sewing

A message to you, Judy: the Fibre Mood Judy dress

At a glance, the Judy Dress from Fibre Mood book 22 looks like just another floaty dress. But with some subtle details, Judy packs a little extra oomph than the slew of dresses that followed the success of ‘that’ Zara dress.

I made this dress at the request of my very wonderful friend for her birthday. In the name of thriftiness it made sense to buy the whole magazine rather than the individual pattern. I’ve not bought a Fibre Mood magazine before but it’s really good value for money. For £18 you get 12 sewing patterns. Yes, you have to trace them all, but tracing really doesn’t deserve its bad rep. It’s slow, methodical, and satisfying. Just make sure to ADD THE SEAM ALLOWANCE.

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Nerida Hansen Fabrics: my first foray

Home sewn, Nerida Hansen Fabrics

I’ve been creepily eyeing up Nerida Hansen Fabrics for far too long than is acceptable. The colours, the prints, the shapes, it is all so so gorgeous. If bold prints and colours are your thing, Nerida is your gal. The ethos of the company seems really cool; Nerida Hansen left her job as a buyer and created this collective of independent artists and designers, all supported by and working under the Hansen name. Mmmbop indeed.

But back to the creepy lurking. Although I LOVE sewing and all the fabric and stuff that comes with it, I am careful with how I spend my money. The fabric I’d been eyeing up was from Fabric Godmother at £20 per metre, and if I’m going to get fabric as amazing as this, I’m going to get 3 metres. That’s £60 in one pop. Before notions. And time. Precious, precious time. I kept going back to the Fabric Godmother site, revisiting the 3 metres in my basket that I never clicked ‘purchase’ on. Then it went out of stock. The regret hit me hard, friends.

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Ogden cami: how to make your own button-up version!

How to

You may not have heard of this rarely seen top…it’s called the Ogden cami from True Bias. Yes. That one that every single person who sews has sewn. It’s just so good.

For very good reason, the Ogden hangs inside the wardrobe of every seamstress, and I thought I’d share a simple little hack to make your own button-up version.

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Luci-enne the sky with diamonds…

Home sewn, Support indie businesses

This blog post was originally written for Sew Me Sunshine – go there NOW to see all the lovely fabric!

It’s not shocker that I’m a big fan of I Am Patterns; they design understated but quirky everyday patterns that are lovely to sew. I have already made their Artemis jacket and the Juliette shirt, and this time I decided to make the Lucienne.

Lucienne is a loose-fitting shirt that can be lengthened to a tunic, and you can add on some more length to make a super relaxed dress. I chose this beautiful olive green tencel that I saw at Harriet’s latest Open Studio event. It kind of has to be seen to be appreciated, but this fabric is so so beautiful. The smooth finish allows the rich colour to shine, and it has brilliant drape even though it’s not overly lightweight, plus it’s completely opaque.

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Bobbing along: Tilly and the Buttons’ Bobbi skirt

Home sewn, Pattern review

Always late to the sewing party, I have finally jumped on the bandwagon and made a Bobbi skirt from Tilly and the Buttons. I made a similar skirt last year and I’ve worn it so many times, it’s a brilliant everyday basic:

A new version was on my Make Nine and I was going to self draft, but this pattern release came in perfect time because it saved me the faff of drafting! The pattern has two variations: a skirt and a pinafore, both of which are so so gorgeous. Continue reading “Bobbing along: Tilly and the Buttons’ Bobbi skirt” →