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

An Everyday Skirt

This is the Everyday Skirt by Liesl & Co.  I saw it featured in Sew magazine recently and thought it would be a good wardrobe basic pattern.

The pattern is a pdf dowload from Liesl & Co at Oliver and S. It's the first Liesl & Co pattern that I have made and I was very impressed with the simplicity of this pattern and the clear and thorough instructions.

It's a skirt suitable for beginners and it features front pockets, a gathered front, side panels and elasticated waist band at the back. The pdf pattern was easy to put together. I sized down to a small (US 4-6) as the skirt is designed to be fairly relaxed and this size fits perfectly. 

I used some material is from my stash. It's a cheap and cheerful cotton purchased from myfabrics.co.uk last year, but I can't tell you anything more about it.

The waistband is cleverly constructed and finishes the inside of the skirt off very neatly.

The skirt has front pockets and I really like this feature. It's my first time making pockets and I'm really pleased with how they went. 

The back of the waist is gathered which means that it's a relaxed  and comfortable fit. It also means that it is fairly easy to fit as you just adjust to fit your waist.  I left mine fairly loose as the pattern is designed to be worn below the natural waistline.

It's perhaps not the most elegant finish at the back  of the waistband. My elastic was slightly narrowed than the half inch elastic stated in the pattern as it was all I had to hand. 

I'm also pleased with the gathering on the front as I sometimes find it hard to get the gathering evenly spaced. I utilized my daughter's John Lewis Mini sewing machine to do the gathering as I didn't want to have to change the thread on my machine.  Surprisingly I think using this machine was what made the difference as I seemed to be able to pull up the gathers better and they didn't drop out like usual.

Overall, I didn't make any changes to the pattern except I did not make a wide hem as this was the only bit of the instructions that I had difficulty following. The pattern allows for a 2 inch hem and gives instructions on sewing a row of gathering stitches 1/2 inch from the hem's raw edge and then pulling in the gathering stitches so that you can ease in the extra fullness in the curved sections of the hem. I had couldn't get this to work at all, so  in the end, I trimmed about half an inch from the length of the skirt and turned under a regular 2cm hem.  I double stitched this also for a decorative effect.

I really like this skirt and can see me making it again. It's a great basic pattern and would look good in a range of different fabrics and prints. And it's got pockets!

As you can also see I also now have a dressmaking dummy. It was my birthday last week, I got vouchers to buy her. Lucky me! 

Have you made the Everyday Skirt or do you have a favourite  basic skirt?

Catherine 

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