Magpie Makes

International Women's Day!

2012-03-08T11:47:00.000Z

My home is full of boxes, but I wanted to write a quick post to mark International Women's Day to share one of my favourite historical women:

Boudicca, Queen of the Iceni. When her husband died, the Romans refused to accept her husband naming her as his co-heir and confiscated the Iceni's lands, took many as slaves and, so the story goes, raped Boudicca's daughters and flogged the Iceni Queen. Unfortunately, women still end up being treated this way in conflicts even now, almost 2000 years later.

Boudicca refused to stand for that treatment, however, and led her people, along with many other tribes, in an uprising that swept through Roman cities, including Londinium. Although it was ultimately a doomed revolution, I've always felt inspired by the attempt, by her refusal to accept the life the Romans dictated she should have as a woman, and a 'native' woman at that.

So that's why Boudicca's one of my favourite women of history. Who's yours?

Moving Week!

2012-02-27T12:46:00.001Z

Argh! It's moving week! How did that happen?? Considering we found the place back in January, we've been waiting for ages to actually move in and now it's suddenly here - it really snuck up on us! So I've spent the past few days getting my work things in order and ensuring I've got all my lessons sorted for the next couple of weeks, as I'm pretty sure I'm not going to know where anything is until mid-March.

'Home Sweet Home'

There was a minor panic on Saturday night when I realised we had a week to go and I'd packed a grand total of five boxes. And we only had five more boxes. Thankfully, some wonderful friends have come up trumps with loads more boxes for us - phew! Really, did you know that supermarkets over here don't keep boxes for customers anymore? Unless you happen to catch a shop on a delivery day before they mash them up, they probably don't have any boxes, so these days you end up having to buy them. Buying boxes when free boxes are getting pulped? Bonkers. Sorry, rant over!

We get the keys on Thursday and move all the stuff over early Saturday morning - the new place is literally over the road from our current apartment, but we have to cross a busy road and tram tracks, so we're going for a 7am run across! So, this week, and probably next will, will likely be quite quiet here - take care, all, and see you soon!

Wewt! 50% off Vogue Patterns!

2012-02-22T15:52:00.000Z

Warning, do not read this post if you do not want to spend money!

You have been warned!

There are some awesome Vogue patterns out there, but sometimes they're just too expensive ... except when they're half price!

For all you UK stitchers - Sew Direct is currently offering 50% off Vogue patterns for all customers (even non-members) until 10th March. I've bought patterns and a cheap french curve with grading rule (towards the bottom of the page) from Sew Direct before and they're brilliant - great offers and always really quick delivery - so I'd definitely recommend them! (And no, I'm not affiliated with them in any way!)

Anyway, of course, I couldn't resist...

Vogue 8280 - insert Roland-Mouret-Galaxy-dress-rip-off-squees here! I'm pretty late to the Vogue 8280 party, but it is a pretty fab dress.

And bear with me on the next one ...

Yes, it looks like a box of confetti vomited on her, but check out the line art:

Oh yeah, there are details there! Like pockets! Why on Earth they chose to use a crazy print to 'show off' this dress, I really don't know, but let it be another lesson in looking at the line art before judging a pattern. It's got a fab tulip-type skirt, a non-frumpy elastic-y waistband and a nice bit of hip-balancing cap sleeve action.

It's very much like a Whistles dress I tried on a while back, but which didn't even come close to covering my boobs, which made me sad, so hopefully the addition of a slip (which I wanted a pattern for anyway) and the fact I'm making it myself should mean that it'll fit! HA! Take that, Whistles and your not making dresses for women with big boobs! And the Whistles version didn't even have pockets!

And, dammit, did I mention that it has pockets? What's not to love?

Finally, I also went for a non-Vogue pattern (which I still got 10% off - they've got an offer for 10% off all patterns at the moment, too, it would seem!), which I'd been eyeing up for a while:

I'm not even going to post the front cover of the pattern 'cause it's pretty painful, but this is Butterick 5466. A nice, simple pencil skirt pattern. It's very much like a vintage one I have, but with one major difference - it's actually in my (current) size. So rather than scaling up the vintage pattern, I'm just going to go with this one. Sorted! Plus it's got great reviews.

The only down side of Sew Direct is that they only do Vogue, Butterick and McCall's and I was thinking of getting Simplicity 2451:

Suggested by Gwenan on my post about skirt shapes - thanks Gwenan! (Let me know if you have a blog and I'll link to you!) Now, I'm not a fan of flarey bits on skirts, as seen on view A, but, views C and D are nicely tulip-y - huzzah! And, again, it's got great reviews... AND POCKETS!!!

Sorry, I'll calm down now about pockets on skirts and dresses ... but I just bloody love them too much.

So, I hope the Sew Direct Vogue offer is helpful to some of you (though maybe not helpful to your bank balances!) - let me know if you go for anything through it!

The Ooh la la Pin Up Sew-Along - I'm in!

2012-02-19T13:00:00.000Z

It's funny when life converges to offer up on a plate exactly what you were about to start looking for ... and that's just what has happened with the Ooh lala Pin Up Sew-Along!

I'm an awkward and hard-to-find bra size, but I've been seeing other people's underwear-sewing recently and thinking 'hmmm, I'd like to give that a go', and then, immediately after, thinking 'that looks all a bit scary, let's step away!'

With my recent sizing issues, I've also been eye-ing up girdles and merry widows and all sorts of shape-wear over at What Katy Did (swoooooon!), but I've never worn anything like that, so I'm not sure about how much reduction I'd get or what size to go for and, quite frankly, I'm skint!

So this sew-along is fabulous - there's a 1950s corset with suspender clips and and a longline or regular bra. Well, I've been thinking about trying out a longline bra to go with fitted dresses and the like, so this is even more perfect!

I might not be able to keep up with the speed of the sew-along, but I'm just going to go ahead at my own speed. Watch this space while I prepare!

The Shock of the Old

2012-02-17T17:19:00.000Z

Just a quick post to share an interesting little article the BBC is running in response to London Fashion Week and the controversy we tend to get with these events. The shock of fashion isn't a new thing by any means, and this article looks at some of my favourite fashion controversies, such as The Macaroni, the Queen's underwear (Marie Antoinette's chemise a la reine) and Dior's New Look and its fabric-guzzling skirts.

Many Thanks - The Liebster Blog Award

2012-02-17T15:04:00.000Z

Wow, first off, I need to say a massive thank you to Suzie for passing me (and four other bloggers) the Liebster Blog Award! (Check out her other nominees!)

To re-use her description of the award:

"the origins of the Liebster Blog Award are somewhat unclear but the general consensus is that it means favourite or dearest to showcase bloggers with fewer than 200 followers."

I really don't feel worthy as I've been a very poor blogger of late, but I am so grateful to Suzie and to all my readers for sticking with me and offering such supportive words. Thank you all - despite my writing degrees, I cannot express what it means to me when I get your kind comments, but know that they are truly appreciated.

... So, mushiness aside! The rules for this award are:

1 - thank your liebster blog award presenter on your blog.

2 - link back to the blogger who presented the award to you.

3 - copy/paste the blog award on your blog.

4 - present the liebster blog award to 5 blogs with 200 followers or less.

5 - let them know they have been chosen by leaving a comment.

Well, I've covered the first three, so now it's time for the difficult part. I read a lot of blogs, so narrowing it down to three ... and checking that they've got fewer than 200 followers? That's a tall order ...

A fabulous writer, embroiderer and all-out lovely lady, Prue Batten of Mesmered's Blog.
A lady after my own heart - Rowenna writes, loves sewing and digs the 18th century over at Hyaline Prosaic. She discusses stitching, writing and her re-enacting with a wonderfully friendly voice.
What's the time? Why, it's Scruffy Badger Time! Check out her stitcherous creations.
A very stylish stitcher is our Catherine Daze.
House of Nines Design: The most drool-worthy hats designed and displayed for your pleasure ... or your purchase if you're lucky enough to be able to afford one. One day!

(Not all of these bloggers have a 'follower' list or total on their page, so I'm going by the figures on Google Reader - apologies if they're not 100% accurate!)

Only Separates Have the Answer ...?

2012-02-15T11:30:00.000Z

I feel like I've been all these shapes
and sizes over the past 6 months!

As well as lacking energy (see previous post), another way my thyroid stands in the way of me sewing clothes for myself has been size. Or, perhaps, a lack thereof - I haven't stayed the same size for more than a few weeks over the past 6 months or more.

That's really bloody annoying.

I don't know from one week to the next which of my clothes will fit (Remember my birthday tea party? I really had my heart set on wearing That Dress, but my body was making like a balloon at the time!).

That's definitely not motivation to spend ages sewing New Look 6000, only for it to not fit in a month's time.

And then today it hit me - sew some of the separates on my list. So simple. What a plonker not to think of it! At least with a skirt, I can take in the side seams and darts to make it smaller (I'm currently the biggest I've ever been, so hopefully all the re-sizing is going to be DOWN from here!). I don't know why, but dresses always appeal to me more than separates, both when shopping and sewing. I think it's a magpie thing - oooh, pretty dress, caw, caw! Whereas separates just don't catch my eye in the same way, which is strange because I probably wear skirts and tops more than dresses. I think it's part of my whole pattern of going for pretty, going out type dresses, as opposed to more everyday pieces. Separates are a good way forward, for my sewing and my wardrobe!

So I'm going to put New Look 6000 on hold, while I work on some of the skirts and blouses from my 12 in 2012 list. (By the way, Suzie has posted an update on what she's done so far and who else has joined in - have a looksee!)

I picked up some black silk dupion in the John Lewis sale for a slim skirt from a vintage pattern. I've got the fabric and buttons for the anchors blouse (again, from a vintage pattern), which I've had for aaaaages.

I've also got a half-sewn silk crepe blouse that's been languishing for an age ... it might not be salvageable because it slipped around so much when I was cutting it, but I can give it a go:

I want some new things to wear, dammit!

Stupid Thyroid

2012-02-11T11:23:00.000Z

I feel as though half my posts at the moment are apologising for not posting in a while! Recently I've been suffering with my medication, because it's been too effective.

I have Graves Disease, which makes me have an overactive thyroid. I've reacted so strongly to my medication (much to the surprise of my consultant!) that it's swung the other way and is now underactive. As you can imagine, it's hard to keep up with these constant changes in my physical and mental states. I've, rather boringly, been doing a lot of eating and sleeping - not exactly blog-worthy!

Before I had it, I had no idea how much of an effect that little butterfly-shaped bugger in the throat could have on the body.

So, yes, I am still around-, just not all there.

Winter time and hand sewing

2012-01-31T08:33:00.001Z

Hang on, you mean it's the end of January already? When did that happen?!I've been quiet as I've just been getting on with teaching stuff (arranging exams at the moment), moving stuff (boring paperwork, exciting planning, frightening realisations of how much moving costs!) aaand hand-sewing the cushion cover from Patch! I'd never realised how enjoyable hand sewing could be - perhaps because when I used to do it, it was because I HAD to as I didn't have a machine yet. Now, though, I'm doing it because I want to and in an area that will be visible, so I can take pride in my stitches. It's funny that trying out a different area of sewing has taught me something about myself as a stitcher and has given me a taste for something that will help me in all area of sewing. I can't wait to try out some couture techniques in my garment sewing now!Pictures of the cushion cover when it's finished!

Made With Love for the Home - Patchwork

2012-01-23T11:43:00.000Z

Patchwork always used to fill my mind with images of slightly ugly, old-fashioned colour-combinations stitched together in, well, a much too traditional style for me. My aunt is a patchworker and produces some gorgeous work for her lovely old cottage home, but while I've always appreciated her skill and taste and the finished product, it still wasn't me. And the final nail in the patchwork coffin for me: as a garment-stitcher, I find it plain frustrating to visit fabric and sewing shops and find that they're quilting-focused. Annoying!

So I've always written patchwork and quilting off (sorry!) ... until now!

I've recently seen some gorgeous examples of quilting through various blogs - things that are brighter, more fun, more graphic and more 'me'. And with the move, I'm going to try out some patchworking and quilting to help make our new house a home.

This 'scrap vomit' (hahaha!) quilt-along was one of the first I spotted that I instantly loved:

Scrap Vomit, from Monkey Do.

And I love the applique on this quilt, which has a PDF tutorial on Sew, Mama, Sew:

Butterfly Silhouette Quilt, from Sew, Mama, Sew.

It's really inspired me - I can picture a quite simple quilt with bird silhouettes flying across in a brighter, solid colour. Yum!

And Monkey Do has come up trumps again with Hexy MF. Just go and look at it - amazing. Again, I think it's down to the simple design and when you put that against a grey background, it makes it fresh and new. The quilting is rather beyond me (it's pretty amazing), but the patching I like the look of.

So, I recently got Patch! by Cath Kidston. I'm not a Kidston fanatic, but I liked that it came with a kit to make a cushion cover, which is a good way of trying out a new craft. It's also the closest I've found to the kind of book I'm looking for - modern, simple patchworking for beginners. It's not perfect, but it's giving me a taster. Has anyone got any recommendation for patchwork/quilting books that match that description??

I'm part-way through making the cover design and I'm quite enjoying having a hand-sewing project to do while watching films. The thing I'm not loving is the 'English patchworking' with paper - it's just quite annoying to tack through and handle, plus I'm not entirely convinced that it's necessary. But what do I know?!

So that's what I'm working on at the moment. Have you ever tried patchwork? Any tips, techniques, tutorials you'd recommend?

A New Year and a New Home

2012-01-16T12:39:00.001Z

Small, but perfectly formed.

You might have noticed the presence of quite a few home-related things on my 12 for 2012 list ... Well, yes, they're there and I've been rather quiet this week because my gent and I have been house-hunting! There is something in the pipeline, but I don't want to talk about anything until it's all definite, so fingers crossed I'll have more to report soon!

You might wonder what relevance this has to the blog, but the gent has agreed that I'm getting a good sewing space (wewt!) that won't be a cupboard. Much as I love (and am very lucky) having somewhere I can work and store all my stuff, there's rather too much stuff for the space - as you can see in the pictures, I have to share with tents, sleeping bags, guest bedding, DIY bits, the mop, the Christmas tree and assorted other things, which makes it all rather cramped.

Small and, well, imperfect!

The other reason I don't use the space as much as I would like is that there's absolutely no natural light, which is not great fun to sew in and definitely is not ideal for working out if thread matches fabric (luckily I learnt that one without having to unpick a whole garment!!!). The room is either boiling hot or freezing cold (and I don't cope well with extremes of temperature at the moment with this stupid illness) and while everything I've got (or had when I put this room together back in the summer) has its own place, there isn't room/storage space to get anything else - I wouldn't have space for a serger (not that I could afford to get one of those for a long while) or any other bits and pieces.

So, thank you Mr Magpie ... Little did he know what he was letting himself in for: I've been raiding the internet for storage and layout ideas and inspirational sewing spaces. There have been 'squees' and excited pointing out of pretty pieces of storage furniture and storage boxes. Poor bloke, he doesn't get it.

But you do!

So over the next couple of months you'll be seeing plenty of ideas for sewing rooms. I'm not going to have loads of space - it'll either be a corner in the living room or part of a spare room, which will be a smallish room shared with a sofa bed - but I'm going to concentrate on making it practical and pretty so I'll get the maximum use out of it.

At the moment I'm thinking about colour schemes - although I won't be able to paint the walls as we'll be renting, I want the space to look unified and neat, which having a pre-decided scheme will help with. And I'm inspired by that image at the top (which is actually a colour combo I was thinking about trying out - turquoise and warm pink, two of my favourite colours) and Liz's carefully considered decor (coral, teal and turquoise) - both these rooms look so lovely, which I think is thanks to a combination of well-thought out use of colour (advocated by Singer!) and a place for everything and everything in its place.

If you have any sewing space/room tips, ideas or links, please do let me know! Thank you :)

Whatever Happened to the 18th Century?

2012-01-07T13:00:00.000Z

Readers who have followed me over here from Jane of All Trades might well wonder what happened to my first sewing love, the 18th century? And well you might!

I actually began sewing because of a love of things like this:

(I'm actually drooling, just looking at these outfits.)

It's my dream to go to the Venice Carnival (for my 30th birthday would be ace!) and make myself a crazily over the top masquerade-type outfit, based on this famous portrait of Madame de Pompadour:

So where is all my 18th century sewing love? Well, I do still adore these gowns, but, really, I have no opportunity to wear them - I don't do re-enactments and I'm too self-conscious to wander around Nottingham in stays and full on 18th century gown/jacket, petticoat and hat. So I have to make do with dreaming and writing about such things.

But, it should be no surprise that 1950s appeal to me:

(Image from the Vintage Patterns Wiki.)

Fitted bodice, BIG skirt. Oh, and lush use of colour.

So, I still carry my 18th century love with me in some respects and, more importantly, I'm looking for ways I can incorporate little touches of 18th century style in my home and clothing. I'd love to buy a pair of the good Duchess's leather Devonshire's to wear as normal shoes:

(Shoes from American Duchess. Yum.)

Just picture them dyed grey ... or blue ... or black ... or red ... under trousers or with tights and a dress - they wouldn't look so crazy. (Right?) But I really can't justify buying bespoke shoes, nevermind shipping them from the US - alas! So I have to make do with sighing after them.

And do the cuffs on New Look 6000 look familiar?

No? Just me then :/ But they do remind me of mid 18th century cuffs, and the buttons remind me of those on 17th and 18th century men's coats (piratical justaucorps):

(Image from the Hermitage Museum.)

Anyway, it's a ongoing little project of mine to think about how I can inject the 18th century into the 21st century (via the 1950s-60s!) - am I bonkers?

Dream Sewing Space

2012-01-03T16:02:00.002Z

Argh - I'm drooling! Just check out this ab-so-luuuuuuute-ly gorgeous sewing space over at Allsorts*. I love the mix of bright colours and patterns, the paint on the walls and the shades on the ceiling, the light pouring through those windows (Although the lady in question apologises for it being 'uncooperative'! I don't have any windows in my space, d'oh.), the space and the clever storage (boxes neatly tucked under tables, shelves in what would otherwise be wasted space and embroidery hoops dangling from the ceiling).

I've got sewing space envy, but also something to one day aspire to. Le swoon! <3

* Funny little factoid - when I was little I had a pair of gerbils, one black and one speckled in all different shades of brown. The first was called Liquorice and the second was Allsorts.

12 in 2012

2012-01-02T17:02:00.000Z

Su Sews So-So has had a wonderful idea: instead of resolutions for 2012, she's making SMART goals in lists of 12. 12 seems quite manageable - that's one per month - and, of course, it relates to the year (clever, eh?). Being a project manager, she explains very well what SMART goals are, if you haven't heard of them before, so I'll let you check out her explanation.

Funnily enough, when teaching my team tends to encourage learners to make SMART targets - the system helps you avoid making vague, unattainable goals that you lose momentum with because they will be done 'some day'.

So, I'm thinking about my goals, my plans ... What do I want to do in 2012? I've already mentioned that I want to sort my wardrobe out in a coordinated way, rather than my usual, magpie kind of clothes shopping and making. I've also been thinking about the fact that I didn't make any Yule presents this year (and I still owe my little sister a Kindle cover from her birthday - sorry, sis), so I'd like to make some gifts this year (and not have to rush to make loads of Yule presents in December). Mr Magpie is still waiting for his waistcoat, which I've been too frightened to make, thanks to the fact that it's tailoring (which I have no idea how to do) and it involves some lush wool he chose, which is the most expensive fabric I've ever bought. Oh, and it's a completely self-drafted pattern. Scary stuff. What was I thinking?

As for attainable, Suzie has 3 lists of 12 things (though she's made her list in a way that allows her to cover multiple goals with more than one item - sneaky!), but if to be realistic (and perhaps a little conservative) for myself, I was planning to stick to one or two lists ... but then I started writing them and found I could be sneaky and kill two birds with one stone, too!

Clothes to Make:

Skirt 1 (Simplicity 2413, paper bag waist).
Skirt 2 (slim skirt from a vintage pattern with inverted pleat at back).
Skirt 3 (high-waisted skirt from Simplicity 2654)
Blouse 1 (anchors fabric, vintage pattern).
Blouse 2.
Cropped jacket (vintage pattern, silver-grey dupion).
Dress 1 (New Look 6000).
Dress 2 (Macaron).
Dress 3.
Men's waistcoat.
High-waisted trousers.
Coat (McCall's 6442 - the hood, the hood!!).

Not Clothes to Make:

House thing 1 - throw (possibly involving patchwork?).
House thing 2 - doorstop(s)?
House thing 3.
Pattern weights.
Apron 1 - for that giveaway I mentioned aaaages ago!
Apron 2 - giveaway!
Apron 3 - giveaway!
Yule present 1.
Yule present 2.
Yule present 3.
Yule present 4.
Something pretty!

New Things to Try Making:

Men's clothing.
Trousers.
Piping.
Actually completing an item from one of my vintage patterns!
Actually completing an embroidery item!
Doing some more advanced fitting/pattern altering techniques as needed (eg, grading up one of my vintage patterns that is quite a bit too small).
Knit a garment (so far I've made a scarf and a snood).
Outerwear.
Patchwork.
Making a lining.
Underlining.
Hand-picked zip (they look so lovely and seem like a relatively simple technique to use for a bit of couture luxe).

As you can see, those 'new things to try' can be covered by items in the first two lists. The clothing and non-clothing lists include things that are relatively quick and simple to make, as well as some more challenging and time-consuming pieces. So let's see how this goes!

These are my 12 in 2012, what are yours?

Looking Backwards & Forwards

2011-12-31T16:02:00.003Z

First off - happy Yule to you all! I hope you each had a wonderful time with plenty of food and drink, cheer and laughter and a huge amount of love.

Rather like a lot of other bloggers at the moment, I'm saying goodbye to 2011 and hello shiny new 2012. And like Janus, who presides over gateways, I'm looking back over 2011 and forward to 2012.

2011 was a turbulent year, with a lot of hard work towards a teacher training course, the messy business of finding a job (which, thankfully, I managed to do), doing two jobs for a while and then falling ill.

It's strange, but I keep thinking that I didn't achieve anything this year, because I did little to no writing on my novel-in-progress and hardly any sewing, at all. I kind of forget that I didn't just scrape by on the bare minimum teaching qualification, I actually challenged myself to study for a higher level than the one I needed (I did a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education with some modules at Master's level, rather than the slightly lower level Professional Graduate Certificate in Education) and I didn't just do enough to pass, I bloody passed with flying colours (if I do say so myself). I worked really hard and that seems to have paid off, with getting a teaching job, despite cuts in funding, and receiving lots of glowing feedback on my teaching. So to think I didn't achieve anything is, I suppose, being rather harsh on myself!

Let's gloss over the whole sorry business of being ill, because I feel that I've gone on about that more than enough. I'll just say that, again, I have to be a bit more gentle on myself because of this horrible bump in the road that has definitely affected my productivity.

As for 2012 ... Well, we never really know what the future will hold, but I have plans for my sewing and writing, which should hopefully come to fruition.

Sewing-wise, I've been thinking about that conversation with my manager, looking at what I already have and working out what I need in my wardrobe. How organised! I would definitely say that I've been inspired by The Colette Sewing Handbook (love it!) and its approach to knowing what suits you and what you feel comfortable in. (That might have had something to do with me then buying a couple of Colette Patterns (Macaron and Peony) - I can't believe I haven't tried them before!)

To that end, I've been writing up lists (yay, love lists!) and thinking about colours and coordination ... but more on that soon! I have loose plans to make the following:

A grey version of the New Look 6000, which lots of other stitchers have been having fun with, making some absolutely gorgeous dresses - I'm feeling very inspired.

I'm going for view E, but adding in the collar (or you could think of it as view C with darts instead of pleats. Either way, I already picked up some fabric for this from Franklin's while I was visiting Ipswich, but more on that with photos on another day.

Speaking of this pattern - is it sad that one of the things I love about it is that it doesn't use much fabric? I only had to get 2m of 150cm wide fabric to make this dress, and it has sleeves and a collar - how awesome is that?! It is sad isn't it? Oh dear. Well, I'm just pleased that it means I'll be making a dress that, including fabric and all notions, is actually cheaper than it would cost me to buy it ready-made! I even treated myself to some quite expensive buttons, but as you only need one large and four small, it was still cheaper!

I'm also thinking about making a blouse out of view E of this pattern (yellow polka dot on the pattern envelope) - how pretty would that look in silk dupion? I'm thinking teal, off white or coral pink (lovely for spring/summer).

There will also be one or more Macaron dresses in my life in 2012 - I just can't quite decide what fabric combos to go for. I picked up 2m of navy and white polka dot stretch sateen originally to make the slim version of this skirt:

But then I got the Macaron pattern and realised that 2m is exactly what you need for the main fabric of that ... so now I'm torn! And what could I put with it? I'm favouring shamelessly stealing this idea of using a sheer fabric for the contrasting yoke. If I can find dark blue silk organza, I might well do that.

I also like the idea of using a dobby spot as the contrast, perhaps with something like chambray on the body for a more summery, laid back vibe. Or then there's the option of using velveteen for the main fabric and more organza for the contrast. And what about piping - I'd like to have a go with that. You see my problem? So many ideas ...

And as for the paper bag waist skirt, I'd like to make that up in pique, wool or sateen ... not sure on colour, yet.

I've been taking a lot of inspiration from other sewing bloggers during my own sewing drought, which led me to buy a copy of this out of print pattern:

I would never normally have looked twice at this pattern from the beige-y boring cover (Do they actively try to make their patterns look dull and frumpy or does that happen by accident?), but when I saw Handmade Jane's version, I realised that these trousers were The Ones. I'd been eyeing up the Wearing History Smooth Sailing 1930s trouser pattern for the while, but I can't really afford to ship these in from the US, and I was a little put off by the width of the leg in these - being short, I'm wary that they're perhaps a little too wide for me. I'm also liking the high waist detail on the front and the straight skirt view. I think another appeal of these is that they remind me of a pair of trousers that don't fit me any more, which I love - navy blue, brushed cotton with brass anchor buttons. So that's what I'll be going for with this pattern. I am a little scared about my first foray in trouser-making, though! If it works well, I would quite like to try a version in a lightish/medium-weight denim, with more buttons on the front (it's all about the buttons for me, clearly).

I might have to go for a similarly nautical version of the slim skirt in navy with cute buttons. This would be especially good as I've realised I simply don't have enough skirts and I tend to wear them a lot. Which means I'm also planning to make a grey or black wool/mix version of this vintage straight skirt with inverted pleat at the back (view on the right):

And to go with those skirts, I've got a couple of blouses planned (some of which I've had in the 'to make' pile forever). I was thinking of making this vintage pattern up as a blouse:

I can't decide whether to go for the plan version or the one with contrasting collar and sleeves - it's just too cute!

Finally, for spring, I'd like to make the cropped jacket from this pattern in silvery grey dupion:

I don't know why, but that fabric and colour combination is just what I can picture this in. And self buttons - yum! Plus, I have a small piece (90cm) of printed haboutai I got in the John Lewis sale ages ago, which I can use as a super cute lining - the jacket only requires 1m of fabric, so I like to think I can afford to go a little luxe!

Phew! What a lot I have planned! I'd better get to it!

Wishing you all a fabulous and joyous New Year - love Clare. x

Skirts, or Why You Should Try Those Things You Wrote Off

2011-12-18T12:00:00.000Z

Time to get down to some serious re-styling!

This whole transition period between thinking in student style and professional, late 20s style has been a lot more organic than it might seem from my previous post, which focused on the discussion that led to my decision to plan out a kind of capsule wardrobe. I've been turning away from jeans, particularly the baggy skater style I loved in my teens and early twenties, over the past few years, but being limited in terms of what I could use to replace jeans and how much money I don't have to spend on that, I've been stuck in limbo between these two places.

Recently, I've actually found that the skirts I had always assumed suited me the most (circle skirts, flared skirts, dirndls, etc) weren't the best. I had thought that the fullness of the skirt disguised my wide hips. In the past few months, I've picked up a couple of cheap skirts in slimmer styles, which actually look far more flattering on me. I love wearing them!

The first is a tulip style in black from the TopShop sale, rather like this one:

Fitted, but I can still walk in it and - the most important thing - it has pockets! I'm sure I've already mentioned that I love skirts and dresses with pockets, but it bears mentioning again. I love them.

The other is a woolen Jaeger skirt I got from a vintage shop for £15. I hadn't even reailsed at the time that Jaeger were so expensive and therefore how much of a bargain that was! (On their website, Jaeger skirts are about £300 - who pays this?!) It's a teal and brownish black dogtooth check in a slightly A-line cut, but fits so perfectly at the top that it looks closer to a straight shape, and even has a slight pencil skirt look to it, without the difficulty walking! Again, ability to walk in a skirt is very important to me (funny, that).

Now, I had always thought that, because of my crazy high hips and short waist, fitted skirts were a no-no, as they would emphasise that, but actually the opposite is true. Those gathered and circle skirts I had been wearing were emphasising the muffin-hips, while these new fitted skirts flatter them and show off the full curve, rather than the fluffy top. Why didn't I realise before?!

My recommendation: once in a while try those things that you didn't think suited you. Your body shape may have changed or your skin tone might be different now to when you wrote off green eight years ago.

A great thing about being a fitted skirt convert is that there are now loads of dresses, skirts and patterns that I can try out now. I just picked up The Colette Sewing Handbook (which I am loving!) and it has this gorgeousness on the front cover.

I'm definitely going to be giving this a go. I've never been a fan of sheath dresses, but this one has a waist seam, which means you can get it to nip in to the waist properly (not so easy without the seam) and is so pretty, I wouldn't even think of it as a sheath.

Maybe it's just the weather (cold!), but I'm picturing this in a nice wool, perhaps with a larger bow, or a self-belt with a bow. Oh yes, a self fabric belt with a bow, I think that's definitely called for.

As for colour, well I'll be coming to that next time.

When Your Style Isn't 'You'

2011-12-16T12:34:00.000Z

Now I'm starting to feel alive again (dare I even say, a little energetic?), I'm starting to look at where I am and ahead to the future.

I had my first probationary interview in my teaching role this week. It went brilliantly - I was so praised, I'm surprised I could get my head out of the door at the end! At the end, though, informally, my manager did have a more informal chat with me about how we dress at work. As I teach in an FE college, it's more relaxed than schools and the different departments have their own rules. Or not. My department is a bit of a free-for-all: amongst the lecturers I see everything from shirts and ties to skater jeans and trainers.

Not me.

My manager wanted to suggest that I think about what I wear and the impression that makes of me and the department. There are big changes in the college at the moment and she and I both suspect they might bring in a universal dresscode. But more than that, she has been in the same place as me. She started to teach in her 20s, too, and, like me, looked quite young for her age, so found students and staff often thought she was another student. I get this quite a lot, too.

And, like me, her student style was quite casual and student-appropriate, so when she became a professional, she just didn't know how to dress.

She broached the topic sensitively and, although it was well-meant, friendly advice, she was worried about offending me, but I actually agreed with her. I've been feeling a bit lost in the style stakes recently, not feeling like myself in the casual student clothes I used to wear (jeans, t-shirt and cardi a lot of the time), but also not feeling like a glamorous starlet or a classic suit and heels professional.

I'm not just talking about work, either. As I explained to my manager, I can find clothes that work for me for dressed up occasions (recently, my tea party, my work Yule party and my gentleman's), but not for every day or work.

More me.

The great thing about talking to her about this was that she understood - she doesn't want me to dress in a black/grey/navy suit, either, she wants me to find a style that represents who I am, as much as one that shows off a professional and a department. We chatted for a long time, with various suggestions (she can see me in Audrey Hepburn outfits, pencil skirts, dresses, 30s wide leg trousers, that sort of thing) and tips (hit the sales; find smarter clothes, but in bright colours that reflect my creativity), which has helped me to start thinking about how to fix this, rather than just feeling bad about it.

So, my plan is to come up with a capsule(ish) wardrobe that focuses on certain colours that coordinate and styles that suit me in terms of looks and personality. I'll be sewing and buying the items, as well as including pieces I already have.

That may be easier said than done, but let's see how it goes. I'll be sharing my thoughts, ideas, inspirations and progress on here, so watch this space!

2011-12-14T12:30:00.000Z

As we wave goodbye to another November, we also wish adieu to Bonfire Night (a celebration of seeing people hung, drawn and quartered or a chance to channel V for Vendetta, depending on how you look at it), the dregs of Halloween, my birthday (complete with a most civilised tea party) and NaNoWriMo.

As you’ve probably guessed from my radio silence, I was far too busy this year to take part, despite planning to earlier in the year. However, I do also have half a novel staring at me accusingly whenever I switch on my computer or go in my little workroom.

So, in a moment of what can only be described as absolute insanity (if you saw the pile of marking I’ve got to do over Yule, you’d think me bonkers, too), I’ve decided to have a go at my own NotAWriMo.

For anyone who doesn’t know, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month and happens every November. It’s not about producing the next Booker Prize Winner, it’s about getting words down (even if that means having your characters discuss the finer points of tea-making because you’re out of ideas). In the space of a month, ~~lunatics~~ participants all over the world write 50,000 words in order to ‘win’. They’re not after a prestigious prize and nor are they out to ‘beat’ each other: they’re simply working towards being able to say ‘I did it’. And when you consider that’s an average of 1,667 words per day in the lives of many people who work full-time, have children and/or social lives, being able to say ‘I did it’ is no mean feat.

What, then, you might ask, is NotAWriMo. Well, it’s going to be about me ‘getting words down’ after a long hiatus from writing during which I’ve worked full-time (sometimes more than full-time), completed a PGCE, fallen ill and begun my first teaching job. I need to get my head back in that writing zone and I need to get back into my rhythm of writing frequently and consistently, which served me well during my MA (40,000 words+ written and edited to a Master’s standard between April and August).

To that end, I’m planning to do the following:

Start on 17^th December (the date the college breaks up for Yule).
Finish a month later on 16^th January.
Write 20,000 words in that time (an average of around 650 words per day).

20,000 words as a target falls well short of the NaNoWriMo 50k, I know, but I’m more interested in quality, building up a sustainable rhythm that I can continue after 16^th January, still getting my lecturing work done (planning lessons and marking) and – gasp! – socialising with family over Yule and New Year.

I’ll post on here from time-to-time about my progress and, my stitchy friends will be glad to hear that after the holidays, I’ll be working 4 days a week, so hopefully I’ll get some sewing done – huzzah!

If you want to read more posts about my writing endeavours, check out my writing blog - Jane of All Trades.

Tea Parties & Reassurances

2011-12-12T12:17:00.000Z

Good afternoon all!

Again, I’m here with reassurances that I’m OK, just exhausted and insanely busy. My medication is starting to kick in, so I’m slowly getting my energy back.

Last month I had a vintage tea party for my birthday and I had intended to wear The Dress (see previous post!), so I thought I’d take photos for the blog then … but an unfortunate side-effect of my illness is fluctuating weight and it just so happened that The Dress didn’t fit that day (damn!). I did get to wear a different vintage dress that day, so I still had the look (and it’s a rather fabulous dress – 50s slim skirt with boat neck and flocked polka dots in black).

I also received The Vintage Tea Party Book by Angel Adoree for my birthday, which, luckily, was a few days before the party, so I had the chance to read through and get some ideas for my day. I had fun with flower arranging (chrysanthemums in a teapot), sandwich making and baking – lots of baking.

The Vintage Tea Party Book is primarily a cookbook with ideas here and there for decoration as well as a section in the back for styling yourself. My hair’s a little too short for the hair ideas, though some time I’m definitely going to have to try out the poodle as it’s far too cute not to try.

The book is also incredibly pretty with some fun, quirky illustrations. My only gripe, really, is that I would have liked to have seen a little less cooking and a bit more in terms of decoration and style. But that's more to do with my expectations and I do still adore this book.

Have you got The Vintage Tea Party Book yet? Is it on your Yule list? What do you think of it?

Still Here!

2011-10-17T17:22:00.000+01:00

Yes, I am still around! Turns out, my last post about lacking motivation wasn't so much down to the time of year, but rather that I've been quite ill without realising! Luckily it doesn't seem to be life-threatening, but it does leave me absolutely exhausted. (I haven't even read my blog subscriptions in weeks.) I've got a hospital appointment tomorrow, so hopefully that should start leading to some solutions!

In better news, I also have some teaching work! It's only part-time, but I'm enjoying it and it's work, so I'm definitely not going to complain! It does mean that any energy I can claw back from my illness is spent lesson-planning and marking. On top of that, I still have my part-time shop job, so I'm tending to have one day a week off at the moment - not fun!

When I get a bit of time, I'll be getting some photos of something I've been waiting to blog about ... Cryptic, huh? Well, I won something pretty special back in May - an amazing vintage (50s?) dress from a lovely lady I've mentioned quite a bit, Liz of Zilredloh. But, it didn't quite fit when it arrived and I definitely didn't want to force the zip up on such a special, old dress. So I've been waiting and exercising and eating more healthily and being ill (which may be a factor - at least something good has come out of it!) and I've lost a couple of inches on waist, hips and bust, and now it fits! So, I'm going to make myself pretty and get some photos of me in the dress to show you all and I'll tell you the story behind it (it's pretty special). In the meantime, here's a taster ...

The Summer Blues - On Snoods & Sewing Disasters

2011-09-03T02:00:00.000+01:00

Hello my dear readers ... It's been a month, but I am still here, just severely lacking in motivation at the moment. I tend to get a bit fed up and worn out at this time of year, and I think finishing my teaching course has left me even more tired.

I am well past owing completed snood photos, but fear not - I'm more than happy to oblige! Here is my version of Hilary Hunt's Holy Cowl pattern (free on Ravelry!):

Apologies for the photo in a mirror - I really need a dedicated blog photographer!

I really enjoyed knitting this one - knitting in the round was less scary than I thought it would be and once I got the hang of the pattern it was pretty simple. I've been wearing it loads, too - it's warm and comfy and the crazy colours kind of go with everything! I'm super pleased with it, considering it's my second knitting project.

Remember that first knitting project? Well that's finished, too, and my Gent has claimed it as his own, so it can't be too bad (or he's just too kind!).

Which is more than I can say for my attempts at this pattern:

It's such a pretty pattern and only a size too small ... so I thought I'd attempt to alter it to fit on Dolly ... how hard could it be? Well it was a bit of an epic fail. Thankfully I was just playing about with cheap calico, but it has still left me feeling a bit bummed and unmotivated. Meh.

So I'm now trying a different tack - I got this book the other day:

Some of the designs are awesome, some are not so great, but the main pull for me was the chapter at the beginning that shows you how to draft your own basic blocks from your own measurements. The rest of the book shows some pretty cool ways of adapting those patterns for different designs and I think will be a good companion to 'Make Your Own Dress Patterns' by Adele P. Margolis, which I already have, but is a little intimidating for my first foray into pattern drafting. Little Green Dresses looks like a more gentle introduction and gives the instructions on how to draft that initial block that Margolis' book requires. Score!

Anyway, I think I could use that block to draft a bodice in my size for that vintage Butterick pattern (such a pretty neckline!) ... I think ... We'll see!

And I might be getting ahead of myself, but I'm really loving this owl jumper pattern on Ravelry - I want!! More realistically, I'd like to do The Newbie and the Knitter knitalong hosted by Kristen Makes, but I don't really have the money to buy that much yarn at the moment (boo!), so I'll have to read the posts and knit it up later. Looks like it'll really help anyone learning to knit.

Anyway, hope all of you are well and that has given a little bit of an update.

x

A Room of One's Own - My Sewing and Writing Space

2011-08-04T11:07:00.000+01:00

It's done! At last!

It's not the prettiest sewing space, it's certainly not the largest (it might even be a contender for the smallest) and it doesn't have any natural light, but it's mine and I love it.

This room is essentially a glorified storage cupboard with a light and a plug socket (and a heater, but it gets so hot in there, I don't know why anyone would ever want to use it!), but when we first looked around the apartment I clocked that it was big enough for a desk. That was over a year and a half ago, but hey, you can't rush these things, right?

It's funny, but I've noticed that a lot of other bloggers have been organising or rearranging their sewing spaces recently, too - it must be something about this time of year. For me, it was the fact that I'd saved up for the necessary furniture and had the time after finishing my uni course.

To give you an idea of the size, it measures 1.5m by 1.8m (4'11" by 5'10"), plus the little alcove with the shelves. And it's a hard-working little space - it multi-tasks between being a storage cupboard, the tool-shed, sewing space and writing room. Just look at all the stuff I share my space with:

You know I said that Ikea owned my soul? Well, when you've got so much to fit in so small a space, you really need great storage. These shelves are perfect - they fit in a small space and you can put so much on them, plus their clear storage boxes fit on perfectly:

I love it when companies like this actually consider their items working together and harmonising - the middle shelves accomodate one deep box, while the bottom shelf fits a deep and a shallow box stacked on top of each other. Genius!

Their cardboard boxes are the perfect size for patterns:

(And my knitting patterns are in that folder to the right.)

And last, but not least, little drawers!

I think loads of stitchers have these Helmer drawers - they're so useful and great value. Plus, in a strange way, I enjoyed putting them together - yeah, sad, right?

Even better, you can label them with exactly what's inside each drawer (yay, labels!) and they make little plastic inserts that divide the drawers into separate sections, if you want - so useful:

Another great way of maximising your space is by using the walls - I've already blogged about that wall-hanging pocket I made from One Yard Wonders, which is hanging right above my desk (it's a bit overflowing at the moment, but nevermind!). I'm a bit scared of power tools, so I got my gentleman to put some wall-shelves up for me, giving a home to his beast of an A3 printer as well as other computer-related bits, like paper and blank discs. And finally, there's a little pinboard for me to add inspiration pics and reminders for my sewing (like a list of the best needle sizes for different fabrics) and writing.

I've already been busy in my little cupboard, so expect some completed projects soon! x

Pretty Things 3: Get Your 18th Century Shoes!

2011-08-03T13:26:00.000+01:00

Well, I was excited when American Duchess released her silk 18th century shoes ... and now the pre-orders are open for the leather versions. Check these out:

Drool.

Sorry, excuse me ... *wipes mouth* ... Aren't they lovely? If you'd like a pair, they are now available to pre-order in your size and you can even get them custom dyed - fabulous!

Radio Silence, Laptop Woes

2011-08-03T12:07:00.000+01:00

Hello my friends!

You may have noticed, particularly if you've been reading since JoaT, that I've been quite quiet since around February/March kinda time. Well that's been partly because of all that uni work I kept going on about (I passed the course, by the way! I'm a teacher!), but also partly because my laptop died back at the end of February. Yeah, I wasn't impressed. Thankfully, my harddrive was OK, so I didn't lose my files (I don't know what I would have done if I had ...) and doubly-thankfully, my gentleman has been good enough to let me use his laptop. But, sharing a laptop isn't the same as having your own (for me, anyway - I'm a bit of a technophile) and I haven't been able to get the time to post as much as I'd like.

But I've been saving up and my new laptop (which was a bargain!) is due to arrive on Friday - huzzah!

I'm with Gertie - Taking the Bombshell Dress Class

2011-07-25T21:27:00.000+01:00

Although I've been pretty busy, I have been planning and getting rather excited about some sewing projects. Specifically, I've signed up for Gertie's Bombshell Dress Class on Craftsy.

I've got the fabric and I've been watching the videos in spare moments so I'm prepared to get going. I'm really enjoying the videos, which are very clear and helpful - I'm learning a lot about different ways of doing things (thread tracing looks like a brilliant idea for very fitted garments) and I love that I can ask questions and see what others have suggested or asked already. What an exciting learning possiblity to add to all the different ways of learning! I'm raring to go!

What about you, have you done any sewing courses/classes? Have you taken any online courses?

Cherished Collections Blog Tour - Vintage Jewellery

2011-07-21T16:42:00.000+01:00

This shell box was my Nan's. I remember when I was little, I would go to her house with my Mum and often one or two of my Aunts would be there. They'd sit in the kitchen drinking tea and talking grown-up talk, which, of course, I found terribly dull. So I'd go to Nan's room and play dress-up, which generally involved me putting on her jewellery and some heels. And by putting on her jewellery, I mean all of it. At once. Then I'd appear in the kitchen in all my regalia and Nanny would say "Ooh, here comes Lady Godiva!" or "Look at Fanny Adams here!" (She often called people Fanny Adams, though I only recently found out where that came from. Slightly macabre when you find out the origin!) This box was always on her dresser along with other trinket boxes and pots and perfume sprays and powder puffs and all those other obligatory old lady things. In it, I keep a few pieces of my most special jewellery, those things with the greatest sentimental value.

By no means do I have a massive collection of vintage costume jewellery, but because of those childhood memories and because I'm lucky enough to be left with a few items that were my Nan's, the pieces I do have include some that are very special to me. I'd like to share them with you as part of Casey's Cherished Collections 2011 Blog Tour. If you don't know anything about this fun venture: dozens of bloggers have been photographing and posting about their own collections, whatever they may be (and there are some amazing ones out there) and Casey has organised us into daily roundups. Check them out and be prepared to drool and squee!

Here is my little offering (not all of which fit in that box, of course - it's sadly not of Tardis proportions!) ...

I originally took lots of individual photos of the pieces, then took a couple of shots of them all jumbled together, but I decided the 'group shot' looked much better - it's like a jewellery party!

Some of these pieces used to be my Mum's and some were my Nan's (her Mum), others I got on Ebay or at charity shops (for a couple of quid here and there).

To the right you can see two small fake pearl necklaces - I love the clasps they used to put on jewellery, they're so pretty:

These were my Nan's and are probably from the 40s or 50s.

We always thought Nan's pearls were all fake, since our family is working class and was never exactly well-off (I remember whenever I moaned about not having this or that, my Mum would always tell me about how she and her brothers and sisters had to share a bed when she was a child, so I was bloody lucky. Fair point, Mum!). However, for my BA graduation, my Mum re-strung a particularly pretty set of pearls that used to be Nan's and discovered that they were, in fact, real! I should imagine they're cultured, but I don't care, they're lovely and I can remember these from my forays into Nan's jewellery boxes:

It was wonderful being able to wear these for my graduation, like Nan was there in some way.

They can be worn with the clasp at the back ...

... or at the front ...

(I look so pissed off, don't I?! Hahah! I don't mean to, I had just finished work and I was trying to get the photos while I still had some daylight and I was concentrating on getting the camera at the right angle into the mirror!)

My Mum's Dad used to buy her marcasite jewellery and I have a couple of pieces of that, my favourite of which is the matching snake brooch and necklace you can see in the jewellery party picture. My favourite bits are their green eyes:

My Nan and I shared the same initial, so another favourite for me is one of her brooches:

And it's got a bow - what's not to love? Despite missing a couple of rhinestones, this one looks great on a jacket lapel. The diamante necklace was also Nan's, though I worry about losing it, so I picked up another one at a charity shop that I can wear more often, though it's a bit more glitzy (it's at the bottom centre of the jewellery party pic).

Well, I think I've taken you through the key pieces - I don't want to bore you by going through each item, but I hope that's given you a taster of my little collection and I hope you enjoyed this one and the others on the tour. Do you have a collection, yourself? (Or maybe even a few!) I'd love to hear about your collections or jewellery-related memories - I think it's the stories that make objects special, not the carat of the diamond or the maker's mark.

Happy collecting!

Ikea Owns My Soul, or setting up a sewing room

2011-07-15T12:17:00.000+01:00

I love storage. I love organising. I was actually really happy that at work yesterday I got to arrange rings in a set of tiny drawers according to their size. Sad, but true!

So, I'm taking a very short coffee break from making a desk and drawers and storage boxes and re-sorting through the store-room-come-office-slash-sewing-room to get it perfectly set up and organised.

I had an Ikea trip on Wednesday night, so I'm armed with all the organisational bits and pieces I need for there to be a place for everything and everything in its place*. BLISS!

* I might have to make a cute little sampler of that phrase, actually ...

First Forays Into Knitting

2011-07-12T10:19:00.000+01:00

I was never very interested in knitting ... until I saw these gorgeous vintage patterns that Liz has posted over at Zilredloh. Even better, that lovely Liz has shared these knitting patterns with us lucky stitchers for free! In particular, the 'Aqua Waves' and 'Diamond' jumpers caught my eye, but I also love the two striped jumpers further down the page.

When I saw them, I knew I had to take up knitting so I could become good enough to make these pretties. It makes sense really, I do love a nice piece of knitwear (one of my nicknames is 'Cardi Clare' because I'm rarely seen without a cardigan - sad but true!) and I said a while back over at JoaT that I needed some stitching to do while sat relaxing on the sofa, away from the sewing machine, so knitting is just that!

After reading some book reviews, I got my hands on Purls of Wisdom by Jenny Lord (over on the right), which I'm loving and I've gone back to a scarf I started waaaaaaay back at the beginning of last year (sorry scarf!):

And it's now nearly finished! Those pink arrows mark where I was up to before I picked it up again two weeks ago. See how wobbly it is! Ooops. But, unlike my previous attempts at knitting, I've not made any mistakes in the knitting or dropped any stitches, and I think I've kept the tension quite even since I picked it back up.

I don't remember what yarn this is, but it was in a set I got in the January sales last year to make a 'lacy scarf', so the instructions, yarn and 8mm needles were included. So I'm planning to finish this off and then start on a chunky patterned snood (or cowl) from Ravelry in this fabulous aran:

Those colours!!!!

Pretty Things 2 - Kittens!

2011-07-11T15:19:00.000+01:00

Hello lovely readers! Well, my trip to my mum's ended up being a bit longer than I expected! I had a lovely week, first visiting her, then she came back to Nottingham with me for a couple of days. I was planning to do a blog post or two while I was with her, but I actually enjoyed having a bit of time away from the computer.

Plus, I was a bit distracted by KITTENS!

Mum lives with my sister and nephew and they recently got two kittens. They are too cute! I had planned to try to steal them, but Mum was watching me too carefully (damn!).

Here they are:

The black one is Gizmo and the black and white is Rizzo - they're both boys, but were named when they first thought Rizzo was a girl. Oops! Anyway, that's them asleep, but the camera woke them up:

But then I must have been too boring, because they yawned and went back to sleep:

Yes, the great thing about kittens is that they can make anything into a toy. Really. There are bits of my mum's potpourri all around they house where they've been batting it between the two of them. And if you put anything in Mum's seagrass waste paper basket, well, that clearly must be a toy for them, why else would you put it there?! That boor bin gets knocked over, climbed over, jumped in and bits of paper get pulled out and torn up. That white thing under the chair is a piece of kitchen roll that the kittens got out of the bin and attacked!

As well as playing with kittens, I did some knitting (more on that another day!), mooched around some shops with Mum and watched some films with the family. All in all, it's been a very relaxing week - aaah :)

Pretty Things 1

2011-07-04T09:30:00.013+01:00

Good morning all! I've been working on a couple of bits to share with you, but last week was a bit hectic, so none of them are quite ready. I'm also visiting my Mum this week (and I'm going to try to steal her kittens ... or at least take some photos of them to share with you!), so I might not be able to get them finished until the weekend.

I am working on the aprons, so I hope to have those ready around the end of next week - they're looking rather pretty, if I do say so myself!

But in the meantime, I've got some pretty things to show you ...

I recently started working part-time in a jewellery shop. Which is a dangerous occupation when you love jewellery as much as I do! I've been really loving Lola Rose lately and treated myself to a couple of bargains in the sale (half price - yay!). Anyway, I just wanted to share some of my favourite bits with you (I'm not trying to be a salesperson, just a jewellery fan - Lola Rose doesn't pay me, and I'm deliberately not mentioning the name of the shop where I work!).

If you've not heard of Lola Rose, they make really fun, fresh jewellery that's carved from semi-precious stone - it's not moulded from plastic or resin, this stuff is real jade, agate, quartzite, etc. And because it's stone, it's actually cold when you first put it on, which is strange, but a very Good Thing in this hot weather we're having at the moment.

Isn't this ring a pretty colour?

I'm also loving coral colours at the moment, as I've just discovered they suit me quite well (who'd've thought I'd be wearing what is effectively orange lipstick?! Not me!) and it's a great spring/summer shade. It's no surprise, then, that I'm a fan of the coral quartzite in the range at the moment:

I got a necklace that goes with that flower bracelet and this ring:

Which is great because it's elasticated, so it fits a wide range of people - huzzah! - and I can wear it on most of my fingers - double huzzah!!

Even cuter, apparently Lola Rose refer to their pretty velvet packaging as 'sleeping bags':

How fun! And practical: these semi-precious pieces need looking after as they can chip or even shatter if dropped onto a hard surface, so their 'sleeping bags' keep them safe and look pretty in my jewellery box!

I hope you've all had a great weekend (it's been sunny in the UK - wewt!) - I'll be bringing you more pretty things in the future, little visual treats of all kinds :)

Suits You: Colouring (a bit more Sewing with Singer)

2011-06-29T09:27:00.001+01:00

Sorry I've been a bit quiet - I had family visiting, so I've had a rather busy, but rather lovely weekend! I got to pop to a craft fair with my sister on Saturday and got this lovely necklace:

And it opens!

Isn't it pretty? It's made by Owl Loves Panda, who also has lots of other pretty costume jewellery bits - check them out. (I was tempted by the colourful cameo necklaces, too!)

I'm not generally into gold-toned jewellery, I'm more into silver, but this was too cute to pass up. I think part of the reason I avoid gold is because I don't think it suits me - wearing it, I become all a bit too yellow.

Which brings me to the Singer Sewing Book's colour charts from last week. You had some great responses in the comments - quite a few of us are, perhaps understandably, a bit cynical about such things. Do they ever really work? Are they too generic? Let's see ...

Here is my colouring:

I'm not wearing make-up, so you can see my skin tone without powder or blusher and to get as accurate a picture as possible of my eye-colour. My eyes are a bit of a weird colour and that doesn't show too well in photos - I think of them as being a similar colour to olives or olive oil.

When I worked in an art shop and had to straighten up all the tubes of artist's watercolours, I thought Windsor and Newton's green-gold was a close match:

Though there it looks rather more yellow than in the tube.

What I mean to say is that my eyes are hazel, not quite green, not quite brown. But "hazel eyes" can mean a hundred, even a thousand, different things, and even in the same person - when I'm unwell, they look more greenish, in the light of the setting sun they look more golden, when I wear purple shades of eyeshadow, they look more green. My boyfriend's eyes are hazel, too, but his are lighter, more green and even have flashes of light blue.

My skin's probably a bit more yellow-ish than it looks in the photo and my hair is a very, very dark brown, nearly black at the roots.

So, what colours does Mary Brooks Picken say I should wear? And is she right?!

Well, the first things she says that definitely applies to me is:

An olive complexion may lose all its blush tones and appear only sallow when it is matched with a dress of drab or mustard brown colour.

I don't wear yellow. Of any shade. Not next to my face, anyway (I have a yellow bag). MBP is absolutely right here - if I were to wear a mustard-y colour, I would just look yellow (or like I'm from The Simpsons, as I always say!). One point to Gryffindor ... I mean, MBP!

As for the colour-fans themselves, I (black-brown hair, hazel eyes, light olive skin) probably fall into the "Dark Brunette Type":

In the description, she says that "sallow skin brunettes" (me!) "should avoid yellowish greens or orange." Well, she's half right. Yellow-toned greens are a no-go for me (which I learnt when trying on a pretty knitted cardigan as a teenager - that was a nasty surprise!), but certain shades of orange (burnt orange, for instance) are fine. Only half a point to MBP, this time.

I think "high colouring" means reddish cheeks or skin prone to blushing - is that right? In which case, that might be a lucky thing for you as she claims it means you can wear almost any colour, though I would have imagined that green, being the complementary colour to red, would make that redness stand out all the more. I can't grade MBP on this one, though, as I don't have that colouring and can't say whether it's true or not - do you know?

As for the colours on the fan: the reds, purples, blues, greens and greys do tend to suit me, though she's missed out a coral-pink and darker, more graphite greys and turquoise and teals, which are colours that suit me very well (apparently). But, in all, I'd say MBP's doing pretty well again, here.

In fact, I'd say MBP has done pretty well with colour advice for me overall - I'm pleasantly surprised! Often colour charts suggest that I should wear 'warm' colours, but I don't generally like them (in particular, I hate brown, unless its leather). I think one of the benefits of her fans is that there are cooler and warmer colours suggested for every type, which allows you to choose colours that you like from within those that suit you.

What about your colouring? I'd love to hear whether or not the fan for your colour "type" works for you - let me know in the comments!

The Aftermath of Organising - Pattern Giveaway!

2011-06-24T09:03:00.002+01:00

Remember my excessive organising of patterns? Well, while sorting through a load of vintage patterns I picked up at a closing down sale, I found two that, for various reasons, I probably won't use. I was wondering what to do with them and thought, why not offer them up to my lovely readers?

One of the patterns is a 1982 set including a really simple skirt, summery blouse, trousers and quilted jacket.

I love how wearing the matching top and trousers makes it look like a playsuit or the top and skirt makes it look like a dress. So versatile!

This pattern is multi-sized for 10, 12, 14 and 16 (the size 10 is bust 83cm, waist 64cm, hip 88cm, the size 16 is bust 97cm, waist 76cm, hip 102cm)

I actually got another pattern at this closing down sale that is almost identical, so I obviously don't need them both.

The second pattern was actually tucked into another pattern envelope (I had lots of weird things like that at this sale - it was quite exciting going through all the envelopes!).

There isn't a date on this one, but it looks quite late 70s in style to me. You might have noticed that the writing on the envelope isn't English ... This pattern is actually German (from Frankfurt to be prescise!), but I don't think that would be a problem for an experienced stitcher.

The language isn't what put me off, though ... However much I like this style of dress, that kind of waistline just doesn't suit me, which is a shame because it's a really cute pattern!

If you'd like either (or both!) of these patterns, just leave a comment on this post saying which you'd like before 11pm (UK time) on Friday 1st July and I'll draw a name at random for each pattern. Of course, I understand the Neue Mode pattern in particular is a bit specialist, so if no one's interested, I'll take them to a charity shop, so don't worry, someone will pick these up!

If you do enter, good luck!

Fabrics for Aprons

2011-06-23T15:33:00.001+01:00

If you've come over here from Jane of All Trades, you might remember me mentioning something about a petal apron giveaway. Well here's something to whet your apetite while I'm working on them:

And if you didn't see it on Jane of All Trades, here's what these fabrics will be made up into:

I'll be making a few full aprons and a few half aprons, so the lucky winners will have a choice. The making is taking a little longer than I'd planned as I've made some changes to the pattern, so I hope this will keep you satisfied in the meantime ;)

Getting Organised for Stitching

2011-06-23T12:03:00.001+01:00

A while back I read a guest post by Casey of Elegant Musings over at Tilly and the Buttons about Planning Your Sewing. Now I'm a bit of a sucker for organising (I used to do it for a job), so how I went for so long without bringing that love of organising to my sewing, I have no idea, but somehow it happened!

I love Casey's ideas for planning your makes ahead of time, prioritising them and ensuring they work together (so necessarily for a cohesive wardrobe, which I utterly don't have!). And, don't tell anyone, but I'm the kind of sad person who quite likes spreadsheets. The shame!

A couple of months ago I actually went through my stash and measured every piece of fabric and wrote it down, so seeing Casey's post inspired me to get my sewing-geek on and take it that one step further (a step too far, perhaps?!):

Yep, that would be a spreadsheet showing all my fabric. Colour-coded and sorted by yardage. I told you it was a step too far!

There are headings for:

a description
the composition - I try to note this when I first buy it as sometimes I forget.
size of piece - from a scrap to metres and metres!
the project concept or pattern I have planned for it (if any!) - I might have a vague concept that I want to make a wiggle dress and, if I'm really lucky, I might even have a pattern picked out!
further info - for instance, one of the fabrics shrinks loads when pressed - eek! - so I'll be sure to pre-wash that!
colour type - this is just one word for the dominant colour for very geeky reasons ... It means I can sort the spreadsheet/database by colour, so I can see what fabrics I have that go together or fit a particular colour scheme. Yeah, you can mock me now if you'd like. *Hangs head in geeky shame.*
colour description - a more detailed description of the exact shade of colour and the colours and patterns going on.
plain colour? This is to flag up those plain fabrics - this has shown me I have far too many prints and patterns! I must get some flat colours.

But let me defend myself!

You see, what I've done is make a spreadsheet like Casey's for projects with separate workbooks for fabric and patterns to help me marry up patterns with fabrics I already have. The fabrics are colour-coded by yardage (blue for 2.1. to 3m, for example) and then the patterns have the same colour-coding:

Seeee? So if there's a pattern I'm eyeing up and it's coded blue it requires between 2 and 3 metres, I know to look at blue-coded fabrics to find something with enough yardage to work with it.

I think there is probably an easier way of recording all these patterns - I had to do an entry for each view because of the different yardage requirements - but this seems to work. The headings for patterns are:

Description & View - a brief description of the pattern and this particular view. I haven't put pictures in the spreadsheet, so this is to remind myself of which pattern I'm talking about.
Item - what kind of item it is. Again, this is a bit of organisational geekery so I can group all my dresses or skirt suits together.
Manufacturer - self-explanatory.
Number & View - ditto that!
Vintage? Whether or not it's vintage or a repro pattern or simply a modern one. I'm not sure why I put this in, really, just out of interest, I suppose! Plus it probably helps me to remember which pattern I'm talking about.
Size and Recommended fabrics - self-explanatory.
Fabric 115cm, Fabric 150cm - the metre-age required for each of these fabric widths. This is what I've sorted the spreadsheet by.
Notions - notions, interfacing, lining, interlining, etc.
Requires re-sizing? Notes on fitting.
Fabric assigned (if any) - self-explanatory.
Love rating (out of 5) - simply how much I bloody love the pattern, with 5 being adoration at first sight. The spreadsheet is sorted by this as a secondary sorting category.

So, while that's all rather boring, it's proving all rather useful, too. I'm already thinking about what I can do with that 2m of taffeta that's been hanging around for ages with me wondering what to make from it ... hmmm ... decisions, decisions!

What about you, are you organised in your sewing? If so, how do you do that?

Sewing with Singer, 1954 - Part 1

2011-06-20T21:32:00.000+01:00

I have something rather lovely to share with you today:

Please excuse the dust!

This is a copy of The Singer Sewing Book by Mary Brooks Picken (MBP) from 1954, which was given to me by a very kind friend who found it on one of her second-hand shop excursions and thought I would like it. Like it? I love it! It appeals to the bibliophile in me, as well as the stitcher and the vintage-lover. It has old book smell, pretty pictures and interesting techniques. What's not to love?

And it’s all written in that quaint 50s style – I absolutely adore the dedication at the beginning:

This book is dedicated to women and girls -- and especially to teachers of sewing everywhere -- who enjoy the feel of fabric, the beauty of textures, the precision of stitches, the smoothness of seams, and who delight always in appropriate fabrics carefully cut and made up for a happy purpose.

So it doesn't exactly appeal to the feminist in me, but it gives a really fascinating window into that time and there is something sweet about the style of writing: appropriate fabrics carefully cut and made up for a happy purpose. Isn't that what we all aim for when sewing?

Even better, this book is actually quite useful. I use it as an additional reference as sometimes explanations in other books don’t make sense to me or they miss out a topic completely. It's also handy when using vintage patterns - sometimes they use old-fashioned terms that I don't understand, and this helps me to work out what on earth they're on about!

I'm planning to share parts of this delightful book with you over the coming weeks (or months, even!), but today I want to show you one of my favourite sections: Colour and Clothes.

Dotted throughout the book there are colour pages with all sorts of delights and horrors and this page caught my eye right away.

It tells us that

A chief delight in making one's own clothes is being able to find a delectable colour or print -- and irresistible one -- and using it to make a "dream dress" so becoming that every wearing brings genuine happiness.

I'm not so sure about the "genuine happiness", but wearing a becoming dress in a delectable fabric certainly does put a spring in my step and a smile on my face.

As you might have guessed by now, this section of the book discusses what colours do and don't suit different complexions. It gives some "basic rules" to help us choose colours that will be becoming and instructs us to consider the following:

Is the colour suitable for your individual characteristics? Your natural skin tone? Your eyes? Your hair colour? Your figure proportions? Your personality? Your age? Position in business, community, society?
Is it suitable for your purposes? The occasions for which you will wear it? The season? Your mode of transportation? The type of community in which you live?
Is it practical?

There are some obvious points there, unsurprising things to consider - skin tone, eyes, hair, etc. There are also some that seem rather strange to me, like considering whether something suits your position in the community or society. That's just not something that would cross my mind, but then there was a much greater sense of community then and, dare I say, stricter rules within society about what was and was not appropriate for this person or that.

I do like that they suggest considering your personality as well as the visual elements of you. There are clothes, colours and prints that, while lovely and becoming, just do not make me comfortable. I sometimes find myself saying "it's nice, but it's just not me" and I think that's that element of personality coming in. No matter how great a colour works with your skin tone and hair colour, if it doesn't suit your personality and make that glow, it just won't suit you. That's how I feel, anyway, and I think that's what MBP means by considering whether or not something matches your personality.

And as for those visual elements of you, MBP suggests

holding up colour samples against your face to be sure that skin and eyes and hair come alive in connexion with the colour.

I did chuckle when I read the tip to hold up colours at home without make-up as "then when the right make-up is used, you can be even prettier in your carefully chosen colour."

Now, then, those colours - here are the colour fans she suggests for the various "types" as she calls them (though I suspect the colours have changed over time):

Light and True Blonde Types

Blondes have hair ranging from almost white or "ash" to golden blonde. Their eyes may be light blue or clear blue, grey, green, hazel, or brown. Complexion varies from very fair to peach or golden tones. Colours for these types should be clear and fresh looking. When natural colouring is delicate, never overpower it with too vivid a colour. Pastels are usually more flattering.

Medium Blondes or Hazel Types

Medium blondes range between blonde and brown including those with an auburn tinge, eyes are usually light blue, blue-grey, hazel or brown; complexion fair or medium. Notice that the colours selected are less vivid than for true blondes. This is because very bright colours detract from the more neutral colour of the hair, eyes, and skin commonly found with these types.

Grey-Haired Types

Grey -haired types may have skin and eye colouring of any of the other groups and may vary their choce of colours accordingly. The selection should be suited to the age, surroundings, and activities of the individual. Sometimes when the natural pigmentation leaves the skin and hair, the skin takes on a clear cameo quality. Soft and subtle colours and white bring out this clear beauty very effectively.

Red or Auburn Types

Redheads range fom light golden red to dark auburn, with blue, grey, hazel, or dark brown eyes. Their skin tones may be similar to those of any of the other groups from blonde to brunette. If you are blessed with such distinctive colouring,make the most of it. Never tone it down. The reds, the pinks, teh deep purples are not for you but there is a wide range of attractive browns, greens, and blues.

Medium Brunette Types

Medium brunettes are those with chestnut or medium to dark brown hair, and blue, grey, grey-green, hazel, brown or black eyes. Complexion may vary from fair to near ollive. People in this group often make the mistake of wearing dull, indeterminate colours when a positive shade would be much more becoming. The colours shown here can all be used to advantage by this group.

Dark Brunette Types

This group includes those with dark brown or black hair, eyes of blue, grey, grey-green, hazel, brown, or black, and skin ranging from very fair to olive. Those who had black hair before it turned to grey will also find good colours in this range if their natural colouring is well defined. Even primary colours may be very effective. Sallow skin brunettes should avoid yellowish greens or orange.

But if there's a colour you love that doesn't suit you, don't worry, all is not lost! MBP suggests that you can still use it as an accent or for accessories, especially if not worn next to the face. Phew!

As for flattering the figure, she suggests black, dark colours or greyish colours for making your seem smaller or slimmer than brighter tones. I'm not sure if I agree with her rule to remember, though: "When in doubt about colour, always choose black". Black can be hugely unflattering to some people and I think softer colours like dark blues (such as navy), greys or browns can be a much better choice if black overpowers you. More importantly - black can be just plain dull and some people fall into the trap of only ever wearing black. Colour is fun and fab! But that's my take, and I am a bit of a magpie for bright colours!

One piece of advice MBP gives that I really have to agree with and should probably learn from is to

Remember always the value in the wardrobe of good basic dresses in dark colour that can be made to suit occasions by the use of the right accessories and to give colour pleasure through subtle accent.

The downside of my colour-attraction is that I have plenty of clothes in bright colours and prints, but very little in solid or more neutral hues. I should really sort that out!

My new sewing resolution: to make at least one plain skirt and at least one plain dress by the end of the year!

Anyway, that's it with the nuggets of wisdom from MBP on colour, but if you're loving this book, let me know and I'll be back with my girl Mary BP and more 50s sewing fun!

Welcome!

2011-06-17T00:28:00.000+01:00

Hello there and welcome to my new blog! This is the new home of all my stitchery projects, while my old blog, Jane of All Trades, will remain home to my writing on books and, er, writing.

I have lots planned for this place, including: an apron giveaway; straightforward calculations for half circle skirts; sewing with vintage patterns; a vintage pattern giveaway; 50s sewing with Singer; learning to knit; drafting a men's waistcoat from scratch; some words on 18th century fashion; playsuit love; experiments with piping; WIPs and probably some UFOs, too!

So, I hope you'll enjoy reading my scribbles and joining in with comments while I settle in to this new home. I'm looking forward to it.