Notions Of Fabric

This garment is definitely the fastest turnaround, from fabric ordering to having a finished garment. It was less than a week! I had been seen the email for one of the Guthrie and Ghani kits, to make the Named Patterns Lahja dressing gown. I had dismissed it at first, thinking I wouldn't wear a dressing gown, but being at home more meant I wasn't rolling out of bed and straight into the shower every day and I actually would wear one in the mornings. So I had a look at patterns, then decided that the Lahja was the right pattern. But by then the kit had almost sold out (plus I did some maths and realised that buying the fabric and pattern separately were cheaper!), so I went onto the Guthrie and Ghani website itself and bought the same fabric through them directly. I picked the sage green in the waffle cotton for my dressing gown - I had thought about navy blue, but consciously made the choice to NOT add more dark blue to my wardrobe. The fabric arrived in just a few days, I had ...

After making the toile of the Calvin top which I posted last week, I dove straight in to the actual planned dress! This make was actually totally inspired - you know that feeling you get when you are just idly browsing an online fabric store (The Village Haberdashery, in my case), and you see a fabric - and instantly you know that you NEED it in your life and EXACTLY what to make with it. This is what happened with this Mind the Maker Leo print viscose - I knew as soon as I saw it that it needed to be a True Bias Calvin dress. It is gorgeous - and I've been trying to bring more green into my wardrobe, to great success! I made the size 10 again, the same as my toile. In the making process, I ended up taking 1cm off each underarm. I also took 8" off the hem (pardon my mixing imperial/metric, I work in strange ways, apparently) because it was really long on me! It is a big departure from my usual style, with the lack of a waistband and the wrap, but every time I've worn it I ...

Out of all the things I sewed in 2020, this is easily my second favourite (my first being my Kelly, which has seen almost daily wear since it was finished and has kept my dry at many a drizzly school pickup)! And I only finished it in the middle of November! I very much liked the pinafore craze that was going around, but I tend to like garments with a more pronounced shape than something like the Cleo or Bobbi which were the popular patterns on Instagram. So I jumped on the internet and Googled, and eventually I found Kwik Sew 4138. A lovely full skirt, pockets (duh!), and a nicely shaped bib. It was everything I wanted, so I ordered it along with some mid weight bottle green cotton twill. I thought about going for black (and have since ordered some black corduroy to make a second with!) but decided that given I was using a relatively plain fabric I wanted to go for a more interesting colour. I also have a lot of black and navy in my wardrobe, and the green actually goes with a surpris...

This pattern is the Deer and Doe Belladone. Those who are long time readers of my blog will recognise my love for this pattern company. I have made Belladones, Daturas, Chardons, and of course a Luzerne! I actually also am planning to make Sirocco and Magnolia at some point soon - they're both on my Make Nine for 2020. (Since writing this post originally, I have made the Sirocco once, with plans for a second, and I changed my mind on Magnolia, buying the Myosotis pattern instead!) I have made quite a few Belladone's in my time, it must have been 4 or 5, although not many are still surviving. This is mostly due to moving interstate, across the world, and also my fluctuating weight. But I do like the silhouette and I always really loved the cross over element at the back (to the point where I've never made it with the plain back!) This fabric was, I believe, one of my earliest purchases from TMOS (the Man outside Sainsbury's) in Walthamstow? It's a lig...

No, you’re not imagining it - I am back with another  Ogden cami  with photos taken in Mallorca! I actually brought almost all handmade on that trip, including my  Sophie Swimsuit   but I didn’t get the chance to photograph many things due to pretty atrocious weather. In the end I only got these three sets of photos done, but better than nothing! This cami was one of the first I’d made, using a Liberty Tana lawn. The Ogden is perfect for when you love a fabric but it’s a little pricey, or you’re not so sure about how the colour or pattern will work on you. In this case it was the pattern I fell for and the fabric that was pricey! So I got 1m - and this was about a year ago, actually. It wasn’t until the Ogden pattern came out I realised that this was the best use of this fabric! Again, I made my usual size (8) with the extended lining. And again (limited holiday wardrobe!) I am wearing my beloved  Grainline Maritime  shorts. As you might be able to spot, th...

Hey everyone, how are we today? I hope you are super awesome, as I was while taking these photos. As soon as I saw this checked fabric in Lincraft, I knew it was perfect for a dress! A nice big check is always good. However, I straight away started to worry about the effect of having the white and black nearest to my face. The easy answer? Black edging! The pattern is New Look 6208 , I made View D. I figured as much as I love the bows, I thought they would be overkill, and I was right. To avoid having to pattern match, I turned the waistband on the bias instead, which worked a treat - I'll definitely do that again. As I mentioned before, I used black edging around the neckline and armholes. To avoid any awkward moments (I was worried the white was a little sheer), I lined the bodice with white cotton lawn, and the skirt with white Bemsilk. Lining dresses is awesome, you guys. I have vowed to do it all the time (well, almost, anyway), because it's so much nicer in all se...