Stitch and bitch thread #10. There’s a pattern here

[NutellaEllaElla]

Time for a new thread as the weather starts to turn.
Welcome back oldies and come on in newbies!

@Brefugee
@PickAChew
@BlackAmericanoNoSugar
@Bookbook
@Allthegoodnamestakken
@SewingBees
@Twobluechickens
@kittykarate
@Jins
@Chewbecca
@CrimsonAlligator
@InMySpareTime
@MeAgainAndAgain
@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie
@Rosenspants
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@Twobluechickens
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@PrincessofWells
@Isabelle70
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@123ZYX
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@Isabelle70
@DiggoryVenn
@Wilma55
@ZebraD
@Frankincenseandoranges
@Catnipcupcakes
@Tinuviel
@Karatema
@Nameohnameohname
@Outandabout43
@Thesugarbumfairy
@DuchessNope
@ShoAndSew
@Notthatcatagain
@Spaceman101
@Karatema
@Twwodoorsaway

Sounds amazing…and bad for the bank balance. Hope you have fun @twobluechickens!

Well I was actually very restrained! I think in the back of my mind I knew I had plenty of fabric at home. I also went looking for specific things and didn’t find them, which helped. I did treat myself to a Jenerates hemmer. We went to Raystitch and Loop as they’re close by, and I did buy yarn at Loop for a jumper I want to knit. It’s just so nice to be able to feel fabric/yarn and see the colours in real life.

Decided to spend this morning on the Goldhawk Road as I’ve never been. Will report back!

I don’t think I’d trust myself at a show like that. I can’t even nip into Abakhan for elastic without coming out with an armful of fabric.

I’ve been stash surveying this last week and there are an awful lot of bargain bin impulse buys that need to be made up into something. I have disposed of fabric I’ll never use so I’m left with the ones that I really like. We’re off to Corfu in mid May so I’m going to freshen up my summer wardrobe.

A lot of it was really quite pricey - quality fabric but not the sort of thing I’d buy on spec, I’d need to know exactly what I was going to make before splurging £25/m. So that helped. But then you also have the likes of Stitch Fabrics, Rainbow Fabrics and a couple of other places with well-priced designer deadstock and it would be quite possible to spend a lot there!

Goldhawk Road was fab. Not as many shops as I was expecting but I bought some gorgeous linen for £13/m and some random trouser fabric for £5/m. Plenty of bargains to be had and some amazing fabric. Also went to Shaukat but they didn’t have the Liberty print I was after so saved a few bob there!

@twobluechickens I want to head to Goldhawk Road at some point too. But I need to finish up some fabric here before getting anymore.

How was the Stitch festival? Did you go to any of the workshops.

I will have to keep an eye out for next years info and save the date next time.

I have been trying out a jacket pattern but the sleeves have ended up extra wide. LMAO I know that they have extra fabric for the ease but seriously nobody's wrist is that big.

@50IsTheNew21 we failed to do any workshops and I realised this morning that we didn’t go to the Indie Biz Village either, which was a shame. It’s a great festival though, I’m glad we went yesterday as it was quieter than the Saturday last year (though still v busy). I had a momentary swoon when I locked eyes with Patrick Grant when he was walking into the venue. He’s even lovelier in the flesh!

I found 15 or so fabric shops on Goldhawk Road. I didn’t go into all of them but Classic Fabrics was my favourite. Amazing selection over three floors. If I’d had more time I’d have also gone to Ridley Road to visit Dalston Mill, and Walthamstow market. Oh and Rainbow Fabrics in Kilburn and Simply Fabrics in Brixton. Next time!

Glad you had a good time in London @twobluechickens.

I’ve temporarily halted my run of Donny shirts (3.5 so far - just can’t quite motivate myself to finish the fluorescent orange one…). I’m going to spend this week on a long sleeve shirt for my upcoming holiday.

I’ll be using the Grainline Archer pattern, but have modified it so that it’ll hopefully look more like the Maison Fauve Skyline shirt. I considered buying that pattern, but decided it was probably more work to get that to fit than it would be to adjust my tried & tested Archer.

Got myself some seersucker in a slightly odd peachy colour. Pastels are not my friend, but not sure this peachy colour is either. I’m going to look such a state on this holiday, but at least I won’t be hot or sunburnt 😂

Just ducking in here as I seem to have acquired not only my beloved 1946 Singer I got back up and working, but also now appear to have been given my mother's obscenely expensive (like 4 grand of obscene expense) Bernina which has been a delinquent bugger of a machine for her to the point she's been in tears over it. 10 minutes at my house and we worked out it wasn't her, it's the bobbin winding system on it that's defective and it's gone for a little holiday at the sewing machine repair shop (aka Delinquent Machine Borstal).

So - I'm pretty decent at patchwork - but there are only so many things I can put a quilt on and I need to think about moving on to clothing... but I'm fat, and terrified of screwing up - anyone got any ideas for decent idiot proof patterns for a size 22ish lady rather than the waifs wafting around in floaty dresses on Etsy?!

What sort of clothes do you like to wear, @TorturedParentsDepartment - casual or a bit more formal? Cashmerette is always a given and their founder, Jenny Rushmore, has a couple of books about dressmaking and fitting which include patterns for size 16+. Their non book patterns have excellent instructions, too.

I've seen some lovely examples from Emporia patterns in bigger sizes. Closet Core are also great - well draughted with a lot of pattern support.

I bet that obscenely expensive Bernina will be a joy when it's learnt the error of its ways.

Oh I'm definitely casual (unlike my boss who wanders around in a three piece suit she tailored herself) - aspirations of waif-wafty if I continue losing weight!

My mother laughs at my technique of putting errant sewing machines in time out - but they're like printers - they smell fear and desperation and need to have a good long think about their behaviour!

I keep my sewing machines well away from the printer. I don't want them learning to be subversive (though the Pfaff is already too far gone. I could happily drop that on a street corner, somewhere and walk away.)

I am a similar size to you and feel so much happier in clothes I have made. I love the estuary skirt by sew liberated, the zadie wrap dress, and am just attempting the donny shirt. I have a cashmerette book but haven't trued it yet. I find a lot of the independent pattern companies really good for plus sizes and they often have really clear instructions.

I had my first go at pattern projecting the other day - it kinda worked. Will find out if I got it setup properly when I actually sew it all up!

Also - the projector has come in handy for watching stuff I can only stream via my laptop (Biathlon world champs), so it's made of win, and totally justified!

@TorturedParentsDepartment Friday Pattern Company are good for size inclusive patterns, if you like that style (i.e. not very fitted). Really clear instructions too.

Cashmerette is a good shout too.

I had some success with pattern projecting @kittykarate but now I’ve discovered a decently priced printer I’m using the money I’d normally be spending on random fabrics and patterns on getting the ones I already own printed up.

There’s a fair bit less of me than there used to be so I’ve made a mini pile of clothes for altering or remaking. We’re off to Greece in mid-May and I intend on continuing my self imposed ban on making clothes for another 4 weeks to give me some time to make some holiday clothes 🤣

There’s always curtains to hem if I really need to sew

A shout for Muna & Broad as well for plus size patterns.

I have the Sew Confident Seafoam Shacket pattern sizes 20-32 printed on A0 paper going spare as I only needed 6-18.
only one available so if you’re the first to ask for it consider it yours.

Thank you to all for the pattern suggestions - I've got plenty swimming around in my brain now (whenever I finally finish DD1's flipping quilt that's become a bit of a slog of a project) - and whenever the big sewing machine reappears from the repair shop (we think that a builder doing repair work in mum's craft room may have rested a heavy tool on the covered machine top and knocked the bobbin winding system out of kilter to cause the issue).

In the meantime I've been making little beanbag froggy pattern weights - except DD2 keeps adopting them as cuddly toys!

If no one else has claimed it, I’d love it. I take a 22/24 so it would be perfect.

It’s yours. It’s a paper pattern. If you want to DM me I’ll post it to you tomorrow.

I seem to recall a while back someone was looking for leopard print and not getting very far - if that notion is still with you then Rainbow Fabrics currently have a variety of colourways and bases.

I’ve just ordered this pattern in the weekly sale as I’ve got some lovely fabric that will be perfect for it. It’s not my usual style at all but it’s worth a try.

I was planning on making another cubic bag today but real life intervened and I’ve fixed a vacuum cleaner instead. So proud of myself. It had stumped DH so I got to it with my sewing machine brushes and a drop or two of sewing machine oil. Needs a good clean - I lent it to DS1 for his new house and he’s used it to clean up plaster dust.

Thanks so much. I’ve PM’d you now. I was away for a couple of days with very little internet and totally missed this and your message. So sorry.