My First Interview! Learn about my Handmade Style!

Hello my lovely readers! I am very happy to tell you that I've been interviewed by the lovely Joanne over at Stitch and Witter for her "My Handmade Style" series.

I'm proud to be in the company of some of my favourite bloggers (check out the other interviews in the series and you'll see what I mean!) and it was a real pleasure to be involved, so do you check it out if you fancy finding out a little bit more about me :)

Bye for now!

Katie xxx

Wednesday Wonderfuls #109 + #110

Hello there my lovely readers! Sorry it's been a little quiet here, I've been uber busy, but this week I have a bumper Wednesday Wonderfuls post for you to make up for it :)

Images, Each Row from Left to Right:1. Styling the snood :) 2. Why I work in a sweetshop! 3. The sweetest brooch
4. Homemade pancakes! 5. A rather festive outfit 6. Cream cheese cinnamon rolls
7. Packing for pattern cutting 8. I made my own meatballs :) 9. Off the the supermarket in glasses and rollers, classy!

Over the past two weeks I have been:

Watching:

Hitchcock's "Rebecca" and the lovely Marilyn in "How To Marry a Millionaire" and I loved them both! I think that Rebecca is probably my favourite Hitchcock film so far, it's a beautiful adaptation of the book and Judith Anderson as Mrs Danvers is spine chillingly wonderful. And as for Marilyn in "How To Marry a Millionaire", well, she's inspired me to get a lovely new pair of glasses of my own! I can't wait to get them back from getting their lenses put in so I can wear them out :) We also watched Glorious 39, which I LOVED and the costumes were to die for. If you want to see what I mean then check out this post over at The Butterfly Balcony.

Learning:

how to draft patterns for trousers! Honestly I can say that taking pattern cutting classes has been one of the most satisfying things I have ever done, I just love it! I have already adjusted my basic trouser block into a capri pattern, so as soon as I find some suitable fabric I'm going to give them a go. Wish me luck!

Matching:

more plaid, this time for my Sew for Victory suit. This is the third plaid outfit I have made in less than six months, I must be a glutton for punishment!

Collecting:

brooches. It's a real addiction, I just love them! I'm making a nice brooch board to display them all :)

Images, Each Row from Left to Right:
1. New-to-me glasses! 2. My little kitchen garden 3. I cannot wait to sew these! Eek!
4. A sweet little parcel... 5. Valentine's Day with my Sweetheart 6. ...look what was in the parcel!
7. Matching plaid, again! 8. Hot cross bun loaf, swoon! 9. Valentine's Day hair :)

Reading:

a collection of short stories by Daphne Du Maurier including the Birds, which have all been brilliant, but they left me a bit freaked out! They are quire chilling and Du Maurier really knows how to work her way into your subconscious :)

Planting:

my own little kitchen garden (a Christmas gift from my lovely Mum). I'm very excited about having my very own herds to use in my cooking, and although it's only been a few days since they were planted I'm anxious for them to grow already!

Remembering:

how lucky I am to have found the one I want to spend the rest of my life with at only twenty five. Sometimes it takes a little rough patch to remind you just how good you have it, and I really do have it good :) soppy I know, but true all the same!

Hoping: 

for better times ahead and seeing the beginnings of them already :)

And here are some of the Wonderfuls of the blogosphere over the past two weeks:

• If you're looking for some hair inspiration then look no further than Solanah's blog post, it's like hairstyle porn!
• I'm quite in love with this jumper, the cherries are so sweet! It's pretty perfect isn't it?
• I've found myself craving cheese recently so I could really get on board with this cheddar cheese bread. I think I can see a midweek baking session coming on... :)
• Gertie's writing another book!!!!! About casual vintage styles!!! I know it's not set to come out until 2014 but I'm still really excited!

Have a wonderful week my lovely readers, I certainly intend to!

Bye for now,

Katie xxx

Sew For Victory: Design Inspiration

Hello there my lovely readers! Thank you for all your lovely comments on my chosen pattern for the Sew For Victory sewalong yesterday, I'm thrilled that you all approve of my choice :) 

After doing a bit of research on 1940s suits I have decided that plaid is definitely the way to go (not that I ever need much persuading on that account!) Just take a look at these beauties that I've collected for inspiration: 

Aren't those just swoon-worthy?! I love the big bold plaids, and the matching gloves, every one is gorgeous. I think I'm most interested in making a plaid jacket with a block colour skirt and trim, I love how that looks! Hopefully the jacket and skirt will look lovely together but also work well as separates :)

Next time I'll hopefully have some fabric to show you as I'm heading to Goldhawk Road and I'm sure they'll have something to get my sewing juices flowing!

I hope you're enjoying my little part of Sew For Victory so far, I certainly am!

Bye for now,

Katie xxx 

Sew For Victory: my chosen pattern

Hi there my lovely readers! I don't know whether you know it or not but the lovely Rochelle is holding a Sew For Victory 1940s sewalong over at her gorgeous blog Lucky Lucille. I'm really quite excited about this because the 1940s has to be one of my favourite decades of fashion but I haven't actually sewn many clothes from that era. So let the planning begin!

I decided to raid my stash for a possible pattern, because however much I'd love to go and buy a whole new selection of 1940s lovelies I think it would be better to use what I have first :) And lucky me, I found this little gem that I'd forgotten I even had!

Ever since completing my matching cape and skirt I have been dying to do some more tailoring, so this project will be just the ticket! I'm hoping that I will have the time to make both the long sleeved jacket and the skirt. I love the matching red look, however the plaid jacket with a solid colour skirt is really interesting too! I will definitely need research some suits of the 40s the get my inspiration in terms of colour and fabric. 

What do you think of my chosen pattern? Do you have any suggestions as the the colour or print of fabric? And are you taking part in Sew For Victory too? I'd love to hear about your plans for what you'll be making!

Bye for now,

Katie xxx

Wednesday Wonderfuls #108

Hello there my lovely readers and a very happy Wednesday to you all!

Images, Each Row from Left to Right:
1. Such a beautiful fair isle pattern! 2. My first ever self drafted blouse pattern! 3. Knitting pattern of joy
4. Daiquiri anyone? 5. Wearing my new hat out :) 6. Homemade chocolate and peanut pudding
7. My chosen 1940s pattern 8. The loveliest inscription in my new-to-me knitting book 9. I love hot chocolate 

This week I have been:

Sewing:

a couple of dresses into skirts for a friend, and I'm really happy with how they've turned out. I don't usually work on clothes for other people so I am worried that they are quite perfectly finished enough (that's my anal retentive nature kicking in!) but all in all they're looking great and I'm really happy that I've been able to use my skills to help someone out :)

Knitting:

my Perrault, and the body is almost completed! I just habe the sleeves and the hood to go and I'll be done. Which is a good things because it's threatening to snow again, so at least I'll be warm!

Reading:

two beautiful 1950s knitting books that I inherited from my Sweetheart's grandmother. I am completely smitten with some of these patterns! There are so many designs that I want to try out in these books I can't even tell you, I can see that my knitting to-do list is just going to get longer and longer! I better hurry up and finish my Perrault because I'm already dreaming about jumpers/sweaters/scarves/socks... the list goes on!

Planning:

what I'm going to make for the  Sew For Victory sewalong! I'm really excited about this because I want to make sure I use as many historically correct techniques as possible together with my perfect 1940s pattern. I cannot wait to see what everyone creates, I will be posting more about what I'm making very soon, so watch this space!

But enough about me, what else has been going on in the blogosphere this week?

• This looks like a brilliant hat pattern, I quite fancy giving it a try!
• I really need to get me one of these DIY brooch boards, I'm starting to collect brooches and I'd love a pretty way to display them.
• I adore these finnish knitting patterns, they are beautiful. I love a good vintage knitting pattern :)
• Are you getting involved in the 1940s Sew For Victory sewalong? Check it out, it looks like it's going to be amazing!
• And finally, Tasha has done it again, this time with a beautiful wool skirt. I love this gal's wardrobe so much!

And finally, I call upon Heather Small to ask:

"What have you done today to make you feel prooooouuuuud?!"

Day Two:

I had a productive day at work before coming home and preparing two dresses for sewing. And then I spent some much needed quality time with my Sweetheart :)

Day Three:

I adjusted two skirts for a friend and baked the most amazing cream cheese cinnamon rolls in the history of the world.

Thanks for reading, be sure to drop by again soon!

Katie xxx

What have you done today to make you feel proud?

Do you ever watch "Miranda" my lovely readers? I must admit that for all it's silliness I'm a bit of a fan, it really does make me laugh and make life that little bit brighter (for any of my non-UK readers "Miranda" is a sit-com about a single thirty-something based on the life of it's creator and star Miranda Hart). But this post isn't really about "Miranda", oh no, it's about Stevie's (Miranda's best chum) favourite question: "what have you done today to make you feel proud?" a la Heather Small! Here's a clip of Stevie in action so you'll see what I mean.

I'm going to level with you my lovely readers, I haven't exactly been feeling my usual self for a little while now, what with no longer touring and feeling lost without my schedule and daily routine, and to be honest sometime whole days can go by without my feeling very proud about anything I've done. However I have decided that enough is enough and the only one who can get me out of this little slump is me. Basically what I'm trying to say, in a very long winded fashion, is that we create the life that we want to live, and I want to feel more proud! For this reason, and to put a bit of oomph back into my life, for the next two weeks I want to do something everyday that I feel proud about and I'm going to write about it here.

So without further ado, let's get started. Take it away Heather!

"What have you done today to make you feel prooooouuuud??!!"

Day One:

Today I completed my first ever self drafted blouse pattern with a Peter Pan collar which is now ready to be cut out and sewn up. After only four pattern cutting classes I think that's pretty good :)

I hope you'll enjoy following me on this mini adventure, maybe some of you will even join in too! Bye for now!

Katie xxx

This Red Squirrel has sewn some Red Trousers!

Hello there my lovely readers, guess who's finally wearing some trousers?! Yes, I have already completed one of my sewing goals for 2013 by sewing my first ever pair of trousers!

I always match my hat to my lipstick and slacks, don't you know!

These wide legged wonders were made using the marvellous "Smooth Sailing" pattern by Wearing History and the fabric is a beautiful scarlet linen mix that I purchased when I was working in Edinburgh  at the end of 2011. I can't tell you how happy I am to finally have these finished and ready to wear!

I would really recommend this pattern to anyone looking to sew their first pair of trousers, the pattern is very easy to use and the instructions are beautifully clear. Plus the wide legged finish hides all manner of sins (at least I hope it's hiding them!). I was very intimidated about sewing trousers - I think a lot of home sewers are! - because it means you're dealing with scary things like crotch length(!) and inside leg measurements, but I actually found the whole process really interesting and fun. It's so different sewing trousers compared to sewing dresses or skirts, and I enjoyed the challenge!

A cheeky derriere shot!

I also owe an awful lot of thanks to Sunni's Trouser Sewalong, which helped so much to clarify exactly how trouser fitting works and what you need to adjust in order to get the desired look. If you're thinking about sewing a pair of trousers any time soon then I highly suggest you check it out, you'll learn a lot, believe me! I did some fairly complicated adjusting from my original toile to my finished trousers and I would have been completely at sea had it not been for Sunni's help.

Back in the days that I bought modern clothes I would always struggle to find trousers to fit both my waist and my hips (there's a big difference between those two measurements!), so anything highwaited was pretty much a no no and I would have to settle for hipster jeans instead. Because of that I fell rather out of love with trousers in general, but this project has awakened that love with a vengeance! I can't wait to try some other styles of trousers to add some variety to my wardrobe :) 

I'm really pleased with how these trousers have turned out, and I can't wait to plan some more outfits around them! What do you think of this change of style for me?

Bye for now!

Katie xxx

P.S. If you were wondering, my sweet new hat was made by the wonderfully talented Jeanne of Bellapacella. We met at Anita's Vintage Fashion Fair and I couldn't leave without one of her hats!