Upcoming Overseas Adventures...

Anybody that has seen me in person in the last few weeks can attest as to how ridiculously excited I am about my upcoming holiday to Europe. (For the record, at the time of posting it's 26 sleeps to go!!!). As it's coming up quickly I had a couple of things I wanted to ask and tell those of you in (or that have recently visited) Europe.

Firstly I wanted to tell you about one of the things I'm the most excited about; the darling Claire of 'sew, incidentally' is organising a meet-up in London on the 3rd of August. I am so ridiculously excited about this, I'm really looking forward to meeting everybody that comes to the meet-up, so if you're in the area (or able to visit the area) on the 3rd of August I hope you consider coming along, it'd be amazing to meet you. All the details of the plans for the day and how to RSVP are on her blog here.

PS: It says over there that it's hometime 5-5:30, but I'm staying in London that night, so if people want to hang around longer and go for dinner with me and my boyfriend that'd be fun too.

Anyway, that's what I wanted to tell you, now what I wanted to ask...

I, like many others, enjoy partaking in some local culture when I'm visiting new places, and of course for me that involves visiting local fabric stores, other sewing related attractions. So, if you have any suggestions or recommendations for places/stores you think I might find interesting in or around the following places please let me know (both sewing related and unrelated!), I'd be very grateful:
- Macclesfield
- The Peak District
- Edinburgh
- Birmingham
- Bristol
- London
- Paris
- Fontainebleau
- Orleans
Thanks in advance for any intel! (Also, if you're in any of those areas and fancy meeting up for a coffee or such be sure to get in touch!)

PPS: For anybody thinking they can break in and steal my fabric stash while I'm on holiday, I don't live alone and my flatmate isn't on holiday while I am ;)

Social Sewing - Reminder for June

It's that time again, the next Social Sewing is a under a week away! The next date is Saturday the 22nd of June. As usual, all the details for this and future Social Sewing can be found on the Social Sewing Page linked at the top of my blog.

As per usual, can you please let me know if you're planning on coming, as I need to make sure that our booking with GJs represents how many of us will actually be there. Thanks!

I look forward to seeing you at social sewing next week.

Audiobooks Update (Part 4)

I've been getting a respectable amount of sewing done recently, unfortunately I can't share it with you yet, so today I thought I'd post another audiobooks update of what I've been listening to lately (often while sewing). Most of these books have been from my audible subscription.

The Casual Vacancy by J K Rowling. I'd heard mixed reviews of J K Rowling's latest offering from friends that have read the book, but decided to try listening to it for myself. I'm incredibly glad I did, as I really enjoyed it. The version I listened to is read by Tom Hollander, who did a fantastic job with the narration, definitely added to the experience. It was by far a cheerful book, not light hearted, but I definitely recommend it.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (read by Flo Gibson) This audiobook was part of a the free audiobooks promotion for Valentines Day that Audible had. I love Pride and Prejudice, I've read it, I've watched it, and I've listened to it before after getting it out from the library. So when Audible offered me a free version I jumped at the chance to be able to load it onto my phone without having to faff around with itunes to copy it across. However, I just couldn't make peace with the narration and have since deleted it again. In my opinion, Austen just shouldn't be read in any accent other than an English one. It was painful to listen to!

The Secret of Happy Ever After by Lucy Dillon. After listening to A Casual Vacancy I needed something light hearted and more cheerful. The Secret of Happily Ever After certainly fitted this bill. Another audiobook I downloaded because it was narrated by Jilly Bond, and I wasn't disappointed. I quickly fell in love with the characters, and enjoyed following along with their story.

Recipe for Love by Katie Fforde. I have become a massive fan of Katie Fforde's books. After loving a Perfect Proposal, I downloaded this one to see if others of her books were as enjoyable. While this isn't anything particularly amazing, and the story a little cliched, she does a fantastic job of developing the characters so you really want to follow along with how things turn out. If you want some light hearted enjoyment then this is a book for you. Jenny Funnell did a great job narrating it too.

A French Affair by Katie Fforde. I enjoyed Recipe for Love so much that I straight away hopped online (on my phone if I recall correctly) and bought A French Affair. I was a little sceptical about the storyline of this one based on the summary, but gave it the benefit of the doubt. Again, the storyline was a little cliched, but Katie Fforde again describes it, and the characters, in such a way that it's just an enjoyable listening (or reading) experience.

The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom. This book was a little less 'fluffy' than my normal listens, but i barely turned it off when I didn't have to until I finished it. The story was fantastic, and incredibly touching. Kathleen Grissom does an amazing job telling the story, and without shying away from uncomfortable topics. Caught between the slaves and the family, Lavinia's tale is both sad and loving, and is one that you can entirely imagining being true (sadly).

Golden Earrings by Belinda Alexandra. I have listened to all of the Belinda Alexandra books that I can get my hands on, and read the rest, so when Golden Earrings was released at the end of 2011 I bought the book straight away... then it sat on the bedside table until a couple of months ago, when I spotted the audiobook in borrowbox. This book was just as good as the rest; I highly recommend listening to/ reading any/all of Belinda Alexandra's books if you enjoy historical fiction, my favourite is "Wild Lavendar" (hint: a few of them are available on borrowbox). I was a bit concerned near the beginning as it's a bit weird, but the way that Belinda Alexandra manages to weave the stories of the three main characters together is fantastic. Bring on her next book!

Pattern Drafting weeks 3&4 - Trousers

Waaaaaay back in October I told you about the Patternmaking classes that I was taking. The first class, that I already told you about, was for drafting an 'easy fit' skirt, which if you're paying attention I used the block for to make my crinoline. Well I have FINALLY gotten around to snapping some (fairly poor quality, sorry!) pics of the garment that I made from the 3rd and 4th class; trousers!

 

In the class we drafted a pair of 'easy fit' trousers - loose trousers with an elasticated waist. The kind of pattern that I would normally use to make pyjama bottoms. As I drafted this block during the spring, I decided to make myself some 'Linen Lounge Trousers' to wear casually in summer. The theory was that they would be like pyjama trousers, but if I needed to I could wear them outside (unlike my pyjama trousers, which are all in garish prints).

I bought some brown linen from Spotlight, and made up the trousers. Sadly I think I have to call these a fail (hence why I'm only getting around to blogging them now). The wide legged look is not really for me, they just don't feel 'right'. There were also some issues with the fabric that I used; it very quickly started pulling apart at the centre front seam, which eventually became a hole (that I have since tried stitching up). I don't think that this is due to my pattern drafting, but due to the fabric itself, as Claire has used the same fabric in a different colour to make a skirt and says she's getting the same on some of her seams.

However, there are some details that I added to them that I wanted to share, which is why I'm bothering to blog them at all...

For the elasticated waist, I added the elastic to the waistband like I normally would, but then did some lines of topstitching over the waistband and elastic as shown below. This stopped the elastic twisting in the waistband, which is one of my minor gripes about my pyjama bottoms.

I also added a pocket, which was a hybrid of a slash and patch pocket; the pocket was the same shape as a slash pocket would have been, but I stitched it onto the outside of the front trouser pieces before assembling the trousers. I think the pockets were the most successful part of these trousers.

So there you have it, the outcome from my 3rd and 4th patternmaking classes. Unfortunately I don't think this block will replace the one I already have for pyjama bottoms, but it was an interesting exercise.

In the last two classes of the original course of 6 we drafted a dartless loose bodice, which I have since converted into a kimono style dressing gown pattern. Eventually I will sew it up, but I haven't just yet, so no post on that yet either :)

Me-Made-May - Days 23-31

And so, it's over (for another year). That's it for me-made-may for 2013! And I am happy to share that I successfully completed the task of wearing something me-made every day, although as you'll see below I failed at the taking photos each day part.

	Day 23 (Thursday) Me-Made - Black Hollyburn Skirt - PolyChiffon Pendrell - Grey Wrap Cardigan - Minoru RTW - Singlet - Tights, undies, bra
	Day 24 (Friday) Me-Made - Rooibos - Black long sleeved merino t-shirt - Minoru RTW - Blue Jumper - Tights, bra, undies
	Day 25 Me-Made - Black merino v-neck t-shirt - Minoru RTW - Brown Jumper - Denim Skirt - Tights, bra, undies
[Got distracted by an allergic  reaction before I got a pic, sorry!]	Day 26 (Sunday) Me-Made - Beignet Skirt - Green t-shirt - Minoru RTW - Black wrap cardigan - Tights, bra undies
[Sleeping off 6hrs at the emergency  department, so didn't get a pic]	Day 27 (Monday, Sick Day) Me-Made - Pyjamas
[Yeah no excuse here, I'm just slack]	Day 28 (Tuesday) Me-Made - Cambie Dress - Long sleeved black merino t-shirt - Minoru RTW - Black wrap cardigan - tights, bra, undies
	Day 29 (Wednesday) Me-Made - Floral Jenny Skirt - Black v-neck merino t-shirt - Grey wrap cardigan - Minoru RTW - Singlet - Bra, tights, undies
[I got drenched on the way home and got  changed before getting a pic]	Day 30 (Thursday) Me-Made - Grey Dress - Grey long sleeved t-shirt - Minoru RTW - Purple and black jumper - bra, tights undies
	Day 31 (Friday) Me-Made - Esprit dress - Striped t-shirt - Woven undies - Minoru RTW - Purple Cardigan - bra, 2x tights.

The most warn garment this month was, hands down, my Minoru, which was worn nearly every day. And that isn't an artificial inflation of how often it's worn, I really do wear it that much. It's fairly waterproof, and just the right warmth for cycling in Melbourne autumn. As me-made items go, it's a roaring success really. I'm keeping an eager eye out for similar fabric in another colour to make another coat.

My me-made wardrobe covers my work-clothes pretty well, my office is smart-casual, so a dress (with or without a tshirt underneath) or a skirt/blouse combo are great for work. However, where my me-made wardrobe is lacking is in winter casual clothes. In summer I have some great skirts, shorts and summer dresses. However when it gets to colder weather and the summer skirts/dresses get packed away I'm a little lacking in comfy casual clothes. I've kinda gone off jeans (probably partly because I've put on a little weight and the jeans I have are quite tight so not super comfy), but also because they're not all that practical for cycling in, which is my main mode of transport.

Anyway, that's enough navel gazing for now, but if anybody has any suggestions of good casual clothes for winter I'm all ears!

Whole Wheat Cardigan - Finished!

I am incredibly behind in posting this cardigan. I actually finished knitting it in February, and bought the buttons for it when Social Sewing went on the Road. And then the cardigan hung in my wardrobe and the buttons in my desk drawer until a few weeks ago.

The pattern is the Whole Wheat pattern on ravelry, and you can see my previous posts about the cardigan here. I lengthened the sleeves to be 3/4 length for a bit more warmth though.

This cardigan was quite different from my first cardigan, as it was knit in pieces then seamed together. The pattern was written very differently as well, which was interesting. The miette pattern was written out line by line, but this one was written to things like 'knit until piece measures xx inches', which made me more worried about making it the right size.

I really love the lace and cables design that makes up the 'fabric'.

However the fit of the cardigan itself ended up a bit off, the shape of the sleeve head seemed wrong when I was knitting it, it seemed too flat at the time but I decided to be a good little knitter and follow the pattern. The sleeves ended up coming out a big baggy in the upper arms. I considered at one point taking the seam in to make it tighter, but after wearing it a few times I decided that I didn't care that  much.

Another issue was the shoulders being a bit wide, which I did end up fixing. As the neck band around the back was knit separately and then joined to the cardigan, I unpicked that join, unravelled an inch or so from the neck band and rejoined it, easing the top of the cardigan onto the shorter band. This narrowed the shoulders enough so it doesn't fall off my shoulders anymore.

 

It's not perfect (there are a few mistakes, that I'm not going to point out to you), but I'm pretty happy with it considering it's only my second knitted garment. 

PS: Have you seen Lizzy's beautiful version of this pattern? We started knitting these at about the same time, but she finished (and blogged) hers waaaay before me.

Wrap Cardigans

 

You may have noticed from my Me-Made-May posts that I've made myself a couple of new wrap cardigans.

 

My intention was to copy a black RTW cardigan that I have (pictured on day 9). The cardigan pattern seemed pretty simple, the front pieces were basically just big triangles that wrap around your back, so I had a go at making my own pattern.

 

I started with my basic t-shirt block, modifying the pieces as follows:
- Shortened the front and back to have the hem sit at my upper hip (in the picture below left I'm indicating my waist with my finger)
- Widened the sleeves so they had a straighter shape and are bigger so they can be worn with another layer underneath
- Made the cross over front by extending the v-neckline down to past the other side seam.

 

I am intending on putting together a little tutorial of exactly how I did these alterations (particularly the changes to the front piece) and the construction of the cardigan in another post.

 

I stitched up the pale blue cardigan first, with some jersey that I had lying around in my stash to test out my pattern before making it up in my fancy merino jersey, which is what the grey version is.

After making the blue version and wearing it for a day I was happy with the overall fit, but I decided to lengthen the ties slightly, because I could only just tie them behind my back as they were (see the teeny tiny knot in the above photo). Everything else was great though, and after extending out the tie a couple more inches I cut into my Merino Jersey.

    

I constructed the pale blue one entirely on my sewing machine, using a combination of the triple-stitch to sew the seams, and a zig-zag around the neck band to hold the layers together. The jersey wasn't going to fray so I didn't finish any of the other seams. I also added clear elastic to the shoulder seam like I do with all my t-shirts.

The grey version was sewn up on a combination of overlocker and sewing machine. I don't currently have an overlocker, I just don't have the space. However Helen very kindly let me use hers at the last social sewing day.

        

The seams were all stitched using the overlocker, with the sewing machine only being used for the hems around the bottom and on the sleeves.

I know that the sewing machine finish is perfectly strong and will last, but the overlocked one really does look neater inside doesn't it! *sigh* oh to have the space for an overlocker...

Anyway, I am really happy with my new wrap cardigans. Hopefully you like them too and will be interested in the tutorial for making one.

Me Made May - Days 10-22

Wow, two thirds of May is already gone! It's going waaaay to fast and has started getting rather chilly! Which means more layers, and a super productive social sewing day that led to a whole stack of new merino jersey t-shirts (to be blogged about soon). Anyway, onto the breakdown...

	Day 10 (Friday) Me Mades: - 1Pattern7Bloggers Dress RTW: - Tights - Black Jumper - Bra, Undies - Suit Jacket (at work)
	Day 11 (Saturday) Me Mades: - Thurlow Shorts - Striped T-Shirt RTW: - Singlet - Bra, Undies - Black Tights - Black Asymmetrical Jacket
	Day 12 (Sunday) - Part 1 (runnning 8km for the Mother's Day Classic, my first ever race) Me-Mades: - Purple T-Shirt RTW: - Running Leggings - Sports Bra, Undies, Socks
	Day 12 (Sunday) - Part 2  Me Mades: - Rooibos Dress - Whole Wheat Cardigan RTW: - Leggings - Undies, Bra
	Day 13 (Monday) Me Mades: - High-Waisted Jenny Skirt - Black T-shirt - Wrap-Cardigan - Undies! (- Pink Minoru) RTW: - Bra, Tights
	Day 14 (Tuesday) Me Mades: - Brown Dress - Black Long Sleeved Merino T-shirt (- Pink Minoru) RTW: - Green Jumper - Tights, Undies, Bra
	Day 15 (Wednesday) Me Mades: - Black Hollyburn Skirt - Portrait Blouse - Pink Minoru - Neck Warmer RTW: - Black and White Jumper - Singlet - Tights, undies, bra
	Day 16 (Thursday) Me Mades: - Grey Hollyburn - Turquoise Merino t-shirt - Blue Wrap Cardigan (- Pink Minoru) (-Neck Warmer) RTW: - Singlet - Tights, bra, undies
	Day 17 (Friday) Me Mades: - Ralph Skirt - Turquoise Merino t-shirt (- Pink Minoru) (- Neck Warmer) RTW: - Black Jumper - Down Jacket (At work) - Singlet - Tights, Bra, Undies
	Day 18 (Saturday) Me Mades: - Black and White 'Favourite' Skirt - Purple T-Shirt - Undies (- Pink Minoru) RTW: - Black Jumper - Tights, Bra
	Day 19 (Sunday) Me Mades: - Green Merino singlet - Grey wrap cardigan RTW: - Running Leggings - Bra, Undies, Socks (Also not pictured, me-made red t-shirt and crescent skirt)
	Day 20 (Monday) Me Mades: - Mad-Meh dress - Long sleeved black merino t-shirt (- Pink Minoru) (- Neck Warmer) RTW: - tights, undies, bra (Also not pictured, me-made grey t-shirt and non-me-made jeans for moving boxes in the evening)
	Day 21 (Tuesday) Me Mades: - 'Esprit' Dress - Green merino t-shirt (- Pink Minoru) (- Neck Warmer) RTW: - Purple Cardigan - Tights, Bra, Undies
	Day 22 (Wednesday) Me Mades: - Cambie Dress - Long sleeved black merino t-shirt (- Pink Minoru) (- Neck Warmer) RTW: - Black Jumper - Tights, Bra, Undies

And so, 9 days of the month left!