All posts filed under: Front Page

The BIG Vintage Sewalong – Vogue 9082 & Sonja Dress Hack

Published by

What do you do when you’re too excited to sit still and watch TV, not that I’m good at sitting still anyway?!  Well, for me I’m going to drink Rose wine and tell you about a frock I finished a couple or 3 weeks ago. Why am I excited?!  It’s Sewbrum tomorrow! EEEK!!  I’ve wanted to go to Sewbrum for the last 2 years but the dates just didn’t agree with me.  But this year it’s fallen on my weekend off so I’ve bought my train ticket, and I’m good to go! My first Vogue 9082 which I’ve worn 3 times already and had loads of compliments when wearing was only supposed to be a practice for my niece’s wedding.  It was no way a muslin,  I’d already made 3 of them so I knew it was going to fit when I finally cut into the stunning chosen fabric. It was to wear to Ripon races back in June. So the plan was to make another in different fabric. I bought this stretch cotton sateen when I …

Getting busy with Belize from Itch-To-Stitch

Published by

Itch To Stitch has just released their latest pattern – the Belize skort and shorts.  She was asking for pattern testers not so long ago and I would have loved to help up but unfortunately the timescale didn’t match up with any free time I had.   I’ve never made a skort before, but have bought quite a few pairs over the years for golf, and they’re usually quite expensive.  In the last couple of years I’ve cheated and I’ve made skirts for golf and worn gym shorts underneath. This week I’ve been on annual leave and has loooooads of free time.  So armed with my new pattern (which I managed to work out how to use layers and just print my size) I set about making the Belize Skort.  This was Monday, and I wanted to wear them on Tuesday for golf! There are 5 views for the skort and shorts: View A: Pleated-front shorts with front pockets View B: Flat-front shorts with front pockets View C: Flat-front shorts with no pocket View D: Skort with …

The Big Vintage Sewalong – Vogue 9082

Published by

There’s nothing quite like a challenge to get the sewing and blogging juices flowing.  More so when it’s raising money for a very worthy charity. This year  for the BIG Vintage Sewalong there’s 20 patterns from Retro Butterick, McCall’s and Vogue to choose from. A donation from every sale will be made to The Eve Appeal – a charity rising awareness and funding research in the 5 gynaecological cancers.   Last year over £8000 was raised for the same charity through sales of the Walkaway Dress! I drooled over almost every pattern, but my final choice was influenced by an invititaiton to my niece’s wedding in September.   As I usually have to make 2 or 3 muslins I wanted this dress to be something special, rather than something to be just worn once then stuck at the back of the wardrobe. I love the tea dress look and the nipped waist, but short of wearing a ridiulously tight corset a nipped in waist is out of the question. Vogue 9082 grabbed me the most, and …

Grainline Archer – At last!

Published by

One of the first things I lusted over noticed everywhere when I discovered sewing blogs was the Grainline Archer. They really were everywhere and I really wanted one.  I’m fairly certain that most of you seasoned bloggers will have seen them about, but here’s a couple of my favourites……  Click on the photo to be taken to the owners blog post…please! Carolyn from Allspice Abounds is to me the Queen of the Archers!  Her attention to detail is just second to none.  Overtime she made another and I read her blog post I’d want one even more!   Rachel from Sew South London made a gorgeous Chambray Archer which really showed off her stunning topstitching!  And it was her post that lead me to a different way to attach the collar – which worked really well! Thanks Rachel! I couldn’t bring myself to buy the pdf version, not with all those pieces. So when they announced they were selling a paper version I snapped one up immediately!  Not sure now what all the rush was about. …

The Colette Wren at The Yorkshire White Rose Awards

Published by

On Monday we attended the White Rose Awards at the Leeds Arena.  It is the largest celebration of tourism excellence in the UK.  The dress code was black tie.  I didn’t need any more encouragement than that to fire up my creative juices and make a new frock! I’ve already written a post about my first and second muslin of the new Wren dress pattern from Colette.  I had 5m of this sparkly silvery ponte knit from Minerva.  I originally bought 2m to make my sister a coco for her birthday but then couldn’t resist and had to buy some more for me. I intend to write a full post later about the nitty gritty of the other changes I wanted and also needed to make to the pattern so it would be perfect for my chosen fabric and the occasion! This post is all about the finished dress and the awards ceremony. All dressed up and somewhere to go!!  Hubby scrubs up well too, don’t you think?! Wahay! Look at that thigh high spit! …

Mum does a runner with my New Victoria Blazer

Published by

I’ve spent most of the weekend making my 2nd Victoria Blazer from By Hand London. (Link added in case by some crazy chance you’ve not heard of those talented London Girls who make fab patterns!). As usual I was struggling to find a photographer so I called at my mums. Before I could hand her my camera iPhone she had my jacket on and was away down the garden! She gathered speed when she realised I was hot on her heals: So here’s my mum modelling MY new Victoria Blazer: I did eventually recover my blazer, but I think when I get round to making Victoria No. 3 it will be for my mum! Back to the nitty gritty…..’how did I find this pattern?’, and ‘what changes did I make?’ LOVE the pattern! Who couldn’t or wouldn’t?!?!   I bought it (only a month ago) after spending the last 8 months drooling over all the Victorias around the blogosphere I really didn’t know what to make it with. I wanted a soft denim one, a …