Simply Stitchy

Hi all, In a recent post, I mentioned that I was planning to sew McCalls 5495. The pattern is easy to follow and comes together quickly. I was really pleased with the overall style of the top and how it came out.  Having said that, there were a few things I changed after making the toile . It’s not a multi-sized pattern so I knew I would have to alter it slightly. Besides being too small, I wanted to use a Ponte knit and the pattern wasn’t designed for that fabric. A top sewing tip – if you are thinking about using a stretch knit like Ponte for a pattern designed for woven fabrics, always do a test run first. The first alteration I made was increasing the length by 3 inches as I felt it was a bit short in the body for me.  Lengthening a Pattern All sewing patterns have lengthen and shorten lines printed horizontally across the front and back pieces. To add 3 inches, I cut along the line and added an extra piece of tissue paper me...

Hi all, Pattern tracing is something that has been a large part of my day to day sewing since… well, since I began on the sewing journey. I look at sewing patterns as a template. A guideline, if you like, for the pieces that go into a garment. The tissue paper becomes my blueprint. Like an architect's technical drawing of a building, it’s the one true plan that I can keep referring to time and again.   The pattern tissue sometimes has instructions or directions that could be lost if it’s cut into. These days patterns are multi-sized, giving a flexibility that evaporates as soon as the tissue paper is sliced.  Once the pattern is cut, the cut lines become the new, alternative template.  Just like Doc Brown and Marty McFly found in Back to the Future II . Screw with the original timeline; you change the future. Whatever changes are needed to fix the pattern, can’t be done on the alternative template, there’s no going back to the original fro...

Hi all, I’ve been sewing up a storm this week with a hoodie pattern from Life Sew Savory. Actually, that should read sewing up for a storm. We’ve had some heavy snow over the last few days, with more on the way. What better excuse to stay indoors sewing up some hoodies. This is an Indie PDF pattern which means it's from an independent designer rather than a commercial pattern maker like McCalls, Simplicity, Butterick or New Look.   First things first, a disclaimer. I’m not affiliated or linked to Life Sew Savory, in any way shape or form. I found the pattern a couple of years ago via a Google Search for hoodie patterns. I’ve actually made this pattern 4 times over the years, each time with fleece. It’s a nice easy pattern with only about 6 pieces. It’s designed for knit fabric so can be made from anything with a bit of stretch. The instructions recommend going up a size if the fabric is only slightly stretchy, but it depends on how close fitting you like your...

Hi all, Making Things Do with Ann Ladbury was a British TV sewing show. It was made by Southern Television back in 1976. This book, or rather booklet, was a TV tie-in to accompany the series.  With 64 pages, the booklet's focus is on how to style existing clothes in your wardrobe to give them a new updated look. Rather than today’s understanding of refashion, it’s more of a “how-to-wear-it-better” guide. Each line drawing gives a brief description of how each outfit was improved using accessories or mixing different fabrics and patterns. Take the rather boxy pinafore dress (a jumper in the US) from the first page. This was “ made striking by adding (a) full sleeved striped voile shirt. ” The pictures of the garments are all in black and white. Which makes it difficult to see or appreciate, “ the striking pink heavy cotton ” on another outfit. The full enormity of the “ difficult colour combination of purple, white and bottle green, ” in a third ...

  Hi all, Happy New Year! This time of year is all about clearing out the old and bringing in the new. Not only are we saying hello to a new year, but also a new decade. The 2020s are upon us. I wonder if they will be as roaring as the 1920s. I've been thinking a lot about old and new lately. It seems we live in a throw away age of fast fashion and disposable garments. No sooner has something been worn and washed, it's out of date and clogging up a landfill somewhere. I'm making it my mission for 2020 to sew more of my own clothes. My goal is to sew, alter and mend rather than buy ready made fashion designed to last five minutes. In order to make more of my own clothes, I'm going to need a more diverse range of sewing patterns. My collection so far seems to be a little... eclectic with a heavy dollop of cute. I'm a pushover for a soft toy pattern .   Unfortunately, commercial sewing patterns can be expensive. When you add the cost of the pattern t...