Saturday 27 April 2013

Me-Made-May '13!


After much umming and ahhhing I've decided to go for it and participate in Me-Made-May this year! I don't really feel like I have enough of a me-made wardrobe to be giving this a go, well at least not enough everyday wear, but I've got much more than I had this time last year and I do wear more me-made garments out and about as my sewing confidence has grown. So....

'I, Fiona of Diary of a Chainstitcher, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '13. I endeavour to wear at least one me-made garment three times a week for the duration of May 2013'

Hopefully three garments a week won't be too much of a push. I've already got some plans and am hoping I can get a few more bits and pieces made up during May itself to give me some variety towards the end of the month.

I'm planning on doing a once a week post on here to round up my three outfits for the week. Hopefully the fact that I have you all to keep tabs on how I'm doing will keep me on track!

I think it's such a brilliant idea of Zoe's and am so pleased to be able to give it a go. Who else is getting involved this year and for who is it the first time?!

Thursday 25 April 2013

Giveaway!

It's time for my very first giveaway!

According to Bloglovin' I've just reached 50 followers! Well actually that big number has passed by in a sudden surge which I'm putting down to Rachel's fantastic meet up at the weekend! Google reader has me down as having 25 followers too so actually I could say I've just passed 75 but I've got an inkling that some of those may be the same people as on Bloglovin' due to the recent news about the impending end of Google Reader; so let's just say this giveaway is to celebrate passing the big 5 0.

I can't believe there's that many people out there in the world who want to see what I have to say and what I have sewn! I get so excited every time I see a new follower and every single one of your comments is HUGELY appreciated so thank you for taking the time to read and share your thoughts. I feel like I'm making real friends through this little blog of mine and I've learnt so much about sewing from your advice.

I started this blog just over 18 months ago and while posting was a bit sporadic to say the least for quite a while I've really tried to post more and become more involved in the sewing community this year. Over the last few months I've becoming a better 'sewcialist', through twitter, pinterest, meet ups and blog comments both here and on all your lovely blogs. What a wonderful, supportive and welcoming community it is too!

Basically thank you all for being so bloody fantastic.

On to the main event. I have two lovely patterns up for grabs...



Item No. 1 - Lisette Continental 2059 in sizes 6-14 (UK) - including 3 very versatile spring/summer patterns for a casual dress, blouse and skirt, all brilliant blank canvases for your creativity!



Item No. 2 - Cynthia Rowley 2406 in sizes 14-22 (UK) - a gorgeous dress pattern with 4 variations including different sleeve options and lengths lending itself to day or evening wear depending on fabric choice

Both patterns are uncut, unopened even in the original envelopes.

To enter please leave a comment below stating which pattern you would like (feel free to put your hand up for both if you like!). Please include your email address in the comment if I can't easily access it on your profile. You have until midnight (GMT) on Wednesday 1st May to enter.

Good Luck!

Monday 22 April 2013

Remnant Sale!

Just a quick post for any London based fabric lovers (which after the awesome meet up at the weekend I know is quite a few!). The Berwick Street Cloth Shop, The Silk Society and Broadwick Silks (all based on or just off Berwick Street) are currently having a remnant sale. This group of shops are normally way too pricey for my amateur dressmaking purposes but if there's a chance to get some gorgeous high quality fabric at bargain prices I'm there!



I managed to bag a good sized piece of a beautiful emerald green wool crepe for £9 a metre instead of £35! The dangers of working around Berwick Street and spotting a sign...

The address is 77 Berwick Street, London, W1F 8TH. You go in what looks like a door to a flat with a big sandwich board outside and upstairs to a teeny tiny room full of piles of fabric. It's on until 26th April. Have fun!


Sunday 21 April 2013

Mad Men Challenge - Joan Blouse

Diary of a Chainstitcher Mad Men Challenge Joan Holloway style Papercut Patterns La Sylphide blouse worn with By Hand London Charlotte Skirt sewing pattern

I have a confession to make. This isn't what I had planned to submit for Julia Bobbin's Mad Men Challenge. That lovely dress is still not finished, well pretty much only just about cut out. It's taken quite a lot of planning as I'm attempting to incorporate elements from a few of her looks into something that suits what I can wear every day.  I initially pinned a lot of images to my Pinterest board devoted to the challenge but couldn't see any one dress I wanted to exactly copy which I knew I would then get wear out of afterwards. So I decided to go down the 'Joan inspired' route. I want to get it just right and not rush it so I went with a much simpler idea and am very pleased with the result!

Joanie is by far my favourite Mad Men character so I stuck with basing my garment on her style. I still wanted to make something I would get some wear out of as a lot of my sewing projects err on the side of evening or special occasion wear. I went back through my pins and settled on her coral pink pussy bow blouse in the top picture.

Diary of a Chainstitcher Mad Men Challenge Joan Holloway style Papercut Patterns La Sylphide blouse worn with By Hand London Charlotte Skirt sewing pattern

I used the La Sylphide Blouse pattern from Papercut Patterns; I thought design wise straight out of the envelope it was pretty perfect to imitate Joan's look. Sleeve length, neckline and fit, spot on! This was my first time using a Papercut Pattern and I'm very pleased to report they are a big hit with me! The packaging is gorgeous and the pattern pieces are printed on a couple of robust brown paper sheets, meaning you have to be a lot less gentle with them than the usual tissue versions. You also get to make up the instructions into a lovely little booklet which I thought was great as it's a good size to keep next to your machine and very satisfying to keep turning the pages as you move through.

I cut a size XS based on my measurements and am pretty happy with the fit. It skims the waist and has a nice amount of ease elsewhere to help it sit and hang well. I've always liked the idea of the peplum look but when I've tried any peplum tops on in the high street found it to be a very unflattering style on me! I guess it was therefore a bit silly of my to choose a peplum top to sew up but there's something about this which works for me. I think it's a combination of the bow and loose three quarter length sleeves balancing the amount of fabric around the hips and just plain good drafting!

Diary of a Chainstitcher Mad Men Challenge Joan Holloway style Papercut Patterns La Sylphide blouse worn with By Hand London Charlotte Skirt sewing pattern

Even though I don't think I would have been drawn to this 'smart blouse' style of top in the shops (it's too 'office wear' for my purposes) I really love it! Paired with my brocade Charlotte skirt I think it makes a great Joan outfit, particularly when tucked in and this is a great top for tucking in to high waisted skirts as it's already shaped to fit closer at that point before flaring out into the peplum.

I used some type of imitation sand-washed silk I bought for about £2 a metre in Walthamstow market a while back. The fabric is very lightweight and drapey but didn't cause too many problems as the slightly sand-washed texture stops it from slipping and sliding about to much against itself or the machine. Even though I love the coral pink of Joan's blouse it's a colour that doesn't suit me in that solid a block close to my face. This soft green is much more my colour and I stuck to a solid rather than a print as Joan very rarely does prints or patterns.

Diary of a Chainstitcher Mad Men Challenge Joan Holloway style Papercut Patterns La Sylphide blouse worn with By Hand London Charlotte Skirt sewing pattern

Sewing wise this was definitely my most challenging make to date. I didn't really think about it when I set out but there's quite a lot of fiddly aspects to making this blouse; and quite a few of the techniques I had never tried before! To start with there are darts and sleeves to set in which are both things to be careful with but I've done at least a few times before. Then there there's the neck tie which I was sort of dreading but actually really enjoyed putting together. I am very proud of my lovely even topstitching around the back of the neckline!

Diary of a Chainstitcher Mad Men Challenge Joan Holloway style Papercut Patterns La Sylphide blouse sewing pattern

There's also a button placket to deal with down the centre front. I don't know why I didn't pick up on this until I basically got to this step but I've never sewn a button hole before. Let alone a row of them on a stabilised placket. I usually avoid patterns involving buttons like the plague; my brain must have just decided to ignore that this was a feature on this one until it could ignore no more! Anyway, I cheated. I did fully intend on doing it properly and sat down with some scraps of my fabric to practice machine buttonholes. Then I realised I have no idea where the manual for my machine is. I can't recall ever seeing it or using it even. And I don't have the faintest idea how to make my machine make them. I have what I think is a buttonhole foot and a quick bit of googling tells me my machine has the capability to do them but I don't know how. I really do intend to learn how to do them, and am requesting a new manual from Janome so I can but for this I just faked it by sewing the buttons on the front and using press studs behind to fasten. I'm still chuffed with my neat plackets!

Diary of a Chainstitcher Mad Men Challenge Joan Holloway style Papercut Patterns La Sylphide blouse sewing pattern

The one technique that I wasn't fretting about was the rolled hem after I'd had such success with my new rolled hem foot on my Dip Hemmed Scout Tee. Guess which technique involved the most time and swearing! My fabric just did NOT want to roll. It was rolling too much, rolling too little; my hem was all kinds of uneven and wobbly when I got round. I've re worked it but am still not 100% happy. Think I'm going to need to spend a bit more time on that. I used french seams throughout with the exception of the armhole seams which I bound so it seems a shame to ruin such a neat inside finish with an awful hem.

Diary of a Chainstitcher Mad Men Challenge Joan Holloway style Papercut Patterns La Sylphide blouse worn with By Hand London Charlotte Skirt sewing pattern

I really like that the cuffs are interfaced by the way. It seems to help keep a bit of shape and body in the sleeves however you hold your arms.

I can't wait to see everyone else's Mad Men inspired makes in Julia's round up post! Here's one final attempt at a Joan pose to amuse you all on a Sunday evening:

Diary of a Chainstitcher Mad Men Challenge Joan Holloway style Papercut Patterns La Sylphide blouse worn with By Hand London Charlotte Skirt sewing pattern

Wednesday 17 April 2013

New York, New York

Top of the Rock

So I am unfortunately back from NYC. I had the most amazing week and it was so difficult to tear myself away from the city to go to the airport Saturday afternoon. But what did make it slightly easier was taking some beautiful fabrics back home with me!

I did of course shop the garment district, and I did of course do that on more than one occasion! In fact the first time I went I only made it to Mood and I was so overwhelmed with the vast and beautiful selection I left empty handed, resolved to return with a better plan of what I was ideally looking for. Because they have EVERYTHING. You NYC and LA seamstresses are so lucky. I can't think of a single UK fabric store, in reality or even online, that comes close to comparing to the size and variety of choice.
Garment District Information Booth

BUT a little Mood birdie told me that soon us London ladies may be feeling pretty lucky too. This is mega exciting news (which could possibly be news that everyone already knows about and I've somehow unexplainably missed, so apologies if so!). MOOD HAVE PLANS FOR A LONDON BRANCH!!! Yes, you read that right. One of the lovely cutters in Mood NYC (I hope they bring staff too because they are all so nice and helpful in there!) told me that 'London is our next stop'. They have apparently been planning this for at least a year and have found the building they like in Soho, but the wonderful beings that are London estate/letting agents are making things difficult and slowing things up. So I have no idea how long this may be away but I'm guessing some time, which is probably a good thing as my bank balance needs some time to recover from this trip!

Me in Mood!!!

I had prepared myself for Mood to be on the pricey side compared to the cheap stuff I usually buy (£1 a metre in Walthamstow market yes!), they do deal in designer fabrics after all, but I was actually really pleasantly surprised. I didn't pick up a single bolt which the price tag made me drop it in horror, in fact I found most of the prices to be very reasonable for the quality of the fabric. I LOVED the fact that all the bolts are labelled with their fibre content, price and more often than not, designer by the way. It made me feel so much more comfortable browsing.

So what did I buy you may ask? Well here's my fairly modest Mood haul.


It might not seem like a lot, but I wanted to choose some beautiful fabrics for specific projects while I was here rather than just buying whatever caught my eye and was cheap. Plus I was trying to be very honest with myself about how big my stash already is and how much sewing I actually get done compared to the plans in my head!

The gorgeous teal cotton sateen on the left I bought to make an Elisalex dress for my boyfriend's brother's wedding in May. Fingers crossed I think it will be a great weight for the Elisalex and I just love the glow the sateen has, especially in this colour. Next up I bought a couple of yards of some black Thakoon rayon crepe for $10 a yard. It's sooo soft and drapey, gorgeous! This is for a project I'm working on at the minute so hopefully you'll see that looking very different very soon! Lastly, my one impulse buy. I've got no idea as yet what I'm going to use this for but I couldn't resist. It's a gauzey cotton and silk blend and again feels SO good! It's just the type of pattern I go for, soft, random and not too wild.

I did um and ah over some beautiful Marc Jacobs polka dot linen. However I could only see it in the pink colour-way and I'm not that much of a pink girl, plus it would have pushed me WAY over my fabric shopping budget for the trip (not that I wasn't already over anyway!). I've since realised it is the exact same fabric Lauren used to make her gorgeous Miette, and that slightly makes me wish I had bought it (I want to be twinsies with her!) but too late for that now!

I couldn't get a great picture of this, it's got much more colour to it in reality
As for the rest of the garment district I had a good mooch round and a peek into various shops, but my stand out favourites were Parons and Pacific Trimmings. Parons was just filled with really beautiful and at the same time really useful fabrics, and again was labelled up gorgeously. But my favourite bit about Parons was the 50% off reduction section at the back! It was there that I found the stunning mint green Christian Dior silk and rayon blend above left. It looks and acts a bit like linen but doesn't wrinkle. Win! And it was only $10.50 a yard! Plus it looks gorgeous paired with the patterned voile I got in Mood above. I also bought the matching rayon blend lining you see above for $3 a yard. I'm not sure on this colour on me against my face so am tempted to use it for a skirt or maybe even trousers...eek. But then again the weight and drape of it would make a gorgeous simple fitted dress. Any ideas or pattern suggestions would be most welcome, I've got 2 yards!


I think I walked around Pacific Trimmings with my mouth hanging open the whole time. For a place which just deals in trims and other teeny tiny things this place is huge! I can't imagine that you'd ever not find what you need in there. I was very restrained and only bought myself two rolls of stay tape, one black, one white, as this is the one thing that I really struggle to find here in the UK.

Empire State Building from near Union Square

I don't think I could ever get bored of this beautiful city. My sister and I have somehow managed to come back with a list of things we'd like to do next time. There will definitely be a next time.

The Flatiron Building from Madison Square Park

I don't want to bore you all with a hundred non sewing related stories and photos of my trip so I'm just going to give you a few of my highlights. We were super lucky with the weather, only one rainy day (involving a very cold and soggy Yankee game!) and Monday-Wednesday the temperatures got into the 80s with clear sunshine. Another thing that made it all the more difficult to leave!

Walking across Brooklyn Bridge

Beautiful Central Park

Walking the Highline Park

Greenwich Village (stopping for a cupcake at the Magnolia Bakery)


Anyway, enough daydreaming and reminiscing, I've got a Mad Men Challenge garment to be getting on with!


Monday 1 April 2013

Vintage Treasure

Happy Easter everyone! I hope you've all enjoyed a lovely relaxing weekend and found some time for a little bit of stitching!

I've recently been going through my things from when I was a child back home as my Dad is moving house soon. It was really amazing to go through all my old things; I found my very first sewing machine! This has been kept, of course.


My Dad had also found these two amazing sewing books in the loft which my Mum says belonged to my Nan. My sister said when Dad found them he said 'well at least that's one thing we know what we're going to do with!' Without a doubt these two have found a home with me. I was sooo excited! I love these kinds of finds and the fact that I can actually make use of these now is just amazing!

The Singer book has a copyright date of 1969 and the other doesn't have any kind of date or copyright page so Mum thinks was some kind of magazine or sewing materials supplement. From the clothes and the pictures I'd place it around the same date; late 1960s.


As if the fact that these are pieces of sewing history wasn't good enough these might actually turn out to be the most useful sewing books I am lucky enough to own. Both of them cover absolutely every technique I can ever see myself needing to look up and in quite some detail. All the information is still completely relevant to sewing today, it's how to sew and sew well.


The Singer book is just HUGE. The picture above is just one of the five contents pages and you can see the amount of detail it goes into and the ground it covers. It not only starts with the very basics of sewing but throughly discusses fabric choice, including colours to suit you and estimating yardage. It then moves through all the steps of garment construction including fitting at different stages of the process and how to sew and include a huge range of design elements, even finishing up with some guidance for home sewing.


The Simplicity book is very different in that it includes photos along with drawings to illustrate it's step by step guides. There are a few aspects to this book that jump out and intrigue me straight away. Quite a large portion of the book is dedicated to 'The Simplicity Unit System of Sewing'. This is a fascinating step by step guide of the best order in which to put together and finish pattern pieces for almost every type of garment. I'd love to study this and use it along with my basic pattern drafting knowledge to create my own garments from absolute scratch.


Along with this there's a section on how to use a pattern which should be really useful when it comes to working with some of my Nan's vintage patterns (as yet I'm too scared of these to do anything other than smooth out the pattern pieces and admire the envelope illustrations!) There's also a section on working with 'special fabrics' such as knits and slippery fabrics along with pattern matching. Tackling all of these things are high up on my sewing to do list so this book is already looking to be worth it's weight in gold!

I think I'm all set for sewing books now don't you?!


P.S. I'm super excited about The Great British Sewing Bee finally starting! Tuesday 2nd April 8pm BBC2. That's TOMORROW! Go Tilly!