Blog: Sewing

I recently got invited to a charity ball with a black tie dress code. I can’t resist a stressful project, so I decided that I’d make my own formal dress, despite only having two weeks’ notice. Why do I do this to myself?

Anyway, it worked out well, although certainly not drama free. There isn’t a lot of talk about this pattern online, so I wanted to add my thoughts to the world. Here’s a lightning quick review of the Simplicity S3099 dress sewing pattern, which I made in view B (full length), in a polyester duchess satin, with a polyester crepe-back satin for the lining.

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My fashion-design oriented career break is officially over, as earlier this year I went back into the world of software consultancy. It’s been a huge lifestyle shift for me, but a very welcome one! I’ve missed being part of something bigger than myself, and it’s really nice to flex my technical brain muscles again.

I’ve still been making, just not sharing any of it on my site - or indeed, anywhere. In the interests of clearing away cobwebs, so here are some making-related things that have been occurring lately:

• I’ve knitted two jumpers this year, and nearly finished a third. And yet, I haven’t blocked those first two! With the warm weather we’ve been having, I’ve not really felt any urgency to push them over the final hurdle. But I am looking forward to having a nice little collection of new warm things when the cold comes back around.
• I’ve done a few more sewing pattern tests. I must get some nice photos and add them to my gallery!
• I finally finished sewing that pair of rose Thea trousers that I started last summer. There’s absolutely no reason that they took so long other than avoidance. They’re my third pair, so I know and love the pattern - I just somehow started seeing them as a chore because they’d sat there unmade for so long. But now they’re done, I’m utterly in love with them! And they’re the best pair of Theas I’ve made. I wear my other two pairs all the time, and I’m already fantasising about making another pair (and taking less time over it).
• I sewed 99% of a Kelly dress in a beautiful Liberty tana lawn and then I’ve just left it on my dress form for 5 months with only buttons to sew on. I feel like there’s a real theme of “unfinished business” starting to develop in this list here.
• I made a delightful pair of cargo shorts for my husband for his birthday. They came out so well, and he loves them. God, it’s so satisfying to make something nice. And I really, really like working with cotton twill.

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When we were in New York last month (amazing, by the way!), I visited the famous Mood Fabrics on West 37th St. It’s such a huge shop - I was so excited! I’d actually planned to spend some time wandering around the broader garment district - but I spent so long in Mood, I never went to any other fabric shops. So that’s another thing on the to-do list for a repeat trip to NYC!

Here are my tips on how to shop at Mood Fabrics, mashed together with a diary of my own experience.

Finding the store - it’s not at street level. I walked past the shop at first because I was looking for a window display. Turns out you have to go into an office-style foyer, and take the lift to the 3rd floor. You exit the lift directly into the shop.

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In September last year, I decided to sign up to the Whole 30 Fabric Challenge: a challenge that encourages you to use or give away 30 metres (or yards) of fabric that you already own, before buying any more fabric. It is a reaction against the very consumerist notion that sewing and fabric collecting are two separate hobbies - a trap that most sewists eventually fall into.

It seemed like a great idea. I don’t have a crazy amount by some people’s standards, but I do have a lot. I do have the storage space for it, and I keep good digital records of my fabrics, so I’m fully aware of what I have, but it’s still a decently sized amount of fabric that’s just sitting there. Forcing myself to use it seemed like a good thing - for sustainability, and for my wallet.

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For Christmas I made my husband this super cosy pullover with the Helen’s Closet Jackson Pullover pattern, in this HILARIOUS fur-backed sweatshirting from Minerva. It’s such a fantastic print, there was no chance of me not buying it. Look at those cool bears dressed like James Dean!

This is actually my fourth time sewing the pattern, but I’ve never done the same view/size combo twice - as it’s so versatile I’ve used it for different applications each time. And that’s not even including the hoodie expansion pack that I just noticed they released (which I’m very tempted by).

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For the fashion design course I’m taking, I designed, drafted, fitted and created a summer top. And I’m so proud of it! Summer might be a distant memory, but I just rediscovered my notes about the process of creating this, and I had to share.

The Design

I started with a sketch, vaguely inspired by some silhouettes I saw earlier in the summer. I iterated on a few ideas, but ultimately landed on this empire-band peplum top. I wanted something that would be a fun challenge to draft, and I was really into under-bust gathering at the time.

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I keep thinking about the Pinyon Pants by Sew Liberated. I’ve been fascinated by every pair I see on Instagram. I bought the pattern – and even got the printed copy (I never do that!) but I haven’t started on them yet. I haven’t got the fabric, and I’m mid-way through another project right now. But this Pinyon Pants pattern, man. I feel so excited thinking about it.

There’s something about this moment between committing to making a pattern and actually starting work on it that feels so optimistic. This huge sense of potential. At this moment, the trousers I end up making from this pattern could be perfect, fit me like a dream, and be the best garment I’ve ever made.

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Here’s another sewing pattern review for you: the Natalie skirt from Forget-Me-Not Patterns. I made it in this beautiful lightweight denim, and I’m over the moon with how it came out!

Full disclosure though: I am a part of the Forget-Me-Not patterns Insider program, which means I get free access to their patterns in exchange for social media posts about my makes. This blog post isn’t related to the programme though - I just want to talk about my new skirt y’all!

What fabric and size did I choose?

I made my Natalie skirt in the A-line view and the shorter length. I’m 5'6", for reference.

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