It’s ages since I sewed from Closet Case Patterns, but as soon as I saw the Charlie Caftan I knew what I was doing with my weekend. Want to know how long this dress takes to sew from scratch? Five hours.
I had an appointment to see a friend. The same person who took these photos. My pal has a great eye, so after five hours of sewing version B I ran out to meet her in my newly-finished dress and shoved the camera in her hands. ‘Take some blog photos?’ What can I say – she’s a great friend.
This is a beast of a book. In fact, so big and heavy that I couldn’t resist weighing it. I recommend reading this propped up in bed, book resting against your knees, with refreshments to hand as you dream about the couture embellishment you’re going to add to your next make.
Creating Couture Embellishment
Phewee! It’s been unbelievably hot in London today, so I decided that if I was trapped in the house I’d teach myself a bit of Youtube. Seriously, laptop trumped sewing machine.
Here’s a video about my latest fabric shopping in the sale at Liberty Of London – with top tips. Enjoy! And definitely check out my Fabric Focus on Liberty Tana Lawn.
How are you staying cool? PLEASE DEAR GOD TELL ME HOW YOU ARE STAYING COOL.
I’ve made another pair of the B6178 culottes.
I promise, I didn’t go out looking for this backdrop!
This is old school and no mistake; there are places on Airbnb that would charge you a fortune for the authentic vintage experience of sleeping in a caravan like this.
Words, huh? Slippery little beasts, don’t you find?
I noticed this on my last blog post when I mistakenly referred to a bodice whilst talking about a pair of culottes. Readers were kind enough not to correct me, but I woke in the middle of the night. Culottes don’t have a bodice, you fool.
Ahem.
I’d been referring to the rise – the distance between the crotch and the waistband. (I think that’s what the rise refers to.) But honestly, I come across this problem a lot. I know what piece of a make I want to refer to … but I just don’t have the words. Oh, you know. That bit between my boob and my armpit. And if you don’t have the words or the training, how do you Google? I usually refer back to the pattern for the correct terminology, but even so… This stuff is definitely not intuitive, especially when you’re teaching yourself at home.
I remember this from when I started sewing. I felt as though I’d taken a high dive into a whole new language, and there weren’t any dictionaries to hand.
That’s before I even started to ponder UK/US variations or how to pronounce these tongue-twisters!
I appreciate that a lot of the indie pattern companies have worked hard to demystify sewing, but I still sometimes find the language just out of reach.
Like I said. Words, huh? They are a difficult buisness… Any thoughts?
Did you know that today is Doughnut Day in the States? Well, it is – and in my book, that calls for a sewing blog giveaway.
A couple of weeks ago, if you’d said to me, ‘Karen, I’d like you to swathe the lower half of your body in acres of pale fabric,’ I’d have told you to take a running jump.
A couple of events happened between then and now.
I set myself a challenge of sewing outside of my comfort zone. When the B6178 pattern was delivered along with the Love Sewing magazine, it seemed to answer that challenge. I can’t remember the last time I wore a pair of wide-legged trousers, or culottes. The fact that the design only uses four pattern pieces drew me in. How badly wrong could this go?
Then I spotted this bone-coloured twill linen at TMOS. Initially, I dismissed it. I don’t do pale colours. But it was the perfect weight for trousers… Sold!
Yes, this pattern has pockets.
Anyone out there sweltering? Me, too! Here’s a quick run down of the fabrics I love to sew for summer. Needless to say, they’re all natural.
Silk
The above Deep V Tunic top from DIY Couture’s No Patterns Needed book
And it’s sewn in silk.
I took this photo the morning after the Manchester bombing. The sun was out, and within earshot a church choir was rehearsing. It was hard not to get tearful. My thoughts go out to everyone affected. Now is the time for us all to practice kindness, but I think I’m preaching to the converted here.
This is my third Tessuti Yuki dress. I guess I should stop boring you all soon with them, but I thought my latest variation might be of interest. Instead of battling with a safety pin to turn a drawstring inside out I replaced the drawstring with … a really long shoe lace!
I’m really proud of this lateral thinking. The plaid fabric I’d used on the collar frayed beyond belief and melted beneath a too-hot iron. No way would the same fabric cooperate with being cut on the bias in a drawstring to be sewn and turned inside out. No way was I giving myself that sort of nervous breakdown. I bought my 120cm laces here. Buy 3 Get 1 Free!
If you want a summer cardigan to throw over outfits, meet the Miriam cardigan from Quince & Co, designed by Carrie Bostick Hoge. A neutral colour can be your best friend. I learnt that last summer when I bought a white cotton cardigan and wore it to death. It went with everything.
So, I invested in some Chickadee 100% wool from Loop. I think this project took seven skeins. This is not a cheap make. I often feel conflicted about the financial feasibility of certain crafts, and the implications for who is attracted to and felt included in making. I don’t drop £9.50 on a skein of wool lightly. But when you’ve experienced quality wool, the genie is out of the bottle. It’s difficult to go back to anything else. This is gorgeous wool and I’m quite certain there are lots of very good reasons it costs what it does. Still. There’s my middle class angst for the day. Feel free to throw your rotten kale at me in disgust!
