The Fantastically Generous Bloggers Shirt

I had a week off from le blog last week, sacrilege I know! But as you may know from my previous post, I started a new job and as we are on the countdown to Christmas there is just so much to do! I've been bringing a few things together, including some ideas for my secret santas. I decided to take part in two this year. One by A Krafty Kat, the one that I took part in last year, and have grand plans for my pressie. Also I have taken part in a newer crafty secret santa by Stitched Up from the Start I've got a great person and can't wait to get it all wrapped up and sent away.

How has your week been? Mine has been good, the new job wiped me out for the first week, lots of meeting new people (even though I've only moved down the hallway) and wrapping my head round a whole world of new acronyms. But I'm feeling good about the move, and can't wait to go to my (two!) Christmas parties.

When I got this new job, I started to think about getting some more work appropriate clothing. I would say that work clothes are one of the things that I love most about making my own clothes, I think I might have mentioned that in my Washi post. I want something that shows my personality, can be dressed up or down, and is layerable (because I sit on an air vent... not as exciting as it sounds). The photos in this are terrible, you can probably tell that yourself but I thought I'd mention it, sometimes it's either terrible pics or freezing pics while your neighbours watch you whilst clearing a garden. I went with bad pics.

Enter my Pauline Alice Cami Shirt

I got the buttons, and lovely... especially bad photographed bias binding from my secret santa last year, I snuck in under the line for making this before the next Christmas! This lovely packet came with instructions, I was to make a shirt. I hope I did you proud Santa!

Unfortunately I didn't find a place for the light blue ribbon, but it awaits in the stash for the perfect project. 

The detailing comes from another lovely bloggers de-stashing from the 2013 Birmingham blogger meet-up, unfortunately I didn't make this years... I was hungover (to my eternal shame). But hopefully it will be on again next year and I can tag along because it was a brilliant day. I got the following material from Amy of Almond Rock, in the great de-stash/ swap, and added it to cuffs and collar.

The shirt is a little tight in the back (see slightly unflattering picture below), I did widen the sleeves as per the adjustments I thought of from the Zig Zag Cami, including a wide shoulder adjustment, which did work as the shoulder seam now sits comfortably on the edge of my shoulder. However, I don't think I widened the arms enough and that is what is causing the tightness. On to the next version!

I bought the skirt in this post from a charity shop in Edinburgh when we lived up there, it had weird little tacked on badges of squirrels and owls, which I removed. It's a great skirt for walking up a hill, or going to the office, and is super warm for chilly knees. The lining was recently falling apart so I attached a new lining to the inside of the skirt, using the edge of the old lining to stitch to.

I love a colourful lining, this was another purchase from the blogger meet-up... there have been a few things languishing in the cupboard for a while ey? Feels good to be using up the stash.

Overall I'm very happy with this shirt, this pattern is on its way to perfect, and once it's right I have so many plans for pattern hacking. I'm very excited!... but should get back to making Christmas pressies. Selfish sewer? Who... me? Hope you have a great weekend.

Debs

Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2014 lovely people.

How are you all?

I had... I'm not going to lie here, a very drunken welcome into 2014. One of those nights were you think, have I changed at all over the past 5 years, or am I just exactly the same? It was slightly depressing to be honest, so the idea of ringing in the New Year with shiny resolutions etc wasn't really on the cards.

But a few days have passed, the dehydration (and embarasment) has dissipated, and I have so much to be thankful of for the past year, and a lot to look forward to.

Christmas was awesome, much more calm than usual and that suited me down to the ground, one of my favourite parts of it was participating in the Secret Santa present project as organised by Krafty Kat.

This was a brilliant idea, bringing me closer to a blogger as I tried to figure out what would be the best pressie. I hope they liked it!

Plus, I got my gift through the post and was so excited! Love getting post at the best of times but then to know it contained a little pressie based on what I might like was fabulous.

Here is a (terrible) pic of me super excited opening it:

And here were the lovely contents:

I don't know if you can read the lovely note that came with it (I took the package all the way to Northern Ireland with me on my flight so the packing got a bit crumpled). But my Secret Santa has set me a challenge. I am to make a shirt with these trims (in my favourite colour no less) with piping on the back yoke, blue buttons and bias binding on the seams. A shirt is actually on my goals list so this could not have been better suited! Thanks Santa, such a thoughtful gift. 

I have lots of goals for my year, but at the moment they are floating around a bit in my brain rather than being written down so I'll come back to that. In the meantime, I wish you a craft-filled, goal achieving 2014.