The skirt and jacket moment

I have been busy sewing away on these cold winter evenings and weekends.  The next two makes go as a pair as they were made for each other.

The skirt was the start, well actually the fabric was the start, one of my bargain buys from the Great British Sewing Bee Live last year.  I have recently heard this will not be happening this year after all, I am truly sorry about this.  I knew that this pink check wool fabric would be a skirt and I had the perfect pattern in mind.  It just had to be.

The skirt came together well and I lined it which has made wearing it so easy.  I love a lined skirt.

It looks a little crumpled here, I had just taken it off.

I also bought the wine coloured fabric at the same show, but was not quite so sure what to do with it at first.  Then I realised how well it went with the skirt. 

I had not enough material to make the jacket that is meant to go with the skirt, (that will be a suit one day, I am waiting for the right fabric to come along), but I had this free pattern that came with one of my sewing magazines I subscribe to, Sew magazine.  It felt like fate was playing its card.

The jacket (New Look F6013) was a whizz to put together and it fits well.  The material hangs well and works perfectly with the skirt.

I did not line the jacket but I keep thinking I might go back and do this, it would just help it feel a little more robust.

I wore the pair together for work and someone actually said how nice the skirt was without knowing I had made it.  I purred a little.

I was very pleased with both makes, they were nice and simple and will be patterns I will use again.

A peacock dress and a new sewing machine

Whilst at the Great British Sewing Bee I bought some rather lovely peacock print material.  It was love at first sight and I knew exactly which pattern I was going to make with it.

I had recently bought this pattern from the Avid Seamstress, the A-line dress.

I really like the shape of this dress, the a-line form is generally quite a flattering one and I thought that the pattern looked quite straightforward to put together.

It was indeed a nice dress to put together though I did struggle with getting the 'V' of the neckline perfect.  I need to practice this sort of neckline more.

The dress itself did not take too long to put together.  I had some angst as to whether the peacock feathers should be facing upwards or downwards.  I decided it did not really matter as long as I was consistent.  I chose downwards.  Once completed I was very happy with the dress and went to try it on.

Oh dear,

It was just a fraction too tight around the stomach area, my general tricky bit of body.  I had measured myself whilst the chest and hips were fine, the 'apple shape' middle let me down again.  I chided myself for not measuring properly, it is such an easy error to make but so so annoying.  The dress is now hanging in the wardrobe and I am determined to fit into it hopefully soon.  So it was all a bit of a disappointment really.  Not the pattern's fault but my own.  I feel like I got carried away with myself, over-confident in fact.  Now I need to regroup and be more careful in future.

The plus-side of this project is that it was the first one I made with my new sewing machine, a Singer 9100.  I bought this after considerable thought and research.  I bought another Singer as I hoped that it would be more familiar to me and also hoped that any accessories would be interchangeable.  I spent weeks deciding which one to buy.  I got totally confused by quilting or not quilting and computerised vs mechanical.  I worked out fairly quickly that there was little point in changing my mechanical machine for another one as I would be gaining very little.  I also finally worked out that if I bought a machine that did more that I might use it for more.  The quilting vs non-quilting bit became less of a concern after having a discussion with some sales-people at the Great British Sewing Bee.  A key reason for going was to research sewing machines and whilst I am a huge fan of online-buying, sometimes you need to talk to someone.

I practiced on some scraps of fabric to begin with.  I struggled getting the tension right and I began to get that 'oh no what have I done, I have bought a machine I cannot work' moment.  I resorted to googling the problem, but that did not help me very much.  I seemed to find people panicking not unlike myself but few helpful answers.  Finally, deep in the pit of despair, I decided to try changing the bobbin from the plastic one supplied with the machine, to one of my existing metal ones.  It did the trick, the tension was sorted immediately.  Relief washed over me and sewing could commence.

There are things that I decided I loved quite quickly about the new machine.  I like the needle up/down button, it is very handy.  I love the top-loading bobbin that I can see through the clear window and check how much thread is left on it.  My favourite favourite thing though is the speed-limiter.  It has transformed how I sew.  No longer does my heavy foot make the machine run away with me; now I can do careful and steady sewing.

As time goes on I will learn how to use more of this machine, but I am really happy with it and expect to be using it for quite a while.

A day at the Great British Sewing Bee

Like many people I loved the Great British Sewing Bee (GBSB) and as I mention in my prologue, the programme inspired me to dust off my sewing machine and get making my own clothes again.  I have started reading some sewing magazines and I saw an advertisement for the Great British Sewing Bee Live which was to be held in London.  I looked at the dates and it was possible to go.  I checked the ticket prices and thought them reasonable.  Finally I checked the location and decided it was definitely driveable.  I felt in need of a treat so I booked the tickets there and then.  There were lots of workshops and shows that could be booked as well, sadly the workshops I was interested in were already booked up (lesson learned, next time book early).  I decided I would book for one of the shows.  As readers of my gardening blog will know, I visit gardening shows quite often but I rarely if ever go along to any of the talks.  A sewing show was a new adventure for me and I wondered if I would find enough to look at (don't laugh) so I booked the show as that would make sure it was worth my journey.  That was my reasoning anyway.

The day arrived and I set off fairly early so I could be there when it opened.  I found the venue (ExCel) easily and parked with no problems at all.  All was good.  I then wandered into the huge complex where the show was and then had no idea where to go.  Thankfully there was a constant stream of women who looked liked they sewed heading in one direction so I followed them.  Now don't ask me what a stream of women who look like they sew looks like, I'm not really sure and there was a danger I would have ended up in the bodybuilding for beginners show (no such show).  Thankfully my gut-feeling was right and I ended up in the right place.  I headed first for a coffee and a moment to collect myself.  

There was much to see.  I enjoyed seeing some of the makes from the TV series.

and also displays from educational institutions like this one from the University of East London.

and there was shopping to think about, 

much shopping.  But I had my show to go and see so I wandered towards the theatre area and took my seat. 

Having been unsure whether I really wanted to see a show or not, it turns out it was a great idea.  It was hosted by Jenny Eclair, someone who I have always found very funny, and consisted of a makeover challenge with three contestants from the GBSB and three pre-selected members of the audience.  They had to makeover three shirts.  Esme and Patrick were the judges and there was also a demonstration on how to fit an invisible zip from Heather Jacks, a GBSB winner.  It was hugely entertaining and interesting.  There was a discussion about the lack of dressmaking in schools, which I was very interested in.  My first time with a sewing machine was in dressmaking lessons at school.  It taught me the basics I still use today and started me off on my sewing journey.  It is a great loss if that no longer happens.

Show over and it was lunchtime.  A sandwich consumed later and I was ready to start shopping.  I had a list with me and I had photographed the back of some patterns I want to make so that I had a quick easy way of knowing what fabrics I needed if I found something I liked.

If - ha - of course I found something I liked.

This is my haul, fabric, patterns and ribbons.  So watch this space as they get made up.

I also had a major reason for wanting to attend.  I wanted to look at sewing machines and I knew there would be many to look at and talk to people about there.  I really needed to talk to someone as whilst I have a machine and I love it, I was wondering whether it was still the right machine for me.  So guess what, I bought a new machine.  When it arrives I will write more about it and why I made the decision.

I came home with many projects whizzing around in my head, slightly over-excited and very happy.  Good days are made like this.  I hope they do this show again next year, I know will be buying my ticket quicker than quick.