Friday 31 January 2014

January Indie Pattern Update!


So it's the end of January already and time for the first of my posts rounding up the news from our favourite Independent Pattern Companies from the past few weeks.

New Pattern Companies!


New Patterns


Sew-alongs

  • Colette patterns launched a separate website (sewalongs.com) to host all their sew-alongs. You can already easily access all their previous sew-along posts there, it's a fantastic resource! Their Albion coat sew-along started on 24th January so there's still time to catch up. They're running a competition to win a Bernina!
  • The By Hand London Georgia Dress sew-along has just started. I know a few of you (including me!) have been eagerly awaiting it to help achieve the perfect fit on your dress so I can't wait to see the results. They're including instructions for bonus strapless AND baby doll versions so get sewing!
  • Lolita Patterns' sew-along for the gorgeous Spearmint coat starts on Monday 3rd February - I'm hoping it will inspire me to make my own coat
  • The Blue Ginger Doll sew-along for the Stella blouse is up and running. New contributer to the blog Heather from Handmade by Heather B is writing some of the posts and it looks to be packed with some great tips and diagrams.
  • Sew Over It are starting their very first sew-along for their recently released pattern line on 4th February. They'll be sharing their tips for constructing their 1940s Tea Dress

Other Exciting News


As always I have been so inspired by how you guys have made up these patterns in your own unique ways. Here are 5 that caught my eye in January:

Images borrowed from the lovely ladies' blogs. Click links below to see more

  • Anna from Paunnet's absolutely stunning dress made from the bodice of By Hand London's Anna and the skirt of Christine Haynes' Emery. She used the wool blend border print to perfection.
  • Oonaballoona's smoking hot Georgia Dress. It fits like a glove and the decision to add that fringing makes it totally unique.
  • Chantal from A Handmade Wardrobe's amazing plaid wool Minoru by Sewaholic. It's the first I've seen made up in such a smart fabric and looks so beautifully made.
  • Sally from The Quirky Peach's floral Riegel Bomber Jacket from Papercut Patterns is just beautiful! I need some of that print!
  • Miss Amy's Deer & Doe Plantain with leather elbow patches and shoulders is such a great example of using a pattern creatively to suit you! I love the fabrics she chose and how it turned out.

Tuesday 21 January 2014

Advice for Using a Rolled Hem Foot

I mentioned in the post about my La Sylphide Dress that I'd had trouble perfecting my rolled hem at the points where you need to hem across the side seam. Reading the comments on this post I noticed that a fair few of you also suffer from similar issues when using this wonderful but at times tricky and frustrating sewing machine foot. I've been doing a bit of detective work on the internet to see if I could find any tips to improve my rolled hems and thought it might be interested in what I found.

I uncovered a few different tips and approaches. One of which was just to accept that those areas of your hem were never going to be perfect and move on! Well, this may just be me, but I'm way too much of a perfectionist to go with that technique!

Click image for source

 I found the Threads Magazine tutorial the most thorough and useful, it can be found here in parts one, two and three. Part three shares some really interesting information about the fiddly aspects of a rolled hem, such as including a facing and special hemming effects. As a couple of you actually shared in the comments on my original post the tip given here is to grade the side seam allowances at the hem so there's less bulk to feed through that little loop on the foot. They even suggest using a glue stick to keep the seam allowances flat as you hem! I think this technique would work out great if you were using quite a stable fabric which is fairly easy to manage, maybe like a cotton voile. If your fabric is more temperamental when it comes to doing what you want and staying in place (e.g. a silk crepe de chine or chiffon) you may have some trouble getting those graded seam allowances to feed through neatly, even with the glue!

Click image for source

If this is you you may benefit from a tip I came across a few times, explained with photographs in this tutorial from Sew4Home. This is to stop using the rolled hem foot a short way before the point where you are about to intersect a seam and sew a few inches turning the hem by hand and using the foot as a standard presser foot. Once you've passed the seam you can start feeding the hem through the foot again. You may benefit from pressing these areas up before you begin your hem to help you manually turn under these areas when you get to it. Or you could skip over these areas and return to hand stitch them to finish off.

Click image for source

My favourite discovery and I think the least fiddly way is described in this tutorial from Raisin Toast. Susan has you unpick the side seams by a couple of inches and do a rolled hem on each panel individually, thus avoiding the issue of sewing over side seams altogether! Then you simple sew up those few last inches to achieve a nice clean finish. I did think 'well why not hem each pattern piece before you attach them together rather than unpicking?' when I first read it but I think it's wisest to construct the garment as usual, finishing with the hem so you can ensure that it is nice and level when worn .

Jen from Grainline Studio has also done a great tutorial on how to achieve a tiny rolled hem without even using the foot! I've tried a similar method to create slightly wider hems on a couple of garments and pressing along the line of stitching really does work brilliantly.

I think each method will have positives and negatives depending on the particular fabric you are using. I'll keep you updated with how I get on trying them out. I hope some of those tips may provide a happier relationship with your rolled hem feet and those tricky fabrics!

Friday 17 January 2014

Indie Pattern Update!

My post raving about independent sewing pattern companies is one of the most popular on the blog and I've found myself constantly updating the list of pattern companies on there. So I though it might be worthwhile me turning this post into a more easily accessible page. I know, I know, as if you all needed the list of temptation to be easier to find! Well now you can find it by selecting the Indie Pattern Designers tab under the blog header.

I've done a good bit of looking around to make sure this list is as up to date as possible but I'm sure I've missed/not heard of some. So if a company you love is missing then let me know in the comments and I'll add it on!


I've also been considering starting a new series of posts in which, once a month, I round up what's been happening in the Indie Pattern Company world. Letting you know about new companies on the block, new pattern releases, upcoming sew-alongs and some of my favourite indie pattern makes spotted on the internet in the last few weeks. I'm really excited about what all our favourite designers might have lined up for us this year! Is this a feature you might be interested in?

You might also notice I've given the blog a little bit of a makeover, I'd got a bit bored of the old look and figured it was about time I jazzed things up around here! I'm still adjusting things but I hope you like it so far. I've also created a Facebook page for my blog, how exciting! You can access it using the social media icons in the side bar.

Tuesday 14 January 2014

Monochrome La Sylphide Dress

Diary of a Chainstitcher Monochrome Papercut Patterns La Sylphide Dress Sewing Pattern made with Mood Fabrics Rayon Crepe

Completed make number two of 2014 was actually intended to be the final make of 2013...but what with all those Christmas presents and making the most of every scrap of festive free time to see family I just didn't get it done. I probably could have just about done it but this fabric needed proper care and attention, as did all the lovely little details of this pattern so I got to the point of partially assembled bodice and partially assembled skirt then decided to put the sewing machine away until the new year. I'd been scheming up this project for a long long while and I didn't want it to be shoddily constructed just because I rushed it to wear on Christmas Day.

Diary of a Chainstitcher Monochrome Papercut Patterns La Sylphide Dress Sewing Pattern made with Mood Fabrics Rayon Crepe

It's the La Sylphide Dress from Papercut Patterns, which I made the blouse version of early last year. Looking at the picture on the pattern envelope I wasn't sure how wearable for me this would be in dress form; it looked very VERY short. However seeing a few gorgeous versions about the internet changed my mind as always (particularly this one from Cirque du Bebe) and I'm pleased I gave it a shot as (partly because I'm such as short-ass) I love the length straight out of the envelope! This may however have something slightly to do with the fact that I think my fabric stretched out a bit during my slightly long winded sewing process, the waist is a little low and also a little wide in this version whereas for my blouse it was quite snug. I don't mind as the lovely slinky drape of this crepe makes it perfect to wear loose fitting and gives it a slightly twenties feel.

Diary of a Chainstitcher Monochrome Papercut Patterns La Sylphide Dress Sewing Pattern made with Mood Fabrics Rayon Crepe

And what is the fabric you may ask? Well it's a little treasure I've had carefully stashed away since my trip to New York last April! It's a Thakoon rayon crepe from Mood. One side of it has the matt appearance of a wool crepe and as it's actually rayon the other has a silky sheen. I chose to use it with the crepe side as right side so the slippery soft side would be against the skin. This was an excellent decision, even if I do say so myself, as it makes it de-licious to wear.

Mad Men Joan Holloway Christina Hendricks ruffle collar

Despite the fact that this fabric has been stashed for so long it has actually always, from the moment of purchase, been intended for this project. The inspiration for this dress cropped up when I was idea hunting for Julia Bobbin's last Mad Men Challenge. I absolutely loved the neckline of Joanie's dress pictured above and for some reason all I could see it on for me was a La Sylphide dress! This plan festered in my head for months and months. When I finally found the confidence to draft that collar for myself I realised I didn't have enough of the crepe anyway...back to the drawing board! I still loved the idea of a contrast, monochrome collar and eventually realised that of course I could still do that anyway using the original pattern. I simply folded the neckline pattern piece in two and added a 1cm seam allowance along the folded edge.  I cut one pair from the white, one pair from the black and sewed each white piece to the corresponding black piece before continuing as per the instructions! Simple! The white fabric is a synthetic crepe I had in my stash. It has a similar weight and drape to the crepe so it worked out well.

Diary of a Chainstitcher Monochrome Papercut Patterns La Sylphide Dress Sewing Pattern made with Mood Fabrics Rayon Crepe

The crepe pressed beautifully with a coolish iron, so although the slippery-ness could have caused problems with aspects like folding under and topstitching the outside edge of the neckline, it all turned out a treat! Allowing myself more time to complete this project meant I actually thought through things like visible stitching through two colours of fabric. For the topstitching you can see above I used black thread in the needle and white in the bobbin so when the collar falls open you can't see messy black stitching on white.

Diary of a Chainstitcher Monochrome Papercut Patterns La Sylphide Dress Sewing Pattern made with Mood Fabrics Rayon Crepe

The pattern itself is a gorgeous unique design which I think looks great with opaque tights in winter, although I can't wait to make one in a flippy colourful print for summer! It's quite a challenging sew which I like, though in a cotton I imagine certain aspects would be more straightforward and so good for developing your skills. I love the three quarter length sleeves (stylish yet practical) although I'd be tempted to go sleeveless for summer. For winter wear this fabric weight is ideal, I wouldn't want any heavier. As it is the body of the fabric gives a bit of a lift to the skirt as I move and I love the way it makes the neck tie stand up around the back of the neck, where it might have flopped into a more scarf like effect if I had chosen a lighter weight.

Diary of a Chainstitcher Monochrome Papercut Patterns La Sylphide Dress Sewing Pattern made with Mood Fabrics Rayon Crepe

The buttons I picked up in Simply Fabrics in Brixton with this project in mind. I tried out some different buttons when it got to that point in construction but I just couldn't get out of my head how much I liked the matching domed buttons on Papercut's envelope version. So black domed shank buttons it was for me! Plus I've totally conquered my fear of buttonholes, I got straight on with these with no hesitation and they were one of the quickest parts of the make!

Diary of a Chainstitcher rolled hem

I used my rolled hem foot as suggested by Lauren in the sew-along over at the Papercut Collective. This is the best rolled hem I have done so far - with the exception of where you need to stitch over the side seams. How on earth are you supposed to squeeze those extra bits of seam allowance through the loop of the foot smoothly?! Any tips would be very much appreciated... I was so frustrated because the rest of the hem turned out pretty much perfect first time! I've tried grading the allowances, attempting to roll that little section by hand...

Diary of a Chainstitcher french seams

As I started this dress before Christmas and therefore before my lovely Mum had surprised me with my overlocker, I used my favourite french seams throughout. This is super easy to do with this pattern as the sleeves are set in flat before the side seam and underarm seam are sewn up in one.

Diary of a Chainstitcher Monochrome Papercut Patterns La Sylphide Dress Sewing Pattern made with Mood Fabrics Rayon Crepe

I can see me getting a lot of wear out of this make as it's easy to dress up or down, so I'm glad I took the time to make it well. And as for Joan's draped collar...it's not forgotten yet!

Saturday 11 January 2014

Fabric Shopping Anyone?


Just a quick post today to let you all know that after a little twitter chat the other day myself and some of the London Spoolettes have arranged a bit of an impromptu meet up next weekend. The plan is for Saturday 18th January and involves some fabric shopping (or browsing for those who are on a strict 'no adding to the stash' diet!) on the wonderful Goldhawk Road and a chat over some coffee and/or lunch. Short notice I know but if any of you readers are in London and available it would be very lovely to see you there!


If you haven't been to Goldhawk Road before you'll be in for a treat I promise. In my opinion it's one of the best, if not THE best place in London to buy fabrics. There's a huge variety and all for a great price! I once found the same fabric I'd seen the day before on Berwick Street at a tenth of the cost. No exaggeration.

If you do fancy joining us let me know your email address in the comments and I'll send the details over!

Wednesday 8 January 2014

Handmade Christmas Gifts

First up I'd just like to say a big thank you for all your helpful overlocking tips on my last post. I'm really pleased with my Coppelia Cardigan and it's had a fair bit of wear already but I've definitely got a lot to learn about knits so any tips to make that process a bit easier are being warmly welcomed! For my next stretch project I'm tempted to make another Coppelia because I love it so much, or I've also got the Sewaholic Renfrew calling me which, if Tasia's instructions are anything like her other patterns, should help my knit skills no end.

Anyway, today I thought I'd show you what I had my head down sewing in the lead up to Christmas. I chose to make quite a few gifts this year and after the chaos of last year started nice and early too!

Diary of a Chainstitcher Art Deco Fabric Knitting Needle Roll Gift

I made my Mum a knitting needle roll, the same style as my Nan's last year. Mum uses one of the bags I made her last year to keep her 'knitting projects-in-progress' in so I thought it would be nice if she had a needle case to match. I had just enough of the art deco style fabrics I ordered from Spoonflower for last years gifts left over (which was perfect as it's Mum loves a bit of art deco!) and combined them with a grey polka-dot cotton I bought in the local market. It was a really enjoyable make and I highly recommend this tutorial as it produces a really professional finished article and even includes a little pocket for your stitch counter and markers.

Diary of a Chainstitcher New York Kitchen Gifts

One gift that definitely went down a treat was my Sister's. She's recently moved in to her own little flat so I really wanted to make her something for it. She's got a bit of a New York theme going on in the decor throughout and a few months ago sent me a link on Pinterest to this fabric. Isn't it gorgeous?!


I ordered 1.5m of the fabric as I wasn't sure what I wanted to make and in the end managed to make a whole kitchen gift set! I used the 'Cook's Apron' pattern from the Great British Sewing Bee book as I liked the ruffled hem for her. I wasn't overly impressed with the pattern, I didn't like the way some parts were finished and the bib and bib lining pattern pieces were labelled the wrong way round so I ended up having to recut them when I got to that part of the construction. Very annoying. It took me a while to work out what was wrong and if I'd been a complete beginner, like much of this book is aimed at, I think it would have put me right off altogether!

Diary of a Chainstitcher New York Fabric Tea Towel and Apron

For the tea towel I simply cut and hemmed a rectangle of the fabric, using this tutorial for mitred corners, and added a loop of double fold bias tape in one corner to hang it from. The oven gloves were probably the gift I was most pleased with and were the most satisfying to make. I made my own pattern, using my oven gloves as a template and sandwiched thick cotton batting between layers. I bound the edges with plain white shop bought bias tape and I love the little label I added as an extra touch!

Diary of a Chainstitcher New York Fabric Oven Gloves

I also made my Nan a pair of oven gloves to go with her cookbook but unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of these. I used some beautiful purple polka-dot cotton and matching purple binding for hers. I also forgot to grab a picture of the handkerchiefs I embroidered for my Grandad, which is a shame as I'm really pleased with how they turned out. I just embroidered his initials in different colours in a corner of each.

I find men a lot harder to think of home-sewn gifts for so I only made for a couple of the men in my family this year. I didn't want to leave anyone out but I really enjoy giving thoughtful gifts that the recipients will love so I didn't want to make something for the sake of it being hand made, when actually a bought gift would have been much more appreciated.

Diary of a Chainstitcher Mens Pyjama Bottoms from the Great British Sewing Bee

I made pyjama bottoms for my Uncle and Step-Dad as a bit of a joke, they were both a huge hit though and were immediately changed into and worn for the rest of the day. My Uncle works in a quarry and buying him 'digger related' presents has become a bit of a tradition in our family (he'll kill me for saying digger and not shovel, or excavator!) so I bought some kids construction site fabric for his. My Step-Dad is a Manchester United fan which is also a bit of a running joke as my siblings and I are big Chelsea fans. I actually think I was very kind not making him some with the Chelsea logo all over, the Man U fabric nearly got thrown out in the street when my boyfriend (a Liverpool supporter) spotted it in our flat! Ha!

Diary of a Chainstitcher Mens Pyjama Bottoms from the Great British Sewing Bee

These were also a Great British Sewing Bee pattern, which my lovely Nan very kindly got for me using the vouchers in the paper a while back. This pattern was much more straightforward to sew up than the apron but I found the sizing really confusing as there were no measurements, just S, M, L, XL. I measured the pattern pieces of the waistband to get an idea but as it was a drawstring waist I had no idea how much ease I should allow for. I took a stab in the dark and it seemed to turn out ok in the end!


The final gift I'm ashamed to say didn't get finished in time for the big day...and I'm even more ashamed to say was my boyfriend's shirt which I bought him the pattern for last Christmas! Ooops! I didn't want to rush it and do a less than perfect job though so I'm still chugging along and it's been a very enjoyable and challenging make so far.

Our tree came down last weekend so that's it for Christmas this year sadly, although I'm sure it will feel like no time at all before we're planning all our gift giving all over again!

Sunday 5 January 2014

Grey Marl Coppelia Cardigan

My first make of 2014 is complete and it's a cracker! Not only is it my very first make on my shiny new overlocker, it completes a UFO listed on my Top 5 Misses of 2013, plus gets me off to a good start on route to completing my goal of conquering knit fabrics this year! It is of course the Coppelia Cardigan from Papercut Patterns.

Diary of a Chainstitcher Grey Marl Jersey Knit Papercut Patterns Coppelia Ballet Wrap Cardigan Sewing Pattern

I bought this pattern around a year ago when I first discovered Papercut. I'd got bored of the unflattering cardigans I could find in the shops and fell in love with ballet wrap style of the Coppelia, especially after seeing Lauren's four! It's an actual wrap around design too, with long ties that thread through a gap in the side seam and can tie at the back or front. I like either! The instructions are great, especially the diagrams. I found them very easy to follow even as a knit newbie and I think even without an overlocker you could achieve a really neat clean finish. It was so quick to put together too, not including the finishing of the ties and cuffs I think I had it together in a couple of hours. And that's including getting used to the serger!

Diary of a Chainstitcher Grey Marl Jersey Knit Papercut Patterns Coppelia Ballet Wrap Cardigan Sewing Pattern

The fabric is something I've had in the stash a while, I think I got it on Goldhawk Road but can't be sure. It's beautifully soft to wear which makes me think it's a cotton but the drape is so lovely it makes me think there must be some rayon involved. Anyway, I like it and I also like a bit of a grey marl in basic! I cut it out quite a few months ago and have a vague recollection of it being a little tricky to work with as it slid about. It sewed up lovely though and works great with this style, I think it will be great over dresses in the summer. I'd like to try this pattern in a thicker more stable knit too, it would be so cosy!

Diary of a Chainstitcher Grey Marl Jersey Knit Papercut Patterns Coppelia Ballet Wrap Cardigan Sewing Pattern

As for the overlocker... I love it, I love it, I love it! I was a bit scared of it at first but took my time reading the manual and having a practice before starting. I had a mini disaster early on when I did something strange and managed to snap three of the four threads. My initial reaction involved a lot of expletives as I was hoping to avoid the nightmare of rethreading for quite some time! It did take some time, a lot of staring at diagrams and watching You Tube videos (this one is great) but it wasn't all that bad. I'm actually sort of glad it happened, as I feel I know the machine a bit better now and it's given me some confidence with it. When it came to making the cardigan I had a practice with scraps of the jersey I was using and played around with the stitch size and differential feed settings. This wasn't actually as hard as I imagined and I was soon all set to go. I'm really pleased with the smooth neat finish I achieved on most of the seams.

Diary of a Chainstitcher overlocker serger knits
Mmm...lovely overlocked seams!

I think my fear of sewing knits has been mainly about the fear of the unknown but also because I'd read how different sewing with one knit from the next can be because of the varying levels of stretch and stability. As a general rule I like following specific instructions and knowing that that will work out, like baking using a recipe for example. The idea of needing to experiment each and every time with how much negative ease is needed dependant on the knit, or how much to stretch the neckband to achieve a nice tight finish kind of terrified me! I still feel pretty much completely clueless about types of knit fabrics, identifying the different levels of stretch and their suitability for particular projects but even after this little experience I feel more confident about being able to sew with them well. I might not know how to do a lot of it yet but I know I will be able to!

Diary of a Chainstitcher Grey Marl Jersey Knit Papercut Patterns Coppelia Ballet Wrap Cardigan Sewing Pattern

The thing I've really started to appreciate is how forgiving knits are to sew with. I realised when I was pinning together the side seams and underarm seams that the sleeves looked really wide. I did a bit of measuring and blog research and decided to reduce the size of them. I simply used a much bigger seam allowance than was called for, starting at 3/4" and grading out to nothing as I approached the underarm. I wouldn't have dared do this without careful measuring with a woven but as it was stretch I felt like I could just go for it. In actual fact I wish I'd taken off a bit more as they are still a little too loose for my liking, especially in this drapey knit. I cut an XS this time but will probably go down to an XXS all over next time depending on the stretch of the fabric I use. A definite alteration I will make is to take in the seams right up under the arms to reduce the size of the armholes. This is wearable as it is but I've never been sure about a batwing and this style is verging on it.

Diary of a Chainstitcher Grey Marl Jersey Knit Papercut Patterns Coppelia Ballet Wrap Cardigan Sewing Pattern

I will also stretch the band out much more when attaching it around the neckline next time as I had no clue how much to ease it in and I'd prefer a tighter finish in future. Something learned about seeing with knits for next time I suppose!

The only issue I had was with the construction was the cuffs. I've got very tiny wrists and as I had reduced the width of the sleeve I decided I needed to reduce the width of the cuff. I took the same amount off as I had done with the sleeves and this fits comfortably. However, as the cuffs were then so small I had real trouble fitting them around the free arm of my overlocker. I even tried on my machine instead but that was even worse! I eventually managed to get the cuffs attached on the overlocker but because the fabric was so stretched out the stitching prevents the seam from bouncing back to it's original size if you get what I mean. I've now got a wavy overlocked seam inside which I can deal with but the bulk of that makes it a bit bumpy on the outside rather than sitting flat. I'm not sure if maybe I should have altered the differential feed?

Bumpy cuff seam

I'm definitely going to be making this pattern up again as I just love the style so I'm considering next time maybe attaching the cuffs before sewing up the arm/side seam. My cuffs can't be much smaller than the smallest size though so I'm assuming other people must have this issue...any knit experts out there want to offer up some tips?!

Surprisingly non fiddly point where wrap turns into straps

I was giving myself quite a hard time about messing the cuffs up and also about the quality of my topstitching to finish off the hem band. I think I was really frustrated as these are the last two steps of the construction process and up until that point I'd been delighted with the professional looking finish I had managed (man do I love the overlocker!) I was really overanalysing the whole thing before I remembered that this is actually only the second knit garment I have made and the first ever thing I've made on an overlocker. It's quite a simple pattern but definitely more complex than a plain skirt or t-shirt, so I should be really pleased with what I'd made. And now I've given it a press and worn it for a while it turns out I am!

Well done if you've made it to the end of this post, it turned into a long one with all that learning to cover! I'm totally in love with the overlocker, completely in love with this pattern and am definitely being swayed to feeling the same about knits! To sum it up in the style of 30 Rock's Kenneth...

Diary of a Chainstitcher Grey Marl Jersey Knit Papercut Patterns Coppelia Ballet Wrap Cardigan Sewing Pattern

Stay tuned for more!