Pandora's (Sewing) Box

Sometimes, and often at the most inopportune moments I find myself helpless in the face of the urge to sew. A splurge of making usually follows, and sometimes projects get finished and sometimes they have to wait for a little while! 

This week, after the craft fair I was selling at last weekend, has been mainly occupied with stitching. Pictured above is a little lined zippy pouch, which I have developed for teaching purposes. Not only is it a fun make and a useful finished article, but a great way to use up smaller pieces of fabric. I can see me running up quite a few, perhaps as gifts? Not being a cosmetics sort of person, mine is now stuffed with stationery and pattern drafting tools. 

If you are a regular reader you may recognise the fabric below as I mentioned this dress as my semi-toile. I've done the basic assembly, and I'm really happy with the result. I will finalise the pattern, and finish this properly, and I'm looking forward to wearing it. I will probably bind the neckline instead of taking the seam allowance as a facing, as I don't think I want to take 1cm off it. And although there is a little spare fabric at the waist and hips I am reluctant to take it in_ I want it to fit, but also to be able to move.

Below, my circle skirt is coming together. I had not stay stitched the curves- what a rookie mistake! You can see from how the hem now hangs in more of a handkerchief shape how much the weave has relaxed and travelled since I cut my semicircles. Attaching the waistband was a bit of a nightmare, but it's on there now. Pleasingly, the print pretty much matches up at the side seams. I am leaving it on the dummy for a little while before I cut the hem, just to make sure it has sort of settled and shifted as much as it wants to.

This is some gorgeous needlecord which I bought in a remnant sale, as I just fell in love with the painterly print. I am not really a pink person, but as it juxtaposed with bright red and steely grey I somehow really like it here. There is quite a lot left to do on this skirt: draft, cut, and assemble the facing and lining, as well as insert the zip and sew the back seam... I'm hoping it will be a nice comfortable everyday sort of skirt for chillier days. I am not very good at getting all bundled up for the winter, but I'm hoping with some pretty hand made clothes this winter I will be toasty enough. 

As much as I love to draft my own patterns, it is sometimes fun to follow instructions. I made a little dress from this exciting book as well this week (and actually completed it, you will be pleased to hear!). My version is in silk satin, and it hangs beautifully. There are things I would change if I was to make it again, for example I would change the neck band, as the instructions are for making quite a wide strip on the grain with no shaping, to go all around the neck and shoulders. As a result it sticks out a little, which is not a massive turn-off, but just something I would change next time. Also, I would consider cutting the pattern pieces the opposite way on the fabric. This would be more economic, and would make the straight of grain run up and down the side. This would affect the drape, but depending on the fabric choice I don't think it would reck the design.  I'm really pleased with the result, but it is both very short and very revealing, so I will be wearing it with a top and leggings. 

You may also remember this endearing zebra print from previous entries. I have now cut the pieces for a shirt, so watch out for updates as the finished article comes together. I get the impression many people don't realise how much work there is in a shirt... suffice to say it is a lot! 

And lastly, apologies that my pictures have come out so dark this time, I'll try to make them brighter and sunnier in future :-)

Wild Blackberries & Wilder Weaves

I love ruined buildings, the more romantic and windswept the more I love them, and when chunks of architectural history are strewn about the landscape so much the better. So when this blogging week afforded the opportunity to scramble up a wild hillside and engage with these remains I was delighted. 

There was an owl flying low, and we saw a fox. Plus, there were wild blackberries, just asking to be picked. It was a heavenly morning!

Unwisely, as they were ill-suited to scrambling around the countryside, I wore both the gore skirt I made recently and my hand-knitted jumper.  

I love to draw, but I am poor at making myself do it. I have no idea why I do not draw every day- I certainly did when I was a child. I draw my designs, but not with confidence and conviction. So, I have bought a book entitled '642 Fashion Things to Draw', with a view to drawing a little (or a lot) each day. It is amusing and lighthearted, and ultimately of no consequence, which I find freeing. Being an American publication there are a lot of terms with which I am not familiar (or maybe it is just my ignorance- 'A Pendleton Scarf' anyone...?), but I guess that means it will be educational. Below is my take on 'Patterned Leggings'- such fun! 

Much of this week passed in continuing to sort and tidy, plus lots of tedious paperwork. Until yesterday, when I had such a fun outing to one of favourite parts of London: Bermondsey, to see the 'Made in Mexico' exhibition at the Fashion & Textiles Museum. 

Because I am a supremely lucky person, pictured also is my charm bracelet, with a mini Tower Bridge to carry with me wherever I go. 

 The weaves on show were simply stunning. Although the museum is small, most of the exhibitions I have seen there are impeccably well curated, and provide a mini feast for the eyes.

And this week's culinary treat...? Wild-blackberry Bakewell Tart, using jam made from our earlier pickings. 

Everyday Luxuries

Have you felt autumn creeping into our mornings yet? There is a different quality to the air now, which tells of the seasons changing despite still-sunny days. I don't know whether it is a chill as such, but whatever it is it makes me yearn for crisp fallen leaves and wooly tights. 

A change in seasons is always a chance for a change in thinking, and even if that doesn't mean a radical shift, I find it often leads to at the very least a tidy-up. I discovered that my table did still exist under the piles of paper, and with the timely addition of a sheet of clear pvc-type plastic, I can now use this fantastic hand stitched table cloth without fear of damaging it or ruining it with coffee stains. It really is a work of art, with the most beautiful hand stitching al around the edges, and even a small crocheted trim. 

Now for the rest of the house...

I have found a little time for crafting, but am only allowing myself to go thus far before the tidying mission is complete. Both of these fabrics are from my stash, and until I put them together to photograph them I didn't realise the autumnal orange featured so prominently in both. 

On the left is a wonderful find, a narrow but long length of light fabric I bought from a vintage stall. I just love the illustrative, sketchy rows of print. Shaped and weighted as it is, this fabric is perfect for a circle skirt. Something like this is a quick and satisfying make, and easy to wear yet impressive. I'll team it with sandals and t-shirts now, and boots and woolies in a few weeks. 

On the right, an African wax print that came from a charity shop. It is well washed and very soft, although I do suspect it has served its time as somebody's tablecloth! For me it is a semi-toile (a term which I did indeed just make up), by which I mean I have only made minor modifications to a pattern   which I know fits, so there is a good chance this will turn into a finished dress. However, if something unforseen has gone completely awry then it will be relegated to being a very pretty toile. But that's ok for a tablecloth, right? 

Below is a culinary delight from this week: in my local supermarket I was delighted to find pimentos padron. I have loved eating these on holiday in Spain, for me they are a real taste of a holiday. Hence eating them in the sun in my own back yard was very special

Town & Country

My blogging week started last Saturday with a trip to Walthamstow. 

We came across this wonderful old London gem as we explored the expansive market. 

There were also several fabric shops, my favourite of which was Saeeds, where I purchased the Zebra cotton below, to make a shirt. The service was polite and attentive, the selection of fabrics was really beautiful, and the shop itself was light and airy, and well laid-out.

The crinkle cotton was an impulse purchase from one of the other shops. I love paisley, and at £2/m I decided that it would be worth the investment. I am tempted to make a very simple skirt, but I am as yet undecided. 

One reason for going to Walthamstow was to visit the William Morris house. I am a huge fan of this man, and of the Arts & Crafts movement as a whole. The house had neither the dead feeling of a museum, nor the snobby feeling of an art gallery: we felt welcome and comfortable wandering from room to room. I loved the way that not everything was behind glass, and you could get really close to tools and artefacts, and even touch certain things. Although it was not old, leafing through an accurate reproduction of The Canterbury Tales, as produced by the Kelmscott Press was a surprising delight. 

Walthamstow's indoor market, in Wood Street provided some quality vintage browsing, and threw up this magnificent skein of hand dyed merino wool. I fell in love with these colours, but I am unsure what it will turn out to be, perhaps a hat...?

Pictured below is a dress I whipped up this week. Made from a linen blend with a jumbo print, I used the same pattern that I had drafted for the grey striped dress which you may remember from a couple of weeks ago. I kept this version really simple though, to let the print breathe. I was considering jetted pockets as an alternative to patch pockets, but even that I felt would be too disruptive. This linen is also very chunky, and the 'jets' would have been cumbersome and probably untidy, so I have no pockets. 

As you can probably tell from the background, I debuted the dress when we went walking in the woods (as we seem to do often these days), and as we were slipping around in mud after the rain, I began to wonder whether that was such a smart idea. However, the dress escaped unscathed, which is a testament to what a practical length mid-calf styles are.  

These little beauties came from Abigails Drapery in Lewes, which I visited yesterday. Stuffed full of yarny and textiley goodness, this is definitely somewhere I would like to visit again. The young lady who served us was extremely polite and helpful.

Lewes housed several really beautiful shops (as well as enticing lanes and a spectacular castle), as well as the wonderfully titled 'Needlemakers' arcade. Unfortunately (or luckily for my bank balance) we were early, and many of them were still closed.

Pictured below is one of my favourite places in the world, where we took advantage of the glorious weather and had a swim.

Back in the Friday Groove

Good morning friends! I am greeting you with a little character who I encountered this week- surely everyone loves a Shetland pony...?

Another delight this week included a serene river trip, under endless azure skies. 

I have been meaning to mention this bag for a while: it has become my default day out bag, and even commuted with me on my week in London. Made from beautiful fabric from Mallorca, with a Liberty print lining, and sewn-on leather handles, I was aiming for elegant utility. Sometimes a measure of success is whether a finished object makes you happy, and this bag does just that. Here it is adorned with my scarf, which coordinated surprisingly well. 

Yesterday I started a new knitting project... yes, because I definitely needed one of those! Here is my rationale: I am trying to use up yarns which I have stashed in order to make specific projects. I also wanted a quick fix, and so it made perfect sense to grab something chunky from my stash. This is another summery jumper, which there is no point in waiting until the depths of winter to knit. 

On the left is the brochure photo, and on the right is the start I have made. An added advantage of this pattern is that the body is worked in one piece, with minimal sewing. I was also desperate to try this stitch, which I am sure I have seen called Indian cables in a book. It is fun, but fiddly. 

Below is a little stack of ribbons, which I could not resist purchasing when I stumbled upon them unexpectedly in a cheap shop yesterday. I anticipate that all of my sewing projects will be getting pretty hanging loops for a little while to come!