Posted on

Blue Floral Georgette Skirt & Top Faux Dress

blue floral georgette matching top and skirt dress

Q) What’s more useful than a non-iron super drapey and flattering floaty dress?
A) A non-iron super drapey top and skirt that looks like a dress!
The beauty is the versatility with wardrobe options a plenty. This ‘dress’ is made in a lovely heavy polyester georgette (georgette is a very light fabric so heavy is a relative term here). All self drafted because Emma is a clever chick.

Posted on

Pink Bias Cut Triple Crepe Skirt

emma wearing pink bias cut polyester triple crepe midi skirt

Emma self drafts all her patterns and this bias cut skirt is a beauty, made using a soft dusky pink polyester triple crepe which drapes like a dream. The skirt pulls on with an elasticated waistband (unless your hip – waist ratio is extreme there is rarely any reason to put a zip in bias cut skirt as it will often cause headaches and heartaches!)

Posted on

Emerald Green with Leopard Print Silk Satin Shirt

emerald green silk with leopard print satin back crepe shirt

The fabulous Jo made this shirt out of uber luxurious leopard print emerald green stretch silk satin backed crepe, the pattern was an amalgamation of a few patterns she had in store from years of sewing (which is a great defence for those accused of hoarding patterns). Jo is a brilliant dressmaker and this shirt in such a tricky slippery fabric is testament to her skill.

Posted on

Pink Daisy Print Jersey Swing Dress

pink daisy print 100% cotton jersey swing dress (self drafted)

Effee said she bought this pink daisy print 100% cotton jersey fabric ‘by accident’ whilst looking for tailoring supplies, and then I guess this dress was accidentally made into this brilliantly happy swing dress from a self drafted pattern, and a jolly good accident it is too.

This type of 100% cotton jersey does not have too much stretch to it so perfect for this style dress.

pink daisy print 100% cotton jersey swing dress (self drafted) – close up
Posted on

Olive Green Denim Persephone Sailor Pants

Olive Green stretch denim Persephone Sailor Trousers

Linda made these beautiful Persephone Sailor Pants by Anna Allen Sewing which she said, “The pattern is really simple which is was a good as it’s the first trousers I’ve made in a very long time!  I’ll definitely be making another pair.” -The fabric is an olive green lightish weight stretch denim; approx 7oz. We sent a bit extra as it was the end of the bolt and there were a few marks which she found useful.

Posted on

Red Waffle Texture Pure Wool Coat

red waffle texture wool coat

Jacoba said, “I am rather pleased with this coat! Seems my hand op hasn’t held me up at all as this was my post op recuperative project. It is Vogue 9157 – view B but without the pockets and belt and with the extra buttons as in A and C. Even the bound buttonholes worked perfectly. I decided against the hooks at the neck for the moment but may change my mind. I invariably wear a scarf anyway. The Red waffle wool is stunning and lovely to work with.

bound button hole
red waffle texture wool coat
red waffle texture wool coat
cats helping with the sewing
cats helping with the sewing

What would we do without the help of our cats?

Posted on

Parasol Printed Pima Lawn Wrap Blouse

Lindy made New Look 6560 wrap blouse in lovely parasol print 100% Pima cotton lawn, she used view C, lengthened it by an inch and added a flounce. It has ties which she integrated into the top instead of having one loose one. 
Really pleased with it. It’s fabulous.

New Look 6560 wrap top with ruffle paper dressmaking patttern
Posted on

Peacock Sorona Mix Linen Zadie Jumpsuit

peacock linen sorona mix zadie jumpsuit

Anyone who follows Tina on Instagram (@sewimpatient) will know everything she makes is divine, this Zadie Jumpsuit by Paper Theory Patterns is no exception. The linen is mixed with cotton, viscose and sorona – sorona adds a superb softness and elasticity to the fibre and makes a super comfortable and stylish fabric. It’s made from corn!.

peacock linen sorona mix zadie jumpsuit
peacock linen sorona mix zadie jumpsuit
Posted on

Floral Print Silk Blouse

digital floral print silk blouse McCall's M7324

Corinne used McCall’s M7324 pattern to make up this superfine digitally printed floral silk satin blouse – the repeat on this fabric was 90cm so was fun for placing the print in a waterfall / ombre effect. Fabulous.

digital floral print silk blouse McCall's M7324
digital floral print silk blouse McCall’s M7324
Posted on

Sapphire Blue Wool and Cashmere Coat

sapphire blue wool and cashmere Oslo Coat

Lindy used this vivid sapphire blue wool and cashmere mix coating to make up the Tessuti patterns Oslo coat – the fabric is gorgeously soft to the touch and is semi-felted which made it a great choice for this unstructured style. Lindy lined it in silk. ❤️

sapphire blue wool and cashmere Oslo Coat
sapphire blue wool and cashmere Oslo Coat
Posted on

Navy Linen Parachute Skirt Dungarees

navy linen parachute skirt dungaree dress

Fiona (lovely as it seams) made this absolutely fabulous heavy washed navy linen parachute skirt dungaree dress – self drafted. Isn’t it fabulous? Perfect eyelets! Perfect everything. She’s a very clever girl and I want her skillzzzz.

navy enzyme washed linen parachute skirt dungaree dress
navy enzyme washed linen parachute skirt dungaree dress
buckle detail with eyelet rivets
buckle detail with eyelet rivets
navy linen parachute skirt dungaree dress
navy linen parachute skirt dungaree dress (back view)
Posted on

Stripey Tee and Tencel Cargos

itch to stitch tencel denim cargoes & stripey viscose and elastane lark t-shirt

Sally made her tried and tested lark tee in super stretchy viscose jersey, and tencel and cotton denim cargo pants using the Itch to Stitch Sequoia Cargo pattern

Bonus points to Sally for an excellent evaluation of these trousers:

Now – what did I think about the Itch-to-Stitch cargoes?  I previously made a dress from them (Oia pattern) for my sister-in-law, which was fabulous.  The pattern was very well designed and the instructions were so good that even this very beginner sewer succeeded.  So I had high hopes for the Sequoia Cargoes.  But in all honesty I am slightly disappointed.  Why?

Sizing.  Based on her chart I’m half way between a 6 and 8 based on hip and a size 10 for waist.  Two toiles later, I wound up cutting the pattern halfway between a 6 and 8 for everything except for the waist which I actually graded DOWN to a size 6.  Very illogical.  The overall fit works fairly well on me – better than any other trouser patterns I have tried.  I generally have to modify the crotch pattern based on a pair of RTW jeans that I like the fit of.

The instructions have some anomalies.  The zip insertion is strange. 

With a 1″ wide zip, the second stitch line would be on the very edge of the zipper tape.  And anyway, why would you want the first stitch line/fold not closer to the teeth?  I emailed Kerris at Itch-to-Stitch to question this instruction.  She didn’t really understand the problem and advsed me to follow her instructions for putting a zip in jeans.  I had already put the zip in my toile using my tried and test jeans zipper insertion method.  It worked fine, but created a problem later with the sizing of the left and right waist band pieces.  So I cut those pattern pieces larger in order to make it all come together right.

The Waistband is ribbing folded around a 1″ elastic.  Following this instruction results in the seam joining the waistband intersecting the zig zag stitch.  So half the zig zag is visible in the waistband.  Again I asked Kerris about this and she pointed out it was a basting stitch and therefore gets removed.  But it is not really feasible to remove this zig zag stitch when it is run through with a seaming stitch.  So I did the zig zag higher up the waist band.  After I inserted the waistband I decided I liked the look of the zig zag running through the middle of the ribbing so I left it in as a design feature.

Finishing the seam allowances:  Given my choice of fabric (very prone to fraying) I struggled.  I don’t have an overlocker – would love one but just don’t have the space to set it up.  So I zig zagged the seam allowances.  Not a great finish.  Be interesting to see how they wash up.

Overall impressions of the look: I didn’t include the side pockets or the leg straps.  I also didn’t put poppers on the back pocket flaps as I felt they were too heavy for the fabric.  I wanted a wider leg but find the legs a bit wider than I would have liked. And I think the back pocket flaps are too large.  I think a heavier fabric would better suit this pattern. Perhaps even something with some stretch.  Will I make another pair?  Probably not.

Thank you Sally!

itch to stitch tencel denim cargoes & stripey viscose and elastane lark t-shirt
itch to stitch tencel denim cargoes & stripey viscose and elastane lark t-shirt
itch to stitch tencel denim cargoes & stripey viscose and elastane lark t-shirt
itch to stitch tencel denim cargoes & stripey viscose and elastane lark t-shirt
Posted on

Peacock Blue Linen and Sorona Shirt

peacock linen and sorona mix shirt

Bess made this shirt a couple of years ago for her much worse half using a Burda magazine pattern – it was a surprise for the Linen wedding anniversary and it took him a few months to actually wear it because the bib bit (according to Rob) “is a girl’s blouse” (🙄). Anyone else have this trouble with their spouses?! Bess swore she would never make anything for him ever again but then he started wearing it (it takes these boys a while to come round to the idea that we are right) and now it’s his favourite -along with another shirt in the same pattern.

Sorona mixed with linen is a lovely combo as it softens the linen and reduces the creasing -which is a good thing because Rob is scared of Bess’s gravity fed iron and Bess isn’t about to do his ironing 😉 . The colour has held true after many, many washes and unlike pure linen it doesn’t wear at the cuffs so quickly.

Sorona fibre is a new fibre made from Corn, it is a supple and stretchy filament that is mainly being marketed at performance wear.

The buttons (barely seen) are upside down abalone shell buttons, the interfacing (not seen!) is the H0023 lightweight knit which stabilises the linen enough for a button hole and collar but allows it to stay soft and floppy.

peacock linen and sorona mix shirt
peacock linen and sorona mix shirt
Posted on

Bug Print Shirt with Babycord A-Line Skirt

anne wearing handmade babycord skirt and poplin shirt

The lovely Anne made up our teal stretch babycord as a panelled A-line skirt and the bug print cotton poplin as a fun blouse. The sewing is impeccable (of course!) -beautifully turned collar, perfectly straight waistband… she’s a great sewer who kept herself busy during lockdown making a fabulous new wardrobe.

anne wearing handmade babycord skirt and poplin shirt
anne wearing handmade babycord skirt and poplin shirt
Posted on

Black Denim Sienna Closet Core Jacket

black denim sienna closet core jacket

Black Denim jacket fabulousness made here by Sue in France, the denim is a 9.5oz washed Cotton – heavy enough for a jacket but not too heavy so as to cause tears whilst topstitching on a domestic sewing machine. As the jacket is unlined all the seams on the inside are beautifully finished with Bias Binding.

The Pattern is the Sienna Jacket by Close Core Patterns (used to be Closet Case Patterns)

I keep looking at this jacket thinking shall I? Shan’t I? Do I really need a new jacket. Yes. I absolutely do! I do need a new jacket!

Our customers are such bad influences on me!

black denim sienna closet core jacket
Posted on

Black and Blue Spotty Tencel Blouse

Blue and Black spotty print tencel MErchant and Mills Edie blouse

Dark Purpley Blue and Black irregular spot printed tencel twill made up by Sue using the Merchant and Mills Edie top pattern. Tencel has the loveliest drape (like a heavy sandwashed silk) and this pattern with it’s gathered sleeves is just perfect for it. We love it ❤️

Blue and Black spotty print tencel MErchant and Mills Edie blouse
Blue and Black spotty print tencel MErchant and Mills Edie blouse

Posted on

Leaping Leopards Print Kalle Shirt

yellow leaping leopard print Japanese Linen Closet Core Kalle Shirt

This superb leopard print Japanese linen shirt was made by the lovely AND talented Jennifer, she gets lots of compliments when wearing it (of course she does – it’s brilliant!). The Pattern is the Kalle Shirt by Closet Core patterns. She left us to pick the buttons and was pleased with our choice. (we went with bright blue to pick out the accented colour).

yellow leaping leopard print Japanese Linen Closet Core Kalle Shirt
yellow leaping leopard print Japanese Linen Closet Core Kalle Shirt
Mid Blue 10mm 4 hole shirt button with engraved black rim
Posted on

Black Cotton Bleuet Shirt Dress

rear view of bleuet dress with altered bow detail using slider buckle

Bess used this fabulous nearly black suiting for her Bleuet Dress (by Deer and Doe Patterns), the fabric has a great drape and hardly creases despite the natural fibres so is perfect for a close fitting dress (so you don’t get those unsightly crease lines across the tummy). Bess highly recommends the pattern – it all went together beautifully. We especially like the closely placed buttons which allows for some fun with choices, she used up all manner of mismatched dyed shell buttons which she said was only a fraction of extra brain power when doing the button holes (different sizes!).

Despite loving the back waistline bow on the toile Bess was worried she would feel foolish in a bow (she’s not a bow kind of girl), an epiphany in the shower (it’s always in the shower!) came with the idea of using a slider buckle instead – same shape and idea as a bow, but without the prissiness. Her primary excuse for making this was she needed a “plain black semi-respectable dress” – despite the multi colour buttons and the not quite black of the fabric this sort of fulfilled her brief 😊

black cotton mix bleuet dress
Bleuet Dress with mutlicolour shell odd buttons
rear view of bleuet dress with altered bow detail using slider buckle
rear view of bleuet dress with altered bow detail using slider buckle
Bleuet Dress made using black cotton mix suiting and odd multicolour shell buttons
Bleuet Dress made using black cotton mix suiting and odd multicolour shell buttons
1/2 size toile bleuet dress in white linen
mini toile made up in white waffle linen
1/2 size toile bleuet dress  -back view in white linen
mini toile made up in white waffle linen – rear view showing the bow detail
Posted on

Glow in the Dark Fire Breathing Dragons

glow in the dark fire breathing dragons print pj's with black contrasting cuffs, sleeves and yoke

George (aptly named) made these fire breathing dragon print cotton jersey PJ’s for her littlest Godson, so much fun to be had with the glow in the dark flames 😊. All sewn on an ancient Singer 338 which all goes to prove those of us with fancy overlockers and coverstitch machines need to raise our game somewhat 🙄.

Check out that TOP STITCHING!

Beautiful.

Fun.

This is what sewing is all about.

glow in the dark fire breathing dragons print jersey
glow in the dark fire breathing dragon print jersey with perfect topstitching sewn with a Singer 338
Posted on

nani IRO Print Linen Sleeveless Shirt

nani IRO printed Linen sleeveless shirt - front and back view

All the love going out to this Katherine Tilton for Butterick (b5891) sleeveless shirt made out of nani IRO for Kokka Japanese printed linen by the fabulous Lesley (@mawlesley on instagram)

She left the choosing of buttons to us which is a nerve-wracking experience for us but you can always return buttons if they are not right. Buttons are such a personal thing. We went with the nautilus shell buttons which are an artwork all to themselves.

Posted on

Olive Linen Stripe Trousers and Top

Paula stood under tree in garden wearing olive stripe linen matching trousers and top

Paula is such a regular with us we know her telephone number and address off by heart but it took a Pandemic to eventually get a photo of her! This photo was taken on the week she should have been in Milan then Lake Como, and here is one of the planned outfits for shopping in Milan, guess it will have to wait until next year now 😞

The fabric is an olive green wide chalk stripe linen and viscose mix, it’s a light to medium weight linen with reasonable drape whilst remaining stable enough for those stripes to stay straight.

Posted on

Stripey Lark Tee and Stretch Crosscut Cord Jeans

sally standing on patio wearing stripey cotton lark tee and crosscut stretch corduroy jeans

This is Sally with her Jeans and a T-Shirt classic and all round perfect combo using cheerful rainbow stripe cotton and elastane jersey (using the Grainline Studio Lark Tee pattern) and an unusual and super long lasting blue crosscut stretch corduroy. The cords are half copied / half self drafted to get the perfect fit – we are not going to deny it’s a palaver top get jeans to fit but oh so worth the effort.

Posted on

Blue Cotton Romper Suit and Floral Dress

blue cotton romper suit and matching floral dress

Sue used mid weight cotton twill for this fabulous romper suit with contrast accents in a fun sausage dog print cotton lawn. The dress is using the twill for the accents and a geo floral cotton poplin for the main. Such fun, and such a fabulous thing to be able to do for your grandchildren 😊

The pattern is Burda 9712 (there’s also a little jacket, a sun hat and trousers)

blue cotton romper suit and matching floral dress
Posted on

Socially Distant Cropped Linen Trousers

socially distanced hand embroidered message cropped linen trousers

Lock down sewing with a topical message “if you can read this you are too close!” hand embroidered down the leg in glow in the dark thread. The Linen is our perennially popular washed Damiel linen which has a heavy but drapey handle and works brilliantly for this style trouser. The pattern is self drafted from a basic straight leg long trouser pattern – Bess added fabric to the side seams and then darted the legs in at the bottom and on the knee. They are super comfy to wear and work on both hot and cold days (ie any British Summer day).

socially distanced hand embroidered message cropped linen trousers
socially distanced hand embroidered message cropped linen trousers “if you can read this you are too close!”
socially distanced hand embroidered message cropped linen trousers
socially distanced hand embroidered message cropped linen trousers
Posted on

Pink Wool Crepe Dress with Sleeves

deep fuchsia pink wool crepe

Julie needed a ‘posh frock’ for a winter wedding and wool crepe fitted the bill nicely. Wool crepe will tailor so beautifully and is a joy to work with. It is warm in the cold and cool in the heat so a perfect choice for those occasions when you are half outside in the freezing cold and then indoors with the fires blazing.

The dress is lined in Venezia lining – a breathable anti-static lining that is soft and drapey like the crepe

Posted on

Red Viscose Printed Ogden Cami

red viscose printed ogden cami by True Bias

Bess loves how the Ogden Cami (by True Bias) doesn’t slip off her shoulders like most camisoles do – that’s some clever drafting. As a c-cup she just about gets away without doing a dart in it so long as the fabric is super light and drapey (like this viscose lawn is). It is also great how you can make a useful versatile top out of a tiny bit of fabric!

Whilst you should always wash fabric on the lowest temperature possible to preserve the life of it Bess pre-washes her viscose on 40˚C to get rid of any shrinking (something viscose is very good at doing!)

Posted on

Linen Mix Classic T-Shirt

linen mix t-shirt with FBA

Julie is on a quest for the perfect T-Shirt which she has trouble with due to boobage. Having to do an FBA to every pattern you get is a pain but the reason why we sew for ourselves is to get the fit right, right? If you ever need to do an FBA Julie is the girl to talk to!

This jersey is a linen mix knit which has resulted in a lovely fit. She thinks there is still work to do but we love it.