Back to the classroom (except at home!) - Carrie Trousers and Silk Cami

I made a promise to myself a few weeks ago that I wouldn't buy any new fabric or sewing patterns until I have worked my way through all the projects on my to do list. I broke the promise almost as soon as I made it when I saw that Sew Over It were offering online classes in trouser making and fitting. I have been tempted by their Ultimate Trousers pattern for ages - I keep seeing beautiful versions on Instagram. The classes include the pattern for those and also for Carrie Trousers, which are loose Summer trousers made in soft, drapey fabric. 

So not only did I sign up for the classes immediately, I also bought some fabric from their online shop to make them in.  Even naughtier, I treated myself to their silk Cami pattern and some fabric got that as well. I really must stick to my promise for a while now!!

I made the trousers in a black rayon with a rose print and the cami in a plain black rayon to go with them. Annoyingly, both patterns only came as PDFs and I have made my thoughts on sticking them together clear before. I really enjoyed the online classes - Lisa is an excellent teacher, although I confess that I skipped quite a few of the videos as these trousers are pretty straightforward to sew. I think I will find them more useful for the ultimate trousers as I imagine they are a lot trickier. The cami was also a simple project, but I'm now in love with both patterns - quick to sew, look great and almost as comfy as going out in your pjs (but more socially acceptable!). It is tempting to break that promise again and sew up more of both for Summer - they would be perfect for my holiday....

I wore both last night for a work night out, hence the glamorous surroundings of the office in this pic (I definitely wouldn't sanction any of the photos from later in the evening....):

Reflections on my first Me Made May

This year I took part in my first ever Me Made May (a sewing challenge all about wearing handmade clothes every day during May).  As I haven't been sewing as long as some of the incredibly talented people taking part, my pledge was to wear at least one me made item each day in May. 

So the stats are in:

31 days (and 31 different photos, thanks to my long-suffering photographer!)

7 items worn twice

3 baby dresses

2 matching outfits 

1 pair of boy's shorts

1 hand knitted tie

1 sister made item

3 mum made items

I'm not sure if it is considered cheating to wear items made by others but I figured it would be OK, as the main thing is that they are handmade and individual. 

Taking part has been great fun, and I have loved seeing what other people are wearing on Instagram. I've now got tons of new patterns to add to my 'to do' list! Some people have worn 100% homemade every day, including underwear and shoes - that is truly impressive!  I've also enjoyed the discipline of planning what I'm going to wear, and stopping myself from wearing the same few things day in day out. You realise just how many clothes you own when you are trying to wear different items every day. Taking part has also made me think about what I need to make more of and what I need to stop making. I'm a sucker for pretty patterned fabrics, but I've realised I need to make more plain, 'staple' items - hence my latest make was a plain black blouse!

Over and above what I have learned from a sewing perspective, I have found the challenge to be really good for my wellbeing. I know that sounds weird, but it has helped me to have something fun to focus on. I've been going through a stressful time at work, and this has been something which has really taken my mind off that. 

It goes without saying that I'll be taking part again next year (sorry Gareth - that means more early morning photo shoots!).  As I will have more handmade clothes by then, I'm hoping I can get through it without any repeat wears. 

Here is my outfit for today (31st May):

Matching outfits (again!)

It's cheesy, but I've got a bit of a thing for matching parent and child outfits. I'm making the most of dressing the kids in outfits to match ours before they start refusing to wear them! I've previously made Polly a pair of Summer trousers and a Christmas party dress to match my own trousers and dress, and the boys had matching pyjamas for Christmas last year. For Polly's first birthday last week, I wanted to make an extra special dress for her, with a matching top for myself. I chose New Look 6217 for my top and the Flo Dress from Love Sewing magazine for her dress. I had been looking for a project to use some butterfly print grey cotton bought from Fabrics Galore at the Handmade Fair last September, and I thought it would be perfect for both of these. 

The top was a super-quick sew - only two pattern pieces. I used a button from my stash for the back neck fastening and some leftover bias binding for the neckline.  I made it a size larger than usual as the measurements indicated I should. I will make it in my usual size next time as it does feel a bit big. The neck is also far too wide for me, so I will need to adjust that too. I really like the length and the curved hem, plus it's a great versatile top that goes with jeans or tucked into a pencil skirt. 

The Flo Dress for Polly used quite a lot of fabric as the skirt is very gathered - I like this as it makes it feel like a special occasion dress. The bodice is fully lined, which is great as it is designed to be worn without a vest underneath. It was pretty quick to make (because baby clothes always are!), and I absolutely love this pattern. I finished it with a royal blue ribbon to tie in with my Ultimate Pencil Skirt (I had planned to wear this as the butterflies have the same colour blue in them, but it ended up being too cold and I wore jeans instead). The pattern has lots of sizes and I will definitely be making it again in future. 

Here we are on her first birthday:

My Mum had also made Polly a couple of dresses for her birthday and made me a Susie blouse to match one of them, so we got to be matching girls again:

Here we are at Christmas in our matching party outfits:

And those matching Summer trousers:

She'll be so embarrassed when she's older.....

Sorbetto on the razz!

I very rarely have a need for 'going out' clothes nowadays, as most of my nights out consist of a glass of wine or g&t sat on the sofa watching telly, usually wearing (homemade) pjs. However, I had a couple of work nights out last month, so thought it would be a good opportunity to make a new top. I had a smallish piece of green crepe burning a hole in my stash which I was keen to use. My Mum bought it for me as a remnant from Sew Over It at the Handmade Fair in Manchester back in November for the princely sum of £3. There wasn't much of it, so I decided to make a Sorbetto (freebie pattern from Collette Patterns).  I have made a couple of Sorbettos before and they are a great stash-buster. 

The crepe was actually easier to work with than I thought. Sorbetto has a wide pleat down the front, and I thought it might be tricky to get a neat finish, as I have only made it in cotton before. The crepe is pretty thick which gave the pleat some stability. The main problem I had making this was the bias binding which is used around the neckline and armholes. I had several attempts at making my own binding using the crepe, with no success whatsoever. I couldn't iron the creases in, and knew I wouldn't be able to get a neat finish. In the end, I used a length of black bias binding I had leftover from another project and just hemmed the armholes.  I'm actually quite pleased with the end result, the black trim brings it all together when worn with black jeans.  

I wore the Sorbetto for both nights out, and it's great to wash and iron. The only downside is how hot it is to wear on a warm evening! Here is the finished result:

Not bad for £3!

I'm now 10 days into my first ever Me Made May, and I'm absolutely loving it!its made me realise how many me made clothes I have now. I've also enjoyed the opportunity to stop falling into the rut of wearing the same old things all the time. I'll be posting a summary of my thoughts and learnings at the end of the month. In the meantime, you can see my daily outfits on Instagram @adventuresinfabric

Me Made May 2016 - my pledge

I, Alex Howard of alexsadventuresinfabric.blogspot.com and @adventuresinfabric on Instagram, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '16. I endeavour to wear at least one me made item each day for the duration of May 2016

How exciting - my first Me Made May!  I've been keen to take part for a couple of years, but life and stuff has got in the way of me participating.  I'm really looking forward to the challenge and will let you know how I get on x

A new wardrobe staple - the Susie blouse

The Susie blouse pattern was released as a pdf pattern only last month by Sew Over It. Having had success with the Joan Dress and the Ultimate Pencil Skirt patterns, I bought it straight away. It's a pretty versatile pattern with three sleeve lengths that can be worn for work or more casual with jeans. As the pattern was on special offer, I treated myself to some lovely cotton lawn from Maud's Fabric Finds to make my first version with. 

The one downside (and I think it's quite a big one) is that it is only sold as a pdf.  I used to buy pdf patterns when I first started sewing to save money, until I realised I would happily pay a few extra pounds to save myself the hassle of printing, cutting and sticking together with sellotape. It took over an hour of my precious and limited sewing time just to get the pattern together. Once I'd finally done this, I was unsure about which sleeve length to make, so I asked Thomas (age 4).  He was very clear that I should make the long sleeved version, so that's what I cut. 

I found the fabric lovely to work with, as I have with other cotton lawns from Maud's. The blouse is a pretty quick project with no fastenings and only darts at the bust. I ended up having to fold and hand stitch the facing together at the v-neck as it kept poking out, even though I followed instructions. The long sleeved version includes a cuff at the wrist, so involves slightly more sewing than the other versions, but not much. 

When I first tried this on with jeans, I felt like the body was too baggy and was actually unflattering. However, I tried it tucked in to a pencil skirt and loved it. My Mum and Sister have also recently made versions of the Susie blouse, and they said the same. I will definitely be making again, probably as a work wardrobe staple, but I'd try it in the next size down to wear with jeans. 

Here is the finished result:

Birthday presents - the Anya bag

There are a couple of people with birthdays in April who I wanted to make presents for this year. I bought the Anya Bag pattern when it was released before Christmas by So Zo. Although it was a bit late for any presents last Christmas, I thought it would be the perfect make for quite a few people I know. I love the retro styling and the fact it doesn't use much fabric. 

I bought some fabulous and ridiculously cheap fabric last time I was in Ikea specifically to make a few of these bags. I hadn't intended to even look at the fabric there and Gareth was amused that I had found yet another place where I could add to my stash. I've got some black cotton lawn I bought ages ago with a project in mind (I can't remember what now), but never got round to making it so its ended up being lining fabric for quite a few other projects and I used it again for this. 

I cut the pattern out including the button tab twice (to make two bags), and earmarked two buttons from my collection for the closures. The fabric was really thick and I found it hard to sew straight lines as the grain of the fabric kept distorting the stitching line. For this reason, the button tabs ended up looking awful and I decided not to use them as they are optional anyway. 

I really enjoyed sewing this bag as it was a pretty quick project and the instructions were clear - an ideal make for a present. I'm pleased with the end result, I hope the two lovely ladies I've made these for like them too. 

I'll definitely be making more of these - they don't use much fabric so can be a great stash buster and the bag is a good size so very practical. Here is another pic which gives an idea of the size: