(New) Look of Love - K6471. A TNT in the Making.

Hello lovelies, The last few weeks have seen a bit of a transformation in the way in which I am feeling. Gone is the bad case of the blue meanies that has been hanging round for months only to be replaced with a reawakening urge to create. The fact that Sprogzilla has moved in with me for Sixth Form college is no coincidence, methinks (although you would think that since she is doing photography she would have jumped at the chance of taking some photos for the blog, but no. There was grumbling and a big huff. She did it though). 

The only downside recently has been that my back has been playing up again and I am really struggling with sitting or walking, making sewing very difficult. This top has been cut out and partly sewn for an age but it took me a few attempts to get the hem finally stitched (and even longer to get photos).

One of the things that I have realised is that I desperately need some new clothes that could work in my day job. Normally I would gravitate to the sort of sad 80's goth rock chick/boho-vibe garments that I love but needs must and a posh new(ish) job means that I have to up my office game. 

Whilst browsing in WHSmith to see if I could find a copy of Burda Style (not locally - boo) I chanced upon Sew magazine with New Look K6471 stuck to the front in a US 10-22. Normally I avoid these kind of magazines like the plague - the attached patterns are always in the smaller size ranges and they are just chock full of adverts and very little content that appeals to me. I don't think that this one is any better than the others but I did want the pattern as all four views fitted in with my work wear plans.

I did the usual pattern adjustments, adding 4" to the bodice length and a monster FBA. This top was originally dartless but I added in a bust dart. It had quite a lot of ease so I didn't add in as much of a FBA as normal, meaning that I didn't have to split the dart (I just altered another top pattern and rotated the darts into three as one was just way too big).

I picked up this fabric years ago when I moved back to Newcastle for work. It was on a roll outside one of the Asian fabric shops close to where I was living and was about £4 a metre. No idea of the fabric content maybe a viscose mix, but it has a lovely drape and doesn't crush. Absolutely no thought of pattern matching by me, plus I only had about 2m, but it has worked out really well and it is hard to see the join over the sleeves or at the back seam. I used the long hem from View D for the back and just pinned it up in the mirror to the most flattering length at the front. I used my french curves (another eBay purchase as I couldn't find my old ones) to draw a nice curve from front to back. The pic above has made me think that I might want to try a peplum.

Anyway I do love this top. I love the skimming fit and it feels very comfortable although looking at these photos I can see that it would probably look a bit better with a belt, that there is far too much fabric above my cartoon boobs and that the excess below gives me that "is she or isn't she?" maternity top vibe. The joy of having ridiculous fitting challenges. The length is great though and it hides my bingo-wings. Win-win.

If you follow the Sewcialists' blog then you will know that November is tried "n" true (TNT) sewing month. I didn't have a TNT pattern but think that this top fits the bill. I will definitely make this again, addressing the fitting challenges as I go. In fact I have another one cut out to make View A with the tie neckline but in the spirit of TNT's I have changed this to be a longer pussy-bow style because I like them. I have fabric for number 3 looked out and washed too.

So do you have a favourite sewing or knitting pattern that you keep going back to? Or a favourite style of garment? Are you taking part in the Sewcialists' TNT month? 

Have a lovely week. 

K xx

Vintage Lingerie: My Sewcialists' Tribute in a Book Review plus How to Scale Up the Patterns and a Me-Made 1930's Girdle

Are you a Sewcialist? No matter what your answer is to that question it's been a whole lot of fun looking at the wonderful garments made by everyone taking part in August's Tribute Month. I really enjoyed the "Inspiration Post" series that ran in July and how those have panned out into some great garments. Lots of new-to-me sewing bloggers with such a wealth of talent.  

I am absolutely snowed under with work, even on this Bank Holiday weekend (which is why I am procrastinating writing a blog post) and just don't know just how much sewing I will be getting done any time soon so I am going to dedicate this book review as my Sewcialists'' Tribute to Elaine over at The Demented Fairy who makes the most bonkers, wonderful Steampunk-inspired costumes and "muggle" clothes. Honestly, I would kill for half this woman's wardrobe. 

It was her recent post on lingerie that got me thinking, so with my best multi-tasking hat on I will be reviewing Jill Salen's wonderful book, "Vintage Lingerie", sharing the resource that enabled me to scale-up the patterns to a wearable size and showing a couple of me-made girdles drafted from the pattern for a 1932 girdle in this book in a tribute to her "smalls"-making skills. 

This book, Jill Salen's "Vintage Lingerie: Historical Patterns and Techniques", and her corset one, are my go-to books if I want to sew some lingerie. 

The contents are in the format of an introduction followed by projects laid out as gorgeous colour photos of the garments which are culled from her own collection or from museums. The book ends with some very useful techniques.

There are 27 different projects in the book which makes this a very good buy even if you only make 2-3 of them as it is a wonderful resource.

Along with the photos are descriptions and a little history of the garments written in an informal, entertaining style. 

Each garment comes with  a double-page layout of the pattern drawn to a scale at either 1 square: 1 inch or 2:1 and require scaling up to the required size before use. 

This is the tricky part and will take a bit of patience, a decent ruler, french curves and a lot of swearing pattern paper. I drafted up the 1932 girdle pattern above to a modern size 8 using the measurements outlined in "Metric Pattern Cutting" by Winifred Aldrich as I was fitting models but you can use your own stats just as easily. 

I used the method of enlarging based on percentages that is found over at the Foundation Revealed website. The link can be found here. Seriously, this is probably the most useful thing that you will ever learn if you need to scale up these kind of patterns. This technique could probably be used to size-up just about anything. I really must have a go with a "proper" sewing pattern.

 Definitely, owe the author, Cathy Hay an eternal debt of gratitude for writing this guide.

The two things that are massively important: grain lines and balance points. Very handily marked on the patterns so remember to transfer them over. It will make a massive difference to the success of your garments. 

Also, boring I know but you will need to make a toile, unless you are very brave and trust your drafting (or very lucky and fit into the original garment measurements).

So how did my attempts turn out? I think pretty well. I loved sewing these girdles. They are made of an outer fabric of silk duping flatlined to corset coutil and lined in my trademark quilting cotton colourful linings.

I still haven't finished these girdles as they need their suspenders on the bottom so could be considered UFO's.  I also have no idea where to buy the little hooks and eyes that are stamped through the front of the girdles so the bottoms still need some sort of closure above where the suspenders are. I could have used eyelets but they might be a bit of a faff to get on and off then.  A longer busk would have been very unfortunate when you sat down.... ooft!

I do love the lines. They look much better on. If they look a bit collapsed in the rear on my dress form this is because they need a rounded bum to fill them out. These girdles would give you an fantastic shape and would look ace lengthened into a corset dress. No idea how comfy they would be wearing them all day but shaped like that who would care?

So have you taken part in Tribute Month? Do you admire someone's sewing skills or (bonkers) pattern choices? Do you like historical sewing?

Hope that life isn't totally pants, lovelies! (groan)

Kxx

N.B. Just for the sake of clarity I don't own the pics from the book. I bought it with my own money and would gladly recommend anyone with a passion for vintage lingerie to do the same. I also made my girdles a couple of years ago...... but hey who is counting?

Book Review: "The Great British Sewing Bee: From Stitch to Style".

You would have to be living underneath a rock to not know that the new series of TGBSB is back on the telly (or BBC iPlayer if you are like me). And as with every popular BBC series there is also an accompanying book - "From Stitch to Style".

This book follows the same format as the last, a hardback book supplemented with a separate cardboard pack containing all the pattern sheets.
After comparing the contents there is a little repetition - basic sewing kit, how to use the patterns and some fitting advice. Considering that this book would probably be used as a stand-alone then this is not really an issue.

Apart from the intro, the book is divided up into three chapters:

Chapter One: Foundation - which covers some core sewing skills (simple seams and seam finishes, interfacings, elastic casings, exposed and surface mounted zips, appliqué, sewing with sticky/slippery fabrics and fabric ties and Rouleau loops)  and includes patterns for the "Bias Cut Top" featured on Episode One of the new series, and A-line child's skirt, a pretty natty jumpsuit (as modelled by a very lovely older model), the babygrow featured on the show, a child's cape and a unisex kimono.

Chapter Two: Inspiration - Which has a load of patterns and their corresponding hacks and some additional core skills (invisible zips, blind hemming, pleats, lapped zips, bias binding, lining and darts)

Chapter Three: Exploration - Which has even more patterns, including the soft-cup bra pattern and a very nice "Drape, Drape" -style asymmetric jersey top, related hacks and more core skills (snap fasteners, sewing with stretch fabrics, sewing with lace, pin tucking and buttonholes).

The sizing is quite inclusive and goes from a size 8 to a size 20, which is about a 45 1/2-inch bust so lots of FBA-action for me! It's even got a page of style advice broken down into rectangles, pears, inverted triangles, apples and hourglasses.  Don't know if I agree with all that nonsense as I think you should be able to wear what the hell you want but it is there if you fancy a look-see.

There are a few children's patterns, a couple for men (shirt, cycle top), with the majority for women including some lingerie.

To round up, this book is really well worth the purchase price. I paid a tenner for it in our local big supermarket chain but it is available on Amazon for the cost of a Big 4 sewing pattern (unless you are in the US of course. Damn those 99 cent sales!).  You get a whole wheen of patterns, some good ideas to hack them and some simple and well-illustrated sewing techniques and advice. I was so underwhelmed by the first two books in this series but am so happy to have bought this and the last book,  "Fashion with Fabric". Between the two of them you have some great patterns and enough info to hold your hand.

In other news, Sprogzilla and I have been out and about taking advantage of the lovely weather and the festival that is on in the West End of Glasgow at the moment. I love this pic of my wee chicken, she is rocking her mermaid hair.
Hope that you are all having lovely weeks and enjoying life wherever you are!
Kxx

DISCLAIMER: Just for the sake of transparency I bought this book using my own hard-earned. All comments are most definitely personal ramblings of my stitch-crazed mind. 

Me-Made Corset as shot by Christeeny

I am the luckiest woman alive to have so many uber-talented friends. One of them is the lovely Chris Patterson, who is a fabulous photographer and all round artistic genius based in the North East of England and fellow studio resident.  Last week she was shooting with the very beautiful Lucy Bennison from Tyne Tees Models and I loaned her a few me-made bits and bobs for the shoot. Just look at the result! Isn't this image just amazing? 

Team

Model : Lucy Bennison Tyne Tees Models

Make up : Josephine Birkett - Makeup Artist

Corset & Head Piece : Bad Kitty Corsets

Hair : Tony Arts Hair

Photo Credit: Christeeny.com

I know that Chris was trying to go for a painterly feel and the use of light in this shot, to me, is very much like Vermeer or Rembrandt. I was so pleased that one of my me-made (and designed) corsets could be of use along with this 1920's/ early 30's wax flower bridal crown and veil from my rainy day collection of "stuff that might come in handy for a photoshoot". The tulle is so delicate, almost disintegrating to the touch but very beautiful.

Anyway, I was bursting to share this image with you but had to wait until Chris very graciously said it was okay. If you would like to see more of her work then please click on the link above to her website or find her on Facebook.

Not forgetting of course the amazing team of MUA and hairdressing whose links can be found above too.

Apparently there are more images to come (using other me-made corsets) and I hope to be able to share those with you too sometime. If you are interested the corset design is derived from an original line drawing in "Corsets & Crinolines" by Norah Waugh. I have used this pattern a few times now, most notably for my dip-dyed silk corset that I must get some pics of too.

Hope that you are all having a great week!

Kxx

Vintage Book Review: McCall's Sewing in Colour (1964)

To be honest my life is overrun with books. Since I was a tiny child (I learned to read very early) I have been a voracious reader, devouring every tome that I could lay my grubby little hands on. Since then not a lot has changed - still got the grubby hands - except I no longer scare myself with books of ghost stories just buy mostly sewing books. I have quite a few now and like to pick them up on my travels as often as I can. 

McCall's vintage sewing - written when brown polyester ruled the world

My copy of  "McCall's Sewing in Colour" is from 1964. I picked it up on eBay for a song. It is quite a thick hardback book, about 300 pages, and as the tag line states covers " Home Dressmaking, Tailoring, Mending and Soft Furnishings". There are lots of line drawings and several colour plates with great photos.

60's sheets for the win!

The contents of this book are a bit different to some others that I own from the same period. There is a lot of emphasis at the beginning of the book on picking the right pattern for your lifestyle and figure type which just goes to show that nothing much changes, even from 50 years ago. We were still fretting about whether a pattern would be right or not. There is even the age old discussion about stripes. I love a horizontal stripe and wear them often. Ain't nothing going to make me look smaller so might just go with it. I want to be stripey!

Would our bums look big in those spots?

There is quite a lot of pages on choosing fabrics. This is useful and I suppose that apart from fit it is one of the major culprits in pattern failure. Plus a section on colour.

I am in love with this colour palette. No black too. Very strange

To give you a flavour of the book the chapters headings are listed as:

1) Building a New You

2) Keystone to Fashion

3) The Raw Materials

4) Fabric Facts

Yes, I keep my stash in my spice cupboard.

5) The Tools of the Trade

6) The Easy Rules of Pattern Alteration

7) Groundwork for Action

Feelin' hot, hot hot!

8) Blueprint for the Professional

9) Construction Data - Stitches and Seams

10) Construction Data

11) Design Details

12) Important Closings

13) The Personal Touch

14) Tailoring Talk

15) The Three R's- Repairing, Remodelling and Remaking

16) The Decorator's Touch

My eyes! It burns my eyes! Could you sleep in this room?

So the big question is would I buy this again? The answer is yes. There are better books with regard to sewing process tuition and the styling is obviously from the land that Pinterest forgot but it is a nice read and I am glad that I bought it.There is something in this book for everyone, beginners and seasoned hands alike and not a "how to a make a pillowcase" or pair of PJ pants to be found. Something a lot of modern books should keep in mind. There is a lot of info to be had in sewing books from this era, especially if you want to take your techniques to the next level, and you could easily buy two or three for the costs of one new one. Plus, I think reading these old books is fun but then again I read sewing patterns on the train!

Hope you are having the best time.

K xx

A Dreaded Sunny Day So I'll Meet You at the Cemetery Gates..........

OK, sorry not to have posted last week but I was not at home. Traveled over to Edinburgh to see Mum as she was a bit poorly. Also the last couple of weeks have been a bit crazy with some major changes going on and no internet! As a consequence I have done no sewing (again). This is a bit of a recurring theme on this blog but yesterday one of the massive changes was that I finally got the studio back to myself. Today I have been hard at it sorting things out, shifting furniture and generally changing things round so that I can finally have a space to work in that is clean, (reasonably) clutter-free and my own again. It feels great.

I have tons of vintage notions.

So with nothing hot from my machine to show you I am kind of at a loss what to post. I was going to write about the recent interesting "Wardrobe Architect" series on the Coletterie blog but although I was pinning like mad on my Pinterest Board which you can see here, I still don't have a clue what to sew or wear. Wardrobe Architect is a great series, it has really made me think about what I like and my personal style. The big problem, no pun intended, is that all the styles I like are for skinny boho 70's groupies and vintage glamour pusses and I am none of the above. So what do you do when your person can't match up to your personal style? I need to regroup I think.

So with nothing to show you I will leave you of some pics I took at the Necropolis in Glasgow.

In a Julia Margaret Cameron Stylee! (Hurrah for Photoshop)

 I used to work in the hospital close by and go there for a wander at lunchtimes. 

It is a beautiful Victorian cemetery, opened in 1833, and filled with loads of statues and forgotten graves designed by the likes of Alexander "Greek" Thompson and Charles Rennie Mackintosh.

Cheer up love. Bah, and I thought "I" was a bit of a Goth!

 If you are ever in Glasgow it is well worth a visit and you can get stunning views across the city from up on the hill where the Necropolis stands. I have a bit of a thing for graveyards (and Photoshop, can't you tell). They are always so peaceful. Great places to take a book and real havens for wildlife. You sometimes used to get deer in the Necropolis and loads of beautiful bunnies.

Anyway, have a great week people. Happy June!

K xx

Sewing for Newcastle Fashion Week

Well this weekend was a bit hectic. Lots of sewing going on. However, this will be a short post as I can't show you anything.....yet that is.

I made a little waist-cincher and some other random bits of sewing. It is really tiny, about 20 inches closed but it is for Newcastle Fashion Week. As you know, some of us at F6 Studios are collaborating for Fashion Front Row, the "young designers" showcase (I feel it may be stretching the definition a bit with me) but it is looking good. FFR is on Wednesday night and I will post pictures as soon as I have them but I am sworn to secrecy until then. I do have to say that everyone has worked so hard and produced the most amazing things. I am so proud of them. I will do a proper post about all the things and the designers after the event.

We have all been sat in the sewing room working together and it has been really invigorating to spend time with such creative people. I am really missing my sewing machine now.

Image totally stolen from the NFW Facebook page... Oops :) But hey, it is advertising, right?

If you are in the Newcastle area you should pop along to some of the events which are running from the 9th May until the 17th. If you are interested in seeing the program you can click here. Newcastle is a pretty stylish city. People really make an effort when they go out (even if it is a bit OTT with the fake tan sometimes) and take clothes fairly seriously. There are some great colleges and universities in the area too with a very high standard of work from the students.

Anyway, I won't rant on and will post some pics as soon as I have them.

Hope the sun shines on your week!

K xx

Sheets, Shirts and Wardrobe Planning

This blog is a little late as I was recovering from the weekend. No drink was consumed, just the usual amount of running around like a headless chicken. Sprogzilla had a friend sleepover Saturday night- they were  really great to be honest- but I was too knackered yesterday to think about anything much bar some mindless iPad scrying. Well not totally "mind"-less, I spent a lot of time reading the Into Mind website which is all about personal style and wardrobe building prompted by the recent "Wardrobe Architect" posts on The Colleterie blog.

Those of you that know me in real life can stop laughing now as yes, I do resemble the Cat Lady from The Simpsons on most occasions (nor do I care) but recent changes in my day job mean that I am going to have to bite the bullet and start dressing like a sensible adult. However, I hate with a passion most of the baggy, shapeless tents that pass for plus-sized clothes, plus I don't want to look like a corporate Stepford Wife. Is it possible to retain a bit of individuality and still toe the party line? I am going to give it a good try.

I have cut out the pattern this week for Simplicity 2339. This pattern is one from their "Amazing Fit" range which has different sized pattern pieces for A, B, C and D-cups. All well and good but a bit of a non-event for me as I still have to do a 4-inch FBA over and above the biggest size, plus a broad back adjustment. I am really taking my time doing the flat-pattern alterations and am using both my Fast Fit book from Sandra Betzina and the "Sew Busted" Maria Alto DVD to help with the FBA and lowering the bust dart. And people ask why I never make myself anything!

I actually have muslin to make a muslin up in. I am taking this really seriously as I would like to have some smart, well-fitting shirts for a change and a TNT pattern would be nice. However, I am not sure that my fabric choices are serious. First off on the left I have a lovely vintage cotton sheet, the fabric is beautiful, and on the right is some quilting cotton "Flea Market Fancy" from Westminster Fibres that I bought in John Lewis. I am hankering after polka dot button plackets and collar/cuffs with these but might just play it safe. The quilting cotton is quite thin so I thought it would be OK for a shirt. I will get the final adjustments cut out tomorrow night. Hope that it fits after all the changes.

Excuse me Miss but your shirt is sheet. Well! There's no need to be rude.

I managed to get a half hour of wandering round the shops on Saturday and managed to pick up a couple of nice necklaces in a blue colourway. I bought a lot of vintage turquoise beads a couple of weeks ago and am looking to layer them up so need to add to the collection first. I love the colours and the owl is so cute.

Fashionable? I don't give a hoot.

Anyway, do you plan your wardobe? Is it a bit organic or set out with military precision? Do you ruthlessly cull the old and sick or just keep adding and still have nothing to wear (like me)?

Kxx