Desperately seeking...

By Hand London
... sewing inspiration! I had last week off work with the intention of getting a load of sewing done, but after finishing my third Simple Sew Lottie blouse, I thought I needed a bit of a creative kick up the arse.



Don't get me wrong, I love the pattern and finished blouse is so easy to wear. I did add sleeves this time to bust some scraps from this earlier version I made for a friend. They actually turned out much better than I expected! I thought I was going to have to add cuffs but the almost billowing sleeves work pretty well with the paisley - 70s vibes, and nice and breezy, think its my favourite version yet!


So in other non-Lottie related sewing news, I went to London and got to pay a visit to The Cornershop, a newsagents brimming with hand sewn goods! The whole effort has been lovingly crafted by artist Lucy Sparrow, who was also acting store manager for the duration of The Cornershop's opening in August. Here I am outside (wearing my collared Megan dress!).



I asked Lucy the question that most people probably asked: 'how long did it take you to make everything?' And she replied with SEVEN MONTHS! Now that is dedication, and she was even  making up orders at the (sewn felt) till point - that's right, you can actually buy everything in the shop! 



So here are some shots of the shelves. If you squint, or like me, don't bother wearing the glasses that you're meant to wear, then the products look like they belong in a genuine corner shop.







So feeling suitably inspired by sheer commitment to the sewing lifestyle, I left, craving a bag of cheese and onion crisps - not sure if it was the felt or potato version though. You can find out more about the project and visit the online Cornershop here.

Next up I found myself visiting Raystitch in Angel/Islington where I was absolutely IN MY ELEMENT! It's the stuff that my sewing dreams are made of - so many beautiful Japanese printed fabrics, sewing books, patterns and general sewing paraphernalia. I had a lovely chat about indie sewing patterns and sewing blogs with the assistant, and walked away with two beauties...



Some serious sewing - well muslin making - is on the cards. I've never tried a By Hand London or Dear and Doe pattern before, so I'm really excited - though I could spend all day just looking at them and the beautiful packaging!

First up though, one I've been talking about making for ages. I finally made a start on the Mimi blouse from Love at First Stitch. Will post about the finished garment hopefully very soon!   


An inbetween-projects Lottie

finished project
As a brief interlude to all the Love at First Stitch sewing I've been doing (see my latest, the Megan dress here) I've had a go at something that was familiar, but also a little bit different. I've made the Simple Sew Lottie blouse before, but this time I made it as a gift for somebody else. 


I made this Paisley version for my oldest friend's birthday - by oldest I mean I've known her for longer than any other friend, she's not that old! Its quite an easy, loose fit so I thought it would be a pretty safe option, as I've never made a garment for someone else before. I picked a colourful, drapey viscose, and I think its worked pretty well.


The matching bias binding that finishes the front of a neckline was a it of a bitch to make in the viscose. There were many expletives uttered and a few burns along the way as it just WOULD NOT PRESS, but once I got over that, it was quite quick to finish. I love the finish of the matching bias binding though, so I am considering getting a bias binding maker and trying this technique out a bit more.


This time, I changed the way that I attached the neck tie. If you follow the instructions, you end up with the raw edges that constantly try to escape from their place - tucked under the neck tie - when the top is worn. I attached the neck tie as if it was a waistband, sewing it to the blouse with right sides together and pressing the inside seam allowance under, before folding it over and carefully slip stitching in place. This worked like magic and gave a much neater and more professional finish.


I did buy enough fabric to make myself a second Lottie - of course - so I will definitely repeating this trick with the neck tie.

Anyway, here it is all wrapped up (with another present too). I hope she likes it!




A Modified Megan

finished project
In between hen dos, birthdays, weddings and babies (it's been a busy month!) something very exciting happened... I got a new sewing machine! I've been looking for the right one for a while, and I've finally upgraded from my little Janome half size to a grown up Janome model, much more appropriate for the amount of dressmaking I do.  


Having just finished my first project on the new and improved machine, I can't quite believe how I managed with the half size DMX100 Petite for so long. I'd recommend it for small crafts/bunting/etc, but the new machine is so much better for more complex projects. I feel like my sewing skills have improved no end - the things that technology can do eh?

A new machine called for some fancy fabrics. I bought these two in the John Lewis clearance, and although they weren't that cheap by my standards, it was totally worth it for the quality. The top one is called 'Modern Animal' - ooo-er. It's a 97% cotton, 3% spandex mix and absolutely perfect for making the Megan dress from Tilly Walne's Love at First Stitch. 


Using an unfamiliar machine and such lovely fabric meant that I couldn't really get away with not making a muslin. If you read my earlier posts, you'll probably know that I haven't got a lot of patience for that sort of thing, despite having a ridiculously out of proportion bust measurement that usually requires some sort of adjustment. I'm quite glad I made a muslin in the end, as I did have to make some small changes. The dart tucks under the bust actually work really well, but on me they sort of got lost in the wilderness of the under boob - see unflattering picture below, not great! - so I added an inch to the length of the bodice, bringing them a little bit closer to my waist.


The machine came with loads of different feet, I actually had to consult the instruction book to work out what I was doing! Once I'd got my bearings though, it was pretty simple. And I've now got the best finished seams around, thanks to the overcasting foot, which is pretty amazing! It lets you run a zig zag stitch right at the edge, and has a little notch to guide you down the fabric. I'd say this is the best way to finish a seam if you haven't got an overlocker - I haven't stepped up my game quite that much yet. 


My housemate suggested I modify the Megan dress to make it a bit more 'me' by adding a collar. There were times in the making where I wish I hadn't done this, but now it's finished I'm really glad I did. I drafted a peter pan shaped collar pattern which was roughly based on the Elegant Musings one that I spoke about here. I then basted it in place at the neckline, and sandwiched it between the facing. The fabric is pretty thick anyway, so no need to interface the collar. I was worried about the extra bulk, but some clever grading just about sorted it out. 


I had quite a big issue with fit when it came round to inserting the zip. I think it was in partly down to the fabric having a little bit of stretch, but really it was just a bit too big. Much to my despair, I had to spend an evening unpicking my beautifully inserted concealed zip - first one with a zipper foot too! - and cutting a good couple of inches off  at the centre back seam. The collar caused me great annoyance in this too as it ended up being too long for the corrected back seam. I ended up having to cut a fair bit off of that too, finishing it by folding the raw edges in and top stitching it closed.


I was very determined with this one though, and once I had the zip back in, I just knew I'd got the fit spot on. It was definitely worth the effort. The final push was setting in the sleeves. They have little gathers on the top, which made it a little bit tricky to sew, but definitely not unmanageable. I think they absolutely make the dress too, I love them.


And so finally, here's what I'm going to class as my first venture in to real-life, adult sewing machine, dressmaker territory: my finished, and slightly modified Megan Dress.



I've sang the praises of Tilly's patterns before, and the only difference with this one is that I probably love it a little bit more! This is the sort of dress that I want to wear all the time - when I'm at work, when I'm out for drinks - it's just fab. I'd recommend it for anyone, from beginner level to the advanced sewist, and as a bonus, it actually takes very little fabric - I have loads of this John Lewis stuff leftover to stash, which is definitely not a bad thing as I am very fond of it!

Next up, and still working my way through Love at First Stitch, is the one I've wanted to make for ages, and that is the Mimi blouse. Bring on the button holes!





So SEW Simple

finished project
I've clearly caught the bug for wearing red since sewing up my little red Lilou. I used a lazy Sunday afternoon to make a bright red version of the Lottie blouse by Simple Sew. 


The pattern came free with the second issue of Love Sewing magazine, which is a pretty good read. You should a still be able to pick up copies of it, and if not, then there are plenty of other patterns available to buy from Simple Sew here. 

I chose to  the sleeveless version, just for the sake of making something speedy to jazz up my work wardrobe. I was also really feeling the need for that sense of 'finished garment achievement', so it was a good quick fix. The front and back pieces are both cut on the fold, and there are no fastenings to faff around with. Just 4 pattern pieces altogether, and one of these is just to make a bit of matching bias binding. There are very few pattern markings either, just bust darts and a few notches - I was really pleased by this because I hate transferring markings. 


I used a lightweight cotton-mix fabric (not sure what mix, but it's quite drapey and was easy to handle) in a bright red poppy print. I was  worried that the print was a bit Per Una/granny chic, but I bought it anyway - I guess I'll just have to go with it now. Also there is a lot of dressmakers dummy spam in this post. Sorry I'm just still so excited to own one and put it to use! Here is a lovely Instagram shot of my cut out fabric draped over it...


I've never made my own bias binding before, but it's a bit of a revelation. Look at the nifty things that I learnt to do with the neckline!


The matching binding gives such a lovely finish. I'll have to remember this technique. I might even invest in a bias binding maker - I could totally bust a load of scraps and spruce up the hems on all my clothes at the same time. It's a bit of a shame that the nice neckline finish is mostly covered by the pussy bow tie of the blouse in the end. 


That's probably the trickiest thing about the blouse. Attaching the neck tie is really simple if you follow the instructions, though I think I'd choose to do it a little differently next time. The raw edges of the neckline are hidden by the neck tie, but not concealed to the inside the garment. I pressed the raw edges upwards and tacked to the neck tie so they don't go escaping.

Next time, I'll probably leave an opening in the neck tie and sew the raw edges inside of it. It looks like Daisy Jones of Lazy Daisy Jones chose to do it this way too with her lovely version.


The pattern didn't have an indication of finished garment measurements, so when my bust measurement fell in between a size 12 and a 14, I decided to go for the bigger size. I did want it to be a bit oversized as I'll be wearing it tucked in high waisted skirts and trousers, but it is pretty roomy. I would consider making it a size smaller in future, and possibly take in the shoulders a little.


I'll definitely be making the Lottie blouse again though. It could easily be finished in an evening and looks so professional. This might finally be the one that I'll agree to make when a friend asks if I'll sew them something - and 2 of them have already expressed interest in it! Looks like I'm going to be busy!

Little Red Lilou

FBA
June was been a bit quiet on the sewing front, but that's because everything else has been so busy! I've still somehow managed to stockpile fabric and patterns though. My sewing to-do list is going to be longer than the silly amounts of denim I accidentally buy! In between all the work, newborn babies, hen dos and birthdays I did manage to squeeze in a second Lilou - the Little Red Lilou!


I was pretty pleased with how the first version turned out - it's had a fair few wears already and has even survived the washing machine, hooray! - but this time I really worked on getting the fit just right. There was a fair bit of patience involved in comparison to my usual 'cut fabric, sew, hope it works' method. After doing my VERY FIRST full bust adjustment and making a muslin of the bodice, I got to make the REAL thing...

This time I used a bright red polyester crepe with loads of drape. I couldn't recommend the drapey-crepe any more - mine was about £4 per metre from B&M Fabrics in Leeds Kirkgate Market. It was a little bit more difficult to cut and handle than the cotton I used last time, but SO worth it. Just look how well the pleats hang! I couldn't resist making the scalloped version again, though I struggled to get the scallops to turn out quite as deep in the poly-crepe. Still, I think they look alright, it's just more of a 'shallow-wiggle' neckline.

The one thing I didn't quite account for when doing the FBA was the slight increase in the waist measurement. All in all it's not too bad - everyone needs a bit of breathing/lunch room after all. Anyway, I'm getting so close to the perfect fit now, I guess I'll just have to make another - if I'm not careful it will end up becoming my uniform!


I have a few plans for a slightly different future version... I'd love to have a go at making the Lilou with a slash/boat neckline at the front. The contrast with the low back would be a simple but pretty cool look. I'm going to have to test it out, but just wondered if anyone has done a similar pattern hack before? Any tips would be much appreciated!!

Oh and here's one more thing that should help with garment fitting/pattern adjusting...


My house mate bought me THE BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT - dress maker's dummy! The rest of July is going to be dedicated to some serious sewing and fitting :) I have more Love at First Stitch patterns to make - definitely need a Mimi blouse in my wardrobe - and next up I'll be prepping to make the Simple Sew Lottie blouse pattern that came free with the latest Love Sewing magazine. A new sewing machine might even be on the cards...

Thanks for visiting!

Thanks for visiting!