Second chance skirts

After my recent ruthless wardrobe spring clean, I've decided to give a couple of summer skirts a second chance to redeem themselves. Poor skirts, they're lovely, but I never wore them once last summer. The reason? They're hemmed at exactly the wrong length, so I always feel a bit mumsy in them. So this afternoon I gritted my teeth (you know how much I hate doing alterations) and sorted them out. They're both made from the same vintage A-line skirt pattern - McCall's 7978 from the 1960's. 

For the green one, I took a straight two inches off the hem. Not too painful. 

Before: nice but a bit sensible looking

After: shorter and sassier 

For the floral skirt, I made the same two inch hem adjustment but then decided I didn't like the waistband so off it came.

Before: I don't look convinced do I?!

After: neater, more fitted and hopefully more wearable 

I really couldn't be bothered making a facing to finish the top edge, which is how I finished the green one originally. Instead I used a trick I used on one of the first skirts I ever made, I simply attached a length of bias binding to finish the waist edge. Nice and neat and super quick too.

I think these skirts will get a lot more wear now that they're a better length on me. They're both underlined with cotton muslin, so in the unlikely event it warms up over the summer, they should be nice and cool. I'll probably wear the grey floral one more than the green one, just because it has a bit more pizazz. It's a bit trickier to style though - I think I need a plain red top. Maybe a fitted shirt? Or a T shirt? Or this little number that found its way into my shopping basket recently. I think it would be welcomed into my wardrobe with open arms...! 

Right, that's my good will towards handmade garments well and truly exhausted. Happy weekend! x 

Excuse my bouffant hairdo in the 'after' photos, I've just had it cut and it hasn't settled down yet! 

Kicking off summer with blue roses

With my usual uncanny sense of timing, I've decided to make a start on summer dresses just as temperatures plummet and the heating's switched back on! After last year's wash out summer, I've learnt to ignore the weather and just sew what makes me happy. The dresses I made last year were worn non stop during the few sunny days we had, so they're right at the top of my summer sewing list this year. 

First on the list is a second version of the Jubilee dress I made last year.

Jubilee Dress

It's McCall's 4769 and if you avert your eyes from the hideous cover artwork, it's actually a great pattern. And because I've tested the fit already, I can just steam straight in with some much loved and much pawed over Liberty fabric. 

Liberty Carline fabric

My inspiration was the shirt dress from Gertie's New Book for Better Sewing - ssoo beautiful. 

Gertie's shirt dress - gorgeous isn't it?

I chose blue roses rather than red as I've got a bit of a thing for blue roses - they're so unusual and old fashioned! And as we all know, Liberty lawn costs a fortune so I'm determined to take my time with this dress rather than risk any hideous and costly mistakes.

With this is mind, I've underlined the bodice and skirt sections with white silk cotton. 

I made sure I bought the real stuff from the Goldhawk Road and not the rubbish silk cotton imposter I ended up using on my Sew for Victory dress. 

It's difficult to photograph, but you can just see the sheen of the silk cotton in this photo

I did contemplate underlining by hand with silk thread for a more accurate finish but my dislike of hand sewing won through and I underlined by machine instead. I'm really pleased with the result - the white underlining really makes the fabric glow. I also used a decent interfacing from English Couture (sorry, I can't remember which one I bought) on my collar and facing pieces - something I think is definitely worth investing in.

I'm all set now, I just need to decide on buttons. I'm thinking plain cream - anything else might be a bit too much amongst all those roses. Any thoughts? x

1950's sleeveless top revisited

I have a soft spot for sleeveless 1950's tops. Or to be specific, I have a soft spot for button fronted, notched collared, darted sleeveless tops made from vintage 1950's patterns. Tops like this one...

I made this first version almost exactly two years ago and I love it, even though it's far, far from perfect. I completely lost my way constructing the collar and ended up doing my own thing. It's made from cheap, shoddy gingham which I didn't even attempt to match up. Nothing is interfaced etc etc. I'm getting very critical here (sorry top) but the thing is, none of that matters because I love it to death, it's one of my most worn handmade items and is just so perfectly me it's ridiculous. So when I was going through the remains of my stash (which is reducing at an alarming rate I'm happy to report) and found just under a metre of navy stretch polka dot fabric, I knew exactly how it could be put to good use. I would make another sleeveless top from the same pattern (vintage Simplicity 4238). 

The fabric, which is left over from my Ruby dress, is awesome. It's got a slight stretch to it which is perfect for fitted garments as it yanks you in. And because it's medium weight and holds its shape pretty well, I didn't have to bother with interfacing. 

I was pretty inexperienced in sewing with vintage patterns when I made my first version so it was good to be able to come back to the pattern with a bit more experience under my belt.  Instructions that made no sense whatsoever two years ago, suddenly became crystal clear. I still really like the pattern details too, lots of strategically placed darts (12 in total) which give a great 1950's shape. 

I used pale blue vintage fish eye buttons. Normally I'd go for white or red buttons with navy but fancied a change. Plus, they're a perfect match with this cardigan….

On Brighton beach with my boy

Talking of buttons, buttonhole placements on patterns never quite manage to be in the right place for my shape. More often than not there's a bit of gaping, which is really frustrating when the rest of the make is perfect.  This time, I followed the brilliant advice Sunni from A Fashionable Stitch gave on buttonhole placement here and it worked a treat, no gaping whatsoever.

Verdict? Love it!

I've already cut out another gingham version and I'm now thinking I might need to make yet another version in white. A white sleeveless top is supremely handy to have in the wardrobe and would be a good match for my yellow Miette skirt (inspired by Marie's lovely styling here). Actually the navy polka dot version would go well with the Miette skirt too… it seems to go with everything else! Enjoy the sunshine while it lasts. x

Knicker making part one: inspiration

These lovely (but predictably patterned) pants were made by my good self at an organised knicker-making workshop last year. It was brilliant fun, everything is cut out and ready for you, all you have to do is choose your trimmings and sew them up. Being naturally lazy, I was perfectly happy with the thought that this was the only way I was ever going to make my own knickers.

But the more online 'research' I did and the more beautiful hand sewn undies I saw, the more convinced I became that I should give knicker making a proper go. Where to start though?  There's certainly no shortage of inspiration out there, so I thought I'd share a few of my favourites before actually going for it. 

There are endless options for making your own frillies. You can make them from a pre-bought kit like Tilly did,

You can use a pair of existing pants as a template, or try one of the awesome patterns out there, many of which are free. Free patterns include a simple pair of everyday pants by 'So, Zo...'

the Amerson free undies pattern by Madalynne, beautifully made here by Karen

or the Rosy ladyshorts by Amy at cloth habit. 

Or you can use a regular pattern which is how my two favourite pairs of on-line undies came to be in existence. My favourite self-made knickers by a long shot, are ooobop's High Waisted 50's silk pants.

Made from a Burda pattern, they're just perfect, and the lovely vintage-style cut gives them an oh-so-glamorous edge, exactly what I would want to wear myself. I can't in all honesty say the same thing about my other favourite pair, but I can sit back and admire the workmanship. If French yoked boxer shorts made from a 1940's pattern are your thing, then you're in for a treat.

You can read all about Peter at Male Pattern Boldness's pants here and marvel at the amount of detail that's gone into these undies: an adjustable buttoned waistband (no elastic in those days) 

and a gathered back section to accommodate the backside (no stretch fabrics in those days either). Truly a work of art - and he's even done what no other sewing blogger has done before - model them himself…. 

I don't usually post pictures of men in their underwear on my blog (there are secret Pinterest boards for that kind of thing...) but in this case how could I resist?! And before you ask, I did obtain permission from Mr MPB before posting a pic of him in his under crackers.

Other knicker patterns I've been mightily swayed by are some of the Ohhh Lulu designs. I thought long and hard about attempting the Betty High Waist Pants.

Gorgeous as they are, I think they might be just too ambitious for my first attempt - I do have a cunning plan concerning the Betty pants though, which I'll reveal in the next post... I like the look of the new Grace pattern too - it seems a bit more achievable for a novice like me. 

The shape is very similar to what I usually wear, although if I'm honest, I prefer my pants a bit higher, hence my swooning over ooobop's pair. What also drew me in is that they're designed to be made with a combination of woven and stretch fabrics - good if you're a bit unsure about diving head first into stretch fabric territory. And, you can use up some of your favourite woven remnants too. The possibilities are endless - matching knickers for every outfit if you're not careful…

There's too much choice - I'll have to go away and mull it all over I think. In the meantime, any advice on knicker patterns (preferably not too low slung please) and/or knicker making tips will be very gratefully received.  x

Handmade spring clean winners and a new sewing recruit

Thank you so much for your enthusiastic response to my last post, I was thrilled to see how many readers were interested in my handmade clothes. It's also really satisfying to know that all of my beloved items will be going to good homes, and won't have to end their days in a charity shop just yet.

So, without further ado, here are the winners….

The Sencha blouse goes to Stacey from a state of flux 

The Pendrell blouse goes to Rachel Holt

The Banksia top goes to Amy from Second Fiddle

The Socialite dress goes to Fiona Law 

The Sorbetto top goes to Rosie at Old Magnolia Tree 

Hoorah, please email me your addresses ladies and I'll get them out to you in the next few days.

In other news, I had the pleasure of helping my friend Diane on her road to sewing greatness this morning. She bought a sewing machine a year ago in a fit of enthusiasm, but has been too scared to use it. Spurred on by The Great British Sewing Bee and the desperate need to hem a pair of trousers, she brought her lovely, sparkly new machine round to my pad.  

Look - a straight line of sewing!

Together, we managed to thread the machine and she then practised sewing in straight lines. After a few minutes, she was sewing like the wind, an absolute natural, all she'd needed was somebody to explain the basics. 

I love this pic - sheer joy at the sight of her own stitches!

I know it's only baby steps at the moment, but I was over the moon to be able to help and I really hope this is the start of a whole new sewing chapter for her. She only lives a few doors away so she has a ready-made helper on tap (me) if she gets stuck.  Yay for sewing! x

Handmade spring clean

As spring seems to be making an appearance here in London (sort of), I decided that today was the day to sort out my spring wardrobe, particularly my handmade wardrobe. When it comes to culling clothes, possessions, children's toys, you name it, I'm spectacularly ruthless. Anything that hasn't been worn in the past year is under serious review. Some items just never seemed to work from the outset, for others, it's more a case of my personal taste changing - things that seemed a good idea at the time just don't fit in with the rest of my wardrobe any longer. So there are more than a few casualties strewn by the roadside… 

I've decided to be charitable and give three handmade skirts a second chance - I'll be shortening them and/or fiddling with their waistbands. But if they still don't impress me they'll be flung out too. I'll let you know the outcome of that experiment in a couple of days time i.e. when I can be arsed to alter them.  A few items just look plain tatty and have been shown the door, whereas others are lovely garments made with decent fabric - they're just never going to be worn again. So I've decided to give this last category of garments away - if any sewists out there like the look of the items listed below, I'll happily post them out free of charge to a good home! 

In the interests of being fair - it's just one item per person, so please leave a comment by midnight GMT on Tuesday 30th April if you've got your eye on anything. If more than one person likes a particular item I'll draw names out of a hat, and if an item isn't commented on, it's going to the charity shop on Wednesday. I've given fabric and size details and anything else I can remember. Please also be aware that some items were made right at the start of my sewing life so may not be the prettiest of sights on the inside….

Colette Sencha Blouse

Made from medium-weight Kaffe Fassett quilting cotton. Colette size 8 with the tucks increased for a more fitted look. Self covered buttons down the back. Worn twice.

Anna Maria Horner Socialite Dress

Made from Denyse Schmidt lighter weight quilting cotton. Size medium (pattern sizes here) with no modifications. Looser fit so can be worn with a belt. Worn a lot.

Colette Sorbetto Top

Made from Ikea floral linen. Colette size 8 and probably taken in a bit at the sides. Worn a few times.

Sewaholic Pendrell Blouse

Made with Anna Maria Horner voile (gorgeous fabric). Sewaholic size 10 bust with a small hip adjustment (PDF of pattern sizes here). I never seemed to be able to get this blouse right. It started life sleeveless and I've added sleeves at a later date (these can easily be removed though). 

Those sleeves still aren't doing it for me...

It also has a Peter Pan collar, not very expertly added, again, this can easily be removed. Worn twice.

Megan Nielsen Banksia Top

Made from vintage curtains (!) and vintage buttons. Megan Nielsen size small. The placket has been inserted upside down but you can't really notice! Worn a few times.

Right, on with the spring cleaning… x

Oh happy day!

 

You may be asking yourself why the cast of On the Town (one of my favourite films) are jumping for joy? Because it's my birthday of course! I haven't really been paying attention for a couple of years and now I appear to be 44!! How the hell did that happen?!

Moving swiftly on… the SUN IS SHINING in the UK!! Yes, it really is! After a gruesomely glum winter, spring looks like it's finally here. I intend to have a fab day: lunch with my husband and then an extra special viewing of the Great British Sewing Bee final tonight! Plus, I have the added high of knowing I managed to snaffle this wonderful pattern in the swap at Saturday's epic meet-up. Whoever donated it, THANK YOU! These are the PJ's of my dreams and I can't wait to make them.

I'll be back with some more sewing once the excitement has worn off! x