Lights...Camera...STITCH

Oh, hello again!

 

How have you been?

 

Good?

 

Great!

 

Me?

 

 

 

OK, in brief; I moved into my sisters place in London, took up an internship in a sample room for a company who design and make clothes (!!!) got a job out of it, moved into a flat with a good friend, learnt French to a level that Primary School children would be envious of (something I promised myself I would do, here) started Salsa (quit Salsa) went to two new countries, discovered a love for red wine and Jamie Dornan, took up yoga (and consequently realised just how inflexible I am) and spent time trying to learn a lot of things about...a lot of things. 

 

 

 

Enough of what I have been doing though, as aside from a couple of soft furnishing projects for my new flat, the pride of place my sewing books still have in my bookcase, and the fact that my bedroom looks like it is paying tribute to a haberdashery, I am a little embarrassed to say that I have not spent a lot of time with one of my greatest former companions, my sewing machine. I don't know if it is because I work amongst fabrics all day, finding loose threads in my hair when I come home, so I cannot face an evening hanging out with my pincushion, or if I have been intimidated by the talents of those around me and my realisation that I still have a lot to learn (all the more reason to keep on sewing really, I know) but whatever the reason, being the writer of a sewing blog when not a lot of sewing has been happening, doesn't lead to the most gripping material...

 

 

 

 but wait!

 

I am conscious that this post may so far be misinterpreted as my bowing out of the sewing world, but this, in fact, could not be further from the truth.

 

HURRAH! I hear you cheer! (well, I don't, but I am trying for optimism!)

 

 

This all changed just before Christmas, when I had a really exciting offer that had me rethreading my sewing machine and reaching for my pattern books!

 

 

Known for her quirky skirts, mismatched shoes and charmingly catchy lyrics, when the incredibly talented Jazz Mino (who also happens to be my flatmates sister) asked me to make her a skirt to add to her wonderfully eclectic wardrobe to be worn in her new music video, how could I refuse?!

  

 

 

 

Now, I'm not going to lie, I did hesitate a little before agreeing to help Jazz, because making clothes for myself is one thing - knowing how to conceal wonky hems, unevenly distributed buttonholes and untidy seams with accessories and by standing suitable distances away from people are handy tricks I have learnt when adorning my own makes, but making for someone else is another game entirely, this has to be...whats the word?...oh yeah, good! (gulp) but not only am I making for someone else (who, I might add, isn't my mum and therefore is obliged to love everything I make her, even when it was made out of macaroni and covered in glitter) I am making something that is going to be filmed, like, for people to see...(double gulp) I don't like to make things easy for myself do I? Maybe I should start wrapping this up and head back to my sewing machine before I scare myself out of the project!

 

Jazz reading 'Love at First Stitch' by the super Tilly during our planning session

 

The fun began on a chilly Saturday morning around my kitchen table, and as the peppermint tea flowed, so did the ideas, and before long, we had donned our coats, scarves and bobble hats and thanks to a handy google search aided by fellow bloggers on where is best to buy fabrics in the area, were on our way to East London to spend our pennies on fabric, netting, ribbon and pretty trims based upon the doodles we had sketched on a notepad.

 

I won't divulge too many details now, but am super excited to be able to share with you what we have been working on very soon - and this time, I really do mean soon! In the meantime, here is a sneak peak:

 

 

 

Em

x 

My Home Sewn Week - Sunday

And just as quickly as it started, my home sewn week was over! (Forgive me for starting a sentence with the word 'and').

Before wrapping things up completely though, there is still one day and two homemade garments to write about - yes, two!

I'll start with the outfit I wore for the majority of the day; a super cosy jumper, mixing different fabrics of ponteroma and printed cotton:

The angle of the picture doesn't show it brilliantly, but the floral inserts on either side of the top are actually even! 

When I first made this top, I wasn't 100% sure how I felt about it, but having now worn it out for coffee with friends, I do really like it! It was very comfortable to wear, and even though the sleeves are only elbow length, the thick knitted fabric made if really warm. The construction process itself was pretty straight forward too, this was a bit of a freehand chop and stitch - I'm hoping that knitted fabric will never let me down and shatter my illusions of it forgiving a lot of mistakes! The one thing that did cause me trouble though, was something that really shouldn't have done; I stitched the right sleeve on upside down, cuff to shoulder. How I didn't notice this at the point of pinning is completely beyond me...I considered leaving it as it was, but quickly concluded that, however hard I try to convince people an uneven domed cuff is the new fashion, I don't think anyone would buy it.

The second garment I wore today was a real achievement for me, as I finally made something I have shied away from sewing since I started out on my sewing journey: a pair of trousers!! We'll, jeggings if we're going to get technical, but still, they are an item of clothing, worn on the bottom half of the body, that isn't a skirt!!

I hadn't actually been contemplating making trousers until I came across this heavy weight stretch cotton. I really fell in love with the modern monochrome photographic floral print, and couldn't see it in anything other than a pair of trousers. Does that happen to other people? The fabric absolutely dictated the garment, rather than the other way around.

The thing that had always put me off making trousers was the number of seams and not understanding the construction method, plus, finding a decent fitting pair of trousers is really difficult, so I didn't think that making them would be any different (which is a little ridiculous, considering that one of the reasons I started sewing was to have a wardrobe of clothes that fit perfectly!)

Luckily though, I had an old pair of work trousers, which were already dismantling themselves down several seams that were crying out to be my real life pattern. Another plus, is I knew that these trousers fitted well.

Once I had cut out 2 of every piece, it actually became really clear how to sew the pieces together and this was a really quick project! Obviously, I'm still working up to installing a fly and constructing a proper trouser waistband, so elastic was my friend here, a medium width piece, cut to fit comfortably around my waist was stitched into the waistband piece, and there you have it! A pair of jeggings!

I know that these trousers aren't perfect, but they are unique and turned out better than I thought they would, so I'm really glad that I finished my homesewn challenge with them!

Phew! 1 skirt, 4 tops, a dress, and a pair of trousers later and I'm done! I have really enjoyed documenting this week, but I'll be honest, I'm looking forward to getting dressed in the morning without having to think about what I'm going to write about my choice! That aside though, I think this last week has made me view my homemade garments in a new, positive way; I've learnt to see them as part of my wardrobe and how they can be incorporated into my day to day life, without feeling the immense pressure of wondering whether to wear something I've made and risk someone seeing a dodgy seam or loose button and realising it has been made by an amature seamstress in her bedroom!...

...And hey, If nothing else, I've discovered that I need to invest in some fabric in a colour other than blue!

Thanks for joining me on my journey this week, and I'll see you soon (but not tomorrow!)

Em x

My Home Sewn Week - Saturday

Bonjour et bienvenue sur ma poste de la couture pour samedi!

Or

Hello and welcome to my Saturday post! 

(Thank you to my lovely housemate Henni for helping with the French)

So why have I gone all continental, you ask? Why, because of this book! It is beautiful, non?

That's right, it is a French sewing book, yes, French! 'Un ete couture' I find there something extremely romantic about a book, filled with pictures and instructions about how to make beautiful dresses, after all, what is it they say about Paris and fashion?!

 

The piece I chose to make first, was the oh so cute Top Liliane...

Those cropped sleeves, the bows down the back, the potential fabrics it could be made in. Swoon!

 

Now, some of you may have noticed at this point, that the book is, indeed, written in French, which I did find pretty daunting at first, but luckily for me and anyone else who is not able to read or speak French (one of my ambitions for this year is to change this!) there are super clear pictures illustrating how things should look, plus, the simplicity of the top is one of the things I love most!

 

Please excuse the creases in the top, it has been worn out today to my grandma's birthday lunch, and yes, I did have pudding.

I chose to make my blouse in a lavender coloured cotton that I have had for a few months, as I thought the sweet leaf detail really complimented the simplicity and elegance of this shape, and I love the French connection with lavender.

 

My absolute favourite thing about this top though, has to be the bows down the back, in the summer I may dare to wear it with nothing underneath (oo-la-la)but in British winter time, this simply isn't an option! I chose to use a purple ribbon for the bows, as I felt it added a fun pop of colour to the back.

See you tomorrow for the last post of my homesewn week, where I will look back and reflect on the last seven days outfits, and I don't just mean how much blue I wore (totally didn't pick up on that until now!)

Ps. Did anyone get the joke? 'Look back and reflect?' Like I am in the above photo?...

 

...Je suis très désolé...

Em x

My Home Sewn Week - Friday

It's Friiiiiidaaaaaay!!!

I have no idea where this week has gone, I don't know about anyone else, but it seems like only yesterday I was cramped into a confined space on a Monday morning train, bashing my shin on a folded bike....no? Just me?

OK, so no home sewn challenge could possibly be complete for me, without the presence of one of my four Mathilde styles, so, roll on the Mathilde dress!



I don't know if there is much more I can say about this dress that hasn't already been said in my previous post, but I absolutely adore Tilly's pattern, and take any opportunity I can to wear this dress! I have worn it to the cinema, to a wedding, to a Christmas meal and to work, and each time I wear this dress, I love it more, from the sweet pleats to the quirky buttons down the back and even the full sleeves - Tilly dun' good here!



Today I've teamed the dress with some thick black tights, light tan brogue boots, a big fat chunky cardie (I would live in this if that wasn't so impractical and unhygienic) and a brown belt to cinch it in a bit at the waist.



I've said it before and I'll say it again, I really, really recommend adapting a sewing pattern if there is one you love. Experimenting leads to so many new possibilities, and I love pinching a bodice pattern from one dress and stitching it onto the skirt pattern of another to create something completely new and original to me - it really is quite cool knowing that no one else out there in the world is wearing exactly what you are! Plus, if, like me, pattern cutting is something you haven't quite mastered yet and you merely look on enviously at others who clip and grade, this approach is perfect for you!

Enjoy the rest of your Friday!

Em x

My Home Sewn Week - Thursday

Thursday Greetings from behind my box of tissues and cough syrup - achoo!

Anyway, enough self pity, and on to something any fellow stitchers may find amusing, this is nothing to do with my homesewn week, but I wanted to share it nonetheless:

I don't know about anyone else, but I suddenly feel the immense pressure to tidy my room, slap on a coat of lipstick and run to the shop to buy some powder! Hmm...on second thoughts, perhaps not...instead, I'll share with you today's outfit - the blue jersey tube dress.

This dress was my first successful attempt at sewing with jersey - from past mistakes I have now become acquainted with the tension dial on my sewing machine, so the seams don't all end up wibbly-wobbly (or at least, they are far less wibbly-wobbly than they started out!)

I like the easy wear-ability - that's the beauty of a tube dress, throw on some heels and grab a clutch for an evening look, or don a cardie or denim jacket and some flat boots for day wear - a versatile item for the wardrobe (multifunction fashion is my friend!)

If anyone is wanting to make a dress like this, I can't stress how wonderfully simple this was to make! I have a very much loved tube dress in my wardrobe that was the exact shape that I wanted to create (minus sleeves) so used it as my pattern. I laid it out on top of the fabric and cut around it, leaving a 1.5cm border for seams - there are some great youtube tutorials on how to do this. The forgiving nature of jersey also means there is no need for bust darts or waist darts, it just fits the contours of your body as is!

I will be honest, this is not a dress to wear whilst scoffing a big roast dinner (take my word for it) but it does make you feel super secure and like you're having a big hug all day long!

If when I make this dress again, I will allow a bit more give around the arms, as reaching upwards sometimes leads to the dreaded sound of snapping threads! I think this is due to me not quite creating a big enough head on the shoulder to ease into the armhole, I wanted a slim fit sleeve and may have cut it just a little too slim!

I can't believe how quickly this week is going! See you tomorrow for my TGIHSF (Thank God It's Home Sewn Friday...No?....OK...Bye)

x

My Home Sewn Week - Wednesday

Day three of my homesewn week is here! Happy hump day everyone! (Hump day always makes me chuckle like a child!)

Today, I wore one of my most worn garments, I made it over Christmas, and I think it may have made its way into my heart as my favourite piece! 

When I went on my first shopping trip to Goldhawk road, I picked up this beautiful chiffon yoryu (chiffon with tiny raised lines) for about £1.20 a metre!! I knew instantly that I wanted to make a top, but I really ummed and ahhed about what style to do, I nearly bought the gorgeous Hawthorn pattern from Colette patterns (I still am planning to do this!) but then all was decided for me when we cleared out some patterns at work and a beautiful collarless shirt just happened to head in my direction! I like the mono simplicity of this shirt, and I think the style just has a really smart, casual feel.

I was quite daunted by sewing this, as it was the first piece I made using a pattern that didn't have any instructions! Luckily the pattern cutters at work are so talented that their pieces fit together like a dream, and with a little head scratching and lots of lines drawn in washable pen, I muddled my way through. As I've said several times before, when I sew, my creations are far from perfect, but they are a labour of love, so purely for that reason, I will love them...even those which will never leave the back of my wardrobe...

See you on Thursday!
Em x

My Home Sewn Week - Tuesday

Hi everyone, its the second day of my week of homesewn blogging!

Now, like most people, I have a lot of things to be thankful to my dad for, and today in particular, I am extra thankful to him for retiring at the end of last year, because now, his old work shirts have found their way in to my sewing box, hurrah!

I really love the versatility of a simple button down blouse, so an easy refashion of one of dad's old shirts was an obvious choice! 

I foolishly didn't take a 'before' shot, in case all went hideously wrong and I destroyed a perfectly decent shirt and it was captured on camera, but I think it's easy enough to see how I altered a standard mens shirt into a feminine blouse by removing the sleeves and collar. I then made a simple neck binding with fabric from the sleeves. 

Today I teamed the blouse with a mustard skirt and chunky necklace for a work day, then for the weekend I'll wear it with a pair of jeans...a staple wardrobe essential for the whole year round!

See you tomorrow!

Em x