Saturday 27 February 2016

Review: Fabric Godmother's Dream Wardrobe (With 10% Discount Code!)

Nestled in beautiful Hove is the headquarters for the UK Online fabric store "Fabric Godmother." Owned by the lovely Josie. From the studio she runs small classes and enable sewers everywhere with beautiful, quality fabric sold with copious love and great advice!
I was thrilled that Josie was so nearby and I'd just read up on her brilliant new service "Dream Wardrobe" I got in touch and Josie invited me to try the service from her lovely bright studio. 
The studio (converted from an old school classroom,) is a bright cheery space with fabric to catch your eye at any angle! 
I particularly loved looking at the sample garment rail. Also how cute is the Periodic Table of Sewing Elements? 
I need one of these!
The idea of Dream Wardrobe is that the customer does a short questionnaire online, enclosing a photo of their favourite outfit and perhaps a Pinterest link to their style board. From this Josie really is your personal fabric godmother, picking a pattern and fabric specifically tailored to you and then given to you at a greatly discounted price of £39. These can be bought as a monthly treat for up to a year. 
(A free month if you go for that annual option!) Some of her fabrics are in excess of £25pm and so you really can get a great deal even on her designer fabrics!
Josie is one of those people who I felt at ease with straight away. We sat with a cup of tea and went through the questions for Dream Wardrobe in person, but Josie assures me you get this same style of service through emails directly to her. Josie takes into account your job, lifestyle, Body shape and personal preferences within the questionnaire. This allows her a good rounded idea of your likes and dislikes, she also checks what patterns you've made recently as not to double up!
When we finished the questionnaire I waited as Jodie thoughtfully wandered from shelf to shelf pulling fabrics and patterns that she felt fit my personality and style.
She spent a lot of time considering these and if I was to do this through the website I would be safe in the knowledge that Josie really takes time and thought over what to pick for her clients. Josie picked 7 different options for me, she tells me she likes to give people options. 
I have to say I was delighted with her choices! Not all of them were garments I would've picked for myself but her pattern and colour combinations were inspired! She pulled out a varied range of pattern designers including Casmerette, Colette, Grainline and Sewaholic. The fabrics she chose were divine! I had a very hard time picking just one! She talked me through how this works as an ongoing subscription too. Saying she likes to work so that the packs she picks will work with each other. So as an example she picked a purple ponte Morris Blazer, with a viscose Scout tee and a berry crepe Hollyburn skirt as three potential packs for me. 
This is how I love to work and is reminiscent of the 3 and 6 pac options sewn by capsule wardrobe sewers.
I eventually decided on a Scout Tee as  my love for Grainline is well documented in a beautiful buttery viscose. This was inspired by Josie's beautiful version up on her blog. I can't wait to sew this!
i'm sure it will be up on the blog soon!
Josie showed me a sneak preview of the newly delivered fabrics, boy are you all in for a treat! She has kindly offered readers 10% off fabrics at Fabric Godmother with the code BEEBEE10


Overall this was a great experience, Josie told me that she has an open day now and then for people to come and see the studio. I'll definitely be going to the next one!


*Josie was very kind and offered me a discounted one month for this review

Friday 12 February 2016

Completed: Grainline Tiny Pocket Tank, Sans Pocket...

Can you tell I'm desperate for Spring yet? This is a Grainline Tiny Pocket Tank sans pocket in a lovely light airy silk lawn. I used the same fabric for an Archer just in a different colourway. I bought masses of it years ago from Ditto in Brighton and I'm glad I did. I could live in this stuff! Soft and buttery with a lovely drape...


I'm finding myself picking more subdued, simpler shapes these days. I find a good fabric does the talking for itself and you can't get simpler than this top! I love Grainline patterns. The styles just speak to me and I always seem to make multiples of anything they release.
I know I'm slow on the uptake with this one but I can see plenty more in my future. I own a Boden top in a similar style and I wear it a lot for work. This is a little too sheer but it will be great for warm days.
I was always conscious loose airy tops weren't for me and you remember me saying I was concerned about that pale pink? Well it strikes again! I'm pushing myself out the comfort zone on both counts with this one. But the pattern allows the fabric to be the star and I like that. Not to mention the yardage is fairly minimal, (Just watch the bias tape though!) This came together in an evening and will be perfect for our honeymoon. I do feel more comfortable wearing it with a cropped cardigan. It just needs some waist definition. I may bring it in slightly at the waist but I don't want to mess with the silhouette too much.
As per usual Pixel wanted to be involved Its pretty impossible to take a photo without him popping in just at the right time!
Stats!
Fabric: 1.5m of Silk Lawn bought at Ditto 2010? Definitely stash
Notions: Stash
Wearability: 9/10 Its a fabulous top! So comfy, fits my aesthetic right now perfectly and I will be wearing it all summer! It has to have a really good press before wearing and that knocks it down a point.


Thursday 4 February 2016

Completed: New Look 6922


Stevie? Finished something?! Surely not!
Surely yes! I have actually got a backlog of projects for the first time in ages but the miserable British weather is not conducive to beautiful sunny photos right now. These will have to do. I just realised you haven't seen my new glasses. I'm still not 100% sure about them but hey. There is just a distinct hit of Deirdre Barlow.
So anyway, this top NL 6922 I made 100 years ago and loved it. I wore it to death. (Version  1 here) I also forgot that I hacked at the pattern in my more naïve days. Turns out pattern hacking was a bit too zealous that day. I dropped the shoulders and didn't adjust the neckline. I was also a few stone heavier back then and I didn't really account for that either.
With that said I do like how comfy this top is and it will do for lounging around the house. Its a lovely pale pink colour I used to avoid like the plague. I loved it I just felt it wasn't flattering.
I've now decided I don't care and I'm building my collection of pretty rose coloured tops!
As this is a wadder of sorts I only bothered to edit two photos. I liked the fabric but it was cheap from fabricland and its not thick enough the be flattering. I won't be using this pattern again unless I can re purchase it as I need to do an FBA and can't be arsed to figure out what the hell I did to the shoulders at the time. I still use the cardigan and pants pieces from this pattern so I'm sure it won't be the last time you see the number.
Stats Time!
Fabric: Fabricland special £2.99pm lets say 1.5 m
Notions: Stash
Wearability: 3/10 It will do for pyjamas.