Notions Of Fabric

I know people say this every year, but how is it the end of 2019 already? It has been a big one for us in many ways. We had to leave the UK for a few months to get new visas at the beginning of the year, I lost a job, I got a new (better) one, we have travelled, I have seen much theatre, and as usual I've bought more fabric than I've sewn! Of course, this is a common problem among sewists and I will do a post in a week or so with my intentions for the year 2020 but for now this is a wrapping up post! In terms of sewing, I did a lot in the beginning of the year. It helped to pass the time while I was back at home for 2 months, unemployed and with my family at work every day. And that period of time was a real eye-opener for me! I made three projects which were challenging me in different ways - piping and pattern matching, trousers, and many buttonholes! After that, and the successes which I had with those, I realised that I need to challenge myself more in my sewing. So then ...

This is another oldie but goldie today. I have blogged a long time ago about my favourite Datura, which is black with stars in, but this version actually came first! I made this version with the peter pan collar first as I knew that it would be a good confidence booster - even though I preferred the version with the cut out triangles, I also knew that I was such a newbie sewist that that version would be harder and I wanted to make sure I liked the style first. This was made based on a gorgeous remnant I bought back in Sydney from Achieve Australia (back before it moved, it used to be in Meadowbank 5 minutes from my flat. That was a great but dangerous time!). I believe it's a rayon (but not 100% sure about that if I'm honest), in this lovely navy-based floral. I was drawn to the colors in the print and the lovely feel, but there was only a small amount, not even enough for a top! But with this pattern it’s perfect, as it’s great for small or odd shaped pieces. Instead, I went ...

Hey all! Hope you're having a lovely week. Despite being on holidays, I am keeping busy - between school prep, wedding prep, my TAFE course, learning to ride a motorcycle, and generally being an adult who does adult things... I have been busy! Getting a little knitting done (mostly when I'm on public transport), but not a whole lot of sewing, unfortunately. So I have dredged the photo archives for some more which were taken way back in July to show you today. I wear this top all the time (I have 4 incarnations of this pattern), and yet it has never made it to the blog! I really need to work on that, actually. This is the Deer and Doe Datura top, and I love it. In fact, out of all the ones that I've made, this is my favourite. I've got this pattern down to a fine art now, and can whip one out in a few hours. I make a size 44, with a slight tweaking to the side seams to decrease the flare a little. As this was my first version, the length is as per the patte...