Works in progress

 Despite not posting much recently,  I have been busy with sewing in little bits of snatched time. Did you read Tilly's  recent post about sewing in fifteen minute segments.  I feverishly commented that this was my sewing existence with Rocket Girl on the scene.  Here's what those fifteen minutes have been adding up to.    I am making some bibs for RG and some for my friend's son's Christmas present. 

I have almost finished my winter skirt. Just the lining left to hem now.   My proposed autumn sewing plans were cast aside when I bought a length of floral cordory in the charity shop.  At £2.50 I had to buy it.  After much consideration of skirt patterns, looking at some Ottobre ones, I went back to the tried and trusted Sew U skirt from the first Built by Wendy book and used her slant patch pockets to make two front pockets.  The Built by Wendy knits book has come in for a lot of new attention recently in the sewing blogosphere but I am going to put in some love for the first Sew U book which has trouser, shirt/blouse and skirt blocks and such very, very useful pocket pattern pieces.  Those pocket pieces enable me to create my own skirts with details I like.  Plus sewing in short bursts means I cannot really try out new patterns - that just seems too scary.  

Polka dot lined pocket

I had enough cordory to make Little I a skirt.  It is a bit more exciting than mine, featuring ruching, lace trim, ric rac, oversized shiny buttons and a polka dot underskirt.  Can you bear the dotty, shiny, ruch-y (is that a word?) excitement? Oh, to be five years old.   It is nearly finished and deserves a post of its own. 

More MMJ - 18, 19, 20 and 21

The days just seem to go by so fast with MMJ posts to catch up with. Thank you to those of you who commented with your thoughts on MMJ and blog posts. It was fascinating to read them.

Day 18

Up and out early to take Little I and T to tennis club. This will be funny to anyone who knows me in real life as I am a very unsporty person with great uncoordination and yet here I am - tennis mum. Who would have thought it?

In the afternoon it was T's school summer fete and funny weather. I wore Simplicity 2259 - this was the first one I made and I wear it a lot. It is quite a light fine cotton. As it was chilly I wore charity shop gap jeans and boots. I needed to wear something with lots of pockets for holding the kid's coins at the fete. The fete was good fun the bouncy castle was bouncy, the cake stall was full of fairy cakes with sprinkles on top, and I found a great bargain of a set of wooden painted coat pegs on a board for 20p. I will be putting it up in our new house to encourage coat hanging up.

Day 19 - Sunday

This is the only day of the week when I don't have to get up and be somewhere early! I was so tired. I snuck back into bed three times but Little I and T kept finding me. Honestly - these children - I mean they wanting feeding and everything!

I wore a stripey pink and white t shirt made using the Sew U Homestretch

t shirt pattern. I gave this shirt a scoop neck and three quarter length sleeves. I don't think it is particularly flattering on me but it is comfy and good under other things! However, I thought it would look nice with this

old pink cardigan and the photos showed me it looks not so great! The t shirt sleeve bunches up under the cardigan. Bleurgh.

Day 20

Not a great photo to show detail of my top. But look I am shockingly out of my house! It is an Amy Butler Anna Tunic. This was the first Anna tunic I made and the neckline is a bit high. I have made two more since then and have lowered the neckline on them both.


Here is an old photo showing the tunic slightly better. I love this pattern. It is really easy to follow and can be made to different lengths to give different results. I didn't line this tunic as per the instructions but just bias bound the armholes instead.

Day 21

Me Made Simplicity 2259 floral top and Me Made skirt from Built by Wendy

I hope this outfit would in magazinespeak be subtle muted neutrals, not dull and boring.


Little I was determined to join in. Please note the shoes...they are ebay Keds bought at easter but I hadn't blogged them yet. They are quite comfortable, with a quilted inner sole and have lovely spotty trim and spotty wedges. And even better they were only £5! They have hardly been worn. I love them as I like wedges, and I like spots. I tend to fall over in heels. (Even without any alcohol)

Delusions of majesty

Me made dress using the dirndl pattern from Built by Wendy Dresses book, Me Made crown.

I have some fit issues with the top half of this dress, my bust has shrunk a bit since I made it! Yes, I am wearing a felt crown. I recommend anyone feeling a bit Meh in your clothes, pop on a felt crown and instantly you will feel much better.

There is a reason...it's Comic Relief day and Little I's nursery are having a family party with fancy dress. She is going as a fairy. She wants me to go as a Queen.

This is my most regal dress. Sadly I have no pearls or court shoes or white gloves.

16th March

Me made Simplicity 2599 top, Me made trousers from Built By Wendy Sew U. Refashioned cardigan.

14th March

Nautical necklace from Tatty Devine via Lovely Sarah

14th March. Gone nautical - me made t shirt, me made Tate skirt from Sew Hip Magazine very old H&M red cardigan.

I would like to wear this outfit with some bright pillar box tights but haven't found any yet. Shopping tips?

Last night - 6pm we went to fly the kite until we got too cold. T is jumping up and down below the kite to try and catch it.

Finally if you are able to access radio 4, go and listen again to today's Woman's Hour, they had a great piece about the 70th birthday of polyester. There is a great interview conveying the excitement of second hand clothes shopping. The following discussion includes the chilling thought that polyester will not biodegrade. And the timely reminder that the only way to tackle waster in clothing is to change the way we think about shopping and disposable fashion.

8th March

8th March - Mad March Hare jumping. Me Made T shirt (Sew U Home Stretch), Me Made Tate skirt, refashioned cardigan.

See what Me Made March is doing to me? After dropping T at school I stopped the car in a country lane and set the camera on the roof. Little I watched in amusement as I jumped up and down. Partly I was just excited by the lovely sunny days we are currently having.

I also discovered an extra bonus of the pockets in this cardigan - I can fit two hen's eggs in each pocket when collecting eggs.

Me made march day 2 and a birthday

There's lots of chocolate cake left over. Sorry I cannot offer it via Internet.

Jellies...you cannot have a birthday without jellies

The boots - missed out of the main photo. My every day boots, love 'em.

Ahhh, that first cup of coffee....

I am not sure how long I will manage to keep up daily postings - not long I expect. This is my black sack, sorry shift, dress from the Built By Wendy Dresses book. I have come to like this dress as an everyday dress. Today I decided to try it with a belt as it is quite roomy and can give me that "Is she, isn't she?" pregnant look. (No I am not!) I have a few charity shop belts and need a bit of a kick to wear them. Could March also be Accessories month?

The helium balloon in the photos is left over from T's 8th birthday which was on Monday (hence the jellies). I cannot believe he is eight. My Mother in Law loves these balloons and buys several every birthday. I HATE THEM. I fall over them. We already have enough crap to trip over in this house. But the kids like them. I just think they will end up in landfill, choking some small animals. They seem so pointless. Am I a killjoy? BUT surprisingly my M.I.L. has offered to have them back after a suitable time period, she will deflate them and store them as she has...wait for it...a helium cannister to refill them on birthdays. Seriously, this woman has everything.

Any thoughts on helium balloons?

work in progress

This has been a week of tidying up after Christmas, putting away decorations and the tree.
I have been playing on picnik, making the Thank You cards for T and Little I, using T's drawing.

Before putting the children's book case back in its place (we moved it for the tree) I decided to repaint it with some white gloss. I think it looks much better now. The colours of the books show up so much brighter now. I originally blogged about the shelves here An unexpected bonus of doing this is we have been rediscovering books we forgot about.

A friend gave me a bag of fabric remnants as part of my Christmas presents, so I started a new sewing project with a rusty red piece (I think it is polycotton) from the bag. It is supposed to be a blouse which something I have never made before. So far I have done the front darts and the outside facing.

Dress plans and dreams

Self stiched dirndl dress from Built by Wendy Dresses Book

Source: Orla Kieley

Below dresses both source: Modcloth

Don't faint...it's a sewing post! Even though my machine is kaputt, I can still dream and plan.

I have a large piece of grey fabric left over from making my trousers in September. I am dreaming of making a dress from it and keep getting sidetracked from Christmas knitting by looking at dress ideas. I was thinking of using a Built by Wendy dress book pattern, maybe the dirndl (as pictured in top photo) with a matching belt or maybe the shift...oh the indecision....I love the trims and finishes on these Modcloth dresses,and the Orla Kieley one though I am not sure I can carry off the military dress. Mind you, a military dress for the school run? Why not? Maybe it would run more efficiently if I were dressed in a military style?

Slow Sewer Spring Dress

I finished my 3835 dress about a week ago and have worn it twice over jeans - I love it - it is very comfortable and easy to wear. I am not sure if the rest of the world likes it but never mind. It is an Amy Butler fabric and with the large print I had some doubts about whether I would look like a giant toddler in it but hopefully the back darts create enough shape to save me. I am also not used to wearing large prints but the yellow and grey colour scheme won through for me, it is fairly muted so doesn't scream "BIG PRINT".

I did struggle with this dress as I wrote in an earlier post because I initially tried to put in a neckband and it felt too tight for me so I finally scrapped that idea and put in elastic.

At this stage of life (yes, that sounds like I am 70 years old) I need easy to put on outfits that I can chase my kids round in with ease. So this dress fits that bill nicely (though I may still dream of something more tailored!)

I would like to add that in a new bid to overcome my naturally sloppy tendencies when sewing I have been trying to slow down and enjoy the process rather than trying to rush to the end result. I have been using french seams where suitable and I am hoping these more carefully made garments will last longer. My grandfather ran a dress making business and I sometimes think he would be furious if he saw me cutting badly, sewing wonkily, not pressing seams etc. so I am now a seam pressing, careful cutting Slow Sewer.