Pattern Splurge

Once payday finally arrived I indulged my hankering for some 1950s patterns...and how! These beauties are winging their way to me;

Advance 7968

McCalls 4011

 Woman W412

Butterick 6749

Two buttoned dresses, one classic day dress (not the tennis dress I hasten to add!) and the last one which fastens with a zip at the front. I'm so excited, and am planning to make at least one as part of the Colette Patterns Spring Palette Challenge. All I need to do is find the right fabric. I've seen some lovely fabrics online but am yet to buy fabric online so am still a bit nervous about it - I like to see and feel the fabric before I buy. So, I will take a trip to Mandors first, and if that doesn't provide what I need, I will definitely be trying online.

Hope you're having a good weekend!

K x

Spring Palette - Colette Patterns 2011

Spring Palette 2011 by LadyMissP featuring a silk crepe dress

I've decided to take part in the Spring Palette Challenge at Colette Patterns , and this is my palette. Sadly, I couldn't get it to work on the forum where everyone else has been posting their gorgeous palettes - never mind!

I'm aiming for 2, possibly 3 items so there will be more to come in the next few weeks as I decide what I will be making.

K x

A Useful Find

 

When I started this blog, I used to post a lot more pictures of 'finds', as the title of the blog suggests. I haven't posted any for ages as I've been busy making things, however I have still been finding a few things. Maybe finds are less interesting to read about, and I have been so pleased to get feedback from my recent posts about things I have made that I should forget about the finding part of the blog!

Nonetheless, I present a new purchase of a tablecloth decorated with cross stitch pagodas. I have a lovely tablecloth that used to be my Gran's but I needed something smaller that was easier to wash and iron when it got dirty, as tablecloths invariably do. I see a lot of table linen on my charity shop visits and am usually very restrained but this gem was just what I was looking for and I thought it was really pretty. I have no idea when it dates from and wish I knew more about dating textiles. Anyway it was £1.50 so I thought it was a bargain.

On the same theme of 'finds', I have been having a tidy up and clear out of our flat the last few weekends. While going through some old school books and folders, I found some poems I had written when I was about 13, when my friend and I used to go to Poetry Club after school. Yes, Poetry Club, although my friend's mum called it 'Biscuit Club,' doubting our motives for going there. I'm afraid I am unwilling to share them with the world, but they are quite unintentionally funny. The nice thing was that finding them made me get in touch with my friend from school, and we had a good laugh at our juvenile poetry efforts and enjoyed reminiscing.

Hope you're having a good week,

K x

Knitting Class - Week One

As I mentioned before Christmas, I signed up on a new evening course called Knitwear and Knitted Textile Design this year, and last Thursday was my first night. After the initial confusion of going to two incorrect buildings (well, that's what happens if you're silly enough to forget the confirmation letter), I finally found the class, located in what appeared to be a former computer room in the unglamorous basement of a college building.

I wasn't sure what to expect. There are about 10 of us in the class, most of who had previously done the beginners knitting course last year. The teacher explained that she would be showing us different stitches each week to build up a library of stitches, but the teaching would be structured around our own projects. The first week we were to use a stitch which we could use to make a scarf or cowl, without shaping. We had been instructed, somewhat vaguely, to bring "wool and needles" to our first class, so I brought a few different balls of yarn and a selection of needles. We were given a handout with different drop stitch patterns to experiment with. I tried an openwork cross stitch using Rowan Tapestry DK:

And then settled on a wave stitch which I thought suited the colours of the yarn:

I am planning to knit this to a suitable length for a cowl and then sew the ends together.

Although it was only the first week, the class made me realise that my approach to knitting is, or has become, very focused on the final garment. I find a pattern I want, select the wool and then knit it. The class seems like it will be focusing on learning different stitches and techniques for shaping and construction and then looking at the qualities of different yarns. The drop stitch patterns show off yarn really well, which isn't something I usually consider. As I was knitting the swatches, I thought that I could never imagine wearing anything made using the open work stitches. They were too loose or unstructured to fit into my usual style. However this is exactly what the class is about - making me think differently about knitting and showing me something new. It's also lovely to get to meet other knitters in real life. There is something so nice about being able to talk to other like-minded people about one of your main hobbies - which makes knitting sounds like a perverse, niche pastime I know!

I'm looking forward to the next 9 weeks of learning and to many more hours spent in a basement discussing knitting

K x

 Oh sorry, are you trying to photograph this?

Leopard Crepe - Finished!

 What did I like about this project?

• Pattern and instructions were brilliant - as ever, Colette Patterns come up trumps with a pattern that is a dream to follow. Honestly, I'm a little concerned about using any other pattern range that doesn't explain everything so beautifully!
• My fabric - I was so excited when I found it. I really never thought I would own a leopard print dress, but now I do!
• The pockets. I just love a dress with pockets.
• The piping. It was my first time trying piping and though it was a bit of a faff to cut all the bias strips, I'm delighted with the result. Next time I will be using this clever tutorial from Colette Patterns. When I'd finished the piping and turned the bodice and facing the round the right way, it was so exciting. I felt the same way as when I first made pockets (for my Beignet skirt) - "Wow this actually looks like something on a garment I would buy!". I'm really keen to use piping again on a project soon.
• It was a good experience to be involved in the sewalong, even though I didn't do anything at the right time! I started late because of my muslin issues then rushed ahead as I was enjoying the make so much. I'm looking forward to seeing the range of Crepes appear in the Flickr group. 

What did I dislike about this project?

• If anything let my dress down, it was my own sewing skills. Perhaps partly because I was so excited, some of the sewing is seriously dodgy. It's hard to believe that I wasn't drunk or blindfolded when I sewed the hem....

 Yikes! I'll just keep moving so no-one can see it...

• I struggled with the fit. I made one muslin which was huuuuge and then felt a bit overwhelmed and unsure how to best alter it. It knocked my confidence a bit, although I could see from the Flickr group that nearly everyone else was having the same problem. In the end, I just made the next size down for the final piece instead of making a 2nd muslin, and I slightly lowered the bust points. It was still a bit large though, which led to me having to do a kind of botched adjustment to the bodice after it was finished. For this, I brought the side seams in by about half an inch each side, tapering to the waist.

Preparation for taking the bodice side seams in

Would I make the pattern again?

• Most definitely. I love the result and the pattern was great to use.
• Next time I would do a better job with the fit of the bodice, instead of doing it as an after thought. I think it requires a proper bust adjustment
• Next time I will put more consideration into the finishing. I just pinked the edges which is ok, but it would have been nicer to put a but more time and effort into this. The pattern suggests you can use binding on your seams, and I might try this next time to neaten things up. 

With my feline sewing companions, Dot and Tilda

So, what's next? I'm hoping to make a skirt this weekend using the wool left over from my Beignet skirt. I also need to do some work for my new Knitting evening class,  which I will post about soon. I'm also interested in the Spring Palette Challenge, posted at Colette Patterns so I'm going to have a think about getting involve in that too.

Have a nice weekend!

K x

Edit - a big THANK YOU  to my husband for his photography - he was threatening legal action when I told him I forgot to credit him.

Crepe Snippets

 

It's nearly finished! Just need to hem it and make a slight adjustment to the bodice as it's still a bit large. The piping took me quite a while but went pretty well - it's not perfect but is pretty good I think. However I'm very happy with it and looking forward to sharing some better photos and a write up soon.


K x

First attempt at piping

No, not the musical or icing kind but the sewing kind. I've never tried it before but love the finish it can add, and thought it would be a nice way to add something extra to the neckline of my leopard print Crepe.

A couple of pictures of my trial;

 

 

Not the best pictures but I spent most of the day tidying and clearing out the flat that it was dark by the time I got around to sewing! I'm pretty pleased with the result and am going to give it a bash, though I think it will be quite tricky around the neckline. I used a couple of tutorials on Burdastyle to help, as well as the brilliant The Sewing Book by Alison Smith.

I'll post some pictures when I get a bit further with the project

K x

Could I make this dress?

Despite many months of looking at Topshop in disdain at all the horrible 1980s-influenced fashion (boke), I have seen something I actually like. I saw the above dress in the window and was immediately drawn inside to look at it. However not only is it £60, it is polyester and not even lined. Is it just me, or is that a bit shoddy? But it is oh so pretty. Unsurprisingly, it is very 1950s-esque, looks vintage, and fits more or less exactly the idea of the type of dress I like.

I don't have £60 to spend on a dress that I have no need for (no weddings coming up...damn) and which I don't think is particularly well made. However, I would allow myself to make a similar dress if I found the right pattern. Therefore I am commencing the search for the pattern to use for my next sewing project - the 1950s dress of my dreams. Though I will have to wait for payday to buy anything. No matter!

K x

Feline Like Sewing

I've mentioned before that I'm taking part in the sewalong of the Colette Patterns Crepe wrap dress, but have not yet talked about how I'm getting along with it. The reason is that I'd been struggling with my muslin and was getting a bit frustrated with it. It's a beginner's pattern and I've made two Colette Patterns pieces before. However the first muslin I made was huge and I felt like I didn't have enough experience to adjust it correctly.(If you really want to, you can see it here but it looks rubbish!).

As a result, I ignored it for a while but when I felt a bit better returned to the pattern and made a second muslin in the next size down with the vertical bust darts shortened. I'm still not 100% on the fit but it's good enough, and I felt that the stress of getting a perfect fit was really taking the enjoyment out of dressmaking for me.

This morning, I got out my fabric, ready to cut out the pattern. I would be using a green poly-cotton mix I got from a charity shop a few months ago;

However, when it came to cutting out I realised I'd made a stupid error. The fabric width from selvedge to selvedge was way too narrow, meaning that the skirt pieces were just too wide to fit on the fabric doubled over, and the piece wasn't long enough to fit on the pieces any other way. Aargh!

I felt there was nothing else to do but take a trip to Mandors and purchase some more fabric. How I love that shop! It truly is a treasure trove of fabric. Looking for a not-too-pricey cotton I found a leopard print at £4.99/metre;

 

 I will twin this with the black crepe I planned to use for the original belt. I'm not particularly an animal print person and don't own any other items of animal print clothing. However there was something about this I really liked and I'm now really excited about making the dress. The previous fabric was a bit so-so, but my new purchase proves how worthwhile it is to use materials you really love. For some reason I tend to forget this sometimes. I can't wait to get started now!

On a feline-related note (and the reason for the terrible pun of the title), I thought I'd include a couple of pictures of my cat sewing companions, and the reason why it is impossible to lay out any material to cut without it being used to lie on or hide under....

 

Face off

Action shot - going for the tail

 K x

Plans for 2011

So, it's 2011. Looking ahead to the year, I'm thinking about what I'd like to make this year. I've already started two new knitting projects;

Cable cardigan in 4 ply from Debbie Bliss Land Girl book;


And an Oatmeal Pullover, with a narrower neckline;

I don't want to give myself strict deadlines and rules, as I think that takes the enjoyment out of knitting and sewing. However I have a few ideas about what I'd like to achieve...

• Make more clothing instead of buying it. I can already feel things have changed over the past year as I am more interested in buying materials for making, rather than buying clothes - vintage excepted
• Gain a better understanding of fit. I've ordered Real Fit for Real People, which I hope will help explain some of the mysteries to me. I've been participating in the Crepe Sewalong, but progress has been hampered by difficulties with getting a good fit on my muslin, which I've found stressful - not how sewing is suppose to be!
• Design a knitting pattern - I wanted to do this in 2010 but didn't know where to start. I hope my new evening class will be helpful with this one
• DE-STASH. I'm not too bad with fabric but have a lot of wool. I need to prioritise this when selecting knitting projects.
• Continue sewing clothing and enjoying it.
  

Happy 2011 everyone!

K x

Looking Back - A Review of Makes from 2010

I thought I would review what I've made in 2010, looking at my successes and failures of the year. I haven't included everything I made this year, just those projects which stuck out for me. Let's start on a high with the successes, in no particular order;

Fingerless Gloves, great pattern, quick easy knit using yarn I already had, and the recipient loved them. Perfect!

This was the 4th one of these I made - another gift, and they always seem to be well received.

From a vintage pattern, love them. In process of trying to add a fleece lining to ensure extra cosiness.

Love, love love this. It's called the Oatmeal Pullover. Great yarn and quick, easy pattern. As it's in the round - no sewing up!!! Wearing it as I type, and in process of making another with some small mods to the neckline.

London Beanie Hat for my husband to replace a similar one he lost. I changed it slightly to make it longer, as requested. Gets worn all the time, a great success.

My first Sencha. Love the fabric and did a not-bad job of the fit

Sencha #3 with neckline tucks and buttoned back, both of which features which I prefer. Dislike this picture, but you get the idea.

Leafy Lace Christmas Present scarf. Was delighted at how it turned out, and very pleased with the yarn I used.

Rosa. You must be bored of seeing it after my previous post? Don't care. Love it.

Beignet in wool (poor picture of). Worn it loads, planning another one, possibly in cord.

Double layer hat, I've made 2 of these as presents. They're super cosy

Hooded Scarf. Another really useful knit that I wear frequently and was particularly cosy during the recent cold weather

Now on to the failures...

Audrey in Unst cardigan. I was unhappy that it ended up being not very close fitting. And I hated the yarn I chose, which was a wool mix. Both of these issues were my fault as the pattern was great to work from, one of the clearest I've used. I still wear it, but I don't love it. Boo. I might make it again in the future if I find a DK wool I love. Hated knitting all that twisted rib, though it does look effective. Was so disappointed that I didn't love this as it seems to be such a favourite on Ravelry, and I've seen some lovely versions.


This blouse was the second piece of clothing I made, using the Burdastyle pattern Ute. I really struggled to understand the pattern, partly due to inexperience but also due to it being very badly written - it is supposed to be for a novice sewer after all! I hated the stupid puffy sleeves (which don't look so bad here) and disliked the fabric I chose. I also managed to rip a hole in the fabric at the shoulder due to over-zealous use of a seam ripper. Then, my machine refused to do the buttonholes for some reason, as if to support my own feelings about the blouse. I will likely return to it in the future to try again and add buttonholes and fix the rip. There is another version of the blouse with a neck tie which I might make one day, since I'm also not that keen on the collar either...

The final piece of clothing I wanted to show you is the skirt I made in my evening class using Vogue 8363. This was the first item of clothing I made, during my evening class last year. On completion I christened it 'Britain' Most Unflattering Skirt' for it is horrible. I would be willing to show a picture of myself wearing said monstrosity, were it not for the fact I have hidden it away somewhere I cannot remember. However as hideous as it is, I feel it cannot be counted as a true failure since it is the first piece of clothing I made, with a zip and lining and everything! Again, I am hoping to revisit this pattern and conquer it. Karen from Did you Make That? is making a skirt from this pattern, having chosen some beautiful fabric, so I think this might inspire me if I can see how the pattern can be used for good instead of frumpiness!

Overall, 2010 has been a great year of Makes for me. I've knitted some things I love and wear frequently and I have learned to make clothes using my machine, which I was unable to do this time last year. There haven't been many screaming failures, just a couple which I have learned from.

So what does 2011 hold make-wise? More sewing - some skirts and dresses and some more knitting of course! Once it gets into warmer weather I know I will be more inclined to sew too. Next post I will set out some of the things I intend to create this year.

Just before I go... Handmade Jane is having a giveaway on her blog of the 'Sew Serendipity' book and a bundle of fat quarters of Liberty fabric. Too good to miss out on!

K x