All that glitters is gold

I'm back and with even more sparkles for you! I am so obsessed with sewing sparkly clothes right now and this post is no exception. As a bit of a break from the rather crazy rainbow I have been showing you lately we we are well and truly back to black for this one; where I am going to share with you not one but two new skirts I have sewn up.

Metallic Hacked SOI Ultimate Pencil Skirt

I don't normally take photos in full sun, they don't do anyone any favours but looks at that sparkle!

Towards the back end of last year I did some serious skirt pattern testing/altering in a hope to find a perfect fitting skirt pattern that ticked all the right boxes for me. I wanted something fitted with a high waist and a zip fastening which I could use on this amazing metalllic fabric. I ended up making 3 skirts in the end before I finally decided on the perfect fit and then ended up making a pair of shorts instead! Luckily for me though it turns out I actually had enough fabric to make both the shorts and the skirt and so here it finally is, the culmination of all that effort, and I am pleased to say it was definitely worth it.

Velvet and stars faux wrap

The thing I really love about sewing is that you can turn your ideas into a reality, whether that be a design that pops into your head or an outfit you have seen else ware and want to recreate. Not only can you create the look you aspired to yourself, but also it is truly made to measure and to suit your own style.

Halloween LBD - A Ghoulish Georgia dress

Happy Halloween! and hello on my most favourite of all the holidays. I absolutely love how year on year the UK seems to get more and more into Halloween and we are seeing so much more participation. We have a long way to go to complete with the likes of the US but I like the way this is heading. I'm even happier to be bringing you a halloween themed post.

I have been a bit slack this year and haven't managed to make the kids costumes, mostly because he wanted to be batman, and sadly I had to work on the day we could have gone to a toddler party. I also haven't managed to get out anywhere in fancy dress myself because, well, its a Wednesday BOO! 

Metallic Rainbow Glitter Shorts!

Hi there, today I am so happy to share with you my latest make because I finally dared to cut into this amazing spangly fabric and I think I found the perfect pattern for it. Those that have been following me either here or on instagram will know that I have been testing skirt patterns over the last month or so in an effort to find the perfect pattern for this fabric. Well, as I was sewing my last piece, I had a crazy lightbulb moment and realised I already had the perfect pattern, tried and tested, and a perfect match; the Chataigne shorts from Deer and Doe.

Black denim mini skirt

My quest for the perfect little black mini skirt pattern continues with this lovely little number and what a good contender it is. Its got a very cute shape and fit and is very versatile. I like it! 

Little black skirt and exposed zip

I'm on a bit of a quest to find a really good little skirt pattern so that I can brave cutting up some really special fabric I have, you will have to watch this space to see if I ever actually do it but for now here is my latest mock up. The great bonus of mocking up a load of black skirts is I am filling my wardrobe with some lovely basics.

Simply Sewing Polka Dot Headband

 

I finally got round to stitching up the headband from the first issue of the new simply sewing magazine using the free polka dot fabric which came with the magazine. The mag did provide patterns and instructions for three things which could all be created from the one piece of fabric provided. First was this headband, second a gathered fabric flower and third a fabric covered book. I have done both the gathered flowers and a covered book on the blog already so I have gone for the headband (and I used the rest of the fabric to make the pockets of my new dress!) 

Sew Over It: Ultimate Pencil Skirt

Hi there, you know I've been putting off making a pencil skirt for such a long time, but I have no idea why. I think its got a lot to do with a skirt I tried to make when I first started sewing from a free pattern which just didn't really turn out that well. Thankfully though I have finally gotten over that hump and I bought the Sew Over It Ultimate Pencil Skirt pattern. I've bought a few fabrics from SOI before, but never sewn one of their patterns.

There are a huge number of pencil skirt patterns in the market but I have heard good reviews about this one in terms of fit from social media and a quick hunt of instagram showed up some really lovely examples. It seemed like a good fit to try out SOI with this pattern. The style and fit of this skirt are just spot on for the way I like to dress at the minute, especially for work.

Lately I have been reaching to my wardrobe for a black skirt in this morning, but the truth of the matter is I actually only have 1 which fits me. So to rectify this I am on a promise to myself to make myself some more black skirts. I have some gorgeous metallic fabric earmarked for this project but I wanted to toile it first so I ordered some plain black cotton sateen from Sew Essential. This fabric is perfect for this skirt because it has a good amount of stretch in it. It meant that even if I cut the pattern ever so slightly on the small side I knew there would be some give in it. Its a lovely quality fabric and I'm glad I bought a few meters. I can definitely see me using the rest for some other projects.

I had absolutely no problem with sewing this up. The fabric was so easy to work with and the pattern was perfectly straightforward. I really don't know why I put this off for so long, and the results speak for themselves, I mean look at how sleek it is. I had no issues with fit and it fit me straight from the packet, which barely ever happens, though I think the stretch sateen might have something to do with that. All in all it only took me a few hours to complete this the first time so I will definitely be making more. I don't know if its just me but I did find the instructions a little simplistic, I had to google the SOI blog for the kick pleat instructions, but that might just be the nature of the drawing inside rather than the instructions themselves.

To Sum it up:
Pattern: Sew Over it Ultimate Pencil Skirt
Fabric: Stretch cotton sateen in black purchased from Sew Essential
Extras: a 12" invisible zipper
Modifications: I took about 6" off the total length in the end as I prefer my skirts to sit just over the knee than below but I am quiet short.
Fit: Like a glove!
Difficulty: Pretty easy

So I love this skirt, I mean its sexy no?! I will definitely make another, and I want to have a go at lining it next time as this one doesn't do to well with tights. I mentioned earlier about it being a toile, I actually don't think this skirt is right for the fabric I had in mind but I have made a couple of alternations to the pattern to change it up a bit and will do another toile shortly to see how that goes on... watch this space.

Have you sewn up this pattern, or are you putting off a project because of something that went wrong in the past? Let me know about it, I would love even more to hear about your post drama successes x

Gold Polka dot Erin Skirt

Its been a few months since my last post but as you can see that little baby bump is coming along nicely! This means I am now at that really awkward stage of my pregnancy where my bump is too big for my normal clothes but not yet big enough for maternity. Such an awkward time I really hate trying to find something to wear. One of the things I did do though was pull out my Megan Nielsen Maternity collection of sewing patterns in a hope I can bridge the gap and get myself some maternity wear which both fits my style better and tries to use up some of the fabric I have stashed about.

Here you can see I made the Erin skirt and I used the leftover gold flecked ponte roma which I bought for my Christmas party dress. I still love this fabric, but my machine still hates it! Using ponte roma on this skirt was a really good choice, its stretchy enough to fit over my growing shape but firm enough to add a little support to my bump. It will of course work in a thinner jersey or anything else with enough stretch but I would recommend something with a little bit more structure.

The pattern is very easy to sew and has very good instructions. You add a bit of stretched elastic to the side seams to ruche the area around the tummy to add more fabric to cover the bump. If you look at any shop bough maternity tops this is normally how they do it too. The skirt it meant to come up over the bump and comes in a knee and midi length. Because of the length I find this skirt really flattering and its really easy to wear. You could pair it with a short tshirt/jumper or an over the bump over the top, its very versatile.

I actually bought this pattern pack when I was pregnant with Master Fox, but that was over 2 years ago now and my sewing must have vastly improved as I tried to make this skirt once and it went so horribly wrong I never actually ended up making anything from this pattern pack at all. Its such a shame as its such a lovely skirt. I think the problem I had was all down to the fabric which was a very thin poly jersey and it struggled so much to get the elastic to go in. I'm really pleased I didn't give up on it though I must have worn this skirt about twice a week since I made it I love it. My tip for the elastic is to tack each end in place before you put it under the machine, that way you can control the stretch as you go.

I'm actually finding that I am having a bit of trouble with body confidence this pregnancy. My bump is a funny B shape rather than that perfect D and I generally feel very big and I don't like how I look in most clothes. This is actually the 3rd time I took photos of this skirt as I couldn't get any I was happy to put on the internet. Its such a shame as I know I should just be enjoying my growing tummy but I think this is something that every pregnant woman must go through at at least one point in their pregnancy. I am doing my best to just ignore it and move on but it is taking conscious effort to do that at the moment. It doesn't help I am surrounded by lots of very slim pregnant people at the minute, who have remained slim with tiny little bumps, where as I just feel like I'm all squishy boob and belly.

I think I need to sew myself a few more outfits like this that flatter my style and shape and will help to give me a bit of confidence.

On the plus side though we found out that little baby Fox number 2 should be a little girl! I'm very excited to be able to experience one of each and obviously can't wait to sew up a few dresses. I will apologise in advance for the raft of baby clothing posts that will end up coming your way over the next few months, but they are cute so I am sure you won't mind.

x

A Happy Festive Wren

Before we get into this post I want to tell you to keep reading as I have something exciting to tell you at the end!

So lets get into it by saying hi, and a big welcome to 2017! I'm not going to start out the year with a big rundown of everything I made last year (I think I have hashed that stuff out enough on here) nor am I going to do any plans for the year ahead. Instead we are just going to show off a simple sew which I quickly knocked together when I had an urge for a new festive outfit.

For me 2016 trailed off a bit with both with the sewing and the blogging. I have to admit I really lost my mojo there for a while, so its nice to start off the year by celebrating something made. Hopefully I can keep it up as much as possible in 2017.

About the dress then. Its the fitted version of Colette's Wren dress made using a gold studded Ponte Roma fabric which I got online from Fabric Godmother. Sadly I think I bought up the last of this fabric but its really lovely, I love how the gold spots are actually raised on the fabric, it gives it a real festive glitz appeal. Its hard to tell in this picture but I will see if I can get an image of them in later.

Generally speaking this was a really quick sew, I cut it out and stitched it together in 2 short evenings which is pretty good going. The fabric did fight me a little, my machine definitely did not like those little raised bobbles going into the feed dogs under the presser foot. I also had a massive issue with skipped stitches using my twin needle which I could not manage to rectify. In the end I just gave up and used a straightforward zigzag stitch. The fabric is so stable that this hasn't been an issue at all and you really cant see the stitching.

I made the same fitting adjustments on this dress as I did with my last version of Wren (cutting the front pieces on the fold, and doing a FBA). The FBA is definitely needed for me, it could maybe even do with a bit more as it still gapes in the armholes a little bit, something I didn't notice on the last version as it has the sleeves. I cut the bottom half in a straight size 4. I do think its a little on the clingy side so I might want to consider drafting out to a 6 in the hips but the fabric is lovely and stretchy so I think I have got away with it. The dress was also made, and worn, before the Xmas food blow out, so I think it probably fitted me a bit better a fortnight ago!

Sewing this up in such a rush I have misaligned the top and bottom front pieces when sewing them together, which is I think what is causing the pull you can see under the bust. It hasn't stopped me wearing it though, you would only notice if you really inspected it, and I hope no one is inspecing my bust that closely in public anyway!!

Moving on to something completely different, I am sure you haven't failed to notice the shoes. Santa (A.K.A. Mr Fox) was very generous and bought me this beautiful pair of irregular choice shoes for Xmas. I have been eyeing these up for a very long time, I mean whats not to love, they are pink ombre glitter heels! They are so completely impractical and I don't attend near enough special occasions to justify them but they are so pretty! I suppose I best get finding excuses to go out more.

So, finally on to the exciting news, you may have already been able to guess, but I was really trying to suck it in in the earlier pictures. The Fox family will be welcoming a new little fox cub in the summer :). We are very excited, happy and looking forward to meeting the little person. I hope that Master Fox enjoys becoming a big brother and I can't wait to find out what kind it will be in a couple of months. So that means lots more sleepless nights for us, dirty nappies and of course baby sewing!

I hope you all had a lovely festive break and I can't wait to hear from you and share the exciting year ahead x.

Post Pregnancy Chataigne Shorts!

Ever since having Master Fox I've been desperate to get back in my pink wool Chataigne shorts by Deer and Doe. I love this pattern so much, and getting back into them meant I could justify making up another pair!

 

I made the first pair of these shorts when I was in very early pregnancy and couldn't quiet get my tiny growing bump into my regular shorts. I love wearing shorts, they are so practical, especially when you spend a lot of time sat on the floor. You can wear shorts in cooler months with tights or in the summer without, so versatile.

 

I cut these shorts out and half stitched them up about 9 months ago in some mad hope I was going to fit into them soon after, well that didn't really happen and so they have been sat under a pile of stuff on my sewing table ever since. I decided after making my Mimi blouse that I needed a nice quick make and spotted them sitting there looking sad so here they are. It turned out it wasn't such a quick sew (there is a lot of ironing in the making of this pattern!) but I'm glad they are finished just in time for the arrival of spring. 

The fabric is some black striped cotton type fabric. I'm not sure exactly what to call it, it was donated to me from my sister in law but its got a lovely sort of tailored look to it which is why I thought they would work really nicely with this pattern. It was only a small amount of fabric so it was nice to make something with some structure with it. I tried really hard to match up the stripes where I could and its not a bad attempt as far as that goes. Sadly its near impossible to to take good pictures of black clothing so I had to brave the early spring sunshine in my eyes to take these photos.

 

I did have a nice happy accent with these shorts though. When it came to sewing the waistband I realised that I had forgotten to cut one of the facing pieces. Because it had been sat on my desk for so long I've no idea if the piece got lost or whether I didn't cut it but all the fabric scraps must have gone in the bin so there was no more to be found. What could I do to fix it? Cut the facing from some lovely contrasting cotton of course! So I picked this lovely Michael Miller Anchors Away By the Sea fabric which I have had in my stash for ages. I really like this little detail now, the inside makes me smile :)

I could make a million pairs of these shorts, in fact I could pretty much use every piece of fabric in my stash on them... cherry print sateen shorts, jade sateen shorts, striped shorts, pink anchor shorts, the list goes on!

A well adjusted Megan dress

As I write this I'm actually sitting in our kitchen at work wearing my Megan dress and proudly saying 'thank you, I made it'. Don't you just love that feeling! 

Making Megan has been a little bit of a fitting journey for me, with two toiles, so she has taken a little longer than the other projects. Seeing the fit at the end totally makes it worth it though, no more ill fitting store bought dresses. She is made from some cotton sateen that I have had in my stash for a little while. I really like sateen, it's a bit heavier than some other cottons but has a nice little bit of stretch in which makes fitting a little more forgiving, I wasn't really too sure if I was going to like either the fabric or the style of dress when making this, but do you know what it's not all that bad. It's definitely wearable, and whilst I don't love it in a way that makes me want to wear it every day I certainly don't hate it. I think the only thing for me is that the neck is too high for my body type, and a bit formal looking for my style ,but it's definitely fine for the office. 

In terms of fitting I made made the following alterations. I did a full bust adjustment, adding about 3inch in total and elongated the front and back bodice by 2 inches. My main reason for this is when you have a slightly larger bust you don't really want a dart tuck just under your bust area. I find it can make it look a bit like your boobs are hanging low which is definitely not a good look! I think I did a pretty good job of making the dress flatter that area in the end. I also moved the bust darts, though looking at them they still look like they could do with some adjusting. The final alteration was to take 2 inch off the skirt to accommodate the fact I made the bodice longer. I normally do this at the end before sewing the hem and think I will in future as I only just got away with it being decent!! The only thing I would try and do better would be the neckline. It doesn't sit quiet flat, I think I should probably pay more attention to the shoulders next time. 

This section had us putting in a neck facing and fitting a sleeve. I am very proud to say that this was my first attempt at fitting a sleeve and I'm really pleased with them. There is  some puckering showing but given that you are asked to gather the sleeve I think this is how they are supposed to be. I've had a look at other versions of the dress and they look to have some gather in too. Yay! Go me. It wasn't anywhere near as frightening as I thought! 

So all in all that went pretty well :) a nice introduction back into full dressmaking and pattern adjustments. Now just to work on improving my skills and trying to get them perfected. It would be nice to learn the types of adjustments needed to standard patterns for my body shape but that will come in time. My sister has very kindly offered to help me draft up a body block at some point so I can start making patterns from it. So that will be a fun new skill to try and learn.

Next up Clemence which is a gathered skirt and I think (hope) this is going to be something I can make that feels a bit more like my personal style. Lets see how we get on.

I found time to make a whole dress!

 

Woo Hoo! I got my sew on! So, as I wrote about in the last couple of posts, I decided to bite the bullet and instead of waiting for all the maternity weight to drop off I jumped in and made a dress which fits my current size. Why did I do it? simply put its because the weight is not shifting as fast as I would like and I'm fed up of having nothing to wear that I fit into! Too small for maternity and too big for my regular wardrobe. I wanted something a bit nicer to wear that wasn't a pair of leggings and an oversized cardi for a change.

As part of my recent fabric splurge I bought this very cheap striped cotton sateen from ebay (it was like £3.50 a meter or something stupid) so thought sod it, at that price it doesn't matter if I don't get that much wear out of it. 

The dress is a hack of the top part of Cynthia Rowley 1873 (which was free from a magazine) and the skirt from the belladone dress by Deer and Doe. I didn't like the skirt that was part of the Cynthia Rowley pattern but because of the stripes I needed something with a pleat rather than a circle skirt to keep them straight. The belladone skirt pattern worked perfectly. I had to do a bit of playing with the darts and pleats to get them to sit in line with the bodice but I'm really pleased with how they came out. It also includes a cheeky pocket which I love (even if it does accentuate the hip).

I REALLY tried with this dress to get the stripes to match across all pieces, which I wasn't far off, but I could hear May Martin in my head the whole time I was doing this telling me that it's a shame that they are slightly off. The perfectionist in me really wanted to pull the thing apart and re-sew the seam a fraction of an inch to get them perfect. Thankfully the realist in me took over and made me realise that it had already taken me three weeks to do about four hours of sewing so it just wasn't a sensible idea. I think for the meantime I just have to accept that having something wearable is the end goal, not something which is a thing of perfection. Also, sleepless nights are not very conducive to perfect sewing!  

 

I have learnt a bit about fitting to my new post pregnancy shape as well. Needless to say, my bust has grown, and so has my waist. So taking these measurements (and the finished bust size on the pattern) I cut out my new size, which graded from a 12 in the bust to a 14 in the waist (this scares my pre-size 6 waisted self) and stitched it up without any bust adjustment as it didn't imply I needed any with this new bigger size. Well, turns out, just because my bust and waist are bigger, it doesn't mean my back has grown, turns out my back and shoulders are pretty much the same as they were before. Next time I need to do a bust adjustment and grade from a smaller size in the back and shoulders to a bigger size at the bottom. The result of this is that the neck and shoulder lines are a bit baggy, but that's nothing a good cardigan (which I never don't wear anyway) won't hide. Thankfully the bust darts are sitting ok on this.

So despite the things that bug me about this dress, there are a few things I am really proud of. Firstly, I did my first bit of topstitching to make the facing stay to the inside. That stuff actually works! Who knew, and it was very neat. I am really pleased with the movement of the pleats and darts to get them to line up, the side seams aren't perfect, but they are pretty darn close, and finally, the pockets. I love that these babies are done with a different fabric, it just takes away from the dominant stripe a bit. You can probably guess I did this on purpose because the thought of trying to match the stripe across the pocket as well just made my brain hurt, but I do like the outcome. The fabric was some of the free polka dot cotton which came free with the first issue of the new Simply Sewing Mag. Thankfully I still have enough left to make the headband pattern from the insert.

 

So in the end I have made myself a cute little dress which I can wear out and about, despite a few flaws and problems along the way. I hope you like it and can forgive me my little sewing faux pahs, at the end of the day, I have decided I don't care ;) 

Lacy Lady Skater

 

Alright, I realise you are probably getting a little bit bored of the lady skater posts now but just one more for now I promise! I spoke about this version a few post back, it is a black lace version of the dress (idea stollen from this fab version by Kollabora (I still think her version is better than mine, I think my lace had waaaay to much stretch in it!!

 

About the Pattern:
Pattern: Lady Skater by Kitschy Koo
Fabric: Black stretch jersey for lining from local market, Black stretch lace from FabricLand
Size: 3
Alterations: Because I wanted the lace skirt to be separate from the the lining (see below) but attached to the lining on the bodice I attached it in a slightly different order. I seamed the side seams of the top and bottom pieces separately and then joined them at the waist rather than joining the two pieces down the side seams.

This pattern is just so amazing, I wanted a new dress for a Saturday night out with friends and although this pieces had been pre cut the whole thing took me less than an hour and a half!! I am not 100% happy with the bottom, I think its a bit wonky, and in hindsight my stretch lace is VERY stretchy and it gets misshapen very easily. I might have been better off attaching the lace to the lining in the skirt as well as the bodice to give it better structure. I am really happy with the clear lace sleeves though.

 

On a completely unrelated note, do you like Mr Fox's new fence? He was very happy with his work so I thought I would use it as a change of scenery so I could show you all. Have you noticed as well that I have decided I want everything in my life to be coral now? I have coral sandals on today, my coral belt yesterday its becoming a major theme in my life. 

We also have a date for the new kitchen, they start on the 23rd June! Eeeek very exciting! I can't wait to see all the shinies, and actually have an oven again! Maybe I need to start looking for some kitchen related crafts/sewing for the blog? Anyone got any ideas? Tea towels just seam a bit obvious! 

Well I hope you all have a lovely weekend, we are set for a scorcher in the UK so I am going to try out the new BBQ (which reminds me I MUST sew the garden chair covers... sigh) but we don't have a lot planned, just enjoying the sunshine and our freedom. Have a lovely one, whatever you are up too. 

 

DIY Leather Bow Belt Tutorial

I'm so pleased to be bringing you this tutorial, its something I have had in my head for a while but had no idea how easy this would be to pull off having never, ever, worked with leather before in my life. So here we go, proof that you don't need to have any experience at all to have a go at this, it is that simple.

I have an elasticated belt, which I bought from a major grocery retailer, which I wear with everything. Mr Fox said to me the other week 'what are you going to do when that belt breaks' well Mr Fox, this is what I am going to do! This is going to be a very pic heavy post so I will keep them small and hopefully they will help illustrate the steps.

 

For the Elasticated Leather belt you will need: 

• Enough 2inch wide elastic to fit round your waist (colour of your choice)
• Some Leather (colour of your Choice
• Leather sewing machine needles
• Polyester thread (you should not use cotton as it deteriorates) 
• 4 x Leather popper notions
• Leather popper tools
• Hammer
• Bow pattern(click here to download the PDF)

Step 1: Measure the elastic around your waist and cut it so that it fits snug but is not over stretched. You will be overlapping the ends so this will give it a bit more fit.

Step2: Using the inner lines on the pattern (you don't need the seam allowance) cut out your pieces of Leather using the pattern as follows:
1 x large bow piece
1 x thin center piece
2 x back popper tabs (on the fold)

Step 3: With the front of the bow piece facing down fold the outside edge into the center  making sure the tap is on the other side of the bow

Step 4: Fold the other side over to the middle making sure the two long pieces are overlapping in the center and that the curves of the bow match on both the front and back.

Step 5: Folding your elastic in half mark the center point with a pin. Place the bow right side up with the narrowest point of the bow lined up with the pin. N.B. you shouldn't pin leather as the holes become permanent.

Step 6: With your leather needle in your sewing machine stitch a line through all layers of the bow and elastic securing the center of the bow to the elastic. Make sure to secure the stitches at either end.

*Check it out, you just stitched some leather on your machine! how easy was that (told you).

Step 7: Taking the center strip of leather fold this around the middle of you bow making sure that there is a small overlap at the back.

Step 8: Using the machine, with right sides together, secure the two ends of the center strip to make a circle. You can see I actually top stitched two lines on this piece. This step is entirely personal preference and is not required.

Step 9: Working from one end of the elastic string the center strip (now circle) feed the elastic through the middle and wiggle you leather a bit to get the strip into the middle of the bow with the seam at the center back. This should be tight enough to sit there without moving around. If its not just remove it and make the circle slightly smaller trimming off the excess.

Step 10: Take your two end pieces and fold them in half over each end of the elastic so the leather covers both sides equally and the fold is at the end of the elastic.

Step 11: Top stitch around all 4 sides of the two end pieces to secure in place

Step 12: Using your poppers and popper tools put two poppers on the ends of your belt. Make sure that you get them the right way round so that when they are pressed together the belt lies in a flat circle and the two end pieces overlap. My advice would be to punch the holes in one side and then overlap them punching the holes for the other side through the holes you just punched to make sure they are even. I am not going to show you how to use the popper tools, instead I am just going to link you to this tutorial which is all I followed.

Now pear your new belt with your favourite outfit and wear that sucker with pride!

Of course it would make me very happy to see your versions of these so please feel free to leave a comment linking yours, or send me a picture.