Retro Sewing on a Rainy Day

A little bit of bag making today and I just loved this fabric as soon as I saw it when it arrived in my gift bag from Jo.  The colours are very 1970s I think and I decided to do a little bow design to keep it in that sort of same style, it was really fun to make with a bit of playing around with the bow to get it just the right size in the right spot.

I have used a number of fabrics on this one with three layers in the body, one of them being a waterproof piece as the outer body is not, there was only just a small amount of the black faux leather left so this has just been used as detail at the edges, underneath and on the strap.  Although I would have to say do we ever let our handbags get completely soaked, I think not but the extra layer gives a bit of protection from the damp.

I am happy with how this turned out and I may do other variations of this design, experimenting with where the bow can go and so on.

While I was making this I listened to a couple of videos about etsy, I say listened as it was just people talking so I didn't really need to look.  There were a few interesting tips but I am always left feeling very behind with the whole techy thing whenever I listen to this sort of stuff.  Everyone making these videos always seems so young and they have grown up  with IT as a first language while all us older people are still frantically peddling to catch up.  Or is that just me?

I also made a few more face masks for my friend and I will give those to her tomorrow at work, I really do not relish the idea of having to wear these things for any length of time. It can get very hot behind a mask.

People are making lots of these but I do find them rather boring to make, is because they are now a necessity and things like that are never as much fun?  I went to visit my mum earlier and she has an appointment next month so she will be needing some and my brother asked for some for his girlfriend so obviously I am not done yet.  I had better source some more elastic.

There are some lovely courgette flowers growing in the greenhouse and lots of buds on various plants, it would be nice to see the sun again although I do appreciate the gardens were in need of a good drink.  It is much more fun gardening when the sun is shining and you are not getting blown about, a few of the taller plants are starting to lean due to all the wind and just as they were getting stronger!  Lets hope this cool snap doesn't last long.

I have strarted a new book 'Things in Jars' by Jess Kidd it is nice to be reading something other than War and Peace after all these weeks and a nice change of pace.   I'm not fully into it yet as I have only just started it, I'll let you know if it is any good as the reviews were very mixed as they often are. 

That is all for now, take care. 

Burda Top from Maxi Dress Refashion

I have had a fun day of sewing today, I got the shopping done first thing and with that out of the way I could get on with my refashion.  This is my first pattern to try out from the Burda June issue and I thought I would try it out by refashioning a thrifted maxi dress that I bought for £1 some time ago.  The dress is a size 16 so I had an idea I would be able to cut out the top pieces from further down the dress where there is more fabric.  It only just did it as I wanted to save the bottom border for the frill.

             

It has taken me quite a bit of time mainly because of the frill as I had to join the pieces together that matched, the ones you can see in the image with the little petal shapes. After a number of joins I then chose to edge the frill with a fine zig zag on a small stitch as I didn't want a turned under hem because I thought that would look too bulky.  So as you can already guess I started following the instructions then did things that I thought would work better like this hem.  One thing that did annoy me was that I could not find pieces a, b or c for this pattern on the sheet!  As it is just the frill and belt I could guess at the width and length and do my own thing but if you were new to sewing  this may  prove tricky, maybe it is just my eyesight, there is a lot on those sheets. 

One thing I did manage to salvage from the original dress was the tie belt, I just cut that in half and made the ties for the back. That was the only quick job as the rest I made from scratch, this was not your usual chop the bottom off refashion but rather chop it all up and start again.

After cutting the pieces out of baking paper I had a bit of jiggling to get the facings out of the fabric so they did not lay straight on my scrap pieces but rather at an angle, this has not affected the finish of the top though.

There was surprisingly little fabric left after I had finished probably because the top of the original dress just had spaghetti straps so not a lot of fabric at the top and then of course that deep border.

When I bought this dress for the fabric I had no idea what I would use it for but it just shows if you wait the right project will come along.

When I had trimmed these pieces down for the frill I used the in between pieces to make the binding for the arm holes.

This just gives it a bit of interest on the inside too so I am very happy with that little detail.

I am happy with the fit so now I know that the sizing for the patterns in the magazine are accurate I will be able to confidently make more items without worrying that they are poorly sized.  I never make mock ups before I sew I usually just jump straight in.

Now we just need the sun to return so that I can actually wear this, here is the original top from the magazine and it looks much warmer where she is...

As you can see I chose to make my frill much narrower than this as I felt it would look better on me.

Well week one of June and that is one project complete from the magazine, if my fabric doesn't come in the next few days I may have to hunt around the house for something else to refashion!  There is a charity shop mans shirt that I bought, not sure what to do with that??

Well bye for now and enjoy what is left of the weekend. 

                                                 

Sewing Plans

Today I have been back at work all day, I was in yesterday but only for the morning it is very different at the moment and I will be happy when things are back to normal as I am sure most people will be. When I got home I had another look through my Burda magazine which arrived a few days ago, I do like the look and the layout and I keep picking it up for another skim through.  I think it is the production and styling of it that is just not there in  some of the other sewing magazines.  Experience will tell how well I find the patterns but most people swear by this magazine so I have high hopes.

I have sat and made some plans of what I would like to make from this copy...

 

So first up is that jumpsuit on the front cover, I was in two minds to go for a  tropical print for that but I have followed the rules for once and looked at the fabric suggestions then I found a lovely coral fabric, I ordered that fabric an hour ago so I will have to wait now to make it.

As the fabric is ordered this one is a definite make coming up, after that I saw this little child's jacket that I would like to make for my friend's son possibly both her sons but the sizing doesn't go down far enough so I may have to see what I can do there.  The fabric is ordered for these too but I went for a print, it is styled for a girl in the image but it is a unisex jacket.

There were a couple of other things that caught my eye and one of them I may do as a refashion from a £1 maxi dress from a charity shop I bought a while ago.  It is a top with a ruffle, not always sure how I feeel about ruffles so it is maybe best to try it on some thrifted fabrc first.

There may be some problematic tan lines with that back though!

I will not bombard you with the other ideas just yet but there were a couple more, obviously there will not be time to make everything I like right now and of course I wouldn't spend that much. There were a couple of sales from my bags last week so I felt I could treat myself to some fabric this week.

My latest bag creation is this one...

This was an idea of using this sample so it would do both sides, I also used the red fabric from the shorts ( did you spot it Jo?)

One more thing before I go and it is a little photo of one of my plant babies starting to flower, there are a few that are getting  close now but his is the first of the year from all the seeds I planted.

Bye for now. 

In the Garden

Another glorious day today and it would have been peaceful but for the hedge trimmers this morning blasting away over the back and then someone has spent the afternoon cutting down a beautiful old tree with a chainsaw over the back.  The noise has been very annoying but not as sad as another tree going down.  I know they need to be moved in certain areas if they are dangerous or diseased but there seems to be a lot of it at the moment.  A property sold not far from here recently and there has been a lot of work going on, there were various trees and shrubs around the property but not any more.  The entire front and side has been cleared of every bush, tree or anything remotely resembling greenery and it is a big area and now it looks like it will all just be hard landscaping. It is not my business and people can do what they like but I don't get it, it just looks like all the character of the land has gone.   Does anyone remember that song with the lyrics 'they paved paradise and put up a parking lot' well yes they did that!

I am happy to say it is the last day of me made May, I am wearing a very bargain stash skirt that I made with a £1.25 remnant some time ago and it is one that I love.  Self drafted a-line with a side zip and button, t shirt is challis again own pattern, a simple back and front piece ( not to be confused with my green jersey t shirt with the buttons on the front)   I do realise I have made two very similar tops.

This photo is a bit bright and doesn't do the colours of the skirt justice but I have shared it in the past.

After watching spring watch the other evening I went on the website to have a look at the survey they mentioned about pollinators.  There wasn't a lot to it but I did it anyway, I spent ages trying to get some good shots of the bees and wasps but they be still? ;)  When you go on it only lets you add one pollinator at a time so I had to go back to add another and go through the whole form again.  I had more to add but stopped at that point I will probably do some  more on another day.  It would be a nice thing to show  children and get them involved looking, there is a link about the different pollinators so they know what they are looking at.

This hedgerow is behind our fence and the bees love it.

I got a bit carried away taking phots of bees so I will stop there, I am sure when all my plants flower there will be a lot more to see in the garden too.

With a new month ahead I am on the look out for a new challenge I am not sure what it will be but I always feel the start of a new month is a good time to begin new projects.  I had an idea a while ago that I might like to have a go at making videos about sewing, well I have changed my mind on that.  I filmed a very short intro the other day about something I planned to do just to test the sound and I really don't like it.  Writing down random thoughts here is fine but filming no that is not happening, I also felt slightly mad talking to myself too.   

There was a little email stating my Burda magazine is on the way so hopefully I will be able to share plans from that soon, I am looking forward to trying it out and seeing if it lives up to its repuatation.

Well bye for now, I will be returning to a more relaxed blogging routine now that May is over, back soon. 

Me Made May Nearly There

At the start of this month I really had doubts as to whether I could get through the month without resorting to jeans or repeating the same outfit twice, well one day to go and it has nearly finished. The weather has smiled on us all month so that has helped and there are summer outfits getting an airing that haven't seen the light of day for some time.  This has also helped me to realise that there is nothing wrong with wearing the clothes you love around the house, you don't have to be in a bar or at a party you can do it just for you.  This dress I am wearing today didn't cost me a penny just my time, the fabric is black cotton shirting and came in a grab  bag to test for Minerva some time ago with lots of other bits of remnants.  The cherry fabric was leftover from a vintage style dress I made for someone for a wedding and I backed that with white cotton bits that I already had.  I also made an under skirt in black as it is quite thin and that stands out a little with a frill at the bottom, it was maybe only worn once last year for a meal out.

It is a New Look pattern that I have had for many years, the first time I made it I did it in red satin for a Christmas party about thirteen years ago.  I made it long then hated it and made it knee length it was only worn a couple of times mainly I think because of the red satin, it is not exactly a look for everyday despite what I said above, some fabrics really do shout special occasion!

My only issue with this dress style is that I feel a little exposed across the chest, I have only been around the house so that is fine but I prefer to be a bit more covered in that area.  A bare back is another thing, strappy tops out of the house and I worry about burnt skin.

There has been some creativity in the form of a bag this morning but I will share that another day perhaps as it is a gift, there is another cut out and ready to go for tomorrow.

I have been sat in the sun today but I turned the lounger around and put the throw across my shoulders so they wouldn't burn.  I know sun screen, but it only protects so much. I was only out for a little while yesterday and although I had cream on my shoulders were very pink.

We have been watching a drama series called Little Fires Everywhere, it is based on a book and I am enjoying it.  It stars Reese Witherspoon and if you can get past the first few episodes it is an engaging story, I wasn't sure at first so stick with it.

That is all for today, take care.

New Shorts

Well I got my new shorts made this time in a  style that I actually like, I used the fabric from Jo that came in my bundle and it was so nice to work with, a nice bit of stretch to it and sewed up lovely. I sat and got on with them this morning before I even got dressed as I wanted to wear them today.  I knew this pattern well so I didn't anticipate any problems.

They go really well with my fox vest top that I made sometime ago...

They have a side zip and I have added pockets on the  back, after wearing them all day I can say they are very comfy so I am sure they will be a summer favourite.

I am happy with that pocket placement as I rather did just guess at it, they are just big enough to get a few dog bags in.

I opted for a turn up but I have top stitched it into place as I don't like it when they gape open.  So this has been my me made May day 29 outfit and perfect for sitting in the sun and doing the garden.

In my greenhouse everything is coming along nicely and the courgettes are getting very big, I think maybe they may be a bit big for in there but I don't want to move them at this late stage now and upset them.  Here is a little courgette baby...

This evening I have given my son a haircut, so that is the second of the week, this one took a little longer as he lets it grow so much before having it cut and there was such a lot of hair on the floor.  I had to shoo the dogs out of the room as they kept walking through it, I am sure he feels much lighter now.

We are in for some more good weather here in the UK so have fun everyone, and enjoy the weekend wherever you are,  bye for now.

A Gift

This morning I received a lovely package of fabric from Jo at Three Stories High I am so grateful as these pieces come in really handy for bag making and all sorts.  I was immediately grabbed by this one particular piece that I thought was just right for shorts, remember the baggy shorts were not for me. Well this piece will be more fitted from a pattern I often hack and I have them all cut out and ready to go...

There are no pockets on the pattern I thought a couple on the back might add a bit of interest.

Here is my fabric pile I will a have a lot fun with that, and a few patterns too thank you Jo...

My mind is going around wondering what to use first I do have my eye on the orange and black.

A couple of weeks ago I made a bag for a friends birthday and as it was today she has opened it and I can now share it.  She loves giraffes so I had to find the perfect fabric to go in her bag, I also used some of the blanket that feature in my tropical bag on the back.

 This fabric is quite heavy and as I was only buying a small piece I was relieved it had the giraffe on it!

The blanket goes really well with the faux leather, I say blanket it is more of a throw really.

Returning to the pattern I shared in the first image it was same one I used for the mock jumpsuit I am wearing today for me made May 2020 day 28,  and my other two that I shared earlier this month.  It is basic wide leg trousers so it is just a case of adding the bits you want to make it suit you, I make the legs narrower and add belt loops and a belt for this look.  I paired it with a basic burda top pattern that I got with  a magazine.

While this weather has been glorious today it is way too hot to walk the dogs in, I have to keep mine in as best I can because they just lay in it otherwise and overheat.  I tried letting them sit under the lounger that was in the shade earlier but they kept getting up to lay in full sunshine so we all went in!  A quick nip to the post box at the top of our street and I knew the pavements were so hot, it is a shame because we long for this kind of weather and I feel it is too uncomfortable for the dogs.

Both of my sons have  gone off to play basketball again I haven't known them this active in years, it is good that they are getting out to do something.  I am out in the garden a lot but they don't really spend any time in it.

That is all for now, take care.