All posts tagged: fp

Ali’s Been Busy!

Published by

A lot has happened since I last posted…… I’ve been on the telly for one! But that’s another story! I’ll tell you all about that shortly – I kept a diary throughout filming, it might need a little editing before I publish it here though. But for now this is just a quick post to let you know what I’ve been busy doing the last couple of days. My stash is out of control to say the least. A combination of ‘no where to sew’ – by that I mean I’ve no where to go (due to the ‘C’) word, so I’ve not got the same inclination to sew. But then I’ve still been buying fabric like there’s no tomorrow! I used to keep a record of my stash on an app called Cora – but it’s stopped working (pained face), so now I’m feeling totally disorganised which I find makes me even more unproductive, and my sew-jo has gone into quarantine. And for longer than the recommended 14 days! I decided to go back …

A Sewing Room Miracle

Published by

Some things just never go to plan. When they don’t go to plan in the sewing room, but the creative juices are flowing, a sewing room miracle can happen. I printed off the pattern for the Pona jacket not knowing which fabric I’d choose to make it up in. I initially thought dark blue denim. I love denim and it goes with anything and everything in my wardrobe. So when my pattern was taped together I went to have a rummage in my stash. I say rummage because I had a huge pile of fabric on my table as I was up to my ears in organising my stash. You can’t see it but under there somewhere was a piece of curtaining fabric that I acquired from one of my ‘real life’ sewing buddies. She inherited a close family friends stash who had sadly passed away. The curtaining fabric was from the 80’s and looked big enough for the jacket. It turned out it wasn’t, but before I realised this I’d already cut out all …

The Thea Boho Sleeve Shirt

Published by

It’s taken a crazy shirt to get my fingers flying across the keyboard and to get me to update my blog! It feels good to be back, I just need to make a brew now and have a look at my feed and see what you lovelies have been up to too! So I spotted a new pattern from Liberty on Insta. It was a bit steep at £17 but it was love at first site and it was in my shopping basket before I knew it. I bought it direct from Liberty and was very restrained by not buying anything else! Once I’d got going making it and posted on insta what I was up to, someone mentioned that the Liberty shirt is actually Vogue 9331. So I checked it out and sure enough it is. Not only is it the same as the Vogue pattern, it’s also cheaper. Especially if you buy it when it’s on sale. But the downside of buying the vogue pattern is that you have to choose which size …

McCalls 6612 – A Nearmiss

Published by

Last Monday I woke up wanting to sew. It’s a long time since I woke up with ‘the urge’! I was meeting my crafty friends for lunch and ‘needed’ something new to wear. So after a rummage through my used patterns I decided upon McCalls 6612. A dead easy pattern which I can throw together in an hour or so. It’s actually the first pattern I used when I got back into sewing in 2013, though it took me all day to sew up the first time as I was a bit rusty. I wasn’t 100% happy with it, and it didn’t feel quite right, but I wore it. When I got home after the lunch I had a rethink and decided to finish the sleeves with a band of opposite fabric. I’m a great believer of everything happening for a reason, and here’s proof of that. So thankyou Sewing Gods for my nearmiss and helping me creative something a little bit different which I love. Happy Sewing & Cheerio for now, Thimbers x

Another Day At The Races M6612

Published by

Before I ramble on and tell you about yet another McCalls 6612 I just need to say this flurry of blog posts isn’t due to me being in the middle of a sewing frenzy.  It’s me playing catch up from what I’ve made over the summer and due to one thing and another (the main thing being cricket) I’ve not done much blogging. A few weeks ago I had a last minute invite to a day at the races.  Last minute, as in the day before. It was ladies day so some sort of head gear was in order, along with a frock, shoes and bag. My first thought when I was thinking about what to make  (a ‘normal’ person would think “what to wear”) was this fabric I bought at Lucky Fashions at this years #SewDownDewsbury and how well it would go with this handbag…. It’s a rich cream coloured scuba with a gold leaf pattern and was a steal at £5 per yard! I quickly cut out McCalls 6612 and basted it together. …

Fankenpattern to the Races – Newlook 6648 and 6730

Published by

For the last few years we’ve been invited to Ripon races and I’ve always made a new dress for the occasion. This year I almost deviated from wearing handmade as I finally was able to fit into a favourite RTW dress that has been too small for ages…..or I’ve been too big! Unfortunately I gained about 4 pounds after this picture was taken and it wasn’t as comfortable so I had to have a plan b. I still had some of the blue ITY fabric (from this years SewUpNorth) left after making Simpicity 1613  So then I had a crazy idea to make some pull on wide legged pants (Newlook 6730) and create a jumpsuit if I shortened the dress and stitched them together. I cut out the pants in a small which is a 25 1/2 – 26 1/2 inch waist and a 34 1/2 – 36 1/2 inch hip. I’ve not been that small since I started school but due to the stretchiness of the ITY knit and the close fit I was wanting …

Hacking McCalls 6612 – 3 very different Tops

Published by

Following on from the success of my Little Red Dress I decided to use the sleeves I’d cut out but not used,  and some double knit jersey from my scrap bin, to whip up a t shirt. I raised the neckline by an inch and shortened the dress pattern to hip length. I feel a bit like a 5 year old but I’ve worn this loads and it’s been in regular rotation worn with old denim shorts during the last month of what we call ‘summer’. I was thinking of making another when Bea mentioned on her IG feed that she had this gorgeous jersey going spare, I couldn’t believe my luck when I was able to snap it up.  She sent it with a lovely note and some other sewing goodies! As I’m a serial tracer and muslin maker it’s a real treat to be able to whip up a new garment in an hour or 2.  I’ve not really had any TNT patterns in the past but I think I definitely need more …

The Little Red Dress – McCalls 6612

Published by

Back in June 2013 I bought a dress pattern which changed my life.  It was the Mcalls 6612 dress and tunic.  I made it up in a size 14 without even thinking I needed to measure myself.  Luckily due to the very stretchy nature of the fabric it fit. I’d not used this pattern again, until earlier in the summer, and I’ve since made 5 very different garments.  I measure a 16 chest and 12 hips but generally sew with a smaller seam allowance and keep my fingers crossed that it will fit.  So far so good! The first M6612 was a little red dress made with a cotton jersey from John Lewis.  I was going to add short sleeves but after sewing up the side seams whilst in auto pilot I decided not to bother as I nearly always sew sleeves in in the flat and couldn’t be bothered easing the sleeves in.  To jazz things up I added a striped trim to the neck and arm openings and absolutely love how it transformed …

#GBSBLIVE 2017 & The Japanese Asymmetrical Top

Published by

The Great British Sewing Bee Live was fabulous and just what the doctor ordered!  I’ve been AWOL for the past few weeks, I won’t go into detail but I’m doing ok and hopefully there will be some action on the blog and in the sewing room very soon, and I’ll be back firing on all cylinders. I don’t know about you but the best thing to get my creative juices flowing is having a special occasion to attend.  As the date of #GBSBLive loomed and the days ticked away I was at loss as to what to make, and decided to have a flick through the GBSB books and patterns which accompanied the show. I’d left it to the last minute so I needed to make something quick and easy.  The Japanese Pattern Top from the latest book looked a fairly simple despite the odd shaped pattern pieces. I’d seen on Hila’s Vlog about this top that the pattern pieces were huge, and she wasn’t wrong! Lucky I had some Burda tissue paper which easily …

Refitting My Favourites after My #SlimmingWorldSuccess

Published by

Back in June 2013 I dusted off my sewing machine and sent my then 22 year old overlocker off for its’ first service. I made a dress in a day….. totally oblivious to sizing charts, in a tricky ITY knit and have never looked back! During the last 4 years I discovered social media, and now have more sewing friends that golfing friends, which is really strange as golfing is a real life hobby not a virtual one like blogging! I also have lots of golfing friends who now sew… my enthusiasm can be infectious so watch out!  But all the sewing led me to have a huge lifestyle change, and not really for the better. I no longer played golf 3 or 4 times a week, instead I was either sat at my sewing machine or at my computer, and my life became stagnant. I’m not sure when the extra pounds really crept on, but soon I was almost 2 stone heavier than when I started blogging!   Things had to change.  I felt …