Still hanging on to summer ....

The weather has turned blustery, the days are getting shorter. The blogosphere is buzzing with plans for fall sewing. And what am I doing? I am looking at my large pile of summer fabrics.


Did I really buy all this fabric?


Where is that sassy sundress I was going to make? What happened to the cute shorts? Why haven't I made those luxurious loose linen pants I decided on? How come I never made ..... oh, never mind. So many patterns, so much fabric, too little time!

As I am not quite ready to plunge straight into winter wools I am working on what I am calling a transitional piece. Here's a sneak peak


Eugenia goes vintage!

I am feeling pretty excited about this one. The pattern is dated 1952, the buttons are also vintage and the fabric is a Liberty of London pure silk (purchased in the sale but still at great expense!)

Although it could very obviously be worn as a 'summer frock' (and I am still hoping for an Indian summer), I think that the subdued colours will allow me to wear it as a fall outfit paired with my black boots and a little cardi.

What about you? Did you actually get to make all the wonderful garments you planned for the summer? Are you sitting there feeling, dare I say it, rather smug as you move on to the new season. Or, like me, are you sadly staring at a huge pile of unsewn fabrics and wistfully thinking of all the clothes you should now have hanging in your wardrobe? I’d love to know …..

Fabric Fandango and pattern stash sums

Some weeks ago I put myself on a severely restricted fabric diet. Absolutely no more fabric purchases until I have substantially reduced the extensive yardage in my stash. I was doing well, really I was …… until last Saturday afternoon. But it wasn't my fault, they made me do it. Yes, you know who you are!

On Saturday I was part of the large crowd of enthusiastic and very wonderful sewing people who descended upon London's Goldhawk Road for a gentle afternoon of restrained fabric buying. No, let me be honest, it was a wild, abandoned fabric-fest. At such a thrilling event to have purchased nothing would have been completely impossible. That is my story and I am sticking to it.

This Fabric Fandango was organised by the very lovely and talented Karen, from Did You Make That (do visit her blog for the full story, pictures and a list of the participants). Three cheers for Karen - we all had a fabulous and fun time. There were about forty of us - I was thrilled to meet so many other wonderful sewists!

So, a glimpse of my purchases.


All cottons, all bright and beautiful - I was clearly in tropical vacation mode. All I need to do now is to plan a vacation and to sew them into something nice! In the meantime, they do look lovely sitting amongst the very large pile of fabrics that I own.

Perhaps at this point I should also mention my pattern stash which has now also become seriously overstocked. I am considering doing the following calculation. Total number of patterns I own but have not yet sewn divided by the number of garments that I usually sew per year. The total would be the number of years it will take to actually use all of the patterns that I have purchased (assuming, of course, that during that time I don't buy any more patterns and I don't sew a pattern twice - pretty unlikely, eh?)

I daren't do that calculation because a quick look at my pattern collection tells me that I'm going to have to be sewing for an awful long time. Have you ever done this calculation when looking at your own pattern collection? Were you happy with the answer, or did it alarm you?

Before I go, a big hello to everyone who aided and abetted my fabric purchases on Saturday. I loved spending time with you and I'm looking forward to the next time! Thanks Karen, you're a star xxx.

Poly-lycra: are you pro-poly or poly-phobic?

Hurrah, tomorrow we are off on our annual vacation to Miami!

No, I’m not there yet, the above photo was taken in Miami last year. I am wearing my maxi dress, made from Simplicity 3503 (blogged about here). This dress, which is one of my very favourite summer dresses, was made from a polyester lycra, purchased from Gorgeous Fabrics.

Once upon a time, before I started sewing my own clothes, I was, yes I admit it, a bit of a polyester snob. I couldn’t shake off the memory of some very unwise and unsatisfactory purchases of RTW garments made from cheap polyester in my younger years. However, since I have been sewing I have discovered that there are actually some very nice quality polyester lycra fabrics available.

While preparing for my Miami vacation I came to the conclusion that poly-lycra is the packer’s friend. It’s easy to care for and comes out of the suitcase ready to go! And it can be found in colourful and exotic prints that perfectly convey the ‘tropical holiday’ vibe that a sun-starved Londoner, like me, is always trying to capture. With that in mind I have, over the last couple of weeks, been speedily sewing up a few poly-lycra dresses. When I made the dress pictured above I found the fabric a bit tricky to work with but now, after just a little practice, I find that polyester lycra is pretty trouble-free to sew.

There has been no time for a photo-shoot before I go (even if I had been inclined to step, scantily dressed, outside into the cold weather we are currently experiencing). But I shall give you an enticing glimpse of just one of the lovely fabrics I have used

It’s another one from Gorgeous Fabrics and it’s called ‘Palm Off on Me’. Don’t you just love the name and doesn’t that print say “Vacation + Beach + Good Times”? Pass the mojitos!

However, what do you think? Is a partiality for polyester lycra a fashion faux pas? Or do you feel you can happily sew fabulous fashion with this friendly fabric? I’d love to hear your views.

Burda Style magazine - the turtleneck top

Thanks to everyone for your very nice comments about my shiny black satin and lace ‘glamorous’ dress featured in my last post. However, I clearly cannot spend all my time drinking champagne at Claridges whilst wearing fancy outfits. No, I’m afraid that my everyday life requires something a little more basic. Cue the turtleneck top, pattern 121, from the September issue of Burda Style magazine.

This top turns out to be a nice cosy garment to wear with jeans, it keeps the winter wind from chilling my neck and, with a little bit of styling, it’s not totally boring. I particularly love the overlong sleeves. I used a rayon knit that is very soft and drapey but not too fine. And making this top gave me the opportunity to use my cover stitch machine for the hems (I am thrilled to bits with my new toy).

I think quite a lot of people have already made this pattern and I have no doubt that many more will be making it throughout the winter. It is shockingly easy to make. Here’s the technical drawing

It’s just a front, back and sleeves and there are so few instructions needed that even Burda have managed to make them not too inscrutable! I did depart a little from their instructions in that instead of adding 5/8” seam allowances I added only ¼” because I think that smaller seam allowances work much better when using a serger to construct a garment. Also, I attached the sleeves in the flat – i.e. before sewing the side seams. I decided this would be much easier than having to set them in afterwards.

Before I go, I must mention my trip to Yorkshire the week before last. If you ever get a chance to go to Yorkshire, jump at it. It is very lovely and I had a wonderful time. While I was there I bought some fabric in Leeds market

Firstly an African print cotton – it might seem a little bit odd to go to Yorkshire and buy African cotton but the lady who ran this stall had so many lovely prints that I just couldn’t resist. Next a remnant of purple knit fabric – there’s about a yard and it only cost £2.50. Lastly some very nice 100% English wool which is a sort of denim shade of blue with tiny black squares – I think this will make a very nice skirt.

I also visited Duttons for Buttons, in Harrogate. They claim to be the largest stockist of buttons in the UK and I believe them, it was a real treasure trove. I could have spent hours in there but I contented myself with about twenty minutes and just a couple of purchases. So, I bought some fabric I don’t need and some buttons that I don’t know what I’m going to do with. But I’m very happy with all my purchases and isn’t that what we sewists do when on vacation?

Have a great weekend everyone ….

The coat chronicles continued .....

A big thank you to everyone who commented on my dithering over the Lady Grey coat pattern in my last post. Your extremely astute opinions helped me clarify what I really felt about my dilemma. The overwhelming consensus was, at the very least, proceed with caution! Some said don’t do it at all. Whilst I am not saying that I’m never going to make it, I have decided that I am definitely not going to make it now. I shall, however, be following the Sew-Along with keen interest and envious admiration.

I do love the pattern but, as I am small, top heavy, short-waisted and not particularly thin, I really don’t think this is the style for me. I have to confess, however, that I don’t always follow the ‘rules’ when it comes to determining what I might look good in and what I want to make. For instance, it is often advised that small ladies should avoid full length dresses and large prints, yet one of my favourite dresses is my maxi dress, made from Simplicity 3503 (blogged about here and here). It’s long and the print is huge. I totally agree with the advice that The Slapdash Sewist offered me: “if you're comfortable in what you're wearing, you'll look good. So just *decide* it's going to flatter you and it will”. I think that is very true of my maxi dress – it doesn’t really matter whether it actually flatters me or not because every time I put it on it makes me feel cool and carefree and makes me smile!

So I don’t mind taking risks when deciding what to sew but I’m not in the mood to do it with a coat. A coat is a lot of work and takes up a lot of space in the wardrobe so I want a coat that I am going to be able to wear often and always feel good in. Lindsay T commented that she felt I would “look better in a more streamlined and classic style”. As soon as I read that I thought YES, that’s what I really want – streamlined and classic is what my wardrobe needs. So I have been looking through pattern catalogues and my collection of Burda magazines to find something that fits the bill and have found some promising contenders.

Still obsessed with the idea of my coat being camel, I set off for the Goldhawk Road to do some research on cost and availability of camel coloured coating. I went into most of the stores before finding exactly what I wanted. My credit card came out and what was supposed to be a research mission turned into a buying trip. Here it is, pictured with the reference books I have been studying in preparation for the task!

It’s 100% wool, beautifully soft and is a delicious melted toffee shade. It cost £12 per metre.

So, last week I had a coat pattern but no fabric. Now I have the fabric but no coat pattern!

I have to tell you that I am quite exhausted by this coat before I have even begun so, for now, I am going to turn my energy to making a few less demanding items of clothing to get my autumn wardrobe going. After all, I am going to be needing something to wear underneath this coat, when it finally gets made!

In the meantime, what about you - do you know what ‘the rules’ for your particular body shape are? Do you care?

Fabric buying in New York - part two!

In my last post I promised that full disclosure of all my fabric buying in the New York garment district would be forthcoming. I have already confessed to my purchases in Metro Textiles …….. but I also visited Mood, Elliott Berman, New York Elegant Fabrics and, oh yes, Paron. And fabric was purchased in each of them!

In Elliott Berman’s I clearly had summer on my mind (and no wonder – the daytime temperature was mostly well into the nineties the whole time I was in New York!). These were my choices

On the left is a sheer cotton print (made for the NY designer Milly) and the one on the right is a cotton pique. I really enjoyed my visit to Elliott Berman’s, they stock some beautiful fabrics and their sales person, Eugenia (it was nice to meet a Eugenia!), was extremely helpful and knowledgeable. Thank you Lindsay T for the excellent recommendation.

Over at Mood I continued the summer theme with these two fabrics.

The one at the top is linen and the one at the bottom is a silk charmeuse. Now I really should mention here that I already have in my stash some fabric that has exactly the same print as this silk charmeuse – but it is a cotton/silk twill that I purchased online, last May, from Emma One Sock, and it is designed by Oscar de la Renta. So, I am going to have some fun making a garment or outfit that combines the same print in the two textures – oh, Oscar, when the time comes, I hope I don’t let you down!

Also at Mood I purchased about 4 yards of a lovely plain black cotton knit that was a nice dress weight and draped well – a good stash standby. At Paron I bought three yards of a beautiful crepe back satin, also in black, just right for that LBD I’m always thinking I should make. This was priced at $30 per yard but they discounted it to $25 so I don’t feel quite so bad about my extravagance. Lastly, at New York Elegant Fabrics, I found some cotton lawn in a pretty aqua colour that co-ordinated perfectly with the stretch cotton that I had already bought in Metro Textiles.

So, there you have it. That fabric haul is certainly going to keep me busy for a while! I doubt whether all the summery prints will get made up before the fall arrives but, hey, think how nice they’re going to look in my stash in the dark winter months.

Fabric fun in New York City ....

Hi everyone, I’m back home in London and what a fabulous time I had in New York City!!

The highlight of my trip was a lunchtime meet up with Carolyn (Diary of a Sewing Fanatic) and Elizabeth (Sew A Beginner). Of course that meant fabric shopping so our chosen venue was Metro Textiles where we bumped into a familiar face – Opal, from Opals Passions. Isn’t the sewing blogosphere great ? – it was like meeting up with old friends! I had The Best Time - talking fabrics, getting sewing tips and swapping stories.

Here’s a picture of my three lovely friends (from left to right Elizabeth, Carolyn and Opal)

Thank you ladies for giving me such a wonderful welcome to your home town!

And here’s a picture of me, Carolyn and Opal with the very charming Kashi from Metro Textiles.

So, did I buy anything? Well of course I did – between the compelling chat – I managed to grab myself a few gorgeous pieces at some very good prices.

From left to right: a luxurious printed silk charmeuse, a cotton in a big print in fabulous colours, a stretch cotton sateen in black and white with aqua accents.

Now is probably the time to confess that these weren’t my only fabric purchases whilst in New York – later in the week I revisited the garment district and picked up a few more yards here and there. But I’m going to save those for another blog post. Right now I’m jet lagged and in unpacking chaos but, although I was sad to leave NY, it’s exciting to be back home with my sewing machine and with lots of new fabrics and ideas to inspire me.

So, more soon ……

planning for spring sewing

Firstly I would like to thank everybody who left me comments of sympathy over my dose of flu - I really did appreciate your kind words. I am happy to report that I am feeling much better. In fact the last few days have been rather pleasant because I no longer feel terrible but my status as recovering invalid has allowed me to wallow on the sofa, eating hot buttered toast and Digestive biscuits brought to me by my lovely husband. Whilst doing this I have had beside me a large box of patterns and a huge pile of Burda magazines and have been planning all the wonderful garments I am going to make!

I’m think I’m having a bit of a Burda thing at the moment because I have just bought these new patterns from their catalogue. This one, Burda 7557 is a fitted dress -

Then Burda 7628, which is a looser fitting dress with a jacket -

Lastly, Burda, 7509, for a really easy top which I think will be nice in cotton, linen or silk -

Also some fabrics that I had ordered from Gorgeous Fabrics before I got the flu made a timely arrival to cheer me up. Yes, I know that I have lots of fabric in my stash but I really had to have some lovely new, colourful spring fabrics, didn’t I?


From left to right. Multi-coloured cotton with some stretch. White cotton sateen, also with stretch, which I think will make a nice lightweight jacket and/or a skirt. Linen with a waffle texture called “arrest me red” (how can you resist a fabric with that name!). Turquoise linen with a huge green and pink flower print - I know that as a short person I shouldn’t really choose large prints but, there it is, I have and I like it!

So, here is my plan. I’m going to finish my white wool jacket (I have made some progress on that). Then I’m going to make one more dress from my winter fabric stock. After that I’m going to start sewing up at least some of my new fabric purchases using my new Burda patterns and one or two designs picked out from old Burda magazines. I want to make some quick, casual clothes ready to take on vacation. I’m feeling quite excited by it all – it looks like I’m going to have to get up off the sofa and get busy.

Have you made a spring sewing plan or are you still working through your winter stash?

this crazy behaviour has got to stop!

Having recently returned from New York with enough winter fabrics to keep me busy for many months (or years!), what have I now done? Yes, I’ve just taken delivery of more fabrics! And some of them are definitely also ‘wintery’ and, at a distance, do look quite similar to fabric that I already have.

Any non-sewers must, of course, be seriously questioning my sanity but I am hoping that all my sewing friends out there will understand how this might have come about. I subscribe to a U.K. based fabric club, called Chrysalis Fabrics. I’m sure you’re familiar with the kind of thing – I pay an annual subscription for which four times a year I get fabric samples that I can order from. Having returned from New York my December samples were waiting for me and, although I tried very hard indeed to resist, it was just no good. Diana, who runs Chrysalis, has a very good eye for picking lovely fabrics. Let me show you what I just had to have

Left side from top to bottom: Golden Wheat pure wool with feint herringbone pattern. Mahogany 98% wool, 2% elastane. Marl grey 90% wool, 10% cashmere. Slate Grey, Burberry pure wool with a very tiny check.
Right hand side: Dove grey/black/ivory 92% polyester, 2% spandex. Lime/magenta/ivory/black viscose. Absinthe silk with slight crinkle finish

This is how I’m justifying the new purchases. Firstly, the winter fabrics, on the left hand side, can be categorized as ‘good quality basics’ – a must for any stash. Secondly, the right hand row of fabrics could definitely be utilized for spring/summer – for which I really must be prepared! Thirdly, well, I just love them.

It appears that since I took up sewing about a year ago, after not having sewn for a long, long time, I have built up quite a stash of both fabrics and patterns. When I last sewed regularly, in my teens and early twenties, I seem to remember that I did it differently. In those days I would go to a store, buy a pattern and, at the same time, buy the fabric and notions then I would make the garment. Only when that was done would I go and buy another pattern and more fabric. Is there anyone out there who works this way? It seems like a rational and organized way of doing things but, somehow, I find that very difficult to do. I like having fabric, looking at it, touching it and thinking about all its possibilities.

However, before Mr Fabulous notices that our home is turning into a branch of a fabric warehouse, I think one of my New Year’s resolutions has to be to either stop buying so much fabric or to sew faster.

In the meantime, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and enjoy the great pleasures of good food and spending time with loved ones. Season’s Greetings to You All.

my festive plum dress

Before you gasp at my sewing speed (which isn’t actually very speedy at all) I need to tell you that I didn’t make this dress in the last week since my return from New York, I actually completed it just before I went. However, with so much going on, this has been my first opportunity to get Mr Fabulous out in the garden with a camera so that I have a picture to show you.

A few weeks ago I was passing through the fabric department of John Lewis (the only department store left in the United Kingdom that sells fabric) and spotted this beautiful plum coloured, 100% wool crepe and just had to have it. I thought it would make a perfect holiday season sheath dress. The pattern, which I highly recommend, is McCalls 5927

This is the one I used for my ‘sheath dress with a little bling’ but, as you can see, this is a more restrained version. The construction is the same, except that for this one I omitted the neck tabs and jewels. I was aiming for a ‘little black dress’ that can be dressed up or down but in a festive plum colour. I wanted something stylish but respectable. In New York I accompanied Mr Fabulous to a business dinner at the Harvard Club where I wore this dress and didn’t get frowned at, so I must have got the respectable bit right!

A word about wool crepe – this was my first time using this fabric and I loved it. It didn’t slip around, has a nice drape and took to steaming into shape beautifully. Now you know why I purchased two more lots of wool crepe while I was in New York (at a considerably cheaper price than I paid in John Lewis!). Why didn’t I know before how wonderful it is to work with? I’d love to know what kind of fabrics you have had some good experiences with?

Since I’ve returned from New York I haven’t had the chance to do any sewing at all. It’s all been about jet lag, unpacking, dental visits, calling in the electrician and Christmas preparations. Lack of sewing has been making me quite tetchy so I’m going to try and get some done soon ……

I'm back from New York City ......

…... with a suitcase fit to burst! We had such a wonderful time. Here’s me in line at Tkts and on the High Line along with a couple of seasonal views of Times Square and the Rockefeller Plaza.

We saw some great shows, ate in some excellent restaurants, met with friends, visited some exhibitions at the Metropolitan Museum, experienced some wonderful warm sunshine weather as well as a bit of rain and a chilly wind. And, of course, I went shopping in the garment district -

The above picture shows just some of the shops I visited. I must have been in at least a dozen and when confronted with so much fabulousness of fabrics it’s very difficult to think straight! But what you want to know, of course, is what fabrics did I decide upon? Looking at them, now that I’m home, it’s clear that I was very much in winter mode –

Top row from left to right: black wool with beige circles and dots woven in, from Mood; a fine wool suiting with grey and pale blue stripes, also from Mood; a grey wool crepe, from New York Elegant Fabrics; a black wool crepe, also from New York Elegant Fabrics.
Bottom Row from left to right: silk charmeuse in a lovely black and brown print, also from New York Elegant Fabrics; beige wool tweed with gorgeous flecks of pink, green and gold (which don’t show up in the photo very well), from Paron Fabrics and, lastly, a silk charmeuse with some stretch in a black, brown, cream and peacock blue print, also from Paron.

I also picked up a few delectable trimmings from M & J Trimming and Pacific Trimming –

At the moment, I have no definite plan for any of my purchases – my mind is whirling with dress, jacket and blouse possibilities for all of these – but I’m feeling very excited and motivated by my new stash treasures. Of course, realistically, I’m never going to get all of this made up before the winter ends (never mind about all the other winter fabrics in my stash!) but I’m planning to throw off my jet lag and get my sewing machine out pretty quickly to make a start on it – that’s in between the card writing, present wrapping, pudding stirring, cookie baking and turkey stuffing that I’m going to be doing. Don’t you just love the holiday season?!!!

LIBERTY OF LONDON

Being a London girl I felt that I really couldn't go another week without mentioning that great bastion of British style - Liberty of London

Strolling past last week I felt an irresistible urge to enter and was pretty glad I did because they had a sale on and this was my opportunity to indulge myself with a piece of their Liberty print Tana Lawn fabric. It's lovely stuff, it really is, but it's not cheap! Their regular price is £19.95 per metre (approx. US$ 33.00) - that's a lot for some cotton isn't it? So I was pretty pleased to get a discount. There's a lot to choose from - if you'd like to take a look at their range, here is the link to Liberty's Fabric Department.

After some indecision I went for this one, called Valerie's Garden

Liberty prints have always been popular but, as I'm sure you're aware, in the last couple of years they've been achieving iconic fashion status . Both Gap and Nike have included Liberty prints in their ranges and several designers have used them in their recent collections, including Marc Jacobs -

Now, I'm a big admirer of Mr Jacobs but unfortunately, at my age, I don't think the above dress would be quite right for me! So what am I going to do with my prize piece of fabric? I thought I would go down the more traditional route and make a classic shirt. I did make a shirt last year but, to be honest it was fairly hideous and didn't fit me right so I'm still searching for my TNT classic shirt pattern and I need to be sure the muslin is pretty perfect before I cut into my Liberty print. I'm thinking that I might try this pattern, no. 105, from last month's Burda Magazine
I'm looking for something not too fitted but not baggy and I like the yoke, the shape of the collar and the curved hem of this style. I'm hoping this might be the one!

So, what do you think about Liberty print fabric - do you love it or hate it? Is it too much 'old-fashioned English country garden' or do you see the iconic style possibilities? Can you get it where you live and, if so, is it expensive? I'd love to know ........

NEW YORK CITY - FABRIC, FASHION, FOOD AND ART

I recently returned from a two week trip to New York city. Although I live in London I travel to New York as often as I can and every time I get there I feel the urge to kneel down and kiss the sidewalk - I love, love, love to be there so much! So, here's a few highlights of my trip ....

Of course no trip to New York is complete without a thorough look round the fabric suppliers of the garment district. Unfortunately I have put myself on a very strict fabric regime at the moment - my stash is getting rather overstuffed (more about that at a later date) so I showed unprecedented restraint and only made two fabric purchases, both from Mood Designer Fabrics (I always imagine myself on Project Runway in there!).

The first is a light-weight cotton with a lovely satin finish in a large peachy orange and bright pink print (I've photographed it with the carrier bag so you get an idea of the scale.)

I'm imagining this made up in a caftan type of top - something along the lines of Tory Burch or in the style of Michael Kors' wonderful summer casual wear.

My second purchase was a real find. It's a silk twill and, as you can see from the selvage, was originally produced for the designer Rebecca Taylor -

Aren't these colours just gorgeous? I am planning to make this up into a traditional style party frock. I am considering this pattern, New Look 6723 -

But don't hold me to that because there is a lot on my to-do list and I might have totally different thoughts by the time I get to this!

In New York I have lots of favourite places to go and things I like to do but I always like to add something new to my list. This time I found a wonderful place to have tea - Alice's Tea Cup - which is in three different locations (check them out at http://www.alicesteacup.com/). Their scones are sooooo delicious. Also, and this is a big WOW, was The High Line (the walkway running from the Meatpacking district up to Chelsea alongside the river). What a great stroll and wonderful views. I had heard about it but I actually stumbled on it accidentally after having visited Trina Turk's boutique in Gansevoort Street, which is where the High Line starts (for more about the High Line go to http://www.thehighline.org/).

We also visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art and, as you might expect, went to see their exhibition The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion, which was very inspirational for a humble home sewer like me and even Mr Fabulous, my lovely husband, enjoyed it! We also climbed to the roof to look at Roxy Paine's sculpture, Maelstrom. Here I am entangled in it -

Finally, back to a strictly sewing theme, here I am strolling the New York streets in a top that I made from New Look pattern no. 6892.

This is such a great pattern, I really recommend it - it's easy to fit and quick to make and I love those sleeve flounces. By the way, the fabric is from Gorgeous Fabrics. For more info on this one, please take a look at my review on Pattern Review.