Did you know that today is Doughnut Day in the States? Well, it is – and in my book, that calls for a sewing blog giveaway.
Doughnut Pattern Weights – A Giveaway
Posted in sewing, sewing and knitting, Uncategorized
Tagged doughnut pattern weights, Etsy, oh sew quiant
263 Comments
B6178 Culotte Pattern
A couple of weeks ago, if you’d said to me, ‘Karen, I’d like you to swathe the lower half of your body in acres of pale fabric,’ I’d have told you to take a running jump.
A couple of events happened between then and now.
I set myself a challenge of sewing outside of my comfort zone. When the B6178 pattern was delivered along with the Love Sewing magazine, it seemed to answer that challenge. I can’t remember the last time I wore a pair of wide-legged trousers, or culottes. The fact that the design only uses four pattern pieces drew me in. How badly wrong could this go?
Then I spotted this bone-coloured twill linen at TMOS. Initially, I dismissed it. I don’t do pale colours. But it was the perfect weight for trousers… Sold!
Yes, this pattern has pockets.
Posted in sewing, sewing and knitting, Uncategorized
Tagged B6178, sewing with linen, TMOS
34 Comments
Top 5 Best Fabrics For Hot Weather
Anyone out there sweltering? Me, too! Here’s a quick run down of the fabrics I love to sew for summer. Needless to say, they’re all natural.
Silk
The above Deep V Tunic top from DIY Couture’s No Patterns Needed book
And it’s sewn in silk.
Posted in sewing, sewing and knitting, Uncategorized
Tagged double gauze, linen, silk, stretch cotton sateen, summer fabrics, The Village Haberdashery, viscose
22 Comments
Yuki Dress The Third
I took this photo the morning after the Manchester bombing. The sun was out, and within earshot a church choir was rehearsing. It was hard not to get tearful. My thoughts go out to everyone affected. Now is the time for us all to practice kindness, but I think I’m preaching to the converted here.
This is my third Tessuti Yuki dress. I guess I should stop boring you all soon with them, but I thought my latest variation might be of interest. Instead of battling with a safety pin to turn a drawstring inside out I replaced the drawstring with … a really long shoe lace!
I’m really proud of this lateral thinking. The plaid fabric I’d used on the collar frayed beyond belief and melted beneath a too-hot iron. No way would the same fabric cooperate with being cut on the bias in a drawstring to be sewn and turned inside out. No way was I giving myself that sort of nervous breakdown. I bought my 120cm laces here. Buy 3 Get 1 Free!
Miriam Cardigan, Quince & Co
If you want a summer cardigan to throw over outfits, meet the Miriam cardigan from Quince & Co, designed by Carrie Bostick Hoge. A neutral colour can be your best friend. I learnt that last summer when I bought a white cotton cardigan and wore it to death. It went with everything.
So, I invested in some Chickadee 100% wool from Loop. I think this project took seven skeins. This is not a cheap make. I often feel conflicted about the financial feasibility of certain crafts, and the implications for who is attracted to and felt included in making. I don’t drop £9.50 on a skein of wool lightly. But when you’ve experienced quality wool, the genie is out of the bottle. It’s difficult to go back to anything else. This is gorgeous wool and I’m quite certain there are lots of very good reasons it costs what it does. Still. There’s my middle class angst for the day. Feel free to throw your rotten kale at me in disgust!
Posted in sewing and knitting, Uncategorized
Tagged chickadee yarn, loop london, miriam cardigan, quince and co
41 Comments
Help Me Understand Cosplay
I’m wearing a Hollyburn skirt. My companion is wearing…?
The first time I became aware of Cosplay was in 2014. I attended London Comi Con through my day job and stumbled upon … a whole other world of outfits. Outrageous outfits. Glorious outfits.
But I didn’t have a clue what was happening.
Since then, I’ve become aware that a lot of people sew their Cosplay outfits. Pattern companies have even begun producing Cosplay-specific patterns. Today, someone told me about her daughter:
She sews. Because, you know, she’s into Cosplay.
I nodded knowledgeably. But honestly, I’m still a bit in the dark. I’m fascinated, impressed and in awe. I’m also ignorant.
Can you help me understand Cosplay?
The Humility Of Making
This summer, I’m determined to wrestle my garden into order. This means getting down on my hands and knees, shoving my hands deep into the dirt and stretching so far that my muscles ache.
I feel embarrassed. My body groans. I wipe a hand across my face and hope that the neighbours aren’t watching.
I feel humiliated. I also feel alive.
Posted in Uncategorized
31 Comments
5 Reasons To Sew A Shirt Dress
1. Bite-Size Tasks
The construction of a shirt dress can be broken down into digestible chunks of work for tired brains at the end of the day – pockets, cuffs, plackets, waist ties, collars, button holes… If you want a 15-minute task, sew a shirt dress.
Posted in sewing, sewing and knitting, Uncategorized
Tagged shirt dress, shirt dress sewing patterns, vintage shirt dress
28 Comments
M6885 – Flower Girl
I’ve never considered myself to be much of a flower girl, but on a recent sewing blogger meet up there were a lot of summery chintz prints on display. The synapses in my brain kept firing. Ooh, pretty! Swoon! Love! Want.
I needed to make a cotton dress using a classic floral design. Pronto.
Fortunately, I had this poplin in my stash. It’s still in stock at Ray Stitch. (Did you see the article in The Observer interviewing the owner of this shop?)
The joy of the M6885 shirt dress is all in the details. A button band, waist ties, collar and collar stand. They make for nice, digestible chunks of sewing – perfect for tired or busy people. But there’s enough interest in the construction to keep you engaged.
Posted in sewing, sewing and knitting, Uncategorized
Tagged M6885, poplin, Ray Stitch, shirt dress
15 Comments
Shopping And Wine (Maybe Some Sewing)
It’s the May Bank Holiday here in the UK, which puts me in a shopping and wine kind of mood! Here’s a run down of items I can vouch for, having selflessly put all of them to the test. Yes, even the wine.
The Tokaree Bag
Have you seen Lisa Comfort’s latest initiative? Phewee! When she’s not having first babies she’s setting the entrepreneurial world on light. As soon as I saw the Tokaree Bags I ordered one (a medium pink), picked it up from the sorting office, tore off the wrapping, carried it to Walthamstow Village and filled it with goodies. That’s how excited I was about this bag.
It’s really bright, really sturdy and now lives by the kitchen door, brightening up the room and ready to grab when I dart to the shops. Mine is a medium and it’s large enough to carry groceries.
Posted in Uncategorized
15 Comments
