Handmade Jane

Somebody recently tweeted a link to the new Hemingway Design fabrics and I was immediately smitten. If you're not familiar with the Hemingways, they're a UK husband and wife design team (Wayne and Gerardine) who started out with a stall on Camden market in the 1980's, before creating fashion label Red or Dead (from which I bought a wonderful pair of brogues, long, long ago). Since then they've designed more or less everything - wallpaper, furniture, haberdashery - organised many a Vintage Festival, and managed to pick up a couple of MBE's along the way too. They've now added a mid-century inspired textiles collection to the mix and I just LOVE it - here's a small selection of the designs:

Yellow Tulip

Emerald Texture

Brick Knotted Up

Duck Egg Grid

The first one is my favourite as it manages to combine tulips, crosshatch and yellow all in one go. The last one is probably the one I'll buy though…. I've already got visions of a shirtdress.

Now to the chance encounter in the title of this post…. another event that Wayne Hemingway organises is the Classic Car Boot Sale which took place last weekend at the Olympic Park. My boys were keen to try out the Olympic pool and I like nothing better than mooching around a car boot sale, so off we set for virtually the entire length of the Central Line. Just as we approached central London, a man got on the tube with a dog. Charlie is a bit nervous around dogs, so whilst I was reassuring him of its friendliness, the man started chatting to us. "Is that Wayne Hemingway?" Jon murmured out of the side of his mouth. "YES!" I replied, just slightly over excited! The man (let's call him Wayne) asked where we were off to. We mentioned the Classic Car Boot Sale and then got chatting about lots of things: his new fabrics (naturally), 'Oh, You Pretty Things' on BBC4, dressmaking in general, the importance of UK production (his fabrics are manufactured by British textiles company Makower), dogs, Northern Soul, and because we're all British - the weather. His dog - a Springer Spaniel/Labrador cross - was the loveliest, most gentle dog I've ever come across and Mr Hemingway himself as friendly and charming as I'd always imagined him. He's also from Lancashire so I may be a bit biased!

You can see more of the Hemingway Design Fabrics here and here. And no, I'm nothing to do with his company, I just happen to like the fabrics.

You never know who you might meet on the tube eh?! x

Trousers are one of those garments that seem to put the fear of god into many sewists. They're really not that scary - in fact I can think of countless sewing tasks that beat trousers hands down: sewing on the bias, sewing with silk, bound buttonholes, invisible side zips and, my personal nemesis, hooks and eyes (uuurrrggh). In reality, once you've made a few pairs of pyjama bottoms, you have the basic skills for trouser making, the hard part is perfecting the fit.

I was surprised to discover that I've made quite a few pairs of trousers in my sewing life. The wide legged vintage-style trousers I've sewn (here, here and here) are actually very easy to fit and sew, and given the width of the legs, not that different from PJs. My Juniper trousers fitted well, but that was more fluke than skilled fitting, as my body shape happens to be a good fit for a lot of Colette patterns. My Gertie Capri pants and sailor shorts required a few adjustments, but in both instances it was just a case of taking in seams on the hop. I've never actually sat down with a trouser pattern and tried to work out how to get it to fit to my shape. Well, not until I encountered the Ultimate Trousers pattern from Sew Over It that is.

I was sent the pattern as a thank you for pattern testing the Betty dress in the summer, but because I'm fickle and the sun was out, all I could think about was sewing dresses. I liked the shape of the pattern though: easy, darted front, ankle length and a classy slim fit and I kept seeing great versions pop up on sewing blogs. My attention was finally caught when Winnie decided to use the pattern for OWOP. Her advice? Once you perfect the fit, it's a great pattern. So I set out to perfect the fit.

To do this, I made not one, but two muslins. Gasp! I made a full sized muslin to check the (ahem) crotch area and legs. Then, once I'd sorted out the legs, I made a second muslin from waist to thigh, incorporating my adjustments. Sew Over It patterns don't have a great deal of ease and are very true to the pattern measurements, so be honest when choosing which size to cut out! For reference, I made a size 10, which is a 28" waist and 38" hip. The first muslin wasn't too bad, but I noticed the back waistline pulled down at the centre quite noticeably. After consulting the fitting post for the Ultimate Trousers sewalong, I knew that this was because my derriere was taking up a bit too much room and forcing the waistband down. A fat arse adjustment was therefore needed! To do this, I added ½" to the centre back seam and ½" to the top waistline. This created more room in the bum area and, very pleasingly, ensured that the waistband was parallel again. I did a smaller adjustment at the front, for my less-than-flat stomach.

The only other adjustment I made was to taper the legs in the calf area by a total of 1" each leg, using the tips from the same sewalong post. I hemmed the trousers by just ½" rather than the recommended 1" and the length is perfect on me. Beware though - I'm only 5'2", so if you want an ankle skimming trouser and you're tall (or even normal height) you may need to lengthen them. If you prefer a cropped length, you're laughing.

The fabric I used is a navy stretch cotton from Sew Over It. I only needed 1.5m for the size I made, but I bought 2m for contingency. When it arrived, there was a bit extra included as it was the end of the roll - perfect for two muslins! The fabric is quite lightweight, so maybe not suited to winter wear if you feel the cold. It's also VERY stretchy and, perhaps predictably, now that I've worn them a few times, they're a bit big around the waistband - grrr. I'm certain this is all down to the fabric though - if I was making them again in a non-stretch drill for instance, I'd do exactly the same adjustments. Once the trousers are washed, they shrink back to their normal tight fit, which is what you see in these photos. Be warned, though, they are a very tight fit - as Karen remarked when I was discussing them with her, "there's nowhere to hide!", which is definitely something to consider if you're thinking of making them!

The actual construction is a cinch, the only pieces are trouser legs and facings. There's a side invisible zip, which I managed to insert without any tears. Sadly, I still can't tell my left from my right, so it ended up on the wrong side! This is a great pattern to practice your trouser fitting skills on because of its simplicity. There are no waist bands or fly fronts to worry about, so you can focus purely on fit. I like the fit I managed to achieve and will almost certainly make them again, perhaps in a plain, black drill. I was even contemplating a gingham pair at one point, but I think that might have been the Prosecco talking! Happy Thursday. x

I used to have a terrible habit of jumping straight onto the sewing band wagon. Whatever people happened to post on their blogs I immediately wanted one the same, even if I'd had no intention of making it previously. Shiny new patterns piled up in my shopping basket at an alarming rate. Over time I've learnt to temper this mad "gimme, gimme, gimme" attitude, but there are definite traces still lurking. A recent sewing category I was almost lured in by was sewing my own exercise gear.

Mr Bolt, even faster than the Bionic Man

As you probably know, Winnie from Scruffy Badger Time is a fine, accomplished runner. Running is a passion for her and a huge part of her life, so, quite rightly, she makes her own running kit. In true Badger style, her creations are brightly coloured and stylish, mostly using patterns from Fehr Trade (I think). After seeing her VNA Top in the summer I had the pattern in my shopping basket faster than the speed of light, finger hovering over the "Purchase" button. But for once, I hesitated, did I really want to devote my precious sewing time to making exercise gear? To answer that, I need to explain the role exercise plays in my life.

Until recently, it played no role whatsoever. Apart from a bit of sporadic hoola hooping, and going on walks with the family, I did no formal exercise at all. Why? Because I'm lazy of course, there's no point beating about the bush, I simply Couldn't. Be. Arsed. I'm also in the lucky position of being happy with the size I am - a slim(ish), medium-sized UK 12. The problem is, I'm also a middle aged woman (45 years of age and counting) and the sorry fact is that the older you get, the harder it is to stuff your face with pies and still remain the same size. Plus a close family member recently had a fatal heart attack, and the shock and heartbreak that followed his death was like nothing I've ever known. I needed to do some exercise, if nothing else, just to stay fit and healthy.

So for the past few months, I've been running twice, sometimes thrice, a week. Now there are two things you should know about me and running:

1. I'm rubbish at it, and although it is getting a bit easier, I'll never be able to run further than 5K.

2. I hate running. HATE. IT. I do it because it's fast, easy(ish) and free. I have the time and I have a park at the end of my road - that's all.

In case you're wondering, that smile is forced.

But I started to think that because I run (ha!), I should also make my own gear. Currently I wear basic, black exercise gear from Marks and Spencer that fulfils its purpose masterfully. It's sort of flattering (as much as skin tight lycra can ever be), it's relatively cheap, it's black and it's anonymous. I know lots of people are driven to making their own running gear purely because they're fed up of only having boring black to choose from, but for me that's exactly what I want. I want to be anonymous and I certainly DON'T want to draw attention to myself. Plus, there's quite a skill involved in sewing your own stretch gear. There's a lot of negative ease to contend with and I just don't have those skills, I can't even make a decent pair of knickers for goodness sake. If I was making exercise gear I'd want it to look like this…

But I'm reasonably certain that any exercise gear I ever made would turn out like Mrs Overall's:

Sometimes you just have to accept when an area of sewing is not for you. And sewing exercise gear, swimsuits, knickers or anything of that ilk is just not for me. The very rambling moral of my story is, just sew what makes you happy. Running doesn't really make me happy, it's a necessary evil, so I don't want to invest time and effort into sewing running gear. Sewing dresses makes me happy, sewing multiple versions of favourite patterns makes me happy and sewing quick, easy, flattering knits makes me happy. I'll carry on wearing my boring, black kit and leave the sewing of beautiful, stylish exercise gear to the true experts!

So tell me, which sewing categories do you like or dislike sewing? I'm all ears! x

One thing I noticed when I did my recent wardrobe changeover (from summer to autumn) was a lack of basic, functional items. By this, I mean everyday pieces in solid, neutral colours that match up with the rest of my wardrobe. To most people, a neutral colour is white, cream or black, but to me it's navy blue....or red. I addressed this a few weeks ago when I made my first Mabel skirt in red and Ultimate Trousers in navy, both of which have been on almost constant rotation from the moment they were born. Yesterday, after a particularly successful flurry of sewing, I ticked off two more items. They're both neutral (well, navy) basics so should really be classified under BORING. However, I'm pretty delighted at how well they've turned out, so I'm subjecting you to them today I'm afraid.

First up is another Bronte top (my first one's here). This one is made with a lovely cotton and lycra jersey from Ditto Fabrics. I bought the fabric intending to make the long sleeved version, but failed to take into consideration how much fabric is needed for long sleeves. I only bought a metre (duh), which isn't nearly enough for long sleeves, however adventurous a cutter you are. I do like the short sleeved version though and the fabric's light enough to wear under a cardigan. As per last time, I cut a size 12 at the bust, grading to a 10 at the waist and hips, which gives a nice tight fit.

Next up is a navy Mabel Skirt, this time cut to the same length as the pencil skirt version which is a much better length for me (just on the knee). I used a scrap of the Bronte fabric for the inside waistband and even managed to sew it on the right way round this time. The double knit fabric for both of my Mabel skirts came from Calico Laine and it's a perfect weight for the pattern. This version seems a bit roomier than the first one (in a good way), but I'm not quite sure why. I did sew the whole skirt on the overlocker and wasn't particularly vigilant about my seam allowances, so maybe that's it?

Anyway, the total time to make both garments - from cutting out to sewing the last hem - was about four hours. It would have been even quicker, but I was distracted by a shoe delivery and had to take time off to play with them. The Mabel skirt only took about 30 minutes sewing time, I kid you not! The Bronte top takes a little while longer as there's all the shoulder binding to negotiate, but it's still easily sewn up in a morning or afternoon.

I've lightened this photo quite a bit to show the shoulder detail

They work well as separates as evidenced above, and even look cute worn together.

Look - a navy knit dress! (sort of)

These quick and easy basics patterns have rather taken my fancy at the moment. Don't worry, I'll get back to the dresses and shiny stuff soon enough. But whilst my attention is wandering, I might as well ask, what are your favourite basics patterns to sew? Happy Thursday. x

You should all know by now that I have a bit of thing for a nice bow blouse. Whenever I fancy channelling my inner Mrs Slocombe, my go-to pattern is Simplicity 2154. I love this pattern, LOVE IT! I made my first bow blouse about a year ago and vowed I'd like to wear it for the rest of my life. Since then I've made a modified version for the beach and have just completed a third version complete with giant bow. I'll have to eat my words because THIS is the bow blouse I want to wear for the rest of my life!

The fabric I used is Robert Kaufman Dotted Chambray in Indigo, which was kindly gifted to me by Annie at The Village Haberdashery. I knew I'd like this fabric after seeing it on various websites, but it wasn't until I actually made something with it that I realised how awesome it was. It's oh so soft to the touch, and feels even softer once its been pre-washed. It also has a great drape but is easy to cut out and press, two things that don't always come hand in hand. Lots of other sewing bloggers have used it for projects and I can totally see why. Check out Mary's beautiful shirt dress,Tilly's Bruyere blouse, and, as of today, Lauren's button down shirt.

Here it is tucked in...

…and with a cardigan

I sewed the same size as my other versions (size 14), with no adjustments and no side zip (hoorah). As per my first version, I didn't interface the bow, which I think results in a perfect level of floppiness! The pattern instructs you to turn and hem the top section of the centre seams around the keyhole openings. I decided to turn and hem both seams all the way down and really like the neat effect it gives.

Inside back view: lovely neat seams!

I've said it before but I'll say it again, just for good measure, I love this top. I've worn it to within an inch of its life since I made it and received lots of compliments. For some reason, people are very impressed by the bow and can't believe I actually made it! It's really not that difficult, but I'll bask in the glory anyway! Happy Tuesday. x

I've been sewing for five years now and would like to think that my dressmaking skills have improved a teeny bit during that time. One thing I still don't have much of a clue about though is fitting. I've never been properly taught how to fit patterns - everything I've learnt has been cobbled together from reading sewing blogs and books or by following sewalongs. Yes, I can more or less tweak a pattern to fit me, but I don't really know how and why I'm manipulating it. I've always wanted to be able to make a sloper or block to fit my proportions exactly, which I can then use to adapt other patterns. I don't want to become a designer, I just want somebody knowledgeable to explain the basic mechanics to me.

So when Katie posted this excellent review about the three day pattern cutting course she'd taken at Ray Stitch, I was on red alert. I knew that this was exactly the course I'd been looking for and booked in for the October Pattern Cutting Weekend. During the weekend I would create a skirt and upper body block and learn how to use the blocks to adapt commercial patterns and even create my own! I. Could. Not. Wait!

The course was taught by Alice Prier, a super-stylish pattern cutter and designer with a ton of knowledge and experience to share. Alice was also very engaging and funny, which really set the class off on the right foot. This was a world away from the soul destroying needlework lessons at school! We started by taking 'accurate' measurements of each other. It was reassuring that Alice could take one look at our pattern paper and know immediately if we had an incorrect, or, in some cases, physically impossible measurement (ahem!) We each created an upper body and skirt block joined together at the waist to form a dress, which we then sewed up in calico. After trying them on, we all needed only minimal adjustments to ensure a perfect fit. Honestly they all looked great, and that's saying something as calico is notoriously unflattering (see photo below…) I achieved a good fit across the bust (hallelujah!) but needed to add an inch across the stomach and bum area i.e. the widest part of me, as the toile turned out a bit tight. I also had to pin a small chunk out of the front neckline as it was slightly gaping. Apart from that it fitted. Perfectly!

Any pulling you see is just the way I'm standing - it actually fits like a glove

This all happened on the first day - the second day was devoted to learning all about darts. Now I've done the odd FBA (full bust adjustment) and gaping back adjustment in my time, so I had a rough idea about what happens if you pivot or spread a dart. Having it explained properly really did cement it into place for me - this was definitely my lightbulb moment of the whole weekend! Alice slashed a bodice into sections and then showed how a different fit/look could be achieved by pivoting the darts around the bodice.

This is the block we started out with. It has darts at the top and bottom

Once a bodice block is created, there is a set amount of shaping within the darts - so as long as this total amount of dart area remains the same, the darts can go anywhere. It can all go into one dart.

It can be redistributed between two different darts.

It can be joined together to form a princess seam (forgot to take a picture of that one.). It can be an underarm tuck.

Or, if you want more ease, you can simply choose not to sew the dart up at all. This may be obvious to a lot of people, but it wasn't to me, so to finally understand it was well worth every penny of the course fee. These basic principles can then be used to create patterns for whatever you like. The possibilities are endless and I came away bursting with ideas. I've now transferred all my scribblings to my 'fitting' notebook', just in case I forget anything, which is highly likely. I've also decided to take Alice's advice and trace my block onto card to preserve it.

Obviously you're not going to learn everything there is to know about pattern cutting in just one weekend, but I felt that I learnt more than enough for my purposes. I also met some lovely new sewing pals and a very inspiring teacher. Plus we were constantly plied with chocolate cake, which didn't hurt. Thank you to Ray Stitch and to Alice Prier for an excellent weekend course. x

What's the scariest thing you can think of? For me it's clowns, dolls coming to life and ventriloquists dummies.... I also can't stand anything round my neck, or thinking I can't breath…. or one particular scene in The Woman in Black (the old BBC version, not the Daniel Radcliffe film). If you've seen it, you'll know exactly which bit I'm talking about - TERRIFYING. I'm a bit of a wuss generally and news of this must have made its way across the ocean, as I was asked to be a participant in this year's Fear Fabric Challenge, hosted by Beth at 110 Creations. WOOOOOOOOO!!

For the challenge I had to choose a scary fabric and conquer my fear of it by sewing something fabulous. Now there isn't actually a fabric that scares the bejesus out of me in the same way as a talking doll or The Woman in Black would, but there are a few I've managed to avoid like the plague. One of them is silk, which I'm still giving a wide berth, the other one is lace. Ah lace, lace, lacey, lacey, lace, so pretty, but with such a dreadful reputation, all those holes! It was only after seeing this Joseph dress worn by my lovely friend Rose that I was truly inspired to give lace a go myself. Doesn't she look BEE-OOT-IFUL?

I thought a whole dress would be a bit much to tackle on my first attempt, but liked the idea of a smart top that could be worn with fitted trousers. A bit like the Luxurious Lace Top from Boden. For fabric I used some All Over Flower Lace in navy from White Tree Fabrics. I recently joined their blogging team as an occasional guest blogger, so the lace, satin lining fabric and bias binding for finishing was kindly sent to me free of charge - thank you White Tree Fabrics! There was an almost overwhelmingly large selection of lace to choose from, so I ordered a few samples first. I'd highly recommend doing this as the samples are generously cut and you can drape them over your arm to see what they look like as sleeves. I didn't want to go with a very expensive lace, just in case I totally bodged it, and although the lace I used was fine, with hindsight I should have taken the risk and gone for a higher quality fabric. I think it would have given the top more of a fancy finish.

The pattern I used was the Colette Laurel. What appealed to me about the pattern was the lack of zips or buttons - the top version can just be pulled over your head. Shaping is created with bust darts and back contour darts, which I was hoping would be enough. I actually made a muslin beforehand (gasp!) and cut a size 8 with a ½" FBA (full bust adjustment). Although it fitted well across the bust, it was still a little boxy for my liking, so I added contour darts to the front, checking I could still get it over my head before sewing them! I also took in the side seams a smidgen too. The only other change to the pattern was to extend the length of the sleeves from elbow length to wrist length (about six inches).

Lace is very 'on trend' (as Gok would say), which was handy as there were plenty of examples in the shops for me to inspect at close quarters. I was initially thinking of underlining the lace, but my secret lurking revealed that the majority were made with a full lining. So a full lining it was. I used a solid navy satin lining, which was actually far more of a pain in the arse to work with than the lace. It was slippery to cut out and frayed like nobody's business as soon as you even looked in its general direction. I used the shiniest side against the skin so that the top could slide on and off easily, with the duller side against the lace to give less of a bling effect. By comparison, the lace was as good as gold: it washed and dried like a dream, didn't fray and behaved itself perfectly when I was cutting it out. Nothing scary about this fabric at all.

Working with it is time consuming though - it's almost impossible to mark lace pattern pieces in the usual way, so I used tailors tacks to mark out all the darts and notches (thank you Louise at Thread Carefully for showing me the light on that one!) Marking up the pattern pieces took ages, but it was good discipline. As the bodice is fully lined, most seams are hidden from view, for the ones that are on view (such as the sleeve seams), I used French seams. I also used this brilliant tutorial - inserting un-lined sleeves in a lined bodice - to achieve a lovely clean finish around the sleeves and armholes.

I didn't actually refer to the instructions much as I fully lined my top, which meant a lot of them were redundant (along with the bias binding). There's a lot more you can do with this pattern though: as well as the top, there are three dress options included in the pattern itself and the option to download an E-Booklet with a further nine variations.

So what's the verdict? Well, my verdict on working with lace is a pleasant surprise. Yes, it's time consuming to work with, but the fact that it's relatively easy to prepare and sew more than makes up for this. I'm still not convinced the shape of the Laurel pattern is that flattering for my shape - I made this before taking my pattern cutting course, so if I made it again, I would tweak it accordingly. I also think my decision to fully line it has made it a bit bulkier than I'd prefer. It's perfect for wearing with jeans and heels to the pub though, and in that respect, it's a super useful addition to my wardrobe. I would like to work with lace again, but I think next time I'll choose a different colour.

If you haven't quite had your fill of scary fabrics (and let's face it, this one was pretty tame!), you can check out the rest of the Fear Fabric Challenges:

Andrea from Four Square Walls
Nakisha from Sew Crafty Chemist
Shannon from Shanni Loves
Beth from 110 Creations

What's the scariest fabric you've ever worked with? x

After running a whole WEEK of daily giveaways for One Week, One Pattern, I vowed to take a bit of a break from giveaways for a while. All was going swimmingly until I was offered the chance to give away some Hemingway Design fabric. I fell hard for this lovely mid-century inspired collection as soon as I clapped eyes on it, so how could I deny my readers the opportunity of owning a metre? The answer was, I couldn't, so it's giveaway time!

The giveaway came about when Tracy from Trixie Lixie contacted me after reading my post on the fabrics. As well as a giveaway for my readers, she very kindly offered to let me choose fabric from the collection to make something fabulous with. Oh joy of joys! Trixie Lixie stocks the full collection, which actually makes the job of choosing one even harder. In the end I went with one of my original favourites - Duck Egg Grid - which will be swiftly turned into a shirt dress come spring.

The full collection comprises 29 designs, some of which I hadn't even seen when I wrote my first post. Here's just a taster of some of the colours and patterns used:

I can tell you first hand that the fabric is a lovely, soft cotton, which I think will be perfect for dressmaking. The colours and patterns have a really authentic vintage feel too, they'd be great made up into a fifties inspired shirt dress or a cute blouse. Or even cushions to add a fifties flavour to your couch!

To enter the giveaway, all you have to do is look at the Hemingway Design Collection on the Trixie Lixie website and leave a comment on this post telling me which one is your favourite. The winner will receive one metre of Hemingway Design fabric of their choice. The giveaway is open internationally and closes at midnight GMT on Monday 10th November. Please make sure you leave your email address if it's not linked to your Blogger profile so I can contact you if you're the winner.

A big thank you to Trixie Lixie for the giveaway and good luck everybody! x

Let's talk about circle skirts, or half circles or three-quarter circles or however much of a circle you want your circle skirt to be. Fact: I've never made a circle skirt. I've made a couple of dresses that included circle skirts (half and full) and was pleased with the results, but I'm convinced this was because the skirt was attached to the dress, which makes a world of difference. I do like the look of circle skirts, I like pinning pictures of them on Pinterest and reading about them and there are some sewing bloggers who just seem to carry them off with aplomb (Cashmerette made a fab plaid one and Lazy Seamstress has made trillions). I just don't think they suit me.

This is a very roundabout way of introducing you to the Cressida Skirt which I recently pattern tested for Jennifer Lauren Vintage. As you may have guessed, Cressida is a half circle skirt with button placket, waistband and in-seam pockets. There are two design variations: one with a double breasted button placket and one with cute belt loops. When Jennifer asked if I was interested in testing, I almost declined because of the shape, it was the interesting design details that piqued my interest. So I dived in, choosing a bright green cotton twill from Goldhawk Road to make it with for good measure.

The instructions for the Cressida skirt are clear and well explained, with lots of additional information and diagrams for tricky areas. I also like the way Jen groups the pattern pieces for each version separately, so you only need to print out the pages you need. In terms of fit, there were a few tweaks that have now been made to the waistband following tester feedback, However, the finished waistband still has very little ease (only ½"), which is great if you like a tight fit round the waist, but not so good if you need a bit of room for pie eating. I cut a size 10, which was optimistic to say the least and, as it turns out, a grave error. The result was an uncomfortably snug waist, and an hour spent unpicking the entire waistband (after it had been top stitched...) and re-drafting a new one, I should add that this was all my own fault, I should have been truthful rather than vain with the size. My advice therefore is to look at the finished measurements and be realistic when deciding which size to sew, or add a bit of width if you're not sure.

Apart from the waistband saga, the skirt sewed together easily and was a relatively straight forward make. There's a fair bit of top stitching on the skirt waistband, button placket and belt loops, which I didn't mind at all - I'm a sucker for a nice bit of top stitching and I love how it looks. I would also re-iterate what Mary emphasised in her review here, which is to stay-stitch the waist of your skirt immediately after cutting to prevent the curved waistline stretching.

Avert your eyes from that top buttonhole...

So, what do I think about the finished Cressida skirt? Well, it's not every day I have the patience to unpick a waistband AND sew on 11 buttons, which is a measure of how much I wanted this skirt to work for me. The sad truth is, I'm not sure it does. I can't quite pinpoint what it is, maybe I'm not used to having so much width around my hips or maybe it's just sheer volume of fabric? Whatever it is, I don't like how it looks on me and if you're not happy yourself with the look of a garment, then you're not going to wear it. Which is such a shame because I really do think it's a lovely skirt and I adore the bright green fabric.

I have to point out that the colour in these photos isn't anywhere near as bright as the actual fabric - it's actually a bright, pea green. In fact it's the exact same colour as a pair of culottes I had when I was about 11. I can't remember if they were my mum's culottes that she cut down, or an old skirt of hers that she converted (if you're reading this mummy, can you phone me and let me know please?!) Whatever their origin, I loved them, and was hoping I'd feel the same way about my Cressida skirt. It's not looking too hopeful so far, but never say never eh? I was very ambiguous about my Kelly skirt when I first made it and now I wear it all the time!

As with all these things, this is merely my own personal opinion. If you do like the cut of its jib and can totally rock a half circle skirt, then the Cressida PDF skirt pattern is available to purchase here.

Have a good weekend! x

Thank you all for entering the Hemingway Design fabric giveaway - I'm delighted that so many of you are as taken with the collection as I am! I'm afraid there can only be one winner though, and that is…. Jenna of JustSewJenna, hoorah! She clearly has excellent taste as she's chosen my favourite design - Duck Egg Grid! Congrats Jenna - please email me your address and I'll make sure your fabric is sent out to you.

Thank you once again to Tracy at Trixie Lixie for such a generous giveaway. x

Aha, that got your attention didn't it?! Luckily for you, this post is all about fabric and shoes as I'll be waxing lyrical about my recent purchases in both camps. First I'd like to draw your attention to my new fabric, the result of a recent splurge in Miss Matatabi. I've been eyeing up the beautiful Japanese fabrics in this Etsy shop for a while without succumbing. But on my most recent visit, I couldn't resist - the fabrics were just so lovely I had to buy some before I burst.

To the casual observer, this polka dot double gauze is pleasant enough, but nothing out of the ordinary - until you see the other side!!!

This could have done with a press - sorry

YES!!! Polka dots and gingham, all on the same piece of reversible fabric, how amazing is that!! This is destined to become a fitted button-up shirt for next year and is crying out to be made with contrast button bands and collar.

Next up is a double knit, but not a double knit as we know it. No, this fabric is a knit version of double gauze i.e. two layers of fabric fused together at regular intervals to create one super-cosy layer! This is another reversible fabric, so I can have a bit of fun thinking of contrasting bits for the reverse side. I'm thinking of another Lady Skater dress for the winter, after seeing Tasha's gorgeous polka dot one.

Last up is a metre of fabric I picked up in the sale section. It's a cotton/linen mix with a tulip design, which just happens to be my favourite flower! The fabric is reminiscent of vintage prints, whilst still retaining a Japanese feel, I love it. I'm not sure what to make with this though - any ideas? I'm ssooo pleased with my new Japanese fabrics. I have to also say that the customer service at Miss Matatabi was excellent - the fabrics were dispatched from Japan the same day I ordered them and arrived within a week. Well worth a visit if you're feeling flush.

Now for the shoe bit, specifically my new red brogues. I do already own a pair of black brogues from Clarks that are super comfortable, but not that exciting. Also, they lost their appeal on day one, when Jon likened them to something Michael Flatley would wear. Sadly, he had a point, and they've been known ever since as my Riverdance shoes. What I've been looking for are a pair of brogues with a bit more oomph, that didn't look quite so much like Irish dancing shoes.

I found them at Shoe Embassy - a London-based shoe company I recently discovered. They have shops in Spitalfields, Camden, Brick Lane and Greenwich Market. Not living near any of those places, I ordered mine online, sight unseen, which is always a risk. I take a UK size 4.5 (my feet mysteriously went up half a size after having my youngest) and in fact a Clarks size 4.5 are a perfect fit. If in doubt, I always go up a size as I have wideish feet, so I ordered size 5. Be warned, these shoes come up large - clowns feet large in fact. So if you're between sizes my advice would definitely be to go down a size. I had to exchange them for a size 4, which was a hassle and an expense, but worth it in the end.

My shoes (Quarter Oxford brogue in red) are PERFECT. In fact they're so perfect I'm in danger of tripping up when I'm out in public as I spend the entire time looking at them. They have a very slight tapered heel (about 1") and a lovely rounded toe. They look fab with jeans and skirts and everywhere I go I get asked "oooh, where did you get your shoes?". If you like a chunkier, more masculine style of brogue, then they also do a range called Brick Lane, which I have my eye on… But for now, I'll stick with my Quarter Oxfords, they're exactly what I was after and I'm really pleased to have discovered such a great new company, especially one based in the UK.

Thanks for indulging me! x

Just in case you think you've been transported to France, you haven't, you're still here with me and my appalling O Level French.….and the new Frenchy-style pattern from Tilly and the Buttons - the Francoise dress!

Francoise is a simple fitted dress designed for woven fabrics, with raglan sleeves, French darts for shaping and an A-line skirt. It comes in two variations: long sleeved or sleeveless, with a choice of added collar or waist tabs. I tested this pattern for Tilly prior to printing, so thought I'd share my finished Francoise with you today. My first thought when I saw the initial line drawings and photos was that the dress might be a bit youthful for me, I mean me in a mini dress, really? But I did like the raglan sleeves and French darts, so decided to go for it with a few tweaks. As I was testing the pattern, I couldn't muck around with the overall design, but I did increase the length by 1½" and omitted the collar and waist tabs for a more 'mature' look.

I swear the hem hangs properly - I just don't know how to stand up straight

This pattern isn't as short as I originally thought. I had visions of a Twiggy-style mini dress, but actually lengthening it by just a small amount takes it to just above the knee on me which I'm happy with. Size-wise, I cut a straight size 4, but ended up taking in the waist and hips significantly. So I'd say the fit of my finished version is a 4 at the bust and a 3 everywhere else. In terms of construction, it's straight forward if you pay attention to the instructions. The pattern comes with full colour photos of key steps which really help with some of the less run-of-the-mill techniques such as the raglan sleeves and French darts. Here's a tip: although there's actually an instruction that tells you to "stay stitch the neckline and raglan sleeve lines", I still only stay stitched the necklines. There's even a photo showing you the step for goodness sake, what more did I need?! In my defence, I think it was just habit, I see the words "stay stitch" and associate them with necklines (or waistlines). I did realise before it was too late and stay stitched the raglan sleeves - make sure you do too! If you've never made raglan sleeves before, don't worry - the pieces fit together perfectly so you can't go wrong.

My other piece of advice with this pattern is to choose your fabric carefully. I, of course, did not and learnt the hard way. The dress has French darts which are large, diagonal darts coming up from the waist. They take up a lot of fabric so you don't want anything too bulky or you'll get an unsightly bulge. The fabric I used for Francoise is a lovely, heavyweight crepe in a sort of sea green. I was actually fabric shopping with Tilly when I bought it, and even though she told me it might be a bit heavyweight for the darts, I totally ignored her and went ahead and bought it (I'm stubborn like that). I don't regret it as the fabric is simply goy-jus, but she was absolutely right, there was way too much fabric for a smooth line, even on the bust darts. I ended up cutting all my darts up the middle, trimming them down and pressing them open flat. This worked, but does leave the dart edges unfinished. A small price to pay for a nice, flat dart though!

My fabric was also a bit troublesome in other areas - I realised my neck facing was far too bulky (after stitching it in place) so ended up finishing the neckline with bias binding instead. It looks fine, but doesn't have the clean, stitch-free finish you'd get with a facing.

You could also cut your facing from a lighter weight fabric (Liberty Tana lawn is a perfect weight) or just choose the correct weight fabric in the first place. However, once I got past my bulky fabric woes, I had a finished dress I was really pleased with. I think it's chic, classy and grown up but still retains a vintage edge. The French darts create a surprisingly flattering shape, which is a big bonus for those of us with curves!

In summary, I like it! There are some different design techniques involved, which makes for a slightly more challenging make. I'm talking about the raglan sleeves and French darts, so not exactly rocket science, but if you're hoping to move on from a first dressmaking project and expand your skills a little, then the Francoise dress would be a good pattern to try. If you do make the Francoise dress, don't forget to enter it into the Sewing Francoise contest - you could win a £500 Janome sewing machine or one of ten £100 fabric vouchers!!! Yikes!! x

After a mini splurge at EmSewCrazy recently, this vintage beauty fell into my hands. It's Butterick 8629 from 1959 - a simple sheath dress with 'figure following lines' (love that description) and kimono sleeves. I was inspired to make a red version of view B after seeing Kathryn's beautiful red Annalotte dress. The bodice section on the Butterick pattern is a little like the By Hand London Anna pattern (minus the tucks), so this seemed to be a sign for me to blatantly copy her.

The pattern is a vintage size 16, which sometimes fits me, it all depends on the year. In this case the bust was fine (36) but the waist and hips needed a lot taking off. Working on this dress was the first chance I've had to use the skills I learnt at the Pattern Drafting weekend and it was a success of sorts! I laid my block on top of the pattern and shaped it to match up with the Butterick pattern. Straight away, I could see that my main adjustments would be to shorten the bodice by an inch, and to take a whopping seven inches off the length of the skirt section! I also changed the darts to match the darts on my bodice block, which wasn't quite so successful. In fact the bust darts are still wonky - I gave up after about 20 attempts to get them right - I'll have to come back to them in a few days time! It isn't perfect and I did need to make quite a few on-the-spot fitting adjustments after the initial muslin. but I'm quite pleased with it for a first attempt.

Once I was happy with the fit, the dress was 'Quick 'N Easy' to make, just like it says on the packet! The fabric I used is a crepe-backed satin kindly supplied by Minerva Crafts as part of their Blogger Network. Now I'd read lots of great reviews about this fabric, but annoyingly in this case, I ordered the wrong one. The fabric I ordered is from their general crepe-backed satin range, which is perfectly fine, but the fabric everybody has been raving about is their Prada self-lined crepe. DOH! Despite this, the fabric I used is ideal for a party dress, although the crepe side probably has more of a sheen to it than I was expecting. It also sheds fibres faster than the speed of light, so be prepared for lots of sweeping up if you use it! The most fortuitous thing about it though is that it has a slight stretch, which means I can just about get the dress on WITHOUT A ZIP!! Talk about a result! Getting it over the chest area is a bit of a tight squeeze, but the built-in satin lining actually aids this process.

I dispensed with facings and made self-binding instead, using the sating side so the binding matched up with the inside 'lining' of the dress. I actually cut the binding strips on the straight grain rather than the bias - the slight stretch of the fabric means it's still able to curve around the neckline but it doesn't stretch out too much, which was my worry. It seemed to work anyway!

Inside view: neckline finished with satin binding

This is a beaut of a vintage pattern - simple and elegant with that unmistakable late 1950's look I love. Once I've nailed the fit on those pesky darts, I can definitely see myself making it again.

My impression of the lady on the pattern envelope...

Talking of vintage patterns, this is my third and final make for my Vintage Sewing Pattern Pledge, hosted by Marie at A Stitching Odyssey. I pledged to sew three vintage patterns in 2014 and that's what I've done! The other two are my raincoat from 1973 and my white 1950's sleeveless blouse, so I now have a vintage trio for 2014 of red, white and blue. Purely unintentional I swear!

Have a good weekend! x

As somebody who loves sewing, I'm very lucky to live in West London. The Goldhawk Road is only a short bus ride away (or car journey if I'm feeling incredibly lazy), so I can overindulge on fabric to my heart's content and am always covered for any sewing emergencies. The one thing West London has always lacked though is a contemporary fabric shop or sewing cafe. Places like Ray Stitch, The Village Haberdashery and Sew Over Itare not situated in my manor so require planning on a military scale to sort out childcare and organise a visit. Wouldn't it be great to have something similar within spitting distance?

Well my wish has been granted as Badger & Earl sewing and craft cafe opened its doors in Chiswick last month. It's a coffee shop, haberdashery and workshop, all rolled in to one and what's more, it's in Chiswick!!! Just down the road!!! Hoorah!!! In their own words: "Badger & Earl is a new, more social way to sew and craft. Whether you are a seasoned enthusiast or a complete beginner, we are the place to come and enjoy needlecraft, great coffee and beautiful fabrics in lovely, friendly surroundings."

Owner Charlotte Pendred opened just in time for half term in October and had a busy week of children's classes making pom poms, button pictures, felt brooches and hair clips. She's slowly building the classes and workshops list for both children and adults. The current class list includes several Learn to Sew classes aimed at beginners (make a cushion cover, Christmas stocking or Christmas table runner) and an introductory dressmaking class run by Zoe, teaching you how to make a pair of kid's PJ bottoms! There are plans to introduce more dressmaking classes and workshops very soon - so watch this space!

I popped over to visit Badger & Earl shortly after it opened. It's a lovely, bright space - sewing workshops/classes are taught at the back of the shop where the machines are set up, and more informal sewing/knitting groups can congregate on cosy sofas at the front. There's also a further room at the back with a high table for cutting out.

In the shop section, there's a good range of pretty quilting cottons, a small, but growing range of dressmaking fabrics and a well stocked haberdashery section. I don't know anything about knitting, but the yarn section looked good too.

Whilst I was there, one of the knitting and embroidery tutors had just finished making this: a badger with a cup of Earl Grey tea! Badger & Earl, Geddit?!!

I bought a few haberdashery essentials, downed a delicious coffee and even left with two vintage patterns that Charlotte kindly let me borrow! None of my friends who live locally are interested in sewing, so I'll be mounting my own private campaign to get them over there to discover it for themselves. If that doesn't work, I'm hoping I can meet a few new, local sewing buddies through Badger & Earl. I really hope Charlotte's venture is a success and look forward to seeing it go from strength to strength. If you're in the area, don't forget to pay a visit, they're open seven days a week (10-4 on Mondays, 9-6 Tuesday to Saturday and 11-5 on Sundays).

Happy Monday! x

I was decidedly on the fence when I made my first Kelly skirt, but it's since become one of my most worn me-made separates. Who'd have thought it?! In fact I like it so much, it was the starting point for my latest skirt. I say 'starting point' because it veered totally off piste during its creation, but the bare bones are definitely from the Kelly pattern, so the name stays.

A lot of the changes were purely down to necessity because of my fabric choice. Well, not necessarily my fabric choice, more my lack of yardage. I bought a metre of this Organic Cotton Herringbone from Ray Stitch during my pattern cutting weekend thinking it would be perfect for a simple A-line skirt. However, between buying it and gearing myself up to cut into it, I changed my mind and decided it had to be a Kelly skirt. The trouble is, the Kelly skirt pieces are quite wide because of the pleats, and the pattern requires slightly more than a metre. I managed to cut my first version out of a metre by placing some of the pattern pieces upside down, but the herringbone design is directional, so that wasn't an option.

In the end, I decided to keep the pleats in the front of the skirt, but not in the back. I also couldn't be bothered with all the buttons and buttonholes, so decided to lose the button placket and add a central back zip instead. To do this, I followed Busy Lizzie in Brizzy's tips from this post. I cut the front piece on the fold, using the buttonhole markings as the centre front seam and the back as two separate pieces, adding a seam allowance to the fold line for the zip. Behold, no buttons or placket!

I didn't have room to cut the pocket facings in the same direction as the rest of the skirt, so they face the opposite way. I'm calling it a design feature.

I even managed to include some scraps from my Chambray Bow Blouse for the pockets, yay!

The herringbone fabric is pretty heavyweight, which is great for holding a pleat, but also means it's quite scratchy against the skin, so a lining was needed. I used navy satin left over from my Lace Laurel top for the lining using this tutorial. When adding a full lining, you can often get away with not finishing seams as they're all hidden away, but not in this case! Both fabrics frayed terribly, so all seams were overlocked to within an inch of their lives.

I did make quite a major error at the cutting out stage - I folded the pleats in on the the back pattern piece, but really should have added more width for my backside. The back is now very slim fitting across the bum - almost like a pencil skirt. In fact, the finished skirt looks more like Simplicity 2451 than a Kelly skirt - the A-line shape has totally disappeared!

Back view…ahem

Because of this, it's not quite the skirt I was hoping for, mainly because it's so tight fitting across the bum, but that's my own fault for lack of foresight. It's not a total win, but definitely not a fail either. It's still a lovely, cosy skirt for winter and the blue and cream colourway seems to go with every conceivable top and cardigan in my wardrobe.

I did try to get some shots of me without my hands in my pockets but was continually photo bombed. Ah well, Happy Monday! x

I couldn't resist him, he's too cute!

Need a present for a stitchy pal? Or just want a few ideas to put on your own Christmas list? Then look no further as I've put together a small selection of my favourites to kick start your present buying. They mostly focus on sewing, with a couple of wild cards thrown in for good measure.

My first choice is rather unusual - two illustrations by artist Anneke Caramin. Anneke created several designs as part of her Masters degree project, but the two below are the ones that really captured my imagination. They tell the story of Josephine, a seamstress, and have a wonderful, old fashioned feel to them - l love the simple style. the muted colours and even the clothes Josephine wears!

The illustrations are reproduced onto postcards and I think they would look beautiful framed and hung in a sewing room, which is exactly what I'm going to do with the two I've just ordered. The rest of the designs in the collection can be found on this post and you can email Anneke here to order them.

On with the list… Well designed dressmaking tools often go down a treat and I'm always on the hunt for good scissors. These steel scissors from Italy definitely look the business AND they have red handles! The 20cm Soft Touch Shears are particularly appealing because they seem light to use - good if you've got rubbishy weak wrists like me!

I was introduced to this little Pattern Notcher tool on my Pattern Cutting Course and it went straight onto my Christmas list. No more fiddling about snipping or marking notches.

What could be more impressive than making your own leather bag??!! Not much, quite frankly, apart from maybe cobbling your own shoes! These special leather bag making kits are from Fabric Godmother and are perfect either as a gift for yourself or to make up and give to a friend. You don't need to be an accomplished seamstress to make one, or even own a machine, as the kit comes with the pieces ready cut out, full instructions and a special needle and thread. There are a few different sizes and colours of kit to choose from, but my personal favourite is the navy satchel with lipstick trim (soooo stylish!)

Whilst we're on the subject of sewing kits, the Tie Making Kit from Sew Over It could come in useful for whipping up presents for the men in your life. I tried one out recently and it worked! You'll need to do a mixture of machine sewing and hand sewing to make the tie and the result is seriously impressive - look out for a blog post on it soon!

Or if you just want a satisfying fabric fix, nothing beats Liberty fabric in my opinion, especially Tana Lawn. How wonderful would a dress made from this Queue for the Zoo fabric look?!

And finally, nothing to do with sewing but I had to put it on this list because I love mine so much - a super-fancy umbrella from Love Umbrellas. I won my red one with black flowers in a very generous giveaway by Vicki Kate Makes (thank you again Vicki!) As well as looking divine, it's actually the best performing umbrella I've ever had. Janene from ooobop has the same one, so I'm using her photos to illustrate it as they're much better than the ones on the website!

I hope you find something to inspire you amongst this little lot. If you have anything special on your own present list that I should know about, please do share in the comments! Happy shopping!

Sometimes a pattern comes along that just seems to click. It looks exactly as you imagined, the fit is good and it blends in seamlessly with the rest of your wardrobe. That's just happened to me with my first make of the Bluegingerdoll Bonnie Sweater!! It's a vintage-inspired sweater for knit fabrics and comes in three variations with lots of mix and match options.

I bought it mid-way through reading Handmade by Heather B's review as I was so impressed with how it looked on her. At that point, it was a new release and only available as a PDF, which just goes to show how keen I was to make it! (I loathe PDFs). For those of you with similar anti-PDF tendencies, you'll be pleased to hear it's now available as a paper pattern (available here in the UK). To be fair, it didn't take that long to tile it together and I only made minimal fitting changes, so I barely felt any pain.

Anyway, back to Bonnie. I made View A (the cropped version with the crew neck) with long sleeves and following Heather's example, I lowered the neckline by an inch (adding half an inch to each end of the neckband to make it fit). I also shortened the arms by an inch as I am in fact descended from a T-Rex. Based on the finished measurements, I cut a size 12 at the bust, grading to a 10 at the waist and hips and this was almost a perfect fit. The shoulders seem a tiny bit wide, so I may narrow them to a 10 on my next version, but other than that I didn't make any other fitting adjustments. The cropped bodice section did look pretty short when I was making it, especially before the waistband was added, but I'm glad I didn't make any panic stricken changes as the finished length is really flattering. The side seams narrow at exactly the right place and by some kind of sewing sorcery, make your waist appear tiny.

The design has slightly gathered sleeves which was the only thing about the pattern I was sceptical about, but now I've made it, I think they're lovely.

You can see the gathered sleeves more in this picture

They're very subtle and pretty and hardly even look gathered most of the time, just when I'm striking poses or putting my hands in my pockets.

For fabric I used a grey poly/wool jersey blend, with cream polka dots, which I picked up from Katie in a sewing swap. It only just had enough stretch to be suitable for this pattern, but I'm so pleased it worked because it's very cosy to wear. Once the pattern pieces are cut out, it doesn't take much more than an hour to put together, it's definitely a quick, easy make. I made it during a sewing afternoon with a few pals and even with constant chat and distractions I still whipped it up in no time. The overlocker was already threaded up with red thread, so I did my usual lazy party trick of just changing the left needle thread. Magic! The seams are grey, but the insides are all red and pretty!

I'm currently on the hunt for some good quality wool jerseys or sweater knits to make a few more. I'll probably try the Goldhawk Road first, but if anybody has any online recommendations, please let me know.

There are several great knit top patterns out in the wild, but the reason I like this one is because all the details work for me and my own personal style. I love the vintage look, the neat fit and the fact that I'm now the owner of a polka dot sweater! It adds a bit of pizzazz to a pair of jeans and works perfectly with skirts and high waisted 1940's strides, I couldn't be happier! x

My husband is not a tie-wearing man. In over twenty years, the only times I've ever seen him wear a tie have been at weddings and funerals, so why would I ever make him one?! Well it sort of happened by accident... A few weeks ago I was invited to a sewing afternoon to celebrate the opening of the new Sew Over It shop in Islington. My youngest had been struck down with a sick bug the whole weekend, so by the time Sunday afternoon came around I totally forget to bring a project to work on. Lisa kindly suggested a few quick makes, one of which was making a tie. I had some vague idea that I could give it to my father-in-law or my son's teacher and set to work. I used the Sew Over It Tie Making Kit which I recently featured in my xmas gift round-up. The kit includes pattern pieces for the front, back and lining as well as separate pattern pieces for the domette, which is the fleece-like interfacing used in ties (no, I didn't know that's what it was called either!) The domette fabric is also included in the kit.

I chose a navy polka dot cotton for the main tie (naturally), and a light blue polka dot cotton for the lining. As the tie pieces are cut on the bias, polka dots probably weren't the wisest choice as they're now all in straight lines rather than at an angle! The front and back sections are attached together and lining sections added. This is all done by machine and takes no time at all. The domette pieces are then positioned down the centre of the tie and the sides pressed inwards. The long seam is then slip stitched and that's it! I didn't slip stitch mine during the sewing afternoon as I was too busy chatting - I finished it at home that night and even though I hate hand sewing, it was a strangely satisfying job!

There is a degree of accuracy involved in pressing the sides inwards and getting a nice sharp edge at the tip of the tie. I'm sure if the Tie Police saw my sorry effort they'd lock me up and throw away the key, but I'm pretty pleased with it! Look, you can barely tell the difference between my tie and a posh silk one from Paul Smith….

Ties separated at birth:

Paul Smith polka dot tie….

Handmade Jane polka dot tie….

When I showed the tie to Jon and asked who we could give it to for Christmas, he immediately pounced on it for himself. Who'd have thought it eh?! I agreed he could have it for Christmas on one condition….. that he model it for the blog. Well, that was like a red rag to a bull, he insisted on 'modelling' it complete with pipe!

I can honestly say I haven't laughed so much in years as I did taking these photos! My (pretend) pipe-smoking, tie-wearing husband is in good company though, a quick online search provided him with plenty of famous role models:

Gregory Peck

Cary Grant

Bogey

Clark Gable

And, because it's Christmas, Clark Gable again, with pipe... but no tie! Have a great Sunday everybody! x

To everybody who has left comments on my blog this year, followed me on social media, offered sewing advice and tips, extended compliments, sent me emails, sewn alongside me or met up for the odd coffee or cocktail …..THANK YOU!! I'm so incredibly grateful for the support and friendship of my readers this year, I really am.

To all those who celebrate Christmas, have a wonderful festive time and I wish you all a very happy and healthy 2015! xx

Happy New Year! I'm rather pleased with my sewing output for 2014, there were a few stumbling blocks along the way (more on that later…), but by and large it was a great sewing year. My favourite make of the year has got to be my Dotted Chambray Bow Blouse.

You all know I love bow blouses, I love Mrs Slocombe, I love polka dots and I love chambray, so the amalgamation of all these things almost finished me off. It's not just my favourite make of the year, it's my favourite make OF ALL TIME! I always receive compliments when I wear it too, the bow seems to be particularly impressive for some reason! Coming in at a close equal second are two dresses I made in the summer: my Kate Spade-inspired Lemon dress….

and my Anna 6696.

They were both inspired by pictures I found on Pinterest (see here and here) and I feel ridiculously pleased that I was able to use the original inspiration pictures to make dresses that were very individual to me. They both fit really well, and although they're quite different in design, I feel they're a good indicator of my style. Plus the lemon dress is yellow - one of the few rogue pieces to step out of line from my strict red, white and blue colour dictatorship this year!

The most useful item I sewed this year was my raincoat. I won't lie, it did give me grief during the making of it, but that was all forgotten as soon as I donned my vision in navy blue waterproof loveliness! This year I also discovered the joy of sewing my own basic items of clothing (mostly Bronte T shirts and Mabel skirts). As wonderful and useful as they are, I find them deeply boring to blog about, so if any further versions pop up, I'll just mention them in passing!

As mentioned earlier, I did have a couple of misses this year: despite my best intentions, the Cressida skirt I pattern tested for Jennifer Lauren Vintage just didn't work. My first Afternoon blouse has also been shown the door, purely down to the fact that it doesn't fit. It's a real shame as I love the red shirting fabric I made it from, but there's no getting away from the fact that I cut a size too small. That'll teach me eh! And finally, the darts on my vintage red dress defeated me in the end and it's now languishing, dart-less with side seams ripped open in frustration. Maybe I'll come back to it, if I can ever be arsed.

I think this year was the year I finally learnt to say no to every single sewing challenge I heard about. It's still a bit of a struggle as my natural inclination is to immediately scream "me too, ME TOO" but life's just too short. I did participate in the Vintage Sewing Pattern Pledge run by Marie at A Stitching Odyssey but deliberately set myself a low target (to sew up three vintage patterns in 2014). The other reason I didn't commit to everything under the sun was because I found myself hosting a sewing challenge of my own - the return of One Week, One Pattern 2014!

Although it was a lot of work, I really did enjoy organising and participating in OWOP and was overwhelmed by how many people joined in and embraced the challenge themselves - thank you so much everyone! I loved giving my beloved 1950's Simplicity pattern its place in the spotlight for a week, if anything, it's made me even fonder of the pattern than I was before!

As for my sewing plans for 2015, I'm really keen to use the skills I learnt during my pattern cutting weekend to create a well fitting bodice. This kind of thing doesn't come naturally to me, but I would like to get my dart positioning right and conquer the bloody things once and for all. With this in mind, I've got plans to make a simple, collarless coat in the early part of the year. I do have a pattern in mind but I may have a go at self drafting (ahem!) I think it will probably end up as a combination of the two. Other than that I'm going to just sew where the mood takes me, Exciting!

My favourite picture of the year: with Rachel and Winnie at Goldhawk Road

I've had so much pleasure from sewing this year and met up with some amazingly talented and generous people (both old and new). All I want for next year is more of the same! Thank you again for your support and friendship this year and Happy Sewing, wherever you are! x

Hemingway Design fabrics…and a chance encounter

Ultimate Trousers

Musings on exercise gear

Back to basics

Dotted Chambray Bow Blouse

Pattern Cutting Weekend at Ray Stitch

Fear Fabric Challenge: Lace

Hemingway Design fabric giveaway

Cressida Skirt - the jury's out

Hemingway Design Fabric Winner

Fabric and Shoes

Bonjour Francoise….

Vintage red dress

Introducing Badger and Earl

Herringbone Kelly skirt

Christmas gift ideas for stitchers

Vintage style Bonnie Sweater

A tie for a gentleman

Merry Christmas!

2014 - A Year in Sewing