Hay you!
Posted: August 10, 2019 Filed under: Exercise, Fabric, Fehr Trade, Greenstyle, Independent Patterns, Shorts, Stashbusting | Tags: Birmingham, Exercise, Fabric, Fehr Trade, Greenstyle, Independent Patterns, Shorts, Stashbusting 11 Comments
Last weekend I had a lovely visit from my sister and a couple of her friends who wanted to visit Hay on Wye – a book town. We all love books and reading so it was the obvious place for them to visit but they hadn’t been before. It was many years since I was last there so was overdue a visit.
We had a fabulous day, and I wasn’t too nutty and only bought five books. The trousers I’m wearing in the photo are from my ‘missing time’. They are a rough approximation of a Uniqlo pair I bought and loved. They’re made in an ancient viscose from very, very deep stash and have been worn lots this summer as they are cool and very comfortable (secret pyjamas).
Anyway, conversations recently with my fabulous little sister have turned to exercise. She’s back at the gym, and is also running, so I thought I would get her to try on the bits I had made in the fabric I showed in my last post with the intention of making some for her …. sometime. Well she looked so good I sent her home with them all. Don’t you agree? Please take note that she has my 12kg kettlebell rather than the 8kg. She wanted that to be known 😂.
The deets.
The leggings are my self drafted pattern. Thank goodness we aren’t too far apart in size and that the stretch can accommodate her extra height.
The shorts are the Greenstyle Moxi again. I put the pocket into the back this time – I needed to make it a bit wider to take a longer zipper and enable my phone to fit. I have an iPhone 5 so if you want to use this pattern pocket for similar phones check the fit before you seal it up.
The top is Melissa Fehrs VNA top. I made it before (ages ago) and thought it worth repeating as I often wear it for yoga and thought another would be useful. Guess I’m making another nother.
I’ve had another day out this week – Birmingham again with the lovely Demented Fairy and Glenda. We were all astoundingly well behaved, well Glenda and I were, and only bought what was on our lists. HONEST!
I had checked in advance what I wanted for upcoming projects and stuck faithfully to what I needed. (In all honesty had there been anything I really loved I may not have been so good). One item was a Dylon Rosewood dye to transform some dismally boring beige cotton twill to use as a wearable muslin for a project I really want to start.
The fabric is now dyed and cut out. I’m going to save more information for next time. It’s from the long list of things I wanted to make, made from stash fabric too. Sorry for teasing! (Not sorry 😂)
Back soon!
Birmingham Booty
Posted: April 28, 2017 Filed under: Birmingham, Fabric | Tags: Birmingham, Fabric 25 CommentsIn my last post I did promise to show you what was in that pile of bags from Birmingham. I honestly had gone with the intention of coming away with a few odds and sods, and a whole load of fruit and veg. Big fat fail there but look at this lot…
Who knows what – but it was £1 pm
I had barely arrived before I spotted these on the £1 a metre stall inside the market. It is usually fabric of dubious quality – fine for toiles and testers but not what you would really want to wear somewhere ‘nice’. However it is possible to find a pearl. The picture isn’t particularly good – the fabric on the left is a cotton/poly mix with some embroidery detail and ‘fluffy’ stripes. Oh, and it is a lemon yellow colour – not that you would guess from this. I’m planning to make another Mizono dress from this since I have redrawn the pattern to be used without tucks and such. In principal it should be a quick job. The other stripe could be anything but I’m guessing mainly polyester. The plan is to test my trouser block on this and make something new that fits – everything is too big at the moment as I have lost weight through being ill. (Thankfully that is now dealt with – I have waved my gallbladder goodbye so no more pain should mean my weight stabilising). It will be good to have a tolerably presentable pair that don’t fall down all day. Oh the perils of having negligible hips!
Skulls and flowers jersey
OK, I have no excuses for this but it is hilarious and cheap as hell so I bought it. No plans at present, but it’s jersey so I know it will be useful in my now very relaxed (and a bit silly) wardrobe.
Bad photograph colour, gorgeous fabric
I saw Fairy with some of this jersey – I wish you were able to feel it cos’ it’s gorgeous. Very smooth and cool to the touch. The stall holder claimed it was a high end brand that would cost £££ but was selling at £3 a metre which was good to me. Bought 4 metres which should cover whatever I decide. Sorry for copying your purchase Fairy but I promise not to make whatever you do from it – you’re bound to be faster than me 🙂 . Again, the colour didn’t turn out very well but it is a red/grey combination. Check out Fairys blog for a better photograph. (In checking I see that she has already started hers! Good going Fairy!)
From the ‘Jersey Jumble Sale’!
One of the stalls that always shocks and excites Rag Market virgins is what I refer to as the Jersey Jumble Sale. This tends to be outside on a Tuesday and is an absolute hoot. You never know what you are going to find – nothing is tidy or measured, and it’s not unusual to find that you are in a tug of war with someone on opposite ends of a piece. Again there is a lot of tat there but if you have any idea what a ‘good’ cloth feels like you can sometimes get some treasure. sometimes you just get carried away and but lots because it’s there. *Ahem*. Clearly that wasn’t what happened here at all. Stop giggling back there!
I have already cut out and started a top from one of my neglected Japanese pattern books – ‘She Wears the Pants’. Not an inspiring title but there are a few things I really want to make. Actually, I have been returning to these frequently for what seems like years so it’s certainly time for action. The fabric I started with was the lovely grey marl (top left). It is very soft and ‘easy’ on your skin so I suspect that this will be a good summer layering piece. I’m doing well on the top but have been halted until I decide on buttons. I want to try to finish from stash (there had to be something suitable in one of those tins!) but may have to shop.
The orange cotton rib is bog standard t-shirt fabric. Nothing special but ever so useful. I know I already have this in white and grey so there could be a bit of colour blocking coming on.
The grey stars. Oh, the grey stars. How many of you had a t-shirt with stars on in the 70’s. OK, you can include your mum if you aren’t that old. I loved mine and I know that The Management would be as jealous as could be if I make another from this. Sadly its a very wounded piece that definitely wont make two. Ah, sad.
The striped fabric is allegedly River Island, but is just as likely to be Treasure Island. It feels a bit like linen but wont be – but I’m already considering another ‘She wears the pants’ buttoned top from one piece. Oh yeah, I bought two pieces as I really didn’t want to be found a tiny bit short on this. I would lay strong odds on the black fabric in the same picture being exactly the same fabric as some sweatpants that The Management bought recently at M&S. It feels lovely and since I have just about lived in the pull on pants (not blogged! Sorry) I made from my leggings pattern and some warm lycra from Funky Fabrics back in January I have a fair idea what these will turn into.
So clearly I am going to be busy for a little while using this lot – and I know I shouldn’t have bought it really but I spent under £30 on the lot. Yes – all of it. Not bad is it, and it will wait patiently until I’m ready.
There’s every possibility that I will be diverted but I would like to make these up fairly quickly. I’m trying not to get into a situation where I can’t decide which option to use by just cutting the pattern ASAP and stopping the indecision. We’ll see how long that lasts!
Do you use your more recent fabrics first, or work from any system at all? I’d be interested in how you all use your stash.
Anyway, keep sewing and using that stash!
Kim
Marching on
Posted: April 17, 2017 Filed under: Birmingham, Butterick, Dresses, Dressmaking, Fabric, Knitting, Meet ups, Purl Soho, Vogue Patterns | Tags: Birmingham, Butterick, Dresses, Fabric, Knitting, Meet ups, Purl Soho, vogue pattern 28 CommentsYet again time has flown by without my noticing. March is a distant memory, and April is already well advanced – how come?!
I really have been sewing and knitting between just chilling and enjoying trips out with The Management. Evidence below.
Firstly we have a really grotty photograph (why does flash make it look so bad?) of The Management wearing the shirt made from the fabric bought from Mood Fabrics in New York. I used the self drafted pattern which has been made multiple times now and is very easy for me to knock out. I struggled a bit to find buttons that worked on this fabric until I turned one of my stash buttons upside down and discovered that it was perfect. I even had enough of them. Score!
This has been worn on so many occasions now that I can confirm that it is (apparently) very comfortable, and washes like a dream. He claims that it is the most comfortable in his wardrobe so I must have got something right. If you have an amazing memory I did wonder who’s fabric would be made up first. His, but I have cut out my jeans from the pin striped denim. They are waiting in a queue at the moment.
Remember the Purl Soho Botanical Yoke sweater ? Finished, worn, and loved. How gorgeous is this? This version was made in Drops cotton light and is perfect for right now but I really do want to knit another version in the recommended Cashmere and Merino mix. The actual yarn from Purl Soho is fabulous but I saw Colourmart in Shrewsbury mentioned in Kate from Fabrickateds blog and decided to check them out. Am I glad I did! I am lucky enough to live close enough to visit the unit they trade from and meet the lovely Sue. She showed me around in an attempt to find a yarn I liked but I got completely overwhelmed and had to come away just with samples to try before committing. I was even given a swift lesson in how to Navajo ply the yarn to bring it up to the thickness I needed. What service! The yarn I think I am going with is a very dark 
blue, almost black, wool/cashmere mix which will need to be knitted using my new knowledge. Now that I know about Colourmart, and know I can collect orders from them if I am visiting Shrewsbury (and let’s face it – I can think of many excuses to do that!), I will definitely be using their services. Thanks Kate for drawing them to my attention. I even got this finished before The Management and I managed to sneak away to Cornwall for a week. Doesn’t it look good by the sea? (I ask because I want to go back again. And again..) The bucket hats I made from Rhondas blog got good use in the sunshine that week too 🙂 . The jumper was perfect because although the sun was shining magnificently there was a chill in the breeze. Well it is just April!
There has been sewing too. I saw the lovely Demented Fairy in Birmingham wearing this Lynne Mizono Vogue 1410 pattern dress and knew I had to have it!
In my last post I showed some fabrics I had bought from Barrys bargain table. This grey was on there, and was described as ottoman but I didn’t get the exact fibre composition. There is a lot of stretch along the length of the fabric, and the stripes went across the width. I decided I preferred it turned sideways and there didn’t seem to be any reason why I shouldn’t. The pattern is very simple but I took issue with the idea that the neckline and armholes should just be turned and stitched so I used a self bias tape to neaten and finish them. I’m very happy with the result despite feeling like a dwarf after taking 5″ out from the length! The Management likes this too so there are certainly more in my future.
I made another version of Butterick 6388 , again dress length. You might recognise this as a piece from the last Birmingham trip too. This was a sample piece from the jersey stall that had a whopping great hole in the middle. I wasn’t certain this would fit from the piece but I managed to squeak it out. Again, I have worn this multiple times since I finished it. I put a very fine knitted interfacing into the collar this time as the others weren’t standing quite as as wanted them to. I’m much happier now. I think this piece cost me about £4 so I think I have a very good value dress now – only the thread and interfacing to add to that cost and that must have been pennies. Although we are now (allegedly) into Spring here in the UK I can imagine I will still get a bit more use out of this before it gets too warm.
Well I managed to actually make up two of the six pieces of fabric I bought in Birmingham before I went back and was led totally astray again by Fairy. Look at this lot! We did have another lovely day and it seemed rude not to join in the fabric buying. There is so much there that I’m not going to show it all this time – but I do promise to post again soon so you can see my treasure!
I have pre-washed all of this now so it is ready to use, I even have an idea of how I am going to use some of it. Whisper it but there is in excess of 12m in there. Well in excess. Oh my.
Till next time.
Kim
Where is the time going?!
Posted: March 14, 2017 Filed under: Birmingham, Fabric, Fabric Stash, Knitting | Tags: Birmingham, Dressmaking, Fabric 26 Comments14th of March already! Yikes. I have been enjoying watching the signs of spring arriving here in Bewdley (catkins dancing, lambs prancing)and not noticed just how the days are flying by. I have been working sewing and knitting but really don’t seem to have a lot to show for it. I have also been spending time completing this jigsaw loaned to me by a friend. Yes, we are still friends! I have finished it now but it has taken an age….
An almost impossible jigsaw!
Jersey ‘bits’ from outside
All from Barrys bargain table
I did have a lovely day in Birmingham when I met the lovely Fairy and Glenda for a market trip. It’s almost a month ago so Fairy has probably finished sewing all of her cloth already and mine is still waiting for action. *sigh*
I had intended not to buy any fabric at all since my stash is heaving but I couldn’t resist these pieces. The jersey from the outdoor area was ridiculously cheap and I have no real idea yet what I want to do with it but I really don’t want it hanging round for a long time so I will decide soon. the Barrys bargain fabrics were a bit more substantial. I think I bought 3m of each of these. The brown and grey lengths are slightly stretchy and would make good shirts but would also work on the Lynn Mizono dresses that I want to try out – and at £2 a metre they wont break my heart if I don’t like them afterward. The black is a textured polyester – a little bit like scuba but a bit less dense – that Fairy and I thought would be worth trying for the bodice on this dress. I already had fabrics for the Mizono patterns I wanted to use but you know how a bargain can lead you astray….
Elastic and easy thread needles
Talking of which, I have a bag with all sorts of lingerie/spsortswear odds and sods in it (including a fair quantity of elastics) but I couldn’t help but buy the red and black fold over elastic. I can’t even remember what it cost but I know it was well worth it! Add it to the bag.
The other item was a bit of experimentation. I bought some of the easy thread needles I have seen around. Have you tried them? I did wonder how the thread didn’t just fall out again but it seems to work! Whilst I’m not quite in need of them on a full time basis yet I can see how they would be useful if you did have difficulty threading up. I tried them out on the shirt I’m working on and they work fine but the top is a bit ‘poky’ and I found I really needed to use a thimble to prevent puncturing my fingers.
When I haven’t been swearing over jigsaw pieces I have done quite a lot of knitting. That gorgeous Botanical Yoke sweater is coming along beautifully – I’m well into the yoke section now so I thought you could have a sneaky peek. It looks amazing – and really isn’t as difficult as I thought it would be (or as it looks!). The Managements quilt is started now but there really isn’t anything worth showing yet. I know I’m fitting it in around other jobs but I really hadn’t appreciated what I had let myself in for with a full bed size quilt!
A sneaky peek
Hopefully a bit more to show next time I manage to remember where the dashboard is!
Kim
Toni Goes to Birmingham
Posted: October 28, 2016 Filed under: Birmingham, Sewing meet ups | Tags: Birmingham, Meet ups 24 CommentsI’m accepting a lot more invitations for days out these days, and yesterday was a real treat. I was in Birmingham (again) with a group of lovely ladies (and two honorary ladies for the day 😉 ) on a shopping and eating day organised by the lovely Demented Fairy. She had suggested in a comment that I wore Toni on our day out, and that seemed like an ideal opportunity to get some unbiased judgments on the dress.
The Group photo post lunch
The general opinion was positive – but we all agree that the ‘side bits’ on the dress are ‘corners not cowls’. I’m quoting directly there. One lady even noted the pattern details as she intends to make some for herself so it can’t have looked too bad. I did add sleeves to the basic pattern as I thought it would be more useful here in the UK in Autumn/Winter. Ruth did the same on her last incarnation at Core Couture which gave me the idea. I just used a basic rectangle the length I wanted and the width of the sleeve opening, narrowing it a bit at the wrist end. Not hard to do but makes the pattern even more useful to me. Sorry the scarf hides that wonderful neckline!
I was surprisingly comfortable all day, and after getting used to the feel of the dress on the back of my calves actually forgot about it! I really need to wear more dresses and skirts.
Anyway, the shopping!
Fairy bought some wonderful fabric and has plans for all of it already. Check out her account of the day and see her haul on her blog HERE . I got off very lightly was very well behaved and only bought stuff I knew I needed for other projects. The lining is for my coat – how good is that match! The buttons were bought with assistance from Glenda. I wanted something ‘quality’ but that wouldn’t impose any rules on the coat and these were fabulous. Real metal, and only 60p each. The zippers were only £1 each and I intend to shorten some to fit the Ziggi jacket that has been in the queue for and eternity (or so it seems). The patterns weren’t really needed but there is a 1/2 price sale on Vogue patterns at the moment and I had been lusting after these for a while.
So I am a bit closer to having everything ready for the coat, I just need to settle on a design and get going once I have finished Nell.
Minor progress
Posted: October 26, 2016 Filed under: Birmingham, Capes, Coats, Dresses, Fabric, Sewing meet ups | Tags: Birmingham, Capes, Coats, Dressmaking, Fabric, Meet ups 33 CommentsI would love to tell you all that I had made seven shirts, multiple pairs of trousers, and three coats since I last reported but it would be a lie. I’m slowing down into autumn and enjoying every minute (apart from those spent sweeping up the leaves in my garden. Grrr) but that isn’t helping with progress. I have been working – but not too much for me – so read on McDuff.
Nell Leftovers
My last post was almost three weeks ago, and I finished by saying I hoped to make quick progress with Nell. Erm…… no. I have cut the main fabric out and overlocked the edges to ensure that when I do eventually get round to any sewing I should still have seam allowances available to work with. As I said previously there was really not enough fabric in this piece to make Nell but I was determined to get it from this fabric. The pieces leftover are really small – no space for any mistakes here. I think that may have made me back off for a little while, but truthfully I can’t explain why I’m not further on. I have
decided that I would like this cape lined rather than just binding all the seams and have even managed to find a fabric from my seemingly bottomless stash that will do the job. I’m still pithering about a binding for the outsides. I have a fabric that wont fray so I may go with strips from that if I can’t find anything I like better.
Style Arc Toni
I did cut out the Toni at the same time and decided to sew that together quickly (there really isn’t much to this project). I’m not entirely certain that I like my dress, although that may be down to my not wearing dresses very often rather than the style itself. I love Toni on other people so I suspect that my uncertainty is down to just not wearing dresses often enough. Perhaps I need to change that. Photographs at a later date with me wearing it but at the minute I am post insomia night and look like death so no chance.
Fabric I didn’t need
In the gap between posts I had a wonderful day shopping in Birmingham with Naomi from a Facebook ‘Stashbusting’ group. Yes, I can see the problem there too – and as we both left Birmingham with a significant amount of fabric the stash was definitely blown not busted that day. Oh but look at what I bought!
Brilliant brooch
The greeny yellow is a beautiful felted wool which I intend to make into a coat. As it was the end of the roll I got a very good deal on it. I was hesitating about buying such a distinctive colour, and more than a little concerned that it might not ‘go’ with my wardrobe. Can you believe that the colour works with just about everything I have put next to it? Far from not going with some things this colour works with everything! Naomi was searching for fabric to make an outfit for a costume party – that included sparkly stuff and I couldn’t help myself when I saw this brooch. Just look at how nice it looks on the grey fabric – and that ‘goes with everything’ green!
The brown fabric is a lovely single knit jersey which is a great weight for autumn/winter t-shirts and was a mere 50p a metre. Well, you couldn’t turn it down at that price could you? The stripe was the same but is a finer fabric. I haven’t got round to pre-washing these yet – and the stripe may well be simply tucked away for later use – but that brown needs to be used. Now. Well, after I make Nell and that coat….
Penguins ahoy!(and other stuff)
Posted: August 29, 2016 Filed under: Birmingham, Fabric, Sewing meet ups, Shirts | Tags: Birmingham, Fabric, Sewing meet up, Shirts 12 CommentsI had a lovely day in Birmingham a little while ago when I met Naomi from the Facebook Stashbusting group. She really wanted to see the pattern for Vogue 1258 which is now out of print but has become very popular. Naomi intended to draw the pattern out herself but by seeing the original was able to get a much better idea of how this dress went together. Since we were there it seemed rude not to go look at the fabric, wouldn’t you agree?
Anyway, despite both being ‘stashbusters’ we both came away with more fabric.
Not quite ‘Stashbusting’
I bought the extra ‘penguin fabric I needed to make The Managements shirt, some striped green single knit jersey (not sure of the fibre composition), and some grey jersey with some stitch detail that makes ‘waves’ over the width of the fabric. I didn’t intend to buy any fabric (again) but this just whispered ‘Style Arc Toni’ from knee level and I had to buy it. Do you agree? I think it is perfect for a Toni.
Penguins!
Anyway, I have been pretty busy with other stuff and had little time to sew for myself but The Managements shirt is finished and declared a winner. He hasn’t tried it on yet but since the pattern is now looking a little shabby through the use it has had I know it will fit just fine.
I have a project for me on the table, all ready to go in the morning. I’m not going to tell you what it is yet but can you guess from this teaser picture?
Any ideas?
The Material Lady 