Stitch and bitch thread #9. I have pressing concerns

[NutellaEllaElla]

Welcome welcome!

I've not made anything for ages after I screwed up the same thing twice. I'm gonna have another blimmin crack at it though! I've reconnected with another hobby and work is seriously getting in the way of everything I want to do, darn it.

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@Allthegoodnamestakken do you have a photo of the jacket?

That sounds bad @jins. What a nightmare.

Thanks @CrimsonAlligator but in some ways it’s a relief as I’d been expecting the second eye to go and at least the other one is much better. Not as bad this time either. Just another thing they don’t tell you about getting older

Am thinking of making a dress for a 3 year old, pattern goes from 3 up to age 8. What do you recommend as the best way of tracing off the age I want to preserve the pattern as she ages? I have device that rotates like a wheel with spikes (?) would that be any use, or just trace with a pencil? Thanks all am hoping completing something small will get me excited about sewing again!

I use baking parchment ( extra wide) and trace with a pencil . Just remember to mark each one with the pattern details !

I trace with a pencil - I buy big rolls of paper similar to this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Allcraft-Swedish-Tracing-Dressmaking-Patterns/dp/B086TNM3Z1 (the one I bought last time has doubled in price, so I'm going to have to do a proper shop around)

With a kids pattern the 12" wide standard baking parchment will work - I just need the extra width for mine!

This was in ‘active’ and looks relevant to me - can I join?

I love making clothes and managed to have a cutting out day this week but now I’m sitting at my sewing table on mumsnet. DH found out he got an exciting new job yesterday and it will mean moving, but not sure where yet so I can feel my stress levels creeping up and I’ve lost all motivation to carry on.

The patterns I’m using are Merchant and Mills, they’re nice clothes but does anyone else find the patterns unecessarily complicated for what they are? I always end up not using half the pattern pieces and omitting the pockets and plackets because I just can’t be bothered….

If you find any I’d love to know. I bought two rolls of that when it was £9.99 a roll and thought it was expensive then. Do they actually sell it at £25???

I use a lot of paper so I bought an industrial sized roll of dot and cross for about £40 (plus tax) from Morplan. Best purchase ever.

Amazon is frankly taking the piss - you can get the swedish paper for about £16 in the wild. I agree that industrial paper is the best - this is probably on my shortlist at the minute as best bang for buck https://www.wellmadetools.co.uk/hand-a-roll-of-pattern-cutting-tracing-paper-plain-white-65-m-long-approx-x-1m-wide-for-professional-fashion-design-and-tailor-pattern-cutting

I use this paper for tracing and pattern adjustments, I find the grid helps me keep things lined up. I used to get an off brand version from Amazon but they stopped selling it a few years ago, and the Prym one is a bit more expensive.

I’ve run out of Swedish tracing paper so I bought 10m of pattern paper on eBay. It came folded and it’s not very flexible. Not my best purchase. I’m struggling along with a couple of rolls of architectural tracing paper dating from my student days but not finding it great. Greaseproof and freezer paper are ok for small items but I really need to find something better

I quite like the Burda paper for normal use, @jins - it's thin like the paper some patterns comes on, so easy to pin, and, while it's folded, it's nice neat creases which iron out easily.

I bought some heavier paper for heavier fabrics and patterns that need a lot of altering and that came folded, too.

@CrimsonAlligator The blouse is gorgeous and I didn't see bananas.

Thanks everyone, I managed with baking parchment as it's a small item.

Missed this. I love M&M patterns and love the details. They're often what stop a garment being a boring sack. YMMV with pockets but I'm a fan. Curious how you can leave off a placket without changing the garment functionally, mind.

Thanks Remus. I have a colleague who comments on literally everything I wear. I’m going to try it out on him next week…

I’m another Burda paper user. Don’t think I’ve ever tried anything else so no idea if it’s better or worse than other options.

Welcome to the thread @Catnipcupcakes. Love the username! Not made any M&M patterns myself, but always appreciate some nice understated details. I too am intrigued about leaving off pattern pieces

I use wide tracing paper. 1m by 20m ish, cost £27 in October, now £49, Amazon having a laugh!

It does change it functionally. They mostly fit over the head without alteration though so that’s fine and I don’t miss the buttons or the week of work M&M plackets take me to construct! I could change the method and use my favourite simpler placket but…nah.

It helps that I like boring sacks!

Is that the Swedish stuff? If so it was £9.99 just pre-pandemic.

I used to buy a lot from Amazon as I live in a very rural area but the prices are insane for almost everything now.

Do you have any particular M&M favourites @Catnipcupcakes (or anyone else)

I always think the M&M aesthetic would suit me, but their presentation style makes it a little difficult to visualise. I guess Instagram is the answer here, but fear I would just disappear down a rabbit hole for days 🐇

Speaking of which, has anywhere here made the Grainline Farrow dress? I’m going through a minor obsession at the moment. I can’t work out if it would work for me, or would look like a sack. I’m sort of pear shaped, but tall, which makes me look more in proportion than I actually am, if that makes sense.

I haven't made that dress @CrimsonAlligator - but that style is quite flattering if you're "neat" on top but have stuff you want to hide further down. I have a seasalt top that is like the top half of it and enjoy wearing it (even though it's rather badly made).

M&M always have lots of photos and usually a video on their website and there's always a few bloggers who have made their stuff up. Sewing pattern review can be useful, too. I've just had The Niven delivered (it's gone up a quid in the 3 days since I ordered it!) as it's just what I've been looking for for a long time.
https://merchantandmills.com/uk/the-niven

Mmm, @CrimsonAlligator , I like quite a few M&M patterns as my ‘shop bought’ wardrobe is exclusively Toast and Cabbages and Roses and they are very similar shapes. Oversized in the width, quite neat shoulders, tops generally surprisingly short, but that’s easily fixed.

I’d go and look at The Foldline as they have a few reviews and project photos at the bottom of the pattern sales pages, but not so many you’ll be there for hours! I don’t find PatternReview that helpful with their funny little yes/no questionnaire thing.

The ones I keep coming back to are the Etta dress, the Landgate and Strand coats, the Piper trousers and the Omillie top/dress.

The Swing Top has become a bit of a staple (a plain wide A-line Henley shirt - but watch out for the very cropped back panel!) as a pyjama top. This was the one where removing the placket made it a one day make for me and when I’m just running up a pair of pyjamas for myself that’s as much as I want to do. I use a plain elasticated trouser pattern from a Japanese sewing book for the bottoms.

All the M&M patterns I’ve done have turned out looking much more voluminous than on their models and use a lot of fabric. Most reviewers say they size down to get a good fit, but I don’t as I like the oversized look.

Thanks for the heads up about the back of the swing top, @Catnipcupcakes - I downloaded that one at the weekend but haven't really looked at it, yet.

I have a lot of their patterns on my shelf but hadn't made one for a while but I've made the Ottoline jacket and the Factory dress, recently and love both of them.

Yep. 10cm difference! I'll be fixing that!

@PickAChew Did you leave the front seam of the Factory dress as-is? I’ve been putting that pattern off for years because I always think it looks a bit odd. I get that it facilitates the facings for the collar, but still….

I also took some width out of the back panel of the swing top the second time I made it as even with the extra length it is so full it was quite draughty up the back which isn’t what you want here on the north coast of Scotland!

The only changes I made were some tiny tweaks to the length and repositioning of the bust dart@Catnipcupcakes though I found the back facing annoyingly flappy. That was tamed with some carefully placed hand stitches. I shall trim the interfacing away from the seam allowance if make another. (the weather we've had, this year, one is enough)