Let’s have a pyjama party!

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Over the past few weeks my daughter as been ~~asking~~ begging for comfy summer pyjamas. I decided to dig into my stash of knits, put aside my disputes with sewing with jersey, and get something done!
I poured my (not insubstantial) pile of ribbing on the table and let them choose their own trims which lead to the techno-colour feel of this sewing adventure.

The idea for these pjs was simple – flashback skinny tees (altered to short sleeves) for the top and short leggings for the bottoms.

Pyjama t-shirts

The tops were quite simple – I’ve made enough of these to know my way around a flashback tee; serger or no serger! I made size 4 for my 3.5 year old, size 5 for my 5.5 year old and size 7/8 for my (very skinny) 8.5 year old. These sizes worked fine.

It was only when it came to hemming the t-shirts that I encountered problems. You see, I usually make these tees from upcycled men’s t-shirts and I always incorporate the existing hem into the new shirt. I considered adding another band of ribbing around the bottom of the shirt but thought this might not be so comfortable to sleep in so this time I had to do proper hemming. I folded the raw edge to the wrong side just once and then sewed with a double needle. I did my best not to pull or stretch the fabric but it still isn’t ideal. The bottom has a kind of rippling effect. I think next time I won’t bother hemming at all – just let it roll up on itself (this is one method Rae recommends in her pattern). How do you guys usually hem t-shirts??

See that stretch-out, ripply hem?!

Pyjama leggings

The leggings gave me much more of a challenge. Guess what?! This is my first time making leggings! Everyone says how easy and satisfying they are to make so I jumped right in there with drafting out my own pattern and getting to work. My idea was to draft one pattern and then just tweak it for each kid.

With the first (pink) pair, after sewing up the front and back seams and then folding them together to do the inseam and crotch, the lengths didn’t match up – like, they really didn’t match up. I just about got away with it for the first pair but then had to start again. This time I did my proper research and figured out the problem - my points for the crotch and bottom were not on the same plane so when I folded them together the lengths were different (pretty obvious, I know). See this illustration below – those two points are exactly opposite each other! (I look this image from onelittleminute where she gives a way to add a cool tuxedo stripe to leggings!).

image from http://www.onelittleminuteblog.com/2013/04/simple-handmade-tuxedo-stripe-leggings/

After a pattern re-draft I was back on track and the rest was pretty smooth sailing.

Overall, this was a successful ‘sewing with knits’ project but it was more time-consuming than I imagined (well, actually, everything is more time-consuming than I imagine so I should never be surprised!). The kids are happy with them – they can move, they can sleep, they can…wrestle…. (what did I expect when I told the to jump on the bed and have some fun!?)…

It always seems to end up in wrestling in this house! Eventually they calmed down…

And even did a puzzle… So, there you have it! Easy (even if not particularly quick) summer pjs. I challenge a kid NOT to enjoy sleeping (and wrestling) in these!

And thanks to my three sardines for letting me take like a gazillion pictures of them.

Thanks for reading,

Laura x

Top 10 summer shirt, blouse and tunic sewing patterns

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Kid’s Clothes Week is now a distant memory, the sun is shining (some days), and I feel it’s finally time to start thinking about summer clothes for me!! After making this Banksia top and this Lisette Portfolio top for Rae’s Spring Top Sewalong, I realised a couple of things. First, although much more time-consuming (and potentially disastrous), sewing for me offers its own set of fun challenges. And, second, I’ve found that I wear these two tops all. the. time! It’s so nice having something that’s not a t-shirt but just as easy to throw on while trying to wrestle three kids into school clothes and get them out the door.

With this is mind, I’m determined to make time to sew some more tops for myself. Here is my top 10. Realistically, I’ll be happy if I manage to sew two or three of these but I love them all in their own way.

10. Renfrew Top (Sewaholic)

I have yet to sew from a Sewaholic pattern but I’ve been reading rave reviews in the blogosphere for years. Not being a huge fan of sewing with knits (every time feels like the first time and I’m pretty darn sick of that beginner feeling by now), I was a bit hesitant to add this to the list. However, when I read Ginger’s full-on gushing about this pattern on True Bias’s Tried and True Series I was convinced I should give it a go.

Image from gingermakes.wordpress.com via truebias.com

9. Scout Woven tee (Grainline Studio)

A woven (as opposed to knit) tee – that’s more my style! This t-shirt just seems like a dream come true. What a quick and easy way to show off some great fabric! I was a bit concerned about it being a bit shapeless (there aren’t even any darts) but, yet again, some other talented, snazzy bloggers have put my mind to rest. This definitely makes the top 10.

I love the sweet polka dots on this light-weight cotton version by Adrienne.

image from http://stitchingontheedge.blogspot.be/2013/01/polka-dot-scout-tee_15.html

And how cute is the teeny, tiny pocket on this one that Dixie made!?

image from Dixie DIY

8. Airelle Top (Deer and Doe)

I’ve been drooling over this pattern for a while now in my local sewing shop (yes, my local – as in a 2 minute walk – shop sells this! How cool is that!?).

image from http://boutique.deer-and-doe.fr/1-sewing-pattern-airelle-blouse.html

Vero made this great top and also gives a wonderfully detailed description of the process on her blog.

image from http://www.couturestuff.com/airelle-dragibus-blouse-deerdoe/

And I just love this version from the Deer and Doe website.

image from http://boutique.deer-and-doe.fr/1-sewing-pattern-airelle-blouse.html

I particularly love the back yoke with piping.

image from http://boutique.deer-and-doe.fr/1-sewing-pattern-airelle-blouse.html

PS. If it weren’t for my aversion to wearing sleeveless tops, I would have also included this Datura blouse, also from Deer and Doe. This cut-out neckline is fanstastic!

image from http://www.flickr.com/photos/alldaylongidreamofsewing/8652043794/in/pool-springtops2013/

7. Mathilde Top (Tilly and the Buttons)

I find Tilly so charming and likeable (not that I know her – but if I met her I’m sure we’d be BFFs!!). As a contestant on The Great British Sewing Bee she shined as an innovator in home sewing. This is one (if not the) first pattern she drafted for sale. There are lots of possibilities for personalisation with this top and, much to my liking, lots of opportunities for piping.

image from http://www.tillyandthebuttons.com/p/how-to-make-mathilde-blouse.html

image from http://didyoumakethat.wordpress.com/2013/02/16/the-mathilde-blouse-perfection/

image from http://www.tillyandthebuttons.com/p/maker-gallery.html

6. Burda blouse 3/2012

I pinned this top a while ago on Pinterest.

image from http://sabali-couture.fr/chemisier-a-pois-au-bronze-et-au-marteau/

After doing some research I found the original – which I hardly recognised as the same top!

I love the collar, the gathered neckline, the addition of piping, the navy fabric, the stud closures – I love it all!

image from http://sabali-couture.fr/chemisier-a-pois-au-bronze-et-au-marteau/

5. Laurel top, tunic or dress (Colette)

The Laurel pattern has been everywhere in recent months. At first I wasn’t so sure it was for me – would it be boxy and/or unflattering? – but so many talented sewing bloggers can’t be wrong! It seems like it’s a winner!!

I love Anna’s white, wintery version.

image from http://www.noodle-head.com/2013/03/laurel-dress.html

And this one just made me laugh…oh, it’s getting late, I’m getting giddy, let’s move on.

image from http://gingermakes.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/colette-laurel-or-the-jurassic-park-twinsies-geeky-awesomeness-dress/

PS – When you buy the pattern you also get a free downloadable ebooklet on 9 different variations you can make to personalise your top even further.

image from http://backstitchblog.blogspot.be/2013/03/its-new-colette-laurel.html

4. High Low Top (Melly Sews)

I’ve only recently discovered Melly Sews (through a very helpful suggestion by one of you readers ). It’s a great place to go for instruction, inspiration and a ton of free patterns and tutorials. There are many that I’ll be trying out. This High and Low Top immediately caught my eye. And, did I mention it’s a free, downloadable pattern with full instructions?!

image from http://mellysews.com/2013/02/high-low-shirt-tutorial-pattern.html

3. Simplicity 1779

Number three is, admittidly, a strange choice. There is something about this top that’s a little like the Airelle blouse and I think it has the potential to be light and fun. I can’t find much out there from others that have sewn it so I’ll just have to leave you with this coolio Simplicity pic!

2. Laelia blouse (Blousette Rose)

I love this blouse. I even have the pattern in a child version for my daughter (although haven’t sewn either version yet). Cute collar? Check. Piping? Check. Slightly puffed sleeves? Check?

image from http://www.blousetterose.com/fr/les-patrons/24-laelia

And look how this blouse opens on the side…I love that detail.

image from http://www.blousetterose.com/fr/les-patrons/24-laelia

If you don’t know Blousette Rose then check them out. They have beautiful patterns for women and girls.

Here’s a lovely checked version Anna made – you can read about it on her blog.

image from http://paunnet.blogspot.it/2013/03/plaid-laelia-blouse.html

1. Negroni man’s shirt (Colette)

And finally, let’s not forget the men in our lives (Father’s Day is just around the corner). I’m still not quite sure I have the confidence to take on this challenge but I’m getting dangerously close (watch out, Stephen!).

image from http://www.colettepatterns.com/shop/negroni

Florence from Flossie Teacakes made this stunning Liberty print version.

image from http://flossieteacakes.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/negroni-best-not-frozen.html

Finally, before I fall asleep as I type, I just wanted to say a quick word to all you lovely readers. I absolutely LOVE all the comments you guys leave here! I can’t believe I’ve made so many connections with so many of you so quickly (this blog went ‘live’ on 26 February this year). The whole process of planning something, sewing, photographing and blogging is utterly addictive. Thanks to you all for coming along for the ride!

So, tell me! What have you sewn from this list? Which ones would you recommend? I’m thinking that the Laelia blouse or the Airelle top will be my first sew. I’d love to hear your experiences.

Thanks for reading,

Laura x

Top 10 resources for sewing for big boys (8 years +)

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If you’re an avid sewist and you have boys in your family then you’re probably already aware of the book Sewing for Boys and its corresponding Flickr group. This book is great – I’ve made quite a few things from it – but my oldest son is now outgrowing the sizes and I’m on a mission to make more of his clothes this summer.

Here I’ve listed 10 resources (specific patterns, interesting blogs, style inspiration) for sewing for that difficult age range. I hope this gives you a little nudge to sew for those active, inspiring, intelligent, challenging, hilarious, studious, silly, big boys in your life.

10. Heidi and Finn Patterns

Most of the patterns offered by Heidi and Finn are for girls (and are very sweet ones at that!) but there is one urban unisex hoodie that is perfect for older boys (the pattern goes up to age 12).

Urban Unisex Hoodie Pattern by Heidi and Finn

Here’s one that Maya Mori made for her older boy and, I think you’ll agree, it looks pretty flippin’ awesome!

Image from Maya Mori – click on photo to go directly to blog.

9. Over-sized hoodie tutorial

If you don’t want to buy a brand new pattern then you can achieve a similar look by following this tutorial from The Boy Trifecta. I love, love, love the retro TV fabric.

Over-sized hoodie. Image from http://www.theboytrifecta.com

8. Japanese sewing patterns

I’ve started to look more towards Japanese patterns both for myself and for the kids (boys and girls). I find that they are refreshing and offer something different from lots of mainstream options.

For boys in particular, I’m super excited about the new book Happy Homemade: Sew Chic Kids which is due to be released in English this November. The patterns go up to a size 9 years which is not quite as large as I would like but Japanese patterns usually pride themselves on simple, clean lines so I’m hoping the patterns pieces can be enlarged without too much stress or seam ripping!

Image from http://www.amazon.com

If you just can’t wait until November, then you can buy the book now in Japanese. What’s that you say? You don’t speak Japanese?! Jeez, what’s wrong with you?! But seriously, the description of the book says it’s easy to understand with large diagrams so perhaps you could sew something up with the pictures and diagrams alone? Let me know if you try it!!

Also, another great resource for all aspects of Japanese sewing is the series that You and Mie hosted in March. Check it out here for lots of detailed explanations and inspiration.

The awesome Japanese sewing series from You and Mie. Image from http://www.youandmie.com

7. Figgy’s Banyan trousers

I’m totally in love with these boy’s (and could also be for girls) banyan trousers. I recently bought this pattern and love the skinny legs (for my tall, skinny boy). I haven’t made them yet but you can bet they’ll be a blog post about them soon.

Banyan trousers from Figgy’s Patterns

Have any of you made and Figgy’s patterns? What do you think? (I’m also going to make up the shorts for my daughter who has literally been begging me for shorts recently).

6. Bellerose (for inspiration)

Bellerose is perhaps my most favourite clothing shop in Belgium. Sometimes I buy things, but more often I scan the racks and shelves for trends and inspiration. They do equally amazing women’s, men’s and kid’s clothing. Check back often for new styles.

Image from http://www.bellerose.be

Image from http://www.bellerose.be

5. Mamasha – Charlie and Jacob patterns

Sharon, the one-woman wonder behind Mamasha, has created two fantastic patterns for sale for boys up to age 9. Jacob is a retro-looking fab pair of trousers and Charlie is a lined, knit top with collar (and lots of variations). The patterns are available in paper and digital form and right now are only available in Dutch…but don’t despair, I know Sharon is working on English translations so I’ll let you know as soon as they are available!!

Jacob trousers and Charlie top. Photo by Sharon http://madebymamasha.blogspot.be/

There are more lovely creations in the Zonen 09 Flickr group and you can find tons and tons of boy inspiration via Sharon at Mamasha. Please don’t let the Dutch put you off – there is some seriously good style and links here.

Image by Ik Ben Vink on Zonen 09 Flickr group

4. Mabo (for inspiration)

I’ve only very recently come across the small-scale shop, Mabo. It was love at first sight. They do both girls and boys clothing and they are perfectly simple, functional and understated. Here’s just a small sampling of their inspiring boys style.

image from http://www.mabokids.com

Image from http://www.mabokids.com

Image from http://www.mabokids.com

3. Ottobre Design Magazine

The quarterly sewing pattern magazine, Ottobre, is a staple of sewing kids clothes. I must say, I turn to this most often for well-written patterns that leave room for lots of personalisation. It’s a Finnish magazine but you can purchase them in English. They have their own Flickr group for even more inspiration.

Like many sewing patterns, sometimes you have to look beyond the slightly…how shall I say it…’cheery’ photos in the magazines. I usually flip straight to the middle where you have outlines of all the styles (free from distractions). These really are well-constructed patterns and there are lots of options for knits as well, if that’s your thing.

My only complaint about these patterns is that seam allowances are NOT included so consider yourself warned!

2. Flashback Skinny tee

So, where would we all be without a good summer t-shirt?! They don’t get much better than the Rae’s Flashback Skinny tee. She now offers the pattern in sizes up to 14 years so there’s no excuse for not putting that knit fabric to good use! There’s even a whole Flickr group just for these tees.

1. Oliver + s Sketchbook shirt

Oh yes, Oliver+s! Liesl from Oliver+s is great about including boy patterns in her collections. She said herself she’d like to do more…as long as we all keep buying them, thereby showing her that we’re interested too!

Oliver+s sketchbook shirt and shorts

Doing a quick scan of her patterns, there are the ones that are available for boys up to age 12:

I highlight the Sketchbook shirt because I think this is a great, versatile pattern that can be tweaked to reflect ~~your~~ your boy’s personal style.

So there you have it! Now, please, please, please tell me what I’m missing! I love all the resources I’ve listed here but, to be honest, I thought I’d find a lots more cool stuff that I hadn’t come across before. It seems that even with Celebrate the Boy, the Sewing for Boys book, and a huge revival in sewing in general, there still isn’t a great selection of modern, cool big boy clothing. Is it lack of demand? Do all your boys insist of shop-bought stuff? My kids are still happy to wear everything I make them but perhaps that will change in the coming years. What are your experiences?

Thanks for reading,

Laura x

FREE TUTORIAL: Mother’s Day bias-trimmed circle scarf

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I’m so excited to share my first ever tutorial on Behind the Hedgerow. This idea has been rolling around my head for awhile and I hope you feel inspired to whip one up for your mother (or yourself, your daughter, a friend, your sister, etc). For all you British readers out there – perhaps you could make one and tuck it away until next year!

Recently I got hooked on making circle scarves – a quick, easy and very satisfying project that can be completed in under an hour. My own mother will be getting one – which she’ll only find out about when she reads this (mom, which one do you like best?!) and will now be arriving to her late because this whole tutorial process has taken waaaay more time than I imagined. (But she’s that great kind of mom who will totally understand!).

Just a quick note about the instructions. I want this tutorial to be easy and accessible to sewists of all levels. I’ve put all the vital information in bold so the more advanced sewists can just whizz through it. The writing in normal text gives a bit more information and explanation about what we’re doing and why. I hope this all makes sense! Any and all feedback is welcome.

Materials

Lawn or other light-weight cotton. One piece measuring 180cm X 46cm. This will make a scarf that goes over your head three times and will be quite snug. Adjust accordingly if you want something tighter or looser. **Scroll to the bottom for notes on making a child version**
Double-fold bias binding – 190cm. If you increase the length of the fabric make sure you increase length of bias as well (bias should be 10cm longer than fabric).
Coordinating thread, pins, scissors, sewing machine, etc – all the usual sewing suspects.

Cutting

Cut your piece of fabric to 180cm x 46cm.

Cutting your fabric accurately is the most important part of this project. Please spend the time to get your fabric squared-up and cut correctly. This will make your job of pinning and sewing so much easier later on.

If you don’t have/don’t want to buy a piece of fabric 180cm long then you can always cut two pieces 91cm X 46cm and join them together with a 1cm seam allowance before you start.

Construction of scarf

Fold fabric in half along the short edge, right-sides together (RST), and pin in place. Make sure the fabric lies nice and flat along the rest of the length of the rectangle.

Shown here is right-sides together (even though it doesn’t look like it!). Also, you can see my cutting wasn’t all that even on the first one – learn from my mistakes and try to get those edges nice and even.

Stitch with a 1cm seam allowance. Press seam open.

You’ll now have a great big circle of fabric. Next, fold in half, wrong-sides together (WST), along the long circle edge, matching up the seam and raw edges. This is where your accurate cutting will be a great help. Assuming you’re not perfect, pin first at the seam you just sewed and then again at the opposite side of the circle. Because we’re using light-weight and, in some cases, slippery fabric, it’s a good idea to pin like this so you can ease in any extra fabric.

Once those pins are in place then pin all the way around, matching the raw edges and making sure your rectangle lies nice and flat.

Some of the pins are hard to see, but here I have the whole open side of my scarf pinned ready for basting together.

Sew a basting stitch at about 0.6 cm (1/4 in) seam allowance all the way around.

Trim seam allowance to about 0.3 cm (1/8 in). This will ensure that your basting stitches won’t be visible after sewing on the bias binding.

It’s already starting to look like a scarf, right!?

Scarf before adding bias

Now we just need to add the bias binding.

Adding bias binding

Gently open the bias binding along the centre fold.

Starting anywhere (except for on the seam attaching the two short lengths), pin the first fold of the bias onto the edge of the fabric, RST, matching up raw edges. There should be a 5cm overlap where the two ends of the bias binding meet.

When you get all the way around it will look something like this (you’ll notice that I don’t have exactly 5cm on either side – as long as they over lap a bit you’ll be ok!).

Now we need to finish the bias ends so that we don’t have any overlap in the finished scarf. What we’re going to do is stich a line so it ends up looking like this:

To do this, fold your scarf in half along the short edge at the point where the two ends of the bias meet and pin the bias in place, matching up the four folds.

Now, stich across both layers of bias, parallel and just above the fold in the fabric. Be careful not to catch any of the fabric in your stitching.

Now, unfold scarf so bias ends can lie flat. Trim excess fabric and pin in place.

You now have one continuous piece of bias to attach to your scarf. This requires two lines of stitching. First, stitch all the way around along the first fold (the one closest to the raw edge). I usually sew a teeny tiny bit closer to the raw edge from the fold – this will make sure that your stitching is covered on the other side.

Next, fold your bias up and over, enclosing the raw edge. Pin in place and stitch with the open side on top, making sure to cover your basting and first line of bias stitching AND catch the other side of the bias as you sew. It will be slightly bulkier where the two ends of the bias join – just go slowly here. Backstitch a few stitches when you complete the circle in order to secure the stitches.

And that’s it! You’re done! You have a light, lovely, scarf – perfect for Spring and Mother’s Day! If there are an imperfections – don’t worry! Try the scarf on, move around a bit and I bet you’ll never notice them!

What started out as this:

has turned into this:

Here I added a contrasting thread color.

And here is what it looks like on (I would have loved to have my own mother model this – she’s way cuter than me – but, alas, the small obstacle of the Atlantic Ocean was standing in our way!).

You can also easily make these for children (matching mother-daughter anyone?! Blah!). To do this, follow the exact instructions but cut your fabric 134cm x 30cm and your bias 144cm long. This will easily fit a girl (or fish!?) of 5 years old.

For this one I made my own bias binding. This is a great way to give your scarf an even more personal touch.

Whew, I think that’s it. Was it clear? Do you feel inspired to make one? If you do, please let me know how it turns out, if you need any help with understanding the instructions, or if you’d just like to show off what you’ve done!

As always, thanks for reading!

***Linking up to Skip to my Lou Made by You Monday***

***Linking up to Lolly Jane The Scoop Link Party***

***Linking up to Make it Wear it Thursday***

Laura x

Death of a Geranium

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Help wanted!! What started out as this…has ended up like this…
We’ve had our first sewing casualty of the season. Margot wore her (favourite!) geranium dress on a school trip and came home with this.

It makes me sad too, but, hey, she’s a kid and being a kid is a tough (and sometimes rough) job – these things happen. She said she was having fun when it was torn (something about rolling down a grassy hill) so how can I be upset about that?! I would, however, like to fix this but my mending skills are virtually non-existent.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how (if?) this can be repaired. As you can see, it’s not on a seam and I can’t think of an obvious solution (apart from re-making the entire bodice, for which I don’t have enough fabric).

I’m not looking for perfection – just a solution that would make the dress wearable.

With all that vast sewing knowledge out there, surely someone has a clever suggestion?!

Thanks for helping a mama in need!

Laura x

10. Fabric bookmark

Image from flossieteacakes.blogspot.co.uk

Florence from Flossie Teacakes is a Liberty master! Here you can find full instructions to make these sweet little bookmarks. While you’re there have a good look around – you’ll be filled with Liberty inspiration. At the moment I’m particularly loving her Liberty print silk Laurel top and her Liberty patchwork dog bed (I know, Liberty print for a puppy – mad, right?! That’s why I love it all the more!).

9. Fabric-lined envelope

Image from http://velvetavalon.tumblr.com/page/13

Here’s a sweet way to make a letter or invitation even more special. In fact, this tutorial is given in the context of wedding invites. Whatever you use them for, the recipient is bound to be thrilled with that lovely surprise when they open the envelope. Tutorial can be found here.

8. Patchwork dog

Image from http://bustleandsew.com/tutorials/free-liberty-patchwork-pup-tutorial/

Helen from Bustle and Sew has created a wonderful free pattern and tutorial for this patchwork softie. Any combo of Liberty would be great – I particularly like how she’s combined more muted vintage tones with the more vibrant and bright Lifestyle range from Liberty. Not sure where she got the Liberty ‘collar’!

7. Mug rug and pincushion

Although this pattern does not specify Liberty fabric, I think it is perfect for this project. The free pattern is from Green Bee Patterns and can be found here and here. You can read my full blog post about these here.

6. Sewing portfolio organiser

Image from http://www.liberty.co.uk/blog/12437/guest-blog-kerry-green-sewing-portfolio-organiser/

This is a project that Kerry from VeryKerryBerry did for the Liberty Blog. The full instructions can be found here. It’s pretty advanced in terms of the patchwork (I’m a little daunted by it!) but the result is stunning and would make such a lovely portable organiser.

5. Book covers

Image from http://good.net.nz/magazine/good-issue-24/your-good-life/book-covers

What better way to beautify your books than with some Liberty fabric covers?! This tutorial is taken from the Liberty Book of Home Sewing. You can find the full instructions here.

4. Man’s tie

Image from http://purlbee.squarespace.com/fathers-day-ties/

It was tempting to fill this Top 10 list with tutorials from Purl Bee! They have some truly gorgeous items with full instructions as well as a chance to buy the fabrics. I managed to restrict myself to just two. If you don’t know Purl Bee, the blog to accompany the fabric shop Purl Soho in NYC, then please check it out. They have so many useful tutorials on sewing, knitting, crocheting, embroidery and more.

This is a tutorial I’m going to try out for Father’s Day this year – I’ve never made my husband many things and I think it’s about time he gets in on the action! Plus, I would like to start a revolution of boys/men wearing flowers! (If you’re in doubt about this, check out this and this and this and this for some boys/men rocking the floral look!).

The full tutorial is here.

3. Cot tidy

Image from http://www.apartmentapothecary.com/wordpress/?photo=liberty-cot-tidy

Here is something beautiful yet oh-so-useful. These instructions are clear and easy-to-follow and would make a lovely baby gift.

2. Fabric fish

Image from http://resurrectionfern.typepad.com/resurrection_fern/2009/06/lets-make-fish-making-liberty-of-london-fashionable-fish-accessories.html

Ok, so maybe these aren’t the most useful or necessary thing to make but, hey!, they are so charming and full of character that I couldn’t leave them out! Margaret from Resurrection Fern really brings her sense of humour and love of nature – not to mention her love of Liberty – to these quirky little guys! I especially love their transformation into accessories. Who wouldn’t love a big fish hair clip afterall! Go check out these great photos – I just know you’ll be dying to whip some up yourself (and I like the suggestion of making them into a mobile for child’s room as well).

1. Wool lap blanket

Image from http://www.purlbee.com/the-purl-bee/2012/12/13/mollys-sketchbook-liberty-and-wool-lap-duvets.html

And, here we are at number one. This is probably the first thing I’ll make when I get a piece of Liberty that’s not scrap-size! As we approach summer this project will go on hold but, as the nights start to draw in in October, I can guarantee I’ll have one of these on my sofa! I’m thinking of it as the cheats-quilt…the full loveliness of a quilt but without all the work! Go get the full instructions here.

These tutorials are just a small sampling of what’s out there in the wide, wide world of the internet. Here are a few more resources if, like me, you just can’t get enough Liberty:

Liberty Love: 25 Projects to Quilt and Sew Featuring Liberty of London Fabrics
The Liberty Book of Home Sewing
Liberty Scrap Challenge (2012) from a cuppa and a catch up. Lots more tutorials here.
Liberty Craft Blog
Liberty Love Flickr Group

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little floral inspiration. As always, I’d love to see what you’re making. Do you have any other great ideas for Liberty that I’ve left off? I’m planning my own little Liberty tutorial here very soon. I can’t wait to share it with you!

Thanks for reading,

Laura x

Oliver + s fairy tale dress – KCW Day Four, Spring 2013

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I’ve known for awhile that I would make this dress for KCW – my brother’s getting married this summer and I’ll make view B for Margot’s flower girl dress so this is kind of a trial-run. I did not know, however, that this would be one of only two pieces I would complete for KCW and that Meg (of Elsie Marley!!!) would be making the same dress! I feel like I’m participating in my own little sewalong!

This is the Oliver + s fairy tale dress in view A. Like all of Liesl’s patterns, the instructions are full of perfectly pitched detail and really useful illustrations. Although I’ve made the Play Date dress (see here) and the Jump Rope dress (see here and here) – both of which are also a ‘three scissors’ difficulty rating – I did find this one the most challenging. This has taken up way more than an hour a day but, now that it’s all finished, I absolutely love the dress and I’m probably more proud of this than anything else I’ve sewn.

Now, let’s geek-out and get into the technical details. I made a few changes to the pattern:

I left off the waist trim and simply added red piping to the bodice/skirt seam. This was easy-peasy to do and think it makes the feel of the dress more modern and a bit less cutesy.
I swapped gathers for pleats. After making lots of geranium dresses in both the gathered and pleated variety, I totally fell in love with the pleat. I feel it gives the dress a more grown-up look. To do this I pulled out my geranium pattern for 5T and used this as a guide for adding pleat marks to the skirt. I pinned it on one side and then measured it out so I could do the same, in mirror image, for the opposite side. It was a bit fiddly but not hard.
Because I want this dress to be worn as an everyday-dress I left off the lining and tulle. This had the added bonus of making the dress quicker to sew and using less fabric – but it did mean I had to do things differently on the inside since there was no skirt lining to attach to the bodice lining. Instead, I simply turned the hem of the bodice lining to the wrong side and hand-stitched it in place along the seam line.

Aside from those changes, there are a few other details of the construction I want to mention.

The zip…ahhhh, yes, the dreaded zip! I’ll be upfront and say right here and now that I am no good at zips, invisible or otherwise. Sure I’ve put them in things but I have never been entirely happy with one that I’ve put in a garment (I’ve made lots of Anna’s gathered zipped clutches and they work out fine). This time I was determined to get it right!

I started with my one spare invisible zip, some scrap fabric, a cup of tea and a deep breath. I read through the pattern and had a go – fail! Swore, seam ripped, tried again – fail! Swore (louder this time – one of the perks of sewing in an isolated basement!), seam ripped, watched shaky YouTube video on zip insertion, tried again – fail! Stomped around for awhile, checked pinterest, flickr groups, facebook (the usual time-wasting suspects), read The Coletterie tutorial on invisible zips, tried again – success!!!! Hallelujah!

After doing it successfully I figured out why I get so confused by the way most instructions are written and it comes down to one word – right. You see, I soon as I read this word I’m thinking – do you mean right (as opposed to left) or right (as opposed to wrong – as in sides of fabric)? Then, if I can determine that it’s right, as in right and left, I’m wondering if it’s right as you’re looking at something, or right as you’re wearing something. Basically, there is just too much room for error so I switch off. The Coletterie tutorial is good because it relies mostly on very clear photos and when they do mention the dreaded word, it is very clear exactly what they mean.

Once I understood the technique I then had to go through a learning curve with my invisible zipper foot. I read that this foot was magic for zip insertion so I was doubly frustrated when I was still struggling. I’ll save you all the details here but what I learned was this – when using your invisible zipper foot, make sure your needle is exactly in the centre when you sew (hand-crank it down to double check this before starting). Mine was slightly to the left so one side was trying to sew on the coils while the other side wasn’t getting close enough.

After all the practice I had a zipper success story! Since it’s meant to be invisible I guess I should have used a blue or white zip but I like that tiny bit of red poking out at the top.

The next thing to mention is the collar. Making the actual collar pieces was easy and well-explained. It wasn’t too difficult to attach them to the main fabric, although be careful with the curve and take your time to get it to all lie flat. The trouble for me came when attaching the bodice lining as well. Your measurements have to be so precise to get the top of the zip and the outside bodice and bodice lining to lie nicely and look clean. I had to do lots of fudging and this is the most unprofessional part of the dress. I’m curious to see if I can improve this for the next version.

Finally, let’s talk about the sleeves. They are really gorgeous and so cleverly designed. I’m dying to incorporate them into a different project. The only thing to mention here is that when you sew your gathering stitches for the top of the sleeve, you have four layers of fabric and it’s really hard to gather it all up evenly. Because it was so chunky I thought I was just sewing big folds into the sleeve cap but when I turned it out they actually looked great. So, if you’re sewing this, stick with it and trust that it’ll work!

So there you have it – my KCW is finished! I thought I’d accomplish much more but hey-ho, live and learn, right!? This is my first time sewing and photographing and blogging – whoa – it takes a lot of time as I’m sure all you more seasoned bloggers out there already know.

It feels good to be wrapping this up. Tomorrow I’m off to London for a fun-filled weekend visiting a tiny new baby (who will be getting one of these geranium dresses. With none of my own kids in tow, I also hope to:

Eat some good food at Applebee’s Cafe in Borough Market (for all you Americans reading – this is not the Applebee’s you’ll be thinking of ).
Drink some coffee at With Jam and Bread in Lee, southeast London.
Shop at The Village Haberdashery, the bricks-and-mortar premises of the online shop of the same name. I’m determined to buy my first Colette pattern as a little thank you for all the help with the zip tutorial. Anyone have any Colette favourites I should try?!
and marvel at the displays at Liberty. Have you guys heard that Liberty has teamed up with Levi’s?! Liberty and denim…I’m interested to see more. Just check out this picture of the atrium of the main hall…

Hope you all have a great weekend. Thanks for sticking with me till the end – lots to say tonight for some reason. Will you all be sewing strong over the weekend or taking a well-deserved break? I’ll be back on Tuesday for another Top 10.

Linking to The Train to Crazy: Make It, Wear It Thursdays.

Thanks for reading,

Laura x

Pyjama t-shirts

Pyjama leggings

10. Renfrew Top (Sewaholic)

9. Scout Woven tee (Grainline Studio)

8. Airelle Top (Deer and Doe)

7. Mathilde Top (Tilly and the Buttons)

6. Burda blouse 3/2012

5. Laurel top, tunic or dress (Colette)

4. High Low Top (Melly Sews)

3. Simplicity 1779

2. Laelia blouse (Blousette Rose)

1. Negroni man’s shirt (Colette)

10. Heidi and Finn Patterns

9. Over-sized hoodie tutorial

8. Japanese sewing patterns

7. Figgy’s Banyan trousers

6. Bellerose (for inspiration)

5. Mamasha – Charlie and Jacob patterns

4. Mabo (for inspiration)

3. Ottobre Design Magazine

2. Flashback Skinny tee

1. Oliver + s Sketchbook shirt

Materials

Cutting

Construction of scarf

Adding bias binding

10. Fabric bookmark

9. Fabric-lined envelope

8. Patchwork dog

7. Mug rug and pincushion

6. Sewing portfolio organiser

5. Book covers

4. Man’s tie

3. Cot tidy

2. Fabric fish

1. Wool lap blanket

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