Stylish Dress Book: Design F Jacket.

Oh my word! This is the make of which I am most proud, so far: stress free, straightforward and no sewing disasters.

Huge compliment… my husband likes it.  Though he thinks it’s like something “Mary Berry might wear”!!! Is that bit still complimentary?

The fabric, as per usual, is leftover from my Nan’s stash.  This started life as rather faded curtains and I had to fiddle around with pattern placement to make sure all the fabric was the same colour!  I have more of this fabric left that has been sun faded to a very light turquoise, which I might use at a later date.

The pattern is from Stylish Dress Book (Clothing for Everyday Wear) by Yoshiko Tsukiori.  The instructions are excellent, and provide an easy to see tick list to check you’ve done
 everything and in the right order.

Again, cute little pockets - I’m becoming a real pocket lover!

 
One make later, we have a great jacket and a happy stitcher… now, what next?

Breast Cancer Awareness - Pimp Your Bra!

I had a lovely evening last week surrounded by glitter, sequins, feathers and silk flowers.

The idea was to create a burlesque brassiere, whilst raising money for Breast Cancer Awareness.  I hand stitched tiny little pink flower sequins and a silk flower too.

Then, I added some ribbon for good measure.

This was my first go at hand stitching embellishment and it was really relaxing.  I had a lovely time and my bra looks fab.

These two were made by friends:

A great time was had, and all in a good cause.

The evening was organised by the lovely Julia at JuliaArts.

From Old Curtain Remnants to Cool Skirt

“Is that my old curtains?” my Mum chimed in, when she saw me in this new skirt. She’d worked out that the fabric was the same as curtains from her house in the early Seventies.

The curtains themselves were long gone, but I found some scraps of the fabric in my Grandmother’s stash, and here we are.  I went for a simple A-line skirt and added two pockets for extra character.

The Pattern is from “Sew U” by Wendy Mullin, a fab book for the beginner.  Starts with advice, hints and tips, then has three great patterns to follow, starting with the easiest (A-line skirt) and progressing through to low-rise trousers for the advanced stitcher.  Trousers will be a few years off for me, I think.  But I definitely felt ready to attempt the skirt.

It has a cute shape and a funky print - perfect to wear with tights and boots on these cold autumn days.  And the pockets are….COOL!

I used an elasticated waist as the thought of a zip was still just too scary.  Think I’m going to have to get some lessons if I’m going to take the next step in this dressmaking lark.  But overall I’m super pleased with my little brown skirt.

Layering in Autumn

I decided to make this from Simple Modern Sewing:

It’s design 3, the Boat Neck Jumper.  Jumper??  It looks like a dress to me.  The neckline is joined at the sides of the neck just like a baby-grow, so it slips over your head very easily.  It is also nice and loose in the body.

The instructions are straightforward, listed numerically with illustrations.  I love these illustrations they seem to speak to me in a way that written explanations just leave me scratching my head.

My only deviation was to chop off 2 inches on the centre fold as otherwise I would have drowned in all the fabric!

This went together very quickly. There are only two main pieces plus facings.  As it was very easy, I felt confident enough to line it.  The print fabric is very thin quilting weight fabric, and I thought it needed more body.  It’s very easy to layer over long tops and I’ve had lots of compliments when wearing it.

The print is a very pretty floraI one. Actually, it was the first piece of fabric I ever purchased several years ago.  I had great ideas and never did anything… until now.  May have to make another of these it was such an enjoyable make.

Simple Modern Sewing

A simple white shirt with little puffy sleeves.  Easy to wear and simple to put together:

 

This is design 7b from Simple Modern Sewing by Shuf To Seikatsu Sha.

 

It's an excellent book containing beautiful pictures and lovely designs.  There are 8 basic patterns that can be adapted to make 25 different garments; the outfits are all loose and easy to layer.

I chose this pattern first as it looked very easy to make, and I'm still lacking a little confidence with my sewing skill; but, with each make, I am getting a bit faster and a bit braver.

What I like best about this book is that it is aimed at the beginner. There are guides on essential tools and “how to” transfer pattern markings and finish seams etc.  Just what I needed.

The fabric I chose to use was a very thin white cotton (Embroidery Anglaise, I think - not sure if I just made that term up!).  I decided to line it as otherwise you’d see my bra through it.  It's easy to wear and wash, finished with French seams.

How I’m loving this sewing Malarkey!