2016 - A Review of the Year

Hello everyone

I thought it would be a good idea to do a quick review of 2016 as I didn't join in #sewingtopfive  this year. 2016 has been an okay year but not that successful in sewing terms.  I started a new job in January 2016 which has gone really well, and initially I managed to find some time for sewing.

In April, I  spent a long weekend in Bath and visited the Fashion Museum which is well worth paying a visit.

I spent a gorgeous two weeks in France in August and I was full of plans to make a summer wardrobe but it never happened.

We had gorgeous weather while we were away and my family and I enjoyed strolls on the beach every evening. Here is one of the lovely sunsets...

I found it increasingly difficult to find time to sew in the second half of the year, and neglected the blog as life got pretty busy.

I also went to the Knitting & Stitching Show in both March and October and bought lots of nice goodies to add to my stash....

So what have I made this year? I did manage some sewing, and I did quite a bit of knitting though and managed to finish some WIPs.

My makes in 2016

Slouchy knitted hat - Sirdar 9184 (unblogged)
Shawl neck knitted waistcoat - Sirdar 9249
New Look 6262
Emery Dress
Sew Over It Betty Dress (unblogged)
Washi Dress - unfinished. I made this previously (see my post here) and had great success but this one just went wrong from start to finish, so is waiting to be recycled into something else. 

New Look 6483
Sylvie Dress
The Flame tunic - Sirdar 7188 (unblogged)

Cable socks
Oak Ribbed Socks (unblogged)

These were a Christmas gift for my sister and I finished them on Christmas Eve, just in the nick of time. 

As you can see less sewing happened this year than in previous years.

The make I'm most proud of is the Emery Dress.  I took my time over this pattern and learnt some new skills such as lining the bodice and setting in sleeves successfully. 

My most worn garment was New Look 6483.  Although this was a relatively simple pattern, I successfully altered the pattern to fit using a FBA.  I wore this a lot, and it is a super pattern that I will revisit.

My least worn garment was the Betty Dress. I love this pattern but I tried a full bust adjustment and I don't think it was very successful.  The straps fall down also and the circle skirt is not really my style.

I also need to add a hook and eye to the back to make this wearable as I inserted the zip rather too low.

My aims for 2017

1) To make myself a dedicated sewing area.  At the moment I do not have a dedicated area for sewing although I have plenty of space. I tend to sew on the dining room table which is in my back room, therefore I either have to get my machine out if I plan to sew or it sits there taking up lots of space, and the dining table is out of action. I am planning on purchasing a small desk to put either in this room or in my bedroom so my machines have a permanent home.

2) To sew more wardrobe basics.  I started this blog with the aim of making clothes to wear on an everyday basis and to be honest my wardrobe is looking pretty sparse at the moment. With the exception of New Look 6483, I only made dresses which apart from the Sylvie Dress didn't get that much wear.  I have to accept I cannot sew a completely homemade wardrobe as I simply don't have the time, but I can get smarter about what I make. I do need to invest in some basics like jeans and t-shirts but I will think about the gaps in my wardrobe and start making things that I need rather than pretty dresses. 

3) To try some new knitting techniques - I have been knitting for years but I'm keen to learn some new things. I have always been an avid knitter and I have really enjoyed knitting a lot this year, so you may see more knitting on this blog from now on.  The thing I like about knitting is that you can pick it up at any time and it is much more portable and social, as you can knit and watch telly with the rest of the family whereas sewing seems to be something I do when I am on my own. 

4) To improve my photography skills.  I would really like to improve the photographs that I take for this blog, and to be honest this is the most challenging aspect of blogging.  Not sure if I need to invest in a new camera or learn more about how to take photographs, so this is one to think about!  Any advice would be gratefully received.

5) To blog regularly! As I mentioned, I found it difficult to find time to blog in the second half of this year, and ended up neglecting the blog. I really enjoy reading other blogs and hope that other people like reading what I have to say too.  I hope to post a couple of times a month as a minimum, perhaps sharing more of my WIPs and posting about other things if I feel like it, not just my finished makes.

All that remains to say is thank you to anyone who has read my blog in the past year or left any comments for me. I love hearing from you so it would make my day if you left me a comment or two if you liked something I've made or have any helpful suggestions.

Wishing you all the best for 2017!

Catherine x

Top Five Sewing Hits 2015

I thought I would join in with Gillian from Crafting a Rainbow this year and share some of my top fives with you.   So first up is my top five sewing hits for 2015.

I haven't done as much sewing as I would have liked this year, as things have been pretty busy, as usual, but I did manage to make quite a few things.  I also went on a diet in September so this put my sewing on hold for a bit while I focused on that. I have now lost a stone in total, so feeling pretty pleased about that.

 I was also job hunting which can be time consuming, and the good news is that I start a new job on 4th January, eek...

So in no particular order, here are my top five sewing hits:

Strawberry New Look 6262

I have made this pattern three times now (once unblogged) and I was pleased how I perfected the fit of the bodice by making a muslin and then adjusting the pattern pieces accordingly.

It's a lovely fit and flare style dress, which I think is super flattering on all body shapes.  It is similar in style to the Emery dress, which I would like to try next.

Polka Dot Ultimate Shift Dress

I have worn this dress loads - it is so comfortable.  My only regret is that I didn't pre-wash the fabric as now it is more like a tunic than a dress as it shrunk considerably and is only decent when worn with leggings!

Everyday Skirt

Another skirt that has been worn loads. I have made two versions of this pattern, this one and one in denim (unblogged). It's easy to wear because of the elasticated waist at the back. I also love the inseam pockets!

Washi Dress

I fell in love with the Washi Dress after seeing so many cool versions on pinterest.  I wore this loads in the summer and think that a long sleeved version would be great for the winter. Check out this tutorial if you are thinking of making one!

A Sixties Simplicity 1609

I made this for a Christmas party. Although it's a fancy dress, I love this pattern and can see why they are so many versions of this dress around.  I can definitely see myself making this dress again, in a less loud fabric.

All in all some great patterns that I will definitely be revisiting in 2016.  If you liked reading about my top five hits, check out the other posts in this blog series over at Crafting a Rainbow.

Catherine x

The Washi Dress

What a lovely sunny day and as promised, here is my latest make, the Washi dress by Made by Rae.

Can you see Oscar?

I coerced my daughter into taking the photos. As you can see,my cat was keen to get into the photos.

I made this using some cotton that I bought at the Knitting and Stitching Show at Olympia, that I posted about here. The fabric came from Simply Fabrics and was very reasonably priced, about £5 a metre if I remember rightly.

The Washi dress is a simple make, and perfect for beginner dressmakers.

Washi dress by Made by Rae

I fell in love with it after seeing it on pinterest. It features a cut-out scoop neckline, although I decided to omit this as I felt it might be a bit low cut for everyday life.  It features a pleated front and a shirred back. It also has built in pockets.  It can be made with or without sleeves and also can be adapted as a tunic or maxi dress. It's a fairly expensive pattern to download at $16 dollars (roughly £10) but I figured this would be a dress that I could make again and again.

 There is also a Washi dress expansion pack which can be purchased if you want to add further looks.

Washi dress expansion pack by Made by Rae

I also found that there is a free tutorial and pattern piece for long sleeves that can be downloaded here, so there are lots of options for this dress.

Based on my high bust measurement, I decided to make a size M. In the instructions, Rae recommends making a muslin of the bodice. I did this for the first time ever using an old pillow case and was very glad as it was clear I needed a full bust adjustment (FBA).  I followed the tutorial that can be found on Simplicity's website for increasing the size of a dart.  I did a one inch FBA. I also lowered the bust dart by adding an inch below the armhole.

Remember any changes you make to the bodice pattern piece, you have to also make the back pattern piece!

This lengthened the bodice and on making my second pillow case muslin, I decided I had a good fit and could cut in to my material!

The dress was fairly easy to construct and the instructions are very detailed and clear. They are also fully illustrated with either drawings or photos. The darts are french darts which I'd not come across before. The other unusual thing is that the seam allowances are either 1/4 inch at the armhole and neckline or 1/2 inch at the side and shoulder seams instead of the usual 5/8 inches.

The skirt is pleated and then sewn to the front bodice.

The back bodice is then shirred. I hand winded the shirring elastic bobbin and then sewed in straight rows using the normal thread in the needle, pulling the material straight as I sewed across after the first row.  Rae gives a lot of information about how to shirr with elastic thread and if it's the first time you've done it like me, you will find this very useful.

The dress is faced at the neckline and then once the sleeves are attached,  bias binding is applied at the armholes. I decided to stitch mine on the outside as my hand-sewing is not great, I made my own bias binding using the same fabric and I'm pretty pleased with the results. I had to give it a real blast of steam to get a few wrinkles out though.

Finally I machine hemmed the dress. I didn't change the length of the dress as I liked it as it was.

I'm sure I will make dress again! I might leave out the pockets as I think the skirt would sit better without them. There is a tiny back neckline gape that I could fix but it's really not that noticeable.

I also think I need to invest in a tailor's ham for pressing those bust darts.

Have you made the Washi dress yet and do you love it too?

Catherine x

Exciting news...My New Look 6022 dress is featured on the Minerva crafts blog!

Well I got a lovely surprise pop up on Twitter today. A few months earlier, I'd posted about my second version of New Look 6022 and Minerva crafts contacted me to ask if they could feature it in a future blog post..

I first wrote about New Look 6022 here ...

and then here.

Anyway I had more or less forgotten about this when I saw this tweet.

Pop by the Minerva crafts blog and have a look!

On other sewing news, I have a new dress that I have just finished, the Washi dress by Made by Rae which hopefully I will get to blog about this weekend if I can get some photos taken!

I'm probably the last person in the world to have made this dress. Although it was a simple make, I learnt some news skills along the way - full bust adjustment, lowering bust darts, shirring... plenty to write about.

I've also cut out another New Look 6262 which I first made here.

This time to be made in a gorgeous strawberry print, perfect for summer.  I will be making view B with or without the sleeves, as I've yet to decide. I will also be trying to tackle the weird gaping back neck thing that I have going on with every dress that I make, using this method I found on the By Hand London blog.

Catherine x