Diary of a Chain Stitcher

I needed a little break from sewing up scrubs for the NHS (if you'd like to volunteer your time to do so too then please take a look at the For the Love of Scrubs group on Facebook to find the co-ordinator for your area and more information) so turned to my ultimate sewing palette cleanser, the Ogden Cami from True Bias . It might seem a little nuts to take a break from sewing with more sewing but I just felt like I needed to sew something that wasn't scrubs for a moment and a quick and satisfying project which I'd made multiple times before fit the bill perfectly. As I was sewing it up I was listening to the recent Love To Sew Podcast episode about TNT patterns and it got me thinking about what other patterns I turn to again and again. Either because they are so versatile, get worn so much or are a great blank canvas for pattern hacking. I'm sure many of you like me are turning to both fabric and pattern stashes for inspiration at the moment while we can't ge...

I hope you've had a wonderful festive season with your loved ones and are looking forward to the new year! I'm kicking it off with a bit of a change and am sorry to say that this is going to be the last Indie Pattern Update I will be writing. The indie sewing community has developed at an astonishing rate over the years I have been writing these posts...which is of course something to be celebrated! But it has left me struggling to keep up with all the news alongside an increasingly hectic work schedule and personal life and I've been finding myself with less and less time to sew and blog. As I'm travelling in January and February I won't be able to post an update so I've unfortunately decided that that is a good time to finish up. I'll definitely miss writing these and the interaction with you guys about the new designs but I will be sharing some of my favourite new releases in my Instagram Stories from time to time if you'd like to follow me the...

Following the hug October round-up this one feels almost as big! This month designers seem to have been focusing on providing us with lots of advice for sewing their new designs with handy tutorials and sew-alongs being posted. This is one of my favourite aspects of the indie pattern design community, the support and care provided to help you make something beautiful that you'll love. I learnt to sew using indie patterns and wouldn't have progressed anywhere near as quickly without the wealth of online help that is out there. Indie designers I appreciate all the hard work and time you put into creating this content! As well as the sew-alongs many designers had big Black Friday sales. I picked up a couple of patterns I'd had my eye on, did you? New Patterns Louis Antoinette Paris released the Swing Dress and Blouse which has a classic shift shape with dramatic sleeves gathered into the shoulder and cuffs plus optional patch pockets. Great to showcase a ...

Happy Halloween everyone! The end of October already. The indie sewing community has certainly been embracing the changing season; this month's update includes more new pattern releases than ever before! I've been eagerly eyeing up the new designs for my winter wardrobe and my travel sewing plans which I discussed here on the blog last week. The colder weather has hit London and it is the perfect time to stay indoors, stay cosy and spend some quality time with your sewing machine! New Patterns Thread Theory  released two patterns for men's jeans! The  Fulford Jeans  have a classic regular cut and straight leg with a fairly high rise and the  Quadra Jeans  have a more modern slim fit with a slightly tapered leg and have a moderately low rise. If you're struggling to decide which is the right pattern for you they wrote a  very handy post  about the differences between the two patterns to help you choose. New from Seamwork are the Dani P...