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.

@Daffyyellow
@rivercobbler
@bookbook
@FletchingStraight
@Tinuviel
@Karatema
@Brefugee
@kittykarate
@Greaterthanthesumoftheparts
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@Twobluechickens
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@Jins
@CrimsonAlligator
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@GonnaGetGoingReturns
@Subolooo
@SleepingisanArt
@GnomeDePlume
@Chewbecca
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@Cynderella
@PickAChew
@Wildernesstips
@Pastabest
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@Frumpyunicorn
@WickDittington
@Allthegoodnamestakken
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@FloofyBird

The blue and white is gorgeous.

I have banned myself from buying any more blue or teal fabric, after surveying my wardrobe and laundry basket. Sadly, the deep pinks, plums, purples and occasional splashes of red that I want more of are pretty scarce, at any price, so I take what I can get, when I can get it.

Love the blue and white cotton. It would be absolutely perfect for a sundress for a holiday in Greece,

£2 a metre! Wow!

@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie I am thinking of attempting a shirred dress with it sadly no plans for a trip to Greece so a trip to the local beach (8hrs away) will have to make do.
@twobluechickens I am spoilt when it comes to lightweight cotton, other fabrics are impossible to find all my quilting cotton has to be imported and things like linen and viscose are eye wateringly expensive but we are lucky that a lot of lightweight Indian print cottons come here as part of its trade route so it is cheap.
@PickAChew I think about 90% of my wardrobe is blue 😳

My wardrobe is a lot more colourful now I make my own clothes. I only ever seemed to buy clothes in black or neutrals but nowadays I’m drawn to fabrics in colours. I tend to buy blue or teal but I can be tempted by almost anything. No yellow though.

I’ve been stash diving again and I’m part way through some LM allegro trousers in denim blue dobby. They are to replace what my family lovingly call my ‘housework trousers’ which were end of life about 6 months ago. My machine hates it so I won’t be keeping the remnants.

@Allthegoodnamestakken my wardrobe is also 90% blue, to the point that my friends now comment when I make another piece of blue clothing 😁 I am trying to break out of it into jewel colours - I have almost white hair so need strong colours or I look washed out (no pastels for me). I would love to be able to wear mustard yellow but it makes me look dead so I’m limited to trousers only in that colour!

my wardrobe is 95% black. Every time i sew something black i remember why i hate sewing black fabric. And yet on i plod...

Quick question- has anyone ever made a nightdress? I want a loose cotton lawn sleeveless thing, the sort that shops only ever seem to do in white. I want to make one in a different colour, as I am not a virgin in a gothic horror novel.

Black is something I also want more of, @Brefugee but it has to be the right black or else it just washes me out.

I still have a lot of black in my wardrobe - and my stash! I’ve got metres of black viscose for tops and even more black suiting for trousers. I wear black everyday but I’m gradually adding colour rather than the greys and black and white patterns I used to wear. Dresses are where I go daft with colour.

I’ve not found a decent black jersey yet though. I prefer a blue-black but an awful lot are brown-black. I have one perfect black stretch fabric but it’s a wide rib knit in poly blend and too textured and too shiny and I’ve only used it for an oversized tank so far. Lycra seems to have the truest colour but as a lumpy bumpy apple shape I find it hard to wear

Someone talk me down from buying a new pattern, I've got Covid again and suddenly have an urge for the Style Arc Como pants, despite knowing the waistband will come up to my nipples.

I love colour, but colour doesn’t always love me! I work around it by having more muted colours in my wardrobe. Those kind of colours are surprisingly hard to find when buying fabric. I guess it’s just a lot easier to persuade people to buy some hot pink or emerald green fabric, rather than mud & sludge.

I tend to buy a lot of bottle green. There’s a fair bit of that around and it’s muted enough for me to be able to wear it. I’d love to see more aubergine and burnt orange, but just never see any fabric in those colours 😢

Don’t do it @kittykarate

Although goodness knows I’m guilty of urge driven purchases myself so I do feel a bit hypocritical

@kittykarate oh no, not COVID. I’m recovering from it myself and I hold it responsible for some odd purchases over the past two weeks 😂 Those Como pants look like a really useful pattern though…

Stupid Covid. I just went to get my linen out to cut and came over all faint and dizzy, so I just had to lie down and think about sewing instead of doing it
I also like the look of the Style Arc pants, but I wouldn’t want them in wool or jersey, so I’m having a nice browse of patterns instead.

@CrimsonAlligator I recently bought the house linen from fabworks in cranberry their range of autumn house linen is lovely but slightly muted. I like the green and the mustard too. I realised the other day that most of my purchases are navy blue. @kittykarate I hope you feel better soon.

I am desperate to do some sewing but have no time at the moment! I am going to make the estuary skirt with my cranberry linen.

Hello, may I join? After years of thinking I'd never sew here I am. I've made a TatB Stevie top and Friday Pattern co square neck top so far. I absolutely love the idea of a slowly created wardrobe of things I love, a handful of patterns in the right shapes for me and just to be able to make favourites in different colours or prints.
First Stevie top is not terribly wearable, I'm tempted to pull it apart and restitch. I got the interfacing quite bubbly on the collar and to be honest it's just too baggy. I ended up bringing in the side seams straight away because although it fit across the chest, everywhere else was too big. I think I'll have to learn about bust adjustment pretty quickly.

I aim to be able to make my own slim leg ankle grazer trousers, little shirts and smarter/woven tees for work and casual. And the odd summer dress/skirt. I tend to prefer a semi fitted silhouette but a lot of beginner patterns are loose as it's easier to sew.

No buttonhole maker on my machine and no zip foot. I'll have to upgrade if I am to truly fall in love with this hobby.

I'd be interested to know your recommendations for clothing pieces to get going. I downloaded the Peppermint BHL peplum top but again, I don't particularly think the shape will suit me as there is no waist definition. I thought it looked simple, but it involves gathers and binding!

I have 3m of black and white gingham that I want to turn into something wearable. What should I make?

Welcome @Sewliketosew ! i can't give advice on patterns to try but there is a reason my mum's sewing box from the 70s had a hammer in it because her machine didn't do button holes.

Aubergine enough for you, @CrimsonAlligator ?@C@CrimsonAlligator?
https://merchantandmills.com/uk/aubergine-14-wale-corduroy
I have some in stash. It's a lovely deep shade.

Sorry for the mess of a post. Not my doing.
@crim

Welcome aboard @Sewliketosew ! I also am a bit useless on woven patterns as I mostly sew jersey. I think the problem is you will struggle to get definition without some sort of gathering / darts/zips.

If you ever need a more stretchy material pattern - the Friday Pattern Company Adrienne is good (I did cut out a few inches out of the sleeve width as I'm not up for big billows)

Bit stuck for what to make with gingham though.

https://www.sussexseamstress.com/patterns/p/amberley-dress-download-pattern Amberley dress, @kittykarate ? Or would that be too much gingham? I didn’t buy the kit for it, just the pattern, as all the colour options reminded me of primary school dresses.
I’ve decided to use the khaki linen for the Amberley, not the Dress Shirt. Every time I went to lay out the material I wasn’t enthused by it for the Dress Shirt but it will make a good Amberley, I think, especially for Autumn over a long sleeved close fitting top, with leggings and boots.

Photo of my first Trapeze under construction. Fabric from the stall on Durham indoor market (Walkers?). Cotton print.

@Sewliketosew The Sew Over it Ultimate trousers might fit your brief. They do need a zip, but without zips/buttons/another fastening you are going to struggle to get anything with shaping that isn’t elasticated. The Donny shirt (can’t remember the pattern maker) might also suit?
The Remy Raglan (I think it’s by Sew House Seven?) is a nice top. I like the Etty camisole by Tammy Handmade too.

Do you use Instagram? I find it handy to see what patterns look like on different shapes, much easier to evaluate if something will work for me than just seeing the model photos.

Ooh, Walkers was on my patch, @MorriganManor and had the best selection of buttons. Sadly closed down, recently, and I'm gutted. Not just on a selfish where the hell do I buy decent buttons now level but I know that the owner has had health problems.

@Sewliketosew it's not closely fitted though has a bit of a bust dart but the Merchant and Mills Camber Set might fit the bill.

If you're a size 16 or over, I can suggest getting yourself a copy of Sewing the Curve which is aimed squarely at beginners and has some lovely patterns.

What are you doing to me and my bank balance @PickAChew?! That colour is gorgeous. I have been fantasising about making a cord button down shirt since last autumn. This could be a match made in heaven! 🤩

Will have a look at FabWorks too @Frumpyunicorn . For some reason I always assumed they were American. Not sure why!

Welcome to the thread @Sewliketosew. I started sewing using Sewaholic patterns. They draft for pear shapes, so nothing boxy/ oversized for the top half. The company sadly no longer exists, but you can still find some of their patterns online. The Pendrell may be worth considering - no closures and clever use of seams to give shape. I don’t think it would work well with the gingham though. May be that could become some kind of summery skirt?

Btw, to get a good fit, it’s easiest to work from the top down. If something fits across the upper chest/bust, you’ve picked the right size and just need to take in the seams around the waist. Don’t do it the other way round (i.e. pick based on waist measurements and adjust the chest) unless you fancy doing much more complex adjustments.

I personally get the best fit with princess seams (+some kind of closure) but you really have to search hard to find patterns that use those.