The Everyday Pants Pattern is here!

It's taken a while (life threw a few curve-balls my way), but the formerly "nearly-a-pattern" is now an ACTUAL pattern. A finished one. Wow. 

In line with my whole "teach a person to fish" philosophy, I wanted to make a pants pattern that is a base for teaching sewing techniques with a focus on tips for a better finish, which is infinitely variable with design details and fabric choice.  

These easy-fitting pants have a fly front, hip pockets and an optional jet pocket on the back. 

I've made them in crinkly, crumply fine linen (which was possibly not the best choice for my original cover shot...).

I've made them in drapy tencel, various wool blends and brushed cotton, and I've made them in heavier (still crumply) linen. They work for all seasons and everyday occasions. 

And of course, I tweaked the design and made lots of other versions. I used them for the base pants in my book The Savvy Seamstress. In the book, I show you how to change or remove the pockets and how to change the fly front for a discreet invisible zipper on the side or back, and even how to remove the waistband and replace it with a facing.  

The patterns are divided into two sizing groups - Sizes 6-14 and Sizes 12-20. The pattern is available in paper and pdf versions.

Life As We Know It... and Another Online Class and Another Pattern

Hurrah! My next class at CreativeBug was released this week. 

It's a super-simple back-pack, that focuses on finishing techniques and strap-making that will improve all your general bag-making. You can see a little promo video of it here, with the other October Releases.

As promised, there are more of my classes to come on CreativeBug.  Watch this space and I'll keep you informed. 

In other bag-making news, my publishers have released a pattern for the Berlin Slouch, which was originally written as part of The Better Bag Maker, but was lost in The Great Word Count Disaster (ahem...along with 5 others). If you're in Australia, I know that it's available through Fishpond and Book Depository.

And yes... I know that it has been too long since I was in the blogosphere, and here I am, popping up and advertising classes and patterns.  There have been goings-on and craftiness of all kinds, and I haven't blogged any of it. The blog police (mostly one of the parents* at kiddie-yoga who reminds me each week) have certainly noticed that I don't update my blog or website much these days. (*Hello Shane, if you're reading this!).

The truth is, I miss it.  I miss the time I had before for considered diary posts on a regular basis.  I miss chronicling the creative development of both my work and that of my gorgeous girleen. I miss the connection with people who read and enjoy this little corner of my world.

The other day, the girleen and I scrolled through the blog archive I have of her early years.  We laughed and were surprised by the things I'd forgotten and the things she actually remembered.

Life goes on.  The girleen continues to amaze me...

And we still have crafty school holiday playdates...

There are other projects in the pipeline... 

 And a new spanner thrown into the works...

 I'm loving my teaching job.  Being back in the world of Fashion and garment making is inspiring and challenging in all the right proportions (and I get to hang out with these photogenic beauties all day).

But the juggle of life - parenting, work, business, writing projects, household management, garden maintenance and other commitments - means that it's easier for me to share on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  This is a shame, but it's the reality of how much one small person can manage and still have time for the people and things she enjoys.   

Lately, I've given up trying to live up to other people's expectations and am focusing on what's important to me - my girl, my home, my family and friends.  And in between, I work on things that I love. And occasionally, I even write a blog post!

I think I'm happier this way.

A Coat for All Seasons

The new pattern is at the printers... and will hopefully be here and ready to pack tomorrow.

 

 

It's a trans-seasonal coat for little girls (sizes 4-8), that can be made in anything from medium-weight cotton to winter-weight wools, and it's called the All Seasons Coat.

 

 

 It can be made with a collar and belt, like a little trenchcoat...

 

Or it can be made with a hood, and the belt is completely optional so it can be a cute little swing style coat.

 

Here we have a gorgeous-yet-anonymous child, modelling the hoodie version....

 

And the back....



It's fully lined, and has some fancy new tricks for making patch pockets and cheats-methods for a tailored-looking collar. 

 

 You'll be able to see a few of the pattern-testers' versions around the bloggy traps soon.  There may even be a couple of giveaways.  Watch this space... and perhaps ask your favourite YOU SEW GIRL stockist to get it in for you!

 

Revamped

At last, we have a new and reliable source of grommets for the Fan Bag, so we can add it to the list of revamped and rebranded YOU SEW GIRL patterns. 

It's been hanging in limbo for months, so I'm very happy to announce that it's NOW available.  If you can't make it into Northcote to see us, you can ask at your favourite YOU SEW GIRL stockist to order it in for you.

The Fan Bag is an instant gratification sort of bag project.  It's super-quick and very easy to make (even for beginners).  It's fully reversible and can be made as a day or evening wristlet (or both... being reversible).   It's also a really lovely gift-wrap for small presents (think: Christmas).

 

Another revamping - this time as a digital download - is the Make-Up Purse.  Like the Coin Purses, it's a great way to use up scraps and offcuts and makes practical, attractive gifts.  Also like the coin purses, the instructions for this one are all about making neat zipper ends (no bunched up corners).

I've revamped the pattern completely, making 2 x sizes for 15cm/6'' zips (one is the original size and one is taller and wider) and then there's an adjustment on the larger size to make purses to fit 18cm/7'' and 20cm/8'' zippers (all the maths and patternmaking is done for you for these sizes, but you can also extend the pattern to make pencil cases or purses of any length).

 

Watch this space for more new patterns for Christmas gifts.  I have a few new designs on the back-burner.

New patterns, a spot of revamping and how I (accidentally) nearly brought down an aircraft carrying 180 passengers.

The new pattern is nearly ready to print.  The feedback from pattern-testers is starting to come in and I'm working through the corrections and edits and tweakings.  It's a much-revamped version of the project I wrote for Homespun Magazine last year (published in June this year).

The pattern is called "Beauty Case", after the original inspiration for the design.  It's designed for confident sewing skills (if you can set a sleeve in, keep an even seam allowance, know your way around your sewing machine etc, you qualify as "confident"), but I've tested it on a few self-classified basic-to-intermediate sewing gals, and they made themselves some spiffy new beauty cases, while learning a few new tricks.

 

It'll be ready for shops to order by the end of the week, all going well.  So, if you want to start nagging your local (or favourite online) stockist now, they can pre-order from us and you'll get your pattern hot off the proverbial.

  

When I was a kid, my mother had a beauty case, even though she never wore make-up.  To me, a beauty case symbolised all the mysteries of being a woman, and it evoked the glamour of movie stars and the excitement of international travel.  (I had a vivid imagination.)

At some point in mid-primary school, I was given a beauty case for a birthday or Christmas.  I had no make-up to put in mine, either, but it became a treasure-chest for all that I held as precious. And so it still remains, in a box on a shelf in the garage... I get it out every now and then to look through the things I thought worth keeping.

For Homespun, the bag was called a "craft tote" and it would indeed be perfect for carrying crafty projects on the go, but I don't think it stops there.  It could be for toiletries,  make-up, art materials or anything that needs to be kept safe and a bit organised.  It could also be a TREASURE CHEST for a kid.



In other revamping news, I've also finished the revised Poppet pattern.  This is the 150mm frame purse with the structured barrel-shaped  body.  It's another one that is not for beginners, but it's a very satisfying project and a cute little wristlet-sized purse.

 

And there was a spot of revamping in the hair department.  I got tired of red dye fading to pink (and thereby clashing with most of my wardrobe).  When someone described my "trademark pink hair"  it was obvoiously time for a colour-change.  It's now sporting a flash of  copper-orange... fading fast, no doubt, to something likely to need regular high-maintenance retouching. 

 

But it's not all rehashing and revamping around here.  I'm fiddling about with little scraps and continuing my love-affair with fusible tapes and webbings.  I'm writing a new downloadable project.

Gosh, you've done very well to read this far.... I've been rabbiting on endlessly here, haven't I?  Was it the little mention of the near-aviation-disaster that kept you reading?  Ok, I'll fill you in... it's a bit of a long story.

I set my alarm for ridiculous o'clock on Saturday morning, so I could catch my flight to Canberra.  The clock obviously thought better of it and didn't go off.  I woke with a start, half an hour late, and madly got myself ready while I waited for coffee to kick in and wake me up properly. 

As I showered, cleaned teeth and did hair, I made a little pile on the bathroom floor with the things I needed to pack.  I put my phone and iPod on the pile (while I thought of it) and then got dressed and packed up my computer.

When I was dressed, I packed the last-minute stuff in my handbag, computer bag and luggage.  I was in the car and on my way to the the airport on schedule.  Phew.   No dramas in traffic and I was checked in and at the boarding gate early.

It was only when we all boarded and I went to turn off my phone and iPod, that it became apparent that neither phone nor iPod were in my handbag or computer bag.  The last place I remembered seeing them was with the toiletries before they were packed in my checked-on luggage.  I was simultaneously anxious that it probably wasn't ok to have a switched-on phone or iPod in my checked-in luggage, that shampoo or moisturiser might be leaking all over them and that there was the distinct possibility that I hadn't packed them in my toiltery bag at all (so should I or shouldn't I mention it to someone...?).

So... I thought I might ask one of the cabin crew what she thought.  Although she kept her composure and said "I think I'll just ring the captain" the colour seemed to drain from her face as she spoke and her smile looked a bit nervous.

Twenty minutes later and I'm back at the boarding gate, surrounded by three stressed and humourless security staff and one of the cabin crew, who were madly ringing my mobile and walkie-talkying with the baggage-handlers who were "stripping the aircraft" (I picked up the lingo) in search of my bag (..that'd be the one that was checked in early and is somewhere right down the front of the luggage hold).

The bag was found (after an age) and arrived at the boarding gate.  And... well... it turns out that I'd put the offending objects down on a table while I was packing the toiletry bag into my suitcase.  They were not in my luggage at all.

Ahem... yes... well.. My apologies to the 180 people on board.  Excuse me while I squirm my way back down the aisle and find my seat at the back of the plane...and no, I'm not going to lift my eyes off the floor as I do so....

I. WAS. MORTIFIED.

One of the security staff told me that I was the second person to do this that day (and it was only 8am).  That might explain the lack of humour.... and I think he was trying to make me feel a bit better.  The cabin crew were really nice and THANKED me (emphatically) for speaking up when there was a doubt. 

I was still mortified. 

And I will NEVER  - no matter how bleary and rushed I am before a flight - EVER do this again.

Then it was all smooth-sailing and I had a lovely weekend, teaching at Addicted to Fabric.  Apologies to the Zipper workshop girls, I forgot to photograph you!  Here, we have the happy hat-making crew.

So... how was your week? 

 

The simple things...

I love a red bag... simple, elegant and striking...

Looking at the left-over fabric from the Mod bag I made a while ago, I thought "City Bag".  It's a simple, elegant and striking sort of bag.

And then I got a bit fancy and thought to do some of the zippers that I'll be teaching in the zipper class on Saturday.... which was all very well on the inside.  There's an exposed zipper pocket and a zipped divider pocket in there.

But... on the outside, there are two exposed zipper pockets, all nicely lined with spotty red lining.

And if I EVER start getting fancy notions like this again, please...

• Remind me that thick upholstery weight microfibre suede doesn't follow any of the usual fabric rules. (Remind me of the inability to press or fuse things into place... or even pin). This is all very well until one decides to do an exposed zipper in it.

• Remind me how long it took me to turn the strap through and how almost-impossible it was topstitch the ends, and how long it took to stitch it around the o-ring.

• Remind me about how unbending and un-stitch-through-able heavy metal-teeth zips are.

• And remind me how the quality of workmanship is more important when a design is kept simple.

Typically, I finished it and thought, "Oh, isn't that lovely?"

But PLEASE... don't allow it the idea to seduce me again.  Remind me that I'm scarred, bitter and twisted..... and no matter HOW stylish the finished result promises to be, NEXT TIME  things will be different.  (Next time, the strap will be a different fabric and the zippers will ALL be on the inside!)

It wasn't fun.

And it's not perfect.

But I like it.

..........................

PS. If you'd like to do the Zippers for Bags class, I beleve there may be one or two places left on the October 6th date.

Restructure

Firstly, many thanks to the many wonderful people who left comments here or on Facebook or who sent lovely emails after my last post.  I've been quite fragile lately but you've made me feel stronger and a little bit protected from the blows of future criticism.

It has been mentioned before, that I can't leave well enough alone, once I gets me an idea..... 

So now, not only am I restructuring my business and lots of real-life stuff, but I can't seem to stop turning last year's knitting machine wraps into twisty-drapey winter woollies....

The few scarfy-shruggy rectangle-based things I made a little while ago got me thinking about other wrap-and-sew structures for knitted rectangles.  I decided to try this idea on last year's rectangles before I knitted up any new ones. 

I've been felting them a bit, too.  The blue one felted up nicely, but I think the red one might need a few spins in the dreaded front-loader to disguise all the little pulls and holes in the knit.

These two are based on a spiral wrap.   The back is lovely and snuggly-warm and the neck can be cowled and draped in a lot of different configurations.  I'm now thinking of other wraps and other shapes to wrap.....

Other restructuring activities include the revamping of a few of my smaller projects: converting them into digital downloads.  You can find them over at Pink Chalk Farics.

So far, we have the Pyramid Purse, the Lavender Handbag (which also makes a cute little pincushion) and the Fabulous 50's Bib.  These are all my go-to "quick gift" projects.

The patterns have nice spiffy-new colour photographs and re-vamped pattern pieces.

There is still a lot to do here... organising the path ahead while bringing the tail end of the good ship YOU SEW GIRL around.  You can expect to see more revampings and restructurings.... and you can definitely expect to see more knitty wrappy things.

Please do not send me any more emails – your prices are ridiculous.

This morning, when I woke up extra-early to work on ROUND THREE of feedback/edits from the final testing on the Best Dress pattern, I also woke to a reply - a single line -  from a mailing list unsubscriber.

"Please do not send me any more emails – your prices are ridiculous."

Couldn't she have just said "please unsubscribe"...?

I must add that I'm at the stage with this (Best Dress) pattern where I know that no other pattern designer would bother.  I'm over it and want it finished ...and there is still another edit to do before we go to press today.

I might also add that I'm tired, stressed and emotional - and probably a bit too sensitive - right now, and this comment has cut to the quick. It's taken the shine off what would normally be a very positive post about the release of a new pattern that I'm very proud of.

I love this little dress and have poured hours and hours of my life into it lately, making sure that it will be a trouble-free and rewarding project for anyone who cares to make it.  I need to know that I've done my absolute best with it.

But, instead of actually working on the edits, I've spent the last few hours pouring out a lot of emotional energy.  I made a response to the criticism - to the unsubscriber and to anyone who isn't familiar with what my work is about.

"Hi ... –
I’m happy to unsubscribe you from the mailing list and I’m sorry that you regret having signed up to receive my updates.

I’d normally do this without any response to you, but the tone of your email has deeply upset me and I feel the need to explain that in Australia, my patterns are the same price (or cheaper) than any other independent designer pattern (Amy Butler, Patty Young, Oliver & S etc). The cost of living (and producing products) in Australia is much higher than in the USA, as is the cost of craft materials (for example, we’re used to paying $28 per metre for the quilting fabric that you can buy for under $10). By our standards, my patterns are a very fair price.

As far as patterns go, mine are so much more than just a sewing pattern. I’m a qualified, industry-trained designer-patternmaker – not just an uppity crafter who thinks she can make sewing patterns**. Each one of my patterns contains a 20-30 page booklet of (agonized-over, on my part) instructions that act as a sewing-class in a packet for the end-user – teaching all my hard-earned tricks of the trade. If you care to read some of the feedback I receive (much of it from US citizens who feel it’s worth paying the exorbitant Australia Post charges), you'll see that I’ve been thanked for teaching even the most experienced of sewers to become better bag-makers, hat-makers and dressmakers.

If you’re at all interested, here’s some background reading –
http://www.nicolemdesign.com.au/testimonials.htm
http://www.nicolemdesign.blogspot.com.au/2012/04/up-close-and-personal.html (an insight into the process behind each of my patterns. As an aside, I’m still tweaking the pattern in this blog post, based on the 3rd round of pattern-testing (12 testers), to make sure that everything is as fool-proof as it can possibly be).

I shan’t bother you further. You have every right to not be interested and to want to unsubscribe from the mailing list. I just want you to do so, knowing what my products are about.

Sincerely...etc...

Edited to add:  This line about "uppity crafters" is purely my interpretation of the implied accusation pointed at me.  It is by no means meant to be disparaging of any other pattern designer - trained or untrained - on my part.

So, I'm very sorry about the slight delay.... the dress was going to be ready for print by the time I got to work this morning, but it may be a day late.

It is a LOVELY little dress, and although I've pitched it toward intermediate sewing skills, I tested it on 10 beginners and advancing-beginners (as well as a couple more experienced sewing gals).  Although it was slightly beyond the comfort zone of beginners, they all learned loads and made dresses that they loved.  They felt proud of what they'd achieved and confident that they could (and would) make the dress again.

 

And the little girls ADORE it.  (It's very twirly.)

 

So... apologies for the slight delay.  The pattern will hopefully go to print by tomorrow, and we're taking orders for it now.  I believe it will be in Ms CurlyPops' shop as soon as it's printed. 

 

..And it'll be at the ridiculous price of $21.95.