It’s Mother’s Day here in the States. Because it’s my first I wanted to mark it with something special. I whipped up my first garment of the year (crazy, right?) and made Ollie a matching bow tie.
The fabric came from a lovely shop in Edinburgh during a meetup there. I was stuck with not knowing what to use it for. But recently it hit me: circle skirt. And it proved to be the best project to flex my sewing foot. Now I won’t be too nervous about approaching my other projects.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Ever since I acquired some stripey jersey fabric from the lovely Rehanon at a swap, I knew I wanted to make it into a skirt. And today was finally the day! Using a maternity skirt that I specifically bought to use as a pattern, I whipped it up this morning.
There’s not much to say about the project. It was fast, easy and just what the morning called for.The skirt only has one seam and I am happy that I managed to match the stripes. I encased some elastic for the waistband and that’s it. I had the perfect amount of fabric (a meter-ish, I think) and enough left over for a nifty headband. Sweet.
Happy Monday!
The Sew U Home Stretch book has been making the rounds in the blogosphere (totally check out Karen’s, Winnie’s and Rachel’s garments). I totally understand why: the book comes with basic pattern pieces and instructions on how to manipulate them to make various types of garments. I wanted another comfy bump-friendly knit dress so I went with the babydoll pattern. Before getting started I had to grade the pattern up, like usual. I added 6 inches to the bust and 8 inches to the waist. Of course, suffering from baby brain (it’s real, y’all. I forget stuff mid-sentence!) I forgot to grade up the sleeve! Of course I didn’t realize this until after I finished making the dress. D’oh! There’s a wee bit of strain on the bodice from the tight sleeve but it’s not awful. And still totally wearable.
I always have issues when sewing. I’m prone to making stupid mistakes. You name it, I do it. This time around I had issues with the neckband. It was pretty thick so stitching in the ditch proved quite tricky. After unpicking twice, and stretching out the neckline a bit (I need to stop doing that!), I decided I hated the finish. I cut it out and went with a thicker neckband, which I quite like the look of.
I had to take my photo shoot indoors after some unsuccessful fuzzy photos outside.
Changes for next time (because I am totally making another one):
1. Taking an inch off the back bodice. My back is smaller than the front, so there was a bit of a gape at the neck. I unfortunately couldn’t get a clear photo of this.
2. Either leave the sleeves out or grade the sleeve up a bit and leave the puffiness out. I’m not quite in love with the extra volume on my already voluminous biceps. Ya, know.
3. Adjust for the bump: see about lengthening the front skirt so it doesn’t look shorter than the back.
I’m looking forward to making more garments from the book. Having very few successful attempts at knit, I will classify this dress as a win! It’s comfy, fast to sew together and cute to boot.
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I want to give a very special thanks to Evie from Pendle Stitches for gifting me with a lovely pattern and cardigan for baby boy. I was so thrilled to have received such a wonderful gift…I cried. Maybe it was the hormones but I’m quite the sap usually.
And to continue the feeling of an early Christmas and giving, I won a giveaway from Maider and got a parcel of goodies. Thanks, Maider!
All this receiving means it’s time for me to give back. I need to work on hosting a giveaway ASAP! More on that later.
I am very thankful for Rachel and her help with Simplicity 1998. With her help I managed to save it…kinda. After unpicking the neck binding the fabric stretched out quite a bit. And I was given the advice (thanks IngeMaat) to steam the heck out of it to make the fabric recover.
Unfortunately I forgot to do it. Totally forgot. And after attaching the neck binding for the fourth time since starting this dress, well, I wasn’t going to unpick it. But that’s okay. I will be sporting the boatneck/Madonna-circa-Papa-Don’t-Preach look. And I am okay with that.
Rachel measured me, all of me: high bust, full bust, shoulder width, hip to floor, etc. With these figures we realized that my initial cutting of size 22 was oh so wrong. I ended up needing a size 14 at the neck, left the arms at 22 for length, an 18 at the bust and waist and 20 at the hips. The dress is definitely not swallowing me like before.
It’s roomy in the back but not too much.
I’m quite happy with the results. I got a wearable dress and the fabric was not wasted. The neckline could have been better but I can live with the 80s look.
Making this dress made my bad sewing habits come out front and center.
1. I very rarely measure the flat pattern and compare the measurements against my own. Had I done this I would have seen that there was 16 inches of ease built into size 22! Just so you know, the size 22 was for a high bust of 44 and I’m 43.5 so I wasn’t wrong to go with 22. I was wrong to think the ease was minimal.
2. I never pull or manipulate my fabric to make sure the grain lines are even. Bad Mela.
3. I wish I would remember to use a pressing cloth. I always end up with shiny bits on my fabric. Yuck!
4. I want to learn to love the rotary cutter. Cutting knit would be so much easier if I would just learn to use one properly.
5. Fitting would go so much easier if I basted my stitches, checked the fit and went from there.
6. I must start looking up the proper settings for my machine depending on the fabric I’m using. And find out the proper needle size. I initially used a jersey needle in size 75/11 but it kept skipping stitches. After a bit of research I went with 80/12 and it worked perfectly.
Thank you Rachel for your help. And thank you Simplicity 1998 for making me realize I have some bad sewing habits to work on.
A week ago today I was making pants…the British kind!
Thank you to the beautiful Winnie for inviting me for an awesome crafty day in Bath. I apologize that it has taken me so long to say thanks. I’ve been a little distracted this week making two muslins and a dress! But before I go on to tell you about them I have to give you a bit back story on why I decided to make this particular pattern.
Something has been popping up among sewing bloggers for the last few months. Stitch and Witter has it. As does Thread Carefully, True Bias, and Julia Bobbins. Even Casey of Elegant Musings has one! Well I am here to throw my name into the list cause I got one too!
Here I am sporting my new groovy 1970s dress and wee bump. Sixteen weeks gone, twenty-four to go!
The maternity pattern I used looked very straight-forward but I was still really nervous about cutting into my Liberty fabric without some practice. So much so that I made two wearable(ish) muslins. I graded the pattern from a bust size 40 to 42 but soon found out the amount of ease would have made the dress fit fine without any big changes. The yoke was so baggy I added a keyhole of sorts to try and take the puffiness away. It sorta worked. But the shoulders are definitely still far too wide.
Thank goodness for cardigans and sweaters. They hide lots of issues: chubby arms, back boobs, baggy yokes, you know, the usual.
So for muslin numero dos I went with a bust size 40. And I shoulda (coulda woulda) taken in the shoulders by half an inch or so but laziness won out. I didn’t want to mess with the armscye because I didn’t want to adjust the sleeve. Boy was that dumb. I didn’t even use the sleeves. They were a bit too groovytastic, if you know what I mean. Sadly this second version kind of reminds me of the uniform used by the reptile aliens in the movie V.
Yeah. Not amused, there. The black poplin I used also has a sheen to it. Reminds me of a garbage bag. Not cute. Will I wear it? Maybe. Big maybe. But this wreck was totally worth it because this beauty came from all that practice.
This was my first time sewing with Liberty fabric. You read/hear people say “It was a dream to sew with” and it’s true. Totally not an overrated statement. It’s the butter of fabrics. Love it, want more of it, please, thank you. And holy moly does this fabric make this dress look…well…pricey. As it should because Liberty fabric doesn’t come cheap. Worth every freaking penny.
For the yoke I used some lovely Japanese lace I bought from Etsy. I initially bought it to make an Ava top. Thankfully I have loads left over for when I decide to make another one.
I made some bias binding for the shoulders. I really love the contrast between the binding and the yoke. So delicate and pretty.
I actually patted myself in the back and sighed with relief once I was done with the centered zip. You can’t see but I lined the dress and was deathly afraid of really cocking up at this stage. Luckily it all went smoothly.
So there you have it: pants, two muslins, a dress, and a wee babe. No one can say I’m not productive. With that said I am really looking forward to learning on how to make this curvy body delicious maternity wear. Because let’s face it, the chub doesn’t get much love in the maternity clothes department. And I refuse to be a fashion victim just because my stomach will be four times its size in a few months 
I love hosting parties. I really really do. I am a born feeder, always baking and sharing the results. So when it came down to finding a place to host a little sewist summer party, I volunteered. I had a blast making the decorations and baking a few bits.
Inspired by a few fabric garlands on Pinterest, I made my own. It used quite a bit of scraps and can easily be put away and used again for other parties. Highly recommended! It’s very shabby chic and brightens up a space quite well.
My me-made napkins finally got some use. I made these when I first started sewing so they have a special place in my heart. I kept them away in the linen closet and finally decided to bring them out. They are quite bright and cheery and dressed up the table nicely.
A party ain’t a party without some sweets…
Or savory bits…
So those are just a few snapshots of what I made. I also played bartender and made some cocktails, including a gin concoction that I need to replicate again so I can share the recipe. It’s much too good to keep to myself. Once I round up some gin I will try as many times possible until I get the cocktail right. It’s a sacrifice I am willing to make .
I am a true believer that sharing is caring. So for now I will leave you with the recipe for my go-to *honey margarita. Cheers!
Fill a 14 oz. shaker with the following ingredients:
2 oz. Hurradura Reposado
Splash of Cointreau
1 oz Honey
2 oz. Fresh squeezed lime juice
1 oz. Fresh squeezed orange juice
Squeeze half of a lime
Cover, shake and pour over ice in a martini glass.
*recipe adapted from a Blue Mesa Grill Agave Nectar Margarita recipe.
Hello! Sorry I’ve been so quiet lately. I’ve been feeling pretty blah since I came back from Virginia early this month. Sewing usually helps with my blah moments but Me-Made-May left me a bit worn out. I was full of ideas but really didn’t want to do anything with them. But sewing is good for me so I pushed through and worked on the fit of some Clovers. There’s still some adjustments that need doing, so I decided to work on a quick project. My last Hazel came out so well I decided to make another. A sunshine dress. This is the version that has been floating in my head for weeks (excuse my Paint.net skills) :
For some reason the sides are smidgen big (maybe the fabric stretched out while putting in lining?) but I am still quite happy with how it turned out.
I used cotton-linen blend fabrics and a soft unbleached cotton for the lining. This was the first time I inserted a dress lining and although we fought a bit I won the fight. It went in.
This dress is my personal ray of sunshine. It lifted my mood just trying it on. I think I’m in love.
The back side panels are gray too but I forgot to take a photo. But this picture of the zip shows a bit of gray, just enough so you get the idea.
This was the perfect project to get me back into the groove of sewing again. Although I feel a bit intimidated by the idea I think I might try making Victory Patterns’ Ava dress. Oh, and work on those Clovers.
I’m not sure why I like this last photo. Maybe it’s the deer-in-headlights look?
No one can argue that the sewing community is a wonderful one to belong to. I find myself very fortunate to be part of such a welcoming and opening group of people. I love meeting up with fellow sewists and chatting about projects and just life in general. So it’s to no surprise that I jumped at the opportunity to meet up with Claire. We met at the OWOP cocktail meetup. She casually mentioned she lived at a castle and I basically invited myself over. I can be a bit shy at times but not enough to miss out hanging with a lovely sewist at her castle!
Okay. So Claire doesn’t live in the castle. As a gardener for the Sissinghurt Castle grounds she lives in the most adorable cottage ever.
Here we are looking adorable in our me-made outfits. She’s wearing a sweet swiss dot Sorbetto and an awesome Ginger skirt. I’m wearing my new self-drafted circle skirt.
But before I go on about the skirt. Check out the grounds she calls work and home.
Can you imagine this place being at your front door?
After a lovely guided tour around the famous gardens, Claire took my friend and I back to her cottage for some tea and delicious carrot cake. She even gave us some cake for the train ride home. It was just as tasty the second time around. Thanks so much for the awesome hospitality, Claire!
Now for the skirt. I drafted a full circle skirt using two tutorials: Patty Snug Bug’s Circle Skirt calculator and Casey’s Circle Skirt Sew-along posts. For the waistband I just used the one I drafted for my gathered skirt. For a full skirt I used about 2 meters of cotton twill fabric. It was 60 inches wide. Any less and I would have had to sacrifice length and I wasn’t too sure if I wanted to do that. In hindsight I’ll make a shorter one next time.
I do love how the skirt swishes about as you move. I can easily imagine myself swing dancing with Greg while wearing it (with shorts of course!). I definitely think this skirt will get a lot of wear.
My favorite part of the skirt is the slashed open zipper. The skirt has no seams so I was quite curious about how I was going to insert a zipper. Casey’s tutorial helped with that immensely.
Another Me-Made day completed! Five more to go!
From all the Victory Patterns it was the Madeleine pattern that I was most drawn to. I love how flirty flared skirts look. When it came to making Madeleine I was quite nervous. At the time I hadn’t made a lapped zip or top-stitched a garment so heavily. I actually experienced my first thread emergency. I ran out of top-stitching thread and had to run out to Rolls and Rems to pick up two more spools.
Sewing up the skirt was relatively easy. I graded the pattern up one size and cut off 3.5 inches from the hem. The only real issue that occurred was that my waistband still came out short. I had to improvise and make a loop to catch the button on the back. Worked pretty well, I think. The only other hiccup occurred when some of the top-stitching DISINTEGRATED on one of the pockets. I had to stitch it again by hand because the dress was already completed. Upon inspection you might notice the crooked stitches but I doubt anyone will be looking that closely.
The inspiration behind the fabric color is my upcoming 10 year (!!!) college reunion. Recently I purchased my plane ticket and I pictured wearing a green Madeleine on the flight. Our university colors are green and gold. Although I didn’t pick the right shade of green I much preferred the kelly green. I purchased the fabric from an eBay seller and I am really considering buying more to make a cropped pair of the Colette Clover. The cotton drill is so soft, has a bit of stretch and it worked beautifully.
After I finished making Madeleine I knew a great compliment to it would be a Jasmine blouse. I used some navy floral fabric I picked up during Karen’s Fabric Fandango. Now that I look at the two together I’m not sold. I swear the look worked in my head. I am totally not on my way to a dairy farm or to sing in the hills of Austria.
But I will admit. I LOVE the way the navy floral fabric compliments all the details in the skirt.
Great roomy pockets to smuggle in candy into the movie theater (Muahahahahahaha). If I make the skirt again I definitely will trace two lines on the right side pockets instead of one. My second line came out a bit wonky without a line to follow.
I bought these buttons from Totally Buttons and I love them. They are so so sweet.
My improvised button loop. Can I just say that the lapped zipper might be the way to go? So pretty and easy.
I think I am going to sport the skirt with a simple t-shirt. The skirt is such a statement piece that it should not compete with a top.
This is my second Jasmine. I made it especially for the skirt but have decided to wear it on its own. It’s a bit roomy and I am thinking I will take it in on the sides a bit. I don’t know why with dresses and blouses I under-fit or over-fit. It seems skirts are just my thang. Working on making them all my thang.
After so much modeling I happily rewarded myself with a nice cup of coffee. Oh! Notice the headband? Skirt scraps I turned into a headband. Won’t be pairing that with the skirt in fear of looking too matchy matchy but I love the way it looks with the new Jasmine.
…and when it does I can share the last garment I made during the Great Internet Blackout. And one made shortly after.
Until then here’s a wee preview because I am too impatient to wait to share.
