My 3 Year blogiversary!

I can't believe it! I've reached my 3 year blogiversary! So I've been sewing now for nearly 4 years, come Easter, when I found my informal class with Lyn. I posted my first review on Pattern Review in July 2013, more a plea for help! The following are photos from PR, before I started my blog.

I think you can see why I needed help. This is an unfinished top - I wasn't happy with the dart and crossover position.
Never finished. Wrong fabric and I didn't know how to alter to fit. This was a Maggy London top

First finished item (Jalie). I still have this fabric but I gave the top away.

My first attempts at sewing were appalling. Lack of knowledge, lack of support and a wonky machine! I now have a better machine, support from tutors in class - and of course, my blog and PR, and some knowledge to let me try the things I want to.

I dared to enter this in a PR contest! I got a lot of help and advice. There was so much I didn't know that I didn't know I didn't know! I could make a nice shirt now. My machine can do things the last one couldn't eg eyelets to finish neckline!

Thank you

Thank you so much to all of you who read my musings. I particularly enjoy comments - and am happy to receive constructive criticism, hints,  tips etc on how to improve my sewing, my original focus. Please do carry on visiting my blog. I reread my first blog post and those who commented then are still with me - thank you! I enjoy reading others’ blogs too. I'm not quite into Instagram  - maybe because I have so little to show! Facebook, too - I have an account but rarely use it. Perhaps I should. But I love the greater interaction in a blog post.

What is a blog?

I started my blog as a personal log of my sewing, feeling that having it public would make me commit to it more  - I could never keep a diary. I had to put in a work log/process portfolio for my courses (which came from September 2014) so this helped. At the same time,  of course,  being public means that one has to be a bit more circumspect. I gradually expanded the subject matter from my beginning adventures in sewing and my course work to include family sewing. I struggled a bit with DH or name, photos or not. How much personal detail?

Most read posts

Until very recently, my most read blog posts were one on making a bodice block and dart manipulation from my first course, one on making a McCall's cardigan/ jacket, photo below, one on my first steps in the Seven Steps to Style programme and a post on Helen's wedding and dress. I say until recently. For some reason, the number of daily reads my blog gets has increased a lot since the end of last year and 3 of the previous 4 most read posts have fallen way behind in the stats. In general, posts on actual garments from patterns are the most read. Sadly, I feel that while numbers who read my posts have increased, comments have fallen off, though I believe that is a common finding. My most read post - the one detailing my best makes of 2106, including all the wedding finery. My most commented post (other than an early giveaway post) - Helen's wedding dress.

I still wear this. I'm planning to make another, but without the peplum this time. In navy

Not a great photo of the dress but it worked well in rather wild dancing!

The item I'm most proud of?

Helen's wedding dress, of course! I'm also pretty pleased with Anthony's waistcoat which he has worn to several weddings etc since and of the bridesmaid dresses.

Real life meet ups

Over the last 3 years, really in the last year, I have enjoyed meeting some fellow sewers in real life. In fact, I'm going to the Yorkshire Spoolettes Dewsbury meet up on Saturday coming. I went to last year's event and to the Sew Up North event. I briefly met Kate of Fabrickated in London. I have a fitting weekend coming up in March where I'll meet some more new friends.

Confidence and not buying RTW

Over the last 3 years,  I have become a more confident sewer. I'm happy to consider tackling anything. From a construction point of view that is! I'm still struggling with fit - I'm battling (again) with trousers at the moment,  though I have excellent help! I'm also struggling with making things I suit. In RTW you can try on,  like or not,  buy or not. It's frustrating when I make things that don't suit and I don't wear. I have given away most of what I've made. This is partly why I enjoy sewing for the family and will continue to do so. I need to find my sewn style. I'm fairly clear what I want to wear when I go shopping for RTW. It doesn't fit, I've become more critical - I haven't bought RTW for ages,  though I didn't commit to a fast this year. It's a diet rather than a fast! That is, if I saw something that fitted and I liked I would buy it in a flash! That hasn't happened, with the singular exception of my MOB outfit.

Me in my MOB outfit with Helen

Recently I bought a long black cardigan from Sainsbury's to pair with trousers on a day when I was cold and I think that's the only other thing I've bought in long enough. Quite a change.

Staples

My focus this year,  though, is on staples which I can't buy. A well fitting pair of trousers or two or three. A few well fitting tops,  various styles. Some well fitting cardigans, with a bit of style hopefully. A couple of casual jackets. In my colour palette.  It may take me a while! I've opted out,  or rather haven't opted in,  to a couple of wardrobe contests that,  while the things I wanted to make would exactly meet the brief, imposed too strict a time frame for my needs.

Fitting and weight loss

A note on well-fitting. I'm still losing weight and I realise that things I make now won't fit in a few weeks. I couldn't put off,  though. My RTW is fitting even less well than before. I'll have to revisit the trouser block in a few weeks. Should be easier by then I hope. I will ask Rory's help; she just sighed yesterday when I mentioned the weight loss issue. I'm afraid, too, I do go up and down a bit!

College Courses, learning skills and transferring them

My college courses were discontinued,  sadly, but Rory stepped into the breach with a level 3 Class, non accredited. That's good as we learn the skills but don't have to do a lot of the extra associated with the college course - business cases,  financial plans etc which no-one on the course wanted or needed. Even better that I don't have a long commute to Sunderland in rush hour traffic! The techniques I'm learning are expanding my skills. They may not be immediately relevant to my plans this year but many are transferable. I'm immediately thinking pockets  - a zipped pocket would be perfect in a casual jacket and the trousers I originally hacked had a zipped jetted pocket,  though I'm simplifying the design for the block.

The future

As far as the blog is concerned, I'm intending to continue as long as it gets read! I know my photography needs to be better - we'll see! To be honest, it's not a big priority. Are there any changes you would like to see me make?

Wedding sewing update just after Easter weekend

Wedding update

This was a good - and a bad - Easter weekend.

No photos - unless you want to see my grandsons - but I'll stick to sewing

Good things:

• Seeing family.
• Good food and good company.
• I finished the waistcoat for A except for the buttons and buttonholes prior to the weekend. A was visiting and tried it on. It fits and looks great. He's very pleased. Later,  he bought buttons and I'll finish when I have a free house and am able to concentrate. Shouldn't take long.
• Helen was visiting and we had a session with Rory to fit the latest toile. I altered the pattern and trued it and Rory made up a new bodice which fits far better.

We've now pinned  the design down. We're nearly ready to buy the actual fabric.

We've finalised the fabric we want. I had sent away for samples galore.

Helen is now content with some features she previously rejected - underlining,  lining,  waist stay, seam  support.

• Joanne was unexpectedly home and tried on her toile - indeed she was able to join in the end of my class last Wednesday and Dan fitted her. So that was great. I didn't have a chance to make the changes needed to get her to try them before she went away.
• Alison too was able to try on her toile but wasn't able to come with Helen and me to see Rory, to be fitted by someone with a better idea than me. However,  I fitted it, altered pattern, made another bodice which she tried - and it fitted well.
• My wedding shoes and bag arrived.

Bad things

• I was shocked at how far away the fit was on all three of the toiles! What on earth am I doing?

This wasn't the first toile for any of them.

The front bodice was much too wide for both of the bridesmaid dresses and a lot needed to be cut away. The neckline was too high and tight. The princess seam position needed adjusted dramatically as a result of the armhole changes.

• I was reminded again of how bad my organisation is.

I keep losing bits. I am unable to say what is the latest version. Then,  not surprisingly, bits don't fit together.

I'm not sufficiently systematic - hence missing or part of the necessary alterations

• The wedding shoes don't fit.

Time consuming things

• My mother has been offered and accepted a place in sheltered accommodation. This is a good move for her but the timing is awful for me. I can't spend as much time with her helping her downsize and move etc as I'd like and she needs but it's still more than I can afford so close to the wedding. She lives 150 miles away so it takes time even just to travel there.
• I've had to look at my available time and realise that I actually can't do everything and I've put a number of things on hold until after the wedding. It's only another two months away!  I have several hospital appointments and missed one and lost another - a symptom of taking too much on and not being sufficiently organised.
• Pattern modifications!!
• I will actually have to make another toile for Joanne because of the major changes needed. I'll have to post it and get her sister to fit it. Fortunately,  I quickly ran up another bodice for Alison when she was here and it fit well so I won't be doing another for her - next step the real thing.
• Learning new techniques. This would be fun if it wasn't so important that I get things right first time.

So where am I now? (Wednesday after Easter.)

Wedding dress

• I'm planning to concentrate on the wedding dress more or less exclusively until the second week in May by which time it really has to be finished!
• Helen has changed shape so I need to make some modifications to the pattern for size in addition to some design changes. At class today, where Rory is helping me, I ran into some problems with trueing the pattern and matching the bodice to the skirt (there is a waist seam). Rather belatedly I realised I had taken the skirt in but not the front bodice. I had earlier adjusted the back bodice. I think it's sorted now. She hasn't promised not to change shadow further in the 3 weeks before I see her again. But then - no more!
• I plan to make the final toile for mid April when she comes up. It would be so much faster and easier if we had easier access to each other.
• I plan to lay out the pattern to accurately estimate fabric requirements and Helen will buy it and bring it with her - we've seen and touched the fabric we want. I will order some other fabrics and notions online.
• I will also transfer the pattern to card

Course

• Forget it! Last class I ended up spending on the wedding dress.  Just as well it's still the Easter holidays! I do need to spend some time getting caught up.
• I don't think it will take me too long to complete the MOB dress now - I've started.  The biggest issue is a dearth of sketchbook entries and portfolio notes and photos.

Bridesmaids' dresses

• The patterns are complete and trued. I reckon Alison's fits but need to toile Joanne’s.
• I am trying to get someone other than me to make up the final dresses. Obviously, I'm prepared to pay for that - I reckon my health and sanity are worth it. Helen’s too  - she's panicking that I won't get her dress done in time. 

I hope you had a good Easter weekend. The weather is looking rather more springlike here. Hopefully that willl help with mood and health. 

Anne x

Et voilà!

Last week I was very despondent about my dressmaking. I made a kind of very early stage toile for the bodice of my daughter's wedding dress. It wouldn't even fit on Missy - even with a side seam and back seam undone. It was clear that my toile was several inches too small. Although the front looked good, the side seam bent markedly towards the front at the bust area and the back seam was a long way from meeting. I understood why this was. My daughter initially wanted a bodice that would be laid over stretch tulle so I used a stretch leotard block initially which needed fabric with quite a bit of stretch. I made a leotard and it fit beautifully. However, and it's obvious, really, change the fabric to one with much less, or no, stretch, and it can't possibly fit. I was working under guidance of my tutor who hoped this toile would work given that I wanted a tight fit - but it wasn't to be. She didn't have time at the very end of the informal class to point me in a new direction although she did say we ewould need darts after all - it's perhaps indicative of how upset (internally - -n not visibly, at least I don't think so) that I didn't immediately understand what she was saying. I felt I had wasted many hours and lost a lot of hair and was pretty upset and flat, too, when I got home. I decided I had to work from the original, non-stretch block. I followed some instructions in Suzy Furrer's book and, in addition, moved the darts into princess seams. It took ages. In the end, when I looked at the pattern pieces, I was very doubtful about them. As I was going to be seeing my tutor again, I didn't take it further. On Wednesday, I saw Rory and took my wedding dress toile problems and showed her the toile on her model. She said I needed to make a toile from the original block and asked if I had it with me. I did, in a way. Problem is I'm very poor at labelling different pattern iterations, okay labelling in general. I must do better! Rory also pointed out that the instructions Suzy Furrer gives depend on the type of block you were using, how much ease etc - but as I was not using her block, these instructions could not be followed directly. So it wasn't surprising that following her instructions hadn't resulted in a suitable garment. Anyway, I was able to make up a toile. Standard bust dart and waist dart. Rory drew up what she had interpreted from my badly drawn designs and concluded, as I had felt earlier, that princess seams were the way to go. Here's the magic. All those hours I had spent carefully rotating darts! Rory drew the dart position we agreed on the toile. Then all I had to do was cut it out and add seam allowances to where I had cut the fabric apart. The bust dart stayed closed - indeed I realised that it gets closed when rotating it elsewhere. The waist dart gets cut out. Exactly as per dart rotation. But how much faster!! I couldn't believe it! I ended up with the same side panel and front panel that I would have starting with the flat pattern and rotating darts! It's clear that a combination of flat pattern cutting and draping is very useful - and as Rory says, will generally get you to where you want to go. Tonight, in class at college, we were doing moulage. Then Rory showed us how to make a bra pattern from the moulage. I thought the dart, from the moulage, could simply be kept there as had happened in the bodice block - but of course, it had only been pinned in place, not sewn. My homework for next time is a paper bra pattern. I modified a pattern for a lace cardigan. I had to increase the size as the pattern only went up to a 16. I probably graded up to a 20. I needed extra space in my hips and for my biceps. That was a couple of weeks ago but I got around to cutting out the lace this week. I found the lace difficult to work with as it wanted to slip all over the place, distorting the lines. Hopefully I managed it reasonably okay in the end. I decided to pin and then hand baste and found that the lower sleeve from elbow was very wide indeed. I also found that I had somehow stupidly cut out two left sleeves! Lyn advised me how to try to modify my sewing to take account of this error - I didn't have enough fabric to cut a new sleeve, despite it being narrowed by quite a bit. I'm hoping it won't take too long to sew this up. I'm probably going to overlock the seams, by the way, rather than do French seams as the lace is possibly too thick for the latter. Next week is midterm so I don't have classes but I do have some time to get up to date.

I have some photos so I will edit this post later - I don't have time to do that just now, just wanted to get my thoughts sown so I remember the process.

Wedding and Textile class

In the coming months, my main sewing focus will be on making Helen's wedding dress,  which I can't post about. I'll keep notes and perhaps post some after the event. I need to do that for my own benefit and will also need to submit detailed notes for my college course, as the dress design and construction will be my course project.

Also wedding related,  I'll be making the two bridesmaids' dresses, for Helen's two older sisters. I think I'll be able to post some general things about them. There are a lot of new things I have to learn. These things include design elements which hopefully I'll be able to learn about in my pattern cutting class, and construction elements.

Our course this year has changed. Whereas previously I did separate pattern cutting and garment construction technique classes, these are rolled into one this year. I think this is helpful as the two components will be more integrated than they were last year. Then,  if I designed and drew up a pattern, it probably went no further - I only went on to make up the golf crops to complete toile stage. So this meant that I didn't consider every component of a design. This year, it seems that construction of the garment will be an integral part so presumably all elements will have to be considered. That's great. It's also essential for what I'm doing.

I will try to include time to make my own MOB outfit. I'm not rigid about not buying RTW, though I do find it difficult to buy it. I haven't decided what I'd  like. For my oldest daughter's August wedding,  I wore a sleeveless dress and bolero and felt comfortable. Helen will be getting married when it is cooler and I need to work out how best to take that into account.

My friend V has just returned from a business trip to India and has brought me quite a few metres of raw silk and of saree silk. She took a sample of David's kilt fabric to match a couple of the colours in it. I want to make myself a raw silk long skirt to wear when he is wearing his kilt; this is not wedding related, sky-high it could be. I haven't seen the silk yet;  hopefully I will pick it up tomorrow. I have never sewn with silk. Another learning curve.

V offered to get the silk for me; originally I thought this would be for wedding and/or bridesmaid dresses but we're not yet at the stage of choosing fabric. We are further forward with the designs. We've pretty much decided on the wedding dress design and I need to practice some elements. There were a few tweaks to the bridesmaid dress design, but I'm happy that I see the way forward. Helen and I quite fancied sand washed silk for these two dresses but my tutor advised that was difficult to sew with so I'm considering alternatives. Suggestions?

I've made a close fitting toile for Helen. I haven't yet fitted it to the little dressmaking model,  Missy. It will then get padded to Helen's size and will allow me to work on a closer proximity to her shape even when she's not here.

I've been to two of the textile classes so far. These have largely been a revision of earlier dart manipulation work. We've looked at bodice, sleeve and skirt. Another change is that we're going to be working on standard dressmaking models (UK size 12) rather than trying to make garments to fit ourselves; fitting took a lot of time and I'm still not happy with my trouser block. This means that we can concentrate on design and construction.

Last year, I found I had to do a lot of work in a very short time at the end of the course; this year I've started thinking about the final portfolio right from the start,  hoping that will make it easier. I'm writing up our classes but these don't make exciting reading so I won't specifically post about them, though I may mention something I discover that I didn't know about before. This week, that's about sleeves - it may be obvious to you but I hadn't realised - the lower the sleeve cap, the wider the sleeve and the closer to the horizontal it is.

Blouse started but stalled; wedding dress plans; ex-sewers

After all those blouse muslins, I reckoned I must have a perfect fit. I felt ready to start the real thing.

First,  though I practiced darts after getting a further demonstration. My tutor had commented on my poor darts previously so I wanted to find out where I was going wrong. It seemed basically that my angle at the end of the dart was too great and I needed to end exactly on the point. My tutor backstitches on darts and produces lovely darts. In the end,  I decided that leaving long threads and tying off was better for me. I practiced double ended darts, too. Some things I've read say to start in the middle and work towards both ends. My tutor starts at one end and works to the other.

My practice darts looked beautiful.

I also got a demonstration of inserting piping. I managed okay on the short samples I did but have some concerns about firstly the curves and secondly having to put buttonholes in.

I have cut out the blouse pieces. I nearly forgot to increase the cuff width to match the widened arm. I remembered to alter the facing. I haven't cut out my interfacing yet. I thought I had everything ready,  then realised that I haven't bought buttons. Mmm,  pink blouse with fuchsia piping - do I do my buttons to match blouse or piping and how about buttonholes? I don't know. Opinion?

I sewed the darts,  thought they looked lovely and so went on to sew side and shoulder seams.  I tried on and am not happy with the darts. I'm not sure if it's my sewing or the fit.

I'm currently in a hotel in the Lake District. I'm here for a few days because of a Golf championship over 4 days, 3 plus a practice day. I'm here as secretary of our county group, but not to play golf. I had always hoped to leave on Thursday morning with a view to catching the second half of my sewing group, to get some advice in the last week before the holiday week.. It's a 3 hour drive. Unfortunately, one of my friends lost her battle with leukaemia and her funeral is on Thursday afternoon. So I won't be able to get comment on my darts. I'll go ahead after I get back, though,  and hopefully get finished to enter the PR competition. It'll be very tight, though, as I hadn't fully anticipated more than a week away from sewing. I'll post photos when I've finished.

I haven't brought my sewing with me,  other than the link with the blog. I had planned to call into Linton Tweeds on Carlisle on the way here but then decided not to as I don't want to buy expensive tweeds at present and I thought I might be a bit tight for time. I decided instead to visit a fabric shop in Penrith;  I found it via Google search. The rain was torrential and my windscreen wipers weren't coping,  so I went to Penrith to shelter and for lunch. That's when I realised I should have had a sample of my fabric with me - I couldn't match buttons. The fabric shop was staffed by pleasant knowledgeable people. They had loads of quilting materials and a selection of dressmaking fabrics, a decent haberdashery and some pattern books. Upstairs, they had a selection of bridal fabrics. I found air soluble marker pens, which I haven't found elsewhere and bought some machine needles.

Last weekend my youngest daughter came up. We went bridal dress trying on. She looks good in them all. The dresses tended to be a standard size UK12 (US 8) and all were too big around the chest apart from one which wasn't wide enough across the shoulders. However, she is interested in the idea of heirlooms and tradition and would like to wear her sister's wedding dress (I would then make a more pared down dress,  but still a wedding dress,  for her to change into).  The trouble with her sister's dress is that the top is too big and it's strapless which H dislikes. We agreed I'd try to find a decent dressmaker to see if the dress is alterable  - the top needs to be made considerably smaller and straps added. I believe that a well fitting boned top would stay up and she'd manage without straps,  but we'll see. The dancing dress would be bum hugging.

Tonight at our meal, I found that one of the golfers in my group is an experienced dressmaker and she'll give me the name of a dressmaker to discuss the wedding dress with. She's also going to look through some of her patterns. She is about to alter a spare bedroom into a sewing room and start sewing again.

It's interesting, I regularly meet ex-sewers.  At bridge recently, one of my opponents was an ex-sewing teacher. I met loads of women who've done a lot in the past but no longer sew. Eyesight was an issue with some.

My daughter has a reasonable idea of the colour she wants for her two sisters' bridesmaids' dresses. I contacted a silk supplier by email to see if they could provide by Pantone colours. They responded very quickly to say no,  but they had 400 shades of silk dupion and would send me samples of what they thought might be suitable based on my info. However, today in Penrith I found some of the non-silk satins etc gorgeous and much much cheaper so it might be better to consider using them.  I'm no further with my sample outfits.

I'm going to bed now. Tomorrow I have some duties in the morning and evening but have arranged to meet an old friend who lives in this area in the afternoon. She does volunteer hospice work (she's a doctor too) and is actually working in this self same town tomorrow morning. So it's worked out well.

Wedding dresses, Olympia and Goldhawk Road

I just realised I forgot to post this,  so it's a bit out of date,  but still very relevant,  to me,  anyway!  I will be asking for your advice,  too.

My youngest daughter, H,  lives in London with her fiancé, A. They visited us a couple of weeks ago to celebrate their engagement and look at some wedding venues.  A had asked DH's permission to marry  H when we were in London in January so we were less surprised than she was when he proposed romantically on a beach in Barcelona,  complete with ring.

I decided to visit the Knitting and Stitching Show at Olympia as we were meeting A's parents, whom we had never met, for Sunday lunch in Cambridge,  where DD1 stays, the same weekend. I asked H if she'd like to go with me to the show on Saturday. I travelled down the day before and stayed overnight in a hotel close to Olympia;  I couldn't stay with H.

I visited the V&A museum's wedding dresses through the ages exhibition on my own on the Friday afternoon as H was working. I don't know whether she managed to go before it closed.

I've been to the Knitting and Stitching Show in Harrogate twice and to be honest I prefer it. This didn't seem bigger and really lacked seating space.

We looked around and a bought a couple of gadgets - a needle threader which actually worked when I tried it and a depiller. A friend had offered to lend me a magnetic bracelet which she swears by for arthritis but it was too small. I looked at magnetic bracelets at the show but was really put off buying by the vendor's attitude.

I bought a length of silk for the Sewing Workshop blouse

and a length of textured grey jersey,

and some thin grey patterned fabric for me - I forget what it was called. From a designer's range.

Grey and cream polyester voile? 

My daughter fancies a kimono top and we bought a length of jersey for that.

H's kimono jacket fabric;  no pattern chosen yet

It wasn't very late but we'd had enough. H suggested we go to Goldhawk Road as it wasn't far away. She knew I'd be interested. She went for materials when she made herself a tutu for an event  (her only make ever).

We had a look at some wedding silks and laces;  H is getting married next year and has asked me to make her wedding dress!!  Help!! I'm also supposed to be making the two dresses for the bridesmaids and my MOB outfit. Currently I'm on the RTW fast,  who knows about next year,  though. H is very well aware of my limitations.

Goldhawk Road was a revelation!  Fantastic! We looked at three shops. The choice!  The prices! I will certainly return. Or I'll send H! It's quite a distance from where she lives,  though. I bought a length of patterned wool jersey on sale. It's really quite thin with little body.  Not sure what I'll do with it as yet. 

H hasn't yet decided on the style she wants for her dress and that obviously impacts on fabric and on bridesmaid dress style. And of course whether I can even think about making it! She had photos of her wearing two really expensive dresses on her shortlist, which she has just started. One I liked (nearly £6000!! - $9000),  the other I didn't think I could make - and didn't like.

H and I then travelled to Cambridge where DD1 stays. In the meantime DH and DD2 had travelled there too.

DD1 had previously offered her wedding dress to be used or cannibalised but H hadn't been keen. She tried on the dress - and it was beautiful and really suited her, though a bit big particularly in the bodice. H is taller than DD1 and that actually made the dress a better length. I can't show pictures of any of these dresses,  for obvious reasons. H has added this dress to her shortlist and we're taking it back home with us.

H would really like to take up dressmaking. She loved the fabric and the garments she saw.  I have a spare sewing machine but A says they don't have room as their flat its very tiny.

I reckon I need to have an idea of the design H wants for her dress by June. That's a year in advance.  I've looked with her at the Marfy bridal pattern book and have an idea of what she might like - and I believe it's achievable with help from my sewing tutors who have kindly agreed this (though none of them now make wedding dresses due to bridezilla behaviour.)  For me,  I really need to lose a lot of weight - this should act as an incentive,  shouldn't it?  Unfortunately, it hasn't so far. Some suggestions for a nice MOB outfit would be welcome. Weather won't be very warm,  will be changeable, though could be gorgeous - that's weather in this part of the UK.