As part of the challenge, Simplicity sent out a pattern for each category. The pattern for the ‘best dressmaking project’ is New Look 6145 – this lovely shift dress. Because of my shape I really don’t suit a shift dress (sadly) as they’re a bit snug on the hips, so I knew that I’d have to do some pattern adapting in order to change the skirt, and therefore the bodice as well. But I did want to get my head around how the pattern works, so decided I’d make a practice shift dress first anyway.

When I tried it on, it fit perfectly on top but not on the bottom – just as predicted! But it was really good to practice inserting the invisible zip, and I felt much more confident about doing this afterwards. My lovely friend Laura is probably going to have this practice one – I need to do some alterations on the top for her first, so that will be another skill that I can learn from this project!

I worked out the length of what will be the bodice for my adapted pattern, and made a mock-up of it so that I could try it on. I kept the original bust darts but needed to insert a couple of extra ones at the front to gather it in a little at the waist.

I used this lovely cream fabric from John Lewis for my dress – I don’t usually sew with plains, but because of my plans for flowers I needed to keep it simple. But it was a bit see-through so I decided to line it too, which was another addition to the original pattern. I’d never done this before either, so I looked up how to do it and adapted it to my pattern. Next time, I’d finish the edges of the fabric before sewing – it was a nightmare picking lining fluff off everything!

Once the bodice was complete (except for the zip), I made a gathered skirt – another new technique for me! I looked it up in Tilly’s book, Love At First Stitch, and it’s a really helpful tutorial. It’s good to have a pattern for a gathered skirt that I can now use for other projects too. I lined the skirt and then attached it to the bodice – didn’t take any photos of this as I was too busy concentrating on not messing it up! The next stage was to insert the zip. I kept the length the same as the original New Look pattern and used a 22″ concealed zip. There’s a brilliant tutorial on the Simplicity website about inserting them, which I watched a few times to refresh my memory! Thankfully it went in fine, and then I just had to finish the seams and the bottom hem.

The next stage was the fun bit – the fabric flowers! I bought some charm packs of silks from eBay and some tulle and lace ribbons, and cut out some flower shapes and layered them up. I joined the layers with a few stitches and then attached them to the waistband (you could make them on a sash if you prefer). Once I had done this, I decorated them with beads and pearls to make them look extra special!

I had really wanted to include a few more flowers around the waistline, and then sort of falling down the skirt a bit more – but I ran out of fabric and time, so I’ll have to add them on later! I underestimated how much fabric the flowers need, so bear this in mind if you ever make them yourself. But overall I’m really pleased with how it turned out!

Thanks to Tom for taking these photos – it’s so windy today and the sun kept going in and out, so it was difficult to take them! I’ve learnt quite a lot by entering this competition – how to adapt a pattern, how to line a dress (when it’s not on the pattern), how to insert extra darts, how to insert an invisible zip (properly!), how to make a gathered skirt…and I’ve also learnt that I could really do with a tailor’s dummy if I’m going to do this again! Right, I’m off to see what everyone else has made – you can do this by searching for #Simplicitybloggerchallenge on Twitter.

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I matched the guitar colours with Kona cottons (it’s always good to have a reason to get the colour card out!), and it goes with Kona Jamaica (blue), Persimmon (orange), Lipstick (red), Pear (green) and Corn Yellow. I decided to use a dark blue binding to match (this was pre-made).

To make this quilt, you can follow my instructions from my first quilt (click here). I cut 7″ squares, but only used a 5 x 5 pattern to make a square quilt this time. It made sense to do that really, especially as I jut used solids for the patchwork. At first I modelled the layout on my first quilt, but I thought that the colours wanted to be a bit more random than that (although Tom has since pointed out to me that it can’t be random if I planned it…!). So this is the randomly-planned layout:

I’ll definitely be using this layout again – I’ve got one of each colour in each row, which is quite satisfying! I stitched the squares together, and then layered up the quilt. After my first two attempts at quilting, I used a different wadding this time – I went for two layers of Simply Cotton (pre-washed before quilting). It’s so much easier to quilt with, and I’m much happier with it overall so will definitely be using this and nothing else in future! Here’s the back – I kept the quilting simple by quilting in the ditch, which means that the pattern still shows through nicely:

I really must learn from my issues with binding though – after my first two quilts, I told myself that I must stitch the front on the machine and then hand stitch the back. Did I do this? Nope! So a few bits are a little untidy…let this be my reminder for the next one!

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It was actually really good to take stock of everything and sort things out – even though I did make a huge mess before I could get everything organised! I had various thoughts beforehand about how to carry out the inventory. This included having a notebook with everything written down in it, so the name of the fabric and the amount that I have, along with the type of fabric too. However, I don’t know about you, but whilst I can remember what some things are called or which collection they are from, I certainly can’t remember them all. Many bits of fabric I have are from years ago (before I was a dedicated crafter), so there was no real chance of me remembering. But then I had a cunning plan: what would be most helpful would be to have a photo inventory! That way, I can have it with me on my phone and then I can browse through it when I’m trying to match things and make decisions for projects. Bingo!

So I found all my boxes and bags of fabric and laid them out on the spare bed. I sorted into three piles: plains, patterns, and a pile of fabric that is already earmarked for a project. Most of this pile is things that I’ve got to make into clothes – I decided not to take individual photos of these so that I don’t end up accidentally using them for another project by mistake! I laid out a huge piece of white card as a background for the photos. White is best for anything like this, especially as I’ll be using the photos to match up fabric for projects. Starting with my fat quarter selection (which I keep in my vintage suitcase) I took photos of my fabric. Most of these photos have a maximum of 4 fabrics in them, and I tried to group some that went well together, for example the Christmassy ones. There are a few exceptions – like the photo below which shows the selection of fabrics that I used to make the quilted record mats (which you can see here). In my suitcase I also have a few metre pieces that can be used for baby quilt backings or other small projects, so I grouped these together too.[/vc_column_text][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” interval=”3″ images=”7033,7035,7036,7053″ onclick=”link_image” custom_links_target=”_self” column_number=”2″ grayscale=”no” choose_frame=”default” img_size=”large”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1425053180382{padding-top: 30px !important;padding-bottom: 30px !important;}”]Next, I moved on to the other piles of large pieces of fabric. For the plains I stacked a few together to be able to get more in the photo. I’ll see how this works out when I actually use my inventory – I might have to take individual ones to get a better sense of the colours. Some of these fabrics are categorised by collection, just because they go together really well and it makes sense to know that they are by the same designer.[/vc_column_text][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” interval=”3″ images=”7048,7049,7050,7051″ onclick=”link_image” custom_links_target=”_self” column_number=”2″ grayscale=”no” choose_frame=”default” img_size=”large”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1425051340672{padding-top: 30px !important;}”]

Once I had taken all of my photos, I decided to organise them in my photo stream. By having them on here, they will be easily accessible and I can also add comments to each of the photos – this includes the length, or any details about the colour or fabric, which will come in handy! I just gave a rough measurement for most of the pieces, but you could be more precise and measure everything if you wish. Our internet decided to play up at this point, so I had a right old faff trying to get them from my computer and into the stream, but eventually they made it! I edited them a little just to get the colours right and brighten them lighting a bit, and I also square cropped them so that they fit nicely on the album overview screen. You can see how I’m using the comments section to add details in this next photo:[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1425051357108{padding-top: 30px !important;}”]

In addition to creating my inventory, I also made sure that my fabric stash was a bit more sorted. Not having a dedicated craft space means that this is really important – especially now that we have had to find a new home for lots of things that used to live in the old garage. So I organised my boxes a little better, keeping those fabrics for projects in mind in one box, with prints and plains in another and everything else that didn’t really have a home in my final box. I’m hoping that by being a little more organised, I can stop the spread of the stash…at least for a little while anyway! :-)[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1425051368764{padding-top: 30px !important;padding-bottom: 30px !important;}”]

How do you organise your fabric?[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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I can’t believe how much I’ve learnt about sewing by making these trousers. If you want to get to know your sewing machine a little better, then this is certainly the way to do it! I’ve used about four different feet to do things I didn’t know were possible, and numerous different stitches too. AND I put an actual zip in! This is so exciting!

The waistband and belt loops were pretty tricky, mainly because it took me so long to get my head around the instructions at that point! It really made my brain hurt…but not as much as the blind hemming. That was the most confusing part! I managed to work out that I own a foot for that bit, but even though I was reading the instructions in my manual, I just couldn’t work out how I needed to place the fabric. But thankfully, I found this super helpful video about blind hemming – phew! Really could not have done this without it!

One thing that I didn’t attempt here was a buttonhole – I cheated a bit and used a hook and bar instead. That’s actually what Tom said he would prefer, and it saved me having to learn something else for this! I’ll be having a play around with the buttonhole foot at some point soon though.

I’m so SO pleased that I’ve made these and that they actually look like trousers! There is just one problem…when measuring up and thinking about sizes, we decided to make the smallest size, but they are actually a size too small! I couldn’t believe it! Although I was a bit disappointed at first, Tom did remind me that this was meant to be a trial run anyway And I really have learnt such a lot from making them, so my next pair should be even better!

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I recently asked Tom if he would like me to make him something, as I haven’t made him anything since the wedding waistcoats and I seem to have lots of things for me planned! Anyway, he said that he’d quite like some trousers. Hmm, trousers. From what I knew about trousers, they’re quite tricky – but I like a challenge, so I said ok!

The pattern I’m using is from Burda Style No.7022, which is ‘average difficulty’ apparently! I’ve made quite a few notes to myself on the pattern so far, and it definitely seems like a pattern that would be easier the second time around. That’s assuming I make these again after I’ve finished! I am actually really pleased with them so far. I’ve had to learn quite a few skills quite quickly! This is the first time I’ve made pockets, as I avoided doing them for the waistcoats!

The back pocket took me ages – mainly because I was trying to work out what the pattern meant at this point! After a long, long time I finally got it put together, but it didn’t turn out quite as I thought it should…but it looks ok (I think!).

I think what I found most frustrating was that this is actually a fake pocket – all that effort for it to be sewn up!

The next job is to baste the legs and stitch them before I can start to put them together. Helen very kindly sent me a link to some amazing trousers on the tomofholland blog – if I can make mine to look half as good as his, I’ll be really pleased! Wish me luck!

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Today was a really exciting day – my new sewing machine arrived! My lovely old machine (that used to belong to my Mum and is many, many years old) decided last week that it didn’t want to sew through more than one layer of fabric This is my old machine:

After a bit of deliberation I decided that I’d need to get a new one, especially as I’ve got lots of sewing projects planned! Even though my old machine doesn’t work properly, I’m going to keep it because of the sentimental value. I’ve made so many things on this machine (including our wedding waistcoats) and I just can’t get rid of it! I love the retro cover, and will keep it for my craft room…one day, I’ll have a craft room

I did quite a bit of research into sewing machines, and settled on the Janome 525S. It has great reviews and was used on the Great British Sewing Bee too! I’m planning on writing a proper review of it once I’ve got to grips with it and made a few more things. I tested it out this afternoon by making a little protector for the needle and foot when it isn’t being used. I used a scrap of fabric I had left over from my vintage suitcase project, and pressed the edges before sewing it all together.

I’m so excited about my sewing machine and can’t wait to get started with some new projects!

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I love craft books. In fact, I’m hooked on them (in addition to my little obsession with cookery books too…our house is pretty full!). I’m a big fan of Aimee Ray’s embroidery designs and have already blogged about some designs from her Doodle Stitching books. When I saw the pincushion on the front of Doodle Stitching: Embroidery and Beyond, I knew that I had to make it! So this weekend I finally got around to making it, and I’m so pleased with how it has turned out!

This is the first time that I’ve ever done stumpwork embroidery, and it was easier than I thought!

If you’d like to make your own, Aimee has written a tutorial on her blog to show you how!

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I haven’t made any clothes or done any big sewing projects since making our wedding waistcoats, but I’ve been planning several things and collecting fabrics to make them! I really like A-line skirts as they’re not too tricky to make and are really versatile, so I decided to start with this project first. This was the first piece of clothing that I ever made when I was first getting in to sewing – then I had a bit of a lull for a while before really getting back into it. Here’s a photo of that skirt, which I made using Amy Butler fabric:

I was pleased with this skirt, but the zip could have been a bit tidier at the back. Not bad for my first attempt though! I still haven’t got around to getting the invisible zip foot for my Mum’s old machine so more hand stiching for now…The pattern I’m using is Amy Butler’s Barcelona Skirts, which includes 3 different ways of making the skirt, but I’m using the simplest one here.

The material I chose for this is a Liberty Tana Lawn in Wiltshire Berry print. I’ve teamed this up with a fuchsia pink lining, which is basic quilter’s cotton fabric.

The first few steps are fairly easy, but I had forgotten that putting the outer and lining together was a bit more complicated, so a bit of unpicking was required! After that, I just had to slipstitch around the outside of the zip to neaten it up.

I’m really pleased with how this skirt turned out – in fact, I’m planning on making another one soon!

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On Thursday I had lots of crafting planned (I’d been thinking carefully about it all week!) and was really looking forward to making the most of my part time days. But I woke up with the most horrible migraine and ended up staying in bed for the whole day! Needless to say, I didn’t get anything done – never mind any crafting! I do get migraines every now and again and I’ve been meaning to get around to making an eye mask to help when I get one. I really could have done with it on Thursday, but at least I’m prepared for the next one!

Aimee Ray has an embroidered eye mask in her book, Doodle Stitching, and I used the templates from that but designed my own pattern on the front. I have looked to see if the templates are available online but they don’t seem to be – but the book is worth investing in! If you don’t want to buy it, I found another template and tutorial from The Red Kitchen which is slightly different to this one but has really clear instructions.

I used some scraps of fabric left over from our wedding waistcoats to make the mask, so it was good to put some left over bits to good use! Once I’d finished the embroidery on the front of the eye mask, I was able to cut out the remaining pieces and sew it all together. The important thing to remember is to put the right sides together so that it’s the right way around when you turn it inside out!

I decided to use some elastic instead of ribbons (as suggested in the book), and had this gorgeous chevron elastic that I got from Etsy a while ago. I had to get a bit of pink on there somewhere!

A mask would be a really good gift and if you used some pretty patterned fabric instead of embroidering the front, they would be even quicker to make. Perfect for a relaxing night’s sleep!

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This year I’ve been working on a very special project for our wedding. Tom’s Dad, Keith, is a methodist minister and he took our marriage service, which was wonderful! As lots of you know, I made waistcoats for the dads and groomsmen, but wanted to make something extra special for Keith – so I decided to make a stole for him to wear during the service.

A few months ago, we secretly measured one of his stoles so that I could get the size right. I think the most difficult part was getting the angle of the neck just right, but thankfully Tom is good at that kind of thing! I made a template for the outer shape, pinned it onto some material (Macao in cream from John Lewis) and cut out two using pinking shears.

Then I needed to work out where the hems would be and a ‘safe zone’ for embroidery. I’d marked it out on the original pattern, traced it (in case I ever need to make another stole!) and then cut it out. This inner patter was then pinned on to the stole pieces so that I could tack around it to show where the embroidery needed to go.

At the bottom of each side of the stole, I decided to embroider a cross, as this is often part of the design. Tom suggested that I use the leaf design to match with the waistcoats to embroider the outline, and that turned out to be a brilliant idea! I used a dotted notebook from Leuchtturm1917 (which was very kindly given to me after I won a competition through National Stationery Day last year) to draw the design, measuring out the exact dimensions to be able to make a template.

Once I had finalised the template, I was able to trace it onto some tissue paper and pin it on to the material. This seemed like the simplest way to do it and it actually worked really well – I’ve also discovered that greaseproof paper is also very good for templates! I stitched short sections of the stems around the template first, before adding the leaves. I used split stitch for the stems and the leaves as I find that the easiest and quickest stitch to do.

The next stage was to work out what the rest of the design would be like. I wanted it to be related to the waistcoats and include some other little designs. We laid it out on the floor and used some wool to mark out a wiggly line where the leaf and branch motif would go. Initially, we thought that the spaces in between would allow for extra designs to be embroidered in, but when I had finished sewing I discovered that it looked great without it (and that I was running out of time anyway!)

When the embroidery was finished, I sealed the back with fusible interfacing before using tailor’s chalk to draw the outline of the ‘safe zone’ so I would know where to sew. Then I cut the back panels out of Duchesse satin in champagne (also from John Lewis) and made some little pockets for the rings, stay stitching them on to the back panels. The next stage was to put right sides together and then sew!

After turning the right way round and pressing, it was time to do the most complicated bit: the angle behind the neck. This involved Tom measuring with a protractor and me getting a bit stressed, but the end result was really good! I stitched the outer side on the machine and then finished the inside using slipstitch.

And this was the finished stole, complete with ring pockets!

I’m so pleased that Keith loved his stole – and that I managed to keep it a secret for so long!

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After months of planning and making, today I finally finished the waistcoats for our wedding! To be honest, there were many times when I didn’t think I’d get them done, and an equal number of times when I wondered why on earth I had decided to start in the first place…but today I’m so pleased that they have turned out better than I thought and that they all fit!

I must say a huge thank you to my Mum, Tom’s Mum and our lovely friend Hilary for all of their help – I really could not have done it without you! And also thank you to Tom, who has put up with me sewing at every spare minute since the start of the year, and also has been very supportive throughout (I’ve had many meltdowns over these waistcoats). He still wants to marry me, so that’s a good sign!

Super excited to see the men in them on the day! Less than 4 weeks to go now – yippee!

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Our wedding preparations are in full swing – only just over a month to go (which explains why I haven’t been able to blog as much recently!). I had set myself a deadline for finishing the six waistcoats by the end of June, which hasn’t quite happened but I suppose it is only the beginning of July! I have finished two of them though and I’m so happy with how they have turned out This one is Tom’s – he has an extra special one with snazzy buttons that I embroidered (I’ll do another post about the button-making when I’ve got a bit more time!). I’m really pleased with how they turned out, and the hearts, leaves and flower tie in nicely with the embroidery around the top.

I’ve also finished my Dad’s waistcoat – like the others, this has plain buttons made from the same fabric as the waistcoat fronts.

I’ve got one more waistcoat to put together and a few more bits to finish on the others, so I’m almost there! Yay!

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