Sewing

Isewlation part 1 – the snuggly edition

26th Apr 2020 yorkiemouseLeave a comment

Hi all. Today I’ve got the start of a series of blogs. The length of the series is partially reliant on current global events! My aim to to say less about each make and group items together in some way. There’s also a new hashtag in town – #isewlation – and it’s helping sewists get through the current situation together.

Sewing is coming in bursts to me at the moment. I can go for days without wanting to get my machine out and an apathy that I haven’t felt towards sewing before, followed by a burst of enthusiasm where I want to do nothing but sew. On the whole, I’m going easy on myself and not forcing it, reminding myself that (button-holes aside) I sew for enjoyment.

The three makes that I’m talking about today are all jumpers, aiming to make isolation as snuggly as possible. I made these at the end of March when it wasn’t that warm in the north of England. We’ve been blessed with a few nice weeks but, if the Met Office are to be believed, we’re heading for some colder weather so these jumpers will be back in rotation!

Toaster sweater

I’ve made a Toaster Sweater before and love it. It’s a wardrobe staple of many sewists and I can see why. I made version 1 both times – slightly cropped with raglan sleeves and a funnel neck. The hem band and cuffs are nice and generous too.

The details on this pattern are particularly pleasing, for example, each seam-line is top-stitched. Not only does this look really neat, it was a new detail that I hadn’t encountered in a sweatshirt pattern.

In terms of adjustments, I took 2″ off the sleeve length but that’s it. A satisfyingly low-maintenance fitting experience!

I bought this “Scribble” fabric from Fabric Godmother because I don’t tend to have sweatshirting in my stash. More than anything, it’s too bulky to store so I usually sew it up fairly quickly when I buy it. I can’t convey how soft this fabric is. It’s fleece-backed, which makes is extra-snuggly, and has a good weight to it without being too heavy.

The photos show two (yes, two!) perfect cuff intersections. This is so rare for me. Often, I’ll get one that I’m happy with but two is practically non-existent. I don’t tend to unpick if cuffs are a bit ‘off’ because life’s too short, but the joy I felt when I turned these the right way out was immense.

Astoria jumpers

Next up are two Seamwork Astoria jumpers. I bought this pattern thinking that the style in a thinner jersey would be more suitable for the office than my other sweatshirt patterns. I don’t know why but raglan sleeves and sweatshirting fabrics don’t say “work-appropriate” to me. Does anybody else think that?!

Again, this is a popular one with sewists and I felt like I was late to the party. One bog positive of making a popular pattern is that there are so many resources (blogs, Instagram etc) documenting fit adjustments. I made quite a few adjustments to this pattern before cutting out, all were wise adjustments and ones I would keep if making again:

Added 1″ to the bodice. Yes, you read that correctly, I added length! I’ve got a short torso and usually remove length so it’s definitely worth holding this pattern up against your body before cutting. It’s designed as a cropped jumper but I don’t like reaching up and showing off my tummy in the office!
Added 1.5cm (there I go, mixing my measurements again!) to the sleeve width. I had read on a few reviews that the sleeves are a very slim fit. I usually do a full bicep adjustment but as this has no cuff, I just widened the whole sleeve piece, keeping the arm scythe the same.
Shortened the sleeve by 1.5″ (back on inches).

These fabrics were a bit of a splurge for me, but I reasoned that I would wear a lot and they will cover more than one season because vests can live underneath them! Both are Mind the Maker fabrics from Lamazi Fabrics. The Navy jacquard has a lovely wavy pattern and is thicker than the lilac ‘waffle’. Both fabrics work well with the Astoria, although the cuffs of the lilac are a bit wavy where I’ve stretched it when sewing.

Thanks for reading and I hope you’ve got some hobbies to get you through lockdown :o)

Sewing

Buchanan robe

18th Apr 2020 yorkiemouseLeave a comment

Today I’m writing about sewing for somebody else. I made a Gather Kits Buchanan Robe for my friend’s birthday this month and, thankfully, she liked it!

I think that robes are a great present for friends and family. Apart from the fact that they’re a lovely idea, they also tend to be loose so there are far fewer worries about fit. The loose fit means you can usually make them as a surprise if you know roughly what high-street size the person is.

I’ve made the Buchanan Robe before out of a quilting cotton and wear it in the summer. The pattern comes together really quickly and isn’t that fiddly considering there are a lot of nice details to it – e.g. waist tie loops, hanging loop, pockets.

Fabric

Fabric always seems to get its own section in my blogs, but I think it deserves it! I searched high and low for fabric and discovered that it’s far more difficult to buy fabric for others than for myself. I decided on this gorgeous viscose from Lamazi Fabrics with a light blue base and pinky flowers.

The fabric has a lovely drape and is opaque enough to be a robe. As with most viscose, it required a lot of pins to keep it together when sewing. I used my bridal pins because the fabric is quite fine.

I had a nightmare photographing this as I finished it the evening before I wanted to post it (the day before the UK was ‘grounded’) so the photos of the final make show a much darker blue.

Thread chicken

My friend is elegantly tall (unlike me) so I added 6″ to the pattern. I used by husband as a ‘height guide’ as he’s also tall – unfortunately he didn’t model it or provide photo opportunities for the blog. On balance, it’s usually safer to go on the long side as it’s easier to take things up than to add length. As it turns out, she said the length is “perfect” so that put a smile on my face.

It’s actually a lighter blue than this but I struggled to photograph it

Do any other sewists ramp up the machine speed when playing ‘thread chicken’?! I played a serious game with this robe but am relieved to report that I won…but the last bit of top-stitching was done very quickly.

The devil is in the detail

A gifted robe calls for some lovely finishing touches. I opted to do French seams throughout. Whilst double the sewing, I do love a French – both on the eye and against the skin. I choose the patch pockets over in-seam ones and left out the side splits. I decided that the viscose was too slippery to get a neat finish on the side splits. I also added a cheeky Kylie and the Machine label, which really finished it off.

The Verdict

I rarely sew for others as I find it quite nerve-wracking. I think the idea is scarier than the reality though, particularly with a loose fitting garment. My friend said she loves her robe and sent a photo of her wearing it on her birthday. So I suppose the moral of the story/blog is to give it a go, your friends and family will be grateful and it gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling!

Thanks for reading :o)

Knitting

Shell Cottage Socks

11th Apr 2020 yorkiemouseLeave a comment

Hello all. Today I am bringing you some socks, fresh off the needles. As I mentioned in a previous post, I love knitting socks, but it does take me a while. They are rarely perfect but the meditative nature of going around and around is incredibly satisfying and calming.

I started these Shell Cottage Socks in December 2019 and finished them this week (April 2020). Helen Stewart’s (aka Curious Handmade) Handmade Sock Society Season 2 was inspired by the Cornish coastline. We had an amazing holiday in Cornwall a few years ago and Helen’s description of her inspiration for this collection brought back happy memories of strolling along the cliffs and scones.

I was drawn to the Shell Cottage socks largely because of the name. The Harry Potter connection made these an obvious first choice, but I really want to sew other socks in the collection.

Shell Cottage socks, complete with mistakes

The yarn of my dreams

I was at WoolFest with a friend last June and had a squeeze of Natali Stewart’s superwash merino/silk/yak but didn’t buy any. I had already bought some yarn and other things that day so it felt a bit extravagant. However, I kept thinking about the skein that I left behind, to the point where I actually dreamt I was holding it weeks later! The morning after that dream, I went to Natali’s website to “browse” (purchase).

The teal colour that I had seen at WoolFest wasn’t available so I settled on this vibrant pinky/purple (depending on the light) called “Concord”. The yarn is so soft and squishy that I definitely recommend if you’re on the hunt for some.

Mistakes…or uniqueness

I sized up my needles to 2.5mm (Helen recommends slightly smaller) and cast on a medium. My main reason for doing this was to match the trusty ‘CoopKnits gauge’ that I know works for my feet. It was a good idea as the socks fit perfectly. I find knitting a bit like sewing in that if you find a block/gauge to suit you, there’s no harm in adapting to that block/gauge.

One thing that I especially like about Helen’s patterns is that each round is written out in the pattern. There are more pages but I find it a lot easier to track than lots of “rep” lines. She also includes what % of the way through you are, and if you’re “task-focused” like me, it’s nice to track your progress.

The ‘knot’ pattern wasn’t something I had come across before but it was a lot easier to knit than it looked, and has a really interesting finish. Also, let’s take a moment to admire that fluffy halo :o)

Those of you who are eagle-eyed may have noticed the odd break in the pattern in the socks. When knitting the first sock, I missed a ‘knot’ line but didn’t realise until I was way past it. Rather than unravel, I figured out where it was and decided to replicate it on the second sock – call it a ‘design feature’. Unfortunately, I went wrong again on the second sock just before the gusset. Again I didn’t realise and don’t really have the skill to rip back a gusset so I’m wearing my mistakes with pride!

I thought that I had read somewhere that people used to purposely knit a mistake into their makes to show they were handmade. After a bit of internet searching, I can’t find a reference to this in the sea of references to correcting common knitting mistakes. I did find an article about breaking “The Sweater Curse“, which might be where I’ve got this from, although a misinterpretation on my part. Wherever that has come from in my brain, everything I knit has some sort of error or work-around so they’re definitely uniquely mine!

Thanks for reading and happy knitting :o)

Sewing

Jessica: The Queue Jumper

5th Apr 20205th Apr 2020 yorkiemouse2 Comments

My MakeNine2020 plans flew out of the window when By Hand London released their Jessica Skirt. This skirt needed to be made from some African Wax Print in my stash.

I’ve had this fabric from Middlesex Textiles in my stash for a while now and wanted to make a skirt. It’s a step away from my usual colours as I wear very little red – when it’s next to my face, it washes me out. I love sewing with African Wax as it’s well-behaved (hello, cotton) and, in my experience, so joyfully colourful.

I also had some lining fabric in my stash from a different shop (I forget which) but perfectly matched the purple flowers. I used this for the waistband facing along with a trusty KATM label.

Pattern & adjustments

There was never any doubt that I was going to make the gathered skirt in this fabric. I confess that when I printed the pattern, I laughed at the possibility that I had bought a rectangle. That’s what a gathered skirt is , in essence.

However, this pattern has a curved waistband made from 6 sections so it fits the body really well. That’s where the value is for me. The instructions also ensure the facing encloses the raw edges, which is a really nice detail. As with a lot of indie companies, there are other skirt options as well – the Jessica has three skirt options.

In terms of adjustments, I shortened the skirt by 2″ before cutting. I also did a 4.5cm hem, which is a bigger hem than in the pattern. Apologies to those of you who are mortified by my mixing of measurements – it depends which tool I’m working with at the time the adjustment takes place!

I also cut a size up so that the skirt sits below by waist. I’ve got a short torso and don’t like skirts sitting on my natural waist.

African wax print tends to be narrower than standard fabric so I ended up cutting four panels, rather than two on the fold. As it’s such a busy pattern, I don’t think you can even tell.

Something more

I was on Pinterest looking at how to style a gathered skirt…and considering what top patterns I needed to make/buy…and came across an image with patch pockets on a gathered skirt. At that point, I decided I hadn’t quite finished my Jessica skirt because every girl needs pockets. I placed my hand on some left over fabric to gauge what size the pocket needed to be, had a play around with placement on the skirt and hey-presto! Pockets!

I also made an Ida Clutch, which is a fabulous free pattern from Kylie and the Machine. It removes the need for ever worrying about having matching accessories.

I was supposed to be wearing this for a hen do that is postponed due to “the other c-word” (as it is known in our house) so I wore this for #virtualfrocktails instead. It’s definitely worth checking out that hashtag if you want to drool over some lovely outfits.

Thanks for reading :o)