All posts filed under: Indie Pattern

Elephants and Indians

Gosh!  Where’s the time gone?! I’ve had a whole month to rustle something up to fulfil my pledge for the Made Up Initiative which is raising money for the National Literacy Trust. My mum bought this elephant and indian crepe, slightly sheer with a tiny amount of stretch for me a few months ago.  I’ve been umming and arrhing for ages what to make with it so thought if I pledge to make something up with it I’d have a deadline and would do it. And I did!  And I love it! I had a few suggestions on my Sunday Sevens when I was first gifted this fabric.  Sheila from Sewchet thought maybe a baby doll set for the boudoir, but Indians being ridden by elephants…… not sure if that’s an image I’d like to portray in the bedroom! I decided to make the Dimpsy T from Laura After Midnight.  I’d made a hack of this before in a jersey fabric without the collar but thought it was time to stand up to my fear of making …

The Denim and Jersey Aurora Tank By Seamwork

Back in June I printed off one of the latest patterns (then it was!) by Seamwork – The Aurora Tank. I was inspired by Helena from GrayAllDay patterns to make one.  She made one every day for a week and came up with some fab colour combos, and she also discovered that the yoke could be make in a woven as well as a jersey. I traced the pattern off back then, but it wasn’t until a couple of days before our trip to Taunton in July that I got round to whipping one up.  Not sure if it took me 2 hours – I did cut some corners. I used a remnant of a jersey from my stash, and for the yoke I had some of the stretch denim from my recently made capri pants. I thought the denim would be too thick for the inside of the yoke so i was going to use an old black viscose top. After I’d cut it out I got lazy and decided the yoke didn’t need an inside …

Laura After Midnight’s Dimpsy T

A few weeks ago I bought Laura After Midnight’s new pattern the Dimpsy T.  I originally intended to make it for TMS Indie Pattern Month but life got in the way. Today, however, I needed a quick fix. As I’d already traced off for the Dimspy T it was easy to decide what to make! I had traced it off in a size 14.  I’m really in between a 16 and 18 across the bust, but my greaseproof paper would only fit a size 14 on and I’d no sticky tape to hand, so a 14 it was! As the size was likely to be a bit on the snug size I decided to make it up in a stretch fabric.  I had some fabric which hasn’t even made it upstairs to my stash yet.   I bought it when I popped into John Lewis in Newcastle on Thursday.  (it was only 3 miles away from H’s cricket match – how could I resist!). Here’s what I brought!  Think I must’ve needed cheering up, or maybe brightening up …

Georgia, you were only supposed to be a muslin!

For TMS’s first weekly challenge of #IMP15 I decided to make The Geogia Dress from BHL. It called for a fabric with a little stretch to help with the close fit.   As I’m trying to sew more quality than quantity I knew I needed to make a muslin. I traced the size 14 (U.S. Size – I like being 2 sizes smaller so sticking with it!!), then rummaged in my stash. I couldn’t find anything suitable, so delved into my ‘clothes to be refashioned’ box. I found a pair of my hubbies old jeans, and then after further searching in another box I found a gorgeous piece of Egyptian cotton. The latter had been chopped off my mum in laws duvet cover when she wanted it making smaller. Neither had any stretch but it would give me an idea of the fit and also enable me to check out the construction. The dress went together really well.  I didn’t take any pix when making it up as I only ‘threw’ it together to get the fit right. …

Colour Blocked Cabernet Cardigan

Due to a recent and severe case of cardigan and blazer envy I’ve unintentionally made the Morris Blazer, The Oslo Cardigan and now The Cabernet Cardigan!  Thank goodness for blogging! I first heard of SBCC’s latest pattern when Lladybird made this striped one, and this leopard one. I knew straight away I want to make one and as Betsy was offering free P&P (from America!!) I didn’t hesitate and ordered a hard copy.  Although I don’t mind PDF’s, if time is on my side and it’s not too expensive I do prefer a hard copy.  I think it took around 2 1/2 weeks to arrive, which I didn’t think was too bad. I was in a bit of dilemma before I could order my pattern.  The sizes are split in 2 – skinny bitches and curvy chicks.  I’m sort of somewhere in between.  Maybe a curvy bitch, I’m not sure! And also, I didn’t realise the sizes shown are for the finished measurements.  Doh!  So I ordered the sizes xxs-l, which has a finished bust circumference of …

4 Espressos, with Cake Please

Whilst lots of you have joined in the OWOP challenge (one week one pattern – wearing the same pattern every day, Carolyn being my favourite with her collection of Archers), I’ve subconsciously been having my own little challenge – OSOP – one sumner one pattern! My wardrobe staple this summer has been the Yasmin Yoke skirt. I have my 3 denim ones (light, dark and black), my leopard print and my linen one.  Joining the RTW fast has (and putting on a few 20 pounds stopping smoking) has made it difficult to find something to wear in my vast wardrobe. That’s when the Yasmin Yoke Skirt came to the rescue. On fat days she sits on my waist and on thin not so fat days she sits more on my hips. Now Autumn is upon on, I’m now needing a little more leg coverage. I’ve worn Yasmin 5 with woolly tights and boots, But I stumbled across Cake’s Espresso leggings and read the wonderful reviews, and now 5 pairs later I’m loving them!! I also made a pair …

Mum does a runner with my New Victoria Blazer

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 …