I sewed something!

After a loooong time away from the sewing machine I've finally sewn something! Well, three things to be precise - three Sew Over It Molly tops. Nothing complicated, nothing fancy, just simple everyday tops that will be worn a lot (I'm wearing the pink one as I type this...)

There are several reasons why I haven't been feeling it on the sewing front recently, but the main one is that I'd more or less reached saturation point with my handmade wardrobe. To put it simply, I had more than enough clothes and didn't need to sew more. Unworn garments were piling up and it felt wasteful and wrong. So I stopped sewing. And if I'm perfectly honest, I've enjoyed the break and the lack of pressure to sew things. 

When spring finally arrived in the UK I had a long, hard look at my wardrobe and was pretty ruthless with the clothes that no longer fit me, both in terms of style and size. A combination of middle age, menopause and eating too many pies (and what a lovely combination that is!) meant that quite a lot of the super fitted styles I used to love so much had to be slung out. That's when I noticed a gap for a few stylish T shirts and tops, preferably made from knit fabrics for the comfort factor.

The light blue Molly top was actually sewn a few weeks before the other two, using Girl Charlee denim coloured cotton spandex from my stash. I made a straight size 10 as per my previous version. 

Molly is a really simple but stylish pattern and in a few short weeks this top has been worn a LOT. The fabric was lovely to sew with too, so I decided to sew a couple more. I bought a darker denim version of the same fabric and, very unusually for me, a dark rose pink, both from Girl Charlee. 

It took just a morning to make the two tops on my overlocker (hems and neckbands were top stitched with a double needle) and they turned out exactly as I'd hoped. The dark denim one is basically a carbon copy of the light denim one and will be worn until it falls apart. The fabric is light enough to wear on spring days or can be layered up when it's really cold.  

I think this one is my favourite.

I left off the sleeve cuffs for the pink version as I thought the colour was more suited to summer. I also levelled off the hem to give it a neater shape. 

I must admit it was good to get back behind the sewing machine again. If you've had a bit of a break from sewing, here are my top tips for getting back into it:

1. Choose a pattern you've used before and you know fits well. You can then just cut out and sew, knowing that the finished garment will fit.

2. Don't over complicate things with a difficult design. The Molly top has just three pattern pieces (four if you add the sleeve cuffs) and is ridiculously quick to sew.

3. Avoid patterned fabric for the same reason. Who can be arsed to pattern match when you're after a quick fix?!

4. Knit fabrics are your friend, they're quick to sew up and easy to fit.

5. Cut out more than one garment at the cutting stage. If you only have a few seams to sew, an extra garment doesn't takes much longer to sew up, especially if you use my canny overlocker thread tip. 

The new additions to my wardrobe are already on frequent rotation, which I'm delighted about. Rumour has it there's a Tilly and the Buttons Bibi skirt in the pipeline too, so I'm clearly on a sewing roll! Small steps... x

Lady Skater - Japanese style

I made this Lady Skater dress at Christmas, but totally forgot to blog about it until I saw Jenny's gorgeous top made from the same fabric recently. As it happens, the timing is pretty fortuitous, as it's much more of a spring dress than a winter one.

The fabric I used is the most beautiful double-layered, polka dot double knit (try saying that when you've had a few!) It's from Etsy shop Miss Matatabi. The two layers are fused together at regular intervals like double gauze and it does actually feel a bit like a knit version of double gauze: very soft to the touch and super cosy. I must point out that Miss Matatabi is the most dangerous fabric shop in the world! I clicked over there just now to get a link for the fabric and saw this - an Aran-look knit fabric!! How could I possibly resist?! Answer: I couldn't, so that will be winging its way over to me from Japan soon. 

Anyway, back to the dress… I did my usual bad trick of changing bits of the pattern in order to make them fit onto the fabric available. Luckily for me, knit fabric is very forgiving! The changes I made that were different from my last version were as follows:

-  Cut a size 4 all over (last time I cut a size 5 bodice and size 4 skirt)

-  Reduced width of shoulders slightly 

-  Shortened bodice by 1 inch

-  Took 3 ½ inches from the bottom skirt curve in order to fit onto the fabric

-  Cut sleeves as a lengthened version of the cap sleeve

I was happy with the fit of my first version, but actually the changes I made this time have resulted in a much better fit all round. I'm especially pleased with the shoulders as they were definitely a bit wide. Reducing the curve of the skirt has made it more of a quarter circle than a half circle which I also prefer.

It was super easy to construct - I sewed the whole thing on my overlocker and used a double needle for the neck and sleeve bands and the hem. 

The fabric is reversible so I felt obliged to try and show off the contrast somewhere on the dress. I went with contrasting neckband and sleeve bands. But… with hindsight, I wish I hadn't made the neckband contrasting as it does give a bit of a juvenile feel. It's annoying, but not enough to make me stop wearing it!

Contrast neckband and sleeve bands

View from the inside showing the reversible fabric

What I like about this pattern is that there's a separate bodice and skirt, so the finished dress looks rather like a neat, fitted Emery or Peony dress. The added bonus is that the lack of darts and the fact that it's made from knit fabric means you can whip this beauty up in no time. Even though it's made from a knit fabric, it's actually quite light and swishy to wear, so it's going to get a second lease of life as a spring dress!  Happy Tuesday. x

Ghost in the machine

Let me tell you a story involving a lightbulb and an overlocker. No, please stay! It gets a bit more interesting than that, I promise! A little while ago, the bulb on my overlocker stopped working and needed replacing. Being the dynamic go-getter that I am, it only took me nine months to get round to ordering a new one and bracing myself to change it (I'm not practically minded). To get into the lightbulb area I had to remove a section of overlocker, which meant a trip to the kitchen to find a different screwdriver. It also meant removing the thread cones, so it was all a bit of a rigmarole. Imagine my surprise when I finally got the cover off to discover there was no lightbulb in there after all. Hmm, 'where was it?' I wondered. At that moment, just like in a ghost story, a used lightbulb rolled across my sewing desk and came to a stop by my hand. I kid you not. Where the hell had that come from??!! The logical explanation was that Jon had removed it whilst waiting for me to order a new one, so I tackled him about it as soon as he got in that night. Nope, he hadn't touched it. In fact he wouldn't DARE take apart my overlocker without my permission. I believed him.

The culprit….

So how had the lightbulb removed itself from the overlocker??? I have absolutely no recollection of doing it. Surely I'd remember hunting down a special screwdriver, removing cones etc? Plus there was a thick layer of undisturbed dust on the back section which my slatternly housekeeping skills hadn't touched for years. There can only be two explanations. Either I'm totally, utterly losing my marbles (highly likely) or….. I have a sewing ghost!!!  I really hope it's the latter, and if it is a ghost, then it's a helpful one. I could leave out bits of unstitched pattern pieces for it to sew overnight, just like in the Elves and the Shoemaker. Better still, I could leave out hooks and eyes for it to sew on!  Sadly I think it's probably me getting old and having a complete memory lapse.

Has this kind of thing ever happened to you? Or is it just me going bonkers? If you did have a sewing ghost, what hideous tasks would you leave out for it to sew?!  Have a good day! x

Vintage style Bonnie Sweater

Sometimes a pattern comes along that just seems to click. It looks exactly as you imagined, the fit is good and it blends in seamlessly with the rest of your wardrobe. That's just happened to me with my first make of the Bluegingerdoll Bonnie Sweater!! It's a vintage-inspired sweater for knit fabrics and comes in three variations with lots of mix and match options. 

I bought it mid-way through reading Handmade by Heather B's review as I was so impressed with how it looked on her. At that point, it was a new release and only available as a PDF, which just goes to show how keen I was to make it! (I loathe PDFs). For those of you with similar anti-PDF tendencies, you'll be pleased to hear it's now available as a paper pattern (available here in the UK). To be fair, it didn't take that long to tile it together and I only made minimal fitting changes, so I barely felt any pain.

Anyway, back to Bonnie. I made View A (the cropped version with the crew neck) with long sleeves and following Heather's example, I lowered the neckline by an inch (adding half an inch to each end of the neckband to make it fit). I also shortened the arms by an inch as I am in fact descended from a T-Rex. Based on the finished measurements, I cut a size 12 at the bust, grading to a 10 at the waist and hips and this was almost a perfect fit. The shoulders seem a tiny bit wide, so I may narrow them to a 10 on my next version, but other than that I didn't make any other fitting adjustments. The cropped bodice section did look pretty short when I was making it, especially before the waistband was added, but I'm glad I didn't make any panic stricken changes as the finished length is really flattering. The side seams narrow at exactly the right place and by some kind of sewing sorcery, make your waist appear tiny.

The design has slightly gathered sleeves which was the only thing about the pattern I was sceptical about, but now I've made it, I think they're lovely.

You can see the gathered sleeves more in this picture

They're very subtle and pretty and hardly even look gathered most of the time, just when I'm striking poses or putting my hands in my pockets.

For fabric I used a grey poly/wool jersey blend, with cream polka dots, which I picked up from Katie in a sewing swap. It only just had enough stretch to be suitable for this pattern, but I'm so pleased it worked because it's very cosy to wear. Once the pattern pieces are cut out, it doesn't take much more than an hour to put together, it's definitely a quick, easy make. I made it during a sewing afternoon with a few pals and even with constant chat and distractions I still whipped it up in no time. The overlocker was already threaded up with red thread, so I did my usual lazy party trick of just changing the left needle thread. Magic! The seams are grey, but the insides are all red and pretty!

I'm currently on the hunt for some good quality wool jerseys or sweater knits to make a few more. I'll probably try the Goldhawk Road first, but if anybody has any online recommendations, please let me know.  

There are several great knit top patterns out in the wild, but the reason I like this one is because all the details work for me and my own personal style. I love the vintage look, the neat fit and the fact that I'm now the owner of a polka dot sweater! It adds a bit of pizzazz to a pair of jeans and works perfectly with skirts and high waisted 1940's strides, I couldn't be happier! x

Bronte Top

Long ago (about 15 years), I found my perfect plain white T-shirt in the bargain bin of a posh London shop. It was, without doubt, my favourite and most flattering white T shirt ever. It was made from a pretty thin jersey though, so barely lasted more than two summers. The thing that made it different to other T-shirts was its neckline. It had an overlapping section on either side of the neck, that joined to the shoulder seams. I've since discovered that this shrug style detail is seen a lot in 1940's fashions. And babies vests of course!

Imagine my delight when Jennifer Lauren released her second pattern - the Bronte Top - featuring this very shoulder detail. Jen kindly sent me the PDF pattern to try, and my first thought was to recreate my favourite T shirt. Once I'd cut it out, it only took a couple of hours of very leisurely sewing to complete. I followed the instruction diagrams exactly and the shoulder details slotted into place first time, it really was easy to sew. I sewed about 90% of it on my overlocker and finished all the bound edges and hems with a double needle. The pattern is multi-sized from 6 to 20 - I cut a size 12 at the bust, grading to a size 10 at the waist and hips. Looking at these photos I could probably have done with a bit more room across the bust, but it doesn't bother me. I personally like my T shirts to be quite tight fitting, so I'll be wearing the hell out of it.

For fabric, I used a white jersey knit from UK Fabrics Online, which is described as heavyweight, but is actually quite a light weight for a summer T-shirt. At £3.99 a metre, the quality is quite basic, so my plan was to use it for a test garment to check the fit. Once I'd finished the top and tried it on however it looked fab, a tiny bit transparent maybe, but nothing a good T-shirt bra can't handle! For a more robust jersey, take a look at the Interlock knits from The Village Haberdashery. They're reasonably thick, so probably not high summer weight, but ideal for any other time of year.

Admittedly I've made the plainest possible version of this pattern (sorry about that!) but it would also look lovely in a bright solid or patterned knit.  You can add interest by using a contrast binding (see Zoe's gorgeous version here) or sew buttons on the shoulders. And there's a long sleeved option - yippee! I can really see this pattern becoming a wardrobe basic - I need a plain cream one … and a navy one …and maybe another white one…In short I love this top, it's easy to sew and looks ace - I plan to make hundreds of them. That's all! If you like the look of it too, the pattern is available to buy here.

Have a good day! x

The Bronte pattern was given to me free of charge for review. All views my own.

Overlocker thread tip

Having sewn quite a bit with knits recently, I thought I'd share a tip on changing overlocking thread. I always go for a tone match rather than an actual colour match with overlocker thread e.g. charcoal grey thread for dark fabrics and off white for light fabrics. This works perfectly for seam finishing, as the overlocking threads are all on the inside of the garment. But what about when you're actually sewing seams with your overlocker rather than just finishing the edges? There's a likelihood that the thread could show through the seam line on the right side of the garment, so a vague nod towards light or dark isn't going to cut it, especially with a strong colour such as red.

Here's my tip - I only change ONE cone. The thread for the LEFT needle is the only one that shows through on the right side of the garment, so that's the one you should match up to your garment colour. If, like me, you have a Brother 1034D overlocker, you simply change the cone on the far left (the YELLOW dial), which corresponds with the left needle.

Here's an inside view of the overlocked seams from my Coco top which I made this way. The majority of the overlocked seams are off white, but that's fine because nobody will see them.

The inside view has an almost invisible row of red stitches at the seam line.

And here's the outside when the seams are stretched. Look - lovely red matching thread!

It's not necessarily the time it takes to change all four thread cones that I object to, it's the expense of having to shell out for four cones, especially if it's a colour you're not likely to sew with very often.  Does anybody else do this? For a lot of you, this is just second nature, but if you haven't come across this tip before, I hope it's helpful. x

My Secret Shame....

Don't get excited, it's nothing sordid!

Back in September (yes, I know, a whole three months ago), I worked myself up into a mad rage because the fabric I was using for my Sailor Trousers was fraying at a ridiculous rate.  After I'd stopped my fist shaking and foot stamping, I discovered that in my mad rage, I'd accidentally gone and bought an overlocker to remedy the situation.

When it arrived, I was feverish with excitement and all set to tart up my seam edges.  I chose the sewing bloggers' favourite -  Brother 1034D - which comes helpfully pre-threaded.  I started on my seam and immediately, two threads came loose.  Undaunted, I got out the instruction manual and that's when the trouble started.  I'm completely untechnical and whatever I did, I just couldn't get it threaded up properly again.  Plus the knife thing that cuts the thread was a bit terrifying, so back in the box it went.

And that's my secret shame, through no fault of its own, this has been its home since then....

Until this week when I decided enough was enough.  I got it out of its box and instead of reading the manual, I put on the instructional DVD that came with it.  I'm much better being shown how something works and this seemed to do the trick.  The lovely lady on the DVD talked very slowly and carefully, as if she was explaining things to a child (which in my case, she virtually was), she also looked reassuringly like a sewing expert - a bit like the models from Fit for Real People.  It worked!  10 minutes later I'd threaded my own machine and had this to show for my troubles!!!!!!

So, top of my sewing resolutions for 2012 will definitely be to conquer the fear and teach myself to master this clever, wonderful machine.

Gratuitous shot of my blog in the background!

 Have a good weekend. x