All posts filed under: The Big 4

Simplicity 1783 – A Cynthia Rowley Pattern

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I know there’s a lot of Cynthia Fans out there and I’m quickly becoming one! Here’s 1873 Last year I made the top from this pattern, you might remember it as the ‘save all your kisses for me‘ top! A few weeks ago I was looking to make a denim skirt for summer and stumbled across this pattern in my stash and thought this would be perfect. I frivolously chopped my paper pattern!!  Shock! Horror!!  This is not something I would normally do, but I’m not planning on being a bigger size anytime soon so I thought what the heck! It’s actually about a month or so since I finished this.  There’s not a lot to say about the construction except to was fairly straight forward, including the zip fly. I changed the order of construction.  Instead of sewing the side seams then attaching the waist band, I completed the front (inc the fly) added the waist band, but not the facing.  Then I sewed up the side seams to get the fit spot on. …

My First Pattern by Gertie – Butterick 6390

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Back in September I attended my first proper meet up – Sewbrum.  I had an amazing day and met some fabulous ladies.  Sitting down for lunch outside a pub with lots of women I’d never met felt really strange, but it was stranger that in no time at all I felt like I’d know them all ages. One lovely lady I got talking to was Lucy from Sew Essential. and not long after returning home she got in touch and asked if she could sponsor a post on my blog.  Could she!!  I was really excited, and it took ages for me to decide what to make.  I came up with a few ideas – I wanted to make a casual style jacket but in a dressy up style fabric.  I found Gertie’s close fitting button down jacket and thought it would be perfect for me as I’m short waisted and not very tall. Lucy suggested their faux silk dupion.  I was sold!! It came it quite a few colours.  As I wanted my new jacket …

The BIG Vintage Sewalong – Vogue 9082 & Sonja Dress Hack

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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 …

The Big Vintage Sewalong – Vogue 9082

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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 …