Saturday, December 31, 2016

The last stitches of the year and stiching plans for the next....

Happy New Year!!!
I hope that you have had the Christmas of your dreams! Mine has been pretty good! Good food, company, stitching time and a little bit of running.
I thought I would show you my last two makes of the year,before showing you some of my plans for next year. Both designed by Sewoverit I do love their designs and Lisa's weekly Vlog is my guilty pleasure! The first was the Heather dress, when this was released it was love at first sight. My perfect winter dress, cosy warm and practical, the sewn equivalent  of Still Light which I love but have never got around to making. Lisa made hers in a beautiful pink but typically enough when I was wandering around the Harrogate show back in November the only suitable fabric that I saw was the reversible dogtooth grey remnant that I used for my two colour Coco.
 
Anyway the grey came home with me and very quickly became my new favourite dress. I just love this dress!!!
 
I think it is pretty perfect for work although maybe a little warm. It has been perfect for visiting people in. I followed the pattern exactly for the size 10 and I would say that it is really good fit in the body ( even after all the food!!!). However if I was doing it again I would make the sleeves a little wider as they are very snug!
 

My second make was the Ultimate Shift Dress again when I bought this pattern I had in mind work wear and then I was this beautiful fabric from Fabric Godmother and any ideas of work went out the window! 
 
The fabric is not only gorgeous but also very fine, because of that I cut out the 12 as I didn't want any strain over the hips when I sat down. I probably should have graded from a 10 bust to the 12 hip but I don't think it matters. It called for a hook and eye but I used a button and a loop as for some reason the hook and eye always pulls my hair out and makes me feel claustrophobic. 
 
 have checked though and I can get it over my head without an opening which is what I will do with any future versions. I finished it Christmas Eve and although we don't usually dress up for Christmas , I wore it and felt very grown up!
 
So plans for the new year! I am signing up for the #2017makenine the idea is you decide on nine items that you want to make and then at the end of the year I guess you see if you managed it. I am going to try and use mainly patterns that I own but haven't used yet or ones that I really love wearing like the Viola.
 

Mine will be:-
  1. Heather dress
  2. Cleo Pinafore
  3. Refrew top ( for me)
  4. Arielle
  5. Anna dress
  6. Viola skirt
  7. Susie blouse
  8. Portia I have never had any luck with trousers but I am hopeful with this pair.
  9. Morris ( I don't own this but I really should)

As for knitting plans I have a few ... mainly to use up stash both in yarn and also maybe patterns ( there are several that I have made before that I loved making and would like other versions of but nothing really definite!

Till next time happy stitching
A x

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

A little cream with that Coco!

Three days in to my Christmas break and I must admit I am having a great time! My poor old Janome MC9000 died a few months back and I got a new machine  a few weeks back so had promised myself lots of sewing time over my break. I am trying to use up stash as well as make things that are useful to my wardrobe. So looking back over the things that I had made in the past and worn the most Coco by Tilly and the Buttons is a definite favourite!
I bought some gorgeous cotton jersey from Fabric Galore when I was at the knitting and stitching show back in November . I also bought a remnant  of two tone grey for a Heather dress which had quite a good meterage and last but not least a beautiful  red stretchy stuff that I bought on my local market as a remnant for a £1 back in the summer. All were destined to be some sort of Coco!
I made the cotton jersey up first and it took the most time, the pattern states that if you are between sizes make the bigger one and cut down. I did that with my earlier ones and I did it again this time, I still think it is probably a little baggy, but will be perfect for comfortable, cosy weekends around the house.


The next one was the red I took the plunge and cut down the pattern and I just love this version! It is so cheerful and just a little bit festive. It is looks effortlessly dressed up which is always good! DD says that she thinks it is only good for Christmas but I am hoping I will get lots of wear out of it during the winter.


I still had a bit of the red left over and it seemed like a shame to waste it so I decided to make a two tone version . I cut out the Heather dress and using the left overs made the Coco skirt.
 Now I do love a bargain and I was really pleased with how this version turned out, and that would have been more than enough, but then this morning Tilly and the Buttons liked this version too.
I couldn't resist a whoop whoop at that. Even if  I do look a bit star trek in it.
 

Saturday, September 03, 2016

A little bit of knitting

Well after my lovely cabled poncho, I really fancied a nice cabled cardigan and I looked all over Ravelry for something which fit the bill. You know cabled, worsted weight , the perfect cardigan to go with everything! Of course as I was properly looking I couldn't find anything. So I ended up casting on yet another poncho( now, typically, I have found  loads of gorgeous cardigan patterns). This time it is Indigo Frost a lovely top down  design by Isabell Kraemer. It has a pretty slip stitch pattern which should be really easy, unless like me you don't read the instructions properly and end up wrecking it. I didn't notice at first until I posted a picture on Instagram at which point it became glaringly obvious!
Can you see it?
The first repeat ended up hitting the frog pond as I decided I couldn't quite live with the mistake. I am now onto the eyelet pattern surely I can't muck that up can I?

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

The words I love to hear!


Azrael photo bombing!

I have always knit and sewn for my brood. Having a girl and then boy/girl twins meant that there have always been lots of opportunities for all types of clothes and I have been lucky that they have always been really receptive to the idea of things made by Mama.  The trouble is for boys there comes a time where there is little to no choice in sewing patterns ( very little in the way of knitting either). So most of the more recent sewing has been for the girls. That is about to change as the boy is now 15 and fits comfortably into men's wear. Yippee!!

Just before the end of school he went rummaging in my fabric stash as he wanted something to cover his AMP . It isn't what I thought he would go for, it wasn't what I would of chosen indeed the fabric has been in my stash for at least a decade as it was bought for a disregarded project.

So off he went with the fabric and the scissors coming back a while later triumphant. Really proud of what he had accomplished  "Mum what do you think? I love it looks great!"

Then he said the words I love to hear...... " I'd love a shirt in that".   I literally rushed to find a pattern online before he changed his mind. I chose the Colette Negroni Pattern and traced out the small ( he is growing lots and honestly this size probably won't fit him for long.)

Now I had never made a man's shirt before indeed I hadn't really thought about the construction the yoke is very interesting. Fell seams were definitely a new one on me and I would definitely say I need more practice luckily the fabric hides a multitude of sins!

I had forgotten that I love the Colette patterns there is so much detail. My mum actually thought I was reading a book as the instructions were so comprehensive. Also the shirt has been made literally hundreds of times over the internet and there are lots of hacks out there which means it is never going to get boring. After I finished I found Male Pattern Boldness had done a sew along many moons ago with loads of info about shirt making. you can find it here
Don't you just love the red against the black and white?

I did fairly well on the pattern matching. The pockets are perfect although I didn't do the pocket flaps as one I thought the fabric too fussy to warrant them and two matching the pockets nearly drove me crazy!! The fronts aren't quite matched but again the fabric is so fussy I doubt anyone but me will notice.

The boy is very happy with it, I thought the fabric might be too warm for the summer but it travelled last week with him to Belgium . Worn by itself and with a tee-shirt underneath

Anyway until next time
 
A x

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

The Hannah Poncho


Hannah Poncho
What is it already mid August? The Summer is going so fast and I have to admit I have enjoyed every minute of it. It has been slow paced, a house full of teenagers runs to a different clock to other households. They stay up really late and then emerge blurry eyed at mid day looking for food. So although I have been reasonable productive, getting people organised to take photos has been a little bit challenging! Hence the delay in this post.
But it is worth it as I actually knit something, the first something this year , a poncho!
Mario and I had a day out to Uppermill a while back and we stopped at WoolyKnits to have a wander around. They had the Hannah poncho made up and I was instantly smitten, it is unusual for me, these days as I have so much yarn stashed, to buy a knitting project on a whim but Mario liked it too, helped me chose the colour. I don't usually wear/like blue unless it is in the form of Jeans but the sample was in blue and I was assured it looked good on. I loved it even more when he bought me it as a early birthday pressie. So I cast it on as soon as I got home. The pattern had a couple of mistakes when it is setting up the pattern, but was fairly instinctive and it made good TV knitting. The yarn is lovely and sheepy( I just love that smell)and it produces really nice cables that pop. It was knit on a 5mm needle with a 4mm at the collar.
I made it slightly longer than the pattern suggested as I was super keen on the cables matching up as I knew if they didn't I wouldn't like it. That basically meant ending the diamond pattern before starting the neck shaping.

Realistically I am a bit of a cold person and I was unsure that a poncho would really keep me warm enough as I have a tendency towards a coat at any opportunity. I needn't of worried, although might not be that practical in the middle of winter it is perfect for summer evenings and slightly windy days. It also seems to have enough lanolin in the yarn to sustain against a slight shower. I know, I have tried it out.

I haven't actually put anything else on the needles since I finished it but I am thinking I could do with sticking to the 5mm for a while as there is something very satisfying about how fast it grows.

Anyway till next time A x



Sunday, July 10, 2016

Chaos

Well the last couple of weeks have been interesting! The two unfinished dresses in the picture have both had a traumatic start!
I started both of them in early June in the same weekend which was a little bit ambitious but I was enjoying myself and both being sewn in white thread I was certain I could get it all done in a weekend ... Ha!
Friends and kids needed things and I ended up stuffing both projects ( in bits )in a bag in the dining room . They were going to be left for a week , and I would get back to them . Best laid plans and all that!

A poor little magpie baby fell down the chimney, not only could it not be saved but it brought decades of soot down the chimney. Bags and bags of it! It covered everything,every surface, every book , my sewing machine and my sewing projects . It has taken about two weeks to get rid of the soot. The dresses were temporarily sewn together( yuk what a filthy job) and chucked in the washing machine. Luckily all of the soot has gone but so have all of the markings. They just don't seem as exciting anymore and I can't quite bring myself to pick them up again. 

Till next time A x

Sunday, July 03, 2016

It is all about the flowers!

This post is all about the florals! 
Last weekend,we were lucky enough to be invited to celebrate the wedding of two of our good friends Allyson and Paul. Early on Allyson had said she would love it if her guests dressed with a vintage flavour. O and E both thought this was a great idea and started poring over all my patterns and books. O was quite straight forward in her choice. She liked this, from the sewing bee book.
She liked the spotted version but then saw the flowers and decided on that. I had to get the pattern copied, which I did at staples ,they were very good but had to copy it onto quite stiff un welding paper as they didn't really have anything suitable. I traced the smallest size for her and then took it in!
I pretty much followed the instructions to the letter and she was very happy with the result.
Notice how even in heels she is now shorter than her brother.

E chose a version from gertie's ulitmate sewing book, she had seen a version on gertie's blog but when it came down to it she had a lot of changes in mind. 

She wanted straps not a halter she wanted a double circle skirt but short! I was a little worried about the size as I had heard mixed reviews online about the sizing. Luckily it wasn't a problem. I then followed most of the instructions from the sewing bee version as I just felt the expense of the habadashery wouldn't be worth it in this instance ( she might not wear it again). 
The skirt nearly drove me crazy ,I nearly gave up  and the hem seemed never ending but she was really happy with the result . So I guess it was a win. What do you think?

Monday, June 20, 2016

A whole lot of sewing going on





Hellooo , as you have probably guessed mmay16 did not go as planned. Yes I did manage to wear something handmade everyday, but it was pretty much the same thing every week. Which was dull! Anyway I have chalked it up to experience and decided I need to do a whole lot of sewing.
 My first thing was a Sorbetto top by collette. A free down load that has been really popular all over the internet. I was looking for a free tank top pattern and then stumbled back onto this.The fabric has been in stash for years. I am not sure where I bought it but I think originally it was bought to be part of a quilt. It was just one of my those things that you just know is going to be a good thing before you even start.
I drafted a collar, and although it isn't quite right, as I was a bit impatient and didn't trim it down enough. Anyway it is ok and  I am quite pleased with how it turned out.
I lengthened the pattern slightly, I didn't have enough fabric for it to be any longer but another couple of inches would of made a big difference! I can see lots more variations of this on the horizon  as there are so many inspirational versions on Pinterest and Instagram which I would love to own and you can get a basic one out of less than a meter if fabric which is great for stash busting.
Till next time when it is all about the floral!
A x

Sunday, May 08, 2016

Mmmay16 week one.

Well what a glorious week we have had here in Yorkshire.
The sun is shining , it is warm and if this was a video you would be able to hear the most exquisite bird song.
It is also the end of the first week of Mmmay16 and I have to say, I have really enjoyed  myself. My promise was to wear something handmade each day during the week. I have surpassed myself and managed 6 days.

Day 1 Newlook 6301
I was planning on taking selfies but it turns out not only am I terrible at it, but actually have to stand in the bath in order to see anything. I think I need to put a full length mirror on my wish list.

Day 2 The Honeybee cardigan

Day 3 The Ultimate  Pencil Skirt and Liberty fabric blouse,

Can you see how creased the fabric is? A bit off putting,but I am hoping a slip underneath will sort it out.

Day 4 The Kate Dress and Audrey in Unst Cardigan

I honestly love this dress it is so comfy and I got told it looked very Boden,high praise indeed!


 Day 5 Audrey in Unst again

Day 6 Sarah Shirt 


So the first week has taught me that I probably don't think about what I wear enough. I own a lot of blue greens. And I definitely don't have enough clothes for summer handmade or otherwise.
My machine went into the Menders yesterday and I have spent the whole weekend thinking I will just see this... Anyway today I cut out a couple of garments in anticipation of when I get it back. 
And then I started planning something else. Here is a sneaky peek.

 So till next time Ax

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