Diary of a Chain Stitcher

It's a challenging and unusual festive season this year but I hope you've all been finding some joy in whatever you've been able to get up to. Ed and I enjoyed a quiet Christmas Day here with our little Shiba dog Ruby, plenty of yummy things to eat and drink and a lot of zoom! I've been a little quiet on here and Instagram for the last few months as I (very fortunately, given the state of the theatre industry here in the UK) had a busy spell of work which meant not much time to be creative here at home. The project I've got to share with you today I actually finished just before I got busy. I've found I actually quite like posting a garment once it has had a bit of wear as whilst the details of the construction may be slightly more hazy I find I can give a more honest review of the fit and comfort and how the fabric performs.

The Hannah Dress from By Hand London has been on my radar since it was released last year and has proved to be a very popular choice so far this Me Made May . I love a wrap style; so flattering and easy to wear and sew too without any buttons or zips to fiddle around with! I have had trouble previously with getting wrap necklines to sit right on me and therefore before plunging in with a dress I opted to make the top/tunic version first. The top isn't illustrated on the pattern but there is a marking for the tunic length peplum on the skirt pattern pieces which I used. This is the exact length you're looking at here. The fabric I've used is a beautiful viscose twill from Atelier Brunette . They very kindly gifted me two lengths from their Autumn 2019 collection shortly after release. This is the 'twig' design in the ochre colour-way. FYI their new Summer 2020 collection is absolutely exquisite! I've worked with Atelier Brunette fabrics previously and ...

I have got a very special project to share with you today. My bridesmaid dress for my Mum's wedding back in May. I was really excited about making it, but knew it could turn into quite a stressful project and a real sewing challenge. It was a big deadline to meet and I knew because of my work schedule I was going to have very limited time to put towards it. So, as much as I would have liked to make a complex and challenging gown, I kept the design and construction simple and focused instead on finding some really beautiful fabric. Mum had only a few requests. That all three of us bridesmaids (my sister, step-sister and I) wore floor length dresses and that they were a neutral colour (in the end we all ended up in shades of grey, Mum's favourite!). Once my sister had bought her dress Mum also asked if we could all have some beading on the bodice too. I slightly panicked as that meant my simple project was likely to get considerably more involved and complicated! Howev...

I haven't had a lot of time for sewing recently, which (aside from being incredibly frustrating!) means I'm running low on finished projects to share with you. However, I have had these beauties finished and photographed but as yet un-posted since last summer! Now actually seems like a better time to share them with you though as they didn't get much wear last year and I've fallen back in love with them recently. Luckily I keep a pretty detailed notebook of alterations and my sewing experiences so I'm still able to tell you a bit about the sewing process too! I really wanted a pair of solid wide legged trousers back when they were starting to creep into fashion  early last year. There's something so effortlessly elegant in the breezy flowing cut. This however was before the influx of patterns for wide legged trousers and culottes happened this spring so I turned to to my stash and happened upon just the thing in the form of the By Hand London Holly Jumpsu...

Despite telling myself that I was going to leave pattern testing to one side for a bit so I could focus on my ever increasing sewing queue I saw the design for the latest release from By Hand London and couldn't resist getting my hands on it immediately! The Orsola Dress is a chic and wearable sheath dress which features a beautiful wrapped back. This classic cut with interesting and considered details is just the kind of thing I love to wear. The bateau neckline that dips in the back combined with the figure skimming fit is super classy. Both the dress and skirt variations included in the pattern have the option for a straight front hem or a scallop shape detail which I opted for as I love how this echoes the shape created by the wrap at the back. I had some fabric perfect for the skirt in my stash but I wanted to make the dress so I nipped into Lewisham one weekend to find something inexpensive from Maggie's Fabrics market stall. I happened upon this gorgeous viscose...

The purchase of this gorgeous thick knit from Derek Lam for this month's Mood Sewing Network project was a no brainer. Living in London my handmade wardrobe is constantly in need of snuggly, comfy garments suitable for layering and making them out of unique fabrics like this one means I still feel great wearing them. I picked this piece in Mood Fabrics LA back in September and whilst it was available online it's now unfortunately sold out. However, hunting for it I did discovering this amazing striped French Terry from the same designer which has been immediately added to my shopping basket! At first glance I was envisioning an oversized sweatshirt but then started dreaming up all kinds of different projects which it could be used for. It's got a decent amount of stretch for a thicker knit with a soft slouchy drape. The random graphic pattern of the intermingling black and white yarn was what first drew me to it but I think what I most like about it is the texture a...

I loved the first version I made of By Hand London's Zeena Dress and knew my wardrobe would benefit from a couple more. They are just so easy to throw on in the morning and feel great in all day, especially when it's hot. My first version was in breezy cotton voile and I knew I wanted something similar for the second version as it suited the design so well. I'm a bit of a Pinterest addict and have been making an effort to recreate looks and styles I've pinned to my sewing inspiration board this year. When I spotted the image below a long way back and found this lovely plaid double gauze on Goldhawk Road I bought it with the intention of making a similar dress but it got put away in the stash and semi-forgotten about. I was flicking through my Pinterest when I was in the process of testing the Zeena pattern and realised that the relaxed style of it was perfect to recreate this look and that discovery was all I needed to spur me on and dig out my plaid! It was one ...