Stitch and bitch thread #4 I needle the help I can get.

[NutellaEllaElla]

Continuing our supportive little group until we run out of material

Well done on all your progress, @NutellaEllaElla! You've given me a prod that my website needs updating! I will have to get DS1 on that.

However, I've made a second pinafore/jumper dress out of a 70cm piece of chambray that I bought with the intention of making a bag! I've had to put a plain band of denim round the bottom and use webbing for the straps but it's turned out OK and I have enough fabric left to make a bag in the plain denim with a patterned pocket on the outside! I've also found free bag pattern online that I can adapt!

I'm a therapist, it's for the beginning of my tiny private practice.

Well done @NutellaEllaElla and good luck for your practice. I set up on my own in 2011 and it’s the best thing I ever did. Winding down now though and my website has now gone.

Thanks Jins, what was your business in?

So my simple stretch dress is sewn up but I've stalled at the hems and neckline. The contrasting bias binding is too see through, ivory on black is tricky and in the shop I thought it would work but it doesn't appear that way now I've got it home (as the neckline is wide I don't need it to stretch to get my head through and the lady in the shop said the bias binding would be fine as long as I didn't stretch the main fabric as I sewed it on.) I've looked at fold over elastic but I don't want visible zig zag stitches. I don't know if that's too fussy.

Hmm 🤔

I think I'm going to persevere with bias binding but I'm re-pressing it so it is completely doubled over so you don't see the difference between single and double thickness

I’m a planning consultant. Or was. Or maybe I am but not active. 😂

I’m back home from a spontaneous couple of days away. I wore my black trousers at some point each day so I’m glad I made them. Think I’ll make another pair in dark blue then it’ll be time to find another pattern. I wore my new blouse too and I think it’s a wee bit too big so I might have a look at it tomorrow to see if I can tweak it a bit. I was just about to make another with sleeves so I need to sort sizing out first.

I think I’m going to organise my pdf patterns and get them printed. At the very least I need to print a picture so I don’t forget I’ve got them

Nice, I'm at the beginning of my private practice, I'm still 4 days in the NHS but would be great if I could build up to full time independent.

So I'm off to New York now and planning on going to Mood as I watched so much project runway I only plan on getting one projects worth of fabric though.

Famous last words, you'll clearly need another suitcase for impulse fabric purchases

New York! So envious.

I've started prepping Simplicity 8014. I did a toile of the bodice in my size (according to the packet measurements) and it's come out huge. It has 5" of ease but it's ridiculous. Might toile in the next size down (my normal size) and grade out on the hips if needed. It's a shirt dress so there's some room for manoeuvre but I've heard this before about Big 4 patterns. Anyone else found this?

Indie patterns generally fit me better, I can cut out my usual size and know it will fit.

Have a wonderful time @NutellaEllaElla

@dubyalass I find the Big 4 patterns tend to come out on the large side. I try to pick my size using finished garment measurements but even so it can be hit and miss. Indie patterns seem to provide a lot more useful information

I made a New Look shirt dress and it was hopeless going by the body measurements size guide. I remember measuring a shirt dress i already had to see what kind of fit I liked, then choose the size based on the final fit measurements.

That worked out perfectly

I’ve brought some of mum’s sewing stuff back today. It filled the car 😮. I’m not short of buttons, buckles or needles any more and I found a box of presser feet from her machine before last that she hadn’t even unpacked.

It’ll be a while before I feel up to going through it thoroughly

I've very excited for you @NutellaEllaElla, it really is something to behold. My own fabric from Mood is sitting in a drawer.

That sounds quite a stash @Jins. What did your mum make when she was sewing? It must of been nice for her that she passed her interest down to you.

My jammies are done save for a bit of topstitching. After all that I am looking forward to sewing something without a pattern that needs matching. I did like doing the piping though, and fancy making the same pair in a lawn cotton for the cooler months. I saw a gorgeous William Morris print that I might need indulge in on pay day.

Mum sewed or knitted pretty much everything we kids wore until primary school. She made most of her own clothes and some were beautiful. She made every curtain we ever had. She never sewed for dad and she never tackled tailored trousers but she did plenty of jackets so I’m not sure why she didn’t.

When I was growing up it was considerably cheaper to make everyday clothes rather than buy them. We bought fabric from a stall in the market and haberdashery from the local shop and making what clothes she could was a massive cost saving. Mum didn’t drive until I was leaving primary and it was either a long bus ride to the nearest city or buying everything from Ethel Austin (remember that?) so I suspect that was a driver for her creativity.

In later years she lost interest in dressmaking and bought most of her clothes. I don’t think there’s a single purchased item that hasn’t been adjusted in some way though.

It’s the opposite nowadays really with cheap clothes and fast fashion everywhere. When I think of how much I can buy in primark for the same price as a fairly restrained fabric purchase I do wonder if things have swung too far the other way.

Those pyjamas are superb @Ulysses. I meant to start my ramble saying that but I forgot. They are worthy of a separate post though. Absolutely beautiful work

@NutellaEllaElla

I made a New Look shirt dress and it was hopeless going by the body measurements size guide. I remember measuring a shirt dress i already had to see what kind of fit I liked, then choose the size based on the final fit measurements.

That’s a great idea, I’ll give it a try.

Fantastic PJs @Ulysses! I’ve never made any but have a freebie pattern from The Assembly Line so might add them to my plans for this year.

I inherited both mum’s and grandma’s sewing stuff - more buttons and trims than I can use in my lifetime but I love looking through them, reminds me of when I was a kid and used to sort the buttons into colours.

Gorgeous PJs @Ulysses! And a lovely stash to go through later, @Jins. You have a point about fast fashion being so much cheaper than fabric. It's quite depressing really! But at least my clothes fit much better than bought clothes and a lot of the current fashions are in awful fabrics!

Beautiful pyjamas @Ulysses, piping and that pattern matched pocket 😍

I’ve finished the world book day costumes, so assuming they deign to wear them superworm and the witch from room on the broom will be attending school tomorrow.

@SBAM that worm is adorable and the witch is gorgeous!

@SBAM those are brilliant!

I went to mood today and only bought fabric for 2 projects. Proud

Fabulous costumes @SBAM. Love them both.

Commendable restraint @NutellaEllaElla.

I’m now into March and I’ve been very restrained with fabric purchase. In fact I can only think of the heavy georgette and the stuff I bought for toiles. I’ve even made inroads into the offcut mountain. I’m going to see if I can reduce the jersey/stretch drawer. I prefer sewing with wovens but I’ve got a few jerseys I was drawn to and a couple of patterns I quite like. Then I’ll be down to a few lengths of ponte.

Thanks for the kind comments, I’m very pleased with how the costumes turned out. And superworm did at least wear his for a photo.

@NutellaEllaElla what self control! Was it amazing in there?
@dubyalass I loved playing with my grandmas buttons too - does anyone know a grandma with a biscuit tin that actually contains biscuits not buttons?!
@Jins your stash sounds very restrained - I’ve got 6 cubes of a kallax unit full of fabric 🙈 I use an app called Cora to keep track and it says I have 96m. I have many plans so I think I just need to get on with them.