Diary of a Chain Stitcher

The project I have to share with you today has been on quite the adventure with me over the last couple of months! This is the Desmond Roll Top Backpack from Taylor Tailor and I have definitely tested my workmanship and the pattern to the full, using it almost every day when travelling around Southern Africa and the Philippines. The picture below is at Victoria Falls and further down is another of the pack in use at Blyde River Canyon in South Africa  It has also been with me on boat trips and hikes including to the top of the second highest waterfall in the world! Now I am home it is in daily use again travelling around London for work and it has proved to be a great backpack for all purposes. I chose a lovely warm red waxed cotton from Cloth House on Berwick Street and all the hardware and webbing straps I bought in a kit from Guthrie & Ghani . I'd spotted these kits at the Knitting & Stitching Show in October but been too indecisive about it to buy on the ...

At almost a month on from Christmas (already?!) I though it was high time I showed you the handmade gifts I sewed up this year. I was lucky to have a fairly quiet run up to the festive season at work so was fairly ambitious with my unselfish sewing but have learnt from giving myself to much to do in previous years! I started early, tried to choose projects I knew wouldn't be too problematic and limited myself to only making for people when I thought of something I could make that they would REALLY like and use. As a result I thoroughly enjoyed the whole process of making each of these things. I think the most fun part of sewing for others is getting to make items and use fabrics that you wouldn't necessarily choose for yourself and the idea started with the fabric for nearly all of these projects. First up a special tote bag for my Dad who is an avid vinyl record collector. I have a few second hand vinyl stores in the area I live in so whenever he comes to visit we always...

I've got a project slightly different to my normal dressmaking to share with you today, it's a bag and a fun print! The pattern is the Genoa Tote which Pattern Fantastique released in collaboration with Blogless Anna a couple of months back and the bamboo print fabric was sent to me by fabric printing company Fashion Formula ; more on that in a moment! It looks like a super simple tote but there's actually more to it than it may seem, being fully lined with a zipped pouch and key clip inside. You end up with a very professionally finished bag and you can tell that the best method for construction has been well thought through. For example as one of the final steps the box corners of the lining and exterior are secured together inside to keep the lining from shifting around which is a lovely touch. The top edge of the bag is faced and under-stitched so you have a nice clean top edge. I had great fun picking a fabric from the Fashion Formula website. You can create yo...