New Years Resolutions - 2018

My New Year’s resolutions this year take the following form. As always I started out with a big list, but I know that it’s most effective to keep them to a minimum. I am also steering clear of negative resolutions – you know the ones, the things you aim to do because they will make you “better”, like the current you is somehow lacking. 

So, here goes:

1.       Spend more time outside. This year I’d like to spend more time in my garden. We weren’t able to do that much last year while the building work went on, and my gardening has really taken a backseat to sewing and child-rearing over the past 7 years. I’d like to return to gardening, to get more joy from both the process and the result, but I’d also just like to be outside more, whether that’s exercising, gardening, playing with the boys, going for walks or just chilling.

2.       Prioritise exercise. I know I said I wasn’t trying to self-improve, but I’m conscious that although I am thin and healthy, I am not fit. I don’t consider myself a couch-potato by any stretch, but my preferred activities do revolve around sitting, my job is desk bound, and I drive to and from work. I’m also conscious that I am often tired, stressed and anxious and I think (hope) that exercise will help with this. I also want to set a good example for the kids, and to have the energy and fitness levels to properly run around with them. Gardening will help, as will being outside (apart from the chilling aspect), but I’d also like to make a concerted effort to use the gym at work and maybe run/walk a bit more.

3.       Read more books. This doesn’t need further explanation, does it?

4.       Socialise more. I feel like I hardly saw anyone last year. The building work really took its toll on both our finances and our time and energy. Now we have a shiny new kitchen, I want to entertain more, and I want to be more proactive about arranging get-togethers with my friends.  I also want to bear in mind that entertaining doesn’t have to be a full on extravaganza. It’s about seeing people, not dazzling them with fancy food.

But what about the sewing resolutions? Well, I don’t have any. I plan to continue sewing as often as I can and to blog as and when I want to, and that’s what I do already. No changes. No revelations. No guilt about the stash, no self-reproach about what I sew and for who and no pressure to sew all the things. 

With that in mind, I have a number of things to photograph and blog that I sewed at the back end of the year, so watch this space!

Completed: Chambray midi skirt

Like most people, I feel like I need to address the recent British vote to leave the EU. I am refusing to use the term “Brexit” unless absolutely necessary simply because it’s a stupid word. In short, I feel disappointed, sad, scared, sick, anxious, powerless, furious and embarrassed in equal measure. I feel like the times when I was under threat of redundancy, or the times I was dumped by a boyfriend: you wake up in the morning and for seconds everything is OK, and then reality comes crashing in and you have a sort of sickness lump sitting in your stomach for the rest of the day.

I know some bloggers have written that to talk about sewing during these times feels frivolous or trite. They are possibly right, but life does need to go on, and sewing has helped me enormously in some difficult periods in my life, and so it shall again. It’s that ability to concentrate on something to switch off the chattering worry in my  mind. And to get something pretty at the end of it! To that end, on to the fluffy stuff.

Serious EU face.

The idea for a chambray midi skirt came from this one byElena. I initially thought I’d use the Colette Zinnia, which I already own but have never made, but when I dug out the pattern, I realised it wasn’t quite what I had in mind. I liked the pockets of Elena’s, and although I wanted gathering (Elena’s is pleated), I didn’t want as much as the Zinnia gives. And so I decided to hack the Megan Nielsen Kelly instead, to give me my perfect skirt.

In short, I added more volume to the top of the pattern within the pleats, so I’d have more gathering than the skirt would otherwise have had (yeah, I know I said I didn’t want too much gathering, but this tutorial made me think that if I didn’t add more volume, then it wouldn’t be gathered enough! Fickle? Not me, nope. No way), and I then slashed and spread the bottom part of the skirt to provide more of an A line silhouette, and added length to make the pattern midi. This sounds scarier than it was. If anyone is interested, I can attempt a tutorial for how I did this, but I basically used this tutorial get the logic, and then applied that to the skirt.

Rather bravely, I decided to forgo a muslin and just cut straight into my fabric, a light coloured chambray from Fabric Alice on ebay (now out of stock). The fabric has a lovely weave and a beautiful drape. It’s much nicer than the chambray I used for my shirt dress last year, but it does have quite a few flaws and it seems to snag pretty easily. It also creases badly as its 100% cotton. The pockets are made from the same bird print voile as the pockets in this dress. Bird pockets FTW.

Pocket lining and button details.

Gathering and topstitching details.

I kind of made up the order of sewing as I went along, as I wanted to change the construction of the front. The Kelly pattern has you fold and top stitch the button placket and then turn up the bottom hem. This is fine, but on my red one, the hem pokes out at the side of the button placket – a result either of inaccurate cutting/pressing or of the presser foot pushing the top layer of fabric through quicker than the feed dogs are pushing the bottom layer. I wanted to avoid that, as it bugs me on the red one, so, instead I employed the technique described here, which results in a clean finished placket edge. As I was making it up as I went along, there were a few things I didn’t consider, and as a result had to unpick quite a few things. I unpicked my hem topstitching on one side 3 times, but I am pretty happy with it now. I also enjoyed the process of having to think things through, and anticipate what I would need to do next at each stage.

Another change I made was to draft a hem facing. This wasn’t part of my initial plan. I used this pattern to determine how much width and length to add to the pattern pieces, as I like how the skirt sits on this, and I find it to be a flattering length. I extended it to keep the deep hem that the Kelly is drafted to have (2 inches/6cm), however when I tried the skirt on before hemming, I really liked the longer length. As I didn’t want to use a narrow hem, I attempted a faced hem instead. I had never used a faced hem before, but approached it like a neckline facing. The only issue was that I forgot to add seam allowance to the bottom of the facing, so it ended up being narrower than intended, but I still think it worked pretty well. It might be a little too heavy for this fabric, as it wants to stick out a bit (like the effect of horsehair braid, but to a lesser extent), but it certainly made hemming on a curve much easier. I would definitely use this technique in future. To counter the longer, potentially frumpy length, I used the button placement for the original Kelly pattern, meaning they stop a good 13"/33cm before the hem and thus flashing a bit of leg as I walk. 

Somehow I managed to make my button placket narrower than intended. It’s certainly narrower than my red version, and as a result I had to offset my button holes, so they weren’t too close to the edge. I then in turn, had to offset my buttons so it sits properly when closed, as I did horizontal button holes. I think it looks OK though. The buttons themselves were also from ebay, and are made from olive wood. They are exactly what I wanted. I just hope they wash OK.

Although my face in these photos would lead you to believe otherwise, I absolutely love the finished skirt. It came out exactly as I had envisioned. Exactly! And I kind of did it all myself! If I were to nitpick I’d say I could have got away with adding slightly less volume to the gathers at the front of the skirt, and my topstitching could be better, but they do not take away from the skirt one bit. I'm sure this is probably caused by some kind of pattern adustment error, but I actually love that in some photos it looks like culottes. This make was a direct result of my MMM summary – building more me made outfits, by sewing more, versatile bottoms. This fits the bill perfectly. With Lottas it rocks a bit more of a 70’s vibe, but with white trainers it becomes much more modern. It works with a blouse for work, and with a t-shirt for weekends (ironically RTW in these photos). I am wearing it as I type with trainers and a Belle & Sebastian tee! I am now forcibly having to stop myself from making all the things in chambray because it’s my favourite!!!

Reflection: 2015

A bit late to be reviewing last year, when we are more than halfway into January, but never mind. I like reading these types of posts, as I always think its interesting to see beyond the initial blog photos. So I'm sharing mine on that basis.

22 makes! 22! I didn't believe it myself, so I created this collage to prove it to myself and to you! Of course I didn't actually sew 22 things, but I created 22 things, which is good enough. Edit: I've realised I actually made more. Not featured here are 2 lots of cushion covers, plus a t-shirt that never got blogged. So, 25 in total?

So what worked? Well, I'm defining success by counting the things I wear all the time. In no particular order:

  Love love love this dress. It's perfect for work, and also worked for Christmas day. It's comfy and elegant at the same time. I wear it all the time.

 Love love love this dress too! Again, it's comfy and elegant and again it's gone from work to nights out to casual weekend wear. I need more so I don't wear this one out.

 OK, I've only worn this twice, but it's not exactly everyday wear. And it makes me feel fabulous when I do wear it. And I made a jumpsuit!!!!

 This hasn't been worn so much recently but that's down to weather and the fact that I don't own a cardigan that goes with it satisfactorily. This top makes me feel really cool and the fabric is lush. It was worn weekly before it got cold.

 My first Linden wasn't a complete success fit-wise, and the fabric has pilled, but I still wear this regularly, especially now the weather is colder again.

 My gold Linden. I love this so much it hurts. It's comfy and casual but makes me feel really cool and "put together". Sadly it's been worn so much that the gold foil has started to wear away. But that's OK because I have enough of the gold fabric left to make another! Just need to get more plain grey mark french terry.

This probably hasn't seen quite as much wear as my other favourites, but I do love it. The fabric and the colour are glorious, and it's very easy to wear. I'm looking forward to spring so I can break it out again.

What didn't work so well?

 I did love this tshirt, but I didn't pre-wash it. What became evident though was that if I had it wouldn't have made much difference as it continued to shrink further with every wash. It went into textile recycling. I must make another though.

 My first trousers, and I was so proud, but sadly the fabric let me down. It bags out hugely when wearing, so by mid morning I have a saggy bum, and they look terrible. I will revisit this pattern though with a better fabric this year.

 I do wear this tee, but only when I have nothing else clean. The shoulder seams bug me and the neckline doesn't sit quite right.

I've worn this once. I like it in the pictures, so I will persevere with it this summer however I think the elastic waist is always going to be a problem.

I like this dress but I don't love it and I'm not wearing it. Maybe that's because I think it looks dorky with a cardigan? Maybe it's because it is a little snug at the hips? Maybe it's the fabric. Again, I'll give it this summer - I might prefer it with bare legs and clogs.

I never blogged this, but it was a Linden in a drapey jersey. The idea was OK, but the execution was pretty terrible. I messed the neck binding up twice, and in unpicking, tore a hole. I also made it too short and so had to add a band to lengthen it (actually, this worked OK. I did a single layer band and left the hem raw). It got quite a bit of wear during MMM15, and it worked well under my Linden sweatshirts, however it got the chop during a cull in the summer. I can make a better black t-shirt than that.

So, what are my plans for 2016? To keep sewing. More specifically, to keep sewing items that I need and want to wear. I don't want to get too specific with my plans as I'd like to keep them fairly fluid. I'm currently making pyjamas for the boys, which are turning out very well. After that I plan to make an Archer shirt dress with some striped viscose that arrived just today! Beyond that? I don't know. At some point this year I'd like to make jeans. I'd also really, really like to finish the coat WIP that I've been harping on about for a couple of years now. More clothes for the boys in my life would be nice too.

Reducing my spend, and therefore my stash is a must. My 2015 goal was to use as much of my stash as I could. I can count 12 posts about items I made from my stash (with the tag: 2015 goals), however I counted stash as anything that hadn't been immediately sewn, so this does include fabric I bought during the year. I did implement a rule whereby I could only buy fabric if I had at least one firm plan (preferably with an alternative or 2) of what I would make with it. But as we all know, that doesn't necessarily mean the item is actually sewn. This year I'd like to work through some of that backlog and the WIPs. If I no longer like the fabric or want to make the pattern, I want to be pretty ruthless and get rid.

To support this, I've decided to track my spending through the year on both fabric and RTW. Nothing fancy, I just plan to record what I've spent, on what and when on Evernote on my phone. I like to think I don't spend much, but writing it down will hopefully make me think twice before parting with cash.

Outside of sewing, we'd like to build an extension to our kitchen this year. We actually have no idea how much this will cost, or how we will fund it, but being cautious with my spending will probably be a habit I'll need to get used to, so may as well start now!

What about you? If you haven't already posted your plans, please share!

Sorry - I haven't linked any of the above garments to the original posts - too tired now. But if you head to my Made By Me page, you will find all the links there. 

Guesting // My Changing Style

Hi!

Today, I'm guest posting over at Oranges and Apples while Franca is off having a baby. If you are interested in some further Me Made May provoked naval gazing, and just a general observation about me, what I want to wear and how that has changed, then you can read the post here.

Enjoy!

ALL THE FABRICS!

I have bashed on a bit about fabric recently: guilt over my stash; wanting to buy it all; attempting to buy it all. I'm sorry. This is probably getting pretty monotonous. One last point about fabric, and then I promise I'll shut up about it. ****Warning - this is not an earth-shattering discovery. Be prepared to be underwhelmed. Lets just call it closure.*** A couple of months ago I became obsessed with this fabric:

Cotton and Steel Bespoke Double Gauze - Ephemera

Utterly obsessed. Initially I wanted to make a blouse like Rae, but then I saw this blanket on Instagram, posted by Rashida Coleman-Hale:

And I became even more fixated. I dreamed about it. I  kept the page open permanently on the iPad so I could go in and gaze lovingly at it on The Village Haberdashery website every day. I have been wanting to make a throw/blanket for our living room for a while, and this seemed ideal. Apart from the fact that the fabric just didn't go with anything in else in the room. I even ordered a sample to check. That took me on a different fabric/blanket journey which is for another post, but I consoled myself by going back to the blouse inspiration and thinking I could make that. I should probably mention at this point that I hadn't actually bought the fabric. 

I got a TVH gift card for Christmas, and I was kind of holding off until I figured out what I was going to spend the rest on, to save on postage. I hopped onto the TVH website earlier this week to have a look again, thinking I'd  just place the order. You can probably guess where this is going. It's sold out. "Never mind" I thought, "I can buy it from Miss Matatabi". Nope - she only had half a metre left. And do you know what? I wasn't that bothered. I'm looking at the pictures above now, and I still think it's a beautiful fabric, and I would have loved to have made the blouse (I was going to do a Scout with a raised neckline and possibly different sleeves). The fabric is deliciously soft. I probably would have worn it lots in the summer. But, well... if sewing has taught me anything, it's that there will be other fabrics. It does actually come in other colourways, and there are other double gauzes still available in the range. I may well buy one of them - I still like the idea of a double gauze blouse. But then again I might not. 

Moral of the tale? I don't need to buy all the fabrics. Time won't end, no natural disasters will occur, I won't even be that upset about it, if I don't. As I said, it's not an earth shattering discovery, but it did give me pause for thought. Alison wrote something recently that chimed with this:

Same goes for fabric, why do I need to make everything I like, I wouldn't buy everything I like and all that will happen is I will have a wardrobe full of 'stuff' that doesn't get worn. 

I wouldn't buy everything I like either, so why do I think I need all the fabric? Answer: I don't.

Thank you for bearing with me on this. Lets all hope I have finally got it into my thick skull, and that normal service will resume shortly.

Spring cleaning

Happy Mothers Day!

Yesterday, I had a free day. I had intended to go to the Edinburgh Yarn Festival with my Mother in Law, but she changed her mind, and as I don't knit, it seemed a bit pointless to go myself. So, I decided to put the day to good use and I cleared out the Hall Cupboard of Doom (Duh Duh Duuuuuh!)  I thought you might like to see. Bear with me. This is sewing related.

I didn't take any before photos, other than the one below which I took ages ago. This cupboard is our only "built in" storage in the flat and is housed beneath our upstairs neighbour's staircase. It's pretty deep, but narrow, and obviously doesn't have full height all the way back. In this we store coats, hats and gloves etc, vacuum, most of my sewing stuff, our filing cabinet, shopping bags, a buggy, lightbulbs etc, vases, kids art and craft stuff, wellies, and generally just loads and loads of crap. What you can't see from this photo is that you couldn't actually walk into the cupboard, which was litttered with carrier bags containing piles of Baby Boy's stuff that he has grown out of, other things to be donated and fabric/sewing supplies.

The process was straightforward: take everything out and put it into one of 3 piles. Charity shop, chuck/recycle or keep.

I filled 2 binliners with fabric to be recycled, and one with rubbish to be thrown out. The former wass was small fabric scraps and items I'd been keeping because they might be useful. I had 4 pairs of holey jeans in there!!! While sometimes small scraps can be useful, I just don't have the space to keep them, so out they went.

Fabric to be recycled

The plastic box where I previously kept my fabric wasn't really working. It was too big to pull out, which meant I couldn't access what was in there, so it was moved to the boys' bedroom for toy storage. This left me with piles of stuff that needed rehoused. So, we decided at 4pm that we should go to Ikea! Actually it was fine. It was pretty quiet and we had our tea there. We went with a specific list and while we still didn't get home til after 7pm, we spent less than £40!!! I consider that a success.

I didn't get it finished last night, so I did it this morning. Which led onto clearing out the top of our wardrobe too. Not quite your typical Mothers Day, but I was glad to get it done. It feels so much better!

So, what does it look like now?

I replaced the large plastic box in the first photo with 2 Drona cubes from Ikea. The space on the second shelf is where the vacuum will sit.

The green boxes houses large scraps (anything large enough to make pocket linings or bias binding, or larger), plus some craft bits and bobs like felt. The turquoise box contains silk and cotton fabric, plus a couple of fabrics I plan to sew with next. The fabric bag with the face contains my most used sewing equipment, plus cables for sewing machine and overlocker. This is the bag I used to take to my sewing class. Although I haven't been for over a year, I still keep those things in a bag.

The very top shelf (just seen) has lightbulbs, hoover bags and also the boys' craft box. Second shelf down: wooden box contains interfacing and wadding. The plastic basket holds my paper patterns, while the coloured folders are for printed PDFs. With a bag of toy stuffing on top. Bottom shelf: vintage sewing box, thread, pins, buttons. I bought a glass jar in Ikea for the thread but it doesn't all fit, so I need to get another. The remaining thread (black, white and grey) are in a sandwich bag for the time being.

The cardboard (Molton Brown) box holds ribbons and trims. The vintage sewing box needs done up at some point. It is missing several screws. It contains zips, fastenings and some other bits and bobs.

Thread. I sorted it by colour. Saddo.

Beneath the coats (which are on the left of the cupboard): the nappy box contains my overlocker thread. The orange Sainsbury's bag has stuff to be refashioned/repaired, and the John Lewis bag contains a WIP, namely my coat. Also, the car seat to the right.

Overlocker thread. Finally, it has a home!

This hasn't really changed, but it shows the buggy, the filing cabinet, my overlocker, plus on the shelf, my current sewing machine and my old sewing machine, which was originally mum's - she got it for her 21st birthday. I don't ever use it but I can't bring myself to get rid of it. It does work, so one day I will get it serviced so that I can use it.

I was really tempted to get a Raskog, which seems to be the sewing accessory of the moment, but I don't really need it.

When clearing through things, I found a couple of picture hanging kits from Ikea. I was able to combine the contents into one box, leaving this one which is perfect for bobbin storage!

Unfortunately I still have too much sewing stuff to fit in the cupboard. I previously had stored more fabric in this vintage picnic basket on top of our wardrobe, but again it wasn't really accessible because there was so much other junk up there. Which was why I found myself clearing through that this morning. Sorry no before pic, but imagine excessive cardboard boxes (a lot of which were empty???!!!! Seriously, past Helen, what were you thinking?), a 25 year old rucksack, suitcases and lots and lots of dust. 

After:

We still have to keep our suitcases there, but at least now it's still ones that we use (they are to the right, not in the photo). I kept a couple of the boxes - you know, useful things like bridal hair decorations and Venetian masks - but they are now labelled . The bottom vintage picnic basket contains polyesters and poly/cottons, plus knits. The top one is empty, but at least it looks nice and can be used at some point in the future.

It all feels so much nicer and cleaner and easier to access. I keep going into the cupboard just to look. And having gone through my stash, I have a clearer picture of what I have. Actually, there wasn't too much that I had forgotten about, but it made me realise why I haven't been sewing from the stash. Not only could I not access it, but very few of the fabrics in there fit my current wardrobe. Previously my sewing was all about skirts, blouses and dresses, all in wovens: cotton and silk. And my stash pretty much reflects this. But that's what I wear to the office, and for the past 11 months I've been on Maternity leave. And when I'm on Maternity leave, I wear jeans and t-shirts, and jumpers and cardigans, and my stash does not reflect that whatsoever!

TBH I'm in a bit of a rut, clothes wise, particularly as in the morning I tend to just throw on whatever is clean and doesn't need ironed, so with a bit of organisation I could wear a bit more blouses and possibly even casual dresses, especially as the weather is improving a bit and I'm no longer breastfeeding. And I will be going back to work at some point, so I will be able to use those woven fabrics in the future, which makes me feel better. But I do feel a bit better about having bought fabric recently - because what I have bought fits my current wardrobe. I just need to make sure I sew it up before I buy even more, and before I return to work!

Finally, I'd like to add I did have a nice Mothers Day in the end - my first with 2 children - I got the satisfaction from this being organised, we went out for lunch to the local pub, and I got a The Village Haberdashery gift card, plus the promise of child free sewing time from the boys. And, perhaps best of all, my first ever hand written card from Small Boy.

On feeling overwhelmed

Last night I had a sewing evening planned. P is working away, I had the kids in bed, the dinner dishes cleared and the toys tidied by 7.45. Perfect. But... I couldn't decide what I wanted to sew.

Ever feel overwhelmed with inspiration? That's how I've been feeling. Being off on Mat leave is giving me a lot of time to spend reading blogs, on Instagram and browsing online fabric shops. Which is great. Except my head is full to bursting with ideas. I really want to buy ALL THE FABRIC and MAKE ALL THE PATTERNS!! I've fallen in love with double gauze, Cotton and Steel (both double gauze and the rayon), I want to make Ginger jeans, so I'm browsing denim. I want to make more Lindens and so am browsing sweatshirt fabrics (and struggling there, tbh), looking for inspiration for them. I have purchased the Ultimate Trousers and so need to muslin them and then look for and buy fabric. Add to that, I want to work through my stash, and finish up all promised makes and WIPs, and you can probably see why I just don't know where to start. My goal for 2015 was to clear out my cupboard and see what's what. I have yet to do that.

In the end, I spent the evening, for want of a better word, fannying about. I looked at Liberty fleece online and tried to justify the cost - while taking part in an IG conversation with George, who was enabling as best as she could. I looked in my sewing cupboard and despaired at the mess. I took some fabric out, draped it over me and tried to come up with ideas. I virtually stroked (i.e. gazed longingly), for the millionth time, at this fabric. I chatted briefly on IG with Hazel. I considered starting on some cushions for my mother in law. I pulled out my sewing box. I started writing a list of all the fabric I want to buy. I put my sewing box back again. In the end, I went to bed having achieved nothing and feeling really discontented, and to tell you the truth, a bit stressed. I lay awake in bed and decided that today I would do 2 things: I would do a repair on one of P's shirt and I would make the cushions.

So, today, I did both. The shirt took me about 20 mins. I cut and sewed 2 cushions which took me a little more than an hour. And what a sense of achievement! This evening I cut and sewed 2 more cushions, leaving me little more than scraps. So, 2 projects and one length of fabric out of my cupboard! Done and done.

Co-incidentally, today I stumbled across this blog post about why the blogger took all her daughters' toys away. It has nothing to do with sewing, but it made me think. It is making me question why I think I'll die if I don't buy and make everything on my ever increasing list?

I get pleasure from sewing, but if it's just the process of sewing that's key then surely I can sew anything? I don't need to buy more (expensive) fabric for that. Is it to expand my skills? In some cases, but ditto with not needing to buy more.What then, do I need in terms of filling wardrobe gaps? In fairness I do need jeans, and while I don't need them, one or 2 more sweatshirts wouldn't go amiss. What else? Am I picking potential projects based on what is likely to drive blog hits and IG likes? To impress people, even? Maybe. That public validation is important to me. Why? I don't know. That's probably another conversation for another day, but at least I recognise it's not the best reason to pick my sewing projects, or spend my money.

What next? I don't know. I won't be doing any more sewing this week - Great British Sewing Bee tomorrow night and then Small Boy and I are away at the weekend, so I have some time to think about it.

How do you record your inspiration and how do you manage your wish list? And how do you restrain yourself from buying all the things?

Welcome, 2015!

Happy New Year, everyone! Finally I'm back. It wasn't enough that December was super busy, and expensive, but then our laptop packed in completely. It's currently in PC World, having all the files, photos etc taken off it (£80 for the privilege of getting our own stuff back - and so far that's taken 2 weeks and counting), but we decided just to replace it. So, today, we got our new one. With fancy Windows 8.1 which neither of us know how to use...

I have a few half written, or fully written but no-photos-taken posts in draft currently. The laptop issue actually has nothing to do with lack of photos - blame the appalling weather for that one - but, as I've moaned about mentioned before, I cannot fully write a post from my iPad as I can't add links, formatting etc on the Blogger App. Really? Still?!

Anyway, its that time of year when everyone writes their review of 2014/plans for 2015 posts. I wasn't planning on doing that. 2014 wasn't a "typical" sewing year for me (whatever that is), as I had large periods of no sewing (pregnancy tiredness, working full time, new baby), followed by short bursts of intensive sewing (start of mat leave pre-baby, December craziness), and I never really set any goals for the year anyway for exactly that reason.

A few of my favourite makes from 2014. Second from right is as yet unblogged (skirt)

Furthermore, 2015 will throw up some further challenges, and I have no idea how that will affect my sewing time. In May I will go back to work. I don't yet know if that will be full or part time. In August, Small Boy will start school, meaning a whole new episode of our lives and different childcare, thus I will be dropping off/collecting 2 children from 2 different places every working day. In June this year my husband started a new job where he works remotely, and spends a lot of time travelling. He's been away pretty much 5 days a week, every week for the past 3 months. So, it's odds on that I'll be doing all of the above myself. I'm not sure how much time that's going to leave for sewing. Still, I remain optimistic. I might need the sewing to save my sanity!

Considering all of this, I feel there is little point setting myself goals. I know I enjoy sewing best when I am free of constraints and deadlines, so why stress myself further? I have sewing goals that I would like to achieve AT SOME POINT, but I have plenty of time for them.

Instead, for 2015, I'd like to focus on creating space, both literally and mentally. Finishing all the WIPs, mending jobs and promised but not yet fulfilled projects. I'd like to spend some time clearing out my sewing storage space (bit of the hall cupboard), getting things in order and establishing what exactly I have - and then to try to use up my stash where possible. I can't afford the luxury (financially or spacially) of a large stash, and to be honest, I just find it a bit stifling, so I think it would do me good to clear as much as possible: to give my sewing and my creativity room to breathe and develop.

Our hall cupboard - AKA my sewing storage, I am ashamed to admit!

For my recent birthday, I received money, which I plan to spend on a new camera. Our current camera is about 8 years old, and the photo quality is pretty poor. I've recently taken to using my phone for blog photos as the quality is much better. So my last aim for 2015 is to get round to choosing and buying a new camera, and then learning to use it. I think I want a bridge camera - a step up from a point and click, but easier to lug around and to use than a DSLR (I am not a photographer, but I'd like to learn a bit more), and it seems that a bridge would give that. If any of you have any recommendations or suggestions, feel free to let me know in the comments. What camera do you use? (I also asked this recently on Instagram, so apologies for the repetition if you already saw that there).

So, that's me. I am enjoying reading all about what everyone else is planning for 2015 and can't wait to see what progress everyone makes. Good luck to us all!

Hoppity Hoppity Hop

The amazing Danielle from One Small Stitch, who never fails to amaze me with her flattery and generosity (I haven't yet told you that she knitted Baby Boy the most gorgeous cardigan!), has nominated me for this Blog Hop that's currently doing the rounds. Hopefully you are not yet bored of reading this type of post. I know I'm not. I love finding out more about fellow bloggers - it rounds out their personality in my head - and this hop is interesting in that it's about the writing process, not just the sewing.

So, here goes:

1. What am I working on?

Plans. I'm not actually sewing anything, but am planning my next few makes. In the past, I have fallen into the trap of writing a big "summer/autumn/winter sewing plans" type post, and then 100% failed to deliver. I always overestimate my capabilities and underestimate my time. This autumn/winter may be no different, but making my recent Scout in 3 days was a real confidence booster in terms of execution but also in terms of realising what I can achieve if I put my mind to it. P will be working in Dublin for 8 consecutive weeks in the near future, which will leave me lots of evenings to myself, with plenty of sewing time. Of course, it will also mean me looking after 2 children by myself all day (and since our recent holiday Baby Boy has steadfastly refused to go back to sleeping through the night. Sigh.), so of course my evenings may instead be spent exhaustedly collapsed in front of the TV. But I'll go with the optimistic view for now.

My next make is most likely to be another blouse - I bought this gorgeous viscose (below) at the recent Glasgow bloggers meet up for this purpose. I won both the Belcarra and the Afternoon Blouse back during Me Made May, so the viscose will probably become one of these. Unless I go the easy route and churn out another Scout. I am wearing my most recent one every other day at present!

Other plans include a Mabel, a Moss, more blouses/tees (patterns TBC) and perhaps even the Ultimate Trousers if I can psyche myself up enough.

I also have a huge pile of promised unselfish sewing that has been hanging around since the beginning of the year (I promised a friend a dress for her Christmas last year!), and since I  now know that I won't be having any daughters to sew for, I'm taking more interest in boys clothing patterns. I absolutely adore this tee by Girl Like The Sea:

Girl Like The Sea

2. How does my work differ from others in it's genre?

It's written by me. Hopefully my fabric and pattern choices, my personality, my decisions and my skills make my blog mine, because from every other aspect its the same as a million other sewing blogs out there.


3. Why do I write/create what I do?

I sew because I love it. Simple as that. My motivation was never to improve fit, to stop buying RTW or to make a stand against fast fashion. I just really like the process and the achievement. I find sewing utterly addictive and totally consuming. It allows me to switch off from every day life, as it requires concentration, but it's something I love to concentrate on, which makes it a joy. That being said, there is also some motivation around being able to make a "one of a kind" garment, as I do like to be different (my sister would say I like to be contrary, but I disagree :)). That I can make something fit better, that I can avoid unethical manufacturing processes are secondary benefits.

I'm not sure why I write. About 18 months ago, the idea of writing a sewing blog became appealing. I think I wanted to join in and belong to this great online community that I had recently discovered. I wanted to be part of the fun, and I wanted to communicate with like minded, passionate individuals. I suppose a small part of me also wanted to show off what I was making. I actually never expected to stick at it. I thought I'd get bored pretty quickly - I had previously written a blog that had a very short life - but then I found I really enjoy the writing process. I miss it when I don't blog. I've found that having had a baby this year has cut off 2 creative outlets for me - sewing and writing. The 2 have become intertwined for me.


4. How does my writing/creative process work?

I am quite ad hoc about both. As I mentioned above, I make plans but rarely stick to them, so there ends up being no great design. I am easily distracted by the next shiny pattern release, and by pretty fabrics. I didn't take part in Me Made May this year, but if I had done, I know my conclusions would have been no different from the previous year - not enough bottoms and not enough casualwear. I am hopeful this will change. Being pregnant and then not sewing for a while, plus now having different wardrobe requirements (I will be off on maternity leave for a year and don't have nearly enough casualwear for that) are forcing me to think differently. I can't necessarily make the next "big" pattern, as it might not fit my currrent lifestyle requirements, so I'm trying to focus on what will work for me and my current circumstances.

With writing, again there is no one approach. I obviously blog about more than just my sewing here. My personal life does make quite an appearance, and sometimes I have been brutally (too?) honest about things that have been going on in my life. Sometimes I just start writing and see what comes out. Sometimes I have a game plan. I write about what interests me and what I think I'd like to read elsewhere.

With the FO posts, it's a matter of documenting the what and the how. I narrate my post in my head as I sew, but of course I don't write it down, so when I eventually sit down to write, I'll have forgotten most of what I previously "wrote". I'll frequently publish a post only to immediately edit it with something (several things) I have missed. I try to keep a record of changes, issues I've encountered and fixes I put in place, plus any helpful tips I've come across along the way. I don't really consider myself good enough to be writing tutorials, but I like to give something back.

My photography leaves a lot to be desired but I like to ensure I include photos of me wearing the item I have made, front and back views, plus some photos of the insides. I am unfailingly honest about my makes and will post the duds as well as the successes. I'm not sure if that's what people necessarily want to read about, but for me it's important. I like to show that everyone makes mistakes, but more crucially I like to record what I learnt so that (hopefully) I don't make the same mistake again. Unless, of course, I am pregnant/hormonal/sleep deprived in which case I will continue to sew things inside out and back to front.

Writing a post takes a long time for me - several hours. I will write it, read and reread it. And then reread it again. Mostly I end up having to edit and remove content, as I waffle (I do it in real life too). It's important to me that I write "well". I like to read something that's well written (correct spelling, grammar, extensive vocabulary), so I am careful to write something I would want to read, as much as I can within my capabilities. I'm not saying I'm a brilliant writer - far from it, I am far too fond of excessive exclamation mark use - but I like to push myself to be the best I can.. I am also careful to keep my voice. I can easily be swayed by the writing styles of others (e.g. Lauren from Lladybird has a distinctive voice), but that wouldn't be me. And if I wrote like that, you'd be mightily disappointed if you ever met me!

So, I think that's it from me. I'd now like to nominate 2 fellow bloggers to carry on the fun, and I am keeping it here in Scotland, although neither of these bloggers are Scottish! - Kerry from Kestrel Makes and Nessa from Nessa's Place. Kerry's was was one of the first sewing blogs I discovered. I love that she makes 1980's patterns her own - they never look dated on her - and she is less likely to jump on the new pattern bandwagon, so there is always something different to read on her blog. I'm also pleased to hear she's planning to go back to recording her charity shop finds! Nessa makes clothes but also makes the most fantastic quilts. They truly are beautiful! I don't quilt, but again enjoy the differences in the posts she writes.

I have enjoyed this series so much that I would encourage any of you to join in, nomination or no nomination. In fact, although I'm not naming you, consider this your nomination if you fancy a go! If for no other reason than to appease my nosiness!

Finally, because this is a very text heavy post, here is a picture of Baby Boy to break things up. Told you, I put too much of my life in here!

Reflections, Inspirations and Goals

In my last post, I mentioned that I wasn't going to bother with continuing the Top 5 thread of reflections, goals and inspirations, but having given it some thought, I thought I might after all. I find these so interesting to read for other people - hopefully you will think the same, although it does all feel rather self-indulgent!

Reflections
1. I might buy less RTW, but I still impulse buy fabric and patterns.
My goal with sewing has never been to replace RTW. It has a place in my life and my wardrobe, and I am comfortable with that. Since I started sewing and reading blogs, however, I have been conscious about the quality of the clothes I buy. I'd love to say I only buy ethically made clothing, and that I know where every garment was produced, but I don't. To offset this, I try to buy quality as then it lasts longer and I buy fewer garments.This is working well, but I seem to have just shifted the impulse buy mentality to sewing stuff instead: tools, patterns, fabrics, haberdashery! I'm not sure this is much of an improvement.

2. I am not realistic about what I am able to achieve.
From a time perspective, I mean. I am often guilty of thinking I can finish a garment sooner than I can, which often leads to frustration and rush sewing (case in point: my Fall for Cotton blouse).

3. I got better at fit.
Actually, I tried! Previously I didn't bother. I still have a LONG way to go on this, but I definitely made some improvements. Starting to make muslins was a step in the right direction. Of course, none of this helps with point 2!

4. I love blogging!
I truly do! I never thought I would stick at this, but in a fortnight's time, it will be my 1 year blogiversary! God knows what I'll now write in my anniversary post! I've covered it all here.

5. I still cannot always make my perfect garment, because I struggle to find the right fabric.
I have written about this before. I don't know if I am just particularly fussy (probably), but I often struggle to find the "perfect" fabric, meaning that ideal garment is still elusive.

Inspiration
1. RTW
2. Bloggers
3. Pinterest
4. People on the street
These are where I get both my buying and my sewing inspiration from. I noticed this year that I started buying magazines a lot less, as I got bored with them telling me what I had to wear, but I have always looked to the shops and to people for inspiration on what to wear. I really miss my London commuting days for that. Pinterest and blogs have added an extra dimension to this. I think what has been interesting for me, is that when I first started reading blogs I was only interested in those that reflected my style, or the style I wanted/wished I had. But now, even if a blogger has a very different sense of style to mine, I can still get inspiration from her (or him) in terms of details, techniques, fabric choice etc. That's been quite an eye opener for me.

Goals
I have many sewing goals that need to be put on hold this year due to the pregnancy (and ensuing baby). In the meantime, I have a few thoughts. I am wary of calling them goals, they are more aspirations. Things I would like to achieve. These are nice-to-haves, not a to-do list.

1. Continue to sew and blog as often as possible.
2. Sew/refashion as much of my maternity wardrobe as possible. Because I am not seeing much maternity RTW that is inspiring me!
3. Clear out fabric and pattern stash. Neither are huge, but neither is my storage space. I need to review what I have, be honest about what I will actually use, use that and get rid of the rest.
4. Gain a better understanding of fabrics and their qualities e.g. handle, drape, correct uses. I am wondering whether I should start to create a little fabric swatch card or book to help with this. This may help with buying fabric online, which would open up the range of fabrics available to me.
5. Be more realistic about my sewing plans! Acknowledge how little time I have, and how long I take. Do not over-commit!
6. Get to know my overlocker! I have bought Beginner Serging on Craftsy, so this will be a help.

I realise I had also promised you my maternity sewing plans, but this post is already long enough. Given my aspiration not to over-commit, I probably need to review these anyway! Next time. I promise!

Top 5 Hits and Misses of 2013

Oh look! What's that? Why, I do believe it's a bandwagon. Wait, while I jump on!

I was trying to hold off doing this, but my Bloglovin blog-roll is bursting at the seams with Top 5 Hits and Misses, and I've been persuaded to join in the fun! I feel a bit cheeky seeing as I've never read the blogger who kicked this off, Gillian from Crafting a Rainbow, but I'm sure she won't mind.

I probably won't do this properly. For obvious reasons (pregnancy) there is little point in doing the goals and inspirations for next year, as I will be unable to fulfil many sewing goals that I currently harbour (sewing trousers for example), and inspiration will mostly be based upon whatever is most comfortable, but I will do a separate post about my maternity sewing plans. But for the time being, here is my roundup of 2013.

The Hits
(Fortunately, I guess), it is really difficult to chose only 5 makes, so instead here are 5 things I am particularly proud of, in no particular order:

1. Grainline Scouts!
By far and away my favourite discovery of 2013. It might be a bit of a cop out, as this is a very easy pattern to make, but I did still need to do some fitting work to get it right. All 3 have been worn loads (well, the sequin one has been worn as often as a sequin top can realistically be worn), and there are definitely more variations in the pipeline. Love it!

2. Me Made May
I enjoyed MMM13 so much. Yes it was challenging, but it was fun, and it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. It became apparent through the month that I need to make more (some) trousers/jeans, for an entirely me made wardrobe to properly work, but as I don't sew to replace RTW, it hasn't concerned me too much that I haven't yet managed that.

3. Small Girl Dress
I was really happy with this make. Making something small was interesting, but fun, and nice to deal with only small bits of fabric! My sister and my niece love it, which is the most important thing. Lessons learnt from this? Don't just save your best sewing for others. You deserve it yourself! Something I have been trying to put into practise since.

4. Floral Charlotte Skirt
This was a great save of a real miss (see details below). The waist is (was) still a little big, but it didn't stop me wearing this to death this summer and early autumn. I love the fabric and I particularly love the fact that I was able to make something that I love from an unwearable mess! Hurrah for saves!

5. Graphic Green Peony
I had this dress in mind for a while and was glad I finally managed to make it. Technically it's a fail because the fit was terrible, but again, I managed to perform a decent save (IMO) on it, making it a really comfortable wearable dress. My only regret is that I didn't make it earlier in the summer to get more wear out of it. Never mind, I'm sure it'll fit in Summer 2015!

The Misses
Let's start with the most obvious (hint: see no. 4 above).

1. Mad Men Elisalotte
The fit on this was just wrong, wrong wrong! To be fair, my head wasn't in the right place when I made it, and I made the dress in a stretch fabric when it's meant to be non-stretch with negative ease, so this was entirely my fault. I never once wore it in it's original form, but at least I was able to turn it around and make it wearable as a skirt!

2. Fall for Cotton blouse
This wasn't a huge miss, but it was a rush job and as a result the finish is pretty poor. Also, since it was a rush job, I didn't bother with a muslin to my cost. It's too short and as a result it is not a length I feel comfortable wearing. I did wear it once or twice, but never felt fully happy with it. Shame because I like the style and I love the fabric.

3. Spring Mathilde
I enjoyed making this. I'm happy with the fit and the fabric, but I just don't really wear it and I think that's because it's not me. I don't know why. I love it on everyone else. Maybe I need to try it in a different fabric, with a short sleeve? I don't know. I'm disappointed that I don't like this more.

That's it! Not too many fails then, which is good news! As ever, there are still things that I think I can improve on, and even when I'm happy with a finished garment, I'm never, truly 100% happy but with perseverance and attention to detail (and forcing myself to unpick something rather than say "it'll do") I feel I am getting better.

So, in summary, I made 14 garments for myself this year, 1 garment for another person (my niece) and made 3 craft items, of which 2 were for others (bunting for Small Boy and nautical craft swap). OK, so nowhere near the 50 or 60 garments of some people, but I am really happy with my output. I was surprised it had been that many when I counted them up. Next year perhaps a bit more selfless sewing? Well, as I said above, my next post will cover my maternity sewing plans, so maybe!

I know I've said this before, but my next post will most definitely be once we are into 2014, so Happy New Year, whatever your plans! X