Spring Bag Tutorial

I always seem to make at least one bag this time of year; it's a great way to use up all my fabric leftovers. For 2014 I've also made a pencil case which is probably the same size as an average bag! Consequently, I have made an even larger bag: I seem incapable of leaving the house without a small library / studio at my disposal.

 

I used a variation of the technique I covered in last year's bag tutorial

This time of year is also Lent so along with my church family I'll be participating in our Lent Challenge. If you'd like to hear the sermon series that goes along with the bible verses just click the badge below:

 

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Mad Men Challenge

How can I resist this Mad Men challenge from Julia Bobbin? If you're a fan you can click the button below and join in.

I thought I hated 60's fashion but Mad Men redeemed it. The question is not if I should do the challenge but do I opt for 50's or 60's? Another choice to be made is which character? Just before Christmas I finished a dress inspired by Joan and I have made a couple of dresses more influenced by Betty's style. I'm not a big fan of Megan so it has to be Peggy. Here's the progress so far:

Let's get sewing, I can't wait to see all the other outfits....

 

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Decisions, Decisions: 'On My Desk'

This week's post should probably be called 'Where is my Desk?' rather than 'On my Desk.' I can still just about see my desk under the mountains of samples and discarded draft designs. As you can see there has been some sewing going on: lining and inserting zips into curved seams. Next week is half term so I will post a tutorial on the latter.

Having made all my pattern decisions for this year, I made the mistake of having a look at Balenciaga's Summer collection. I was curious to see what Wang had done with a label known for its precision and balance. Before I knew it, I'd lost two days playing around with draping and structure. Needless to say I then spent a further day researching what light some of my favourite vintage authors could shed on this subject. Consequently, I am now sorely tempted to rethink all of this year's projects!

In previous posts I've shared my love of using darts and tucks as design features rather than just as a means to distribute fullness. I'm beginning to appreciate how folds and pleats can be manipulated in a similar manner. Watch this space...

 

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On My Desk

I'm trialling the idea of a weekly picture diary entitled 'On My Desk'. So here's last week in picture form.

As you can see not much sewing went on last week: rather more design work. During the day I'm mainly teaching art and we've been exploring line and wash illustration; this has inspired me to work on some ink illustrations of forthcoming designs.

Vintage pattern lovers will be familiar with the fantastic Spadea patterns, sadly now out of print. Spadea designers would often take a celebrity as their design inspiration and I've been playing around with that idea to generate some new pieces.

Where does Chanel blusher come in? When I'm working in pastel I usually substitute make-up for some of the skin tones. I'm also a bit of a packaging geek so the compact design itself is just great to have around.

The bible is always on my desk and my iPad: it's the best creative inspiration as it clears my head ready for work.

Lastly I've revisited one of my favourite books 'The Diary of a Provincial Lady'. This is actually in my list of 'absolute favourites'. I've had to differentiate and create a list of 'absolute favourites' in response to my friends pointing out that my so called 'favourites' list is actually enormous.

They'll be more sewing this week and next week I'll post on inserting zips into shaped side seams the vintage way.

 

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From Pencil to Party!

I designed and finished this dress for a party last month but didn't have time to post it. The design was inspired by the TV series Mad Men: a dress Joan might wear to the Christmas party.

Here's the finished dress...

 

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Benefits of Sewing With Prints

I don't know if it's the dreary time of year, but I am becoming rather obsessed with prints. I hadn't realised until recently that I actually don't work with prints very often. I think 2014 may be the year that prints take over. Here are a few you'll definitely be seeing:

 

These lovely prints are on my wish list:

They are all available from the lovely people at Sew Scrumptious. Their online store is well worth a visit for 2 reasons: firstly, they have an array of really beautiful prints that are perfect for summer dresses; secondly if you're one of our readers you can get 10% off all fabrics just by typing 'GRACE' at the checkout! Click on the badge below to save 10% on all your summer fabrics.

Not sure if prints are for you? Prints can be used inside garments to add detail and originality.

 

The benefits of prints:

• They are far more forgiving: plain fabrics really highlight any seam or dart imperfections.
• Carefully placed prints can be very flattering to the figure, we'll cover this in a future post.
• Great for beginners or if you want a quick project: you can choose a really simple and quick sewing pattern and rely on the fabric to create the design interest.

 

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Dealing With Changes in Size

We invest time an effort into sewing a perfectly fitting garment but our bodies don't stay the same size. If I've created something I want to be able to wear it for years to come, so what do I do if I gain or loose weight? Alterations are always going to be a nuisance but we can create original garments that are easier to alter if necessary.
When initially making the garment consider the following:

• I love side zips but they make alteration a much bigger job so consider this when choosing patterns;
• Try selecting skirt and trouser patterns without waistbands as these will require far less work to alter;
• Make the garment up with more generous seam allowances. This doesn't need to be all over, perhaps just on the side seams, it depends on the pattern design;
• Handstitch seams which are more likely to be altered, usually this will be side seams. Handstitching will not leave such unsightly seam marks if you need to let the garment out;
• Use stay or edge tape on seams which may be altered in the future. This will support the fabric, again reducing unsightly marks from the original seam.

Let's not miss out on wearing our favourite garments, waiting for a time when they'll fit; if our bodies have altered then our clothes need to. As home sewers we can have the clothes we want with a fit that's perfect for us.
Please feel free to comment with your top tips for altering garments.

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