Hello,
Hope you are well.
Before starting with truly Summer makes I was glad to be able to make one more outfit that is perfect for Spring.
I used a beautiful corduroy to make an outfit. Trousers and a waistcoat.
You can read all about this outfit here and I hope you like it as much as I do.
Have a lovely week. 🙂
Happy sewing!
Maria x
Hello,
Hope you are all well.
Today I am here to share a skirt that I made back in February. I didn’t plan to take so long to share however, I confess I wasn’t feeling like it. Too much going on and my mind wasn’t in it.
Nonetheless, it is a nice pattern and I really wanted to share it with you.
The pattern is the Sabina skirt by The Little Pomegranate, a pattern designed with beginners in mind and guess what? It is free for subscribers!
It is a gathered skirt pattern for woven fabrics, available from sizes (UK) 6 to 3, with elastic waistband, pockets and ruffle hem. Simple to make and lovely to wear!
It might be a free pattern nonetheless, the instructions are very detailed and include notes that explain what is what and why some techniques and steps are so important in order to achieve a nice final result that you will be proud of.
I made a size 6 based on my measurements and the only change I made was to take 16 cm from the main skirt piece length and add 2cm to the hem ruffle. As a reference, this pattern was designed for 170 cm tall people (definitely not my case, hence the adjustment).
As for the fabric, I used a viscose fabric from Rainbow Fabrics bought over a year ago. Although not always the easiest fabric to work with, viscose looks wonderful as it gives the skirt a good drape and fluidity.
Let me just add that this pattern is not just rectangular pieces of fabric gathered. It really is nicely drafted and with great instructions, thought and care. Plus, it is free! If this is Rumana’s first pattern, I am looking forward to see more.
In short, it is a perfect beginners project and a quick project for those with more experience. The result is a nice skirt that I really enjoy wearing. It is likely that my wardrobe will see more of these skirts.
Have a lovely week. 😊
Happy sewing!
Maria x
Hello,
Hope you are all well.
It has been such a long time! I haven’t been sewing much lately and have been sharing even less. The world seems to be upside down and I find it hard to focus, to be honest.
I have another make to share with you but today I want to share the new skirt I made as part of Minerva’s challenge #SewnWithMcCalls.
You can read all about it here and I do hope you like it.
It really is a lovely pattern and the fabric is so pretty!
Hopefully, I will soon be sharing more projects with you. 🙂
Have a lovely rest of the week,
Maria x
Hello,
hope you are all well.
Here it is my first project of the year!
I made a shirt and a lovely one if I might say so. 🙂
Used a pretty plaid fabric to make the Kim shirt. You can read all about it here.
Hope you like it!
Have lovely weekend 🙂
Maria x
Hello,
Hope you are all well.
Before starting to share my 2022 makes I would like to share my Christmas Dress.
The initial plan was to make a dress that I would wear for the Office Christmas Lunch and later for Christmas day however, as it happened to many of us, the plans were changed and the work Christmas lunch had to be cancelled. Although plans were changed, I decided to make the dress anyway and wear it for Christmas Day even if it was only the four of us. It was not how we would prefer to spend the day nonetheless, I wanted to make it special. Pretty clothes, a nice table with special details and yummy food, quality time, cuddles and fairy lights did make it special indeed.
Now, back to the dress. The pattern I used was the McCall’s 8032, View C with the View A skirt length to add a bit of length to the dress. As I wanted a long-sleeved dress, I mixed the original sleeve with the sleeve from M7973. I don’t usually change patterns or mix them as I am always afraid to mess it up however, lately I am feeling more adventurous in my sewing project. This was really a simple alteration as I did use the M8032 sleeve cap for two reasons. First being, I really like it and second, I did not want to mess it to the point of not fitting well with the bodice. Next, I used the M7973 length and shape as it was already adjusted to me size and I like the shape.
As usual, I made a size 8 at the bust with size 10 at the waist and hips. I think a straight size 8 would have word well.
It was not the first time I used this pattern and it is one that I really like. It did turn out just how I expected it would. I wanted something that I could dress up with the right accessories and shoes but I still can wear it with boots for example for everyday wear.
Regarding the fabric, I must say that it did took me a bit of time to decide. I first thought about making it in velvet but then I wouldn’t be able to wear it every day. For that reason, I decided to go with Needlecord. Next was the colour… I thought about a dark red or dark green as I like both colours but then again it would be too much Christmas. Finally, I decided to go with the colour petrol. Still lovely and will look good for Christmas as well as for the rest of the year.
I got the 100% cotton, 21 Wale Babycord in colour Rich Petrol from Higgs & Higgs and it worked very well for this project. It is soft, light enough for the gathering and very comfortable. As for the lining, I used a Liberty Tana Lawn leftover from a previous project.
I did wear my new dress all day and it is very comfortable. I am quite happy with it. 😊
Have a Happy New Year and thank you for following my sewing journey!
Maria x
Hello,
Hope you are all well.
The year is almost over and sewing wise, 2021 was a nice one. I made some garments that I have really loved and I challenged myself to make trousers!
One thing I have also used for the first time was a sewing kit.
I had the opportunity to try the Liberty Alexa Frill Dress Kit and you can read all about it here and here.
Hope you like it! 🙂
Thank you so much for following my sewing adventures this year!
Maria x
Hello,
Hope you are all well and having a good start of December.
I have been wanting to make a dress suitable for the colder months for a while and I finally did it.
Again, I have used the McCalls 7973 however, this time in a different style.
This time I used a Viscose and adore the drape and how fluid it is.
You can read all about it here.
Hope you like it. 🙂
Have a lovely December!
Maria x
Hope you are all well.
Today I have something a bit different to share with you. I have been wanting to try new things and challenge myself a bit. There are two things I haven’t really tried to make as I found those a little scary and I am not sure I can make it look good and with a professional finishing. Maybe I should say I was scared…
Those two things are trousers and coats/blazers. The coat/blazer I will have to make another time but I just made a pair of trousers that actually look amazing inside and out!!
I have previously shared some makes of mine using Ose Patterns, a French designer that I truly like, not only for the very well drafted patterns and great instructions, the lovely encouragement words in the patterns but also for the person behind the brand, Monty, that is really a lovely lady and I know, puts a lot of work into her patterns to make them the best possible.
Today Ose Patterns are releasing a new pattern, the Steven Trousers and I had the opportunity to try the pattern. I will tell you all about it!
The Steven Trousers are high-waisted, have side slant pockets and all the details like a zipper fly and internal button and hook and bar closure.
The pattern is available from sizes 34 (UK 6) to 48 (UK 20) and are drafted for a height of 168cm. I find this last detail extremely useful as I almost always need to shorten and I know, without having to guess how much to reduce in height. Also, as usual in Ose Patterns, there are detailed and very useful instructions in case adjustments are needed.
I don’t often make a muslin however, in this case I did and the instruction also include all the steps for a useful muslin! To start with I made a size 34 (UK 6) at the waist and size 36 (UK 8) at the hip but after trying the muslin took a bit at the hip.
As for the fabric, I used a gabardine that I had in my stash for a long time and the fabric worked well but I really want to make another pair in corduroy for the colder months or maybe a twill a bit heavier.
Now, as you can see from the photos, I am quite happy with the fit. I just love how well the trousers fit at the waist and hip but are loose at in the legs. So comfortable! However, as much as I love the trousers outside, the inside makes me put a smile each time…
You see, the detail and care that goes into it… The seams are finished with bias all looks so neat. Of course, you can use other methods but I adore a bit of a flowery bias binding against a plain fabric. Business outside and fun inside! The fabric used for the lining is a very soft cotton and for the bias biding I used Liberty Cotton Tana Lawn.
I think that for a first pair of trousers these turned out pretty good. I am glad I challenged myself. If, like me, you are struggling to make trousers, there is also a video that is really helpful so, fear not, go for it!
Note: The pattern was gifted for me to try but the comments are my own and genuinely honest.
Have a lovely weekend and thank you for reading!
Maria x
Hello,
Hope you are all well.
Here we are in September already! I am still holding on to these last Summer days… Today I have a new Summer dress to share with you and although the weather already looks a bit like Autumn, I still have a couple of Summer projects that I am working on.
About the dress I will be sharing today… it might be the perfect Summer dress, in my opinion of course. 🙂 But if you know me, you will know how much I like broderie anglaise.
You can read all about this dress here.
Hope you like it as much as I do 🙂
Happy sewing,
Maria x
Hello,
Hope you are all well and enjoying Summer (in case you are in North hemisphere).
Sunny weather hasn’t been very reliable this year but, that did not keep me from sewing a couple of summer tops. Although it might seem a bit useless, having in mind that I live in the UK, the truth is, I do wear cami tops quite a lot as they are perfect under a cardigan or blazer.
A couple of months ago I tried the Pema pattern from Ose Patterns and liked it so much that I wanted to try other patterns and this time I bought the Brené Camisole and will be sharing with you the versions I made.
I found the pattern has some lovely details as it is but, it is also a great starting point to make it your own. As the Pema Dress, I found the pattern to be very well drafted and the instructions clear and detailed, with links to helpful videos. Also, it includes detailed and helpful instruction for size adjustments.
For the first version I made a straight size 34 based on my bust and waist measurements, with no alterations. In this case, I used a cotton lawn that was part of my stash for some time now (don’t even remember where I got it!) and a shirting cotton fabric for the lapel.
As per the instructions, I interfaced the facings, straps and lapel. The straps, I only interfaced half and I think it worked well. I find the lapel such a cute detail and it works great with a contrasting fabric or using the same. Also, the buttons can add a lovely detail. In this case, I only used one, instead of the three suggested.
In my opinion, the fabric worked really well for this pattern and I am so happy with the fit. The way it is designed makes it fit without being tight and the straps are perfect to cover bra straps.
For my second version I decided to experiment a bit. I made the same size, 34, without alterations but this time I added broderie anglaise lace to the straps (and absolutely love it) and omitted the lapel as I wanted the straps to stand out, keeping the rest simple.
As for the fabric, I used a Liberty quilting cotton. It is a wonderful quality and a bit different from other quilting cottons I’ve previously used. Even so, I think a lighter cotton or a fabric with more drape works better for this pattern. Nonetheless, I like it a lot!
This is a perfect pattern for someone that is a beginner as there is no closures and to use fabric leftovers.
I am genuinely happy with the fit and definitely it is a pattern that I will be making again and that I recommend.
Have a lovely weekend and thank you for reading!
Maria x
A Pinch of Sewing 