11 September 2019
Rainbow Denim Ness Mini
17 July 2019
Pink Tutu's and my first go at pattern testing

This skirt appeals to all of my whimsy and flights of fancy, it is completely impractical for day to day wear and totally obnoxious, but that's kind of why I love it. I also thing it looks amazing glammed up with a leather jacket and pair of boots.
18 April 2019
Rainbow Mrs Tumble PJs
Does anyone else out there love nothing more than getting home and throwing on a pair of PJs? I know I can't be the only one, and just how adorable are these, they bring me pure joy. Mr Fox does keep calling me Mrs Tumble when I wear them though!
21 January 2019
StyleArc Nina Cardigan in bold leopard print
Its the first time I have ever made a cardigan so its nice to add a new skill to my repertoire, and this fabric has been in my stash for at least 12 months so I am happy to finally give it a lease of life. I have a bit of a love hate relationship with this make and I will go into more details about that below.
31 December 2018
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.
30 November 2018
A plethora of jersey basics
Hi there, its been almost a month since I blogged but the truth of it is I have been on a bit of a slow sew of late. Life has been getting increasingly hectic and the pressures of keeping up with everything have been getting on top of me a bit. Sewing I often find is a pleasant release from all this, its a great way to clear my head of all the clutter, but sometimes it can feel like its just another thing stressing me out. Because of this I have been forcing myself to take a bit of time out when my head feels like it needs it rather than trying to force through that ever growing to sew list.
31 October 2018
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!
21 October 2018
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.
15 October 2018
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!
8 October 2018
Crushed velvet knit sweetheart top
I've made so many fitted skirts lately I really wanted to get a bit of quick and dirty sewing out the way for a bit of instant gratification... well that didn't go to plan!
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1 October 2018
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.
10 September 2018
Sew Over It: Ultimate Pencil Skirt
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
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4 June 2018
My first Bruyere shirt and how it nearly went in the bin
Hello there and welcome to my first pattern show off in quiet some time. I've been really keen to start sewing properly for myself again, and by properly I mean making something fitted not just more jersey.
This is the Bruyere shirt by Deer and Doe made up in some cotton shirting fabric which I bought online from Croft Mill.
I actually bought the fabric and pattern for this make in May last year when I was heavily pregnant with Fox cub #2 with the intention of it being a staple part of my breastfeeding wardrobe. Fast forward a year and the reality of the situation was that I couldn't face making all the adjustments to the pattern whilst my body was still ever changing shape.
I'm really pleased to have picked it up now though and got my head around all the adjustments because I just love it and I think one of the main reasons for that is the thought I put into embellishing it, more on that shortly.
Fitting: I had to do a number of adjustments to this pattern; my usual full bust adjustment which is to add a whole inch into the front section and remove an inch from the back because for some reason I have a very small back. I found this a bit daunting at first for this pattern as there are so many adjoining pieces: the waistband and the collar and these would all need adjusting as well as the pleats in the skirt. I'm pleased to say though it wasn't nearly as bad as I had imagined, my toile of the bodice turned out perfectly.
Well then it all went wrong didn't it! Somehow when I retraced my new bodice piece to make a proper pattern piece I didn't cut it properly and the bodice was far too big. I was gutted. I spent so much time on the fit and then had planned and bought all the notions I really didn't want it to end up in the bin. Thankfully my very talented sister came to my rescue and suggested I added a neck dart which we then turned into a fake princess seam to remove the bulk. Its not as great as my toile but thanks to her its now completely wearable so thank you Rachel x
Bling: Well i'm sure your keen eyes have already spotted them but yes, I added a studded collar, its frikkin awesome I love it.
After I started Me Made May this year I realised I had a lot of clothes that I liked but that I didn't love. I decided after that to try and think a lot more about what I was making and how to make sure it really stood out and felt a lot more special.
I had a number of ideas for this shirt: Holograph star applique, metal collar cuffs, rainbow buttons, glitter but in the end these simple studs won out. I think they really make this shirt and the buttons are such a perfect match for them. Its functional but still a bit edgy. I could easily wear this chilling in the park like today, smart for the office or glammed up for a night out.
Would I recommend: Yes, its not nearly as difficult to make as I expected it to be and its such a flattering fit ,especially if you are lucky enough to have an hourglass figure like me.
Do you ever embellish your makes? I'd love to see them or hear your ideas.
Thanks for reading and hopefully this will be the start of me blogging on a more regular basis again.
7 July 2017
Another New Look 6216 and its floral!
I'm pretty sure a few posts ago when I did some baby sewing I talked about how I NEVER sew in florals for myself because I just never ever wear them. What happened?
The print is very 'twee' and feels a bit Cath Kidson to me, what with the colour and the flowers and I honestly can't tell you whats drawn me to this fabric. Maybe its my inner 'mummy' but whatever it is I actually really like it.
There isn't really much to say about this sew, it is another New Look 6216 in size 10. The last two I made just seemed to feel really nice when I tried them on over my bump so I figured I could fit another one into my wardrobe for after baby arrives. This pattern is just so easy to sew and the results look stunning, it could definitely be store bought. I really liked the additional sleeve option out of the two I made last time so I used it again on this version.
Both fabrics are from a local fabric shop in Derby called 'Elegance'. I don't tend to go in very often but I definitely should more, they have some lovely bits in there and the staff are so nice.
This jersey is a little thicker than the stuff I used to make the other versions in my previous post but the top still hangs really well and this jersey handled perfectly.
I'll tell you what though, I'm bored of blogging about things which I can't actually show you being modeled, everything looks so flat. It's also hard to write about the fit etc of a pattern when you can't actually wear it. That being said I can't wait to start sharing them later on. Watch this space.
Do you ever sew with fabrics out of your comfort zone in terms of colour/print? How did you find it, were they worn or did they just end up in the back of the drawer never to see the light of day again? Hopefully this won't be the case here as I do really like this fabric but only time will tell whether I actually managed to add a floral print to my wardrobe.
30 June 2017
Some roomy Rumi tanks
Continuing on my baggy jersey basics campaign This week I stitched myself up 3 (yes 3!) new tank tops which are again aimed at my post baby, breastfeeding body. Being as summer is pretty much on our doorstep I thought I best make sure I have thought about those hot sweaty days with a hot sweaty baby and have some functional vest tops.
The pattern is the Rumi tank by Christine Haynes, its a racer back vest top which is quiet fitted at the top, but has lots of room at the bottom so will hopefully skim those curves rather than cling to them. It was the loose fit at the bottom of this tank which really made me want to give this pattern a go.
The sew itself could not have been easier, as a pattern these things are a cinch and so quick to make. The instructions were perfectly adequate, they are brief, but then there is not actually much to be doing to make these. I made all of these, including cutting, in about 6 hours, but given my mobility at the moment that's pretty good going. I definitely recommend this pattern and I can see it becoming one of my staple go to patterns in the future. What I really like about this pattern is the way the binding is attached, it makes for a really professional clean finish.
None of these are 'perfect' makes, but they are certainly all wearable. The biggest issue I had was keeping the width of the neckband even as I overlocked it on. I am hopeful this is just something that would get better with practice as I was certainly better by the third version here.
I used three very different fabrics to make these tanks. My favourite (in looks) is definitely this pineapple one, however the fabric itself is horrible! Its really fine, it has barely any stretch for a jersey and it just feels a bit cheap really. I bought it from a local fabric shop a year ago because of the print but the last project I tried just didn't work as there was not enough give. Hopefully this tank will be baggy enough that this won't matter. This version kept its shape the best, but that's because you would struggle to stretch it out of shape. This is the reason why I edged it in the black, as I needed a fabric with more recovery for the binding. I do like the way it looks though, lets hope it wears ok.
Next up is the black one made from some very fine polyester jersey which I bought from the market years ago. This is a really nice fabric for this pattern as its so fine it has a beautiful drape. That being said this one has the most stretched out hem as the twin needle sewing was not so easy on something so delicate. Who doesn't need more black basic vests though? Exactly, we all do, they go with anything and if the hem is too stretched out when worn I can always wear it tucked into a waist high skirt.
So all in all this pattern gets a big thumbs up form me, lets hope its the same verdict once I actually get to wear them! Again I will try and share some pictures on instagram once I finally get them worn
Have you ever made up the same pattern in numerous types of fabric? How did you find the differences? It really has amazed me, even in the same 'type' of fabric how much of a difference one can make to the other.
9 June 2017
New Look 6216 - Striped baggy tshirts
Its ok that all my clothes for the next 6 months are stripey isn't it, or do I maybe need to start branching out a bit? :)
Following on from my earlier post where I talked about my personal sewing being all about the breastfeeding at the moment these are no exception to that. What with summer approaching and everything I thought I better sew a couple of short sleeved tops to see me through the warmer weather. I kept with the same theme of nice and baggy so there is room to lift up for feeding and also plenty of room to hide my post baby belly.
These tops are both made using the New Look 6216 sewing pattern which I bought form Sew Essential again. The grey stripe and pink version is made in view B which includes these extra sleeve bands and the black and white version is in view C which has slightly shorter sleeves. I actually haven't made a decision on which version I prefer as yet, they both look and feel great, but as I haven't managed to get the wear out of them you will have to watch this space for my final verdict.
These tops were ridiculously easy to sew. I have always shyed away from making any jersey basics, for a couple of reasons really; firstly they are usually so cheap to buy, why go to the effort of making them and secondly it always seemed really fiddly and not the easiest fabric to sew with. I was really wrong! I knocked both these up in about 4 hours total (including tracing and cutting the pieces) which is really fast and they look great. I have to say I am really pleased with the way I have been managing knit neckbands lately which makes me happy.
Again I have mostly just been experimenting by using up some of my stash jersey which was getting a bit out of hand. These were both made out of polyester jersey which I bought from local markets. I have a nice mix of poly and cotton jerseys in my stash but the reason I picked the polys for this project was because they have a much more flowing drape. They are a bit more lightweight that cotton jerseys tend to be so they lend themselves much better to this sort of baggy top. A definite consideration if you are thinking of making a top like this.
The fit seems to be pretty ok (as much as you can tell with a massive baby in your tummy!). I made this version in a more true to size size than the last top I made which I think was a much better idea, its less like a tent and seems to fit a lot better. I like the neckline on this top, its wide enough but not too massive to fall off your shoulders and the length seems pretty good.
All in all i'm really happy with how these have come out, a couple of quick satisfying makes. Again, its a shame I can't model them for you but I will make sure to pop some pics on instagram once they are in action.
For my next selfish sew I have been looking at tank top patterns, I think I like the look of the Rumi tank, though I worry it might be a bit short length wise. I will have another look around to see if I can see anything else that fits the bill, but if you know of any patterns please shout up.
Lastly, as a rather random final word; I have had my eye on this sewing pattern for a while now, the reason being that I have been hankering after making a top which Veronica Mars wears in the Veronica Mars movie. Ever since seeing this movie in 2014 I have had this make in the back of my mind but just haven't ever got around to it, mostly because of my fear of tackling a jersey basic I think. The top is this black burnout stripe one (I can't find a better picture on the internets). From my recollection it has a sort of faux leather binding which I would love to pull off. Watch this space, I now have the means!
26 May 2017
Kwik Sew 4041 - Coral striped slouched raglan top
Isn't this fabric beautiful :) I love the huge coral stripes and I think it lends itself really well to this lovely draped top.
I have switched my focus of personal sewing now from maternity on to postpartum so the next few posts from me will 100% have breastfeeding in mind. From my experience last time, and from talking to fellow breastfeeding mums I have been advised that using the one up one down method of clothing is by far the best for feeding. This basically means wearing a vest top to cover your tummy with a baggier top over the top which you can lift up to feed. I love this idea for so many reasons: 1. You can wear regular clothes (with the exception of nursing bras) 2. Nursing clothing can be really overpriced for what it is and 3. I always really hated putting a cloth over Master Fox's head, it felt so rude, and this method is discreet enough to not need to do this.
So anyway, on to the make itself. The fabric is a gorgeous lightweight polyester jersey from Guthrie and Ghani. I am a little annoyed at myself because whilst I followed the pattern guidelines for the amount of fabric (which I only just pulled off) I didn't have anywhere near enough to match the stripes across the raglan sleeves. It looks ok thankfully but it would have been nice to have them running across the top properly.
The pattern is Kwik Sew 4041 which I bought from Sew Essential (the lovely ladies that helped me choose my sewing machine). This pattern is so ridiculously easy! The whole thing was made in one evening and the results are brilliant. Its a lovely loose fitting top with a very wide neckline.
The pattern actually has a regular sleeve which is just turned under and stitched with a twin needle like the hem but sadly as mentioned above I was struggling to get the whole top cut out of the amount of fabric I had. I decided the best thing to get around this would be to cut the sleeves short and then add a folded cuff to the bottom cut from some of the leftover smaller sections of fabric. This worked brilliantly and I love the finish of it. It makes it feel a bit more sweat top like which I don't mind one bit.
I made the top up in a size medium (I am usually a small) without doing any measurements because I wanted to make sure it would go over my postpartum tummy and still be nice and drapey. I think in hindsight, given as the pattern is supposed to be baggy, I could probably have got away with a small. It is a bit like a tent but it is wearable and will fit the desired purpose, even if I just end up slobbing at home in it.
Its a real shame I can't 'model' this for you, but it just looks a bit silly over my rather large growing bump. The hang of the top really doesn't work with that obstruction! I'll be sure to stick a picture up on instagram once I get around to wearing it.
12 May 2017
2 nap times, 2 maternity dresses - part 2
In this second installment of the 2 nap times, 2 maternity dresses posts I am happy to show off the second version of my Megan Nielsen maternity pattern hack dress with this beautiful pale pink number.
Last week I showed you my stunning snow leopard version of the dress and talked more about the pattern and why I decided that it was still ok to sew maternity dresses into your 3rd trimester! Well this week we are going to talk all about the fabric.
Both of these dresses are made from Jersey fabric which I bought from Stoff & Stil. Stoff & Stil are actually a Danish fabric company who have a few other shops in the EU and ship to the UK. Their shipping costs are quiet pricey (I blame you Brexit!!) but the fabric isn't too dear and its such good quality I highly recommend. Plus their range of fabrics are stunning, for me much better than a lot of the stuff you can find in the UK, so if you do a bulk order it makes the shipping more reasonable.
I've talked before about my love for Danish fabric stores. One day I will make it back to Denmark to see friends and next time I'm saving up for months in advance and taking an entire empty suitcase!
The fabric I used for last weeks Snow leopard dress is this absolutely stunning cream leopard jersey which has a very subtle pale pink in the centre of some of the prints. This is probably the most amazing fabric I have ever purchased! I mean we all know I love a leopard print but again the quality is stunning, it was so easy to sew, the finished item looks amazing I really can't fault it.
I would say these jerseys are a medium weight though, they make perfect bodycon dresses, would be good for skater skirts/dresses and more fitted tops (like Tilly's Agnes top, in fact this is now on my to do list!), but they are definitely not lightweight so wouldnt suit something which needed more drape like a floaty, baggy top.
I purposefully picked light colours for these dresses for 2 reasons; a) summer is hopefully on its way and b) I have decided I have become too lazy to keep up with my hair dying and am considering growing out my natural colours. The lighter clothing much better complements my ever fading locks than darker ones do, so watch this space to see how this terrible hair saga goes (it will probably end in me crying from bad hair and dying it pink again!).
So I hope you liked these dresses, I finally managed to get a couple of outfits I am happy to show off my pregnant figure in and that give me some confidence, for me that is a massive thumbs up. I hope I have inspired you to do some selfish sewing just to cheer yourself up, its definitely worth it.
x
5 May 2017
2 nap times, 2 maternity dresses - part 1
I mean I probably only have about 12 weeks left, which when you think about home sewing doesn't really seem worth the effort. That being said I know I will get a lot of wear out of these in the coming weeks and as the title of the post implies these dresses really didn't take me very long at all (2 nap times in fact!).
The first one I am going to show to you in this post is this amazing white leopard print version which as you can see I appropriately wore for a recent trip to the zoo. Thankfully I wasn't attacked by a lion or adopted by the snow leopards.
The main reasons why these two dresses were so quick is firstly they are both the same pattern, meaning I could sew them simultaneously and secondly they are a dress I have made before so I already know it fits and the construction method - bonus. The pattern is the Cara top and Erin skirt from the Megan Nielsen Maternity survival pack. I made another leopard version of this dress a month or so ago which I blogged about here. For this version I used the ruching placement for the top rather than the skirt which I think I did last time and its sitting a little higher this time giving a much better fit around the bump. I also made these versions ever so slightly longer as its getting warmer meaning I could wear them without tights if needed. The technique for this hack couldn't be simpler, just cut the two patterns out in your size and then overlay them following the contours. You will likely find the skirt is slimmer than the top. When cutting I decided to keep the bottom of the skirt the same size, graded up to the top size in the hips. because I am a very curvy figure, then follow the shape of the top up to the shoulder.
This pattern hack really is so easy to do and its super quick to sew, I really recommend it.
(It's actually snowing in this picture, I mean its April and its snowing!)
I have basically decided that this type of dress is the only type of thing I am comfortable wearing during pregnancy and its completely pointless trying to wear anything else. It fits easily, pulls on, grows with you and is not in any way restrictive so its just so comfortable. Its definitely the type of clothing I reach for every morning as long as I have a clean version so I am really happy to have two more in my rotation of clothing hence my decision that this was not going to be a waste of sewing.
I love this dress, i'm so pleased with it. I think its the fabric that really makes it so amazing and it brings my total count of leopard maternity dresses to 3!
Next week I will post the second version of this dress and talk about the fabric in more detail so I look forward to seeing you then.
How do you feel about sewing for the short term? Is it worth it? I suppose a lot of us sew for special occasions, items which might be quiet costly but only get a very small amount of wears? Is the value in the longevity of an item or the amount of pleasure you get from it? I've often previously thought it was about it only being worthwhile if it was going to get a lot of use, but maybe I have been looking at it all wrong?
31 March 2017
Leopard Maternity Dress
Hello, finally as a little respite to all the baby sewing I am pleased to say this week I am here to show you some slightly more grown up sewing in this lovely leopard print maternity dress.
I love wearing dresses when pregnant, nice big stretchy ones! You see all these stunning pictures of pregnant ladies in their skinny jeans, but its not for me. I wish I could wear a pair of jeans but I just find them so uncomfortable. Hand me a nice stretchy dress instead and I'm so much happier. As you can see my bump is progressing very nicely (with a big help from chocolate!) so its nice to get another outfit to add to my currently very limited wardrobe of clothes that actually fit (and look good).
The dress is actually a mash up of two of the patterns from the Megan Nielsen Maternity survival pack set of sewing patterns. It is the Erin skirt and the Cara top. I cut out both patterns to my size and they overlay one over the other. The ruching is in slightly different places in both patterns so I had to wing it a bit but it came together really nicely. I think the ruching maybe could have been slightly higher but it works where it is perfectly fine.
These patterns really are so quick and easy to sew and this dress was no exception to that. The fit is lovely and its just so easy to pull on and can be worn with tights or without. I can definitely see me adding at least one more of these to my collection before baby is due.
The fabric is some very old jersey that I bought at a local market which I used to make my first lady skater dress (some time ago now). Its been sitting in a box in my craft room for at least 2 years maybe more. I hadn't managed to find a better project for it before now so its nice to see it finally getting some love and in turn making some more room for me to buy more lovely fabric in its place.
I hope you like the dress, and I hope it inspires you to have a go at making one if you haven't already. Its so nice to make maternity clothes, even if they aren't going to get the most wear ever.
Now i'm off to go consider whats next on my ever growing list of sewing projects, whats your next project going to be?
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