placket therefore got removed and I just popped the plackets on like a normal shirt
  • Yoke - the pattern only provides for one yoke piece. It's not lined. Given that there is a load of pleating in the back piece, it seemed a bit weird to have those raw edges hanging out so I created an inner yoke to enclose all the raw edges - Burrito Method!!
  • Yoke had to be cut in 2 pieces to create a shoulder seam. The pattern has one continuous yoke - if your print is directional its going to be upside down on the front of the shirt as the yoke goes over front to back without shoulder seams. I discovered this with the inner piece!
  •  I originally cut the dress length - intending to wear it as a tunic. In the toile I made this was about right - however in its shape shifting state the real version was too long and I ended up cutting about 5 inches off to just below the original shirt line anyway.
  • Shaped hem - I curved the hem at the sides instead of having the side slits. Part happy accident, part not understanding the instructions.  
  • Narrow rolled hem (as I feared taking off too much length)
Yoke - see what I mean about direction??
Personally I found the instructions to be a bit confusingly complex in some parts and and a bit vague in others. That being said I didn't really read them and just ploughed ahead with my own construction for the best part of it - so not sure I get much of an opinion on that one! Just for example though, the instructions state 'sew the side seams with a french seam'. That's all very well but there are 2 vent slits either side of the shirt and there's no instruction on how to actually deal with those or get a neat finish. Conveniently I had chopped off some of the length anyway so side slits were not an option anymore!



Overall: although it took what felt like forever to finish this seemly straight forward pattern and many things were wonky - I love it and would definitely make it again! This meets my criteria for being comfortable, practical but also a bit stylish/bit quirky. I like that the sleeveless design gives a good warm weather option, but great to under a cosy knit. And it covers your bum when wearing leggings - bonus.


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Norwich Sewcials did Great British Sewing Bee Live!

Just over a year ago myself and The Fabric Wrangler decided we'd start up a little group called Norwich Sewcials. Just a little chance for anyone that liked sewing to get together for coffee and chat about our hobbies... little did we expect that over the course of the year so many people would join, help and bring together our great little community.

When the Great British Sewing Bee Live event was announced, of course we wanted to go...but what started with a small trip out turned into..."shall we get a coach trip going?" A little ambitious to say the least but over the course of 3 months we sold out and filled our bus! What a lovely show of support and an exciting prospect.

Off we went on the first day of the exhibition, such an early start but tea service and raffle on board for the journey!


I'm sure so many of you out there got to visit at Excel and there will be so many similar blog posts but I thought it was certainly worth a mention. The day was little short of exceptional!

It was my first time at Excel and the venue was incredibly, so huge! Perfect for packing in all that sewing action... Particular highlights for me would be seeing sewing friends Eliza Sew Little and Melissa Fehr looking awesome in their sports gear. Within about 2 minutes of arriving I had made my first purchase...a pre-order of her new activewear book! Checking in with the Fold Line girls and seeing familar faces from the Sewing Weekender was so much fun.

There was a huge array of fabric stalls, which rather nicely were not repetative at all, they all had something unique to offer which was a very nice touch. 15 minutes into the day I had blown my budget at Fabrics Galore on a variety of novelty prints! (Ooops...although that was somewhat inevitable). Although we didnt see the main show, we did see Jenny Eclair and Patrick Grant!

I was introduced to Higgs and Higgs by my friends who had discovered them on Instagram. Not sure how they had passed me by to date as their fabrics were so beautiful. I picked up some amazing scandi geometric cotton to make a christmas throw. (Bottom left pic)


Another highlight for me was discovering The Arty Crafty Place who were running Indian block printing workshops and selling their kits. Those ladies were fabulous and realy took the time to explain their products, making bespoke kits with whatever print you fancied! I chose these rather hilarious chickens.

In addition to shopping there were some excellent exhibits including vintage handmade items which were exquisite, modern creations and makes from a variety of schools and colleges. In the pic below the dress on the right was from 1930 and had hand cut applique all around the neckline.


Fashion shows took place which were fun to watch and there was a neighbouring champagne bar! (The Fabric Wrangler seemed to be enjoying that one ;) Fuelled by chicken burger and a cuppa we powered on throughout the day right until 5pm when it was time to hed back to the coach.


An excellent day made better by seeing everyone climb back aboard smiling but tired... it was definitely a quieter journey back home!


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