Diary of a Chain Stitcher

I'm currently exploring Southern Africa! But I have been sewing like a mad woman for the last few weeks and have prepped and scheduled a number of blog posts to share my handmade holiday wardrobe with you. When planning my sewing I kept being drawn to Half Moon Atelier patterns and three of them made it onto my list! Practical and easy to wear, yet modern and with well thought out designs. A big tick in my book. This is their summer jumpsuit Tofo and it is possibly my favourite item in my suitcase. The fabric I've used is a really lovely cotton ikat from The Fabric Store . Unfortunately it is not on the website anymore as I believe I snapped up the last of it when I ordered it a few months ago. I was browsing for something for this pattern and this just jumped out at me as the perfect match. And that it has proved to be. It is a fine and breathable weight. The lovely crisp cotton hand so holds the shape of the romper well but it still has some softness to it so that t...

My first finished garment of 2019 is a really special one. This is my first take on the Fiona Sundress from Closet Case Patterns which was released back in the summer and for which I was the muse! I am kind of ashamed of how long it has taken me to get around to making this. I felt some self imposed pressure to make a really spectacular one and the hunt for the perfect fabric got a bit intense. In the end I decided to go with my gut choice for a plain and something I would get a lot of wear out of rather than a super 'frosting' version. There's nothing to stop me making multiple versions of course! I know this pattern is technically a sundress but a particularly busy period of work meant summer was drawing to a close by the time I got to fabric shopping. So I resolved to make a winter appropriate version which I could be layered with long sleeve tees and turtlenecks. I have been really taken with the velvet trend this season and came across the dress below in Monsoo...