Diary of a Chain Stitcher

It's the end of November already! I hope all you readers over in the states had a wonderful thanksgiving weekend. I was pretty stunned by how many sewing pattern companies got on board with the black Friday sales this year with some great store wide discounts. I picked up a couple of treats which I can't wait to arrive! Some of the deals are still running today (Cyber Monday) so if you haven't taken a look yet Rachel has written a great summary of what deals are where. To tempt you a little further, here's the news from the sewing community's indie designers this month... New Pattern Companies! Lisa from the Avid Seamstress has just launched her first collection of sewing patterns! There are three women patterns ( The Day Dress , The Sheath Dress and The City Trousers ) and two girls patterns for ages 3-8 ( The Raglan Dress and The Gathered Dress ). Plus they are all 20% off until the 6th December with the code LAUNCH20. Anne Durrieu , who was a conte...

I am loving that sewing pattern companies have got on board with Black Friday this year and are having big store wide sales this weekend! I thought I'd share with you some of the patterns and offers that have caught my eye, it started out as a short post but I keep spotting more and more deals! Papercut Patterns - 30% off all orders with the code FLASH (until Saturday 28th) I've had my eye on the popular Rigel Bomber for a while now and have been dabbling in sewing my own active-wear recently so the Pneuma Tank has grabbed my attention too. With free postage worldwide the only tough choice I've got now is whether to treat myself to their beautifully packaged patterns or go for the speed of a PDF! Deer & Doe - 20% off all patterns online now (Friday 27th only) The Fumeterre Skirt stole my heart as soon as the pattern was released a few months back...the wet & windy London weather of late and some serious lack of sewing time ...

I have been flying through the small mountain of fabrics I brought home with me from America! I'm really pleased that it's all getting used so quickly as it means I made some good choices and mostly stuck to my plan of only buying things when I knew what I would make with them. However, my latest garment actually uses one of my impulse buys. From the masses of silk prints they have at Mood Fabrics LA (seriously there are so many it's kind of overwhelming!) this blue and white gingham silk crepe managed to jump out at me as an obvious purchase. I love how the delicate colours, delicate fabric and delicate watercolour style of the print compliment each other and was particularly taken with how the blue lines fade in and out across the fabric, giving it a kind of hand painted look. It was one of the first bolts I pulled out in the store and a yard of it left with me despite only having a vague plan to make some sort of flowing top. When I got home I had a root through my...

Today I've got a project to share with you which didn't turn out to be the roaring success that I hoped. It was one of those projects that you are so excited to sew and can't wait to wear but just doesn't quite live up to expectations for one reason or another. I made this towards the start of the summer and envisioned myself wearing it all summer long with simple t-shirts and sandals but in fact it's had hardly any wear at all. Now a couple of months have passed and I've dug it out of my wardrobe to take some pictures fresh eyes have seen that there's actually a lot of good in it though. I've had the Grainline Moss Mini Skirt pattern for a while now as I love every version I've seen made up and I'm a big fan of Jen's drafting, instructions and wearable styles. I love my Archer Shirt and Alder Shirtdress . I've always thought that as well as being a practical garment it would also be a great way to showcase a fun fabric. I'm ...