Sale at Saints and Pinners

Jo and Fran are offering a 20% discount on any sale over £10 at Saints and Pinners at the moment.

So for this month's selection I thought I would look at some of my favourite summery choices.  Starting with this Cloud 9 Fabric Flock Quilt Kit.

Easy to assemble, the kit provides all the  fabrics ready cut to make the quilt top and the backing fabric can be found here.   There are not many of these left.

There is yardage of many of these Cloud 9 prints too if you'd rather come up with your own designs.  Cloud 9 are organic cottons, high thread count and lovely quality- 'Shell' can be found here .

Anna Maria Horner Little Folks Voiles are such great prints and there are a good range of solid colours, I especially like the pink.  These  fabrics work well cut into simple shapes like large squares for easy but sumptuous quilts.  

Even easier is to use a longer length and make a lightweight receiving blanket, which would make a perfect summer baby gift, details here.

I love the colour of these Annette Tatum prints, very summery and I think they would make lovely pillow cases, quilt backs or even duvet cases.

Spoilt for choice!  The discount is added automatically at the check out stage and at only £2.50 for UK delivery, you are definitely getting a bargain!

Feeling Playful

Thinking about Christmas yet?  No, me either, I am still hoping we have a summer, but published in December just in time for Christmas is this... Playful Little Paper-Pieced Projects

Complied by Tacha Breucher, for me this feels like a book of friends!  Inside there are 12 blocks for a Calendar project, and a tonne of all year round projects all featuring paper- piecing.  There are blocks/projects by Penny, Leila, Lynne, Tacha, Tamiko, Ayumi, Amy Friend, Brioni, Joanna, Julianna, Kylie, Angela, Charise, Chase, Sonja, Amy Lobsieger and more

 You can see two of my blocks below- middle picture bottom left (covered by the small child) and bottom right of the same pic, the 'gift' box, a December project is mine too!

 The preview can be found in the C&T publishing preview catalogues, I can't wait to see a copy for real!

Time for Tea

I remember last year, shortly after making a tea cozy for Fat Quarterly hearing a story on the radio about teapot usage being in decline.  Do bear in mind it was early in 2012 and there appeared to be no other news.  That's not to say these things aren't important.  I start each day with a teapot (filter built in),  a cozy and loose Earl Grey tea.  Now Penny is more likely to have a coffee first thing but I know she is partial to tea as well so I made her a tea cozy for her birthday a few weeks back.

The centre was made up of english paper pieced diamonds which I had sewn for the first Sewing Directory Exeter Meet up, (there is a second in September).

Aurifil had kindly sent me some 28wt thread which was perfect for hand quilting.  I used the template from my Fat Quarterly cozy and added the 60 degree triangle with Y seams on the machine.

I love the colours, rich and vibrant with a little lightness mixed in too.

And I included my favroutie tea, Waitrose Loose Leaf Earl Grey.  I have tried a lot of Earl Grey teas and this is my very favourite.  The spoon is an old fruit sugar spoon, much tarnished which belonged to my Grandma, much loved.

The irony of that news story is another similar one only a month before showing the rise in teapot sales following a rather beautiful example which featured on Sherlock. My day is based around my tea consumption, definitely my favourite drink, followed by a really good bitter, though probably not for breakfast.

Datura Blouse

Another Deer and Doe pattern and another success.  Datura is a simple looking sleeveless blouse but it is curiously deceptive.   It is described as Advanced and now I can see why.  The construction is very clever- especially the shoulder straps and the bodice lining and as with all Deer and Doe patterns, instructions are brief.  They also don't provide any measurements of finished garments although they do details the size the model wears on the website which is some help.

The top bodice is double layered to hide all seams and encase the collar.  The Datura uses more fabric than you would think but each section is small so it is ideal for add lengths that co-ordinate together.  I had some Oakshott Elements left from a baby quilt project that I did for the book (can't wait for when we can show you some pics!)  This shade is called Spirit- Castor.  It is a beautifully lightweight fabric and has great stability so it paired well with the voile lining- an Amy Butler print.  Oakshott cottons are rarely mentioned for clothing but it lends itself beautifully to shirts and tops.  The check fabric- guessing a viscose mix, is a remnant from Abakhan.   If you ever have the chance to visit an Abakhan's store allow a lot of time and a very large bag.  Their remnant lengths are amazing- I always find treasure and  bargains.

This was fitting part way through.  The top is inside out so I can adjust the darts as they were too low.   This is the stage where I have to grit my teeth and get the fit right. The shoulders are fine but the sides needed to go down a size and the bust was baggy.  After alterations, I ended up with:

• Sz 36 (UK size 8) on the top bodice
• Sz34 (UK size 6) on the sides and length
• Upward curve on the front created using the front pattern piece lower curve but the other way round!
• Bust darts halved in width and moved upwards- (you can see the orginal position left and the higher position right.  In the finished top this could've done with being a touch higher but I can live with it!

The sizing comes up pretty big on this top- I am never a size 6 on the sides in anything else, so worth bearing in mind if you make a Datura of your own.

The full length was a bit tunic tent on me- in a thinner fabric it could've been tucked in but I went for an upwardly curved hem to wear with high waisted skirts- I have a lot of these.

The back has buttons but no buttonholes, nice detail as I really do not like making buttonholes.

 I was a bit reluctant to show my face today, its been a long day and it was cool in the garden this evening but, here you go...The skirt is a local dress agency find, a Laura Ashley skirt from a time a few years ago when they revisited their archives and remade some of their old 70s styles.  It is a favourite, floaty and comfortable to wear.

 One of the biggest pleasures for me in dress making is making the inside just as pretty as the outside.  I have sensitive skin, the slightest tickle brings a rash so having voile as the bodice lining is such a pleasure.  The hem is finished with binding added like a facing.  This was tricky with the voile and if the front panel was voile too I would have done a narrow double hem instead but it is a good finish on this heavier fabric and hangs nicely.

It is a pattern I will definitely make again especially now I have the fitting sorted.  I might add a cap sleeve next time and see how that goes.  But in the meantime Lottie is waiting for her walk- catch you soon xxx

Ringo Pie Butterfly

I am almost caught up with my due Ringo Pie blocks.  Marit asked for 'butterflies' to go with her summer blocks from the first round.  I found a beautiful adaptation of a vintage quilt block on Martha's Q is for Quilting blog which I have been following for a while.  You can read her post on it here and the pattern is in her sidebar downloads.  It is a challenging pattern and relatively small so it can be printed out on standard paper.   

 I combined foundation piecing for the fan/wings with hand piecing for curves and short Y seams and the rest was machined.  I used a mix of thin paper for foundation and freezer paper for the other pieces. I draw round the hand and machine pieced sections with a Sewline pencil which has a ceramic lead and is much smoother than a standard pencil so doesn't pull or tug the fabric.  This is my go to mark maker for quilting and clothes.

The background fabric is Sevenberry.  I have used their dotty fabric before and they are a lovely fine cotton and cut and handle very nicely.  The butterfly fabrics are a mix of vintage (many from Chase) and a little modern- Kei and Lakehouse flower text. 

I have sent off for Amities newest Block of the Month club, 'Bring Me Flowers'- you can see inspiration on these blocks here, here and here.  I plan to use a mix of hand and machine piecing and am really looking forward to a year long project.  Only one more block to go in Ringo Pie...I am drawing it out right now.

End of Me-Made-May 13

I have absolutely loved Me-Made-May-13 and I am so grateful to Zoe for organising this initiative.  I have found it encouraging and inspiring to see so many others make their own clothes- a huge range of locations too!  It gave me a sense of direction making my own clothes and althought the UK weather was rather chilly for much of May, I wore things that have been hiding neglected in my wardrobe and discovered again once more.  The self photography is challenging and everyone's least favourite aspect but I did give my daughter a chance to sharpen her photography skills whether she liked it or not.  

This outfit is a couple of favourites, old and new.

The skirt is Simplicity 2215, one of my favourite patterns ever, read more about it here.  The top is from Meg McElwee's Craftsy Sewing with Knits class and although a recent make, I wear this a lot.  

It was colder mid week so I wore a warmer corduroy skirt, Simplicity Amazing Fit 1717 with last years voile Tova- rather depressingly boots and socks had to come out for this day.  You might notice that Lottie doesn't like to miss a photo op.

On Thursday, sun shone so a return wear for vintage Simplicity 6789 wrap skirt.  This is skirt has had lots of wear already and it is only a few weeks old.  Although it is a vintage pattern, this one comes up a lot on Etsy and ebay.  The blouse is last years' 'Library' blouse (Christine Haynes pattern class on Craftsy).  I like the detail on this but it has always been big in the bust so I refitted the dart and made it a lot longer and also removed the bow.  The neck line is a 60s shape and is cute but not the most flattering cut for me.  The tucks are my favourite part of this top.  The bag is Me-Made too.

I finished Me-Made-May-13 with a new dress. 

This dress came about with a little detective work.   I found a homemade dress at a car boot sale last summer that was the perfect fit.  After hours, days, weeks  a little browse on Etsy, I found the pattern, Simplicity 6329 that matched the dress and in my size.  View1.  It is an economical pattern, omitting the ties meant I could fit it into 2 metres of fabric with a little to spare.  I knew a black floral worked so I chose a Shelburne Falls floral print bought from here.  I had some thrifted vintage cotton bias binding.  I find early 70s styles work well for me- fitted at the bust and flowing over the hips works well on my body shape.  I cut an inch longer than the original.

So far so good.  Fitted around the bust well, only a little extra fullness which is acceptable for me- if I fit too closely it can look a bit skinny.  I added a little button detail to highlight the bodice detail which is harder to see in darker fabric.  I took the sides in 1/2" each side.  

I took my time on the zip and consulted my sewing bible and followed every tedious stage of 'centred zip'.  It took a while but it did work.

You can see the 3 sewing stages here- hand basting, machine basting and then top sewing.  It was a pain to do but it is the best centred zip I have ever done and as this is a long and visible area all down the centre back, I wanted to nail it.  I did notice something else in this picture that I have learnt during May: I am round shouldered so my shoulders come forwards a little. I am stretching my back and shoulders a little more and trying to correct my posture (when I can be bothered).  It is something to consider for future pattern fitting.

All fine, fitted nicely- then I did the armholes, trimming and binding and found the sides were way to big and that I hadn't looked very objectively at the fitting stage.  So I pinned and took it in more graduating to the hip as you can see in the line of pins below (Me-Made PJ pants are in the pic too!).

I did end up with a perfect fit eventually.  A couple of lessons learnt.  If I had traced the pattern I could then have trimmed my pattern for next time- I will make this again.  As I used the master piece I took notes of all the changes in a book that I keep for this very purpose.  If you regularly  make clothes I would wholeheartedly recommend this- so helpful!

I fulfilled my original promise and wore Me-Made garments at least 3 days a week, often more.  I made more than my suggested 3 garments and there is more in the pipeline.  I chucked out old clothes that I no longer need to make space for new makes.  I put a lot more effort into my choices so my old faithful- a long denim skirt hardly got worn at all. My percentage of homemade clothing is a lot higher and now I feel more confident with sewing knits, I know that I will be making a lot of long sleeved and short sleeved Tee tops- these are the bedrock of my usual wardrobe.  I am planning another Bleuet dress- this time in Melody Miller 'Vinyl' floaty linen to wear at Fat Quarterly retreat and my original Bleuet is my top make for this month- I love it.  More PJ pants are needed to show construction details for teaching at Retreat.  And then I have a couple of quilts that need to be done so busy busy- I like being busy.

My other Me-Made posts can be found here:

Me-Made 1

Me-Made 2

Me-Made 3

Me-Made 4

The Flcikr group is full of inspiration if you need ideas for patterns and makes.

May finds at Eternal Maker

The clever ladies at Eternal Maker recently posted a great little tutorial and patterns for making an ever useful baby bib bandana.  Its perfect for a quick baby gift and a useful make for left over but of soft pretty fabrics.

This lead me to the huge range of soft pretty fabrics at Eternal Maker and these are my picks for May.  Little Letters in Peach from Nani Iro (by Naomi Ito) is heaven, two layers which are fixed together so you just treat is as one. It has great drape and is both warm and cool to wear if that makes sense!  The big advantage is the feel of a floaty fabric but you can safely make a dress without thinking everyone can see your knickers.  Karen of Did you Make That? has a great post on dress making with gauze, am inspiring and funny read.

Peaceful Cooing (another Nani Iro), this is the double gauze woven version of the beautiful print I used for my scoop tee- fantastically summery (summer will come eventually, I'm sure).

And this Nani Iro double gauze Waltz print is spectacular,

I know not everyone likes a floral, this navy Poncho print is a version of a polka dot.  This fabric comes with a border which is nice to include in the design whether it is clothing or quilts.

You can see it with the border at the Nani Iro website (this is one of their pics).  There are lots of free patterns on the website too.

If you are looking for babies/children for quilts and clothes, there are lots of cute prints like this Kokka boat fabric.  You can see the tiny dimples where the layers are held together on this pic too.

Eternal Maker also sell the terry towelling mentioned in the tutorial which makes a great bib backing as well as being suitable for burp cloths.  It has a short pile so reducing bulk whilst retaining absorbency and is extra wide making it good value too. The clear fasteners are available too.

Draped in your double gauze, in the words of Larry, "Float, float on..."