Monthly Archives: January 2014

Back to business

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FrontFollowing my recent creations which have very much steered towards party wear, I decided to make something for the day job once again.  A couple of months ago I won a competition with one of my evening dresses and the prize was a gift voucher from Abakhan Fabrics (joy!).  I headed straight for their Manchester store, with no particular creation in mind. More often than not I go into that shop and rummage through the bargain bins without an idea of what I will eventually make. Any how I came out with a bag full of fabric and only spent 3p (whoop!).

Seam

Matching the stripes

After sifting through my pattern stash I decided to continue the New Year with something easy, a skirt would do nicely (rolls on the floor laughing). One of the fabrics I bought was a fleece backed woolen fabric, perfect for a winter skirt.  The fabric is black with a white check and it immediately caught my eye as something different for me as I do tend to make garments out of plain fabric.

The pattern is burda 7135, which comprises of a suit with two different jackets and a fully lined skirt.  Like I said I decided to sail on the easy side of things and make the skirt (haha).  The construction was very simple, when I started it I thought I would complete it within a couple of hours, that may have been the case if I hadn’t decided to use checked fabric (oh yes indeedy, let’s not forget the fabric I bought).  The front comprises of a centre panel and two side panels, the back is the same including two vents.  Now the one thing that in my opinion made this little project a total nightmare for me was matching the checks.  I made sure when cutting out each piece they lay in exactly the same position, to ensure the fit didn’t lose dimension (I have sewn large checks before and the garment almost ended up on the diagonal trying to match the pattern).

ReverseOn with the sewing. If I made the skirt once and unpicked it I made it a million times (slight exaggeration, but it certainly felt like a million times!) As soon as Mrs Perfectionist made her appearance, I didn’t stand a chance and my critical eye had a field day.  I decided enough was enough and carried on regardless, inserting the side zip and creating the lining, which was attached to the top.   I did the usual hand stitching on the inside, securing the lining to the vents and stitched the hem in place and there it is job done.  I only hope I make friends with it one day, for now all I can see are the imperfections.  I am determined to beat my battle with checked fabric at some point in the future, for now though the remainder of this fabric will stay hidden away in my sewing room.

Finally, I will draw your attention away from those checks and mention the lovely little scarf I am modelling.  This was a gift for me made by my Mother in-law, oh yes ladies and gentlemen another crafty person in the family, there is no stopping us!

A swift start to the year

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Front Here we are again so soon, my second post in as many weeks (I can’t keep up with myself at the moment). So much to sew, so much to share.  This is my first post of the New Year and also my first post for the Calico Laine Bloggers Network (currently strutting around the room like a peacock).

I decided to kick the year off with a simple little ditty, us girlies can’t resist a new top or two in our wardrobe.  The pattern is Burda 8347, which comprises of four different tops in varying designs.  I decided to choose one similar to something I have seen on the high street in recent months (I browse the shops making mental notes as I go along these days).  The fabric is a cerise crepe from Calico Laine, it has a gorgeous feel to it, so soft and drapes beautifully. Collar

The construction was fairly simple and having only four pieces, I had it cut out in a matter of hours (I checked the instructions numerous times to check I hadn’t missed something. I am so used to having at least forty pieces to cut out these days I was left feeling the need to cut out the other tops too!)  The sewing started with the diagonal seam which goes from the neckline to the underarm, this was then top-stitched to give a little more detail.  Well, I had a brainwave and took it upon myself to sew delicate little flowers rather than the usual straightline (ever so cute they are too).  ReverseNext came the bust darts, shoulder seams and collar, which is attached to the neckline with a facing and hand sewn into place on the inside once the zip was inserted.  The back has two darts, one either side of the concealed zip.  The armhole edges are finished with bias facings which are cut out of the same material as the top itself.  I decided to stitch the hem to follow through with the stitching on the armholes.

All in all a lovely little top, easy to make and can be worn for various occasions depending on the type and colour of fabric used.  It was a speedy start to the year and has now paved the way for something a little more complicated for me next time, I haven’t had a serious head scratching sewing moment for quite some time…….