Wednesday 18 September 2013

Wellington Pattern Pyramid Winner!



It's taken me slightly longer to post this than I had intended and I have no real excuse other than being completely absorbed in sewing my Robson Coat! But the moment has arrived and chosen by random number generator the winner is....



The Amazing Taracat!

Congratulations! I am seeing that as a reward for always making me laugh with your posts! Please shoot me a quick email with your address and I'll get the pattern pyramid in the post to you as soon as.


Saturday 14 September 2013

Anna Dress (Version 2!)

Diary of a Chainstitcher Cherry Blossom Crepe By Hand London Anna Dress Sewing Pattern

Well I think it's about time we talked about my second By Hand London Anna Dress don't you? One day I'll catch up with all the items I've still got to blog about! These pictures were taken a couple of weeks ago, as you may notice rom the glorious sunshine! I was hoping for a sunny September so I could get some more wear out of this lovely fresh print but it already feels like it's been gloomy and wet for about a month so I think Autumn has well and truly arrived.

Diary of a Chainstitcher Cherry Blossom Crepe By Hand London Anna Dress Sewing Pattern

This time I made the midi length with about 6 inches removed, just taken off the hem. This is quite a lot to take off but By Hand London patterns do tend to be drafted for the taller ladies, and at 5ft 3" I'm definitely not that, so I normally take off quite a wedge. Also I personally prefer my skirts just above the knee so I took off a bit more than usual. This alteration meant I managed to squeeze this out of just 1.5m which is worth bearing in mind if you're short like me as the pattern asks for 2.6m! As much as I love the glamour of the maxi Anna I absolutely love this length as it is practical for everyday wear but the interesting construction makes you feel like you've got something a bit special on too.

Diary of a Chainstitcher Cherry Blossom Crepe By Hand London Anna Dress Sewing PatternBy Hand London Anna Dress sewing pattern cherry blossom floral summer crepe chainstitcher

The fabric is a digitally printed polyester crepe from Sew Over It in Clapham, who a lovely variety of prints in different weights. I've actually been holding onto it for a few months as I picked it up on a whim at the start of summer when I was thinking about making playsuits, it was one of those prints that instantly caught my eye and I couldn't resist! It's very lightweight and drapey but not particularly sheer, even in direct sunlight. I was really pleased to discover that even though it's polyester I stayed quite cool in it, even running around on hot days. I think the fit of the dress and those kimono sleeves help.

Diary of a Chainstitcher Cherry Blossom Crepe By Hand London Anna Dress Sewing Pattern

I did have some difficulty with the fabric shifting around while cutting, it was hard to make sure it was completely on grain even with lots of pins. I got there in the end but I think next time I'm working with a fabric this fine I'll give the 'cutting between sheets of paper/tissue paper' trick a go. I've seen it talked about quite a lot recently (Jen from Grainline wrote a good post on it) and think with a slippery silk it would be particularly useful. The fabric shifting about also caused a few problems while sewing and I ended up with a few puckered skirt seems. I redid some parts and pressed it as much as I could but there's still a couple of points that are bugging me a bit. Writing that has just reminded me that the polyester content gave me a few issues when pressing as it couldn't take anything more than the lowest heat setting (learnt that the hard way!) but it really needed a bit more to get some of the seams to lie flat.

Diary of a Chainstitcher Cherry Blossom Crepe By Hand London Anna Dress Sewing Pattern

After having some issues with the neckline gaping on my first Anna I decided to cut out some of that excess this time rather than adding in darts. I'd unfortunately already cut this version before I noticed the issue with my first so I couldn't do a proper alteration to the pattern. I'd seen a couple of other bloggers had taken some out of the centre back to reduce the neckline width so I decided I could still do this. I measured 1" in from the centre back at the neckline on each piece and drew a line down to nothing at about 5" down. It's probably not the best way to go about it as it messes with the grain along the centre back but I'm pretty happy with the result. If you want to do a proper alteration Sonja from Ginger Makes wrote a great post on how simple it is. Along with simply clipping and under-stitching the neckline this seems to have solved not only the gaping issue but the problem I had getting the slash neck to lie flat.

Diary of a Chainstitcher Cherry Blossom Crepe By Hand London Anna Dress Sewing Pattern
Neckline construction
Diary of a Chainstitcher Cherry Blossom Crepe By Hand London Anna Dress Sewing Pattern
Matching of skirt seams and bodice pleats
I'm really really pleased with seam and dart matching all over, it's much better than my first Anna. I'm also really happy with the invisible-ness of my invisible zip and I even included an enclosed hook and eye at the top of the zip using Karen from Did You Make That's tutorial. I love this technique!

Diary of a Chainstitcher Cherry Blossom Crepe By Hand London Anna Dress Sewing Pattern
Concealed hook and eye and pinked facings

On my first Anna I used bias binding to finish my facing's but felt it was a little bulky with the drape of the fabric and style of the pattern. This fabric has a similar drape but hardly frays at all so I simply pinked the edges of the facing this time, along with the centre back zip seam.

Diary of a Chainstitcher Cherry Blossom Crepe By Hand London Anna Dress Sewing Pattern

Again I used french seams throughout and I just love how neat it looks inside, plus it's nice knowing that this will hold up in the wash!

So my second Anna is probably not as much of a hit as my first but still gets a big thumbs up from me! My third version is the most glamourous of the lot but I need the rain to stop so I can get some decent pictures for you this weekend! I love how versatile this pattern is and think it can be a completely different dress when using fabrics of different weights and drapes. I've got a luscious bit of emerald green wool crepe I got at a remnant sale which I might just be able to squeeze the midi version out of for winter...

Diary of a Chainstitcher Cherry Blossom Crepe By Hand London Anna Dress Sewing Pattern

Tuesday 10 September 2013

A not-so-successful Salme Playsuit


I was really excited about this make when I got started on it just as the weather turned lovely and hot back in July, but I'm less than enamoured with it now it's done and it hasn't had a single wear yet! I don't think this has anything to do with the pattern or the fabric, but rather the combination of pattern and fabric which is entirely my fault! I'm quite disappointed as I absolutely love this fabric and wish I had used it for a more successful project.


I got the fabric in an accidental trip to Simply Fabrics in Brixton, which can come up trumps with some bargain fabric treasures! It's a lovely, drapey viscose which feels sooo nice to wear. I love that the print looks a bit like a giant gingham. It looks very familiar to me and I'm not sure why, perhaps a little Kate Spade?


I used the Salme Patterns playsuit pattern and I love the simple, relaxed style of the design but I think, although I imagine it's meant to be worn with some ease for that slouchy look, it's come up a little large which hasn't helped my lack of excitement for the finished product. I definitely should have made a muslin (especially as both of my previous Salme Pattern makes have come up a little on the large side) but as any of you Brits will understand I was desperate to get this done as quickly as possible, once the sun is out as you never know how long the good weather is going to stick around!


The one thing I'm loving about this make (with the exception of the kimono sleeves which are becoming a bit of an obsession after the success of my Anna's) are the genius construction and finishing methods detailed in the pattern instructions. The best of these are the pockets which, with 4 pattern pieces each, seemed overly complicated and caused a helluva lot of head scratching when I first read the instructions through. But I just went with it and man did I love the look of them and feel like an accomplished seamstress when I was done. Especially as I used french seams everywhere possible!


I also love the clean finish of the neckline with a facing and and concealed press stud fastenings. I chose to finish the edge of the facing with bias binding but I had to stitch the facing down as it kept flipping out around the neckline and wouldn't lay flat despite notching and under-stitching the seam. I just decided to topstitch round the edge of it with my machine and am actually pretty chuffed with how neatly I managed to do it and the finished effect. 


The only aspect of the construction I'm not delighted with is the elasticated waist which I personally don't particularly like wearing, I feel like it sucks in a not very flattering way and just feels uncomfortable.


I made more of an attempt than I ever have before with pattern matching as I thought this pattern had the potential to look atrocious if I didn't make any attempt! I by no means put huge amounts of effort into this and have since discovered Tasia's super useful tutorials on the subject which will come in handy next time, but I'm pretty pleased with the overall effect. I mainly wanted to ensure the stripes of squares lined up at obvious points and that the crotch didn't look awful and I think I managed it. Ish.


That still doesn't make up for the fact that I feel a little like a clown when I'm wearing it though. And when was loading the pics onto my computer this surprise photo gave away the photographers true feelings on the make...


Haha! To be fair looking at it from behind I feel like that too!

I'd really love some tips from you guys on how to make this more wearable. Looking at the pictures I think I should definitely shorten the shorts a fair bit to help the overall proportions of it and expanse of the print. My other half thinks I should slim the shorts down too which I think could work but is a fairly major alteration as those pockets are so beautifully complicated! Or maybe I should even cut off the shorts entirely (I'm really not sure on the look of them in this print!) and either turn it into a blouse or attempt to get some more of the same fabric and add on a skirt? I do actually have a polyester crepe version of this fabric in the black squares on cream colour way so perhaps a skirt in the alternate colour way would be nice? Or too much? There's so many options I'm weighing up, none of them which I'm 100% sure will work out! Autumn seems to have hit us over the weekend anyway so I doubt we'll be seeing any weather hot enough to be wearing this for at least 9 months!

Thursday 5 September 2013

Wellington Pattern Pyramid Giveaway!


A little while ago I was the lucky winner of a giveaway for the Wellington Pattern Pyramid hosted by Catja from Gjeometry! If you haven't heard of a 'pattern pyramid' giveaway before it is an idea dreamed up by Karen of Did You Make That. She very generously gave away quite a large number of patterns on her blog, a selection of patterns went to each winner who could then choose one of those patterns to keep and host their own giveaway for rest, adding in one from their own collection. The sewing network of Wellington, New Zealand liked the idea so much they decided to start their own when they had a number of patterns going spare after a big meet up and swap. It's a fantastic idea to save patterns going to waste. I was so excited to win, partly because I just love the idea of this bundle of patterns winging it's way around the world. I know it's been to New Zealand and Canada so far, where too next?!

As well as having the most inventive way of deciding a winner of all time, Catja sent me some lovely little gifts along with the pattern pyramid including some little labels, tape measures and mini mechanical pencils which I was far too excited about! Thank you so much Catja!

So I bet you want a closer look at those patterns hey?! There are some great patterns to choose from in this pyramid, but you will have to look past some seriously questionable cover art!


First up these two Butterick wrap skirt patterns which the lovely Catja added in herself. They are so like Tilly's Miette skirt don't you think?! If you've got your eye on these it's worth noting that the small size pattern (24-25" on the right) only has instructions in French and the medium size pattern (26.5-28" on the left) has no instructions at all. If you've got a bit of sewing experience under your belt I'm sure you could work out the construction for yourself though.


These next three patterns all have a good size range (10-18, 8-18 and 12-20) and between them provide (along with a good laugh at that 1980s delight in the middle) a whole lot of variety. Simplicity 2771 is for a knit dress with maxi, midi, tunic and neckline variations. Simplicity includes patters for a jacket, trousers, skirt, vest top and bag no less! I was seriously tempted by this one.


If you fancy doing some selfless sewing there's a Butterick pattern for some amazing 1970s men's outerwear (in a chest size 38") or if you feel like branching out into accessories there's a pattern for that too!


There are McCall's patterns for 1 hour pants (someone needs to put that claim to the test!) and for a princess seamed button up top with 7 variations! Both of these are sized 10-14.


These three provide quite a lot of options for separates, the simple shift dress included in Vogue 2659 (view B) looks particularly lovely. From left to right these patterns are sizes 14-18, 12-16 and 12-16.


Lastly there are two Vogue patterns in sizes 14-20/22. I absolutely love both of these two and was gutted that they weren't in my size. I want to see someone make that coat please!

The pattern I'm choosing to keep is the lovely Simplicity 3877 dress pattern below. I really like the look of view B (the left hand picture) quite a simple and classic dress shape but with some interesting details like the little collar which reminds me of the Colette Hawthorn.


And the pattern I'm adding in is Simplicity 2588 ins sizes 12-20. It's from the ever popular Project Runway range and includes a serious amount of options including variations on necklines sleeves and skirt shapes, you could get a whole lot of mileage out of this pattern!


All you need to do to enter is leave a comment on this post and just for fun tell me what sewing project you're working on at the minute. The giveaway is of course open worldwide and you've got until midnight (GMT) on Saturday 14th September to enter. I'll announce the winner no later than a few days after that. Good Luck!

Monday 2 September 2013

Anna Dress (Version 1!)

I've been doing a whole load of sewing recently so I've got plenty of completed projects to show you which I haven't got round to blogging about yet; including THREE versions of By Hand London's Anna! Here's the first and possibly my favourite:

Diary of a Chainstitcher Autumnal Floral By Hand London Maxi Anna Dress Sewing Pattern

This was intended as a wearable muslin so I used an extremely cheap viscose print I bought a couple of months ago from a very entertaining market stall outside Rolls n' Rems in Lewisham. During cutting I realised I absolutely loved it though so did my very best to make it work out first time and I'm really really pleased with it.

Diary of a Chainstitcher Autumnal Floral By Hand London Maxi Anna Dress Sewing Pattern

I'm sure you've all seen many many versions of this pattern popping up around the internet, and I know I'm not the first blogger to have fallen in love with this pattern and made multiple versions! If you want proof of this pattern's versatility just check out Lizzy and Rosin who have made 7 between them! It's not surprising that the pattern has become such a rapid hit, it's a simple yet unique design that I can see looking great on all body types. The full panelled skirt makes it feel like you're wearing something really special but my favourite bit is for sure the little pleats under the bust which provide shape to the bodice. I love a fitted waist and this combined with the kimono sleeves is super flattering. If I still haven't sold you on it there's a sew-a-long hosted by the By Hand London girls themselves starting on Monday 16th September!

Diary of a Chainstitcher Autumnal Floral By Hand London Maxi Anna Dress Sewing Pattern
Under bust pleats in the bodice

I opted for the maxi length as I absolutely love a maxi dress in the summer and have never made one but I left out the thigh high split on this occasion as I thought I'd get more wear out of it without. I've since realised I LOVE the thigh high split on everyone else's versions but am still happy I left it out on this one as it means it's still just about practical enough for work. I've been enjoying wearing it in the surprisingly warm British summer but also think it will be great to wear in autumn with boots!

Diary of a Chainstitcher Autumnal Floral By Hand London Maxi Anna Dress Sewing Pattern

I went with the high slash neckline on this version as I love how this looks with the kimono sleeves. The neckline was the only part of the dress I had trouble with the fit of as it came up really wide and so gaped front and back; I know a few other bloggers have mentioned this too. I think I have fairly small shoulders which didn't help this situation. I'd already attached the facing, done all the clipping and under-stitching to secure this and even inserted the zip when I realised it was big here so on this version I just added in a couple of darts at the back of the neckline. I'm not completely overjoyed with the result as it doesn't line up quite right and am tempted to unpick and redo it, but fit wise it's made a huge difference.

Diary of a Chainstitcher Autumnal Floral By Hand London Maxi Anna Dress Sewing Pattern
Insides all finished with french seams

Another great thing about this pattern is how quick it is to sew up. The simplicity of it is genius. Even on the first go and using my favourite french seams throughout it only took me 3 or 4 hours. I'd really recommend using french seams to finish this dress, especially if you're including the split and using a lightweight fabric. I just pinked the centre back seam where the zip is inserted and it's holding up great so far. I bound the edge of the facing with some white shop bought bias tape I had in my stash which I love the look of but is probably slightly too stiff compared to the floaty main fabric so I'd just pink or turn and stitch the edges in future.

Diary of a Chainstitcher Autumnal Floral By Hand London Maxi Anna Dress Sewing Pattern

I'm most pleased with the hem. I went for about a hem of about an inch to give it a bit of weight at the bottom. It was a bit of a fiddle trying to get it to sit right as the skirt has such a flare but I took my time and am pretty proud of the result. Plus I've managed to get it the ideal length for me, result!

I love this combination of fabric and pattern. The drapey viscose worked out great for the skirt and has enough body to hold the structure of the bodice nicely.

Diary of a Chainstitcher Autumnal Floral By Hand London Maxi Anna Dress Sewing Pattern

I was so pleased with this dress that I ended up wearing this instead of the dress I was making specifically for my birthday drinks a couple of weeks ago. It had to be the best when I was seeing my lovely fellow Spoolettes! It got worn again to visit my family this weekend for belated birthday celebrations and I can see it being my press night outfit too...good job I made an effort with the finishings so it will hold up in the wash!

London Spoolettes!
With Emmie, Nicole and Sally on my Birthday!

Speaking of my birthday I was lucky enough to receive a handful of new patterns, some money for fabric shopping, the Great British Sewing Bee book and a beautiful pair of Gingher shears! I think my nearest and dearest might have picked up on this sewing addiction of mine don't you?! Thank you all (because I know you're reading!) for the lovely thoughtful gifts, for encouraging this fascination of mine and for putting such a big smile on my face all year round!