Jeans making!

I have made jeans before. Of course I have, but I've never really enjoyed it! Apart from anything else I dreaded all the top stitching. My old machine was a bottom of the range Toyota that my parents for me whilst I was still at school about (cough, cough) 20 years ago! It has served me well and been a good companion throughout the years, but it was noisy, the needle had become misaligned and no longer central and it did not produce an even stitch. I had known for a while that it needed to be retired, but I was kind of scared. Scared of investing in something flashy only to discover that it's niggles were more annoying than the Toyota, or that actually no domestic would ever compare to the purr of an industrial so what would be the point? All this was forgotten the day I actually walked into a sewing machine shop with permission to buy a machine. I say permission, but what I mean is that I had finally given myself over to the idea of upgrading. All sounds very dramatic doesn't it? But I actually felt very emotionally attached to the machine my parents bought me, that has carried me through work, study and beyond! Now it sits on a shelf and I barely acknowledge it's existence, but I didn't know my heart could belong to another! Whatever, I bought a new Pfaff passport 2.0 is what I'm getting to and it has made sewing so infinitely more enjoyable I can't even tell you. It has bits that bother me like the way the bobbin is loaded (and the fact they are plastic). Other things I can't remember now, but what it does do is sew magnificently and it topstitches like a dream. It has 3 options for buttonholes, a built in walking foot (best thing ever) and is so so quiet. No machine is perfect, but I really love it and am certain that I made the very best choice for me.

So armed with a new machine I wanted to make some jeans. I bought and toiled the recent Morgan jeans pattern, but it was not quite right. The fit was great by the way and I opened up the back leg between the hem and the crotch by a couple of inches prior to toiling for my ample calves and it worked a treat! My issue was that I was suddenly in a position where I was over analysing what my perfect jeans were and these weren't quite it! I went back to the drawing board and combined and tweaked the Roberts leg with my trouser block for a new pattern to toile. The significant difference is the length of the crotch (low) and also the room in the seat. I don't want the back of my thighs to be hugged by jeans or the pockets to be tight up against my body. I was looking for something more easy to move around in and that looks a bit more slouchy. As an aside, the Morgan pattern seems fantastic. I didn't refer to the instructions, so can't comment, but it is a fantastic pattern!!!

This is a first toile in a really cheap denim. I have been wearing them for 3 days straight and they are great! Things to change in the fit and styling, but I shall happily wear these. I am looking forward to making a linen pair using an old vintage sheet that intend to garment dye and perhaps print?

I also really want to consider all the details. I am going for a minimal look in the topstitching and seam treatments. It is so much fun to think of these things when you know your machine will do it justice! Eww, that front waistband needs lowering, although they are mighty comfortable nice and high!

These look to be a kind of funky mum jean. I think once the waist band is lowered there will be slightly less of that about them, but I'm down with that if that's what they are!

No plans for a future jeans pattern release at this point in time by the way... ;-)

new Bennett dress pattern

Well yes I have released another pattern so soon! I started working on this a while ago and really wanted to get it finished in time for the warm weather, holidays, weddings etc... Let's start with some pictures!

The bennet dress is essentially a pull on A-line shift dress with princess seams on the front to create a nicely fitted shape across the shoulders. Depending on which view you choose to make the silhouette can either show off your curves or be left loose and free flowing.

Both views have a centre front panel, which can be left plain or buttoned depending on your preference, but view A has additional waist ties sewn in with the panel to pull the shape in and tie around the back of the dress. View A is also a slightly longer length finishing below the knee. Something that is important to me, as I am not so keen on my knees!

The sample shown here is sewn in a glorious silk/cupro mix and has the perfect flowy drape to be gathered in. You want to stick to nice soft viscose, silks or maybe a cotton lawn so as to not add too much bulk around your middle.

 View B finishes a little shorter above the knee, but not too short (you can obviously adjust this to your preference). It needs to be at least above the knee if you are going to leave the shape loose for it to remain playful and fun. I have used a fairly stiff linen here (hand printed) and the shape can take it, but it obviously sticks out more, so if you prefer less structure stick to flowy fabrics!

So excited to get this out there and I hope you like it! As always, it is available to buy in my shop here.

Zero waste dress and handmade buttons

Hello, hello. I am really looking forward to sharing this blog post. Last week was brilliant on Instagram and totally buzzing with conversation about sustainable fashion, what we can do to improve our own personal practice and a general increase in awareness of humanitarian and environmental issues to do with the fashion industry (search #fashrev #makersforfashrev). It was a great week and really got the creative juices flowing. I was participating in a week long daily photo challenge organised by the lovely Emily of 'In the folds' and I wasn't really expecting to get as much out of it as I did, but it really helped me to re-evaluate how I work and address how I want to work going forward. My attention also returned back to the issue of zero waste fashion. It's something that has been on my mind, but it requires a lot of thought and consideration and I manage to make myself too busy all the time to really get into it!

 I opened up the discussion on Instagram a month or so ago and was directed to the book 'Zero waste fashion design'. I subsequently bought it, had a good look through and then put it on the shelf. I knew I needed to step back from it to really get a sense of where I wanted to go with it and how I can execute an idea successfully.

It seemed easier to think of making a dress just to explore the concept a bit and I knew that I was going to use a sizeable length of fabric from my stash (I used 2.5 metres of a 110cm wide fabric). I then needed to plan all the seam and edge finishes before I started cutting, plus a garment style and also how I wanted to use the fabric.

In the book mentioned above there are all sorts of examples of garments with the cutting plans. Some garments are made from lots of smallish bits creatively cut, but for my first go I wanted to use the whole piece of fabric as is and cut into it/manipulate it.

My process was to start with the neck and shoulders and work my way down. I haven't taken step by step photos of this garment, but as I was cutting the neck line I was careful to build the neckline facings into the design. The interesting folds along the sleeves and lapels are basically a result of this thinking and a really nice detail.

Another consideration was to include enough volume in the front and back by way of a pleat, which was calculated when cutting the neck opening.

Once I had worked out how I was going to cut these areas the pressure was eased somewhat when fumbling with what to do for the rest of the garment.

There was a lot of trying on and pinning once the neck and shoulders were established! Eventually I cut into the body and got pinning again and decided on pockets and sleeve shape etc...

What I have ended up with is some kind of sewing origami and I'm really pleased with how it has come together and the fact that it is wearable. One of my biggest fears was to waste the fabric on an exercise to reduce waste!

It is difficult to go into too much more detail as this is the beginning of something for me really. It is a wearable prototype I would say and now I have achieved a concept I like I can refine it to have stronger junctions at the neck and underarms and more planned seams rather than topstitched areas. Also different sleeve lengths with different fabric widths as this is not my favourite length!

 I'm excited to have new direction and I really want to explore this idea further and build upon the experience. It is a muslin, but I'm wearing it now, so I guess it must be a success! Two rather irksome scraps were left over however!!! I turned them into a lavender bag, so don't worry, they weren't wasted! ;-)

Just room for a bit more sustainable ramble???

I need to show you these buttons!

These are a result of a prompt from last weeks discussions and without thinking how it would be possible I mentioned I wanted to make buttons from shells! What? Crazy? My husband thought so, which got me more determined than ever. The shells were collected on a recent family holiday to Tenby in Wales and they are very sea worn and flat oyster shells.

A bit of sawing and gentle piercing with an awl followed by a gentle file turned them into beautiful hand made buttons. I only used two or three of the shells we collected because I didn't want to go overboard, but I have enough smaller buttons for a light garment and some larger for a jacket or something.

It was great to be doing something new and I feel I learnt whole load about the structure of a shell. The very same day a couple of other lovely sewists also posted some buttons they had recently finished, so there is definitely something in the air. One set was made from a lovely found piece f wood, whilst the others were beautifully crafted from porcelain. Maybe we are all feeling the desire to connect with the materials we are working with?

How about you? Are you questioning a lot more or wanting to try something new with your sewing/garment making?

True Bias Roscoe dress

This new make is the True Bias Roscoe dress. I exchanged patterns with Kelli after the release of my Roberts pattern and have been sitting on it until I found a fabric that I thought was suitable. The pattern itself is just my style and I have a couple of trusty dresses in my wardrobe already which have a similar vibe to this, so I knew I would make this at some point!

The fabric I used is a cotton lawn from Fabworks mill shop and is super quality! I have recently discovered this place and I have been happy with everything I have ordered from there so far. The pattern calls for silky fabrics mainly, but I like this more casual fabric and with a slip underneath is fine with tights for the winter as well as cool for the summer!

I am sounding pretty cool about this dress so far, which is for no reason really because let me tell you I LOVE IT!!! I have taken indoor photos that are pretty ropey because I just needed them taken already so I can wear it now (I am by the way). Worn with a belt that I made from the very last scraps it is nice and shapely and feminine without being too dressed up. It makes such a welcome change from the dungarees I have been constantly wearing and I feel preeeetty.

I stuck to the pattern throughout making view C, but it turned out too long for me. I had added the ruffle already as I couldn't decide whether or not I would like it, so rather than unpick and shorten I just tucked up the amount I wanted to shorten and sewed along the original ruffle seam again. I then chopped off the excess, overlocked and topstitched the seam down. Doing it this way did mean that I ended up with four layers of fabric in the ruffle seam allowance, but this cotton is so fine it is not bulky at all. In total I removed 12.5cm (5") from the bottom of the main dress. In my case I was being a bit goldilocks. The long dress was too long and the short dress was too short, so I wanted something in between!

The only other deviation was to add elastic to the hem of the sleeves rather than the sleeve bands. I find with non stretch ends on gather cuffs they get stuck somewhere up my arm and then I have to tug them down, whereas stretchy ends are much easier to re-adjust. You can see the sleeve on my right arm (my most used arm) is caught up in every photo. If I made this again I might make full length sleeves to prevent this!

 I think I will only ever wear this with a belt, as it has just the right amount of volume to not have too many gathers, but it does not look good left loose on me. Probably my fabric choice more than anything!

Fabric's a funny thing really. In the above photos, when the dress is belted, the cotton has just enough structure to support the shape of the sleeves and skirt. It is just perfect, but then below it does not look great at all!!!!

The verdict is that I really hope to use this pattern again and I shall wear this at least once a week until it starts to fall apart.

I don't know why I took photos with clogs on. I have actually just been wearing it out with some burgundy clumpy boots, which is much more me. Not truly representing myself here! Ta ra x

Christmas jeans and things

Here's a mini round-up of some of the sewing and gift making I've been working on this month.

I set myself a list at the beginning of, or just before the start of December of things I would like to make for Christmas this year. It was a fairly big list (for me) and I ticked off most of it, but it was not set in stone so I was not really under much 'real' pressure.

The last thing I made and the one I was putting off most were some jeans for my husband. This was actually the only real item that I definitely wanted to complete and the one I added the most pressure to. Here they are in action!!!! We are decorating the living room as we speak and I didn't have the heart to make him stop for photos.

The pattern is the Jedediah pants pattern with mods to make them more 'jeansy'. I knew from the shorts I made him over the summer that the sizing was generous, so I removed some width from the waist to hip area straight away, as well as widening the bottom hem (James had previously expressed that he was not keen on too slim a leg). I also created new shaping to the front pocket and drew a new pocket facing. I did also spread the pocket bag at the centre by a few centimetres to make it a bit more roomy whilst I was there.

The only other thing of note was to reduce the seat curve and make it less sharp. I thought that jeans could benefit with a bit more room, so I made it similar in shape to James' RTW jeans.

I had some last minute concerns after I was informed that I was referencing the 'wrong' RTW jeans from our wardrobe, but they fit!!! There is some pulling at the front pocket where I perhaps took too much from the sides, but he says they are comfy and I'm calling them a success. They have been worn every day since Christmas day so what more could I ask for? The t-shirt is also part of his pressie and is the Metro T-shirt.

BTW, the topstitching was done threading two spools of gutterman all purpose thread through the machine and actually worked better for me than using the thicker standard topstitch thread and looks a lot softer. The denim is a lovely fabric bought from Goldhawk road when I met Jo and I wish I had much moooore.

I made two t-shirt twin packs. One for James and one for my dad, as well as several tops for the kids and put little ribbon labels in them all. This cute space ribbon is from Textile garden, which is fab for cute haberdashery.

For the kids I made various bits and bobs, but one of the things I'm really pleased with is these simple blankets. The top fabric is part of Lizzy Houses Natural History collection from Backstitch shop. The butterflies are for Maria and the Dinos for Evan. I really love that they come in the same colourway, but are different designs and I'm pleased to report that they are permanent fixtures on their beds! My two definitely like comforters and things to snuggle up with, so I was hoping they would like these.

Lots of dinosaurs flying about this Christmas and here is Evan with his favourite toy from Santa (a roaring T-rex) and their new dino PJ's.

I made some other things too which I won't bore you with, but overall it seemed to hit the mark!

One thing I didn't have time to finish was this little play house. It took four coats of paint to cover any marks from it's previous use as bathroom cabinets and I really just ran out of time. You can faintly see on the stairs two chocolate coins and two balloons for blowing up, which is what the kids first saw on Christmas morning. They had a little play with this and then after breakfast we went to get the good stuff (the real toys) under the tree. Luckily kids are oblivious to a lot of things and loved this dolls house even in it's very simple state. I really look forward to helping them add to it over the coming year, but need to remember it's theirs and not mine...

Really looking forward to the new year and I hope all your Christmas crafting went to plan! xxx

Xmas crafting - Printed fox cushions

How busy are you at the moment? I have decided to take on a crazy list of crafting for Christmas this year. The kids are both able to get excited about it and I am really enjoying making them pressies. We do not go overboard in this house at Christmas time or birthdays, but I really love pouring my energies into gifts for family and friends. It's so satisfying to hand over gifts that I have spent time thinking about and putting together. My parents are used to this, as I have always made them stuff, but I want my kids to grow up with an appreciation for the things I make for them too. With all that said, this next make is very last minute and not in 'the plan'.

I have been following Zeena Shah on Instagram for a while now and knew I would end up buying her new print book when she announced it's release earlier this year (is it me or has this year been great for craft books?). It's called How to print fabric and the projects are a mix of very simple and more advanced techniques.

I love the fact that Zeena really encourages you to look at objects as printing tools that you just have lying around. I am not really a print novice so I am using the book as inspiration for project ideas, but if you are a complete beginner then there are definitely projects that you can carry out with very few materials. This one is a cute project for a bean bag and the pattern is literally brushed on with ink and a paint brush. Simple!

Back to my first project from the book though hey? My son sat with me flicking through the pages and immediately fell in love with the fox print cushion. The book arrived through my door on Monday so of course it made sense that I wanted to make my two a cushion each by Christmas day on Friday (as well as make my husbands jeans, clean the house etc...).

A quick note - The fox cushion is probably one of the more complex projects and requires a bit of an investment in equipment, but I'm sure you could achieve a great finish with the suggested freezer paper stencil and a sponge. You could just sponge the ink on instead of screen printing.

The book suggests making a stencil out of freezer paper, but because I wanted to make two cushions and potentially make more as future gifts I cut mine from some firm, wipe able plastic sheets. I had to alter the design slightly for this method so that there were connectors in the stencil to keep everything in place. The freezer paper method relies on you arranging the design elements on fabric before printing, so it's not all connected as one piece. My stencil was to be taped to the silk screen, so I just had to adjust it so all the elements were connected. These were my stencils.

I am so pleased with how they turned out! I did a three colour print by masking off areas of the second stencil, printing a colour and then after cleaning remove the masks and mask off the rest for a different colour.

Now you may notice they are slightly different from one another. I had a bit of an accident when printing an eye and it went really smudgy. At first I was really annoyed and was pondering what to do, but then thought of printing an eye patch and it's become a happy accident. It means that Evan and Maria will definitely know which one is theirs!

I didn't add a zip to the cushion, but just hand sewed it shut along the bottom.

Even though I've made myself super busy I really enjoyed this project. I'm looking forward to creating some more stencils using a similar colour separation for some pictures or more cushions. The fox kind of reminds me of some quilting blocks I've seen lately which makes me think a quilt with printed foxes would look amazing! What do you reckon?

Ta ra for now and happy Christmas crafting!