Who Said Pigs Cant Fly?

Don't you just love this fabric? I saw this just before Christmas when I was at the Sewing Machine Guy's shop in Ellington. I didn't buy any then, but my hubby bought 3m for me as a Christmas pressent. They are out of stock at the moment, but more is on order I believe.

I knew I wanted an everyday dress and a style that would show off the fabric and not interupt the design.

I used the basic bodice from Gertie's Ultimate dress book, but rotated the bust darts into the waist darts. I transfered the neckline from the princess seamed bodice and added the short sleeves - these I widened to allow a bit more movement as they were a bit tight on the toile I made. The Skirt is simple gathered rectangle but IT HAS POCKETS - !!!!!!!

The dress is unlined, and has a bodice facing. - seams are overlocked.  The seams are hand stitched.
The fabric is a good weight cotton and works well with tights and a cardy in cooler weather, but will be perfect for the summer too. I can see me getting a lot of wear out of this.

check out my pattern matching.

I made most of this dress just after Christmas. I had pressed and pinned the hems before my op, so sitting and hand stitching them when I came out of hospital was quite theraputic.

Do you have a favourite novelty print garment? I think I'm rapidly going off florals and prefer other prints.

Long shift dress - Gertie/ burdastyle frankenpattern

I started this dress way back in September 2017. I had big plans, big, big plans and they came to nought.
I was going to make the surplice dress from Gertie's Ultimate Dress Book. I made two muslin's of the bodice and wasn't happy with the fit of either.
Then I tried the Wiggle dress from Gertie's New Book for Better Sewing, most of this fit ok, but I just don't think it was right for the fabric I had.
So my Solution - Franken Pattern - two tried and true patterns merged together.
I used Burdastyle Seamed dress 08/2012#120 for the bodice and the Pencil Skirt from Gertie's new book for better sewing.

My fabric is a floral woven cotton with just a bit of stretch and I have some white Tana lawn for the lining.

I assembled the front and back panels for the dress in both the shell fabric and lining and then put in the invisible zip.

Not a bad job at all. The next step was to sew the dress and facing together at the neck edge and then understitch. This gives a great finish and prevents the lining from peeking out. I sewed the armholes using the burrito method. This is my go-to way of sewing an all in one facing or lining. It's always worth cutting the lining a few mm narrower than the shoulders to allow the fabric to roll under. It also gives an opportunity to adjust the fit at the side seams too.

That's what I did next - sewing up the side seams, just on the dress fabric initially as I needed to check the fit. It's a good job I did as I needed to take in quite a bit at the waist and grading out to the hip. I pinned the dress and marked the new seamlines in chalk. I also pegged the skirt about 5cm at the hem.

Then Nothing!

I

Did

Nothing

For

Two

Months.

This dress had been thrown over the back of a chair for two months. Granted I've been busy, I hadn't blogged in that time, or even done much sewing. I'd fallen out of love with the dress, didn't like the fabric, couldn't be bothered with it.

Then after Christmas (yes  - that's when I finished it!) I had a couple of spare hours, the right colour thread in the machine and decided to sew up the alterations. I'm so glad I did. As soon as the side seams had been adjusted the dress looked so much better on and I like it again.

I even took the time to hand stitch the hem!

This make hasn't ben worm yet as I haven't had the occasion to wear it, but I did finally get my hubby to take photos for me last week - so I can post it at last. I'm hoping to wear it to a party in a couple of weeks.

Have you ever taken so long to make something that you've changed your mind frequently about it?

Sew Over it Eve Dress in partnership with Sew Essential

A few weeks ago, Lucy from Sew Essential contacted me about sponsoring a make. I was flattered and excited. I had never used Sew Essential before and spent hours perusing the stunning fabrics that they have in stock. I think I could quite happily buy up most of their dressmaking stock!!!!

They have a wide choice of patterns from both the big pattern companies and independents. It's really easy to select patterns on the website and you can filter by type and company to refine your search. Great when a company holds so many different options. I thought this would be a good opportunity to try out a Sew Over It pattern. I love their vintage modern aesthetic but had only ever perused makes online. I decided on the Eve dress as I love a wrap dress - who doesn't! - they are so flattering on every figure and I'd only heard good things about this particular pattern.

Then to choose fabric - this really is my downfall and there were so many stunning fabrics it was really difficult to choose. This pattern calls for something with a good drape and there is a stunning selection of drapey prints at Sew Essential. Again, the fabric types are well organised and it's easy to filter to narrow your choices. I decided to narrow my search and stay away from florals, as my last couple of makes (not blogged yet) have been floral. I'm a sucker for polka dots, but when I saw this stunning irregular John Kaldor polka dot crepe de chine fabric in stunning royal blue I was sold. It was really easy to see how it draped as the fabric is shown on a mannequin.

My parcel of fabric and pattern arrived quickly and I prewashed my fabric ready to get started, but then the hospital called with a cancellation and offered me my Hip Arthroscopy the same week. All sewing plans on hold...

...Weeks later I've finally made this dress. My physiotherapist said I could sew a bit as the movement would help with keeping the circulation good in my leg. After looking carefully at the measurements for the Eve dress, I decided I fell cleanly between the 10 and 12 size - so I traced the pattern and cut an "11". I made a toile to check the fit before cutting into the crepe de chine; after doing so the only changes I made were to remove about 3 cm from the wrap edge as it gapes a bit. I did this by slashing and overlapping by a cm in a couple of different places on the wrap edge. I used the straight sleeves on my toile and needed to make them a little wider too, slash and spread the arm, leaving a hinge at the top of the sleeve head, so it doesn't alter the seamline. (I made the flutter sleeve version of the dress as it suits the lovely fabric much better.)

I decided to cut my fabric in a single layer to prevent as much slippage as possible and make it as accurate as I could.

Check out my fancy pattern weights - just open the cutlery drawer... I found the cutting out challenging simply because after my hip operation I can't stand for long and crutches make moving around difficult, so I sat to cut out, thankfully we have a very big dining room table, but it was still tricky reaching the far edges of each pattern piece.

This is a quick and easy pattern and sewn in a lightweight cotton would work as well as something more drapey. I made it difficult for myself; sewing with crepe de chine needs patience and as much accuracy as you can muster. Despite my care, I still managed to stretch out the fabric in a couple of places - not enough to make it a major issue, but I really do like all my seams to match perfectly. I haven't sewn with such a slippery fabric since my early days of sewing (my second make ever was a pair of baggy crepe de chine trousers) and I really didn't know better then! Next time I use a slippy fabric like this I will try the gelatine stabilisation method that I've heard about. This is a stunning fabric in a gorgeous colour and I'm planning to use up every last scrap.

I used a Schmetz 60 microtex needle for this dress and for the most part, it was good, although it did catch a little bit.

I changed the order of construction after making the toile. I constructed the bodice and stayed the neckline and inserted the sleeve in flat. Then I attached the skirt pieces before sewing up the side seams. It was easier to do it this way to allow the gap for the tie to pass through.

All the internal seams are finished with the overlocker but I decided to create a narrow rolled hem for the skirt and sleeves, It gives a nicer finish, especially with the dipped hem - I didn't want the overlocker stitches to be visible I posted a tutorial on how to do this here.

Well, it's all finished and can I just say I. LOVE. THIS. DRESS. It's still a bit chilly to wear it here, but as the fabric DOES NOT CREASE. I think this is gonna get a lot of wear in the summer and it will be perfect for throwing in a suitcase for holidays or days away. I'd be happy wearing this at a summer wedding or party. I now just need some royal blue shoes to match. I don't think this will be my last Sew Over It Eve Dress, made in other fabrics this one dress could suit my whole lifestyle. Thank you Sew Essential for the fabric and pattern, you've certainly brought a smile to this sewist's face.

Disclaimer: The pattern and fabric have been provided by Sew Essential, all opinions are my own.

Tutorial: Rolled hem

When should you use a rolled hem? How do you make one? What do you need?

A rolled hem is a fantastic finish for garments that are made of lightweight or sheer fabrics, they work very well on bias cut garments and on curved hems but work just as well on the straight grain. They are simple to make and look good inside and out, I've used them on shirts, dresses and skirts. If you have a fancy rolled hem foot these can be done in minutes. I don't have such a foot, but it doesn't stop me creating beautifully finished garments. It might take a bit longer to do with a regular foot, but the finish is still lovely. I've used this technique on the Sew Over it Eve dress as the hem is dipped and I didn't want overlocker stitches on show.

What you will need:
The garment you wish to hem
Matching thread
Iron and Ironing board
A sewing machine that sews a straight stitch

How to Sew the hem:
You will need between 1cm and 1.5cm hem allowance - depending on how tiny you make the hem.

Sew a line of stitching close to the edge

1. Sew a line of stitching about 5mm away from the edge of the fabric, all the way along the edge to be hemmed. I use the edge of my presser foot aligned to the edge of the fabric.

Turn and press the fabric - see the stitches?

2. Fold the fabric to the wrong side so that the line of stitching is just visible on the reverse and press in place.

Stitch the fabric on the fold

3. Stitch the folded edge down close to the edge. Try to stitch as close as you can to the folded edge - I aim for the line of stitching.

Trim the hem allowance as small as you can

4. Trim the fabric close to the stitching line, but not through it. Your hem should be 3-4mm wide at this point.

5. Turn the hem under again so that the raw edges are completely hidden. At this point, you can decide how deep you want the finished hem to be. If I'm making a shirt I tend to make this slightly wider than if I'm working on sheer or lightweight fabric. Press the edge again.

Last line of stitching

6. Stitch again. Try to sew an even distance from the folded edge for a high-end finish. You should see a line of stitching on the hem and the raw edges should be enclosed in the fold. Use your fingers to guide the fabric through the machine, ensuring the fold is in place as you sew. I don't recommend using pins as the hem is so small the pins can distort it.

Wrong side of the finished hem

.
Once finished you should see two lines of stitching on the wrong side of the hem and one line on the right side. Finish the end of the sewing with either a backstitch or by pulling the threads through to the wrong side and knotting.

Finished Hem

Give your hem a good press and admire a lovely finish!

I made a quilt

I've always loved the beautiful soft quilts that I see at friends homes. I always fancied making my own. A couple of years ago I decided to get started. I cut and pieced scraps together from my sewing offcuts. The process of cutting out took ages, and by the time I'd pieced a handful of small square and rectangles into bigger squares and sewn about 40 of them together, I'd had enough.

I was sorting through my stash and found the bag with this in. There were just a few squares left to sew together, and since my physio said I could do a bit of sewing as it was good for keeping circulation going in my operated on side, I thought I'd give it a go. I stitched the remaining few squares together and pressed the patchwork. not a bad size, about 1m by 1.5m. I found some fabric that was suitable for the backing and bought the wadding from The Sewing Machine Guy (he has some beautiful fabrics in stock - check them out or visit if you're in Northumberland). Ellen from Ellen's of Ellington showed me how to true the sides, pin the layers together and a really simple way to quilt it all together - I just used straight lines! Then she showed me how to bind it - the edges look great, but I'm not really happy with the corners - I think my binding was a bit too thick to get a really neat finish here.

I know many quilt artists would be shocked by my piecing and overly simple quilting, however, this quilt has used up a good chunk of scrap fabric, so it's definitely recycled. The only thing purchased was the wadding, so it was also cheap (materials wise). And with the current cold spell in the UK. I have sat underneath this for the last week, keeping warm. even the kids think it's warm and snuggly.

I'm not sure I'll ever make one again,  I'm trying to find different ways to use up my waste fabrics and just use less generally, but if I find myself with a supply of good quality cotton offcuts - well who knows?