Stitch and bitch thread #12. We’re in stitches!

[NutellaEllaElla]

Welcome and welcome back oldies and newbies!

Whatcha doin? What are your plans? I need some inspo. It's been a long time since i've approached my machine for various reasons.My favourite ever make has been a stretch dress, i'd wear it all the time if I could. I live in fear of the day I try to go to Barry's fabrics and it's gone. The Birmingham fabric scene is being decimated. What'll I do?!

@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie
@Julieju1
@PickAChew
@MarmiteWine
@Isabelle70
@ClearHoldBuild
@Brefugee
@Twobluechickens
@Jins
@OperationalSupport
@ClearHoldBuild
@Sminty2
@Castlerigg
@Bookbook
@Rosenspants
@PandaCory
@TheBirdintheCave
@InMySpareTime
@Frumpyunicorn
@NotMeNoNo
@alianangel
@TorturedParentsDepartment
@Welshywitch
@Londonmummy66
@CrimsonAlligator
@HollyBerryz
@Kittykarate
@SamphiretheTervosaur
@Whataretalkingabout
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@WWomble
@PinkCamelia369
@Sewliketosew
@Hiddendoor
@OnlyTheBravest
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@Starryskiestonight
@PrincessDonut
@Shirtyllama
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@Daisiesanddaffodils2
@Paintyhands
@MO0N
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@EricTheHalfASleeve
@Commontern

My sewing day was a non starter. I rummaged through the stash and sorted a few fabrics out that need to be used but failed to match them to patterns. Nothing in my pattern stash jumped out at me either. I managed to get through me made May without jumping on any of the offers. I’ve not been inspired by new pattern releases for ages now. I’m off on holiday again next week and I’ve got plenty of suitable clothes for that so maybe I’ll feel more inspired when I get back.

I’m still to make a final pair of jeans from the pattern trial I did earlier this year. The best fit by a long way was the Sinclair Metro closely followed by Winter Wear Designs Real Deal Jeans so I’m going to try to mash them together a bit. I still need to work on the back rise as my nonexistent arse means they come up way too high. Then I end up with the yoke proportions looking weird. I also want to make a proper buttoned shirt for DH just to prove I can do it 😆

I’m still trying to find stuff in my new sewing room. I’ve searched and searched and cannot find the original or traced versions of the Sinclair Harper Cardigan and that is something I really want to sew again. I guess I’ll get it printed again and then it will turn up.

Well I cut out and sewed a Tiana’s Closet Aisha dress. One of those knit bodice/woven skirt dresses.

What. A. Disaster!

Now, I am long-waisted, and I’m not exaggerating when I say the waist is down by my crotch!

The armholes are very poorly fitted, the binding strips are same length as the area they’re binding so there’s no tension to create a bit of negative ease for fit.

The pockets are tiny! I can’t get my hand in them.

It’s so very very bad.

I’m torn between trying to fix it and using the fabric for something else. But at the moment I am mourning the waste of my whole weekend and the fabric.

Most disheartening…

Oh dear! That sounds dreadful. I haven’t had a bad pattern for ages. I’m in the middle of a toile for the Daughter Judy Coe trousers and I added 2” to the rise and leg length based on them being drafted for someone 5’6 (I am 5’10), only to take 1.5” back off the rise and the leg 🙄

That sounds like a complete pain @TragicMuse . Sometimes indie patterns are a bit of a minefield as they don't necessarily test all sizes, and use automation to scale them. (Not that the big 4 are always better, the size charts can be a massive work of fiction)

Interesting warning on threadloop, @TragicMuse - you're obviously not the only one who has been burnt.

Oh that is interesting! Thanks!

I’ve toiled so many times before but I’ve lost weight and thought maybe I wouldn’t need to now I’m more ‘regular’ sized. More fool me, eh!

That kind of thing has happened to me @twobluechickens with FBAs.

I’m going to cleanse my palette with a toile for the bodice of the Feel Good dress by Me and Miss Moore.

Hello everyone.

Just wondering if anyone else on here has booked onto the ‘Copy your Clothes’ workshop at the Fashion & Textiles Museum, London.
It’s next Friday?

https://fashiontextilemuseum.digitickets.co.uk/event-tickets/12135?catID=2953

I happen to be visiting family for a long weekend and saw this and booked it.

I’ve been cutting out fabric for a wearable toile of a shirt for DP. I’m making it out of a Halloween duvet cover so it’s covered in monsters, I love it! I’m attempting to pattern match the front, which I’ve never done before.

That workshop looks great @VintageStitchers. Sadly I am not going, I would love to though!

I am off to Take That next weekend and we are going with Circus theme. I thought of making a top and found a multi striped cotton dress in the big kids section at primark.
Whilst waiting for my flight home, a bit of googling for ideas and I have come up with a Bardot top with a frill.
I will make a very quick toile and hopefully should be forgiving with the elasticated frill.
Wish me luck!

Good Luck Isabelle!

I've made an athletic skirt from Greenstyle, and my short Sagauro set. And gone through my wardrobe and removed about 1/3 of the items, some of which are being stashed dow winter, the rest are off to the charity shop.

I’ve succumbed and bought the Bold One Rossi and Fredy while it was on sale and with a coupon. I’ll have to buy fabric for it when I get round to it as I usually buy 3m lengths and this takes more! I do have a double gauze duvet cover that may work though. Still not sure I’ll ever have an event that it will be ideal for but you never really know.

I’m on holiday at the moment and I’ve decided that the dresses I usually take on hols need to be altered or replaced. The dress I adapted from the Ogden pattern is still ok but the Sauvie is too big and the darts are in the wrong place. I think it’s time for a new one. The swimwear has been great though. I don’t need more at the moment as it’s holding up well. I used ordinary elastic for these rather than swimwear elastic and it’s absolutely fine.

Photos of the makes. I like the athletic skirt, but to trust the pockets you'd need to have either additional elastic in the waist or more boingy lycra.

I’ve always liked the saguaro set but wasn’t sure about the top being cropped. That looks lovely! Really shows your figure off!

@Jins I had looked at the Bold One before but didn’t purchase. I have got the Gracie on sale and 10% off, so happy with that :)

I did a toile and have done the snipping for an FBA. Next I need to redraw the waist dart and then make toile 2 - which I am not expecting to be right, I think the darts will be completely in the wrong place!

There’s a part of me that’s thinking ‘just draft your own bodice’…we’ll see!

I tried to create a pattern from some shop bought trousers over the weekend. The results were…interesting.

Really what I’m looking for is a pattern for some chinos, But the pickings turned out to be very slim indeed - plenty of jeans patterns, tailored trousers etc, but no chinos. I ended up buying Atelier Jupe’s Frankie, which look a bit like chinos to me in terms of the cut, but even these have ‘jeans styling’. Do women just not wear chinos? In case it needs saying, I’m not known for staying up to date with fashion! 😂

I did faff with the saguaro top a bit when I first made it, added an inch or two to the length, increased the wrap, and sewed it all down because otherwise I would have felt too exposed.

I have the Atelier Scammit Attitude trousers pattern which I bought with a view to making chinos. Haven’t actually made any but I do have some nice stretch chino fabric from Dalston Mill so perhaps I should try them.

I was supposed to be finishing a job application this evening but I’m feeling deflated after a rejection this morning and thinking I’d rather do a bit of sewing to cheer myself up.

I've been on a bit of a sewing frenzy as I'm home alone. Today was a jalie raglan tunic and a tatb Nora jumper, both made from stuff in my knighton box.

A confession is in order. When I was scrolling FB on holiday a post from Knighton fabrics caught my eye. 15kg mystery box for £18 delivered and it felt rude to ignore it.
I arrived home late last night to find the most enormous box in my hallway. Couldn’t face it last night so I’ve a treat in store this morning. No chance of hiding this one and fabric buying ban failed spectacularly.

I’ve also been mightily inspired by @kittykarate’s saguaro set so I’ve finally bought the pattern and will play around with it. I need to get a few recent purchases printed so I’ll go through my downloads folder and sort a batch out

That looks like a good pattern for those of us blessed with slim legs....which I'm definitely not! It makes buying trousers/ jeans such a pain. The trousers I tried to trace last week were an unusually good fit through the leg, but clearly made for someone shorter so they still looked bad!

Sorry to hear about the job rejection. That sucks!

😁

Enjoy your secret stash. I may have added a few more patterns that are definitely essential!!! I can't help myself. I think I now have enough patterns and fabric for at least the next 2 years.

I was brave and didn’t go for a toile, I did take a pattern from a top that I do have. I think it has turned out ok, hoping it does look circus themed.
One off top for £7.75 :) I have stretched out the elastic a bit whilst attaching it so hoping a quick wash will shrink it back down.

I am pear shaped so it’ll be interesting to see what they look like on!

@Isabelle70 that positively screams circus! I love it!

I’ve been through my Knighton box and it’s a good one. Only one piece has gone to be a dust sheet, three have joined the toile pile and the rest are fabulous. I’ve also sent 5 patterns off to be printed so they should be here today. Unfortunately there will be a slight delay to my sewing plans as we took the cooker top off yesterday to replace a thermocouple and I’m taking the opportunity to clean it properly before it goes back on.

Loose project plan is going to be a LN summer basics dress with built in shelf bra, E&M Felicia custom cup dress, LN largo cargoes and a saguaro top. I’ve got a playsuit from Temu (I know) which looks and feels great on so I’m going to try to make a pattern from it and that should keep me occupied for a while.