Diary of a Chain Stitcher

Despite the blog being a little quite recently I've had a surge of sewing time over the last couple of weekends and the completed projects for 2016 are starting to build up! Today I've got one of my favourite's so far to share with you. It involves one of those fabrics which you just don't want to waste on a project which doesn't work out so I resorted to an old faithful pattern which I knew it would be perfect for; the blouse version of the Colette Laurel . I like the finished garment so much that I wore it the day after I finished it which I always thinks tells volumes about a project and also how much you enjoyed making it! If I've really struggled with a garment it often gets put in the wardrobe for a good while before I can enjoy wearing it without being reminded of my frustration! Fit wise I don't have a huge amount to say as I've made this blouse twice before (once in polka-dot poly crepe for me and once in a cotton print for my Mum ) and th...

I've just got a simple outfit to share with you today as the garment I was planning for this month's Mood Sewing Network project has taken slightly longer than anticipated, plus my weekend sewing plans were scuppered by lack of a zip! Aargh! Luckily I picked up quite the selection of gorgeous fabrics in the Mood Fabrics Los Angeles branch when I visited the U.S. last month and I've got a little backlog of speedy projects to show you. As I said in the post about my trip I loved the LA Mood store and found all the staff to be so welcoming; helping me pull out bolt after bolt as I was being my typically indecisive self! I was pretty overwhelmed by the size of the place and variety of fabrics available when I first got there and spent a good couple of hours looking around. With limited suitcase space I was trying to make careful choices and only buy things which I had a project idea for. This striped Theory jersey was one of the first things I picked, it practically...

Today I've got a garment to share with you that I'm actually not all that pleased with now it's done. It's been one of those projects that just doesn't quite turn out as you imagined it in your head. I had high hopes for this one too after the success of my Little Black Laurel Dress . I was convinced this gorgeous Theory Striped Linen from Mood Fabrics would be the perfect match for the pattern and I was excited about creating the perfect chic Parisian shift dress for throwing on on hot summer days! However, although I have had a lot of wear out of black version and was really pleased with it I've never quite nailed my perfect fit for this pattern. Despite the fabric being gorgeous and so easy to sew with it does have a crisper hand which seems to emphasise the fit issues. I think I'd have better success with a fabric with more drape or at least something softer. I cut the size 2 again and repeated the side seam alteration from my black version to slim...

Today I've got a completed garment to share from last year which for once isn't for me to wear! When I made my polka dot blouse version of Colette Pattern's Laurel back in June last year my Mum spotted it and decided she quite liked the simple lines of it for herself which I wasn't surprised about as I had thought it was just her sort of top! I really love the proportions of it and particularly the shape of the neckline and length of the sleeves. A few weeks later she popped in to see me when I was taking part in the John Lewis Sewing Bee and while she was in the store chose fabric for her own version. It's a quilting weight cotton from the Heritage Collection they released for their 100 year anniversary and I only needed just over a metre even with cutting the pieces to line up the coloured stripes. I don't usually sew with this sort of cotton as I prefer to wear drapier fashion fabrics so it was a bit of a treat for me to work with a fabric which is...

The first completed garment I've got to share with you in 2015 is actual one of my final projects of 2014. It racked up a fair few wears in those last few weeks of 2014 too! They don't lie when they say having a classic little black dress in your wardrobe will save your bacon for any occasion; this dress worked perfectly for pre Christmas cocktails, pub drinks, lunches and even an afternoon tea! Ever since making my polka dot version of the Laurel blouse from Colette Patterns I'd had a plain black version of the dress variation on my mind. I'd had such success with the style and fit of the blouse on me that I'd been dreaming about it in all kinds of fabrics and variations to be honest! For this dress I used this gorgeous wool sateen from Mood Fabrics and only needed just over a metre. It's kind of like a fairly lightweight suiting with a small amount of stretch, I bet it would make a lovely pair of trousers. It's hand is very smooth and it was lovely...

I've got a bit of unselfish sewing to share with you today and one of my first ventures into sewing menswear. This is actually the second shirt I've made from scratch, plus I did a bit of shirt customising earlier in the year too which I fully intend to share with you but I'm so pleased with this one I couldn't wait to blog about it! For my stepdad's birthday this year I promised to make him a shirt. This was way back in April and we had the fabric picked out and ordered by May so considering I finished this just a few weeks ago I was a bit slow about getting it done; sorry Peter! I'm blaming a hectic summer of work and feeling a bit nervous about getting this as close to perfect as possible without much practice! I'm pleased to report he was very happy with it though (and I'm delighted!) so hopefully it was worth the wait. He picked out this gorgeous Italian cotton shirting from the Mood Fabrics website and it was a brilliant choice. It's grea...

Today I've got a make to share with you which I briefly mentioned in my round up of Me-Made-May . I finished this project at the start of the final week and it's such a success that I wore it twice before the end of the month and it's been on at least once again since then! It's the blouse variation of Colette's Laurel shift pattern which my wonderful Dad treated me to for Christmas last year. I nudged him in that direction as I loved the style of it despite the reservations I had about how it might work on me as I've tried on many an unflattering shift dress in the past. However, despite the lack of waist darts I don't at all feel like I'm wearing a sack and I am absolutely delighted with the result!  The only other Colette pattern I have made up for myself is their free Sorbetto Blouse which I had some real fit issues with. For this make I cut the size 2 and overall was pretty delighted with it straight out of the envelope. It's...