Autumn Sewing

I have been wondering what to make this Autumn/ Winter as anyone who sews will know that it is difficult to find fashionable fabrics in stores that don't cost a fortune.  Honestly I find it very difficult to find new stuff at all because so few of us do it now they don't have a very good turnover of stock.  You can go in from one season to the next and still find the same stuff!
I think the crafting fabrics get replenished more often maybe as more people do quilting and smaller items but a lot of people shy away from clothing I think.
I like knits and jersey fabrics for this time of year but the patterns available in a lot of shops are so old fashioned, even online it's not much better.  I did find an online shop called Charlie Girl they have lots of gorgeous prints but the postage was absolutely ridiculous (something like £20 for my £11 pound order!) It is a US site but it isn't that expensive to post from the US so I don't know why the extortionate amount.
I spotted this lovely dress...

This is from the Burda Style site, now I wouldn't buy the pattern as I have shift style dresses and it is an easy shape to make without the pattern if you just lay on top of an existing item of a similar shape, allow generous seam allowances and try on as you go.  You probably will get a better fit doing it that way any how. I have not done a cowl neck before but how hard can that be? Not very I bet .

Now I need to  find some reasonably priced knit fabrics in good colours and patterns and this would make a few good work dresses with thick tights.

I really like the fabric in the picture, I have a lot of black though so maybe I'm playing it a bit too safe to go for that, anything too wild can look a bit too dressed up for work.  Must investigate options for this one.

I also really like this skirt...

Also from the Burda Style site but I already have a dress that I made last year in that type of fabric if you remember from my earlier post 

Turquoise Tartan dress

So you see I tend to go for the same kind of things but I don't wear that dress very often it is a going out dress. A skirt would get more wear but maybe I need a different colour.  I like the way it is cut at a different angle at the bottom. I will have a browse, charity shops, online etc and see what can be done. Recycled would be best of course.

Make way for Christmas

Now I know a lot of people will be thinking please do not mention Christmas just yet! Well I really don't get why it has become such a headache for some people and lets face it, it will be here before we know it.
I can understand people who are struggling seeing it as one more thing to budget for, but that is it, you need to budget for it and not get sucked into the buy everything lie!
We all decided years ago (about 17 to be exact) that we would not buy for the adults at Christmas, there was one child in the family at that time (my nephew) and that has only grown to four children over the years. It immediately took all the stress of 'what shall I buy, will they like it, did I spend enough?' We all breathed a sigh of relief and have not looked back. We buy on birthdays, this is more one to one and spread out through the year.

These were 10p card packs bought on sale just after last Christmas.

I also got plain card packs on sale from Hobby craft for the ones I will make, so some of the spending is already taken care of.

People say but I enjoy the giving, so why are so many people in debt, stressed out and complaining about it? A lot of it has to do with expectations and you need to decide whether or not those expectations are your own or other peoples.

The meal on Christmas day also seems to send many people into a state of panic, do you not cook the rest of the year? If not why are you inviting ludicrous amounts of people to your house on a day in which you feel the meal is vitally important.  If you are not confident cooking then don't invite everyone, if you want to be hospitable then invite but ask that all chip in and bring something.

The main event should be getting together and enjoying that feeling of togetherness, anyone who is more concerned about a burnt Yorkshire pudding is perhaps not as close to you as you thought. ( U.S readers may not know what a Yorkshire pudding is -it's a batter made with eggs and flour cooked at a high temperature in the oven until it rises and usually served with Sunday lunch.)

My children usually decide what they want about now and we get it sorted at the best price after doing a bit of research online, they know how much they can ask for and if they want something that comes to more they can combine it with the gift they get from grandparents etc.  This has never needed to be done as we usually manage to find what they want at the set price.

Don't leave it until last minute, that is the key thing I think.  If you know it will be a struggle then start saving in January if you must, why are people rushing around in December when everything is top price it makes no sense.

It is coming! Don't stress, spend as little as possible and just enjoy the twinkly lights and time off work that what I think anyway.

Make it fit!

I have done quite a lot of clothes alterations this past week, not for myself but for other people.  This is not always the most exciting aspect of sewing but it is one of the most useful and cost effective uses for the hobby.
I had a bag full  of dresses, trousers, jackets etc. at the weekend that a friend dropped off, I replaced a zip for a colleague of my husbands and last night I took in two shirts that my husband had just bought. He always buys them for the collar to be comfortable but then they are too wide in the body.

My friend is short so her trousers will always be too short, plus she has lost weight.
Now many people would see losing weight as an ideal excuse to just get rid of all their clothes and buy new. Well that could cost an awful lot of money, despite the fact that some people may object that by the time you have paid for alterations you could buy new, that is not really true is it?  A nice pair of trousers may be £20 at least, a local person would charge far less to make them fit for you.  There is also the fact that you may still need length adjustments , so on top of the new price you may still need to have them taken up for them to be perfect.
It is also the case that you can buy great bargains at charity shops and sales if you find some one to do your sewing for you. You never have to think oh that is too long, a bit big etc, just grab the bargains and have them fitted to you.
Often when I buy things at charity shops even if they are my size I still like to alter the length or tweak things a little, it make them more to my taste.  This is something you can't always get from just going out and buying new because we are all different heights and not many people are a fixed size waist and hips.

If you have seen this dress in an earlier post that I got from a charity shop I pretty much took it apart. It was a size 14 I think, (I'm an 8) and floor length maxi.  It was shapeless also, I gave it structure, raised the hem while maintaining the border at the bottom and sized it down.  Maybe you have clothes that just need some time and attention,  it will save you money and save those clothes ending up in landfill.  Why not find a local seamstress.