blue racoon summer shirt

At Christmas, my mother bought me a metre of this beautiful Tula Pink fabric from John Lewis - from the Acacia collection. For six months I uhm-ed and aah-ed over what to make with it that wouldn't cut up the racoons too much - then my mum bought me another metre for my birthday, and we came across an article in an old magazine about how to draft a "boxy tee" pattern for yourself.. and, amazingly, it worked! I can knit things from patterns but I never thought I'd be able to sew myself a shirt. Admittedly, it did involve a lot of help from my mother (like one of the instructions just said "sew a bias tape" and I had no clue how to do that from the fabric I had...). 

The pattern tells you to measure your bust, shoulders, arms, the length you want the shirt and the circumference of where it will sit, and the drop of the neckline, and it told me exactly how to cut it out.. We made a trial from an old sheet, adjusted sleeves, lengths, necklines etc, and then made the real thing! It was so cool to try it on for the first time. 

I went with a high neck in front, with a dipped neckline in back to keep it cool for summer, long enough to cover the top of my jeans (something I find permanently frustrating in store-bought t-shirts, I'm forever tugging them down because I'm too tall!) and with sleeves that are currently just rolled up, but I am planning on making a little tab and button for them... once I can figure out how to do a button hole (mum will probably have to help there, too!). But, basically, I am in love with it. It's cotton, which makes it really cool for the summer, and I've been wearing it everywhere, with my cut off jeans, faux-Birkenstock sandals and sunglasses - I feel like a kid who won't take off their favourite dress, because I want to wear it all the time.

My next step is to try and make a shift dress from the same pattern - I'm going to go look for some fabric today. There is a foxy print one that I've had my eye on at a local quilt shop for a while.. I never thought I'd be into dressmaking, thinking I wouldn't be able to find nice patterns for my size/height, but making your own pattern seems like the perfect solution.

Have you ever made your own clothes?

(PS - how bright does my hair look in these pictures? I had it re-dyed the other week and I didn't realise it had gone so red in the sun..)

happy housewarming

This week I have taken up residence in my mothers sewing room - which is basically just my little brothers room whilst he's away at university. I haven't sewn anything since I made that quilt for myself last year, which is still one of my my most favourite things, ever. I remember showing it to my friends when they came over and they loved it - mostly because it is made from flannel and brushed cotton, which makes it amazingly soft, and the perfect snuggly blanket slash throw when you're having a duvet day, feeling sick, or just getting a bit chilly whilst watching TV. 

That said, one of my best friends is moving out of home for the first time, and I wanted to get her and her partner something special for their home, and thought making a mini-version that they can have over the back of their sofa, for example, would be really nice. I picked a bunch of these beautiful woven flannels that I thought would suit her, but would also suit her boyfriends tastes, as they're noting too offensive! I'll keep you updated on the progress..!

quilt life

So here is a thing that I did: I made a quilt. Bit weird, I know, but let me explain. 

My mother has always sewn or knitted or stitched or quilted - as long as I can remember there have always been bit of thread or wool strewn around our living room and we frequently stab ourselves with needles or pins left on the floor.. But it's something that the women in my family have always done on both sides - one of my grandmothers worked as a dressmaker for a long time, and the other made clothes in a factory during the war, and I think it's just one of those things that has been passed down to my mum, and to me. That said; I drove my mum to a fabric shop to look for something she needed a few weeks ago, and this pack of pre-cut quilt squares caught my eye - some of them had bears and reindeer on and leaves and things, plus they were made out of flannel, so unbelievably soft! So my mum sat with me and showed me the best ways to sew them together, and how to quilt it by hand (that's sewing through all the layers by hand - the diagonal lines you can see) and do the binding and such. It didn't really take me that long, but it's not very complicated. You should see some of the things my mums friends do, they're absolutely mad. 

I am VERY pleased with my little quilt, it's super soft and even though it's quite thin and lightweight, its very cosy and comfy and I just love it. I know a few people in the blogging world are getting into crochet and knitting and such and so I thought I would share this! If you want any further details I'm sure I can do that , but please let me know what you think. (: