A closer look at my Sew For Victory suit...

Hello there my lovely readers! Let me start by saying thank you so much for all your lovely comments on my suit for Sew For Victory, I'm so glad you all like it! When you've spent such a long time on a project it's really nice to see it being appreciated, especially seeing as it's still a bit too cold in the UK for me to wear it out!

Anyways, my post today is for all you tailoring buffs who want a bit of a closer look at my creation. Now this jacket fairly simple by tailoring standards as it doesn't have a collar - so no roll lines or pad stitching to think about - or any pockets, so it definitely didn't feel as involved as my cape, but it has some extra little twists that I added to challenge myself. Take a closer look...

What you can sort or see sandwiched in the top of my sleeve there is one of my very own homemade shoulder pads! These were a really cute touch and I love that they're in the same fabric as the jacket (even though you can't see them now the jacket is finished!). The instructions for these shoulder pads were included as a part of the pattern, and they basically involve making a sort of fabric taco and filling it with stuffing - simple! When tacked into the sleeve it gives just as much support as a shop-bought shoulder pad, only I got to control the size and shape of my shoulder pads exactly. It was a nice touch and I love how they make my jacket feel more authentic, even though I'm the only one who will know that they're there!

Yes I really am that much of a glutton for punishment that I made all the bias binding for the jacket myself in the same fabric as the skirt, and I also stitched it on entirely by hand. Clearly I need my head examining because it took a LONG time! I just wanted to make sure it was perfect positioned along the edge of the jacket and didn't become too bulky - sewing a wool bias binding to a wool jacket creates a lot of extra bulk I can tell you! - so the precision of hand sewing seemed like the best option. 

If you read my blog regularly you've probably noticed that I have an obsession with perfectly matched plaid, and this jacket was no exception! Every single piece of fabric was pinned (using this method) before cutting and I basted every seam before sewing just to check that the alignment was perfect. This did mean that some seams were re-sewn quite a few times, but the finished look is worth it I think. There's nothing that bugs me more than a spot of non-matching plaid in an otherwise perfect project! I really think I need to take a break from plaid for a while...

Speaking of hand stitching, I also inserted the lining entirely by hand, something that I've never tried before, and I really like the finished look! I think that sometimes hand stitching can give a much more delicate couture look to sewing and I love that. Plus I find hand work incredibly relaxing :)

 And I just had to share my sleeve insertion with you. I cannot tell you how proud I am of these sleeves, not a pleat or a pucker in sight! I usually use gathered stitches to ease in a sleeve, but this time I used this method of Gertie's involving strips of bias but fabric and it worked like a dream. It was the easiest and most stress free setting in of a sleeve ever, I throughly recommend this technique to anyone who struggles with sleeves. Plus the bias strip gives extra support to the sleeve so there's no need to add an extra sleeve head either. Bonus!

And that's about it for the closer look at my jacket, other than that it's all pretty basic, so I won't bore you. But for one last bit of fun here's the fancy finish to the hem of the skirt. It just makes my think of the uniform I wore to Brownies as a child!

Bye for now!

Katie xxx

Sew For Victory: My Completed Suit!

Hello there my lovely readers! My goodness it feels like an age since I've posted an completed projects here, clearly I need to dedicate more time to my sewing/knitting! But to make it up to you I have a very exciting project to share with you today: I've finished my 1940s suit for Sew For Victory! And just in the nick of time too, the deadline is today! 

Here it is in all it's glory, and it's pretty safe to say that I'm in love :)

Isn't it fun? I'm genuinely thrilled at well the suit has turned out because I've really been against it with the time! I love how well the skirt and jacket look together - with the matching trim, swoon! - but they would also be great as separates, so they've got options too!

The jacket is definitely my favourite part of the suit, it was a real labour of love, what with having to match all the plaid, all the hand tailoring I did on it (including handmade shoulder pads, 1940s style!) and making and stitching on the bias binding by hand, but the end result is definitely worth it :) The pattern originally asks for two button holes which close the jacket with a clasp, but I love how it looks with the brooch holding it shut. And I have lots of different brooches that would look so cute with this jacket...!

I had some issues with the skirt as I had to resize it a bit (surprisingly I didn't have to resize the jacket) and the wool I chose was a bit of a bugger for showing up marks even when I used a press cloth *ahem* check out that hem *ahem* but I don't really mind too much. It's turned out to be a lovely fitting skirt in a nice staple colour so I can see myself wearing it a lot in the future.

Here's close up shot of the jacket, front and back. My goodness I'm proud of it!

Sew For Victory has been so much fun, I've loved seeing everybody's projects and have throughly enjoyed making mine, hurrah for 1940s sewing! I can definitely see more 1940s patterns in my future :) Tomorrow I will be giving you a more detailed look at the inner workings of my suit, for those of you who like that kind of thing, but until then I hope you like it just as much as I do!

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!

My Just-A-Bit-Late-For-Christmas Beret!

Hi there lovely readers! Remember the Christmas jumper that I knitted at the end of last year? Well that jumper is actually part of a matching set, so I thought why not knit up the beret too? Because I'm trying to hold onto Christmas for as long as possible! (even though I am well aware that it's January now and I really should just get over it...!) Anyways, here it is in all it's glory, my just-a-bit-late-for-Christmas beret!

Any excuse to wear my cosy Christmas jumper again and I'm taking it!

In comparison to knitting the jumper this beret was a breeze, it was dead quick and dead simple and lots of fun to work on. Plus I think my colour scheme works just as well on the hat as it did on the jumper :)

I must admit I do feel a bit "over" fair isle after all this colour work, however much I love how the finished pieces look! I think my next knitting project will definitely be in a block colour, maybe with some fancy textured stitching thrown in to make up for the lack of colour work! 

For now it's time to say goodbye to my reindeer friends. What a shame I won't be able to wear this hat until next Christmas! Or won't I......?!

Bye for now!

Katie xxx

My Christmas Outfits!

Hello there my lovely readers! So the New Year is nearly upon us, but before it gets here I wanted to show you my final makes of 2012. These are my Christmas outfits! (Cue slightly crazy picture of me sitting on the sofa with myself!)

Now, you've already seen my Christmas jumper before, but I thought I'd show it again in a bit more detail - it deserves it, it's such a great pattern!

My Christmas Jumper, Front and Back

This jumper was knitted from the Colourful Winter Sports Outfit pattern from the fabulous book A Stitch in Time, Volume 2, the third pattern that I have thus far attempted from the book. I really do love this jumper, it's so snuggly and cosy, I could wear it all the time regardless of the season! I've already cast on the matching beret, so maybe someday soon I'll have to complete matching set :) The skirt I'm wearing is part of a 1950s wool suit (a birthday gift from my Sweetheart) in case you were wondering. I adore all woollen clothes!

Next up is my Christmas dress, made from the "Wintertime Jumper" variation of the sheath dress from Gertie's Book for Better Sewing (you can see Gertie's version of this pattern on her blog)

My Christmas Dress, Front and Back

This dress is another example of my obsessive compulsive need to match plaid exactly! I'm really pleased with how the plaid matching turned out, it's pretty perfect don't you think? :) I also love the belt, which I cut on the bias for a bit of contrast. This is my second pattern from Gertie's Book for Better Sewing, after making her high waisted pencil skirt and once again it was a great pattern to use. I had to make some minor adjustments to the fit of the bodice, but other than that it was a perfect fit first time :) The fabric I used  is actually genuine Scottish tartan, which I bought when we were in Glasgow with the tour. I still have quite a bit left over, so maybe you'll see more tartan projects in my future. But in the mean time I am spending the festive season wearing this Christmassy little number!

So, there you have it, my final sewing/knitting projects of 2012! I can't wait to see what 2013 has in store for my sewing table :)

Bye for now!

Katie xxx

My Bombshell Dress - finally!

Hello there my lovely readers!

This is a post that has been a long time coming, I'm finally going to show you my finished version of Gertie's Bombshell Dress! I actually completed this dress back in September but have never gotten round to posting about it here. I have worn it on several occasions, including my Birthday, my last night party for Sister Act and even a musical themed fancy dress party (I was supposed to be this classy lady in case you were wondering!). Here are a couple of shots of the dress in action, I have loved it every time I've worn it!

  

And look, it goes with both blonde and red hair!

This is a very involved dress, I'm not going to lie! It has everything going on: boning, padding, interlining, lining, waist stay, lapped zipper. This was a labour of love, so much work has gone into it, hand stitching, machine work, techniques I've never used before, and I really do think it's all worth it! I would recommend Gertie's online course to anyone who loves sewing and learning something new, I learnt so much making this dress it's not even true. The only thing I need to back and correct (after seeing these pictures!) is a touch more under-stitching on the neckline, to stop the red lining peeking out, but other than that I'm thrilled with everything about it! Here are some shots of the finished dress in detail...

Front and Back of my fabulous Bombshell Dress

The detail of the bodice and the lapped zipper

I hope you've enjoyed this little look at my Bombshell dress, I just have a few more finished projects to share with you before the end of the year, I want a nice fresh start for 2013 :) I can't wait to start some new sewing adventures, I have so many things planned already! And of course I need to post a 2012 sewing/knitting round-up, but that's for another day...

Bye for now, my lovely readers, I'll be back!

Katie xxx

A Very Merry Christmas and our Christmas Card Outtakes!

Hello there my lovely readers and a very Merry Christmas to you all! I apologise for the slight lack of posting recently, Christmas has well and truly taken over my life! I don't mind though, I adore this time of year, and I'm so excited about spending some real quality time with my Sweetheart and wonderful family.

As a little pre-Christmas treat I thought I'd share with you some of our Christmas Card Outtakes, they are pretty hilarious! This is the first year that my Sweetheart and I have made a card together, but it was so much fun I'm pretty sure it's going to be a tradition from now on! The beady eyed among you may notice a few Doctor Who friends in a couple of our shots, because after all what's Christmas without the Doctor?! And of course I'm modelling my newly finished Christmas jumper, which I'm completely in love with and never want to take off! It's the Colourful Winter Sports Outfit jumper from A Stitch in Time, Volume 2 if you're interested. Yet another fabulous pattern by the queen of knitting patterns, Susan Crawford :) Anyways, here we are in all our camp, Christmassy glory (p.s. I knitted my Sweetheart's jumper too!)

I just want to take a quick moment to thank you all so much for continuing to read my little blog, it means so much to me, I can't even tell you! Thank you for reading my ramblings, to every single one of you who has ever commented and for all of you who have stuck with me in spite of my slightly sporadic style of posting. You are all simply marvellous and I am very thankful to have you as my readers!

I have big plans for this blog in the New Year, so I really hope you stick around to see what happens :) I'll leave you with the final version of our Christmas card and my best wishes for a wonderful holiday season!

Bye for now!

Katie xxx

A Cape Adventure #6 - The Big Reveal!

Hello there my lovely readers! The big day is finally here, it's time to reveal my cape in all it's plaid wooly glory, take a look!

My Sweetheart and I had a lot of fun trotting about the town near our new flat to take these pictures, and I think they've turned out pretty well! Plus, even though the weather was grim, I was nice and cozy in my wooly ensemble :)

Out of everything I have ever sewn I have to say that this cape is definitely my proudest achievement. I really wasn't sure if I would be able to do it justice considering my complete lack of instructions, but it's all come together better than I could have hoped in the end! I am in love with wool and in love with tailoring and I cannot wait to start my next project!

Thanks for following my cape adventure, I hope that the reveal was worth the wait! 

Bye for now,

Katie xxx

My Completed Ripple Blanket - at last!!

 I can finally give you an update on my second ever crochet blanket - it's finished!

This blanket has been weighing on my creative mind for a long time, I didn't feel like it would ever be finished! The actual design itself (found here on the fabulous blog Attic 24, an amazing source of crochet inspiration) is pretty simple and is great fun to do - I found crocheting this blanket very soothing and relaxing - but the problem was I didn't know when to stop! I used a repeat of six different colours, which I ended up repeating five times which created a pretty huge blanket (a lot of backstage crocheting hours went into this creation!). But at last it's finished, and just in time for the chilly weather :)

 The main purpose of this blanket at the moment is to help hide our uber-gross rental sofa, an off-cream leather monstrosity that taunts me with it's lack of style. The curse of renting a place means that no matter how much you long for a 1950s mad men-esque blue/green couch you are stuck with what you've been provided for at least a year, so you just have to suck it up and make it work. So until I have the time (and the funds!) to run up a cover for this sofa in some pretty fabric I will disguise it with soft wooly blankets!

Until we have room for a puppy of our own these pillows will have to suffice! I want a little pug baby so badly! 

Did I mention what my choice of a second dog would be...? :)

I really couldn't have finished this blanket at a better time, as it has already kept me and my Sweetheart warm on the sofa and nice and cosy in bed, it's certainly worth the time it took to make! I love it and it has definitely solidified my love of all things crochet, but I think it's time that I brought out my knitting needles for my next project, I have missed them.

Do you like my above-the-sofa print? I just love it!

Have a wonderful weekend my lovely readers!

Bye for now!

Katie xxx

My First EVER Completed Crochet Project!

Hello there my lovely readers! Remember that time, not so long ago, when I was teaching myself to crochet? Well, now this has happened...

My newly completed Granny Square crochet blanket!!!!

Ahhh!!! Can you even believe it?!! My first ever completed crochet project! A giant blanket of crochet goodness! I'm still a little bit overwhelmed that I was able to create this beast, and yes it has taken a while but I'm so in love with it that the wait was definitely worth it :)

Pretty uniform squares all crocheted together, be still my beating heart :)

A lot of credit really has to go to the amazing Dana of Crafty Minx and her wonderful online crochet course (completely free and so easy to follow) which taught me everything I know about this addictive art. Seriously, if you are thinking of learning to crochet you couldn't ask for a better course or teacher, Dana is so clear and brilliant, I learnt so much and everything just flowed. The only problem is I'm now a hopeless crochet addict to go with my already being a hopeless sewing and knitting addict. Ah well :)

Look how nicely it fits on the end of my bed :)

I found the pattern for this blanket of joy here, and it's a lovely free online pattern (originally for a pillow but not hard at all to change into a blanket), so you can give it a go if you feel like it! It's actually a fairly simple pattern, as a beginner I didn't find it all that hard, and of course, the more squares you make the better you get at them :) Although you may not want to make as huge a blanket as I did for your first ever project! Once I got started I just couldn't stop!

It's just so snuggly I want to jump on it!

So there you have it, my first crochet blanket! And I've already started my next one...! I am totally in love with crochet, so expect lots my projects to be shared in the near future :)

Now, if you'll excuse me I'm off to snuggly under this a so cosy blanket!

Bye for now,

Katie xxx

My Perfectly Parisian Patisserie Pyjamas!

Project: My first pair of Pyjamas

Pattern: This 1955 Simplicity 1325 Pattern

Stash Buster? sort of...

Items From Stash: the fabric is a new addition to the stash, I think it counts!

Date Started: June 2012

Date Finished: August 2012

New Techniques Used: excessive use of piping, pattern altering and button embroidery

Wear Again? Every night forever if I can!

Hello lovely readers! So what do you think of my new PJs?! I really do love them, they make the whole process of going to bed altogether more pretty and cute! I know, what a loser, right? :)

Anyways, I first decided that I wanted to make myself some new PJs after my extensive watching of the New Girl (remember how much I love that show?). Zooey Deschanel rocks some seriously cute pyjamas in that show, super cute colours with contrast piping, so I knew I needed to get some of these in my life. And when I found the Simplicity Pattern 1325 on ebay in my size going for a song I knew that it was fate! So now all I needed was some cute fabric...

New Girl was once again my fashion inspiration, and check out my uber cute pattern! 

Now you may or may not recall my fabulous trip to Paris with my Sweetheart earlier this year. Whilst there I visited the amazing fabric shops in Montmartre and discovered this swoonworthy pink toile cotton. It was so whimsical and pretty that I knew that I had found the perfect PJ fabric! And the more that I looked at it the more it reminded me of the colour scheme of the incredible patisserie Laduree that I had been frequenting on my visit (seriously, how many macaroons can one girl eat?!), so I decided that these pyjamas would be based on that scrummy place, a constant reminder of my love of Belle Paris. So of course I had to buy some pale blue cotton for contrast piping details ;)

And yes, before you ask I do keep my Laduree macaroon boxes, and yes these macaroons were bought especially for this shoot, and yes they were delicious :)

The sugar rush was clearly affecting my brain by this point...

This pattern was a real joy to work with, as I have found all 1950s Simplicity patterns are (my 1950s Novelty Print Book dress also used one of these patterns and you all know how much I love that!), but I did have to make a few alterations here and there. I added a bit of extra width and length to the trousers (my behind needs space to breathe!), but the biggest change was altering the shirt to be able to add piping. The original pattern suggested bias biding to be sewn on top of the collar for detail, but I knew I wanted piping and for it to be sewn into the seams, so I had to alter the shirt front pieces and redraft the collar in order to do this. It was pretty complicated but I think you'll agree the finished look is worth it! 

A close up of my piping and hand embroidered buttons

This project is also an example of how I tend to over complicate things for myself. The pattern is fairly simple and technically I could have been finished a lot quicker than I was, except I decided that I had to have contrast piping, which I made myself (bias binding made from blue cotton and then sewed over some cord using a zipper foot) and then had to sew into all the (newly altered) pattern pieces before I could even construct the pyjamas. Oh and then I decided that embroidered buttons were the only way to go. See what I mean about over complicating? :) But in the end I think it's those extra details that make these pyjamas so special, and I really do love them to pieces. 

Is this not just the perfect colour palette?

See? I look like a box of macaroons!

Some people may think I'm a bit mental to have put so much time and effort into a pair of pyjamas that will never leave the house, but I'm a firm believer in feeling good in every aspect of your life, so a little bit of pretty before bedtime goes a long way :) 

Hello, my name is Katie and I have a macaroon addiction...

I hope you like the pyjamas and are at once filled with the urger to dress like confectionary yourselves! Now if you'll excuse me I have some lounging to do :)

Katie xxx