The Linden Sweatshirt - super quick selfish sewing

After the complicated marathon project that was the boy's shirts, I was up for some simple sewing. I also felt like making something for no particular reason other than I wanted to. My sister lent me the Linden Sweatshirt pattern by Grainline Studios when I 'accidentally' bought 2 metres of grey and red striped sweatshirt fabric from Girl Charlee (I thought it was jersey and had planned to make a long sleeved Agnes top to wear under my new Cleo dress, not blogged yet).  I've been planning to make this for a while and had spent ages sourcing some grey sweatshirt ribbing to go with it. I eventually found some in the Ottobre etsy shop and bought it, despite it being ludicrously expensive. 

However, when it came down to starting the project a few weeks ago, I was put off by the thought of pattern matching the stripes on the raglan sleeves. Inspired by another sweatshirt I bought ages ago, I realised that the solution would be to get some plain grey fabric for the sleeves. No pattern matching required and it would stop the stripes looking too much. My Mum picked up some plain grey sweatshirting at Guthrie and Ghani last time she was there (she's lucky enough to live nearby). 

When I finally got round to starting the project, I was pleasantly surprised at quite how simple it was. It can be sewn up entirely on the overlocker and the whole thing took a couple of hours at most. Although it isn't essential to finish all the seams using a coverstitch machine (or twin needle on a regular machine), I've hardly used mine and wanted to have a play. I'm still getting used to it, but I love the professional finish it gives.  There were a couple of hiccups, like when I made the rookie mistake of forgetting to put the foot down (think I thought I was still on the overlocker).  Even spending extra time doing this, it was still a one-evening project, which is exactly what I needed. Even better, I know I will get so much wear out of it. This is a fab pattern and one I will make time and time again. 

 

Matching shirts for my boys

I was confronted at Christmas by a cross Thomas. 'You're always making clothes for you and Polly and all you make for me and Daddy is pyjamas' he declared. So clothes for the boys made their way onto my sewing 'to do' list. 

The Negroni shirt by Walden (by Colette patterns) is another one of those sewing blogger staples that I've been planning to make for a while. I'd always been too nervous to attempt a shirt but making the Rosa shirt by Tilly and the Buttons gave me the confidence to give it a go.  Unfortunately, there isn't a pattern for a kid's version so I settled on Simplicity 8180 for a version for Thomas. I bought some navy cotton with white whales on it from myfabrics (looks better than it sounds!). I love the fact that shirts use a thicker cotton and that really opens up fabric design choices. Gareth chose the buttons on a solo trip to a John Lewis (with the help of the assistant).  

I spent a whole afternoon cutting out both shirts - there were so many pattern pieces. Thomas asked me to make his first so of course I obliged. I'm glad I've got quite a bit of sewing experience as although the pattern pieces were correct and went together well, the instructions left a lot to be desired. I made a couple of changes - the top button is supposed to have a rouleau loop but (partly due to my continued inability to make rouleau loops), I decided to do a normal buttonhole instead. I also added topstitching at the collar, cuffs and around the button stand (thanks for the suggestion Mum!). The most frustrating part of the whole project was trying to pattern match the pockets. I ended up cutting them out 3 times before I got it right. Thankfully I had plenty of spare fabric. 

I was pleased that I'd had a 'practice run' with Thomas's shirt when I came to starting Gareth's. The instructions were far clearer on this, but there were techniques I hadn't used before, like flat-felled seams. I spent ages pattern-matching the pockets again and just couldn't get it right, so gave up in the end, figuring it was less obvious on a bigger shirt. I also had to re-cut a number of pieces where the pattern was upside down or where I hadn't read the instructions properly and had only cut 2 instead of 4. I added the same topstitching detail as on Thomas's shirt, and also changed the top button placement. It didn't turn out quite as well on this but it isn't that noticeable when on. 

Neither of these were a quick sew by any means, but I would definitely recommend both patterns. The fit is great with minimal adjustment and the sense of achievement in making a shirt is fantastic!  I will definitely be making both again, possibly short sleeved versions for the Summer. 

Here they are ready to go to a birthday party:

 

And a full length photo:

 

Moneta in Manila

A business trip to Manila is obviously a reason for me to get stitching, but in the middle of January I didn't want to make something for the trip that I wouldn't wear again until Summer. The solution was to make a dress I could wear on the trip in the sun and also wear back at home with tights in the middle of Winter. 

The Moneta dress by Collette Patterns is one of those dresses that every sewing blogger under the sun has made at least one version of - it's such a versatile and flattering pattern. I can't believe I haven't got round to making it until now. I finally bought the pattern and some beautiful great and purple spandex viscose with bold wide stripes from Guthrie and Ghani. The colours were probably a bit drab for the beautiful Filipino sunshine, but more practical for rainy Manchester.  

As usual, I found I had bought far too much fabric when I started cutting out. The construction of the bodice was very easy on the overlocker. I also got a chance to have a first play with my new toy - a coverstitch machine which was my prize in the dressmaker of the year competition back in September. After a couple of false starts and a bit of frantic googling, I loved using it and the finish on gems is so professional. The skirt has in-seam pockets and these went in well. To gather the skirt, you need to use clear elastic which is shirred. I hadn't used this method for gathering skirts before, only for knicker elastic!  I wasn't as neat as I could be and the elastic ended up about 1.5cm down from the edge in some areas. When I attached the skirt to the bodice, the stitching was visible, but even worse, I caught some of the skirt in the overlocker (wasn't concentrating properly).  It was ruined with no way to fix it and I was devastated. 

Luckily all that extra fabric came in handy! I cut another skirt from the leftover fabric and a new bodice from the skirt of my first attempt. This time it went together perfectly and I sewed the whole thing up in one evening. Despite my near disaster, this was a really enjoyable project and I can see why Moneta has gained such a following. I'll definitely be making one again (but will be more careful next time. 

 

I also took the opportunity to go fabric shopping in Manila and picked up some bargains. Lots more projects on the way!

I did try to get a few pics of the dress before I went, but Polly was keen to get in on the action!

 

Long-haul comfort - Hudson Pants

My January plans now rather unexpectedly include a trip to Manila in the Philippines for work. I'm quite excited and also a bit nervous about such a long business trip. It also presents an opportunity for sewing, of course!  The average temperature there at the moment is 30 degrees in the day, going down to 23 degrees at night, so I'll be digging out all those Summer dresses I made last year.   First though, I wanted to make something comfortable to wear on the (very) long journey there. 

I decided to hunt out a pattern for comfortable trousers/ trackies to wear on the journey. The Hudson Pant pattern from True Bias seemed to fit the bill perfectly - it is a casual, urban style trouser made from knit fabric with wide ankle cuffs. I ordered some super soft french terry from Girl Charlee in a monochrome Aztec pattern, plus some ribbed black jersey for the cuffs, waistband and pocket detail. 

As the waistband is gathered, I cut according to the rest of my measurements because I knew I could cut the elastic for the waist myself and I wanted the bottom of the legs to be tight as intended. The pattern states that is was made for someone who is 5'5", so I knew the leg length would be OK (I'm 5'3"). 

The french terry was much softer with more of a drape than other french terry I've worked with. However, it handled well without being too slippery.  I used the overlocker for most of this project so it was super quick. The only thing I missed out was the cord because I didn't have one and didn't have time to buy one. I have put in the button holes and channel for it though, so will add in. The waist is less gathered than the pattern states, but this allowed me to achieve a good fit. 

 

I'm not sure why I look so glen in the picture! I had quite a lot of the cotton jersey left, so I made a quick Shannon t-shirt to match. I've made the dress version a few times, but this was the first time I had made the t-shirt. I would add a few centimetres to the length next time. For some reason, the neckline stretched a bit when I was topstitching the seam allowance but it isn't too  obvious  being plain black. 

So now my secret pyjamas are complete, I can head off on my adventure in comfort!

One year in - reflections and homemade Christmas update

At the start of last year I made the first New Years Resolution that I would ever keep - to write this blog. And what a year it turned out to be. I appeared in Love Sewing magazine on 4 occasions, was interviewed for a bookazine, won a bundle of fabric and. New Coverstitch machine, was linked to from my favourite sewing blog (So Zo), was a Girl Charlee knit pick twice and gained over 430 followers on Instagram. I didn't start the blog with the intention of anything other than recording my own sewing journey, so to have received this level of recognition in year one has been beyond what I could have imagined. More than anything, I have loved becoming part of the growing and very helpful online sewing community. I've gained and given advice, been inspired and even been gifted patterns. So I'll definitely be keeping this up, with some more surprises in store for 2017. 

As usual, my family held another 'Homemade Christmas'. Despite my grumbling, I love doing this and the presents get more impressive each year. My gifts this year were very cheesy matching pyjama bottoms. The patterns I used were the Margot pyjama bottoms from Tilly and the Buttons (ladies), Taylor's pyjama pants (little kids), GBSB book one (Gareth) and a Simplicity pattern - can't remember the number (Dad, Ian and Fin). They were easy to sew and the fit was good on all except the Simplicity ones which were too big of all three. By the end of making them I never wanted to see a pair of pyjama bottoms again!!

 

As I mentioned, the presents everyone made this year were amazing. I didn't manage to get photos of them all in the chaos, but here are a few:

 

 

 

 

 

The Rosa shirt - first day style

I started my new job this week. It was pretty strange (and nerve racking) to be the new girl again after more than 9 years at the old place. I find that it always helps to have something new to wear on the first day!  I actually finished this project a few weeks ago but have been saving it to wear for the new job. 

I bought the Rosa shirt and shirt-dress pattern from the Tilly and the Buttons stand at the Handmade Fair, only a few days after it was released. I was excited about making this as I've never made a shirt before and there were a number of new techniques. The styling is very 70s which is an era I love. I also bought some gorgeous 'raindrop' fabric by Cotton and Steel from Maud's Fabric Finds on the same day. I was torn between grey/blue and grey/hot pink. I went for the hot pink in the end and bought some matching hot pink buttons from John Lewis to match. I was a bit nervous about all the topstitching in this project so decided to just use a coordinating grey thread in case I made any mistakes. I think this was a good choice in retrospect as additional pink stitching may have looked too much with the pattern on the fabric. 

The first thing that struck me was how many pattern pieces there were in this project. It too forever to trave off and cut out. I also managed to get one of the collar pieces wrong when cutting out so had to re-do this. The shirt uses princess seams with a mock-felled seam finish. Both of these are new techniques to me, but Tilly's instructions were fabulous as usual and I managed to get the hang of both pretty quickly. The topstitching was ok in the end, I just took my time and managed to finish it neatly.  I also took my time with the collar and am over the moon with how it turned out - I've struggled to get nest collars on other projects and this success was definitely down to the clear instructions. 

The sleeves are turned up, with a button tab to hold them in place. I tried this, but didn't like the look of the wrong side of the fabric showing. I used the fold up technique from the Poppy playsuit by Sew Over It to give the impression of turned up sleeves, but showing the right side of the fabric. The only mistake I made was the positioning of the top button. I was annoyed with myself about this, but it isn't that obvious when on, so not too bad.  I didn't have to make any adjustments to the do at all. I'll be making a dress version very soon!

Here I am wearing it on my first morning:

 

Heather - the cosiest winter dress ever?

I love wearing jeans, but sometimes it's nice to pull on a casual dress and tights. Somehow it feels a bit more dressed up, but for very little effort - win. When I saw the new Heather Dress pattern from Sew Over It, it fitted the bill perfectly. 

This is a PDF only pattern, which is really annoying. As I've said before, I would happily pay a couple of extra pounds so that I don't have to spend an entire afternoon cutting the pattern out and sticking together with sellotape. However, I understand why the indie pattern houses release patterns like this and it does at least mean you get the pattern straight after buying it. 

For my first attempt at the Heather Dress, I used an organic cotton interlock knit bought from Maud's fabric finds at the Handmade Fair. It is much more sturdy than a lot of knit fabrics and was lovely to see with. The best thing about sewing with stretch fabrics is being able to sew most of it on the overlocker which saves a huge amount of time. I was feeling lazy/ impatient when I made this and used a zig zag stitch rather than a twin stretch needle for the hems and to finish the neckline because I couldn't be bothered to sew up my machine for the twin needle. I think it looks fine, although the extra effort would probably have given a more professional finish. I went for the size 10 as usual in Sew Over It patterns and while it fitted fine around the shoulders and arms, it was too big in the body. I haven't altered it yet, but will take a couple of cms off the sides. 

In this picture I am gathering the dress together at the back with my hand, so it looks like it fits better than it actually does:

 

I also bought some striped French Terry from the Sew Over It website to make another Heather Dress. I spent ages trying to pattern match the stripes on the side panels with the front and back panels and failed miserably. I think I can just about get away with it, so I'm still planning to wear this out and about. My Mum has just made a version of this dress in striped fabric as well and she made the stripes on the side panels vertical, thus eliminating the challenge of pattern matching- wish I'd thought of that! I learnt my lesson on the fit and took a much bigger seam allowance down the sides and am happier with the fit. It is more fitted without being too tight, and fabric is so warm and comfortable, I'll be wearing this loads:

 

 

I've now received my Coverpro machine (although not had time to play with it yet) - this should make it even easier to sew projects like this.