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

A polka dot Ultimate Shift Dress

My latest make is another version of Sew Over It's Ultimate Shift Dress.

I bought my pattern last year, from the Knitting and Stitching Show and I made a version that I blogged about here. I saw the dress recently featured on Did You Make That and then I watched Lisa's vlog on youtube featuring her collection of Ultimate Shift Dresses, so thought that I would revisit this pattern. In fact my polka dot version, was totally inspired by one of Lisa's versions!

The Ultimate Shift dress is a versatile pattern that anyone could tackle, so it's great for beginners. The only thing that is slightly tricky is setting in the sleeves but if you are a total beginner you could omit the sleeves, and make one of the sleeveless versions. 

My first version was a bit tight, but I joined Slimming World in September as you might have read on my blog, I've now lost 12 pounds in total since I joined. I decided to make the same size and as you can see it's a much looser fit on me! The material is also a looser weave man-made material that I picked up at the Knitting and Stitching Show and the dress is much more drapey as a result. The choice of material is really important for this dress and I think you should avoid anything too stiff.

I made a size 12 as before, grading to 14 at the hips and this time I sewed the correct seam allowances.

I also used interfacing for the facings which the pattern doesn't mention as otherwise I think they would be a bit floppy.  To be honest something funny happened with my darts on this one, and they don't quite line up, but I don't think that anyone else would notice. I kept the long sleeves on this version which I really like for the winter. I also made a button loop and fabric button rather than a hook and eye, although I think that I could omit the back neck opening totally next time.

I can see myself making this dress again as it's a quick and easy make.  Have you made the Ultimate Shift Dress?

Catherine x

The Ultimate Shift Dress

So the first of my Autumn-Winter Stitching plans is now complete!

This is the Ultimate Shift Dress by independent sewing pattern company Sew Over It.  The fabric was something I picked up at the Knitting and Stitching Show.

This is a very easy dress to complete. In fact I think it is the fastest thing I have ever sewn. I traced the pattern pieces one evening and then cut and sewed most of the dress the next evening.

This is a good pattern for a relative beginner like me and the instructions are quite clear. I think it's not suitable for a total beginner as it assumes a bit of knowledge such as how to sew bust darts and the sleeves are eased in which is quite tricky.However, the pattern booklet includes a glossary which is helpful as it explains some of the terms that other patterns assume you know and understand.

The pattern comes in size 8-20.  Looking at my measurements, I was between the 12 and the 14 sizes. This pattern is designed for a very close fit and includes less ease than more commercial patterns. I traced a size 12 and graded to 14 on the hips.  Thank goodness for machine tacking as when I tried it on to see what the fit was like, the dress was far too tight on  the hips for my liking.  I had to sew from the waist downwards with a very tiny seam allowance.  I will have to grade to a 16 on the hips next time I think!

I made the long sleeved version due to the season. I started with wrist length sleeves but altered them to three quarter length after trying the dress on. The dress is finished with a simple hook and eye but you could easily make a button loop instead.

I like the simplicity of this pattern and also love the fact that not only can you make three versions of the dress (long sleeved, with sleeve frills and with a neck frill), cutting lines are also marked on the pattern for making a tunic or a top version instead. I think that to get a better fit though at the back, I would need to look at making a shift dress with some darts to give it more shaping.

It's a great basic pattern though and I will definitely be checking out some of their other patterns.

Catherine x

A trip to the Knitting and Stitching Show!

Had a lovely day off work on Thursday wandering around the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace. It's well worth a visit!

There was so much to look at, and so many tempting things to buy!

My first purchase was made at Simply Fabrics. This is a fabric retailer based in Brixton and they had a great range of affordable priced fabric on offer.

I bought a lovely stripey double knit for my first attempt at sewing knit fabrics - I'm going to make the Coco pattern from Tilly and the Buttons. It was a bargain at £4 a metre.

A lot of the other fabric retailers had gorgeous material on offer but unfortunately they were a bit too pricey for me!

Another good value retailer I found was Lili Fabrics. They are a retailer based in Romford, Essex.

I bought a grey double knit for £3.95 a metre. What to make? A second Coco maybe? I also bought some flowery cotton for £4.95 a metre. Another bargain!

I also fell in love with this dress on the Sew Over It stand - the Ultimate Shift Dress - which I think I will be using the flowery cotton I bought to make it with!

I love all three versions and this looks a super easy make. The long sleeve version looks great for winter. I can't wait to make this.

There were also loads of retailers selling gorgeous yarns and knitting patterns. Finally I treated myself to a new pattern booklet by Sirdar from Black Sheep Wools and two balls of this gorgeous aran weight wool to make a scarf.

There are loads of gorgeous patterns inside the booklet that I want to make, if only I had the time!

And finally for no real reason here is a picture of a knitted bear wearing a knitted waistcoat. Isn't he adorable!

Has anyone else visited the show and if so what did you buy?

Lottie Blouse! Simple Sew free pattern

I made this Lottie blouse sometime in the summer, but didn't get round to posting about it yet. It's not my most successful make but I'd thought I'd share it anyway.

 The pattern was a free one that I got with Issue 2 of Love Sewing that I wrote about here.

The blouse is labelled as suitable for  adventurous beginner but I have to say the pattern had me scratching my head a lot for something supposedly so simple! I felt the instructions were a bit too basic and assumed  a little too much knowledge for a beginner, although the pattern does say it comes with full email support, so I suppose you could contact Simple Sew directly if you were really stuck! I chose to make the sleeved version but with short sleeves rather than three quarter length.

The material I chose was a lovely floaty material that I bought in the sale in John Lewis.

However this was my first  experience of sewing this type of material and I found it really difficult to work with! I made several mistakes that had to unpicked and even though I was careful with the seam ripper it still puckered the material! Luckily the snags are not to noticeable.  The keyhole neckline was very confusing and I had trouble applying the bias binding. I also think that the inside of neckline looks very messy and unfinished.

That said it looks nice on and I got complemented the first time I wore it.  My hemming is very wonky too on both the sleeves and the bottom hemline. I think if I was going to make it again, I'd have to use something not quite so floaty as I found this material was a nightmare to sew. Think I will be sticking with cotton for the moment!

I found the following advice on Lazy Daisy Jones' blog about making a couple of changes to the pattern which I think would finish the blouse more professionally.

All in all, I do like the pussy bow style though, and have just seen this new pattern on Sew over it for  the Pussy Bow Blouse. Wondering if this is a better pattern. Time to try another?

Have you made the Lottie Blouse or the Pussy Bow Blouse? I'd love to hear how they compare!

Vintage teacup pincushion

Do you find you can never  have enough pincushions?!?

So when I saw this tutorial on how to make a tea cup pincushion on the blog at Sew Over It, I thought I had to make one of my own.

I popped into a local charity shop at lunchtime, and picked up this sweet vintage teacup for £2.  I chose a white fabric from my stash as anything patterned looked a bit busy.

I followed the instructions on Sew Over It's blog, and it was a super speedy make!

I think I might be making a few more, they would make great gifts for stitchy friends or vintage lovers.

I'm also trying to improve my photography as I don't think the pictures that I take do my sewing enough justice!  I took these shots in natural daylight and tried out lots of angles. I also used picmonkey to crop the images. The background fabric is something that I have in my stash, waiting to be turned into something! Would love to hear any good photography tips!