Planning and cutting

Before I allow myself to buy new  fabric I am determined to sew up some of my stash.  And I am determined to finish off my half made/ cut out projects.   As I typed up the list in this post, I could see there are enough plans here to keep me sewing for a long time.  I seem to have started more projects than I realised.

I  have cut out these high waisted winter shorts from Ottobre.  I used a hand loomed tweed that was in the binbags of inherited fabric.














The tweed is from Bovey Tweed in Devon.   I have used a cotton also from the binbags for the waist band facings and pocket linings.  I am uncertain as to whether tweed shorts will be a good or bad thing.  Let's just say they are a bit of an experiment.

I have pieces of bright pink and orange fleece left over from scarf making almost two years ago.  I am using the mitten pattern from Littlle Things to Sew by Liesl Gibson to make Rocket Girl and Little I some mittens.

I have almost finished making a tutu (also from Little Things to Sew)  this is for Little I.
I am halfway through making a yellow jersey Staple dress.  I lost interest in completing it three months ago!  It is gathering dust on my shelf.

I bought a lovely stepweave wool crepe about three years ago and then chickened out of using it!  I have cut it out to make a seasonal dress, but it is unlikely to get finished soon.

I seriously need an apron and was planning on using leftover denim from my skinny jeans to cobble one together.  Phew...what a list.

I am still planning on making my parka but need to sell a few bits on ebay to get the funds for the fabric!

Ottobre Autum/Winter

I thought I would share some images from the new Ottobre women's magazine. There are some patterns in it that I  would like to sew and some that I would not!  I am planning on canceling my subscription now as I feel I have enough patterns to keep me going.  Some of the styling here is not to my taste, though I always try and look past the styling and study the line drawings.




 I like the jersey dress although I think I would like it in a solid fabric.  The text by it suggests you will need control underwear to go with this dress!  hmmmmm...kinda puts me off.  I also don't want to have to just breathe in while wearing a dress.

The line drawings

 I like the stripey tee.  Always good to have tee shirt patterns.  I am tempted to make these.  I can see that I also like the styling of the pictures here, and the model's short hair. So am I swayed by the pretty pictures into choosing what to sew?  

I think this tunic tee would be a good wardrobe staple for me.  I wonder what it looks like if she turns sideways though.  I like the little pockets.  I am thinking of making this one.

I am intrigued by the parka - I would love the challenge of making a practical coat.  Do I dare take on a complex project though?  One that would require proper fabric buying?  I seem to be drawn to making quite functional garments at the moment...jeans, tees and now a parka.  Whatever happened to sewing pretty dresses?  

But urgh, I don't like the turquoise knit jacket .  I don't even like it in the line drawing.

  I guess there is a nice simple dress there...it's just that fabric makes me shudder!  

Another look at the parka...hmmmm...got me thinking....

 

Summer interrupts

Sooooooo, summer interrupted my sewing process quite rudely and very thoroughly:

 I have sewn one and half things. 

 I haven't had much time for commenting on blogs, I hope to catch up soon. 

A large part of my fabric stash was unceremoniously stuffed in a binbag and shoved under the stairs to make room for the kids to have friends over to play.  It is still there.  

I think I have lost my blogging direction..who knows... maybe it will return.  

My sewing machine is not working well. (See below)  

I am thinking about what to make in the autumn. 

I realise that I have a zero budget for autumn sewing.  

I am rethinking what to make in the autumn from my existing stash.  

I am determined I will finally sew with the wool crepe bought three years ago that I have been too scared to use.  

My sewing machine has been temperamental this summer.  I took the time to oil and clean it a few weeks ago and all went smoothly for a week or so.  Then it began snarling bobbin threads again.  I know I have to drive past the sewing machine shop later this week so I guess I will take it in for a service.  I hate having to do that.  But I realise I have had this machine for two and half years now, it has sewn A LOT for me and hasn't been serviced.  How about you?  Do you wait till your machine is throwing out knots and jamming before booking it in?  Or do you do all your own machine maintenance?

Look away if you cannot bear to see sewing notions mistreated.  Yes, that is a flour-encrusted piece of giant ric rac she's chewing on.  What can I say?  It was a long day.  

One Renfrew, Two Renfrews...

Warning: this post contains sloppy slobby sewing errors and poor photography.  What would be the collective noun for Renfrews?  A clutch of renfrews, a stitch of renfrews?  I don't know what it could be. 

Any suggestions?

In line with my sewing plans I completed my purple Renfrew a few weeks ago. I cut it out before Christmas and then went back to it in January.   It sewed up really quickly.  The purple fabric was a gift from the lovely Scruffybadger via Birmingham Rag Market.  I am guessing it came from the stallholder whose byline is "Best Marks and Spencer fabric".

Then I got a bit carried away and made a second Renfrew.  This was enabled by Tors who had  mentioned the Backstitch sale.  I looked and found yellow polka dot cotton jesey from Oliver + S, half price.  I bought it as I find it very hard to find good quality jersey fabric.  Well, that's my excuse, and I am sticking with it.  This impulse online buying is dan-ger-ous! 



It's renfrew o'clock!  heee-heee



Obligatory looking for lost object on floor pose

I cut out short sleeves on the yellow top, having cut the purple one with full length sleeves which proved too long for me so I chopped them shorter.  Those long  sleeves are loooooong.  Like Donna, I think I will go down a size next time.  I don't like clinging tops but the neckline is a bit too big. 

 

So now time to 'fess up.  The purple Renfrew may look okay hanging up in the picture but when cutting it out I made such a rookie error.  I was rushing the cutting out, of course, trying to complete it before RG woke up.  When laying out and cutting the back piece I stupidly laid it so the two sides of the folded piece of fabric didn't match up and upon opening up the back piece realised a chunk of one shoulder simply wasn't there.  I didn't have enough fabric to cut the back out again so I opted for the slobby sewing route and simply sewed up the shirt with a big hole on the back beneath the shoulder seam.  Then when it was finished, I er, er, slobbily I know, I just wore it with a big old hole in it and made sure it was always covered by a cardigan.  This worked fine till I got hot one day!  Slowly my sewing pride took precedence and I decided to act. 

I had a very small piece of a lovely vintage pink nautical fabric

in my stash.  I t came from my bin bags of fabric a couple of years ago.  I used it to make shoulder patches, squared on the back and curved on the front.  I think the pink and purple colours really sing together and I am much happier with my non holey Renfrew.  I think it is brighter and prettier now with shoulder patches than it was before.



Back view

 

Front view



So, if there is a moral to this story, it would be that it doesn't matter if you make a mistake.  It's what you do afterwards to fix the mistake that counts.  Anyone else made a mistake into something good? 

Autumn sewing scuppered by teddies

Ugh..bleurgh...meh...that's how I feel about my sewing at present.  I seem to have made a wardrobe of ill fitting, oddbod garments. 
 My actual sewing is very infrequent at the moment.  My dark blue shirt dress (the Lisette Traveller dress) has been hanging up all summer, shoulder and side seams complete - the only progress I made was to tack on all four pockets.  My floral dress based on a patterrn from the Modern Sewing book is awaiting sleeves binding and a hem.  Despite this I was planning for autumn.  Thinking of what patterns I already have waiting, it is a matter of adjusting my summer plans slightly.  I was thinking thriftily and sensibly of using what I have and not buying anything new.  I am also thinking of making something that drapes well and fits.  Back in May I bought a renfrew pattern and lovely Winnie aka Scruffy badger gave me some purple jersey which I was planning to renfrew.  I also bought the pdf version of the Wikstein Tova a few months ago and have some greyish drapey cotton blend that I purloined from my mum's stash while sorting her sewing supplies this summer.  A grey tova seems to me to be a prospect that will fill many wardrobe gaps. 
Then Jessica kindly gave me a Crepe pattern so it would be downright churlish not to make a crepe dress wouldn't it?  I have some fabric lined up for that too. 
But all sewing is on hold because of The Teddies. 
 Both children bought home letters from school asking for knitters to knit up teddies.  The school has a partner school in Kenya and  the plan is to send every reception child in the kenyan school a handknitted teddy for christmas.   So now on the crafting horizon are two teddies.  Selfish sewing for me or selfless knitting for little children?  Uh-oh, what a choice!  Each time Rocket Girl naps out come my needles and knit, knit, knit I go.  Normal sewing will resume once two teddies are knitted, stuffed and have sleeping bags sewn. 

Birmingham Bloggers Meet Up

"What?? " shrieked my friend on the phone "I can't believe you are six months pregnant and went running round the Ragmarket on Saturday".

Yes, instead of spending saturday lying on a couch being fed grapes as befits a woman in my position, I went off to Birmingham and met up with five lovely bloggers. You have probably already seen Scruffybadger's superior account. (If not, go and have a read).

This was my first blogger meet-up and I was a little nervous. ("What if they are, like, really old?" said my sister when I first mentioned a blogger meet- up to her last summer. Hmmm, she is in her forties, not fourteen by the way).

Well they were lovely, and very good company. As for the Ragmarket...I thought it was great and am ashamed to say I have lived 45 minutes away for 8 years and have never been before. We had a good look round the inside and outside stalls, trying not to get too muddled in my case. Then a late lunch. Cafe Soya looks like not very much from the outside but the food was fab, especially for a vegetarian like me, and generous portions. Rachel had the never-ending bowl of soup. I wish had taken a food blogger type photo now.

Then back to shopping:

Lots of prints

So many trims, with so many colours - even the zips were embellished.

And onto my haul, some looky-likey swiss dotted cotton in white, £2 a metre, for a top. Some dark denim with a bit of stretch. I bought this thinking of trousers but I am not so sure now - I think it would make a better skirt. A darkish blue mystery blend that looks like linen but isn't. Probably trousers. A yellowey green, I think this was £1 a metre. It has a silky feeling reverse so won't need any lining. Some stripey cotton jersey knit. I was very happy to find this as knits were high on my shopping list.

You can read Melizza's account of our day over at
pincushion treats

and Sarah's is here at Not Found

Their blogs are both new to me so an added bonus was to discover them and be able to add them to my reading list.

You can see a better picture of the green fabric hanging on the line.

If you live near to Birmingham I would definitely recommend a trip to the Ragmarket (a return trip next year has already been suggested) but a word of caution - check what days the markets are open - I am not certain if all the outdoor stalls we visited on saturday are there every day.

Summer Essentials Sewalong Planning

This post has been sitting in my drafts folder for several weeks. I thought I must post it or summer will be over.
I am behind in planning my summer essentials sew along. Though I have been planning away in my head. The list divides between those items I already have fabric and pattern for, and those which I only have patterns for and no fabric.


Sun dress:


I have already made this dress using Amy Butler's Anna Tunic pattern.


Tees, tunic and blouses:


I have a big gap for white tops in my wardrobe. I am half way through making a Simplicity 2259 top in white with a placket and box pleating.


I also plan a pinky-rust top with giant sunflowers on it from this cotton lawn bought on ebay.

Clamdiggers and co

I have some dark blue cotton and there is just enough for a pair of cropped trousers. I want to make something that will be versatile and go with my many patterned tops. As I already own it, I am using the Lisette for Simplicity 2259Portfolio trouser pattern. Just to see what it is like. ISweet and sassy skirts



I have made my pink pillowcase skirt but am also hoping to make a skirt from my duvet cover fabric pictured above. I have changed my mind many times about what skirt to sew. I was thinking of a reversible wrap skirt with green and white polka dots on the reverse. Then I found this skirt pdf pattern from Anna Maria Horner. Once I read through the instructions I realised I needed lining fabric. Obviously it is meant to be that I make this skirt as I then went into the local charity shop and found a large piece of green, white and navy stripey lining fabric! For £2.

Cover-ups

Maybe because the weather isn't warm, but I keep wanting to have a loose-ish pullover top, maybe a hoodie, probably with pockets. I need to go on a fabric hunt for this. I was thinking of using a pattern from the Sew-U Home Stretch book.

Another dress: I have some that I really want to try out - the traveller dress by Lisette for Simplicity. I just don't have any fabric.

So that is:
white top - started

sunflower top - started
pair blue cropped trousers - started

pink scalloped skirt - completed

floral skirt - pattern and fabric

traveller dress - pattern only

sundress - completed

Cover-up Hoodie- no fabric

I could carry on planning fir ever, but am going to stop myself here. I am not sure if this is too much already.

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?