Diary of a Chain Stitcher

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 I started over a year ago (!) and it's a make which I've got mixed feelings about. I snapped up the Silvia Dress Pattern from Salme Patterns right back when I first got really into sewing. It was exactly what I wanted in a chic summer dress and is a shape I find generally suits me. It was a little advanced for me at the time (featuring some very clever construction it's rated as intermediate) but towards the start of last summer I just couldn't wait to wear it and dove straight in. Work then went crazy for the next six weeks or so and before I knew it the heat and sunshine had departed and the dress was only half finished. The lure of sewing garments I could wear straight away called; queue me only picking it up again this August. I wish I'd found the time to get to grips with this and more of Eliza's patterns as especially for summer I'm a big fan of her classic and wearable styles; looking at the...

I was really excited about this make when I got started on it just as the weather turned lovely and hot back in July, but I'm less than enamoured with it now it's done and it hasn't had a single wear yet! I don't think this has anything to do with the pattern or the fabric, but rather the combination of pattern and fabric which is entirely my fault! I'm quite disappointed as I absolutely love this fabric and wish I had used it for a more successful project. I got the fabric in an accidental trip to Simply Fabrics in Brixton, which can come up trumps with some bargain fabric treasures! It's a lovely, drapey viscose which feels sooo nice to wear. I love that the print looks a bit like a giant gingham. It looks very familiar to me and I'm not sure why, perhaps a little Kate Spade? I used the Salme Patterns playsuit pattern and I love the simple, relaxed style of the design but I think, although I imagine it's meant to be worn with some...

It must look like I've got a bit of a Salme Patterns addiction recently as this is my third! I do love them for their simplicity and easily to wear classic style. I do have a number of issues with this finished make but I'm convincing myself it was not a complete waste of time as I've learnt a lot; mainly what not to do again! This is the 'Gathered Top' which on the pattern image had been made up in a sheer and what appeared to be very lightweight cream fabric. I felt like I had been making too many plain garments recently and should branch out into patterns and colours so chose this printed georgette which I bought from Sew Over It in Clapham a while back. I've certainly learnt about fabric choices from this project though, mostly that just because a fabric has drape and is slippy and silky doesn't necessarily mean it's lightweight! I think this is actually slightly heavy for this top and is actually quite crisp once you start gathering it. I ...

This was my second Salme Sewing Patterns project - this time the 'Colour Block T'. It's a lovely pattern to make up, again I really took my time with it so it took me a while but I definitely think the more experienced seamstress could knock one of these out in an hour or two. I loved the colour combination pictured on the pattern so much I couldn't see past it and just went with it! This project included a number of firsts for me, one of which being the first time I made my own bias tape. For some reason I have always been really put off by the thought of this as it seemed like a long process for something so small but I really enjoyed it and am proud of the finished result. Look at that neat neckline! I used my bias tape making tool which you feed the strips through and press but I'd definitely give other widths a go freehand. Again the fabric was just cheap from Walthamstow market (I want to wait until I'm more confident in my sewing skills before I ...

Out of all the sewing I managed to get through during my week off this is the project I am most pleased with. I made this using Salme patterns Peplum Skirt pattern. I was so excited to find this lovely little independent pattern company earlier in the year. Their patterns are simple and classic encouraging the use of well chosen fabrics and at the same time their simplicity gives you room for a lot of playing around with the shape and style, adding your own details. I chose this particular pattern because I thought it was given a classy twist with the unique style of peplum. As the peplum sits fairly flat to the body I thought this would be more wearable on a day to day basis than some skirts and dresses I'd seen on the high street with voluminous peplums at the hip which might look fantastic for a night out but not so practical for wrapping up in a raincoat! As I'm a fairly novice seamstress I decided to just stick with the pattern exactly as provided and to use some...