Diary of a Chain Stitcher

I'm going to start this post with a confession. I didn't expect to like this dress as much as I do! I loved the style of the Closet Core Patterns Pauline Dress from the moment it was released but I wasn't 100% sure whether the design would suit my proportions. I'm so glad I pushed those doubts to the back of my mind though as I absolutely adore it! 

I usually tend to start with the pattern when I'm planning sewing projects. I'm either inspired by the pattern itself or by a style of garment and then find a pattern to match or hack. However, on this occasion I started with the fabric and am so pleased I did as this has turned into one of the most joyous items of clothing in my wardrobe! A couple of months ago Polina from Good Fabric reached out to me to see I would be interested in reviewing a fabric from her online store. I was very happy to have the opportunity to work with her as all of the fabrics she stocks have a variety of sustainable and eco-friendly credentials and are drop dead gorgeous to boot!

The team at The New Craft House asked me to join their ambassador team a couple of months ago and I was really excited by the prospect of working with their fabrics. All the fabrics they stock are deadstock and sourced from local designers. Deadstock fabrics are left over once collections have been manufactured, which means when buying this fabric you are using up waste products rather than buying 'new'. I've been thinking a lot about the sustainability of my sewing recently, given that I like to sew a lot. Looking in to where your fabrics come from and have been manufactured can be quite a daunting process so buying deadstock is a straightforward place to start.

My first post of 2021 is actually about a project I made last year but never got around to posting. I was tempted to just forget about blogging about it (despite having taken and edited the photos) as I can't remember making it all that well. But as I mentioned in a recent post I've actually found reflecting on a garment after a few wears quite interesting and constructive.

This dress was born from a desire for more dresses which would work worn with dark tights and boots. I've got a good number of summery dresses which get a lot of wear during bare legs season but so often throughout winter feel a bit of a mess just through need to be warm and comfortable. Sometimes I feel like I've focused so hard on sewing practical garments I need and will get a lot of wear out of that my wardrobe has become rather boring, particularly in winter! Does anyone else feel the same?

This is another slightly spontaneous sewing project which wasn't initially on my plans for summer. I don't usually have a tendency to jump on a pattern the instant it is released. I'm one of those sewers who likes to sit back and see it made in a few different fabrics and on a few different body shapes first. Particularly when it is a pattern from a company I haven't used before. However, I've been totally sucked into the square neck with big sleeves trend of this summer and when Stitch Witch Patterns released the Tudor Blouse I knew it was for me! It felt slightly more accessible as a way to dip my toe into the trend rather than a full on dramatic dress. Plus I'd identified that I needed some more tops to go with the high waisted skirts and trousers in my wardrobe.

I try really hard to put thought into my projects and sew practical clothing which is going to earn its place in my wardrobe. However, sometimes I just cannot resist a gloriously frivolous make which I've chosen to sew just because I WANT to. This project today is one of those. I deliberated over how much I would actually get to wear it and whether it was the best use of this beautiful piece of viscose before thinking 'sod it' and diving in. Let me tell you that was an excellent spontaneous decision. I loved every single second of making this skirt and I love the final outcome so much that it is inspiring me to get more dressed up every sunny day of this summer!

If asked if I usually start a project with the pattern or the fabric I'd say pattern 90% of the time. I don't often buy fabric without a specific garment in mind but this is one of those fabrics I just couldn't resist and ended up on a hunt for the perfect pattern to pair it with. Viscose is one of my absolute favourite fabrics to sew with and wear. It is comfortable, breathable, drapes beautifully and is not too fancy to wear day to day. Whenever I see it in a wearable print I love I snap it up. I had a little preview of the new additions to Fabric Godmother 's range of reproduction vintage prints at a trade show earlier this year and fell head over heels in love with this one. My obsession must have been obvious as Josie offered to send me some to sew up when the new designs were released.

The project I'm sharing with you today is a bit of a sewing fail. I don't often write a project off as a fail but persist until it turns into something that I can love and wear but I don't think there is anything I can do to save this one! I'll be writing it off as a toile that taught me a lesson and moving on. The pattern (the Solina Top from the Breaking The Pattern book from Named Clothing ) is gorgeous. And the fabric (a viscose crepe in a beautiful deep navy from Atelier Brunette ) is equally gorgeous. They are unfortunately not so gorgeous together. The fault is entirely mine as I didn't read through and think through the construction of this top before taking the plunge. If I had done I would have realised that the style would benefit from a fabric with a bit more body and structure than this very delicate crepe. Looking at the images in the book I presumed that the top was loose fitting and cinched in at the waist by the ties. The ties are actually s...

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 ...

The  True Bias Shelby Dress pattern has been on my radar for a while. I love the nineties grungy vibes! However, it took until last month for it to get made and find a place in my wardrobe as I had a hard time finding the fabric I wanted. I really wanted a viscose, the drape of which would make the most of the movement in that full panelled skirt. I also wanted a print rather than a solid but didn't want anything too twee and girly as the Shelby style is already quite feminine. Viscose prints I want to wear are very hard to come by! I mulled over a fair few from Fabric Godmother (who do stock a really good selection of viscose and rayon including their own vintage inspired prints) before stumbling upon just the thing on the Guthrie & Ghani stand at The Stitch Festival . This was only at the end of February but the thought of being at a big crowded event like that such a short time ago seems so surreal to me now. I had initially thought I wouldn't want a flo...

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...

Hello readers, it has been a while! An extremely busy few months of long hours at work has left me with limited time to sew and often little motivation to do so. When I have been sewing I've had two quite big projects to work on (more on these soon!) which has seen my sewing output dwindle considerably. The project I'm sharing with you today is actually quite a quick make which I finished before my sewing slump but it has seen a considerable amount of wear since then! This is the Evie Bias Skirt from Tessuti and I'm not sure what possessed me to make it as it is quite a departure from my every day style of late! I think I kept seeing gorgeous versions on Instagram and as I've only had great experiences with Tessuti patterns previously this tempted me to give it a try. It is such an easy to wear shape and dresses up or down well too. The only slight niggle I have with it is that I don't love the bias cut over the tummy area so pick and choose my days when I f...