Party time with Lilou

An unexpected invite to a black tie event arrived in my inbox a few weeks ago.  When I called Gareth to check he was around to look after the kids so I could go, he asked me if I had already been looking at dress patterns.  He knows me too well...

I have been looking for an opportunity to make the Lilou dress from Love at First Stitch by Tilly Walnes since I first got the book.  The pleated option with bow belt in matching fabric is a lovely retro-style cocktail dress:

I bought a red stretch cotton for the dress and Liberty tana lawn from the lining, both from Sew Over It.  I got the idea for using the tana lawn as lining fabric from a Joan Dress that was on display at the Sew Over It stall at the handmade fair.  I absolutely love sewing with tana lawn (I last used Liberty fabric for a tie for Gareth and a Sorbetto top for myself), it adds a real touch of luxury, and looks beautiful:

This was the second lined dress I have made.  Attaching the lining went well, but I found sewing it to the underarms tricky.  I was tempted to turn it right side out, but couldn't bear to turn it inside out, then back to the right side again afterwards, so I followed the instructions in the book and it turned out fine.  The pleats were made using a method that was new to me, and I have to re-read the instructions several times before finally pinning it correctly.  I love the movement and fullness they give to the skirt.  I had to adjust the fit on the bodice by taking a 2cm seam allowance on the back seam, and I think I could take taken more off.  I think I might need to start making the next size down in Tilly's patterns soon (yippee!).  Annoyingly, the waistband seam wasn't level after inserting the zip (seems to be a recurring problem for me at the moment).  At least it is hidden by the bow belt!

I ended up having to ask my Mum for some help with adjusting the fit at the shoulders - she had to unpick the lining and reattach to make the adjustments.  I think I might start making a toile for any bigger dress projects in future to avoid this.  The bow belt ended up being trickier than I thought it would be, but I love it.  I added poppers as well as hook and eye so that it would definitely sit straight.

Here is the finished result (modelled before all the champagne):

It was a great night (The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For awards dinner - we came 43rd), and I'll definitely be wearing Lilou again.

I joined Instagram a couple of weeks ago and am already slightly addicted to all the lovely sewing and fabric related posts.  You can see more of what I have been up to at @adventuresinfabric

Finally, I was the lucky recipient of this stash of vintage sewing magazines last week:

I'm very excited about trying out some vintage sewing projects soon! x

Boxer shorts for my Valentine

I've made Gareth several pairs of boxer shorts previously, including a Star Wars design and headphones design. Although not the most original Valentines gift, they are practical and a great opportunity to use quirky fabric prints. The pattern is one I downloaded from Pinterest a couple of years ago (I think it is by Tokyo Textiles) and I can pretty much sew it from memory having made them a few times now. These are a quick make which is perfect as I was limited to sewing when Gareth was out of the house and children were also asleep. The fabric I chose was a skull and roses design from Frumble which is perfect for Valentines Day. Gareth loves them (he even offered to model them!!) - here is the finished result:

Happy Valentines Day x

Back to work (almost) with the Joan Dress and Ultimate Pencil Skirt

As I had a 'Keeping in Touch' day at work last week, my thoughts turned to workwear for my latest project.  Although I'm usually in jeans at the office, I do wear smart clothes for meetings and when I'm interviewing.  My sister bought me the Joan dress pattern from Sew Over It for my birthday back in October, as I had been telling her how much I liked it.  I bought some grey and purple check suiting and lining fabric from John Lewis with a voucher my aunt bought me for my birthday with this project in mind.  I've never made a fully lined dress before, and felt nervous about getting this right, especially with the time pressure of an occasion to wear it.

The fabric was the most expensive fabric I have ever sewn with, and also has an obvious check which needed to be pattern matched, so I was absolutely terrified cutting into it:

I pinned and re-pinned the pattern to the fabric in my attempts to match the checks effectively before cutting.  I kind of got it right, although the side seams of the bodice didn't quite match (not sure how I got this wrong).

The fabric was really lovely to sew with, but I found making the lining quite a challenge because the lining fabric was so slippery (no-one has to see it though!).  The sleeves went in really well in the main fabric, but were much trickier to set in in the lining.  The fit was really good without much alteration.  I did reduce the back seam allowance to 1cm at the waist, but I think it would have still fitted well without doing this.  My one frustration is that the back waistband seam wasn't level after inserting the zip and I couldn't work out how to rectify it.  I am planning on wearing it with a belt though, so this will be hidden.

Attaching the lining started OK, but then I got into a huge muddle around the kick pleat.  After a mammoth unpicking session (and a bit of cutting), I had to ignore the instructions and attach it by hand.  The kick pleat itself was a bit uneven, but the finished dress looks pretty good, and I loved the dress being fully lined as it was really comfortable and meant I could wear tights (pretty essential in January):

I actually ended up going in to work for two days last week, and decided to make the Ultimate Pencil Skirt from Sew Over It for the other day.  This was a very last-minute make and I made it in one baby naptime plus one evening.  I bought this as a kit when they were on special offer for the bargain price of £15 before Christmas.  I went for the Royal Blue version and I absolutely love the colour and fit.  I wish that I had lined it, as it kept sticking to my tights, despite wearing with a slip.  I have now ordered some lining fabric and will make the lining as soon as it arrives.  It's far too cold in Manchester to have skirts that can only be worn with bare legs!  I will definitely be making this again - it is the perfect work skirt:

 I had a rather lovely surprise on Sunday when I sat down with a cup of tea to read the latest Love Sewing magazine and saw this:

The 'Orla' top - Tilly and the Buttons

My first project of 2016 was determined by the need to find something to wear to a work event at the end of January and by the fact that my Mum had ordered this pattern before Christmas and I had been dying to give it a go.  As she is on holiday for the whole of January, I convinced her to lend it to me before she had even made it herself.  I will start by declaring my love for Tilly's patterns.  I have made three Mathilde blouses, a Bettine dress, an Agnes top and most of the patterns from Love at First Stitch.  I'm such a geeky fan, I even had my photo taken with her at The Handmade Fair back in September:

I had originally wanted to make the Orla top in a green crepe which my Mum bought me as a remnant from Sew Over It, but alas, there was only enough for the bodice.  I had some dark grey cotton lawn with tiny bow-tie design from Maud's Fabric Finds which I had earmarked for another Bettine.  Keen to get sewing, I decided to use it for this instead.  I was unsure whether to include the snowdrop collar - I wasn't sure if it would look right, or if I had the skills to sew it well (and sewn badly, it would make the whole thing look truly awful).  I cut the pattern pieces for it anyway, thinking that I didn't need to make an immediate decision.  I did debate making the collar in plain black cotton lawn to make it really stand out, but I thought this might look too much, and would be even harder to get right.

The Orla top was definitely a step-up for me skill-wise, and I enjoyed the challenge.  The instructions weren't as detailed as for other Tilly patterns, but I guess that this is aimed at a more experienced sewer (I'm always nervous of putting myself in this category when I see how good others are!).  Apart from one session when I was suffering from sleep deprivation (teething baby) and I sewed everything together wrong and had to unpick it, I managed to sew even the tricky bits well first time.  The collar was difficult, but I purposely took my time and decided to include it in the end.  I did find that I had to take it in on the upper body and the sleeves.  I've never used a facing on a hemline before, and I really like the effect.  I decided to apply fusible webbing to the hemline facing to keen the clean lines without any visible stitching.  

The finished result:

On reflection, I wish I had gone for the contrast collar as I feel like you can hardly see it here.  I would also make it with short sleeves next time.  Overall, I am pleased with the final result and I will be wearing it to my work event, but I don't think it will become a wardrobe staple in the same way my trusted Mathildes are.

Before I sign off, I would like to share a very proud moment from last week.  Thomas asked me if I could teach him to make his own clothes when he gets bigger.  Of course I can lovely boy xx

Hello (plus a round up of my Xmas 2015 sewing projects)

I'm not sure if anyone will read this, or if it will just be my personal record of sewing triumphs, frustrations and progress.  Either way, I'm delighted to finally be starting my own sewing blog.  I received a sewing machine as a Christmas present three years ago.  Since then, I have attended several courses to improve my skills and become pretty much addicted to sewing.  I'm always on the lookout for a new and challenging project, and I'm looking forward to sharing these adventures in fabric here.  Learning to sew has been a real challenge, and reading other sewing blogs has taught me so much.  In the spirit of new years resolutions, I promised myself that 2016 would be the year that I share my own adventures in fabric!  I'm completely new to all of this, so would love to hear any feedback!

Homemade Christmas 2015 and other festive projects

For the last 4 years, my family has had a 'Homemade Christmas'.  We only give homemade presents (for the adults, we do buy presents for the kids or that would just be mean!).  Coming from a family of knitters, sewists and crocheters, the quality of gifts has got better each year, and being a tiny bit competitive, I have felt the pressure to up my game.

I am most proud of the Slouchy Gilet from Simple Sew (free pattern with Love Sewing magazine) that I made for my Mum.  It was a bit of a nightmare to sew to be honest, I found the instructions confusing and it was made in jersey with an open-ended zip which were both tricky to work with.  I used a medium weight jersey knit from Abakhan fabrics in Manchester with a large dogtooth design, and I'm pretty chuffed with the result:

I made a tweed patchwork scarf (pattern from Love Sewing magazine) for my Dad, using fabric cut from old trousers and skirts from a local charity shop:

My sister has started going to the gym regularly, so I was excited when I found the gym bag pattern in the Cath Kidston Sew book.  I used a lightweight denim with a circle design and hot pink for the webbing and zips:

Then I made some matching Star Wars pjs for Daddy and Thomas (brilliant Star Wars fabric from Frumble; t-shirts printed myself):

Thomas started reception in September, so it was his first 'proper' nativity play at school.  He was given the part of 'King 2'.  I was ridiculously excited about the challenge of making his costume (my Mum always made ours), so rushed out to buy some regal fabric from Abakhan.  There wasn't a dry eye in the house (although some may have been tears of laughter at his 'comedy' King act!!):

Each year, I normally buy myself a new dress to wear to my work Christmas party and also on Christmas day.  I decided that this was the year that I would make my dress, and I have been dying to make the Ruby Dress from Love Sewing for ages.  I haven't made it before as I was pregnant when it came out, and have been losing weight since I had Polly seven months ago so have only sewn everyday type stuff for myself recently.  As I'm almost at my target weight, I decided to finally go for it.  I bought some polka-dot cotton sateen from Sew Over It (from Lisa herself) at the Handmade Fair in Manchester in November specifically for this dress, and it turned out brilliantly:

Finally, I needed to make something for Polly.  As we love to match in our family (see pyjama photo above!), I had to make her a dress to match mine using the leftover fabric.  I used a pattern from a book called Cute Clothes for Kids that I bought AGES ago and had never used.  She looks gorgeous as you can see:

Handmade Christmas was a success yet again.  I'm already starting to put aside patterns and fabric for this year, although I've got a few clothes for myself that I want to get under my belt first.  The first project for 2016 is already well underway - watch this space....

A xxx