Our beautiful daughter

Hello all!

Those of you following me on instagram may have spotted that we have had our little baby, Evelyn. I am ecstatically happy (and hormonally emotional) in equal measure. We are getting somewhere with claiming back free time but obviously we are tired and making the most of this time with our little one. Of course I am dreading Mr T heading back to work, but we will make it through, there is light at the end of week one :-) not to mention the beautiful little face we made! So strange, I can't believe how much my stomach has deflated, probably in equal measure to how much my boobs have inflated. My body is very confused right now ha ha.

We have decided to hold off for now on sharing baby pictures to the wider blogosphere/ internet. We aren't sure how we feel about sharing our baby with the world, but also it feels strange that they can't consent to their pictures being posted to the world. Of course this is no damnation of those who choose to put pictures up of their own children, and we have put pics on facebook... we will probably even change our mind in the future but for now you will have to make do with pictures of our lovely new nursery.

This is the first room Mr T and I have decorated together and I really enjoyed the process. The triangles are done with masking tape and paint sample pots, and the chest of drawers were painted with Annie Sloan chalk paint. 

I'm going to try and keep up with posting, but I have no idea what the next weeks hold so no promises. I'll see you on the other side lovely people.

I'm teaching at the Handmade Fair! Squee

Hello all!

I've got something a little different to talk about with you today, though disclaimer there are no new makes so if you're only in it for the pretty dresses feel free to skip this one.

I have some very exciting news! I will be teaching a workshop at The Handmade Fair this year. This is a show a bit like the standard knitting and sewing shows, except the focus is on classes and learning new skills. I went last year with my Mum and Sis, and we had a blast learning all sorts of interesting skills like flower arranging, macrame, and we learnt all about the wonders of chalk paint that both my sister and I got very over-excited about and have started painting everything we own with the stuff. My Mum bought a hundred new hobbies as usual (sorry for telling on you Mum ;-) ), and we had Pimms and afternoon tea. I thoroughly recommend it for a day out.

So my session will be on these 3D flowers/ decorations, link here:

I have been making these decorations for years, they are a simple design that once you understand the concept can be applied in a massively wide variety of ways. I have made so many of these for a variety of crafts. We will be making them into brooches at the fair, but I wanted to show you just some of the ways that I have adapted this simple pattern into all sorts of different items.

There won't be many people (I'm assuming) who remember my craft fair days. This slightly creepy head was used to display these brooches in their alternate form as headbands. If you alter the dimensions of the template, and round off the corners you will end up with a more flower-like design that you can see here. Here I attached a grip on the back to attach to your hair, but I also sometimes used ribbon to attach this to your hair. 

We also used these flowers for a variety of things for my wedding. Above you can see the design used with scraps from the length of the bridesmaid dresses which we made into a flower each for the bridesmaid bouquets. This meant that they mixed in perfectly with the dresses, and they were a lovely keepsake using the fabric which probably would have been scrapped otherwise. 

A wide selection of beautiful fabrics will be provided on the day, just look at how different these can look in a variety of fabrics. Something different to do with those fabric scraps! 

I used a larger template, which included three petal sizes and layers of duchess satin and lace for my veil centrepiece:

And how about using them as decoration around your home? My Mum and I attached hundreds of them to chandeliers for my wedding features, and now lots of members of our family have them adorning their homes. It's lovely to go to someone's house and see something you made being used:

The potential uses for these flowers is seemingly endless. I'd love to make some up in rainbow colours and hang them as a mobile in the nursery, next project perhaps? 

I hope this gives you some inspiration on what you could make with these flowers after our workshop, you will hopefully learn a couple of new skills, and will have something pretty to wear on the day. Also, I can't wait to meet up with you and have a chat! If you've got any burning questions then once we get going sewing we can have a natter about all things sewing and crafting. Can't wait to see you there! 

Miss the link? http://www.thehandmadefair.com/skill-workshop/yarn-textiles/ 

Deborah

Big Brother Washi

Hey hey! So apparently being on maternity leave takes more energy than you would think! I've been sleeping lots, and having baths and painting chests of drawers, and buying copious amounts of small people things, and sleeping! Did I mention sleeping?

Monday was my birthday, which was really lovely. I didn't put loads of pressure on myself because, well I wasn't going to get any of it done so you can't say fairer than that. So my friends came to me, we sat in the yard on a sunny day and I drank No-jito. My new favourite drink. I got lots of lovely pressies, and even made myself a dress! The dress I'm talking about today though is not that dress. 

Remember this logo?

It's kind of creepy right? It's from Big Brother Series 11. Do you remember when Big Brother first started? It was supposed to be sort of a social experiment thing, maybe, and they were all fairly nice people who didn't want to evict each other and kept reminding each other that it was all just a game? Shame that didn't last, though I guess people would have bored of it pretty quickly. So anyway the fabric for my dress really reminds me of these logos:

It's another Washi! Surprise! Ha ha, I know, I'm a broken record but they really are one of the only things I can fit on myself these days... I got big! It's due date on Monday so not long to go, but could be any time really, before or after then. It's weird being off work for this amount of time, I'm well into my third week and I'm starting to fall into old habits like when I was on summer holidays back in the day. You remember that time? You get halfway through and your life starts to slip into a routine? You know what time of day Murder, she wrote starts? Although at the moment all I'm doing is powering through hundreds of episodes of Warehouse 13. Have you seen it? It's on Netflix so it does that dangerous thing of just lining up the next episode and before you know it you've watched five in a day. I wouldn't say it's great TV, but it's very watchable, which is all I'm after right now. Don't want to stretch my brain thanks!

Evidence of my giantness, though this was a few weeks ago so again, imagine me bigger as I write this ha ha. These dresses are really misleading because from the front you don't quite look as big, then you turn to the side, and it's boom! Baby time ha ha. I can't believe I've made no adjustments to fit my belly into these dresses, I'm impressed! 

One change I have made is to add a zip down the front, this is for nursing. Thanks so much for your thoughts on this. I decided that I would start by adding in front access, so I can at least wear something other than pyjamas at home once Spud arrives. Then I went to Mamas & Papas recently for a car seat, and found a jersey dress that I like! That has clever parts for nursing after baby is born. I'm going to copy this for some new makes and will make sure I show you so you can do the same. It's great because it's somewhere between a dress and skirt and top combo... but still comfy! All will become clear I promise.

What do you think of my new background? This is the wall we painted for the nursery, we just used masking tape and emulsion paints and they came out way better than we imagined. The theme in the nursery is rainbow colours, and it's starting to look awesome. Once we have the chest of drawers all finished up and I can get some of the clothes away it's going to look amazing. We ran out of paint so it went on a bit of hiatus for a while. Back to work this afternoon though. 

So yeah, I haven't really said much about this dress but you get the idea right? I feel like I've talked the Washi to death so don't really have anything else to say. I reckon my shirring elastic game is pretty damn awesome now though. I sometimes wonder if I did the Sewing Bee now, how would I fair? I've got way more sewing under my belt, maybe I'd be more comfortable? Have different ideas? Guess I'll never know! See you on the flipside folks, 

Debs 

Post Number 100 and a Floral Flora

Happy Saturday puny humans! This is my one hundredth post woooo

I guess that isn't really that impressive as I've been writing this blog since 2010... but there have definitely been some large gaps between posts. I'm really enjoying doing more regular postings, and I now have a backlog to keep me going as I photograph in bulk, that's how I've finally managed to keep up momentum with the posts. So thanks world for sticking with me, and new readers... welcome!!

I'm at the end of my first week of maternity leave, what a week! I've been out for lunch a couple of times, bought a lot of things online, painted one chest of drawers, started knitting a blanket and still managed to keep my feet up. Feel very pro-active! Though I did have lots of appointments and lunches to go to so maybe I'll lose some momentum next week.

At the moment it's pouring down outside, so of course I've got a holiday summer dress to show you! This is the By Hand London Flora, I'd been obsessing over a wrap over style for a while. I have this idea in my head of a wrap top with floaty sleeves in a massively seventies style, so I thought I'd use the Flora as a base, and to create something floaty to wear for our holiday to Croatia (yeah... I'm a bit behind on the posting ha ha)

Unfortunately there are a few issues with the bust fit, pretty much the same issues I get with RTW (ready to wear) wrap dresses. It is all just a little loose around the top. Not sure where to go with adjustments to be honest, I know that a lot of the issues are caused by me stretching out the fabric as I stitched the lining to the main fabric. This fabric is very light and floaty, I tried to be careful but clearly I didn't do such a good job.

Also I think I could do with shortening the front bodice, I've added some ribbon here to get rid of some of that excess fabric, but it's something to keep in mind for next time. Other than that I'm not sure... maybe I should just go a size down? Ideas on a postcard :-) I've also made it maternity friendly by adding the Washi and shortening the under bust to lose the waist. Man, I can't wait to wear something with a waist again. I know it won't be immediate, but at least I'll be on the road to a waist soon!

The back fits really well though, so the issues are definitely all in the bust. I didn't bother pattern matching as this is such a busy fabric, I figured it would all get lost in there. I love this material, so hopefully I can make it a little more wearable (without the need for a safety pin) so I can wear it again before the end of the summer).

Hopefully I'll get some more sewing done next week, I'm still not sewing for the little one, but seeing as I have about 30 all in one bodysuits, and 25 vests I'm not sure it wouldn't be a waste to be honest. I can't wait to show you the nursery, it's the first time me and Terence have properly done up a room together and it looks so awesome!

Like I mentioned I have started knitting a blanket though so I don't feel quite like the terrible mother I could be ha ha. More dresses for meeeee

Vintage Pledge Pinafore Complete!

Aloha folks! How is your day going? I have finally reached the end of the five thousand social engagements that have taken up my every weekend for the past six weeks. I'm pretty tired, but only have a week and a half of work left so am looking forward to finally taking a moment off before Spud arrives! 

This weekend my plan is to potter, finally make those dresses I needed for work.... so I can wear them in my last week (oops) and sit with my feet up for a bit. We had a baby shower over the weekend, and showed off the nursery to family and friends. I managed to stay up til 2.30am! Pretty chuffed with that as my last hoorah for a while ha ha. 

Today I'm showing you my stretch denim pinafore, made from vintage pattern Style 1156, this is the first ever vintage pattern I have ever used! Can you believe it? People are always saying I have a vintage style, I like to think I like everything and that's why I have a bit of a vintage aesthetic. 

Therefore I have completed my #vintagepledge for 2015, to actually sew an original vintage pattern! Im pretty sure that this is from the '70s. 

For some reason I look a bit unimpressed in these pictures, but actually I'm pretty darn chuffed! I used the stretch denim that I bought for my simple stretch maternity skirts that are now a bit indecent (I didn't realise quite how high my bump would be... it pulls skirts up rather high! :-)  ). You can't tell in these pics really but it's got a lovely flock pattern. 

It looks in the pattern like there is a placket centre front, but in fact this is a small fold which is topstitched with buttons added. Once it was topstitched, and because I added the button tab detail I decided it looks better plain. I'm sure I'll make another one at some point, I might change this so it's a proper button placket for breastfeeding. 

I went to a workshop about breastfeeding on Monday, and am feeling a little better about it all. My only worry is what I'm going to wear? I wear mostly dresses that don't open at the front, so the double layer vest and top thing would basically mean me getting naked? The two dresses I'm making at the moment I'm ensuring have front openings to try and limit this issue but if anyone has any suggestions (that don't involve me wearing solely jersey for the next six months) I'd very much appreciate it. 

I used the original skirt pieces from the pattern, as I figured it would stretch around the bump, and I was right hoorah! This now means that I have something that has a different skirt to the washi in the wardrobe. I mean I love the washi skirt (clearly) but I am getting a little fed up of having the same silhouette every day, especially as I can't wear my skirts.

When looking at the cover art it appears to be a pinafore, but in fact this is a dress with a a full back. I didn't quite have enough fabric to pull this off so adapted the back to be more like a pinafore, with tabs coming from the back, at an angle so that they would sit well on my shoulders.I also used these straps as tabs, adding in the buttons to complete the pinafore look. It was nice to use up some buttons from the stash. I probably should have ironed this before taking pics, but what can I say? I'm lazy these days. 

.Again I've got that sway back problem like with my last make, but I'm pretty sure this is due to bump and will go away once I'm back to relatively normal. The zip is also separating at the top, so it probably needs a hook and eye.

This picture must be about a month or so ago, so imagine this picture, but bigger and you get an idea of how big my belly is now he he.

The pockets are lined with a white muslin with little red flowers that I've used in lots of projects and now have lots less. After talking about trying to get through my stash, I started the process last week, going through my massive bag of excess fabric that is left over from other projects. I separated out all the cottons that I'm likely to make patchwork/ possible kids clothes from, set aside any pieces of material big enough to make big people clothes from, and put all the wools and heavier materials into a bag under the stairs. This is only one bag of the masses of stuff I've to get through, but I feel better now for having made the first inroads on this massive task. Thanks to everyone for your thoughts on my stash stress. 

Manic Shopping Confession

Dear readers, I have a confession, I have a bit of a shopping trigger finger happening, I'm buying fabric left right and centre, there have been a flood of new patterns over the summer and I want them all! Want to see into my over-filled mind?

I want to make a turia dungarees variation with a skirt (because who am I kidding with that shorts malarkey?) 

I want the Pauline Alice Xerea, I think it will make an amazing showcase for jazzy fabrics, and is a new silhouette to all the fit and flare dresses in my stash. Also, how amazing would it be in blocked light and dark blue chambray?

Speaking of fit and flare I want Sew Over It's new vintage summer dress. I've been looking for the collar variation everywhere and as you may have guessed I'm a bit obsessed with shirt dresses. 

I also want to sew something with a waist, I love my bump, I'm really enjoying my shape.... is it possible I'm bored of the washi?! Surely not! I think I just want something completely different, like the Hollyburn. I really want the Hollyburn! Though not especially seasonally appropriate, I'd probably want it in wool but I've been drafting skirts that are similar to this for ages, but with little pleats. I'd love to have a pattern for this style.

And then there's the stash of fabric... I usually buy too much fabric per project, and so I end up with excess. I have now reached the stage where my excess is reaching epic proportions. I don't want to do anything with this leftover stuff, I've already made what I wanted, but I can't throw it away. All I can think to do is patchwork blankets, and I can't really be bothered. I've already made a cushion for the nursery chair, and I love it. But patchwork has never really been my thing and when I contemplate cutting one hundred rectangles it makes me want to cry.

I also want some classic washis, with the little cut out like my first ever one in some cotton sateen. I'm running out of work clothes, though I'm running out of days where I need to be in work so that shouldn't be an issue for much longer. How am I supposed to resist these fabrics? (Side note: I did not resist these fabrics).

Maybe it's because I haven't been able to sew for so long. I got the sewing room into a complete mess before all my trips away, I feel guilty if I'm not sewing for baby (count the baby clothes... 0) I'm sure once I get going with it I'd enjoy it but at the moment I just don't really wanna. And last weekend the sewing room was converted into a nursery with all my stuff being put into corners around the house, there is so much stuff!

I think I just need to take a step back, calm down and sew something. Once I get back in the chair I'm pretty sure I'll stop behaving like a maniac. All I need is time, but I'm quickly running out of that!

Red Gertie Hack

Happy Friday everyone! We've been having a heatwave here, I bet you're bored to death of hearing about it by now. Last night the humidity broke and it poured it down, so today it's a beautiful day with a light breeze, perfect. I've been getting a lot of sympathy due to the heat, which is lovely. However, the office isn't actually that hot it's just walking about that is warm, I am running low on work clothes now which I'm going to have to rectify sometime soon... in all that free time I have (?!)

I finally got a free evening to try and go swimming last night so off I trotted to the aquatic centre to give it a go. Mostly I went to feel the weightlessness of the baby in the water, as it is amazing! So I mostly just floated (whilst trying not to get in the way of the super serious guy who decided to swim fast in the slow lane that me and a lady were happily occupying). I was a bit surprised when I got out of the pool and felt the weight I'd been carrying around, no wonder I'm so slow getting about.

This top... no longer fits. Neither does the skirt! Ha ha! It's under a little bit of strain in this picture, and it only got worse I'm afraid. But I absolutely love it and can't wait to get it out of the wardrobe post-bump. 

The original pattern that I started from was the Gertie vintage blouse. I know there's actually a blouse really similar to the one that I made in the book, but I'm lazy, and as I'd already traced off the one below I just made changes to that. 

I scooped out the neckline, left the sleeves as they were and left out the large darts at the sides. I also left out the button closure at the back as I wanted this to be a very simple top. I was left with a roomy, comfy plain top. 

Construction on this was crazy simple, I followed the instructions for the BHL Anna, whereby you stitch the shoulder seams together first, hem the sleeves, and then hem under the arms. This means that you don't end up with tiny arm holes to hem all the way around on a delicate fabric, hooray!

PGP Update: I overdid it with the holidays (mixed with a bunch of unusual/ uncomfortable beds) which meant I was pretty sore last week. However, I saw the physio on Monday and have been much better since. I had my first full week in work this week, without having to work from home once!! As a note on what happens with PGP, just look at how crazy misaligned I was at this stage!! (This must be over a month ago now) Look at my shoulders! This is me thinking I'm standing straight, no wonder the physio said, ooh yes you are quite twisted ha ha!

Those of you with amazing memories may remember I talked about the embroidery on this blouse in my Sew magazine column a while ago. The plainness of this top made me want to add a little something, as you know I struggle with plain. Instead of trying to make flowers with any fancy stitches, I freehand drew the design I wanted onto my blouse and stitched this in tiny back stitch, sometimes simple is best. 

If you'd like to learn the art of embroidery, then come along to my next class at the ministry of craft, new dates to be published very soon. Ministry of Craft

I reinforced the section to be embroidered with silk organza, which worked perfectly, however I should have zig-zagged the edge of this as it has frayed as you can see here.

The neckline has also been faced with bias binding for a clean finish on the inside. I love bias binding, I know everyone says that but this a true and deep love that dares speak its name. It just makes things like this hack, (where I have drafted the neckline) so much easier as you don't then need to draft a co-ordinating neck facing.

I hope the weather holds for you this weekend, I'm going back to Blackburn for a family do and also going to a Brian Cox stars talk type thing on Sunday, looking forward to it! Though... not sure what happened to 'I'm definitely done with going anywhere' ha ha. Apparently I don't believe in taking it easy. 

Side note: my ankles are massive, that is all.