Fall Essentials Sew Along (FESA)

I had already half written a post about my sewing plans when the announcement for FESA popped up in my blog roll so I decided to scrap that and join in.

I participated last year (on my old blog) and even though I didn't get all my planned items finished I also didn't do too badly either. For those who aren't familiar, the sew along is the brainchild of Sarah who blogs over at Rhinestones and Telephones which is where you will find out the full details of the sew along categories.

Having had a good think about it, I have decided upon a few definites, and a few "if I get the time" items.


Fabulous Foundations For Frosty Weather:

Closet Case Patterns Ginger Jeans

Simplicity 2700 (source)

I have the denim pre-washed and ready to use for two pairs of Gingers. My remaining full leg length pair finally went pop and wore through at the thighs so replacements are a must. I decided to make two at once since it is most definitely trouser weather here now and I should wash them more often than I do (yeah that's a bit gross I know).

If I get time I will make another pair of the Simplicity 2700 amazing fit trousers. Not sure if I have anything in the stash suitable and I am loathe to use my precious yardage of herringbone linen on them.

Chic Chemises For Cooler Climates:

(source)

I guess this one is a bit of a cheater... I have two blouses basted together that have been dumped in a basket for several months that I will be finishing, they were cut at the same time as my beloved polka dot blouse from the pattern I bodged together.

I also have an unfinished New Look 6212. I have no idea why I thought this was a good pattern to purchase, I was swayed by being able to use up some of my chiffon stash. Aaaand I didn't notice there were no bust darts for shaping. I have the main body of version B sewn up, Just the collar and button plackets left (I don't want the pockets) but I am going to have to do french seamed fish eye darts in the front for a last ditch attempt at salvaging this. I look hideously enormous with no shaping.


Fabulous Frocks:

(Source)

I will make no secret of the fact I will always love this pattern. It may not be the popular shirt dress of the blogosphere but I can't get enough of it! I have made 5 dresses and 3 blouses from it so far - that may not sound like much but I am a more conservative sewist than some so proportionally it is a lot.

I have some black flannel lined up for a 1/2 or 3/4 length puff sleeved, full skirted, cozy winter dress.


Underneath It All:

I intend to make a half slip from some suitable black fabric found lurking in my stash. It must have been hidden there for over 7 years! If I have the yardage in my stash I will pop a lace trim on the bottom, if not it will remain plain.


Tender Tootsies:

I would be optimistic if I said I will knit some socks, but I would like to at least start a pair.


Those Cozy Nights:

Does a hot water bottle cover count? Can't commit to it entirely but it is something I have been meaning to get around to doing. A good way to practice some Intarsia or Fair Isle techniques.


Baby It's Cold Outside:

(source)

(source)

This is the most important category to get done! I have a hoodie, and a thick men's cardigan to serve me as outerwear. I muslined up the Leanne Marshall coat last December and was short on fabric to make the long version. I may see if I can fit the short length version on my existing yardage. If not I will have to look at putting aside some cash for some new fabric, or finding a different pattern.

I have fabric and notions for the Cordova jacket, I just need to print off the pattern and faff around with grading it up and a fba. Which is a less than thrilling series of events. I also intend to lower the neckline into a V, for no reason other than I would prefer it that way.


So those are my grand plans, 10 garments, 2 knitted items. I may add a cardigan or sweater to the list if I have all the correct needles/notions/yarn in my stash. I think a myrna is a possibility, I can always frog my badly fitting one if I need extra yarn. As this is fall essentials I won't include any plans for a Christmas dress, not that I really need one.

How is everyone else doing with their plans?

"Lady Skater" Style Dress From SBCC Tonic Tee

Happy Friday folks!

Last week I finally got round to taking some photos of my Lady Skater rip off dress, and of the billion taken a few were not entirely terrible even if I do have a touch of the "about to start impersonating Michael Flatley" kinda vibe in them.

I made this dress in April, I wanted a new dress to wear for my birthday so most likely I started it in good time....the day before ;)

Sleeping or looking at something interesting on the floor - you decide!

I lightened the pics to aid in actually seeing a black garment, and yes, knickers and bra also match...

So I started off with the SBCC Tonic Tee pattern and scooped out the neck at the front and back, then shortened it to hit at my natural waist. I may have measured it, or just put a bodice pattern on top to compare lengths, it was a while ago and I can't remember exactly.

I feel like the princess of darkness with these glorious sleeves!

There look to be drag lines in this pic but I'm not sure if it is the position of my arm. I drafted some facings for the neck and it sits pretty well. I sewed down the back facing but not the front and it stays in place fine without flipping. I have noticed a bit of gaping in the neckline in some positions so I would consider a bit of clear elastic in the seam in future. I used the sleeves I made up for some other garment, possibly for the Lisette Traveller dress. I really need to invest in some hilarious 80's patterns for some statement sleeve goodness, I L-O-V-E puffy, gathered, ruched, layered, pleated, bold sleeves. It's just a thing...I cant help it! I put a little lace over the shoulder seams for added interest too.

Is that a donut over there?

I believe I used the skirt pieces for the Lisette Traveller dress which is just a gathered A line. I will have shortened it from the top to increase the gathers and keeping the width at the bottom. I used clear elastic in the waist seam but my overlocker just seemed to push it out from under the foot whenever possible, and my sewing machine hates it too. I would try using a regular elastic next time perhaps. I'm not sure if there is better clear elastic available but the "Hemline" brand stuff which is all I seem to be able to get my hands on is pretty wide and a bit rubbery, not like the stuff I have seen used in RTW. If youknow of a UK source for that type of clear elastic please tell me!

This kinky shot reveals the special surprise of this fabric - it is grey on the other side! The fabric is a double sided ponte, gloriously thick and soft, and had I known how nice it was I would have ordered more! If I had put more thought into it I could have made the dress reversible, but lets face it, I would not wear such a light grey! As you can see I just overlocked the edge and sewed a small hem.

Overall I am thrilled with this dress, and now the temperature has dropped again I look forwards to wearing it more often - although really in England it is only July and perhaps a week either side where it is too hot for anything other than a flimsy sun dress. It could do with being taken in an inch either side of the bodice, but now it is in my wardrobe I am less inclined to mess about with it, a belt suffices to be honest.

This was an easy "hack", and I recommend it wholeheartedly if you haven't purchased the Lady Skater and don't mind a tiny bit of work making the facing pattern pieces....and y'know it's cheaper!

Enjoy your weekend!

Project Wardrobe: The (Late) Half Year Update

Well 3 months late isn't too shoddy hey?! I will only talk about items here that were made, to the best of my knowledge, before June. After that the items will feature in my S/A plans.



Where we left off earlier this year I detailed the current state of my wardrobe, and also my W/S sewing plans. I actually got through most of those with the exception of the Bruyere rip off and the gingham dress refashion. I also had additional projects planned out because of an unexpected holiday to Turkey. A quick survey of my wardrobe suggests I have made the following:

1 x polka dot blouse
4 x SBCC tonic tee
14 x Rosy Lady Shorts (including 3 "sexy" pairs)
1 x Lady Skater style dress
1 x Ginger Jeans
1x Ginger Jeans capri length
1 x Lace trim tank
1 x Hippo dress to lace trim tank refashion
1 x dress to skirt refashion
2 x cropped length leggings

A total of 27 new items! I think I need to sit down with shock!

I can explain the 14 pairs of pants, or 11 not including the three experimental lace pairs, as a holiday necessity...it was an 8 day holiday, plus I needed a pair for the day either side, and a pair for the day after we got back and my other pants were in the wash. So I made 7 pairs of knickers specifically to make up this number. I have also rag bagged the old RTW knickers that were all ill fitting/had holes. It makes me laugh that I now only have plain black knickers (with different coloured elastics) in my undie drawer, even if it was only because I was using black jersey from my stash.

The cropped leggings were sadly too short in the waist, and a little tight. Made for holiday, well traveled, never worn. I will wait until I have shed a few pounds and then remove the existing elastic and add some more jersey and a new waistband. Nobody will be looking at that part of them so I'm not worried about weird seaming.

The full length Gingers are almost worn through at the thighs now, the capris were a juicy bonus as I made them using the leftover denim from my first and second gingers (same denim from the same place) so they felt like a freebie! I didn't have enough to put back pockets on but I don't mind. They fit a bit snug in the waist due to the combined effects of woven facing and the waistband being cut on the non stretch grain. I thought that it wouldn't matter as I always used a non stretch facing before, but it does make them a little bit tighter.

Wearing my black lace strap tank and Ginger capris in Turkey. Trying to surreptitiously get photo with the camel!

I'm super pleased with the grey dress refashion, that jersey has made a lovely tank, so slinky, very flattering to wear. The dress to skirt refashion is not so hot. Considering donating it.

The Lady Skater style dress is well worn, not for the warmer months, and would change a  few things if I made another. The SBCC tees are 50-50. the two I made first were in a bad choice of jersey and a little short in front. I think it looks quite trendy, but I prefer more coverage. Second two were made longer but I would actually still add a bit more length.

Star of the show is the blouse. I bodged a pattern for it out of the New Look pattern my tartan dress was made from. It wasn't precise, or perfect, but the resulting blouse is in constant rotation. Only problem is I forgot to interface the button bands and two of the lower buttons come open occasionally. I could sew the placket up to eliminate this if I wanted to as I can get the blouse on and off without undoing it.

Terrible mirror selfie on holiday! Love my blouse though <3

As far as existing wardrobe items are concerned, there are a few I am considering getting rid of, but not a huge amount. I think that a sizable amount will go in the new year though. A few of my RTW tops are now getting to the past it entirely stage, I also purchased a kaftan from Sainsburys which was ok in Turkey, but is too holiday item looking for me to put on at home. They had no black the buttheads. I have also purchased a fine knit cardigan as an emergency item for a job. I like it a lot so actually have little buyers remorse. I can't knit a cardi that fine, and sewing one would probably look like a dogs dinner for my first few attempts.

How is every one else doing with following sewing plans?

101 Things In 1001 Days

There will shortly be a separate little tab up top to house the master list of 100 things and showing completed items, provided I remember to update it.

I had a go at doing this challenge before, but I didn't make a very good list, I was in a different place/lifestyle to now, and I think it is one of those things where you are doing it because the act of completing the 101 things is a beneficial process for oneself. I did end up doing some of the things on it anyway such as going blonde (I know, super profound there) but I picked some stupid ass things and I was rolling my eyes in a massive way when that was rediscovered and thrown out a few years ago!
This time I not only want to do it, I *need* to do it. I ain't gonna get all personal here, I like to keep parts of myself to myself, but I think there comes a time in life where you just have to have a little more chicken soup for your soul. I might talk a little bit more about each item as I complete it, not everything warrants it - some things are silly things added just because. So with no further wafflage, here is the list in original format, the permanent version is in useful categories.

1. Make a "weather blanket" - like a weather scarf. Decide if temp or weather.
2. Do Santa Run for Nomad Trust
3. Have a computer game theme 30th and be Lara Croft
4. Make FF VII the board game a reality.
5. Pay off at least 50% of debt not including student loan
6. Make an OTT full on embroidered item of clothing
7. Make a bra
8. Make my own shoes
9. Finish Giger embroidery
10. Teach a sewing lesson
11. Have a hat art exhibition
12. Have fake eyelashes done at a salon
13. Make 5 craftivist pieces & place round town
14. Make successful macarons
15. No MacDo for a year
16. No plastic bags for a year
17. Do 100 hours of volunteering
18. Give blood again
19. Go for a smear test
20. Use elliptical to go distance from Lands End to John O'Groats
21. Visit Brighton
22. Visit Whitby Goth Weekend
23. Do the steampunk festival
24. Knit a proper cardi that fits
25. Finish Pat's cardi
26. Make a constellation blanket
27. Grow an edible plant (and eat something from it)
28. Eat 100% clean for a month
29. Make cheese
30. Knit a pair of socks
31. Finish my hexi quilt
32. Visit Iceland
33. Visit Budapest
34. Make a scrapbook
35. Crochet giant minion
36. Make up 50 "period packs" for the Nomad Trust
37. Make 10 yellow ducks for YDP
38. Pay for a stranger's drink/food
39. Buy £100 of stuff for Lincoln Cat Care
40. Leave a note in a book for a stranger
41. Make a beekeepers quilt
42. Eat GF, DF & Low GI for 3 months
43. Get at least a 2:1 in my degree
44. Make a proper sewing notebook
45. Make a properly tailored jacket
46. Go for 300 walks (at least 20 minutes each)
47. Go for a mani-pedi
48. Visit Nana and Grandad's graves
49. Make a Matrix jumper
50. Kick the Pepsi Max habit
51. Sew an outfit for B
52. Knit more scarves/gloves/hats/blankets for Nomads Trust
53. Do the 30 day squat challenge again
54. Make Lying Cat and The Stalk crochet toys
55. Make 100 Big Knit hats
56. Stand up for an hour a day for 100 days
57. Volunteer for Lincoln conservation group
58. Donate a box of handmade items to New Life Charity
59. Make 10 donkeys for the Donkey Trust
60. Make a box of woolly items for seafarers (Apostleship of the Sea)
61. Do my impossipuzzle
62. Set up a birthday cake baker scheme like in WI Life
63. Volunteer for Lincoln Contact Club
64. Make a croquembouche
65. Volunteer at Age UK Xmas party
66. Paint nails at a nursing home
67. Feed the homeless on Xmas day
68. Donate 100 items to Nomad Trust
69. Donate 100 items to the food larder
70. Make a crochet nativity
71. Go to bed by 10:30pm and get up by 7:30am every day for 1 month
72. Do the Parkrun
73. Make something with a cockatiel on it
74. Have a LOTR marathon
75. Make a chair dance routine to Big Spender
76. Save 100 "pennies" for friendship (1p, 2p, 5p, 10p)
77. Go to a comicon (or similar event)
78. Save £1 for each completed item on this list
79. Successfully do a pinterest hairstyle
80. Make a crochet flower blanket
81. Have a board game night
82. Visit a beach new to me
83. Participate in a yarnbombing
84. Make a stop motion animation
85. Send all 5/6 neighbours a Xmas card
86. Buy popcorn at the cinema
87. Write a letter to myself to open in 10 years from the date of writing
88. Spend nothing for a week per month for 12 months
89. Make and display a "craftydermy" piece
90. Milk a cow
91. Have afternoon tea
92. Take my contact lenses out 5/7 days for 6 months
93. *Private*
94. Do 10 things I have pinned (recipe/craft/nail art etc)
95. Enter a competition
96. Learn the basics of a new language
97. Sew a coat
98. Sell 50 items on eBay
99. Take an online class (Not OU)
100. Have a day out with my sister
101. Write an e-book

I am a procrastinator by nature, so when I was aiming to have this list completed by a 11th July to make the 1001 days end on my 31st Birthday. I will now count this as officially ending in 1001 days from now (MAY 19th 2018), but it would be a nice bonus to hit my original target if possible.

Whilst looking online for some ideas when I was stuck, it would appear (as you would probably expect) that most people never finish their lists, most tending to cross out a small proportion of things then abandon it entirely. I am determined not to do so, and will attempt to record progress even if I fail miserably - obviously hoping failure will be more along the lines of good effort!

Have you done one of these lists? Did you complete it, or abandon it?

Is That A Tumbleweed I See Before Me...?

Attack of the absentee blogger strikes again ;)

Life has been a bit insane.

It still is.

 I could tell tales of new jobs, no jobs, creepy as fuck bosses (that one's a goodun), relationship issues, holidays sponsored by Dante, body image meltdowns, degree deferrals, epic chub rub, and a little piece of myself which has died inside, or at least become comatose.

But whatever, if you want those stories it will require gin and probably some sort of cake.

It is now August, and I have been sewing, and I have things for sharing in relation to that. I also will be sharing my 100 things in 1000 days, mostly to keep track of it for myself, and maybe to inspire someone googleing for ideas for their own (I did that, and some peoples lists read more like my weekly to do list - no offence intended - and didn't really inspire me to challenge myself). It is essentially a silly bucket list with a more imminent (hopefully) end date than death. Of course some items are silly or trivial but you need to have a few easy achievers in with the longer term stuff.

Anyway I can't promise much, especially since Netflix came into my life, but I will try not to leave things so empty here.*







*Famous last words hey?!

Winter/Spring Sewing Plans

I appreciate it should be A/W and S/S but seriously, in the UK winter and spring are colder and wetter, and summer and autumn much more temperate. It was still warm in October ffs! So I decided to go with W/S and S/A as my sewing seasons. Deal.

Moving on... I firstly wanted to share with you a list that is on my sewing room pin board. It is nothing I do not know, but it serves as a reminder when OMG-CUTEFABRIC might strike, or if an OMG-AMAZEBALLSPATTERN comes to town. It happens to the best of us.

I thought I would save you my raggedy scrawl and give you a boring but legible version.
These are just things that will really make or break something for me, and I don't like to make things I know I won't wear. Mostly sleeves is because I generally prefer them, but will make an exception for a vest top, or a summer dress if necessary. Buttons>zips is because having made a dress with a back zip, and worn one with a side zip, they are not my friends! I do not like needing assistance in dressing/undressing, and my t-rex arms combined with a boob mountain mean I cannot contort to do up a long back zip, and I find it tough to get hold of a side zip. For some reason I never encounter one that easily goes up and down using one hand (picture a monkey like arm movement). Is it just me being unlucky?! This also means I can't comfortably play an acoustic guitar should I want to inflict my lack of musical talent on anyone...first world problems hey ;)

So with these points in mind, I have made a brief outline of my projects for the coming weeks/months.

1) A new pair of Ginger Jeans. I need to wash the pair I have more often, so another pair is a priority!
2) New pants. I'm going with the rosy ladyshorts. I would like utilitarian practical versions for every day, and some sexy pairs for those occasions.
3) A rip off lady skater style dress. Black ponte.
4) Black tshirts, I'm giving the SBCC Tonic Tee a whirl. It's free, liked the look more than the other free t-shirt patterns available.
5) Sleeveless blouse - gingham dress recycling.
6) Another Bruyere blouse rip off
7) Black ponte dress refashion into skirt

There are a few other projects floating about in my head, but these are the ones I've settled on. I desperately wanted to make the Leanne Marshall coat, I have the pattern all muslined up and everything...but the fabric is short by a meter. I bought the fabric intending it for something else, the something else was not going to work in the fabric, so I thought it would make a nice coat. If it wasn't for the damn collar/shawl I would have enough! The lady I got the fabric from hasn't got any more, and so I really don't know if I should find a contrast fabric in the same colour (black) or just get whole new yardage of something else for it. It makes me sad. I did in fact burst into tears when I discovered I didn't have enough fabric - I was having one of those days!

Ginger Jeans - Closet Case Patterns

Rosy Ladyshorts - Cloth Habit

Tonic Tee - SBCC

Simplicity 1254 - Leanne Marshall

I have the line drawings for my current plans drawn out and on my pin board. I find this is a useful way to keep a check on what I'm doing, but the drawings are a bit dodgy so no sharing them here. I got a book out of the library that is aimed at fashion students, "Technical Drawing For Fashion" by Basia Szkutnicka, to try and improve my line drawing. I think it would be useful when imagining franken patterns and new designs, and just a nice skill to have, I certainly have no desire to design patterns for commercial sale, far too lazy! I have been thinking about having a couple of sketchbooks, one for ideas, and one for documenting patterns made with the info about alterations/fit issues etc. Anyone else do this? Is it useful to you?

Project Wardrobe: The Three R's

This is part two of my Project Wardrobe post, this time focusing on the results of my clear out.
The three R's are removals, refashions, and remaining, and there will be some pie charts and graphs folks, I just can't help myself!

First up, the removals. This is two sub categories because some items will be donated to charity, and others will be dumped in the rag bag. I will post at some point about what I do with my rag bag(s) in case anyone is looking for a good way to use up those scraps.

How many items went to the rag bag or to charity

So the pie chart above shows that 31 items were evicted from my wardrobe, and this includes an underwear clear out too. The primary reason the rag bag got so lucky is that I have a work uniform I no longer need, and it has the company logo on it so I can't donate any of it (which makes me sad!). So 7 items in the "other" category are old work polo shirts, trousers, and a jumper. This is not a typical event so I will try and not be too bothered about it! I have had it all for over 3 1/2 years so it has had a lot of usage. One pair of trousers had worn through at the thighs so are counted in the bad condition category. The other three are knickers that were wadders. Not really cool with giving my undies to charity even if they are unworn. They aren't anything special, just scrap jersey so were probably originally pulled out of the rag bag.

The bad condition speaks for itself, 5 were pairs of past it panties, I will remove zips, buttons, and any other reusable part from the rest of these items.

The charity shop stuff is self explanatory too. Most of it is the wrong colour rather than it being crappy. I tried to inject a bit more colour in with some lighter blues but just made me feel a bit uncomfortable. One of the items is a dress I made to go to an event that was WW2 themed, it just made me feel like a nurse! Looked better when I was a bottle blonde too.

Next up, the remaining items.

Below is a chart detailing what is left by category. I thought it would be interesting to take a look at the amount of hand made, refashions, and RTW items for each category. Considering I have only purchased one dress, one pair of shorts, and one coat from the charity shop over the past year, and then one dress (that isn't included below as it fell into the refashion pile), one nightie I refashioned as a petticoat, and one pair of trousers from the charity shop the previous year, the rest of the stuff is really old! Most of the RTW is at least 4 years old, and of that lot, over half of it falls into the category of at least 6 years old.
I did make some leggings but since I do not consider leggings to be pants, they are not included here and are considered underwear like tights are. If you rock your leggings as pants, good for you, just do be sure they aren't see through - I cannot even begin to count how many butt cracks and knicker patterns I have witnessed through leggings whilst I have been out and about in public.

Remaining wardrobe items.

And because I wanted to see how much of my wardrobe is in regular rotation, I made another bar chart. Just 'cause I can.
So what does this tell me? First of all I should clarify that worn regularly is considered to be something that when averaged out across the whole year, is worn at least fortnightly. Obviously summer items like shorts are not going to be worn in winter, I am not quite that insane (yet).

The other point to note, is the reason why something is unworn. It could be because it is something that is occasion wear, like a party dress, or a suit jacket. It could also be because I may not need to wear it all the time, such as a slip/petticoat. Or perhaps it is just a bit too small. Finally it might just not be loved enough to be my first choice when getting dressed.

Worn regularly Vs Mostly unworn

I can tell you off the top of my head that 4/6 dresses unworn are party dresses, one other was made for a specific occasion. 2/6 skirts are petticoats/slips, and 2/6 skirts are formal attire. Both trousers are a little bit snug. The tops unworn are half formal ones, half not preferable over others. The cardis are a 50/50 split of too small and not preferable. Lastly the one coat is too small, the other is a suit jacket.

I don't know about you, but I think that having 50% of your wardrobe in regular rotation is pretty good! I may give away some of the too small/ not preferable items in my next clear out, especially if they are replaced by items more preferable.

The one burning question I have is: Is 60 items of clothing (not including pjs and undies here) a lot, or not a lot? I look in my wardrobe and think it looks pretty empty, but the number 60 sounds like a lot!

Last but not least the refashions. There are only three, all dresses. One is a grey kimono sleeved jersey dress. Shapeless. Sack like. Hippo costume. I am going to see if I can get a vest top out of this, or a very short sleeved tee. I did wear it periodically through the year but I felt a bit self conscious in it. The neckline was also too large and slipped off my shoulders all the time. I also don't like the kimono sleeves. They suck for my shape. I do not need extra shapelessness at my armpit/boob merging area! I would give it to charity but the jersey is very slinky and nice to touch so I would rather re use it.
Another one is a black ponte dress. The only RTW item of the three. I have worn it a fair bit over the past two years but it isn't the most flattering cut. So I'm going to do a quick and dirty chop and elasticate for a skirt. Which will get significantly more use, especially as it has pockets!
The final one is a gingham dress. It is super twee, with heart shaped buttons and everything. I don't dislike it, but I also don't wear it. Except one time, that is all. I will try to use the fabric to make a blouse from. Aaaand I will probably re use the buttons, so twee, so many fucks not given!


After going through all this (congrats if you didn't go into a coma before reaching the end) I now have a clear picture of what I will be sewing in the coming months. I don't think I have a problem with too many generally un preferable items, and I will be trying to replace some of the more holey items I have been hanging on to.

Anyone else have similar wardrobe maintenance? And do you find you throw out more handmade or RTW?

Project Wardrobe

So what is project wardrobe? And why am I going to blather on about it to you?

Project wardrobe is the pretentious name given to the management of my clothing situation. It allows me to make sure there aren't any wadders lurking beyond their necessary time span (i.e. it will have to do until I have made a new one), cull clothing that is in a very bad shape (a few holes won't necessarily put me off wearing something!), donate anything that is fine but not worn, see what can be recycled into something wearable, and spot any gaps I have in my clothing needs.

Once or twice a year I have a thorough inspection of my clothes. I try to do it when most of the washing has been done so there is a more accurate picture emerging.

It is pleasantly surprising to see how much of my wardrobe is handmade, and that when in season so to speak, a good proportion of it is worn regularly.
Without going to the uber nerdy lengths of writing down what I wear each day, I can make a very good guess at my most popular items. Without a doubt the grey leopard print ponte dress is worn at least once a week, perhaps twice if I'm quick with the laundry. It is perfect for summer and winter and I personally think it bridges casual wear and occasion wear pretty well. I bought the fabric with some Christmas money, so would hazard a guess that this was sewed up January, and it is still in good nick with no bobbles or fading.

Photo taken on holiday in Switzerland

 In the latter half of the year my Ginger jeans have almost never left my butt, I don't have a photo though, you'll just have to trust me! I usually pair them up with a black t-shirt, or if I'm feeling fancy perhaps with a blouse. They will see me though the whole year too, except for the hottest days when only shorts will do.

Borrowing from the Wardrobe Architect series over at Colette, I have a set of colours that (I think) suit me and if an item is sewn up in one of the colours, it has a better chance of being a hit even with other flaws. My set of neutrals are black, grey, navy, and khaki/olive green.

My accent colours are red, purple, and white, although for white it is usually just the colour of the polka dot, or the stripe rather than being a white cardi or anything. Purple is usually just relegated to party wear, and the red is a more comfortable addition with cardigans and accessories, not to mention the lipstick and nail varnish colour of choice.

I should also add that leopard print is a neutral....but I don't typically go out in "natural" leopard all over, the Bet Lynch look is being saved for when I reach my 50's ;) I have a coat that is sadly a bit too small that I will crack out when it fits but otherwise I stick to accents of "natural" leopard. But I have no problem with a leopard print in grey like my ponte dress, I have a skirt in the same fabric, and also two RTW relics in a lighter grey leopard print too. I guess I am just not that rock n roll anymore folks!

So there is the basis of project pretentious, I look at my stuff, and get rid of some of it - genius huh?!

I will go through the cull in my next post, this post is more to do with an overview of the process (pointless maybe, but I blog for myself and I wanted to do it so whatever really!).

2015 Aspirations

Aspirations is probably the most cheesy word I could have picked, but I can't be bothered to go change it at this point in time!

Having reflected on my past year of sewing, I could easily see where I wanted to go with it, and the steps I need to take. My last project of 2014 was a version of New Look 6723, and for the first time I installed (Is that really right? Sounds a bit techy to me...) an invisible zip by hand, and hand sewed the hem and sleeves. It wasn't as horrific as I was expecting, and the zip did not dramatically split open halfway through wearing it as I was worried it would. I also pattern matched tartan for the first time, and did pretty well despite it being a squeeze towards the end fitting the pattern pieces on.
Anyway, long story short is that dress has influenced my sewing goals for the year.

With some Christmas cash I purchased Claire Shaeffer's Couture Sewing Techniques, and a Singer guide to Tailoring.

                                                                                                        Both images via Amazon

This year I want to focus on improving my technique to make longer lasting, better finished garments. I need to refocus and slow down my processes, instead of wanting it finished in 10 minutes. Not only did I hand sew that dress hem, I also did all of those other time consuming things like hand basting and hand gathering, and I didn't die from doing it. I aim to make a nice jacket this year, and hope the tailoring book (which was recommended somewhere I can't remember, it was during a late night blog reading binge) will give me some pointers on how to do a good job.

As well as improving my sewing techniques, I also want to use up my stash. I have plans for most of it, but to ensure I don't just buy all the things, I am going to instill a 20 m limit on new fabric purchases until I have used up at least 3/4 of my stash. Old bed linen is not included in the limit unless I am getting it specifically to wear myself. If it is for muslin purposes then it doesn't count as I am making the effort to make these up in order to improve fitting. This may all seem unnecessary but I have too much, and I want to move house one day and packing sucks big time without having a room rammed full of stuff.

A similar situation is in order for yarn, I have a shocking amount, most of which given to me. I have yarn I have bought for specific projects set aside, but most of it is kinda random assortments of colour and weight. I will be trying to make more hats and scarves for the homeless as I have done previously, and also more hats/mitts/booties for premature babies since I have yarn perfect for it. I am not the world's fastest knitter so my already decided queue of projects will likely last me the year, but I will be able to get through a good chunk of the stash yarn with the smaller items made.
I might document the lot of it in a shameful blog post when I sort it out properly, it is currently in boxes underneath my pressing table and piled up in corners. I nicknamed it yarnia...possible to lose a small child amongst it!

Before this becomes a mega long boring/more boring post, I will cut it here. I don't want to be to specific in setting targets such as x amount of items made, and you can never tell what life will throw at you. I have quantifiable resolutions outside of sewing, I want my hobbies to remain a pleasure not a chore though!

2014 Year In Review

I suppose that a year in review for a new blog is kind of odd... But I have been sewing and creating during this time so why not. 2014 has been a year of learning, and of experimenting. It has been a time of figuring out online fabric ordering, resolutely deciding that better quality is definitely worth the extra money, and further deciding what is right for me.

As I am unashamedly nerdy, I made a pie chart -

As you can see, in total I made 38 items. Very few of which were for the long suffering OH!
I will address the failures first. Outright wadder territory goes to one dress (no photos as I took it to the charity shop already.) which I even tried hacking into a skirt but it was just wrong fabric, wrong pattern. It was some kind of knit that reminded me of staticy nighties from my childhood. Just wrong.
Lesser wadders were 3 of the tshirts, one too big (and crudely over locked down to size - its for sleeping in so it is passable), two too small, although I will be holding on to them as they may come in handy later in the year. The undies were also wadders, the woven pair (Amerson undies) looked like a nappy. I am intending to scale the pattern down in size in some areas and have another go, I suspect woven knickers are better suited to the slim (less sumo wrestler). The knit ones just have poor fit, but each pair improved and so learning from them means they weren't a total waste of time.

The remaining items are mostly all in regular use. Other than my current employment having a work uniform, I am usually wearing at least one self made item every day. I will be going through my wardrobe and discussing the annual cull in another post. The misc items include a clutch bag, tote bags, and a mini pouffe to wedge my bedroom door open with (so her ladyship can come snooze on the bed/ be a nuisance at her whim).

I have found some pictures of my outfits in the wild, I don't seek out photos so they are quite random choices!

Some hits and misses, and one off wacky items!

Evidence I have a sense of humour...there is a collection of pics of me and the cat sleeping in the same position, my OH's hilarious hobby....

Surprising favourites included my Ginger Jeans, I pattern tested them, and they have barely been unworn since. I had no idea I would, or even could, look nice in skinny jeans. My pair has a bit of twisting going on because I need to do a full calf adjustment but I can live with it enough to not waste fabric by throwing them out. I will be looking into other jeans patterns towards autumn/winter to try out a new style. Another favourite is my Bruyere rip off inspired blouse. Wearable muslin so was made using cheap polycotton, but ok to wear still. I will eliminate the tiny pleats nearest the button placket because they aren't altogether flattering (and I don't think they are always flattering on the real deal either).

Other than sewing, I also made 2 crochet cardigans, one giant crochet Puppycat, and some WI related projects like Big Knit hats.

Puppycat, Alice for Tea and Tents (I made the body, apron and face), Lincoln WI's Christmas Wreath (Green knitted base by my friend Sarah), and Strawberry fascinator for Tea and Tents

All in all a good year, and many positive lessons learnt for the future. I will be doing a post on my tartan dress, as this was a very valuable learning curve for me, and a frustrating but satisfying result. Maybe a few other things not pictured will get a separate mention too.

I will be posting my 2015 aspirations later on in the week.

Hello, And Welcome.

"Black is modest and arrogant 

at the same time. 

Black is lazy and easy - but mysterious.

Above all black says this: 

'I don't bother you - don't bother me'." 

           Yohji Yamomoto

This is one of my favourite quotes - I'm not one of those people who go crazy for the inspirational, life affirming, nauseating bullshit quotes littering Pinterest. "She believed she could, so she did" well cross your fingers "she" didn't have the ambitions of Icarus....*rolls eyes*.

If by some miracle you have stumbled here, and obviously ended up reading this, I would like to go off on a tangent about my previous blog before I get back to the quote above. I would apologise, but I'm a tangenty person, so you'll just have to deal with it or leave ;)

My last blog was active in fits and starts for over 5 years. I desperately wanted to have a blog with a decent amount of readers so I could interact with other sewing people, and also do fun things like swaps and giveaways. I upped traffic by posting patterns linked up to free pattern sites, did a tutorial that led in considerable traffic from pinterest each month, but never really got people to hang around beyond the page they clicked on. Clearly my crafty hodge-podge was lacking in some way or another, and it frustrated me. I eventually worked it out - it was just rubbish! A collection of crap. However the SBC is way too polite, and people I talked to about my frustrations were never brave enough to even hint that it was the terrible content. I was urged to make an effort to comment loads on other peoples blogs, and that people would start to check out my blog from there. Well sorry to say but I tried, and it was exhausting and pointless. It never gained me followers, it just wasted my time leaving the same generic comments which whilst nice and ego boosting for the recipients ("beautiful dress, that colour looks fab on you" etc etc) made me feel like a massive fraud and really fake. Don't get me wrong, they weren't normally lies, and I'm not an overly horrid person, but I never did much care for the whole lets hug and compliment each other routine.

So anyhow, I packed up that nonsense, and felt like I must be some kind of cretin because I wasn't able to fit in and be liked. I found another part of the online sewing community (GOMI craft) much more appealing, and lurking there made me feel like less of a freak. Constructive criticism is good. It is how we learn and grow. People call it snarking when it is aimed at themselves, or their friends, as it is accepted we will all do the "we're all so nice" thing. I have gleaned so many useful things from the guys over there, and found some new blogs to follow too. If my admission to this puts you off reading then that is your choice. I also do not wish to debate the merit/flaws of it, everyone is free to have their own opinion.

On this blog, please don't be afraid to say when things are sub par. You do not need to be rude, or criticise things like my weight/unphotogenic face as I am mean enough about myself without any additional grenades launched. If you can see something I have made a mistake with, or know of an easier way to do something I have struggled with, then for goodness sakes say so!

If you just don't like something I have made then you may keep it to yourself, I have a very narrow range of styles I like, and I probably don't like things you make either. So thems are the rules mmkay?

Back to that quote. I love black. It makes me feel comforable. I like to stay co-ordinated, black aids this. I'm not so hot for bright colours and crazy prints, or anything too wild. It is like a soothing security blanket that lets me feel inconspicuous when out and about, not attracting attention to that which I do not like about myself. In order to keep this blog true to myself I am only going to make what I like, and chances are it will be dark coloured and difficult to photograph. I am not a sweatshop, I produce items on a basis of needs, and the proverbial cake wins out over frosting. This blog therefore may not be the most active in terms of clothing, and I won't apologise for it.

I intend to also discuss things I am reading, that may or may not be to do with sewing/knitting. I hope to include posts about how I use up my scraps, sew with recycled materials, and my wardrobe policy. I like to do philanthropic crafting, and will talk about it if only for the hope that it inspires one person to do something themselves. Obviously cat photos at opportune moments too.

I would be lying if I said I don't care if nobody reads this, I still after all want to have some kind of exchange with others - I don't really have any friends into garment sewing, or even sewing regularly.

I am telling the truth when I say I will not ass-kiss, post things explicitly for the intention of gaining followers, or post things that are not true to myself just to keep to a schedule. I accept this will probably be a lonely place, but as they say, quality over quantity.