Scouting for Spring

Let me begin by saying, poo to [most] shop bought clothes. What I can make for myself is so much better.

photos by Richard Round Turner

Let me go on by saying that the only reason these photos look all professional and posed is because they are professional and posed - we had the official shoot for our new collection of sewing patterns at By Hand HQ a couple of weekends ago, so I took full advantage and jumped right in while the girls were doing their make-up to get a couple of decent shots to submit for something I won't mention just yet (and won't mention at all if it comes to nothing!).

What I really want to talk about here is my new Scout Woven Tee by Grainline Studio. As far as other indie pattern designers go, Jen is up there with my favourites and my bestests. No one does polished casual classics like she does, in my humble opinion. Have you seen the Archer shirt?? Nothing short of perfection. I bought and printed that pattern within minutes of it having gone live.

So. You'll notice right away that this is not a straight up Scout. I made it from a beautiful, but huge, man's shirt I picked up from Traid for less than a fiver and had taken apart at the seams. I wish you could have a feel of the fabric yourself - the softest cotton lawn - the kind that only gets better with wear, and wear is what you get when you go second hand. I cut the front in two pieces with the already existing button placket as my centre front, and added a little collar to keep to the shirt theme. In the end I actually stitched the placket shut to avoid it flapping open at the bottom. I am deeply in love with this pattern. Perfect in its simplicity, wearability and adaptability. 

The timing of this make was, at the time, so perfect. Skies blue, trees beginning to blossom, sun shining and birds singing... but it wasn't to last. Having had the promise of Spring dangled in front of us so teasingly last week, only to be snatched back and force fed another helping of snow instead, I'll be wearing this top under a good few layers until further notice. In the meantime, I already have another Scout in the cutting and various metres awaiting the same treatment, as well as big plans for the Archer. Roll on Spring!

(In the photos above I am wearing: Scout Woven Tee; Charlotte Skirt; vintage shoes; Sonya Kashmiri bag)

In Dangerously Tassled Territory

I'm having a pretty intense love affair with fringing at the moment... It could quite possibly be getting out of control.  Especially when we're talking about fluorescent orange fringing and stretch denim... It wreaks of tacky cowgirl.  But it feels amazing!!

Yet another of my beloved pencil skirts (see previous variations here, here & here), this one was made from some scraps of dark stretch denim (found on eBay for a pittance), upon which I stitched rows of the 6" deep fringing.

The denim is a major first for me, not only have I never sewed with denim before but I think I may have actually once upon a time vowed never to wear/own/look at a denim skirt.  Nothing against denim skirts, I've just never liked the cut-off jeans miniskirt look, or the ~dare I say it~ slightly frumpy look of a boxy denim knee-length skirt.  But this... This is more like it!  The sculpted form of the wiggle skirt is so perfectly accentuated by the heavy stretch denim, to the point that it actually feels like wearing some kind of figure-control contraption!  And the fringe... Oh, how I love the fringe.  So bright and happy, so silly yet supremely sexy... it patters as I walk.  I can't even stand still when I wear it - it just wants me to dance!

In other news, Me-Made-May is coming along but proving a nightmare to photograph.  If I were wearing outfits like this every day, I would probably be more inclined to do daily photoshoots, but sadly most days it's just jeans + swing tops + minoru + various snoods.  So instead of boring you with mundane shots of my everyday dressing, I will do a Best Of MMM roundup at the end of the month. 

Pants on parade

I was supposed to be making practical stuff today... But then I started thinking about see-through skirts with big knickers underneath.  As you do.

image source

Ulyana Sergeenko SS12

Ulyana Sergeenko AW11

I wondered if it might be a look I could pull off.  I've never been one to shy away from out-there oufits, so I figured why the hell not, grabbed some star-print tulle, some leftover ivory dupion silk for a waistband, and got sewing...

I love the way the concept of having your knickers on display is significantly sexed-down by having used a demure, princess-y fabric, and as a result I don't feel that it comes across as a slutty outfit (please correct me if I'm wrong here!), or even particularly sexy for that matter.  In fact I think it looks quite sweet.

Even though my entire bottom is on show.

"I am a very stylish girl"

~ Patricia Neal, Breakfast at Tiffany's

image source

While I, among countless others no doubt, could happily dedicate countless posts to all things Breakfast at Tiffany's (in particular, subject matter dealing with the shoplifting of animal masks, the hosting of decadent cocktail parties in one bed apartments, and needless to add - a girl's love of pearls), right now I am simply using Patricia Neal's infamous statement to introduce Stylish Girl... an iPhone app.

Anti-climax???

Not if, like me, you've been looking for a way to create an inventory of all your self-stitched garments, à la Clueless... Then look no further ~

With this app I have photographed and categorised every item of clothing I have made - including tops, skirts, dresses, trousers, jackets, scarves, hats, bags, panties, socks and shoes (shoes that I designed when I used to design shoes - I figure that still counts as me-made, no?).  You then get to see your entire me-made wardrobe in all its mix-n-match rubik's glory!  Thus enabling your now very smug and anally organised self to flick through and create outfits - just like Cher does!!! - also making it easier to spot what's missing and plan for future makes, while ultimately fulfilling a lifelong dream!

This app has been especially useful as I prepare for Zoe's Me-Made-May'12 challenge, to which I have pledged to wear two items of me-made clothing each day during May.  One item just would have been too easy, but seeing my significant lack of trousers and casual skirts/dresses, I realise now that this is going to be hard.  I will definitely be whipping up some last minute bits in the evenings to come... But I guess that's why they call it a challenge!

Hello again

Wow.  It feels like an age since I wrote something here.  I guess the Easter holidays ran away with me. Although to be fair, I was only actually away-away for two weeks.  The weeks since have been spent settling back in, working hard, and clearly neglecting this little slice of the interweb...

I have so much to report, so much more to get stuck into, Me-Made-May'12 starting on Tuesday... But for now I just wanted to check back in, let y'all know I'm still alive, and leave you with a little playlist I've had on loop these days... While I catch up on everything everyone else has been blogging about!

Me-Made-May'12 - I'm in!!

I'm sure I'm not the only one a little sad now that OWOP is over... These days I have been enjoying wearing the clothes I have made more than ever.  Partly because my skills have improved, but mostly I think, because I am learning better how to make for myself.

When I first began making my own clothes, I would often get a little carried away with an idea, not really stopping to think (and not really having the experience to judge) how certain fabrics might react to certain shapes, and how the finished piece would actually look on me.  Being a self-taught sewist, trial and error has taught me everything I know.  But I feel I have now reached a point where I am consistently making clothes that I love and want to wear all the time.  I no longer feel like a fraud!

So it is with great excitement that I am signing up for Zoe's 6th Me-Made challenge, Me-Made-May'12 (MMM'12), pledging to wear two items of me-made clothing every day for the duration of May 2012.  This will see me upping my pledge by one item of me-made clothing since the last time I participated in Self-Stitched-Sept'11...

Like last year, I will be compiling a new inventory of my me-made wardrobe (but this time Clueless-style!  Watch this space for the wardrobe inventory to end all wardrobe inventories!!), and spending the last week in April filling in any obvious gaps.

One thing that I did find to be hugely challenging last time though, was the daily outfit photographing.  Any tips/ideas on making this less of a hassle??

OWOP - Days 5, 6 and 7

Second half of my week in One Week, One Pattern outfits, and a couple of lessons learned.

Day 5 (daytime): Still sewing lace in the studio...

I wore: Blue cotton shirting swing top, Del Forte jeans.  This is my least favourite of the swing tops, having never been worn since I made it last summer.  There's obviously a reason Dixie recommends only using a knit fabric for this pattern (armholes a little tight as the woven cotton has no stretch) and although I like the floral binding on the neck and cuffs, the blue striped cotton shirting makes me feel like a nurse (not the hot kind!).  Having said all that, I actually enjoyed wearing it more than I thought I would: it was comfortable enough and I liked the alternative-to-a-shirt feel of it.  I reckon I probably would repeat this make in a woven fabric -remembering to make the armholes a little bigger- to wear as a smart shirt-type top.

~

Day 5 (evening): A night of Motown classics with The Temptations, The Four Tops and The Crystals live at the o2 Arena baby!!

I wore: Possibly the best outfit I could have put together for such a wonderful night of retro soul!  Stripy swing top, Kung Fu Fighting wiggle skirt, Reiss belt, Agent Provocateur red pompom mules.  Favourite OWOP outfit so far.

~

Day 6: Hungover.  SIGNIFICANTLY hungover.  It seems sake, vodka and white rum do not mix well.  Comfort a must today.  

I wore: White viscose jersey swing top with red rose Liberty cotton binding, Uniqlo tartan men's trousers, vintage Budweiser belt, Puma sneakers.  When it comes to dressing down, this is my favourite type of outfit.  Reminds me of being a grungy teenager listening to The Smashing Pumpkins.

~

Day 7: Last day of OWOP!  Just as I started this week with the first swing top I'd made, so I ended with the most recent.

I wore: Dusty pink wool jersey swing top, houndstooth pencil skirt - the first of my McCalls's 5081 collection (I feel like I've been discussing this pattern almost as much as the swing top during this OWOP challenge having worn three versions of it this week... Double OWOP cred for me?), French Sole flats.  This is a look I'm really digging.  Typically a late 1950s maternity style, but I think that the elegance of the pencil skirt, softened by the swing top and worn with a simple pair of flats is just perfectly cute and easy, even for my busy day to day life.

One thing that this challenge has brought to my attention is that I'm clearly really into pencil skirts these days!  I began with my one swing top pattern, which given the amount I've made (six) and the incredible versatility of the pattern, was very easy to wear every day for a week.  But as a result of all this thoughtful outfit planning, I've ended up also wearing three of my four McCall's pencil skirts.  What's surprising about this is how easy they are to wear!  I'd always shunned my wiggle skirts by day thinking them far too impractical, saving them only for stylish evening occasions.  But it turns out that wiggle skirts during the day are actually fine, even for running around after a little boy, working in the studio and general errand-running.  

They just make all those things feel that little bit more glamourous.

Thank you Tilly for organising OWOP!  I for one, really enjoy the solidarity that comes with group challenges like this; now who's looking forward to Me-Made-May-'12??

OWOP - Count me in!

Tomorrow marks the official start date of Tilly's latest One Week One Pattern challenge, which will see sewists from around the globe wear the pieces they have made from one single pattern, every day for a week.  In Tilly's own words:

"It's about celebrating those sewing patterns that we love so much we use them again and again. Many of us have a special sewing pattern that is so wearable, practical, versatile, beautiful or for whatever reason it never gets time to gather dust on the shelf before we whip it out again. Personally I'm really interested to find out what other people's favourite patterns are. Plus the exercise may get us to reflect on how much we use the patterns in our stash, or what factors make a well-used pattern.

It's also an exercise in restyling what's essentially one style garment (or it may literally only be one garment that you've made), pushing the boundaries of its versatility by creating seven outfit variations out of it. Who needs more clothes when you can remix the ones you've already got?"

I had been on the fence as to whether or not to take part; I have a handful of patterns I have made 3-4 times, namely this pencil skirt, the Sorbetto tops, this 70s dress... But nothing that I could realistically wear every day for a week that would fit in with my life.  Pencil skirts too fancy (and restrictive!), Sorbetto's too summery, and 70s dresses too impractical.  So I had initially decided to opt out of the challenge... when I suddenly remembered my vast and ever expanding collection of swing tops, all made from Dixie DIY's great (and free!) pattern.  

So far I have made five of these tops, and I already wear them all the time.  This pattern is an absolute breeze to make up, and the resulting top is comfortable, flattering and versatile.  Which I think is really the aim of this exercise: identifying and celebrating the patterns which produce clothes that not only complement our lifestyles but make us want to make and wear them over and over again. 

In preparation for this challenge, and in anticipation of Britain's famously unpredictable climate, I am now going to quickly whip up a sixth swing top, this time in a dusty pink ribbed wool jersey.  Just in case it gets a bit chilly.

A Spot of Light Springtime Baking? Not When You Eat the Entire Batch!

Of the many, many delectable looking recipes I have been accumulating on Pinterest these days, there was no more than a five minute lag time between pinning this and preheating the oven to make a batch of SophistiMom's Chewy Lemon Snowdrops.

Despite being egg and dairy-free (I replaced the butter stated in the recipe for a non-dairy olive oil spread), light and lemony, small and shareable... they were moreish to a fault and I pretty much ate the entire batch.  Which is most definitely not light nor acceptable really, especially with Easter just around the corner!  Never mind, I'll just be sure sure to do an extra ten minutes on the hula hoop tonight.

Tutorial ~ Easy Peasy Pleated Miniskirt

So for a moment there it actually looked like Spring... Never mind, armed with my sewing machine and some Hawaiian-style surfer print cotton, it still can be.  At least until it really is.  So grab yourself a couple of metres of fabric that makes you happy*, stick on the following playlist, and let me quickly show you how to make this supercute pleated miniskirt.

You will need:

2m fabric

1m ribbon for the waist fastening (cut in half)

invisible zipper (approx 6 inches long)

sewing machine with matching thread

measuring tape

pins

scissors

Start with the waistband.  Cut a rectangle of fabric that measures about 6 inches deep (double the depth it will be once folded plus seam allowance) by your own waist measurement in inches,  plus 1 inch on each side seam allowance (generous allowance I know, but better to add extra so you can let some out if you need to!).  This waistband will be meeting at centre back (like this one), not overlapping, so no fannying around with hooks and eyes or buttonholes, we'll just be sewing some ribbon into the seam to make for a pretty bow tied in back.

Fold your rectangle in half lengthwise, wrong sides together, and press.  Then open it up and, right side facing you, place your lengths of ribbon at each end, aligned with the fold.

Fold over again, this time right sides together sandwiching the ribbon, and stitch those short ends with a 1 inch seam allowance.  Turn right side out and double check that it still fits your waist before trimming seam allowance!

Now we need to make three little notches along the raw edge that will correspond to three little notches on the fabric for the skirt to make sure the pleats are evenly spaced.  Do this by folding the waistband in half, snip a notch at the fold (centre), then fold in half again and snip that fold (quarters).

At this point you'll need to decide which side of your waistband is the outside and which is the inside.  The fabric I used for the waist had some grass print so obviously I went for the side where the grass was right way up.  Now press the notched edges inwards, with the inside of the waistband slightly deeper than the outside - this is so that when you come to edge stitch the waistband to the skirt, you'll be sure that the needle will go through all the layers.

The skirt!  Cut a big rectangle approximately double the width of your waistband (or wider if you want more pouff) and however long you want your skirt to be, adding at least three inches for seam and hem allowances.  Always better to cut longer and shorten than to cut too short.  Press the side edges in by half an inch.

Make three notches along the top in the same manner as for the waistband.

Open up your waistband so you can see the notches and match up the central notches on the band and skirt.

Pin the skirt to the inside of the waistband where the notches correspond.

Arrange the pleats evenly between the notches and securely pin into place.

When you're happy with the arrangement, fold the top of the waistband over and pin close to the fold.  When you turn your skirt to the wrong side, make sure that the pins are also holding the inside folded edge of the waistband also.

Time to insert the invisible zipper... For some reason, despite having sewn countless invisible zippers, I always find it a daunting task.  Then I do it, remember how easy it is and feel a bit silly.  Either way I'm not going to try to walk you through it myself... I'll hand you over to the professionals at the Coletterie for a proper tutorial instead!  One word of advice though: make sure you lower the setting on your iron if you want to avoid melting/curling up your zip... Like I did...

silly me...

much better

Now you can edge stitch the waistband to the skirt!  Stitch with the right side facing you keeping your stitches as neat as possible and close to the fold.

Seeing as you pressed the waistband so the inside fold would come down a little lower, all three layers should have been caught as you edge stitched the outside.

All that's left to do is the hemming!  Make sure you try on the skirt first so you can be sure to mark the length you want.  Then press the hem in twice and stitch.

Done!  

*Preferably a lightweight woven fabric like cotton, but would look equally cute in jersey too - although I'd only recommend that to sewers with a little experience sewing with knits.  Non-stretch fabrics are much easier to work with if this is your first attempt!

Catching Up

Can it really be March already?  Almost a quarter into 2012 - already??  Wow.  Time certainly does fly when you're having fun // deliriously scheming new business schemes // working on a million projects at once.  In fact, I think I spent most of February trying not to spread myself too thin.  Looking back, or rather, flicking through the pages of my Filofax to recap, I can see that, despite not having much in the way of finished pieces to show for it, I actually did do a whole lot over the last four weeks: scheming sessions and meetings aplenty, kiddy parties and half term activities galore, three trips out of London... all with a constant undertone of knitting needles clicking and sewing machines whirring.

So, in the interest of taking myself a step back from everything I've got going on to take stock (fighting my way out of a sea of to-do lists and UFO's), I have compiled a(nother) list of what's going on...

...In my studio

• Minoru Jacket.  Having made an excellent start at the beginning of Tasia's Sew-Along, I then slightly put it to one side for a couple of weeks whilst prioritising other projects with actual deadlines.  But I had a little studio springclean the other day (inspired by Joanne's sewing room transformation) and instantly felt myself overwhelmed with renewed inspiration and got stuck straight back in.  It's amazing what two evenings' work can achieve - all I have left to do is stitch the lining wrists, gather the waist and sew the hem!  And I couldn't be more thrilled with how it's turning out.  I'm using a post-box red cotton twill, a supersoft brushed cotton tartan for the main lining and a slippery silver poly to line the sleeves.  I've omitted the hood but added side-seam pockets.

• Surf Skirt.  When I saw this fabric on a recent trip to Goldhawk Road (important: join the petition to save the legendary Goldhawk Road fabric shops from demolition here!), I immediately imagined making an entire new Summer wardrobe using this cotton.  I guess it's probably a little silly to spend an entire season in surf print... So I'll start with a pleated miniskirt, which I thought I may as well put together as a tutorial... Watch this space.  And get down to Classic Textiles on Goldhawk Road to get in on the surf skirt action!

• Still working on the Quilt, and a real life Wedding Dress for a friend (which, for obvious reasons, I won't be able to post any progress pictures of until after the wedding!).

...On my needles

• Pickles' Close Cables Sweater.  Man, this has been on the go since October!  Which is insane - the yarn is so chunky and the needles so humungous it should have been doable in a week.  But it's proving a bit of a nightmare to handle - the needles are too huge and the yarn too irregular.  I've spent the last couple of years pretty much exclusively knitting chunky... But after this I don't think I'll want to see anything a needle fatter than 8mm for a while!

• The Wonderful Wallaby.  This cult classic of a knitting pattern has been a regular feature on my to-make lists for months, and now that I'm free of the chunky yarn spell, I have finally cast on for the Willie Wallaby (size 4 - which already looks like it'll be too small for my three-and-a-half year old!) using a khaki green wool/alpaca blend and what feels like a very spindly 4mm circular needle!
• The beginnings of a cropped jumper I'm making up as I go along.  In my mind, this will be the perfect top to my Surf Skirt...

...In my kitchen

• I have barely been able to contain my excitement as Spring has truly sprung in the last week!  So it seemed only fitting to bake a little welcome offering in the form of this Rosewater Angel's Food Cake (recipe same as my Lavender Angel's Food Cake, just substituting the lavender water for rosewater).  

• Sticky toffee pudding... Promising myself this will be the last caramel sodden cake I bake until Winter comes around again.  Damn, was this a good one.

• Yet another batch of my infamous dairy-free chocolate cupcakes for a kiddy party.  I don't think I should keep this recipe to myself much longer... something this good needs to be shared!  Recipe coming soon - in the meantime, be sure to stock up on coconut milk and ground almonds...

Sigh... weight lifted, mind de-cluttered and consolidated.  Onwards and upwards.

Sweet Cherry Pie

My fingers are by no means green.  I can't even keep a pot of basil alive.  But I love my Cherry Tree.  I really love it, and I think that's why it has not only survived since I planted it last Spring, but has really bloomed.

Sweet Cherry Pie ~ dairy free

For the Pastry:

250g plain flour

75g caster sugar

110g dairy free spread

50ml cold water

Combine the flour, sugar and spread until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

Add the water and using a butter knife bring it all together until you get a golden dough.

At this point, I judge by eye whether or not the dough is too sticky and therefore needs a little more flour, or too dry and therefore needs a little more water.

Wrap your dough (not too sticky, not too dry) in clingfilm and refrigerate for at least half an hour.

For the Filling:

275g cherries, cut in half and stoned

2 bananas, chopped

3 tbsp caster sugar

100ml water

Combine all ingredients in a pan and bring to the boil.

Cover with a lid, turn the heat down and simmer for about 15-20 mins, or until the bananas have gone gloopy.

Leave to cool.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Break off about a third of the pastry and put to one side.

Roll out your 2/3 of pastry and use it to line an ovenproof dish, pricking the bottom a few times with a fork.

Bake for 15 mins.  Meanwhile, roll out the remaining third of pastry - this is the pie's lid, so feel free to decorate as you wish, just be sure to include a few pricks in the decoration to allow air to circulate while it bakes.

Fill the pastry-lined dish with the cherry and banana filling, and carefully put the lid over the top, gently sealing the edges.

Bake for a further 20 mins.

Allow the pie to cool a little before serving with vanilla ice-cream/custard/clotted cream...