Diary of a Chain Stitcher

Today I thought I'd recommend this fantastic book which I discovered quite by chance in the library of the college where I have been doing my pattern cutting course. There was a really good selection of sewing related books but this one stood out for me A) because of the word easy and B) because of the subtitle 'Time-saving techniques, shortcuts, tips and tricks for today's busy sewers'. I don't get a lot of time to sew and I'm very impatient. When I do have some free time the only thing that puts me off getting cracking is the fact that (especially as I'm still very much a novice) it can be such a long time before you get a result. Certain aspects of the process take me far longer than I think they should, or at least than I'd like them to so any time saving tips are very welcome around here! And full of said tips this book is indeed! The book was written in 1987 and yes the beautiful images in the centre of the book certainly reinforce this poin...

There's a few of events advertised at the moment which I'm quite excited about and thought some other bloggers may find interesting too. First of all are the Creative Stitches exhibitions which this year include an exhibit of the actual Downton Abbey costumes (which the above picture is of). Until I wrote this blog post I thought I'd missed the exhibitions at my end of the UK but I've just discovered there's one scheduled in Brighton for the 10th-12th May. Woohoo! It's also on from 26th-28th April in Liverpool so if that's your neck of the woods get on over there because I'm sure it'll be a real treat! There is also the Antiques for Everyone antiques fair which is held three times a year at the NEC in Birmingham. The next one is from the 12th-15th April. I've never been to one and you may also think 'this is a sewing blog what have antiques got to do with it?!' but the main feature of the exhibition this time around is Downton Ab...

Hmm so I may have been doing a bit too much research and planning and not enough sewing for this challenge! I think it's highly unlikely that I'm going to make the end of March deadline for this but I'm still ploughing on and think I finally have my plan! Kinda... When I first heard about the challenge my immediate thoughts were drawn to the outfits of Betty as my tastes veer towards her feminine full skirted look and it is a shape which suits me. I particularly love the dress in the centre image below with the wide fitted waist section and one of may favourite styles of sleeve. However I could make a dress of this style and completely love it, wear it to a wedding or similar occasion and then never wear it! Or at least not wear it as much as I'd hope too because dresses of this style are completely impractical for my day to day life. I am still tempted to make a summer shirtdress in a nice cotton or rayon in a similar style to the pictures either side above....

Last Saturday I could no longer resist the temptation of getting myself set up with the fabric and notions for my newly purchased Salme patterns so I spent a very enjoyable day shopping for supplies. It turned out to be one of those days where everything seemed to be falling in to my lap just perfectly! First stop was Sew Over It in Brixton/Clapham. I'd only ever very briefly popped into this shop/sewing school very briefly as I used to live around the corner. However my wonderful Mum gave me a gift voucher for Christmas and I could not be doing with it burning a hole in my pocket any longer. They stock a good number of Colette patterns so I knew I was on the look out for one of those. The Rooibos dress was top of my list after seeing Lauren's version and first result of the day it was in stock! The second massive result was the little bias tape maker. I'd been looking at the Colette tutorial on making your own bias tape a few days earlier and was stumped by thei...

I recently took out a trial subscription to Sew Magazine. It was £5 for 3 issues which I didn't think I could really go wrong with even though most of the projects inside are little crafty things that I probably won't make. The first issue arrived through my letterbox yesterday and let's just say it has definitely paid for iteslf a few times over already as this was the free pattern that came with it! A beautiful dress to make up in a number of variations for summer I think you'll agree. However I was doubly excited to have this free gift land on my mat as it is just the perfect pattern to make up a replica of the dress I've had my eye on from 'An Education' for the Sew Cinematic project! I'm thinking the third view in from the left on the second row with the fitted skirt is going to be ideal. What a wonderful sewing conicidence! It just about made my day!

So now I've thought about what I can actually achieve I thought I'd share some of those iconic movie costumes that I wish I had the skills to make/a reason to wear. Just for fun! And to make all those hours I spend pinning completely inappropriate ideas a little bit worthwhile! There's so so many of Audrey Hepburn's but here's my favourite few. The Sabrina evening gown is possibly the most exquisitely elegant costume she ever wore in my opinion and the My Fair Lady Ascot dress is just a wonderfully intricate costume. Two for the Road is a particular favourite film of mine and the mini dress of silver discs is so different and modern to all her other costumes it really stands out for me. I don't think I could be doing with sewing on all those discs though! Grace Kelly is another icon of mine for such a classic, elegant and timeless style. The black and white 'Paris' dress from Rear Window is probably her most well known movie costume and the fac...

I really enjoyed this project. It probably took longer than it should of done but I really wanted to take my time over it and get it just right. I got this lovely printed cotton for the bargain price of £3 for the metre at Walthamstow market and I've still got a large chunk left over. The purple is actually slightly brighter in reality. I didn't realise until I made it up and put it on that from a distance it looks like polka dots! I love it! I'm very pleased with how it turned out although the fit of it could be improved.  Firstly the arm holes are very snug! Don't get me wrong it's still wearable but it comes up quite high under the arm which after a day of wear might start to irritate. Although I'm surprised that I still have full range of arm movement and the blouse doesn't do that annoying thing of lifting up when you lift your arms and then staying there when you bring them down. I'm thinking the easiest way to combat this will just be t...

I am SO excited about the 'That's Sew Cinematic' Challenge that's going to be running over the next few months. In case you haven't heard about it all the details can be found here . I am a big film lover, especially if there are some decent costumes involved, and it is a wonderful resource to be inspired by in sewing so I am very grateful to the five lovely blogging ladies for providing us with the impetuous to go for it! The challenge is to make garments and accessories inspired by film costumes. There are various categories to get you thinking and you can make items from all or just one if you wish. After much scouring of my DVD collection and the internet I think i've got some rough plans worked out. Some of these may happen. Some of these may not. But here's the ideas: FROCKS FROM THE FLICKS The first thought that sprang to mind when I found out about the challenge was of course the beautiful Audrey Hepburn. There are unlimited choices of out...

O this is what Sunday mornings are for! Pointless activities such as making a cartoon Mad Men version of yourself! Make your own here . Enjoy!

I thought I would just quickly share with you some fantastic pattern companies which I have just discovered. You may well all know about these already but I think they deserve some praise anyway! I am completely in LOVE with Salme Patterns . I think I would wear/use every single one of them. They have a very simple and classic design which is so exciting as these are just the sort of clothes I love to wear day to day and I could see me making many of the patterns over and over again until I have a complete wardrobe of Salme patterns! They also look fairly straightforward and quick to construct so ideal for me right now and are incredibly reasonably priced. I think I'm going to be going on a little spending spree later today. just which patterns to choose is the problem! Next up Victory Patterns who I'm sure many of the sewing community have heard of and even used; I know I've read on some blogs recently various plans to make up their Hazel dress . These patterns...