Ness and Nora

I finally have my sewing room back and although I left a few projects and plans in my to-do box, in the said sewing room, I thought I would restart my sewing with an exciting new project and Tilly’s new patterns seemed ideal. I immediately fell in love with the Ness and didn’t think I would bother with the Nora top but as part of the launch, they were bundled together so I went with both.

I bought the patterns from Sew Me Sunshine along with a beautiful thick, striped jersey for the top. I then treated myself to a pink Cord from Sewalicious. I’m not usually a pink girl but I thought this Skirt would be fab in this colour and they would go really well together. I also bought a super cute little bee iron-on for the top.

Nora: this top is a super satisfying and quick make. I am so glad that I decided to go with it. I don’t work much with stripes so paying attention to the stripe matching, it still only took me about an hour of sewing time. Perfect for me. The sleeves are super easy to sew and a really relaxed style. I thought the style might be a little lose for me but I’m really pleased with the result.

31,30,353,370.397766

27,30,351,372.119751

I have since made another in waffle jersey from Sew Me Sunshine, which I’m in love with. I couldn’t resist a patch for this one either. I’ve been getting my patches from Koo Style and they’re a great way to brighten a garment!

Ness: The Ness Skirt is a jean style skirt, which would work well in denim as well as cord. I love that the pattern comes with little tips, for example, it tells you to use a lower tension when sewing through cord and I really found this helped. As the skirt is like a traditional denim-style skirt, it has lots of jean-type elements in it. Such as the pockets, which I lined with this fabulous Beauty and The Beast fabric, I’ve been stashing. I also happened to be working on my pockets on the day that Tilly released the free coin pocket, so I added that too.

The fly zip comes with a very detailed and easy to follow video, thank goodness, as I thought it was tricky and definitely out of my comfort zone. I say this a lot but I love that there are always new skills to learn in sewing. Anyway, I’m quite pleased with the way it turned out and I would like to try it again at some point.

The waistband was pretty simple after this and I then added 5 little belt hooks, it is little details like this which I would usually leave out but I’m so glad I didn’t! I’ve enjoyed taking this skirt as a really slow sew and I have worked through it in stages.

I am so pleased with the way the two have gone together and I definitely think that Ness and Nora are a match made in heaven. What do you think?

December 9, 2018 5

Pencil Pencil Skirt

Hi everyone,

I love that making your own clothes means that you can play with prints and essentially create whatever you want to wear so when I bought this super cute pencil fabric from Sew Me Sunshine and I was looking through my fabric options in my Stash Buster Fabric Post I decided on a pencil skirt. Why not have a pencil skirt made of pencils?!

I had some success last year with Simplicity 8342 as part of the Simplicity turns 90 challenge. It’s a vintage style pencil skirt with a ruffle. I really like the overlapped zip detail and the neat finish. It has two darts at the front and four at the back, with a tulip style shape so I really like the shaping it gives you. I decided to go with this but to omit the ruffle this time.

I took the size down this time as I have been losing a little weight and it always goes from my hips first so my last skirt is starting to be a bit roomy. The construction of the skirt is a real pleasure and it comes together quite quickly. My lapped zip worked out really well and I’m happy with how neat it has turned out. The lines of the pencil even line up, even though they are not the same pencils!!

To finish the hem in leiu of the ruffles, I overlocked the hem and then turned it up (my new favourtie and most reliable way to hem a curve). Then I crossed the edges at the back, pinned them in place and ensured the stitching line met in the middle.

I absolutely love this skirt, I don’t want to be vain but it makes me really really feminine and curvy. I’m a little bit happy dance in it!

February 2, 2018 17

Sewing the Scene

Just when I was in a post Indie Pattern Month dip, in which I won amazing prizes for my dress and my wanted Tee and Culottes combination, I noticed the #sewingthescene challenge which Jo at The Unfinished Seamstress has organised. I talked about all the challenges in my last vlog post.

The idea behind the challenge is that you copy an outfit to be worn every day (not a costume) based on an outfit you have seen in a film or TV programme. There are prizes in three categories.

I have found this ridiculously inspiring. I’ve been scouring the Internet and pinterest (see my film outfit inspiration board here if you’re interested). My original thoughts were from the following:

But in my searching I got over these ideas a little bit and was lusting over the amazing outfits that Louisa wears in Me Before You.

I’m sure lots of people are using this character as inspiration but I couldn’t resist! I decided on this deceptively simple blouse and skirt combination. I’m quite keen to hone my shirt making skills so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity. Plus, it’s practical, I could easily wear both items separately and without the tights of course! I’m also obviously hoping that I will look like her when I’m done…

I had a rummage through my pattern stash for something which would fit the bill for the blouse and found Simplicity 6232 which I had used to make my brother a shirt last Christmas so I had never used the female version. I cut it out and used a white cotton from my stash (this challenge was getting better and better – I hadn’t spent anything at this point!)

I tried really hard to be super precise in my cutting and as I was constructing it, everything came together really easily. I find with some garments, I don’t have to follow the instructions too much now, but I followed this to the letter and it seemed to pay off, I’ve got neat plackets and cuffs anyway (sewing win!)

Trying to stay true to Louisa’s outfit I went against my inner embellisher and kept it plain white, but I couldn’t resist throwing in a contrast yoke! I used this lovely bird print which was in my stash, which reminds me of a China cup.

Anyway, the shirt doesn’t have any buttons showing along the placket and I wasn’t sure how I could replicate this so I got out my trusty popper gadget and I inserted poppers along the inside of the placket before I attached it so that they couldn’t be seen on the outside. Then, once I had finished the shirt I inserted the poppers for the other side.

I’m going to try this blouse again with some funky iron-on embellishments like this shirt I saw somewhere online on a website called Shein…. So cheap I don’t trust it but still a good shirt!

For the skirt – I looked around to try and source a fabric for the skirt which would lend itself to big deep pleats, like in the picture. I couldn’t find anything which stood out so I reverted to an indigo cotton. I self-drafted a skirt and used lots of fabric to insert big box pleats. The fabric isn’t the same blue as in the picture sadly but I like it.

All that was left to do was dig out my black and yellow tights and I had my Sewing the Scene outfit.

Are you planning on joining this challenge? Even if you aren’t, I definitely recommend using film and TV wardrobes for inspiration. There’s so much out there! Thanks so much to Jo for organising!

October 13, 2017 14

Simplicity Turns 90

It’s amazing to think that Simplicity have been helping sewers to create their own style for years. I feel like a real newbie in comparison as I’ve only been sewing properly for a year! I noticed the Simplicity Summer Challenge too late last year and I hadn’t been sewing long so I was super keen to get involved this year!

Anyone who knows me or reads my blog knows that I’m a Dressmaker above all else. I make other garments (avoiding trousers like the plague) but I mainly make dresses SO I assumed I would opt for Dressmaker but I loved the styling of the 8342 pattern so I chose that instead, which is for the Vintage Category. I absolutely love that they included a plus size model on the front of this pattern.

I talked about my fabric choices on my vlog and I decided to combine two fabrics for the skirt after many people suddenly they would work well together and I’m really glad I did.

I opted for the larger of the pattern options which is sizes 20 to 28 to give me a bit of wiggle room (literally) but my measurements meant I had to cut a 26 which seemed odd. Anyway, the pattern comes together really nicely, like most of the Simplicity patterns I’ve used. I followed the instructions for an amazing lapped zip! I’ve never done one before and I was really chuffed with it. I usually have to check in to YouTube too but not for this. Hooray!!

The fabric was a dream to sew too. The check fabric frayed more easily so it was a bit tricky to gather but I’m glad I preserved with it. The frill goes upwards at the back of the skirt to produce a great feature. I love a wiggle skirt and this one is perfect for me!

The pattern calls for 6 buttons but I was going to omit them, then I remembered these black vintage bead type buttons I got from Tin Trunk, a vintage place near me and used them. Vintage style makes need Vintage notions.

The top was a real worry for me but I wanted to make the whole outfit for Simplicity’s celebration. I was worried it would make me look busty and I’m also don’t like not having sleeves. I bought a plain mustard jersey to pick out the yellow tones in the skirt and with the hope that it would allow the pattern of the skirt to take the emphasis away from my chest!

The instructions for it were really easy again and it makes for a really satisfying sew that has a bit more about it than a plain vest or Tshirt.

Two things I had to alter were to take the straps in by a good 5 inches, or else it would have been ridiculous. I also hand sewed the hole under the knot together with a ladder stitch as otherwise I would have been too uncomfortable.

I’m pleased the top fits well around my bust, usually patterns and RTW dresses or tops which have separate pieces for the bust don’t fit me, but this fits perfectly across my chest.

I shouldn’t have worried about the shape because I actually think it’s quite flattering, though I still don’t like showing my arms. I would love to be able to do a sleeve hack and still keep the knot detail.

Anyway, that’s all the construction details. I wore them together as intended and I love it, it makes me feel very feminine and definitely has an immediate Vintage feel. I hope that it’s pretty flattering.

The other thing I love about these two garments is that they can be worn separately too. I put my top with a RTW black pencil skirt and cardi.

I put my skirt with a RTW wrap grey body but it will go with lots in my wardrobe!

I can’t wait to see how everyone else has interpreted this pattern! I’ll be having a good nosey over on instagram this weekend!

September 15, 2017 9

Me Made Northumberland- The Summer Edition.

It’s no surprise to anyone, I’m sure, that Kyle and I have spent our summer holidays up in the lovely Northumberland. It is our favourite place in the world. As always, I’ve tried to make as much as my wardrobe as I can, sticking to some more casual pieces this time. I had 2 weeks of the Summer holiday before we went so I managed to get some good sewing in, so many of my garments will be as yet unblogged. Anyway, I still wanted to share my makes Me Made May style.

Day One: we were mostly travelling and settling in so I wore my super comfy Moneta Hack top and some RTW leggings and a Hoodie. I love this fabric from Girl Charlee, it’s so comfy. I got it in the Sew Up North swap. We did arrive early so I managed to get some time in on the beach with my crochet project, Virus Shawl, which I will blog once it’s finished.

Day Two: We had to perfect Sunday chill day, with a lazy breakfast, a walk around the village of Belford and hanging round on the roof terrace. This called for my chilled Linen Tunic, blogged here. It’s an old pattern called Sew Girl and for what I can gather it was free with a magazine about 3 years ago. I got in the swap at Leeds. The fabric was from John Lewis in the sale on the same day.

Day three: I wore my most recent Moneta in the amazing paisley jersey I got from EBay. One of my most favourite Monetas yet. I love it. I wore it to Beadnell Beach where we say watching the fishermen come in on the harbour. Perfect.

Day four: I wore my recent Florence Dress by Sew Over it, which is super comfy and relaxed for a drive in land and a very impromptu trip to the pub, where to locals were having a jamming session. The dress is made using this super light Mermaid fabric from EBay and was a sewalong in Simply Sewing Magazine.

Day five: we spent a relaxed day at the beach and in true Northumberland summer style, I needed both a hat and my sunglasses! My outfit was a RTW light jumper and jeans combo but I did wear a handmade hat! This hat was made for me by the lovely Lhizz who I did my handmade dress swap with. In our communication with each other I told her I had started crochet and so alongside my Dress I got this lovely hat, which I knew would be perfect for the beach!

Day six : was a beautiful day and we had a travel to Ford and Etal where I wore my first and favourite Galaxy Moneta. It’s a great throw on dress!

Day Seven: I wore my Rebecca Page Arabella Skirt which is her newest pattern. I made this as a brand ambassador. It has just been released and it’s a super easy make so check it out. I love this retro tape fabric, it has just the right flow for a dress with this much gathering. I feel really feminine in it and it’s super comfy for relaxing with my book!

Day Eight: We had a walk to Saint Cuthbert’s Cave, which was super cool. I wore a Peach Skin Sorbetto with fabric from Abakhan, which I never bothered blogging and a RTW jumper and jeans. It’s quickly becoming apparent that the only solely RTW things I have in my wardrobe are jeans and jumpers, I have to sort this out as winter approaches.

We went to the pub later that evening where I wore my Velo Culottes again with a RTW chambray Tee. I didn’t manage to get a picture though because all the family were with us by this point.

Day Nine: I wore my Newest Moneta again today to go and see the Handlebards, who are a cycling touring theatre company who perform Shakespeare. They did Midsummer Night’s Dream at Bamburgh Castle and it was such an amazing night! The sunset was to die for!

Day Ten: we had a trip to the Milk Bar at Wooler for Milkshakes and Sundaes, I actually wore RTW with a denim style Tee and some harem style trousers and then very quickly realised why I make my own clothes… Look the this horrendous pattern matching on the crotch!

I also went to The Village Tea Rooms and Emporium and bought some more lovely fabric to make these amazing cushions for our new sofa.

Day Eleven: I wore another Moneta I threw together before we came away, which has glasses all over it so it is very me.

Day Twelve: My mum and I went to Edinburgh for the day and I wore my Sew Girl Tunic which was perfectly practical for a touristy day. We had an amazing time; the fringe was on so we saw lots of things going on and the city was just vibrant! Here I am outside Edinburgh Fabrics with my trusty raincoat!!

Telling you about everything we did could be a post in itself but the highlights were, looking around the fashion section of The Scottish Museum.

And finding The Elephant House Cafe where J.K Rowling wrote the first Harry Potter.

Day Thirteen: was a beautiful day and Kyle and I went for breakfast before we all visited Beadnell Beach. I wore my Hacked Orla, which I will blog soon, especially as it isn’t much like an Orla like at all any more! The fabric is another I got in the Sew Up North swap.

Day Fourteen: finally, I wore my Bird Tee which is Mccalls M6927. A really practical make for another day on the beach.

I hope you haven’t found the post too long, I find it a really useful way to round up what I have made and assess my wardrobe; I quite clearly need hand made jeans and jumpers in my life! Let me know to you think and it you follow me on instagram you’ll see more daily pictures anyway.

August 29, 2017 19

Arabella Skirt

Hi again everyone,

This is my second make as part of being Rebecca Page Ambassador. We are only asked to make one a month but this Skirt looked too good to miss out on.

The skirt is the Arabella and it comes with a pattern for the child’s sizes and a pocket template and instructions for the adult sizes.

This was perfect for me because I like to draft my own skirts anyway so the instructions were perfect and it meant no printing, cutting and sticking. I just brought them up on screen.

I used this AMAZING crepe from Flamingo Fabrics, who I’m slightly addicted too at the minute. It has tapes on it! It’s so funky and bright and I love it. The skirt asks for a drape so this was ideal. I bought 2 Metres and it was just enough.

What was great about cutting the pattern pieces is that they were all square so it was a real no waste sew, I literally had a 8 cm square left at the end. Perfect. I didn’t manage to have enough to make the pockets, as the skirt is quite gathered it needs quite a lot of fabric.

I always worry about cutting rectangles and squares in case it goes wonky but the tapes on the fabric were a God send here as it meant I could follow the line in their design.

Anyway, the construction was really easy and quick, I French seamed everything and made the ties. The only thing I did differently was to hem the bottom of the skirt first. Probably, a bit controversial I know but they were perfectly square and hemming is my least favourite thing. I though it would 1. be easier to sew whilst the fabric wasn’t gathered and 2. save me dreading the job at the end of the Sew!

The skirt is really really full and I was worried it might add bulk to my frame but it’s great. The fabric is really light and flowing, which means it just skims over me. I love the length of it too. I’m glad I didn’t go with a maxi because I know I would get the same wear out of it.

Next month’s pattern is super exciting! In the meantime, here’s the pictures. I wore it with my refashioned wanted Tee and a navy body. Not sure why I look vaguely annoyed!

August 13, 2017 3

Minerva Craft Summer Bundle Review.

My Review of the Summer Fabric Bundle from Minerva Crafts can be found here.

I managed to make the Mccalls 6927 which comes with cup sizes and I highly recommend. I’ve made it since here.

I also made another Olivia Dress by Cotton and Chalk. Getting a bundle is great for playing around with and trying patterns which you want to perfect.

July 22, 2017 4

Self-Drafted Circle Skirt

Me Made May has done so much for the way I view my wardrobe. It was immediately clear that if I want to wear Me Made everyday then I am in desperate need of separates. With this in mind I set about to make a black circle skirt for work. I have lots of nice blouses and some that I am starting to make so I wanted something high-waisted, which I felt confident that I would be able to wear with most things.

I bought some black cotton/viscose from my local market. I get a lot of my fabrics from there. They’re a bargain and often 60 inches wide too. I used trusty Pinterest to get the maths for making a circle skirt. It is so easy to do that I used a reversible bed sheet I had bought to make two more at the same time!

Then you literally attach the waistband (which I chose to make nice and wide so I could wear my waist belts) and insert a zip, whip a seam up the side and it’s done. Oh, wait, no… The Hem. The hem on a circle skirt must be the longest thing in the history of sewing. I thought it would never end! But it did, eventually and hear it is, a perfect work staple for with all my brightly coloured blouses. I will share my bed sheet skirts soon – they’re a lot of fun!

In other news – I’m off to Sew Up North tomorrow – my super kind husband has treated us to spend the weekend in Leeds and I’m really excited! More on that soon.

June 23, 2017 10

Me Made May Week 4

Day twenty-two: I revisited the Self-/drafted Skirt I made using vintage Fabric from The Village Tea Rooms and Emporium in Northumberland. And… I’m going back there next week! Yay! I’ve worn this before, I find it really bright and cheerful! It’s great because I can pick out colours and wear it with lots of different tops. This time, it was worn with RTW red pussybow blouse. Me Made May has definitely highlighted my need for more tops so I’m actually cutting out the Simple Sew Pussy bow Blouse at the minute.

Day twenty-three: I was sick. 😦 I literally never get sick. I hate being sick. I dragged myself up for work but there was no outfit consideration or photos going on this day!

Day twenty-four: Another sick Day, as discussed on Week One I don’t even have any PJ or casual pants to feel unwell in so no sharing at all I’m afraid. However, I was able to share this picture on Instagram…

My husband drove past Abakhan in Mostyn whilst he was out for work and picked up some goodies for me; 3 metres of a beautiful red fabric with a white bird pattern on it. 4 whole metres of this red floral fabric (both on the left) and some £1 bundles (on the right) which have got me thinking. So I felt lots better, obviously! He’s so lovely and obviously knows the way top my heart!

Day Twenty-five: I wore my classic black, customised dress today. A comfy throw on for getting over my sick bug! I refashioned an old skirt to applique these circles on.

Day Twenty-Six: A beautiful bright day for the last day of term meant that I wanted to feel bright so I wore my New Look Frankendress with bare legs (rarely seen in these parts) and nude flats. Excuse the selfies… I’ve not had much time for photo taking this week!

As I’ve been so busy/sick this week I haven’t had much time in my sewing room. but I am happy to share some crochet progress. I’m making the Virus Shawl using this fabulous tutorial on Youtube. I’m not so keen on the name but loving the style. I’m making it in this brilliantly coloured yarn called Cygnet Boho Spirit from amazon. It’s so bright. I’m loving crochet, I can see why so many people are addicted to it, it’s so relaxing.

That’s my work week over with. I’ll include the rest of the weekend in my final Me Made May blog post as we go to Northumberland tomorrow so they’ll be lots of photo taking/ posing opportunities!

May 26, 2017 3

Category: Skirt

Ness and Nora

Pencil Pencil Skirt

Sewing the Scene

Simplicity Turns 90

Me Made Northumberland- The Summer Edition.

Arabella Skirt

Minerva Craft Summer Bundle Review.

Self-Drafted Circle Skirt

Me Made May Week 4

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