Diary of a Chain Stitcher

I, like many others it would seem, loved the unique design of the Saguaro Set from Friday Pattern Company as soon as it was released. Fashionable secret pyjamas at their finest. I like that FPC designs always have a sense of fun to them. I did have a few doubts about how much I would enjoy wearing an outfit which flashed a bit of midriff as it’s not an area I love, but I’m pleased I took the plunge as this is cleverly drafted to sit in just the right spot so that I don't feel too exposed at all.

I really enjoyed making my top version of Birgitta Helmersson’s  Zero Waste Gather Dress last year and decided it was about time I tried another. This is the ZW Block Pant . Her patterns don't come with much in the way of pattern pieces (this time it was just a patch pocket and template for shape at the hem) and instead instructions to draw out the pattern pieces on your fabric. It is really fun to do something a bit differently when you've done as much sewing as I have. I also like that drawing it out really helps you to understand the drafting and how it all works together. The key to making a pattern zero waste is tessellating the pattern pieces so that you don't have any scraps left over. In this instance the interior of the crotch curve for the patch pockets and the back legs are formed of two pieces with a seam just under the bum.

I've been a little uninspired to sew of late. I always find my sew-jo has a little lull in the winter months. I find the warmer weather so much more exciting to sew for and I can feel my motivation creeping back with the first bulbs peeking up at this time of year. However, I have recently added two winning winter garments to my wardrobe which have seen a lot of wear since I finished them in January.

At the turn of the New Year my sew-jo was lacking. I was enjoying planning my #makenine challenge choices and hunting through my fabric and pattern stash but couldn't find the motivation to actually get on the machine. I eventually persuaded myself to cut out a bunch of fairly simple and quick knit projects and that turned out to be just the thing to get me excited about sewing again! Completing a few straight-forward projects was really satisfying, plus comfy jersey clothes are all I want to be wearing right now in lockdown. Actually being able to wear the garments as soon as the final stitch had gone in was motivating. Has anyone else found themselves feeling like making 'going out' or work clothes is a bit pointless of late? Without anywhere to wear my more involved projects the shine was slightly wearing off.

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.

After my last post reviewing a project made from a sewing book I've got something else a little out of the ordinary from me today; a project from a sewing magazine! These are the Jasmin Trousers from the latest edition of Fibre Mood . Each edition of the magazine contains around 14-15 sewing and knitting patterns, some with multiple variations. When browsing through those included with issue 9 the Jasmin Trousers jumped out as effortlessly chic and wearable and also interesting to sew with that paper-bag style waist and belt. From afar they look like a solid purple/grey colour but they are in fact made with a black, red and ivory houndstooth wool suiting from The New Craft House . My original plan was to use some pale pink linen but I was worried that the wrinkly, rumpled nature of linen wouldn't suit this paperboy style. I felt like it needed something a little sleeker with a tighter structure that would hold the shape well. Then I remembered this suiting which I'v...

After all those garments from my holiday wardrobe I've got something more seasonally appropriate to share with you today...an entirely woollen outfit! The Mandy Boat Tee is a free pattern download from Tessuti Fabrics which is very popular with sewists online. I'm sure many of you have made one already! I've finally jumped on the Mandy train and am wondering what took me so long when I am such a fan of Tessuti's pattern drafting and suggested construction techniques. This top is a slouchy knit style with boat neck, dropped shoulders and close fitting three quarter or full length sleeves. It is a very quick sew and so so easy to wear! I like to wear mine with a high waisted bottom and a french tuck - very Tan France! I think I had been tentative about making this top (despite the rave reviews) as I tend to prefer a more figure skimming silhouette. I'm quite petite and don't go straight up and down so always feel a bit swamped in 'oversized' or ...

When we decided to head back to Africa again this winter one of the things I knew for sure that I wanted to add to my handmade holiday wardrobe was a pair of harem style loose fitting cuffed trousers. A lightweight and breathable pair of full length bottoms with an elasticated hem to keep the mosquitos off in the evenings. Initially I went on a pattern hunt for a simple shape of harem pant. As I was on quite a tight turn around time I wanted a PDF pattern that I could download and get started on right away which limited options to indie designs. This turned out to be surprising hard to find! I hunted through the whole Foldline database of trouser patterns before deciding I was going to have to add my own elasticated hem to a straight/wide legged trouser pattern. I didn't want anything too voluminous but did want a bit of width in the leg to create a nice billow at the bottom where the elasticated hem pulls it in. I was looking at a number of options including the Paper Theory...

If you follow me on Instagram you might have seen that Ed and I went back to Africa for a couple of weeks in January. Ed has spent a lot of time in a number of countries there but last year's big trip to Botswana and South Africa was my first and I completely fell in love with the continent. We couldn't resist returning and this time travelled around Uganda, again camping in a tent attached to the roof of our hired 4WD. The absolute best way to experience the wilds of Africa! We had another amazing experience including trekking to see the mountain gorillas in Bwindi and the chimpanzees in Kibale plus a whole heap of other adventures on our self drive safari. I'll write another post with more details of our itinerary if anyone is interested but for now I'll try to stick to the sewing!

I'm really excited to share this project with you today. I finished these overalls a week ago and have already worn them three times; the sign of a successful garment! Sarah from Like Sew Amazing offered me some fabric from her online store to try and this beautiful bottle green corduroy was an obvious choice for me the second I saw it. Corduroy is everywhere on the high street at the moment and perfect for this time of year, particularly in rich autumnal hues like this. Sarah also has a wine, purple and some beautiful floral prints on warm, dark bases in stock at the moment. I was really happy with the fabric when it arrived. It has a nice sheen like a cotton velvet and is quite chunky with a wale of 8. The wale is the number of ridges in an inch and 8 is quite low. Something like a needlecord would have a much higher wale closer to twenty. Despite the width of the wale the fabric itself is not overly thick and is beautifully soft. Some corduroys can be a little stiff. ...

Say hello to my new favourite trousers! I'm not quite sure where the idea for these came from. They're one of those projects that fester away in the back of your brain for a long time and when you finally get around to making them then turn out to be so much better than you initially hoped! I ordered this beautiful tartan wool suiting from The Fabric Store back in January with a pair of classic trousers in mind. My intention was initially slim fitting cigarette pants and I was thinking about using the Sew Over It Ultimate Trousers . However, I personally have a bit of a love/hate relationship with this pattern; in that I LOVE the style and idea of them on me but I have had a total nightmare trying to fit them. I've had two goes at them but each time have fallen down a rabbit hole of alterations, none of which seem to help or if the adjustment does make a positive difference it seems to have a negative effect elsewhere. I've even tried changing the crotch curve of...