Starting my Lady Grey...

A year later than planned! But It is getting cold. I asked what you guys thought and Kirsty and Freya both made excellent points for both my Cherry print dress/shirt and Lady Grey coat but the coat won out.

I am intending to overfit just a tiny bit. I want this coat to be worn in the snowy winters so it needs to have enough ease to fit a couple of jumpers underneath!

I started my wearable muslin this afternoon. I'm going to go back through Gertie's posts and do both muslin and final coat complete with padstitching etc. I'm doing this because if all goes well both will be useful coats!

I have to admit I bought a wool on sale to use as my muslin and I think I like it better than the fabric I bought a year ago.

This is my original fabric and lining. The Lining is Paul Smith shirting with little S' on so I figured S for Stevie!

I'm quite short (5ft3) so the coat is currently coming out at mid to knee length. I don't mind this so much as it will keep my legs warmer in the cold weather. Plus once its got the lining bagged in and its hemmed it should be a little shorter. I purposely cut a size larger than I normally do but I have ended up taking it in on each seam by about two sizes!

Before tweaking and taking in the back looked like this...

After it looked much better!

I fitted it to Adele and then tried it on pinned together. The fit is pretty good so far so I'm going to take it apart again and start with the interfacing etc.

This is what I'm thinking of lining my wearable muslin in. Its a japanese glazed cotton. I'm not sure though perhaps it is a bit too busy and bright? I'd love your opinions!

I have a final question for you all! Can you padstitch onto normal interlining? I can't find any hair canvas anywhere and I'm itching to get sewing!

Starting new Projects...

This has been playing on my mind. I've just finished some Christmas pressies and a pair of PJ bottoms for myself which I will post up about soon. I still have UFO's but I'm itching to start something new!

I have a few options:

My Bombshell dress - This I'm a bit apprehensive to properly start as I won't be able to wear it until summer and i'm hoping to have lost another stone at least by that point. It would be a shame to put all the work into something that will be too big. I could purposely make it a bit snug on purpose but I really don't know what my body will be like and as its so form fitting I don't really want to take the chance.

My Lady Grey Coat - This is a massive hangover from last year! I meant to make it then. I have some cheap wool to make a wearable muslin in but I spent quite a lot on 100% Jacquard wool in a lovely gold colour for the final thing. This could be a good place to start! I could learn a lot but I get massively impatient with finishing things.

Simplicity Shirt and Cynthia Rowley Dress. Both from this lovely Cherry print I have. View E of the shirt and View B in the dress.

What do you think I should start?

Bewitched Beignet!...

I think this is a fitting title for the nightmare beignet.

Its finally finished I'm pleased with it and I hope it will actually get some wear.

After the great rip I made in it I finally re-cut the front. The buttonholes aren't the best I've ever done but the buttons cover that anyway.

Its still a little snug at the waist but I did use more seam allowance than normal plus I'm thrilled that it fits at all considering it didn't 2 months ago!

The lining is my favorite bit! Its made from the leftover silk I had from my Every Cloud dress. Its a nice little surprise that makes me smile every time I put it on!

(This pic was taken in construction)

I've used it for my Sew Weekly Halloween challenge as I am wearing it to Piemakers sister's Birthday dinner which is on Halloween.

I think it looks a lot like the cape Endora wears in Bewitched!

I absolutely loved Bewitched as a kid. It was my treat when I was at home sick from school, I loved the costumes and Endora always make me giggle! So I felt it rather fitting this be called the Bewitched Beignet!

Storybook Skirt...

This week has been Quel Nightmare when relating to sewing. I've been poorly all week and thought it would be time to get on with my UFO's but that never happened. Then came the disaster with the Beignet...

I started working on my green Simplicity 2151. and its actually a lovely pattern! The fit is looking great so far and i've had very little trouble with it. I just need to do the buttonholes and hem. Hopefully I can do most of that before the end of the weekend and have a new shirt to wear! But talking of new garments whats that you see at the top of the screen?

Thanks to Piemaker's consistent playing of the new Gear of War game. I've had enough time this evening to finish a skirt for Colette Fall Palette! Hoorayy! (God knows I needed it after Beignet catastrophe.)

I think I'm in love with this skirt. I've called it the Storybook skirt and its made from New Look 6981. It was so easy to make and is from Anna Marie Horner Quilting cotton in two different colourways!

I have to give the inspiration credit to Patty from Snug Bug. She seems to have the ability to put the most beautiful patterns together and mix them. I'm not quite so brave. I tried a plain mustard band but it didn't have the pop that I wanted. The abstract trees make me think of fairytales and so thats where the name came from!

This means I've at got 6 of the Fall Challenge items either on the go or finished from the list. With 6 more to go!

Apologies for the night photos but I was just too exited! Hope your having a good sewing week!

The Dress That Started it All...

While looking on some old photo hosting sites I used to be on, I came across this! The dress that sparked my interest in sewing! Its a Suzie Creamcheese dress from the 70's.

Ironically looking at it now most of the colours are reminiscent of those that inspire me!

This is everything that was good and theatrically dramatic about the 70's. I love it so much!

Maybe one day I'll make a replica... Anyway in other news,

I started to assemble my bombshell dress pattern for Gertie's thing. I'm not sure how large the sizing was so I measured the widest part of my hips and checked the measurements on the pattern. To be safe I'm adding half an inch to each sized seam as I can always take in what I don't need but it would be gutting to put in all the work on something that was too small!

Here we have my silk dress, my green beignet with the same silk as lining, I did finish off the lining today but don't want to change thread until i've finished the dress. Not to mention I have no interfacing for the shell of the skirt. So that is my mission tomorrow.

This combination made me smile, knowing how awesome my Liberty Beignet will be eventually...

I also have this mustard jersey which has been cut ready to sew up version B of this Mccalls top plus a Mccalls cardigan in a matching twinset style. I intend to make a few of these so I can mix and match them in the colder months.

Today has Been a Good Day...

Today I've been sewing all blissful day and its been lovely. I was feeling a little stale this morning and my plans were thrown aside as I searched for something new and fast to make to get my SewJo going again.

I came across Butterick 5211 and a beautiful silk that I won in a giveaway from Liz at Zilredloh.

There was 2.30 odd there and I didn't want to waste any! But I knew this would be a perfect pairing of a simple pattern done in exquisite fabric. Something I am rarely good at doing.

This time I feel I have pulled it off. Its not quite finished as I need to get the mental strength up to thread my overlocker.

I think it looks like something I would certainly swoon over in a store and it was about £2 to make! I was very concious of waste on this project and so have decided to do yet another Beignet.

So before I cut the precious bunting liberty, I'm going to use this silk as the lining to the apple green sateen I had planned for a different project.

I was going to use this on the Marie skirt but thats another story for another day!

Heres what I wasted in total after cutting the dress and lining.

Not bad huh? I'm feeling good about the progress and I think that I should get my green beignet cut and sewn up in a couple of days or so as I've done it once before. I just want to check the sizing as I went down two sizes as my needlecord one is pretty huge on me. But if its not right I don't want to waste my Liberty on something that is going to be too small.

I'm starting to wind down into Autumn/Fall sewing at the moment I'm finding that my choices are starting to go towards browns and greens and more autumnal colours. I am going to make myself work through my list of cardigans and tops in jersey too though as layering is always a good thing. But sadly the topsiturviness of the great British weather has put me into a state of wanting my tights and big scarves with boots again!

Now i'm off the sew the buttons on my Colette Violet shirt!

Never compose anything unless the not composing of it becomes a positive nuisance to you... Gustav Holst

I really liked that quote as it totally applies to sewing as well as music!
Today has been a Uni day and my tutor was really positive about my dissertation proposal woo!

I popped into town after to pick up some vintage buttons, I found a nice pattern and some new espadrilles yay!

The last lot are what i'm using for my beignet. The photo makes them lighter but they actually fit my lining perfectly!

Heres MMJ Day 3's outfit. My jersey top I made last week is super comfy!

I'm off to sit in the sunshine for a bit with my Burda magazine

Progress List...

Morning all. I am blogging early so I can drag my sorry self to the library. Something tells me I won't be getting much sewing done this week which is making me a bit tense.

So I figured a progress report will help so I know where I am with each project.

First up is my duck egg cotton. This has been cut for Simplicity 2601 in the end. I have some duck egg swiss dot I got at Goldhawk Rd. I could use for the Violet if I wanted a blue one.

This hasn't got past the cutting stage. But as I've made this before it shouldn't take more than a couple of hours to construct.

My Violet shirt is started. I'm getting on really well with it. I'm into the collar stage so it shouldn't take much to finish.

I didn't really talk much about this one. Partly because its fast becoming a UFO. The fabric is beautiful and expensive but I rushed it for the Sew Weekly meetup and the sleeves are appalling. It needs the sleeves taken off and a few bits straightening out, the collar put on and the belt made. I have to get this done as it is a lovely cardigan that I would get a lot of wear out of!

My original plan for this fabric was a different pattern, but since i bought the minty green colourway I reserved it for that pattern instead and went for this in pink with a white collar. This is virtually finished but someone started to sew the collar the wrong way round (DOH)

I did all the finishings first though so no more fiddly bits left on this one.

My Jeans are cut and marked but I had a bit of a freakout about how complex they looked. I have had a look at Peter's Jeans Sewalong posts and a few other bits and bobs but I think I have to be 100% focused to be able to get around to these.

My Lisette Traveller is cut and ready. I'm doing the tunic version with the small collar but making it longer so that I can wear it with leggings.

I know I was trying to resist cutting the Beignet but I couldn't I did it yesterday whilst waiting for an email from my tutor. I just need the interfacing piece cut and this is ready to sew. I was surprised at how difficult the needlecord was to cut. I ironed beforehand but it just kept wrinkling, hopefully this won't affect the pieces too much.

I've prewashed my fabric ready for the Market Sewalong. Just a plain dark purple. I have some cute buttons lined up for the placket too! I personally will be doing Version E but if you want to do a different version be my guest! I might squeeze in the tunic version but I am already pretty swamped!

This is the Jersey for the simple 6874. This is pre washed and drying before its cut out but I think this could be done in an afternoon no problem.

It doesn't look like that much on my rail. Gosh. Here's hoping I get some free time soon!