Festive Snapshots

I hope you have all had a lovely time over the festive season. I have been doing lots of relaxing and a little bit of making too. As I've already done all my rounding up for the year, I thought I'd share a few pictures of what I've been up to over the last week...

 Tote bag I made for my friend's birthday using a tutorial from the Purl Bee called the Twenty Minute Tote. It took me longer than that, but I was very pleased with the result as it makes a great gift.

 

Blogger Meet Up in Glasgow with Debi of My Happy Sewing Place and Kathryn of Yes I Like That. Kathryn was visiting from London and Debi came over from Edinburgh. Photo from My Happy Sewing Place - Debi had the foresight to remember her camera!

Lovely fabric and an exciting pattern, a gift from from Debi at the meet up. I have been hankering after the Tiramisu dress so I feel very lucky that Debi gave me a spare copy she had - thanks so much Debi!! I'd love to join in Steph's Tiramisu sewalong in January, but it depends how confident I'm feeling about knits at that point.

Jersey fabric (bought in Mandors during the recent meet up) ready to be cut out for a Renfrew top - I got the pattern for Christmas. You can also see my new rotary cutter and mat, which were both Christmas gifts.

Swap gifts from Krafty Kat's Sewist's Secret Santa

Peek at my new skirt - I will do a full blog post on it soon.

I'm back at work on the 3rd January (I do love that Scotland gets an extra bank holiday on the 2nd as well as the 1st) so I have a few more days off to go. I'm planning to join in with the Jungle January Sewalong organised by Pretty Grievances.

Are you?

Hope you all enjoy the last bit of 2012, whatever you're up to. See you in 2013,

K x

5 Reflections and 5 Goals

Following on from my post about my Top 5 Hits and Misses this year and in keeping with Crafting a Rainbow's Top 5's, I've been looking back at the year and thinking about next year.

My Sewing Diary

5 Reflections on 2012

1. This was a great year for meeting fellow bloggers! I attended 3 meet ups in 3 different countries (Scotland, England and the US) and met 35 (!!!!) bloggers. Every one of these meetings was a true joy - being able to talk about sewing with people who know exactly what you're talking about is just great. I feel so happy to be part of such a warm and friendly community and getting to meet just some of you in real life really cemented this feeling for me.

2. I found a couple of go-to patterns that I really loved - a skirt and a dress that are a good shape and fit for me. This year I got better at working on a pattern and revisiting it to make it right, rather than flitting from pattern to pattern, and I think this has helped to improve the quality and wear-ability of what I make.

3. I made good progress in making separates and items I could wear everyday, less of the fancy  dresses that don't fit my lifestyle. That being said I did make a special occasion dress which was a success and was worn twice to weddings!

 

Blue and White Dress

4. All my failures this year were blouses and tops, without exception. A big part of this was that it was only during the later part of the year that I started to realise why I had such a problem fitting them - a broad upper back. I still haven't perfected the adjustment but I'm getting closer and knowing what the problem is, is half the battle.

5. I feel I've had a pretty successful year all in all - made some stuff I love and wear frequently, learned more about what suits me and about how to alter patterns to fit better. Skills wise, I probably didn't push myself too much, but sewing is my hobby and I'm not going to give myself too hard a time about it. I'm not striving to be a couture dressmaker but to make clothes that fit and flatter me, and overall I feel I have done that successfully this year.

Moving on to thinking about sewing goals, I set myself 5 goals at the beginning of this year:

1.  Take a more considered approach to my making - try and really think about what I need and will wear, and try and make things that I can wear together more.
2. Keep to minimal high street purchasing
3. Get rid of my shop bought items when I have handmade items to replace them
4. Use my stash of wool, fabric and patterns as much as I can
5. Keep enjoying sewing and knitting - and take a break if I don't

Nice and simple, and without going into detail for each one, I pretty much kept to them. I am still going to keep to minimal purchasing and try to make use of my stash but I wanted some new areas to concentrate on in 2013:

 5 Goals for 2013

1. Make something from jersey - finally!! After abandoning all hope with jersey when I thought my machine couldn't cope with it, I finally hit on the perfect stitch length and width combination so I will be putting that into action to make a garment this year. Hopefully more than one, all being well.

Previous adandoned jersey sewing attempt in April 2011

2.  Thoroughly review my wardrobe to see what I have and what I need and get rid of things I don't wear. Keep in mind colours, so I make items that go together - it wouldn't do any harm to inject a little more colour in my Winter Wardrobe too and be a little more adventurous.

3.  Make more effort to wear my handmades, look after them better (i.e. MEND THEM) or pass them on if they're not being worn.

4. Planning works for me. Keep making plans and really thinking through what I need.

5. Make sure I absolutely love the fabric/wool and pattern I'm using, This lessens the chance of an unworn item. If I'm not still loving a stash fabric or yarn - set it free!

Cardigan started using lovely yarn swapped with Kathryn of YesIlikethat. Don't get too excited, I've already invoked goal 5 by ripping it out to start something new after I was hating knitting the pattern (purl 7 together is really hard and not fun!)

It's been really interesting to review my year and think about goals, and what has and hasn't worked. I know that it's one of those things that everyone does this time of year and I don't care if no-one reads my review posts because it's just so useful for me. That being said, if you have read through all my thoughts then I hope you found something of interest.

Thank you all so much for reading my blog this year - I just love writing it and seeing the feedback you leave. I'm going to take a little break until the New Year but hopefully I will be back with some new items as I'm hoping to get a chance to sew over the holidays.

Merry Christmas everyone, see you in 2013!

K x

Top 5 Hits and Misses of 2012

As is customary for the end of the year, it's time to look back over the past 12 months worth of sewing and see what worked...and what really, really didn't. This year I have adopted the idea from Crafting a Rainbow of putting everything in a Top 5. 

 

Without further ado, let's get my Top 5 disasters out of the way:

1. Gingham Hillbilly Top

 

This wrap top was a poor fit on me because I didn't really understand how the pieces fitted together till I was sewing it. I still like the idea and might make it again though.

2. First Violet Blouse

Astoundingly, epically, ugly. Banished from my wardrobe months ago. That colour! Those sleeves! Madness!

3. Violet Blouse V.2

I never wear it, the fit is rubbish. Will probably charity shop it in the New Year when I'm reviewing my wardrobe.

4. Nice Surprise Blouse

I have rarely worn this blouse. I like the look of it but I don't like the feel of the manmade fabric too much. I'll try and get it back into wardrobe rotation next year - or charity shop it.

5. Attempts at Alma

No pictures for this one - you'll just have to imagine the 2 muslins that don't fit and the look of rage and frustration on my face.

(Interesting that all my failures are blouses - I will be reflecting on this in a future post)

Top 5 Successes

1. Manu Cardigan

I only finished it last month but it's already in regular rotation and gets worn 2-3 times a week. The buttons never really stay closed properly but I don't mind too much.

2. 99% Awesome Dress

Although this was technically a wearable muslin, it turned out to be a great sucess because the fabric (an old duvet cover) and pattern worked well together and I got some lovely comments about how well it suited me. I made the dress again because I was so happy with how it turned out and will likely make another in the future again. The fit and finish aren't quite as good as I'd like, but it doesn't affect how much I wear this.

3. Sailor Picnic Blanket Skirt

A really easy and fun make, I wore this a lot in the summer.

4. Vintage One Seam Skirt

This was the first skirt I made from a vintage pattern and it quickly became my go-to skirt pattern this year.

5. Denim Crescent Skirt

Another simple skirt that was frequently worn this year, a real success.

6. Miss Marple Cape

Just 'cos I'm a rule breaker - and I couldn't not include this cape. I love wearing it.

So that's my highs and lows of the year - I don't think any of my successes are particularly exciting but they are frequently worn, and that's what I was aiming for. I'll be back at the weekend with some reflections and goals for 2013,

K x

Costume Dramas & Sewing Viewing

I love a good costume drama. They're a great accompaniment to an afternoon's sewing and are ideal viewing to get ideas for sewing too. Often you can dip in and out of them and have them on in the background when sewing or knitting - if you're not paying full attention this means you can watch them over and over. Perfect!

I thought I'd list some of my favourite costume dramas. This does not include Downton Abbey - although I know it is loved by many seamstresses, I felt it really went off the boil after the first series. The second series was crammed too full of storylines which were treated in a superficial manner. And the third series? Pretty dull. I was delighted when one of the major characters died, just because SOMETHING ACTUALLY HAPPENED. I found most of the characters very grating by this point too and as often happens when TV shows go rubbish, all the bad characters become not-so-bad and the writers seem to want to give everyone a happy ending rather than a good storyline. Dull. And fashion-wise, yes some of the costumes are nice but are nothing like anything I'd actually make.

So, Downton rant over, here's my top 4:

1. The House of Eliott

If you know me in real life you'll probably know my love for this 1990s BBC series. It tells the story of two sisters in the 1920s who start a fashion house. What's not to like for seamstresses in this gem? There are 3 series worth of hour long episodes - get stuck in. It's available on YouTube here.

2. Pride and Prejudice

The classic BBC 1990s version. Not the first adaptation nor the last, but bloody great. Yes, it has Colin Firth in a wet shirt but I just love the Bennett family and there are some very funny moments. Watch a clip here.

3. Cranford

Fantastic adaptation, packed full of top class British acting talent and again, some really funny moments as the book is fantastically brought to life. You can watch a Trailer here.

4. Bleak House

Yet another BBC adaptation, this time of a Charles Dickens' novel. This series has quite a modern feel (it was adapted by Andrew Davies) and is really absorbing. The Trailer is on Youtube here.

I thought I should also mention a few other shows that I love - not necessarily costume dramas but are nonetheless great sewing viewing for inspiration or just for something easy to watch:

• Mad Men

Image from Couture Allure

Of course! Nothing to add here as every seamstress seems to know and love this series and has fallen in love with the fashions.

• Miss Marple

 Image from here

I love Joan Hicks and Geraldine McEwan in this role. When looking for pictures for this bit, I discovered that Jennifer Garner has been cast as Miss Marple in a Disney film. The most inappropriate casting since Meg Ryan was set to play Sylvia Plath - I don't think this actually happened though so hopefully Jennifer Garner's Miss Marple won't happen either.

• Poirot

 Image from here

Can't beat David Suchet as Poirot, and since there are episodes on ITV3 practically every weekend, there's always an episode to watch.

What are your favourite costume dramas or other programmes to watch while sewing and knitting?

K x

FO: Autumn Leaves Top

 

It feels like ages since I shared a finished sewn object here. As usual, I have been more drawn to knitting (and now crochet!) in keeping with the more wintry weather.

This is the second top I've made using Grainline's Scout Woven Tee. You can read my full review of the last one here. The last one was a little looser than my normal style but as it turned out, I've worn it quite a few times with jeans at the weekend and really liked how comfy it is. It's great for layering up under cardigans and jumpers too.

For this one I used viscose from Mandors in a lovely leaf-style print. I did cut a smaller size than the measurements suggested I would need (as before) and this time I added 3 inches to the length. I also made a broad upper back adjustment to the back piece and back of the sleeves (see here for details). Although this adjustment wasn't enough on a fitted blouse like the Sewaholic Alma, it was great for this looser style.

While the drape-y viscose is great for the style, the one drawback is that the neckline now doesn't sit properly when left to its own devices and looks loose, as below:

I presume that this must be to do with a more drape-y fabric as I didn't make any changes to this area from my previous version. The neckline is finished with bias tape so I suppose the weight of this is maybe pulling the neckline down?  If anyone has any suggestions for how to combat this I'd love to know as I'm planning another version in a similarly light fabric.

Side view - also you can see how well the back of my new haircut sits. Very pleased with this!

The top is fairly neat inside - I used French seams at the side and shoulders and bound the armholes with rayon seam binding. To be honest, I made a pretty heinous job of this. I find seam binding so tricky but I wasn't bothered enough to re do it.

You can also see the leaf print well here too

The verdict? Overall I'm happy with this top and it's becoming a wardrobe staple for weekend and casual wear. I'm already planning another one.

K x

Giveaway Winner! Miss Betty's Attic $25 Store Credit

There were 30 entries for the giveaway (the last one was too late - sorry!). The random number generator picked.....Number 18....who is......Busy Lizzie!

Well done Liz - I will email you to let you know how to claim your prize.

If you missed out but still have your eye on a pattern or two, remember that the Discount Code for 25% off is HOLIDAYCHEER25 and is valid at Miss Betty's Attic Vintage Patterns on Etsy until Thursday 13th December.

Happy shopping

K x

Giveaway Reminder!

The giveaway to win a store credit for Miss Betty's Attic vintage patterns store on Etsy is closing tomorrow evening!

You can enter here where you will also find details of the voucher code to get 25% off patterns from the store.

In case you've somehow missed it, you can also enter the AMAZING Stitcher's Dream giveaway hosted by Tilly and the Buttons. So. much. sewing. stuff.

K x

Pattern Monday #36

Seriously, what is this?

Picture from eBay

K x