Clockwise from top left: Nita Wrap Skirt, Waver Jacket, Culotte jumpsuit, Turia Dungarees, Yona Coat

Nita Wrap Skirt in pleather
My 2nd Nita after the first I did as a pattern tester, and I was quite adventurous (maybe naive) in my fabric choice, having never sewn in faux leather before. It's a million miles from perfect and it was a tough sew, but I love it and it's my go to skirt to wear out for dinner/drinks! Number 3 is well overdue.

Papercut Patterns Waver Jacket
My first attempt at outerwear and the garment that really made me think 'woahhhh I can actually do this'! Made in wax cotton with a jazzy lining; I'm sure it'll get wear for years to come.

By Hand London Flora Culotte jumpsuit hack
Combining my love for the B6178 culottes with a proper fitting bodice that I spent much time toile-ing and adjusting. It's not exactly a wear-on-every-occasion number, but it made an appearance at a summer wedding.

Named Clothing Yona Coat
I feel like I may have been overly critical about the Yona in my original blog post, but my love for it grows with (much) wear. The wool is so warm and soft and I still can't believe I MADE A PROPER COAT!

Pauline Alice Turia Dungaree Dress
My second pair of Turia dungarees, made with a few adjustments, some super careful topstitching, and a lot of consideration over the finish of the garment. I've worn them all summer and through to winter, swapping light tops for Rise/Fall Turtlenecks layered underneath.

And not forgetting the ones that didn't make the list but almost did - my first Inari Tee Dress in black suedette, and my much used and loved Radiant Home Studio Retro Rucksack.


And now for a look at what's to come... here's my 2017 make nine:

L-R, top row: McCall's M7249, WATG clutch, Vogue 8956; middle row: denim trench, winter coat, denim wrap skirt; bottom row: McCall's 6991, Kielo Wrap Dress facing tutorial, Rosie Martin's No Patterns Needed

1. McCall's M7249 dress
I had big plans to make this in wine coloured velvet before Christmas, but never quite found the perfect fabric or the time to squeeze it in, so it's a roll over. One of my oldest friends is getting married in September - the first of our school gang! - so I think view D, without the contrast would make a pretty special dress for the occasion. And despite making my dress now being the norm, it still gives me the excuse to buy outrageous new shoes right?!

2. Wool and the Gang clutch
I've been admiring the WATG knitted purses for a while now, and particularly like the ones they stocked as a part of the &OtherStories collab. Luckily for me, I snapped up the 'Tender Loving Clutch Kit' in the post-Christmas sale with the Beetlejuice yarn. I bought an extra cone of the 'Jersey be Good' yarn in grey and peach for seconds and thirds too!
The sale's still on if you get in there quick!

3. Vogue 8956 skirt
I came across this pattern recently having seen a great version made up by @sweeetbitter84 on Instagram (Erica Bunker sewed up a fab one here too). It's a pretty good match for recreating this skirt I saw on Pinterest, but would make a great Vivienne Westwood knock off in check/tartan too!

Skirt by Yohji Yamamoto

4. Denim Trench Coat 
After all the fun of sewing the Waver Jacket and Yona Coat, I've been feeling the need for a new outerwear challenge, and this one really will be a challenge! I bought the Named Clothing Isla Trench Coat with their advent discount, and although I want a classic Mac, I'm desperate to make one that has just a slight edge like the denim one worn in the street-style snap above. If I can pull it off, I'll hopefully be wearing it come Spring!

5. The PERFECT winter coat (does is exist???)
I've been pinning my faves to a Coat Inspo board for a while, but I just can't seem to decide on what makes the perfect Winter Coat. I know it needs to be longer than the Yona Coat, and I'm thinking something a bit oversized (though as much as I like the one pictured above, I can't really see me in pink). Luckily I've got a coat to last for the time being, and quite a while to decide.

Coat Inspo board

6. Denim Nita Wrap Skirt
Again, an image from Pinterest. I'm not sure where my sudden interest in denim has come from (I never wear jeans) but the mid-length Sew DIY Nita would look perfect in denim blue. In fact, I'd be up for making another Talvikki Sweater in orange too to copy the whole look!

7. McCall's 6991 shirt
One of two patterns I chose as a prize for winning star make from The Fold Line. It doesn't look like too much from the cover, but when I looked at the line drawings, it was spot on for copying a couple of old blouses I bought years ago from Topshop. I'll skip the pocket on the front and make it in solid, block colour.

8. Kielo Wrap Dress with facing
I've slowed down on making the Kielo this year, but I'm keen to try sewing up a new one using the new facing tutorial. My first and long-time favourite Kielo's fabric is on it's way out, so I'll be looking for a nice crepe with a similarly good drape for the replacement.

9. More from No Patterns Needed
So much to make, so little time! I haven't had time to squeeze in more than the Deep V Tunic from Rosie Martin's book since I picked it up in late summer. I really enjoyed the process of drafting the pattern based on my measurements, so I'd love to give the book's Asymmetric Mini Skirt, Drip Drape Skirt, or Insert Skirt a try.

No Patterns Needed Drip Drape Skirt variation

And finally... venturing out and meeting sewing friends IRL across the year has probably had the most impact - sewing can be a solitary hobby, even with help of Insta/blog/other social platforms, so it's nice to immerse my real physical self in the real life world of fabric buying, chatting patterns and general loveliness! Thanks to everyone who I've met for being so friendly (and encouraging me to buy the fabric I was probably umming and ahhing about) and hope to see you all again and meet many more crafty people in 2017!

My B6244 pattern hack

In Sew Style!

I wasn't really sure what to expect when I agreed to take part, but when the the package arrived I was pleasantly surprised! The fabric is a lovely checked Edinburgh tweed from Minerva Crafts (thankfully there was plenty enough to make up my fairly out-there hack come to life). I was asked to make the dress from the Lisette B6244: a fairly straight-forward garment with contrast side panels and yokes. It's not something I'd normally pick, but it's a simple enough design to jazz up with an unusual hack.

Lisette Butterick B6244

Vivienne Westwood inspiration and some sketches

Muslin and first draping practice

Close up of the fabric

Lining stage

The finished thing might just get the prize for weirdest garment I've ever made, but I quite like it. The shoulder drape is removable, so if I'm not feeling outrageous enough for the full on thing, I can at least wear the dress on it's own. I've been mostly wearing it layered over a Rise Turtleneck, sans shoulder drape, but when the occasion calls for it, I'll be there in the full, slightly-over-the-top, thing!

All dressed up for work on a Monday

Thank you to my friend Sara for patiently taking LOADS of pictures, and helping me to pick the best ones to send in for the feature. As a bonus, on the day these photos were taken, someone paid me the ultimate compliment by telling me my dress looked 'very Vivienne Westwood' (yay!).

Drape close up!

Back view

Colour! Fab photos thanks to my friend Kerry :)

Favourites first: I've made the Papercut Patterns Rise Turtleneck many times, but never tried out it's looser fitting, drop-shouldered, roll neck sister (the Fall Turtleneck) until now and I love it! I made it up in the perfect green-yellow jersey from Goldbrick Fabrics on Goldhawk Road. I often think good quality jersey is difficult to come by - recommendations welcome! - but this is lovely, and it washed really well too. If only I lived closer, I'd never be seen in black because I'd be buying a new colour every weekend! I sized down to a small as it's quite roomy and added an inch to the length of the sleeves and body.

Hand knit hat with Toft-topper!

Also snapped is a newly knitted ribbed hat from a vintage pattern. I have no patience with knitting, so this is as good as it gets for me. I was spurred on knowing that the angora-mix wool I used was a good match for my Yona coat, and by the promise of topping the finished thing with the Toft alpaca fur pompom I bought at the Knit and Stitch Show. My new hat and turtleneck are worn here with the Yona Coat, a previously unblogged Simplicity 2154 pencil skirt, and canny matching shoes and nails - clearly I've found a 'colour of the season'...

Inari in Ray Stitch gold viscose foil

And finally, I had to include what is possibly my liveliest make ever - the GOLDEN Inari Tee Dress. Thanks Karen of Did you Make That? for the super shiny dress inspiration, and signposting to some totally fabulous fabrics, one being this gold viscose foil from Ray Stitch. It sews up really well, and makes a pretty err... blinding statement garment! It's not the most flattering, but it brought me great joy wearing it, and the whole ambiguity around 'is it Christmas fancy dress?' or 'a serious outfit?' generated some great reactions at work hahaha (ho-ho-ho).

My first winter coat!

I committed to making a winter coat a while back - even recycling my old one to give me 'the fear'. Without really knowing what style I wanted, or scouting out suitable fabrics available to buy, I impulse-bought the most beautiful, textured, dark aubergine, wool mix (70% wool, 30% polyamide) from Barry's whilst at Sew Brum. I bought 2.5m (at £13.95 p/m) with the encouragement from my fellow Sew-Brum-ers that it should be enough to make my mystery coat. The pattern choice came later, and again, I wasn't really sure what I was looking for. I plumped for the Yona in the end, as a bit of a safe bet (I'm fairly confident in the fit of Named patterns/using their instructions).

Named Clothing Yona Wrap Coat

Having sewed up my first piece of outerwear quite recently - the Waver Jacket - I was perhaps a little less daunted than I usually would be with a big project like this. There was quite a bit of prep involved - as there was with the Waver - including applying more interfacing than I've ever used in one garment. By chance, I'd also read The Thrifty Stitcher's Tips for Making Winter Coats post, which I would 100% recommend checking out. The recommendation for using a walking foot to tackle the bulky layers is definitely one to put into action.

Walking foot/pocket sewing action

The pockets were quite difficult to attach neatly, whilst ensuring that none of the pocket lining was exposed. I made this just a little bit more difficult for myself by choosing a super-contrasting gold lining (the boldest they had in Fabworks). If you look very closely at a funny angle, you'll probably see some gold peaking out in places, but I can live with that.

A close up of the shaping on the collar/lapels

Attaching the facing, shell and collar together has to be one of the most challenging bits of sewing I have ever undertaken. The bulk of all those layers really tested me and my machine to the limits, and I definitely had to attempt it more than once. The pattern doesn't suggest it, but I would recommend hand basting the whole thing together before starting. In hindsight, it seems like an amateur move from me for not doing it to start with and just following the instructions blindly, but hey, you live and learn!

Lining flash  - worn with Inari Tee Dress & Rise Turtleneck

Lining flash 2

The rest of the coat came together pretty quickly. I had a bit of difficulty matching and inserting the lining - there seemed to be excess lining fabric at the front/top of the facing that I had to ease stitch in, and not enough notches! I was more nervous about turning the whole coat out due to previous bagging out confusions, but had no problems at all. One thing I will take into consideration in future is choosing a better quality lining fabric. Having seen how easily this one frayed while working with it, I now understand how the lining on some high street coats ends up shredding after a while.

My 'not sure about this belt' face

Now to explain the title of the post, and my one big dislike about the coat: the wrap belt. As a fastening, I just don't think it sits well in balance with the length of the coat, and the soft cocoon shape of the body. The finished garment is shorter than I anticipated, so I would add a good few inches if I was to make it again - maybe then I would be happier about the wrap belt? On the plus side, I love the coat shape when it's worn open.

I would like to add some sort of discreet fastening to hold it closed at the centre front - what do you think would be the best option?

Side view

Back shot, and also capturing the back of my beloved new boots

Despite some mixed feelings about the finished thing, I'm still very proud that I made a proper winter coat. And what's to stop me from making another one? Or another few? A coat for every occasion..! I've probably over-analysed the challenging aspects of the coat in this post, but it really was a learning curve, and I'm glad I chose the Yona pattern - my familiarity with Named patterns helped to bridge the gap with my total unfamiliarity with coat sewing.

Velvet jackt - Zara

Thank you Chris for taking pictures xx

I'll be wearing it with pride, and it's also a relief to know that I won't see someone else wearing the same coat on the walk to work everyday (it's definitely happened before)! I 'accidentally' bought 3m of grey leopard print wool at the Knit and Stitch Show this weekend - it might be a long time in the works, but any suggestions for a pattern I can use it with to make my next coat?

My first Inari!

I finally picked up the pattern in an attempt to replicate this amazing dress I saw on Instagram. Very chic, very COS, no? With the simple addition of a couple of ties, the Inari was the perfect pattern to make my inspiration come to life.

Insta inspiration courtesy of @alanamacleod

I used a black suedette from Samuel Taylor's in Leeds - purchased at Sew Up North (more on that later!). It was only £4.99 per metre, so a great low cost/low risk option for trying out a new silhouette and my first suede-look garment. It was really easy to work with, and the texture, although difficult to see on the pictures, adds an extra bit of interest to an otherwise quite plain dress.

The Inari is one of the easiest and most straightforward garments I've made in a long time. From start to finish, the whole sew time was only about 3 hours. For the waist ties, I cut and made them based on the Kielo Wrap Dress laces (just a bit shorter in length). The side tie is sandwiched and stitched between the side seams, and the centre front tie is attached in the way you might attach a bag strap - I think it sort of works.

Close up of the dress and all my layers because the UK is currently freezing!

I did have a slight problem with sizing, which actually meant I made the dress up twice... I originally made a UK 12, which was perfect for standing still, but pulled in an unsightly way across the bust, arms and back as soon as I moved/tried to wildly gesture. It's my fault for assuming it would be a roomy-enough fit to select the size based only on the finished measurements. The too-small version will hopefully find a loving home with one of my friends very soon though, so every cloud...

Thank you to Sara for taking photos!

I think it's turned out pretty Cos-like, which is great as I'm currently doing all I can to counter the temptation to spend/fulfill all the 'I could make that' statements I throw out there when visiting the new Cos store in Leeds. Plus, it cost £7.50 to make, rather than £75 *smug face*. The narrow fit on the shoulders/top balances out the relaxed waist much more than I expected, and I'm really enjoying wearing it, both on it's own, and layered over the Rise Turtleneck like in these photos. My boyfriend told me it looked 'edgy' and 'cooler than what you normally wear'... so I guess I'll take that as a compliment?!

Sew Up North smiles with Amy, Angela, Hannah, Hayley, Sharon and Becca

And I couldn't resist including just a couple of highlights from last weekend's fab Sew Up North. A huge thanks to Becca and Sally for organising such a brilliant day! I was super reserved fabric-shopping-wise - I am a Leeds local after all, so I thought I'd let everyone else take their pick - but I couldn't help grabbing more suedette in a rusty orange/red. I can't wait to make a second version of the Inari with it (incorporating the waist ties again) and many more after that!

My finished Pulmu