March Indie Pattern Update!

It has been one busy month for all our favourite Independent Pattern Designers and there is a lot to catch up on! I may well have lost track of a few bits of news this month so if you can think of anything else please do point it out in the comments!

First up this month I wanted to share a little bit of love for By Hand London's newest venture. The girls have launched a Kickstarter campaign to enable them to buy their own digital fabric printer on which they are planning to print not only their own carefully curated collection of designs but our very own designs too! Right here in London! This is taking home dressmaking to the next level, giving us complete control of designing our own clothing; no more desperate hunting for the perfect print for a project! If you read my blog regularly you will know that I am a big fan of the By Hand London patterns and I can only imagine that their fabric printing ambitions will turn out just as fabulously. You've got until to pledge your support and get your hands on some seriously awesome goodies in the process! Find out more info on the BHL blog or watch their Kickstarter video.

New Pattern Companies

• Caroline announced her new pattern company named after her blog Sew Caroline with a blog tour of her first pattern the Out and About Dress. Caroline was a contestant in the first season of Project Sewn and I am really looking forward to seeing what she has in store for us all in future.
• Jennifer Lauren gave us all a look at her first pattern the Afternoon Blouse which is due for release at some point in April. I'm a big fan of Jennifer's style and all her vintage inspired makes and her unique look really shows in this first pattern.
• Measure Twice/Cut Once are the new pattern company for undies on the block! They have just released a gorgeous collection of PDF knicker patterns which I want to try just about every single one of! Which are your favourite?

New Patterns

• Thread Theory released the first pattern from their new Alpine Collection, which is going to include new plus sizes. The Comox Trunks look to be an amazing pattern for creating some professional looking pants for the men our lives (or yourself if you happen to be a male reader!). They also released the paper pattern of their Goldstream Peacoat which is very exciting, my fella may be getting a new coat next winter!
• I was a lucky enough to be a pattern tester for By Hand London's newly released Flora Dress. It's another stunner of a pattern and a very straightforward sew, including options for a wrap bodice and 'mullet hem' which is a term I never think does justice to such a beautiful feature!
• I love it when thought is put into the design of the back of a garment and the new Winifred Dress pattern from Blue Ginger Doll has a gorgeous detail in the back! 
• I'm loving the look of a lot of the newly released Style Arc Patterns for March. Which are your favourites?
• French pattern company Deer and Doe (whose patterns are also available in English) released the Anemone Skirt which is high waisted with two variations. One of them has a gorgeous peplum feature!
• Melissa from Fehr Trade released the next pattern in her range of activewear designs; the Duathlon Shorts. The pattern comes with options for various lengths and looks great for a variety of sports.
• Last month I totally missed the release of Republique du Chiffon's Georgina Dress, which I can't believe I managed to do as it's an absolute stunner!
• Sinbad and Sailor announced the impending release of their next pattern, the Hepworth Dress so hopefully I'll be able to share more info on that with you next month!
• Amanda from Kitschy Coo has released her next pattern the Trifecta Top. Another knit pattern, if it's got the same quality instructions as her Lady Skater Dress I can only imagine it will turn you into a t-shirt expert!

Sew-Alongs

• Gertie's running a sew-along on her blog for her slip pattern which was recently released by Butterick. I think it will be a fantastic resource for tips for sewing underwear and nightwear. It starts tomorrow (April 1st) but you've still got time to get your supplies (there are even kits available in her Etsy shop) and catch up!
• The Flora Dress sew-along starts on the By Hand London blog on 2nd April. This is a versatile pattern that will work in a such a wide range of fabrics that I literally cannot wait to see everyone's lovely versions!
• The Blue Ginger Doll sew-along for the Winifred Dress has just finished but the posts are of course still available for you to follow. You have until April 10th to get yours sewn up and added to the Flickr group to enter the competition!
• The Iconic Patterns Jess Jeans sew-along is underway. I'm really looking forward to seeing the results of this as I'd love to try my hand at making jeans soon.
• Thread Theory featured an amazing tailoring series on their blog based around the construction of the Goldstream Peacoat. It's not so much a sew-along but it featured some fantastic tips for tailoring any pattern and is well worth a read.
• They are also starting a sew-along for their new Comox Trunks pattern on April 4th complete with contest! I'm definitely going to be reading that one just to pick up some tips on working with stretch for underwear.
• There's a sew-along running on the new Seamster Sewing Patterns blog for the Avocado Hoodie pattern. A fantastic way to pick up some tips on sewing a different item of clothing

Other Exciting News

• Gather launched kits for their Tallis Collar pattern with fabric options including a polka dot and a fun leopard print. This pattern is also now available as a PDF pattern which I think is a great option for such a speedy and fun project.
• Megan Nielsen provided us with a great round up of which of her patterns are now available as PDF downloads. Good news for all of you who have been waiting for some of these since the paper versions sold out.
• Colette Patterns announced their big plans specifically focusing on sewing with knits. They are soon to be releasing a guide to sewing with knits and keep your eyes peeled on April 15th as they will be revealing two new knit patterns which will be going up to a size 3X (53" bust). Fantastic news for plus size seamstresses who love the Colette look.
• Disparate Disciplines has been renamed Seamster Sewing Patterns and has a shiny new website and shop. Mari has also made some fantastic changes to the patterns including making the patterns easier to print worldwide as well as an A0 copy shop option and reformatting her instructions.
• Iconic Patterns also have a new website and shop. Lena has got some great looking patterns coming up for release soon on there so keep your eyes peeled!
• I was super excited when I spotted this bit of news. I'm in love with pretty much the entire collection of Named's patterns but have so far resisted purchasing any as I'm on limited sewing time. They have just revealed however that they are about to release paper versions which look stunning and that might just tip me over the edge!

And to finish things up as always here's a little bit of inspiration from around the sewing blogosphere!

• Julie from Jolies Bobines stunning Georgina Dress from Republique du Chiffon. I just love the double neckline at the back!
• Clare from Sew Dixie Lou's insanely awesome Ailakki Jumpsuit from Named. This pattern is awesome and so perfect for Clare's recent trip to NYC. (Jealous? Me?)
• Ping from Peneloping's gorgeous Skaterfrew mash up of Sewaholic's Renfrew and the Lady Skater pattern from Kitschy Coo. I'm loving all the combinations of these patterns I've seen recently and love the fabric Ping chose.
• Sew Busy Lizzy's beautiful Flora 'Nightshade' Dress from By Hand London. Wow. She has used that pattern perfectly and the skirt looks so wonderfully full lined.
• Rachel from House of Pinheiro's amazing second version of Coco from Tilly and the Buttons. I love those contrast sleeve pieces, Rachel has such great imagination when it comes to putting her own spin on patterns!

5 Sewing Tips that I wish I'd known (or paid attention to!) when I started sewing

Today I thought I'd share with you some of the things which have completely changed the quality, ease and speed of my sewing and that I can't believe I never did when I first started out! I've been thinking a lot about how I can improve my sewing this year and have been trying to sew slowly, considering what techniques I am using. This post has really come about as I've thought back over how and why my sewing skills have improved and what are the things I now can't live without.

• The importance of pressing This first one is a big one. When I first started sewing I was just keen to be on the machine and actually sewing. I hated the hours spent cutting and resented all the up and down from the machine to the ironing board. However, making the effort to take time over pressing and pressing correctly has made a huge difference to the finish of my garments. It can also be a huge help in achieving those slightly tricky techniques; sewing a curved hem no longer daunts me thanks to this tutorial from Colette Patterns and a good press! The most important things to remember are to lift and move the iron rather than using a side to side motion as this can distort seams and that every seam/dart/pleat needs pressing before you sew anything that crosses it. This doesn't mean you need to get up and over the to the iron after each and every seam you sew but rather sew everything that you can until you are about to cross an unpressed line of stitching. This might mean that you can sew the shoulder and side seams on a blouse in one go but will need to press them before inserting the sleeves.

• The difference under-stitching and stay tape can make This is right up there at the top of my best and most used sewing techniques when it comes to achieving a more professional looking finish. I've got to give credit for this one to Tasia from Sewaholic as this is a tip I picked up from making the Lonsdale Dress, which was the very first dress I made! There are great instructions for this included in the Lonsdale Sew-along. A stretched out and wavy neckline or lining flipping through to the wrong side at the edge of a pocket can ruin the look of a garment and be incredibly frustrating when you have invested so much time in an otherwise beautifully made project. Adding stay tape to your seam allowance helps curved edges from stretching on the bias over time and can also reinforce things like pocket edges which have to stand up to wear. I picked up my tape in New York's garment district last year but I've also used a narrow twill tape or the selvedge of my fabric. After adding your tape, stitching your lining or facing to both layers of the seam allowance (under-stitching) helps prevent it from peeking out on the right side when worn and can help a neckline stay nice and flat. I was delighted with the results on my Lonsdale.

• Keeping a 'sewing journal' This is something that I actually haven't been doing all that long but have found totally indispensable since I started! I keep a little notepad by my machine just for sewing notes. In it I start a new page for each project and briefly jot down everything I've done for a particular project. Things like what size I cut, how much fabric I used, any alterations I made as I went along, any particular techniques and what worked well or didn't. Most importantly once finished I record any ideas or alterations I might have if I use this pattern again. This has really helped me to make sure each project is an improvement on the last, rather than forgetting what it was that I was so certain I'd do better next time. For lengthy projects this has really helped me write thorough blog posts too!

My thread box, also including Fiona's other sewing essentials...

• Good general organisation saves time With limited space it's taken me a while to sort out a set up for all my sewing equipment and supplies that I'm happy with. I mainly found myself getting frustrated with all the time I was wasting hunting for my bias tape maker, my chalk pencils or that zip that 'I'm sure I saw somewhere the other day'. My sewing space is a room which also functions as a dining room and a music and teaching room for my boyfriend (Tilly wrote a great post about working in a shared sewing space like this). There isn't a huge amount of space for sewing equipment, some is even stored in other rooms, so things are split between boxes, baskets, a chest and a sewing table. I was loosing track of what was where but a good sort out a while back has made the world of difference. Tools are now all together, fastenings are now all together and threads are all together. I still have to root things out when I need them but I know exactly where to look. My most useful tip in terms of organisation is to figure out which tools and supplies you use frequently and keep these 'essentials' easily accessible by your machine. I have a little tin with useful thread colours, chalk, quick unpick, snips, bobbins, a seam gauge...all those handy things.

• Using the correct tools When getting started with sewing it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the number of tools available. It's hard to know which are essential and which are an unnecessary gadget. I plodded along for ages thinking 'I don't need one of those, surely this chopstick/these kitchen scissors/this pencil' will do the job just as well'. In some cases yes (e.g. the chopstick for turning through straps) in other cases no (e.g. using a pencil instead of a tracing wheel. Don't ask how I know). Sewing can be an expensive hobby but some of these tools cost very little and will make a HUGE difference. A tailor's ham is amazing for getting that professional finish with beautifully pressed and shaped seams and is something you can make yourself basically for free. Using the correct needles for the fabric you are using is essential (e.g. ballpoint for stretch) and I've discovered choosing quality interfacing is worth taking your time over. Some tools are non essential but will make your life so much easier and your sewing more enjoyable. Kathryn from Yes I Like That wrote a great post on sewing accessories. Two of my personal favourites are my bias tape maker and my invisible zip foot. Both totally worth the investment. 

I'd love to know what you have found to make a difference with your sewing. What are your favourite sewing tips and tools?

Pattern Testing: The Flora Dress from By Hand London

The girls at By Hand London contacted me a little while back to see if I wanted to test their newest pattern and what else was I going to say but yes yes YES! The lovely Flora Dress was released yesterday and to sum it up in one word it's just DREAMY! It features a full skirt with a high low hem and two bodice options including a faux wrap style. I chose the non wrap bodice as this fitted style with the high straight neckline is a feature on many of the vintage 1950s patterns I am attracted to but I've never been able to get hold of one in my size! 

The fabric was very kindly sent to me by Susan from Sewbox (who I have got to say was incredibly helpful and speedy!). It's this gorgeous John Kaldor viscose twill which I was concerned might not have enough body for the pleats in the skirt but I just couldn't resist the print! Just to tempt you further it's on special offer at the moment and Susan also has an amazing range of Michael Miller, Liberty and other John Kaldor prints. Pink isn't a colour I usually wear a lot of, especially not dressing fully in but there was something about the vibrancy of this swirly floral print that just seemed perfect for the drama of this dress. It also looks a little 1950s to me which and I could just picture the bodice in roses. 

When the fabric arrived I discovered it has that beautiful drape of viscose but had some weight to it so holds the shape of the bodice well. The pattern only calls for you to line the bodice (which means you really need to think about how you're finishing your skirt seams as the high low hem will make a small amount of the insides visible). To give the skirt a bit more oomph I decided to line it fully using a warm pink cotton from my local market.  I'm really pleased with how it turned out, and love the flash of solid pink you get from the back of the skirt as you move. The completed combination and volume of fabrics makes me want to swirl my skirt around like a flamenco dancer continuously! 

The volume of the skirt (and decision to line it!) does make for a helluva lot of hemming though. I used the By Hand London girls own tutorial for hemming a curved edge including three options. I chose the first option but also really want to try attaching tape as a really pretty one would look gorgeous showing at the centre back dip! Using the first method machine stitching around the edge at the distance of the first fold before pressing helps a high amount with easing in the excess fabric. I used a 1/2" hem on and whizzed round the lining by machine. That viscose was too yummy to ruin with visible stitching though so I hand stitched it. I can't remember what I was watching at the time but do remember it taking 3 long episodes but it was well worth it. It's the best hand sewn hem I've ever done, helped no end by the quality of the fabric which had pressed and help the smooth curved edge so beautifully.

The pattern fit with no alterations in a US 6/UK 10, which is the size I always cut with By Hand London patterns. The only slight change I might make in future is to reduce the width of the back neckline as it very slightly gapes. This is a fairly common thing for me to do with any pattern. I'm fairly short (about 5ft3") and normally have to lop a fair bit off the length of BHL patterns but this one I kept as is. I think it's therefore come up longer than intended on me but I love the length it is, it feels really dramatic!

The instructions for constructing the bodice are great, super simple to follow and as always with clear illustrations. Everything is put together, complete with lining, before sewing up the side seams. These are then sewn up in one, from waist to armpit and back down again, which I totally loved for getting a clean finish. My invisible zip went in perfectly first time (hooray!) thanks again to Lauren's brilliant tutorial and tip to interface those seam allowances beforehand. Once in I used my regular zip foot to attach the lining to the zip and get a lovely clean finish inside as well!

One thing to bear in mind if you are planning to make this is that you need WIDE fabric for that skirt. The skirt pattern pieces are cut on the fold and just (and I really mean just, including the selvedges!) fit on to my 140cm wide fabric. My lining was a bit narrower so I had to do some creative piecing but it worked out fine.

I can see this dress taking on a wide variety looks with different fabric choices. I'd love to make it in a stiffer fabric with real body like a brocade or a thicker cotton sateen to give that skirt some real volume. But I want to make a really drapey chiffon or voile version with a short lining just as much! I think it would look really ethereal and have a gorgeous movement to it. I'd like to try making those little straps super skinny too, with hair up it would look great. I never thought I'd say this but I need some more weddings and special occasions to go to this year so I've got an excuse to make more versions of Flora!

If you feel the need to instantly see some more Flora the other pattern testers have made an amazing variety of dresses. Check them out here:

Closet Case Files / Dixie DIY / Dolly Clackett / Four Square Walls / Ginger Makes / Jennifer Lauren / Jolies Bobines / Lladybird / Me and My Polar Bear / Nette / Oonaballoona / Sew Busy Lizzy / A Stitching Odyssey / True Bias / Yes I Like That / Zo Sews

Wool Crepe & Silk Chiffon Anna-lotte

I'm so excited to be sharing my first make for the Mood Sewing Network with you guys today! I've got to warn you all that the post on here contains a lot more of me waffling on and is therefore a fairly lengthy post as I'm completely in love with the dress and put a lot of work into it!

I've recently been drawn to garments with sheer inserts and panels that are so popular at the moment. So with all these beautiful new fabrics now on offer to me I decided to expand my repertoire and dip my toe into sewing with chiffon. When I say 'dip my toe' I mean that fairly literally as I only opted to use it for a wide band around the hem of this dress, but it was the perfect amount for a first go and I have conquered any fear I had of working with it!

I spent a fair bit of time looking up tips for working with chiffon and ended up more worried about it than I probably was to start with. However this silk chiffon is surprisingly easy to work with, it presses beautifully, holds the kick pleat at the centre back well and my machine didn't try to eat it even once! I opted to use the rolled hem foot on my machine, as this widely seemed to be the recommend hemming technique for chiffon, and even this decided to play nicely for once: it might be the best rolled hem I've managed yet!

To create the chiffon hem I marked the depth I wanted on my skirt pattern piece rather than just cutting a strip, as I wanted to continue the pegged shape of the pencil skirt. I added enough width at the centre back seam to create the box pleat then cut the back on the fold to avoid extra seams in the chiffon. I assembled the chiffon panel entirely separately to the skirt (including basting the pleat in place, french seaming the side seams and hemming) and attached it in one to the bottom edge of the skirt. I bound the edge of this seam, pressed it up towards the skirt and slipstitched it down as you would with a normal hem.

The main body of the dress is wool crepe which is one of my all time favourite fabrics; it looks lovely, wears beautifully and is just scrummy to work with. I saw this powder blue wool crepe on the Mood Fabrics website and was sold. Who can resist wool crepe in such a delicious colour?! Apparently not many people as it's now sold out (!) but this ivory Italian crepe is very similar.

There's quite a lot of discussion on the internet about how to pretreat wool crepe (the post Carolyn wrote on it ages ago is really great). The most preferred method involves chucking it in the dryer with wet towels and while the speed and ease of this really appeals I don't have a dryer so instead I steamed it like crazy with my iron. I'm not too worried about further shrinkage as it's a special dress and with that silk chiffon hem it'll be going to the dry cleaners anyway.

The crepe was perfect for this style of dress; nice and soft to suit those lovely bust pleats but with a good amount of body for the shape of the skirt. I love how your stitches sink almost invisibly into this stuff too. This particular crepe does need lining as it's fairly lightweight. I went all out and used this china silk for the lining which feels so great, I'll be using it in every special dress I make from now on.

I wanted to make this dress extra special so drafted a full lining in a style which has intrigued me ever since I saw a dress Gertie made in this way (although I cannot for the life of me find that post to share with you now!) I used all-in-one facings of the wool crepe and then the china silk beneath that. I am absolutely in love with the professional look of this inside and also how it eliminates the risk of lining peeking out of the neckline or sleeves.  I know some people have had trouble with the Anna facings flipping out over the neckline and it eliminates that problem too! It's a bit of extra work as after drafting the new facings I then had to remove them from the pattern pieces for the lining, remembering to add seam allowances of course. But I think it's totally worth it, don't you agree?! I carefully clipped and under-stitched the neckline to prevent the facings from rolling out and am really pleased with the nice clean finish.

I'm sure most of you will recognise this as By Hand London's Anna Dress combined with their Charlotte Skirt and (unsurprisingly as my love for both patterns is hardly hidden!) I totally recommend that little mash up! I've been meaning to pair these together ever since seeing Roisin's amazing version. I made a fair few modifications to get the look that I wanted, in fact I decided this dress should really be named 'the tutorial dress' as I gathered together so many tips and tricks from other sewing blogs!

I've been making a conscious effort to put into practice a lot of the tips I've been picking up from you guys (and pinning to my Sewing Tips Pinterest board!) This dress was the first time I tried interfacing the centre back seam allowances before I inserted the zip. I've seen this tip a few times lately, including in Lladybird's amazingly thorough invisible zip tutorial. It makes such a difference! Those waist seams matched up first time and the finish is beautifully smooth. To finish off the now lovely and pain-free zip I used Karen's tutorial to insert a concealed hook and eye at the top.

I put a lot more work into the paper pattern before cutting than I usually do (I even made a muslin!) As I was using a plain fabric in a pale colour I knew all my seams needed to match up perfectly so I moved the darts on the skirt to match the pleats on the centre front bodice and combined the double back darts to match the single darts on the bodice back. It involved a bit of maths and some head scratching but was fairly straightforward! Next I used Sonja's tutorial to remove a bit of the width from both the front and back neckline as my previous versions of Anna gaped a little in this area and I knew in the wool crepe this would create unsightly bulges. The final adjustment I made was a result of the muslin. The kimono sleeves were perfect on me in a drapey silk or viscose but in a fabric with more body like the crepe I was looking a little bit like an extra from Star Trek! I simply reduced the length of the shoulder seams by folding the required amount under at the outer edge of both front and back pattern pieces, tapering away to nothing at the underarm.

The extra little bit of time it took to make all these adjustments was completely worth it as I'm incredibly pleased with and proud of the fit on this dress now, especially down the back. It's definitely the best fitting thing I've ever made and has really challenged my sewing skills. If this is what sewing with top quality fabrics does to my sewing I can't wait for my next MSN make!