Catching up

I have had a few posts sitting in draft form for ages so though I would just do a wee catch up post instead of attempting to do a proper post on each thing.

Exhibit 1:

A blue silk circle skirt made for going to Prague in the summer. I made this some gorgeous buttery silk that is lovely to wear, perfect for warm weather.


Exhibit 2:

A raglan sleeved to that I made using the pattern from Sew U Stretch book and swapping the jersey front with a woven cotton front. It is a wee bit short so I may add a jersey band to the bottom eventually.

Exhibit 3:

I was a pattern tester for the Megan Nielsen Mini Tania Culottes. These were a fab make, I can highly recommend the pattern. I made these slightly big in the vain hope that little E might wear them in the summer.


I also have a couple of WIP's. One is a dress I have almost finished but can't get the zip in without it going all wrong, I think it may have a more fundamental fitting issue. Maybe something to tackle int he Christmas holidays.... or maybe not.

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When life gets in the way

It's been more than a month since I last posted here and I have been getting complaints... from my Mum! I would love to say that there were exciting reasons for not being here but life is just going about twice as fast as I can keep up with.
 
Mum's cancer roller coaster reached a new low 2 weeks ago, we got 'the call' from the hospital to say come now, but thankfully, with elephant strength antibiotics, she pulled through. She is now home and hopefully on an up with the peak coming in a few weeks when Grandchild number 4 is due (my sister's second baby).

While all this has been happening so has everyday life and a house in chaos. Also, my small business, that I set up a year ago, has just started to get quite busy. Typically at the worst possible time in my life.

I have done a fair bit of sewing though, in the moments I should be hemming folks curtains or fixing zips! Why is it as soon as you turn something into a business it automatically turns into a chore...

When I dragged my winter clothes from the loft, along with the giant spider living in the box (ugh), I realised that my autumn uniform consists of tops with skirts and leggings. The only problem is that all my skirts are smart and I don't have all that much need for smart at the moment.

That was easily rectified. I used my usual, super simple, skirt pattern but folded the sides of the pattern so it wasn't as wide an A-line shape.

These two fabrics are upholstery weight from Dunelm. I went in for thread and came out with thread and fabric for two skirts, oops... They are a bit stiff but I like them.

While I was on a skirt making roll I raked out my stashed liberty fabric. I bought it on ebay from someone selling their stash (for £8 inc postage!) so there was only 1m but I managed to squeeze the skirt out of it.

I think this one may be my new favourite, I wore it today for the first time and it is so comfy, the stretch in the cotton makes all the difference.

I have also been frantically sewing tops and leggings but will save them for another post, hopefully it won't be another month.
 

p.s. sorry if this reads really badly, I am totally out of the habit of writing anything, never mind anything to actually be read by others :)

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One Pattern, Two New Skirts

Last Saturday I went to Glasgow for a sewing day with 9 other sewing bloggers. We met at The Stitchery and had 4 hours of sewing, chatting and eating, it was a great day! I didn't take a single photo but  Franca took some great ones and you can see them here.

The only problem was I had no idea what to take with me to make. The last thing I have felt like doing recently is sewing so I decided on a simple skirt which would fill a glaring hole in my wardrobe. 

I tested out the pattern the week before the meet up in case it was terrible but it came out really nicely. It is a totally simple A line skirt with sided zip and no pockets (I am terrible at stuffing pockets full of things and totally distorting the shape of skirts and trousers so I am safer without them...).

I then cut out a green version to take with me to sew up. This time I folded the pattern so the skirt was more straight than A line.

I got it done in a couple of hours and I think it is now my favourite skirt.

Both fabrics were from my stash, the chunky cord for the first version apparently came from the Levi's factory when it was in Falkirk (in the 70's) and the green cord was from my Mother In Law who made cushions out if it.

These skirts have refueled my sewing fire and I have made PJ's , leggings and a top over the last 24 hours, at this rate my stash busting will be done before the summer!

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DIY Simple Skirt Alteration

Everything has been on hold for the last few weeks, life is too busy and I have a horrible condition that means I am unable to say no to anything. ever. it is not always a good thing...

My craft room looks more like a dumping ground as I have stacks of pre-washed fabrics ready for projects which I don't have time to do. But,  have managed to register as a small business and revamp my web site in the hope that, with a little (lot) of time and effort, I can start making some money. It is that or a normal job, I know which I would prefer (especially since I have no idea what I want to do when I grow up, I really should decide I am 34 in 2 weeks...)!

I have managed to squeeze in a tiny bit of sewing. I sewed a hem!!

I got this pure wool tweed skirt at a flea market last year (£3)  and it has been sitting patiently waiting for me to shorten it.

Well, it's time came and, using a skirt I altered last year, I cut it to length, pressed it, then hand sewed the hem. I used to hate hand sewing hems but I actually loved doing this hem and it looks so much better than a machined one.

The skirt looks a longer on than I thought I might shorten it a wee bit more!

Off to schedule my week in my google calendar, that way we might have proper meals this week...!

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Shapeless top to Summer Skirt

I acquired this top when my sister was having a clear out ages ago.

I knew it would be easy to make it into a skirt but didn't see the point when we never normally get much summery weather and I really didn't need another hardly worn summer skirt!

This summer has been the exception so far though, glorious sunshine for 3 weeks now and it is not looking to end soon so the top has been brought out of its 2 years hibermation in a suitcase under the bed ready to be made in to a skirt.

I cut off the straps, re stitched the band at the top that was now the waist band, then took in the waist a little and I had a fab new skirt with ready made button closure!

One of my favourite summer skirts now. Long may the sunny weather continue!

Linking to some of these fab parties!

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Sew Serendipity Skirt

Finally I have manage to do some sewing for me! I have had this skirt on my to make list for a couple of years, since I got this gorgeous book.

 I have finally made it (with my Mum's machine since mine is broken).

I used various small bits of fabric, including a couple of fairtrade organic cotton remnants that I got from this great shop. The pictures are awful, I had to tuck in my wooly jumper, it was freezing - I wouldn't wear it like this... And my legs really are luminous white!

I made a medium and graded the waist up to between a medium and large but it has come up a bit big so think I should have stuck with the medium! I am not sure the fabrics really work together, or if we will ever get warm enough weather to wear it, but I enjoyed making it and I will probably make it again at some point with patterned fabric like the picture on the front of the book.






Linking to some of these fab linky parties!

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DIY Skirt and Hairband

This skirt is not exactly the vibrant colours required of the April stashbusting challenge but it did bust some stash and provide a gorgeous little girl with a handmade birthday pressie!

I bought the fabric two years ago (almost) to make a similar skirt and hair clip. This time I managed to cut the fabric too small so ended up with an almost identical skirt to the last time which was fine, just not the full skirt I had wanted...!

 I also made a fabric flower (using this tutorial), stuck a rosette in the centre then hot glued it to a alice band, simple!

Linking to these fab linky parties!

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DIY Mens Dress Shirt to Ladies Blouse

I have been hanging on to my husband's shirt he wore for our wedding for the last (almost) 10 years. It wasn't new when he wore it for our wedding (we were broke, my parents paid for the day and we didn't want to waste money on things that didn't need replacing) , in fact I think he may have worn it when we went to our school prom together... Anyway, after the wedding and another couple of formal outings its collar and cuffs were not longer presentable. He wanted to throw it out, I wouldn't let him, so it has sat in a suitcase under our bed since then....

Now I am drowning in a sea of fabric and old clothes and am desperately trying to deal with my stash so decided to have a go at refashioning it into a blouse for me.

I placed a blouse that fits me on top of the shirt and drew round it (not the sleeves though).

I then forgot to take pictures, but cut the shirt out, sewed up the new shoulder seams and put the blouse on my dress form and drew the new neckline. I then used another old shirt to make facings for the neck, sewed them on, then top stitched round the edge.

I put in bust darts and shaped the sides of the shirt.

I then cut the arms of the shirt roughly where they fitted then new size armholes. I attached the sleeves, gathering them slightly to fit, then cut the sleeves to the length I wanted. I finished them by putting two bands of fabric (that were just a wee bit bigger than my arm) round the bottom and gathered the bottom of the sleeve to fit.

Finally I have a blouse that fits!

Tucked. I cut my head of for your sake, it was a gruesome picture :~)

Untucked. It is bad when the best photo is one of you trying to get something out of your eye...

I made the skirt I am wearing in the pictures last November and used a vintage pattern.  I had to increase the size of to accommodate my large waist, forgetting that it maybe wasn't the best time of the month to be taking measurements and making skirts... So, before Christmas, the skirt fitted for one week a month and now I have lost some weight it doesn't fit at all. I am going to have to eventually take it apart and re size it but until I have reached my target weight it will remain cranked in at the waist with a belt looking totally unflattering!!

Linking to some of these fab linky parties!

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Oliver & S Girls Pleated Skirt

I am continuing with the stashbusting challenge at Cation Designs and February's challenge was to make something for someone you love, a perfect time to make a skirt for little e.

I used an Oliver & S pattern I have had for ages. I made the tunic in 2011 and have now made the pleated skirt.

Image from Oliver & S web site

It is a fantastic pattern and the skirt was fairly easy to put together, I made it in an evening.

The fabric is a cotton tartan I bought in Florida in 2011 and has been sitting in my cupboard of doom since. It is a bit lightweight, so doesn't hold the pleats very well, but little e likes it (although the elastic needs tightened as is it a bit loose at the moment!

This is not the look we are really going for, this pic was caught in a small window that little e was feeling ok this week.








Linking to some of these fab linky parties!

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DIY Dip Dyed / Ombre Skirt

I have been desperate to try dip dying for ages so when my Mum gave a white skirt that she had shrunk out of I knew it would be the perfect candidate! I took the skirt in up the side seams so it fitted then got to work...

If you want to do this you will need:

1 light piece of clothing
1 packed of dye suitable for hand dying, not machine dye (I used Dylon Kingfisher)
Salt
A kitchen sink or other non-stainable vessel

Wash you piece of clothing (or if you really can't wait just wet it with warm water then ring it out...)

Hideous orange kitchen soon to be replaced!!

Mix up the dye and dissolve the salt in warm water as per your dyes instructions.

Dip the item so the dye is up to the height you want it to start, swirl it about a wee bit then lift it to the next stage.

I left each stage after the initial swirl for about 10 - 15 mins.

Keep lifting until you reach the end and, it is entirely optional, but you could tidy the kitchen as you wait..!

Rinse very very carefully so you don't splash the dye on to the white.

 
Once you have all the excess dye out, follow the dye instructions, I had to machine wash at 40.

Wait nervously as it washes then marvel at the end result!

Not a great photo, the colour gradient is much more noticeable in real life :)

I think this might just be my new favourite skirt! Now what else do I have in my wardrobe that is white....

Linking to these fab linky parties!

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