Diary of a Chain Stitcher

Today I've got a garment to share with you which hasn't turned out as successfully as I hoped but was still an enjoyable project which I learnt a lot from. I spend less time on Pinterest nowadays but still enjoy a browse from time to time and the board I probably pin to most is my Sewing Inspiration board. It's an accumulation of all kinds of things that inspire my sewing, from complete outfits, to fabric, to little details I'd like to incorporate. For the last year or so I've been making more of a conscious effort to look back through these pins and actually make something of them! At the moment I can't stop pinning maxi wrap dresses and solid tops with interesting sleeves. Over a year ago I had a spate of pinning military green shirts in a slightly heavier weight, to be worn open over vests and t-shirts almost as a kind of lightweight jacket. Around the same time I came across the perfect shade and weight of khaki green oxford cotton in Classic Textiles...

I'm racing to finish posting all my completed summer garments before the warm weather leaves us. Who am I kidding, I'm still racing to finish making all of the things I wanted to add to my summer wardrobe this year! One of the projects that was finished early on and has seen a whole lot of wear since is this black linen version of the Alder Shirtdress . Whilst I love making beautiful dresses out of gorgeous silk prints what my wardrobe really needs is a handful of more practical dresses which I can just reach for without thinking in the morning because they will be perfect for whatever the day may hold. In this I have managed to achieve just that. It's been worn at least once a week; to work, to picnics, to dinner and even out on a impromptu night of disco dancing! I made my first Alder a couple of years ago now out of some buffalo plaid flannel and have worn it to absolute death with dark tights over the last couple of winters. Two of my favourite things about it a...

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 ...

So ok, this is basically a post about t-shirts so may not seem that exciting but bear with me here because I'm super happy with how these turned out and the fabrics themselves are lovely! I have (on a number of occasions!) previously documented my love for the Grainline Studio Scout Tee pattern. It's such a great simple, wearable wardrobe staple and I think my favourite pattern to use as a basis to play around with my ideas. Over time I've used it almost as a block to create different styles of loose fitting woven tops. My hammered silk version with a dipped hem got worn literally to death (I was so sorry to see that go!) and I keep meaning to make another with a chevron of diagonal pleats across the front after the success I had hacking the pattern for my pleated cotton voile version . I love the neckline, cap sleeves and the way it fits around the shoulders so when I spotted that a few of you had made it up in knit fabric rather than woven I had a bit of a moment of ...

This month's Mood Sewing Network project was all about cosy fabrics for me! The temperatures have dropped here in London over the last couple of weeks and all I want to wear is lots of soft and warm layers. I actually ordered this Blue Plaid Soft Cotton Flannel (unfortunately now sold out but there's still a little left in red !) back in February as part of my very first MSN order but haven't found the perfect use for it until now. I spotted the dress below on Pinterest a little while back and knew my plaid was destined to be my own version of it. This discovery also coincided with the release of Grainline Studio's Alder Shirtdress ...match made in heaven! I've wanted to sew something plaid for a while now but have been a bit daunted by the task of matching it. That was my real challenge with this garment, considering there are so many pattern pieces in a shirtdress and I thought a bold check like this (plus no sleeves!) would be a good place to start. I ...

Just to warn you, this post is going to get all kinds of photo heavy and talky talky about construction details but I'm so proud of all the new sewing techniques I accomplished with this shirt I'm not going to spare you any of it! I completed this shirt (and actually a shirt for my boyfriend too) before I made my tester version of Pauline Alice's Carme Blouse , so the whole sewing a blouse/shirt thing was entirely new to me. It's is by no means perfect but I feel like I did a pretty great job on this one, especially considering it was my first time sewing most of the major parts of a shirt including, collar, plackets and cuffs! So anyway, on to the details. I'm sure many of you will recognise this as the every popular Archer Shirt from Jen at Grainline Studio . I love Jen's patterns for their versatility and wearability; she designs the kind of garments that are handy to have in your wardrobe and that end up being worn over and over again because t...