Another Mock Jumpsuit

Hello I hope you are all having a good week, I think it has been a rather calm one and the sun has been shining today so that always makes me happy. Last weekend I completed my top and trouser set that looks like a mock jumpsuit, similar to the one I made last year but this time with a slightly different top.  You can see the one I made last year right here.  I actually found the burda top pattern to be a very good fit and shape so that was a decent freebie with the Simply Sewing magazine, and as someone who doesn't part with money for very basic patterns that is high praise!  I will make it again as a dress and also show some ways you can hack it as promised in my last post.

I wasn't sure if the trousers were a little loud when I first finished this, but after an iron and trying them on I realised that they hang really well.  As an added bonus I already had the shoes/ankle boots to match so it was meant to be, I ended up wearing this outfit to go out for tea with friends last Saturday. There is a tie belt, a little tricky to see in the above image and belt loops neither of these are on the pattern I mentioned in my last post, it was just a case of cutting  strips to make them and fitting them into the waist seam.    I will be posting more on this in my Minerva post so watch out for that, I will post a reminder when it is live giving full details.

Here is an image of the top on its own so you can see more clearly the shape of that, it is a very basic make.  You can easily get way with no facing or binding round the neck by just overlocking and doing a very narrow hem, the same with the sleeves.   The fabric used here is John Kaldor if you are wondering and I was gifted it by Minerva.

I have another piece of fabric that I am thinking of making The Liberty spring dress with, this fabric is also for Minerva so I am uncertain if I can use this pattern as it is a magazine edition and not one stocked by them.  I don't know if any of you have any ideas about this?  For example could I use this one and then find and compare one that is stocked by them in the same style?  If you have any ideas please leave a comment with your thoughts.   Failing that I will have to have a rethink as I can make the dress without and do step by step instructions, but not everyone is confident without a pattern so probably a pattern is best for that project with it being a sponsored post. ( Is it still called sponsored if you are paid in fabric??)  Any how this is the dress in question complete with the magazine below...

It is getting steadily brighter as I leave work but this was still the situation at three in the afternoon the other day...

There are signs of daffodils everywhere so I'm looking forward to those, it is a sign that it may be cold and dreary but not for long.

We have binge watched a series this week on Netflicks  called The Stranger, I really enjoyed it and it starred Richard Armitage (always a bonus!)  If you haven't seen it go and find it now and add it to your watch list. It is a British cast and you will see lots of familiar faces including Jennifer Saunders who I don't really associate with drama, but there she is.

Book wise I am reading After Me Comes the Flood (still) and I can't seem to get into to it, I loved the Essex Serpent and Melmoth but this is plodding along.  I am in a 'started so I'll finish' kind of mood so hopefully it will all pull together.

That is all for now, I hope you are having a peaceful week of making and planning.

Art Gallery Fabrics Red Dress

I have been wondering what to spend my birthday money on for a while now and as my birthday was a number of months ago I thought I would treat myself to this lovely fabric.  I am quite bad at buying for myself and I suppose that is not such a bad thing, I usually buy bargain fabric or very rarely anything above the budget range so this was a bit of a treat for me.  I only bought one metre and squashed a dress out of that!   I used an existing dress that I made the pattern my own pattern for and cut around that, it was a quick make and I went out in it last week for a curry with my husband.

I would have got a picture with it on but we were in a hurry to go out when I wore it and I have a faff  with the tripod on my own so here it is on my faithful model complete with dog bowls (keeping it real you see) no photoshop perfection here. Ha ha.

This has got to be the simplest dress to make and I see so many expensive patterns for this very simple style of dress and I have to say I really don't get it.  I must urge you to try it with some cheap jersey and experiment a little .  ( Maybe not the art gallery fabric!) You will learn far more than from an expensive pattern.

I have received my first copy of Simply sewing magazine, it is probably a bit basic for me but at £1 a copy for the trial I am sure there are bits I will use.  I decided to try the pattern for sizing for this Minerva fabric, I'll make the basic top to go with trousers and let you know how the sizing is.  This is another example of a basic top/dress so useful for those of you that want a very simple pattern for tops and dresses.  If any of you are interested in a series on ways to hack that pattern for lots of different looks please let me know in the comments and I will do some posts on that.

I hope to have some time to get on with this tomorrow, although I m not sure we will have the weather to wear it anytime soon.  This pattern on the left I made my blue mock jumpsuit from last year.  I made the trousers narrower and added belt loops I intend to do the same thing with this as it was such a good make. In fact if you are going to buy any patterns this one is really good value as you get three items, really good value for me as a friend gave it to me.

I hope you are all staying well and avoiding the winter colds, back soon.

A Charity Shop Bargain and a Few Makes

We haven't been very far this last few weeks it is that sort of weather that keeps you close to home, walks with the dogs and local but that has been about it.  I am looking forward to spring days but realise that is a way off yet!

Last week we had a look in the local charity shop St Lukes, and I found a pair of men's Levi jeans that are an excellent colour.  They are size 30 waist and 32 leg, my husband said they were nice but the leg was way too narrow for him but at £3.00 they were too good to miss.  I decided to buy them and size them down for myself.  It can be quite tricky to size down jeans due to all the bulk but I went slowly, walked the foot over the really thick parts and hand stitched the back belt loop back on.  There really was no way my domestic  Toyota machine was going over that many layers of denim despite it being the model suitable for denim and heavy weight! ( I sometimes wonder about that description)

Here they are with the sides and back unpicked, I then took a chunk in the shape of  a triangle out of each area.  I tried them first then guessed it but if you have not done this before you should pin, measure how much needs to come out but allow for your seams.  I have done this before so I am quite ok at guessing by just pinching here and there.   I am a size 8 ladies and only 5ft 4 so I also had to take them up a little.

They are low slung so only sit above the hips, I took them in right under to the crotch so they would fit correctly on the bottom.

I am really pleased with them, repurposed for me, it has saved me buying a new pair in future and I enjoyed the process, win, win.   I also found some more 'like new' children's  books that I use for prizes for some of the children I  work with, I like that if we look after things and pass them on they can be enjoyed again and again.  Just today I gave out Hansel and Gretel  as a prize and as we have been reading a version of this only this week the recipient looked very pleased.

Earlier this week I finished  a sweater top which is a Minerva make, I just need to do the write up for that and take some photographs of me in it.  The problem I am having at this time of year as ever is getting good daylight shots as when I get home it is dark, so I am waiting for the weekend and hoping for good light.

This is a bit far away from my usual fitted styles but I thought  I would try something new,   The sleeves are really wide so I will have to see how I get on wearing it day to day as it may be bulky under coats, we will see.    There will be a full write up and pattern details on Minerva at some time in the future.  I am wearing it tomorrow so I will have a better idea of wearability, it will be warm because it is a thick jersey.

At the moment I am toying with the idea of making a matching little tube skirt as there is a piece left and it may just do it.  If I go with it I will share next week.

There were quite a few books returned to the library this week along with 'Melmoth' and I really enjoyed that, so much so that I picked up  'After Me Comes the Flood also by Sarah Perry,   after enjoying the Essex Serpent too I thought I  would give this one a try.  I also ordered Stretch by Tilly Walnes as I have been watching a vlog where she made the whole book in a month (six patterns) I am not sure I want to make all of them as one is maybe not my style but it would be fun to try a few I thought.   I am second in the wait list so it may be a few months yet until I get it.

Of course I have to share a few of my latest bags, the foxy one was a custom order for a colleague and the other just an idea I had for using up oddments.

Just this week I have found a new current favourite song, it is Phil Wickham Secret Place, I love it go on over and have a listen if you have a minute.

I'm off now have a good week and take care.

A New Year, Making, Reading and Doing

Happy new year to you all and I hope you had an enjoyable Christmas and new year, I know I did but mine was probably a little different to many. We are not people who like to go out to pubs or host parties but we enjoy what we do and that is the key I think in having a good time, do what you enjoy and not what the season dictates.   I may have mentioned before Christmas that we were having and unconventional Christmas day this year, we chose to go out for the day to Derwentand and Ladybower and have a long walk with the dogs.  We took flasks, snacks and cake and had a lovely time, I have to say the weather was wonderful so that really made it.  When we got back later I made Chinese and spring rolls followed by Christmas pudding (my one concession, we couldn't leave that out!).  Being out somewhere scenic with the dogs is a favourite thing to do so what better way to spend the day, here are a few images.

 It was starting to get dark in this one but I loved the light and the moody image.

 Derwent dam

This was one of the first images and the sun was shining when we set off.

It was actually amazing how many people were there, we struggled to get parked, it seemed our idea was not so different after all.  The dogs were slowing down on the way back and that is a good sign a good walk has been had, our dogs take some tiring. 

We had a family meal with  our mums round to our house a few days before Christmas so we still had a traditional get together with them, I know sometimes people don't like others to change traditions so we didn't want to upset anyone. People do say well you can do what you want but there is that underlying tone sometimes of 'but why are you doing that?' well not even a tone actually, people did say it, well because we want to is the answer.

Yesterday for New years day we went off again this time to Dam Flask and once again the whole world and their dogs were there, more understandable this time I feel and I do wonder if new years resolutions had something to do with that.  There were quite a few runners there too, we got filthy and I had to bath all three dogs when we got back, still it was a lovely walk.

I have been reading quite a bit both on and off line, I bought myself The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan but I bought the children's version simply because it is such a beautifully illustrated book.  I have read it but now I have ordered the full adult version from the library as I feel I have missed much information (the full version is quite long).  This may seem like an odd thing to do but I love illustrated books and the work that goes into them so this was a Christmas present to myself.

 It also has artistic maps of the ancient world throughout, if you have young people at home I highly recommend it, or buy it for yourself like I did.

 Here a re just a few examples but these photos don't so it justice, the artist is Neil Packer.

I have also just read Everthing Under by Daisy Johnson and this book was very well written and had me hooked but it is not a feel good book.  In fact I have come away from it feeling a bit unsettled for all the characters concerned. It gives a detailed account of two unconventional families one of which lives on the water in a canal boat for a large part of the story and the apartness of living on the outskirts of society.  Of course there is a link so I won't spoil that in case you want to read it, there is quite a shocking twist too, give it a read but I would describe it as edgy and certainly not uplifting.

Sewing wise I have been making more bags, I have a little routine now where I have an idea and cut out my pieces ready the day before even if I don't have time to sew straight away.   It reminds me of a story The Elves and the Shoemaker, he cut out the pieces and laid them neatly on the counter before going to bed, in the morning were beautifully stitched shoes, and the stitches were small and even.  Well no little elves are coming to make my bags for me, and where would be the fun in that but it does however keep the momentum going.  I have had ideas in the past and then never got around to making them up, this way it is cut and ready and I just need to get on, once I start I am lost in it anyway  so getting the cutting out of the way is a really good trick.

Jo at Three stories High gifted me the middle floral section on this one I enjoy trying to use the pieces in as many different creations as I can.

Here are the next pieces cut out for the elves or just me!  Quite a few recycled bits here too, the red floral fabric is from a £1 charity shop top, the plum pieces are old chinos used for stability.

I have joined a facebook group on going deeper too, if any of you read the Raptitude blog you might have heard of this but it is about mastering things you already know a little about, loving what you have and revisiting things.  A good choice I think, mainly it is posts from different people sharing how they are doing that but a nice change from the usual facebook feed I think.   I will be revisiting my language learning with the materials I already have, developing more skills in pattern making and continuing my exercise from home.  These are just a few but I am never bored there is always so much to do and I have never been able to understand anybody who states they are bored.   

I look forward to seeing what everyone is making and doing in the coming year, but for now I am off there is so much to do,  take care.

A Christmas Treat

Hello and I hope you are all relaxed and ready for the big day without too much stress.  There seems to be too much stress for my liking around what is supposed to be such a peaceful day Anyway we decided to have a gift for each other ( that is my husband and I) in the form of a day out.  We decided to go and see Chatsworth house all decorated for Christmas on Friday, it was such a lovely day and I am glad we went even though it rained all day long!  We still had a walk in the gardens too with the brolly up.  Here are a few festive images of Chatsworth House for you...

 As we walked around different rooms were decorated for different countries so it is really worth a look if you can get over to Yorkshire over the holidays.

 My husband managed to get much better photos than I did, it was very atmospheric but my camera didn't like that.

We are going to return in the summer to do the gardens only but in fairer weather.

I made a bag to order last week also for a friend, this one will be a gift for her daughter.  I am pretty confident she will have never seen this blog so I am ok to share here.

Not so much recycled with this one as I let her choose what materials she wanted so they were all ordered special.  She seemed very pleased with it so that is positive.

I also did one of my Minerva makes this morning, I have three as they all turned up at once but now I am off work it is the time to get on with things.  I chose this faux leather for bag making but as it is light I made a top instead.

It has a crumpled effect, so it doesn't matter if you don't want to iron.

Well that is all for today, I hope you have a Happy Christmas .

A Christmas Dachshund Poppy Top

That title is quite a mouthful isn't it? Well here is my latest Christmas sewing make, when I was in my local fabric shop last week I saw this gorgeous cotton fabric that is just perfect for Christmas, the shop is Happy Hare and if you are in the Sheffield area I suggest you have a look.  They have a lovely selection of craft fabrics and are really friendly, they also do lots of classes if you are looking to improve your skills.

Now I only bought a metre as I didn't know what I wanted it for but when I got home I saw this Poppy top pattern from Simple Sew that my friend passed on to me a while ago.  It does say it requires more fabric on the  pattern but there is always a way!  For me it was just a case of places my pieces right up to the very edges and making the facings and sleeves shorter.  It was a squeeze but I just managed it.  I am very satisfied with the tiny pieces that are left ;)  here is the finished top and I will talk you through the rest below.

The light in here was not great for photographs but I wanted a festive setting!

I will alternate the shots so that you can see the top better, I really like the pleats on this top and they matched up perfectly.  

It has this keyhole detail at the back and I really like that, as you can see I am wearing a top under it but that is only because it is winter.  If I was to make this top in a different fabric for another season it wouldn't need any layering.

I used a little turquoise button to pick out one of the colours in the dogs little Christmas jumpers.

The only other adjustment I made to the pattern other than shortening the facings to fit it on the fabric was to put a little pleat on the sleeves.  The reason for this was that I used cotton fabric and on the cover image the top is clearly made in a floaty fabric.  So my sleeves stood out rather than falling softly onto my shoulders so to counter this I just nipped them in a bit in a little pleat and topstitched it down.

I am very happy with how this top has turned out, it is true to size, it has basic pieces and instructions and would be a very good pattern for a beginner.  In fact I would say if you are stuck for a last minute present for someone who sews then why not get them this pattern, if you are buying fabric too though please check the back of the pattern  and buy them the correct amount.  I am able to squeeze this out of a metre because I know my size well and I have done this before. Also I only just managed it, so you wouldn't want someone to be disappointed by not having enough fabric.  Disclaimer here, I am not sponsored buy Simple Sew I just really loved the pattern. 

Here is my little roll of fabric...

Here are the pattern pieces squashed onto my little piece of fabric...

Obviously I cut them off at top length as this pattern can also be made as a dress, I will probably do that in future as well as making some long sleeved versions of this blouse.

It was a relaxing and very accurate make, the facings lined up beautifully and I didn't need to take it in as sometimes happens with a new pattern.  The pleats on the front are very easy to do  so don't be put off if you are a beginner.

What Christmas clothes have you all been making? Please let me know in the comments below and also if you have this pattern and what your thoughts were. 

Bye for now, take care. 

December...ing

A little earlier in the month this time but I thought I'd make an early start...

Making a winter dress, I bought this fabric a few months ago when I visited my local fabric shop with a friend.  I have only just made the dress as I wanted to save it for Christmas,  I know that when I make something new I always want to wear it straight away so I have saved this for the season.
The fabric is cosmo, it is Japanese and feels like a linen but I am not certain of that.  It is a good weight.

It is now fully complete but I do not have a daylight picture or one of me in it yet I will try to get one over the coming week. I only just had enough fabric so I used binding for the neck and just squeezed enough fabric for strips for the arm holes.   The lining is a combination of black and white lining, I stitched two pieces together to make a piece big enough as I didn't have enough of either colour.
It has a side zip, front and back darts and a couple of small shaping darts at the neckline to stop any gaping.

Here it is when I cut it out, just a few small pieces of fabric left, I

used another shift dress I made previously from my own pattern as a guide to cut around. Most of the shaping and fitting was done on the mannequin with a few tweaks when trying on.

Listening to some wonderful new music on youtube, I found this gorgeous song the other day after hearing it on UCB radio You came anyway by Ashton Lane it is a Christmas song but a little different  but if you listen to it you will hear the story.  Also Matt Kearney The Air I Breathe is another good one.

Designing more bags, I made this one yesterday and added some applique leaves, the coloured cottons are from a little solids sample pack I received with some fabric a while ago they are only about 5cm square but I have found this little use for them.

Paper crafting a card for a friend, I have not made any cards for a while but I enjoyed making this one. They can be time consuming if you make all the parts yourself and then if people just discard them after so you have to weigh up how much you enjoy the process I suppose.  The thing is with other crafts in fabric or yarn you know your efforts will last for more than a coupe of days.

I found a use for old magazines here as the balloons are fabric image pictures cut up.

Thrifting books from the charity shops, a couple for me and a few for friends. I am collecting the original Jane Austin books for myself, I gave up on the Austin project as I was finding they do not do the originals justice.  I picked up The Miniaturist  as I loved it when I borrowed it from the library.  We picked up a couple last week too when we visited but have not got any images of those to hand. I try to find the ones in the best condition.  Here are todays finds...

Eating probably too much in the way of starch, I am finding I need pasta and potatoes and gravy.  Really filling stuff at the moment, it must be the cold weather.  Today I found these gluten free, vegan friendly mince pies in Holland and Barrett.

 I have tried one and they are quite nice if a little crumbly as all gluten free food generally is.

Looking at sewing magazines on youtube, yes I know this sounds a little strange but the idea was that I wanted to get a feel for a few different magazines before subscribing to one.  I was  interested in Burda and Knipmode.  I have tried in the past to get in touch with Knipmode but they never responded to my email.  I found that Saturday Night Stitch on youtube has done browse throughs on both magazines throughout the year so you can get a  feel for them that way.   This was really useful as I  now know that I do not want to subscribe to either as from what I can see a lot of the pattern styles are repeated with very little changes.  What I like is the ideas, so I will use these as a reference point then make the patterns myself just using the images for inspiration.  Go and have a look it is quite fun to look through the magazines and hear the opinions and preferences of others.

Well that is all for today, have a good week.