Category sew my style

New sleepwear: the epic saga of Christmas Carolyn pajamas and Ottobre menswear

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Oh my gosh. I planned on making the Closet Core Patterns Carolyn pyjamas for the December Sew My Style project. And when I say the “December project”, I mean the Christmas 2019 December project. Yes, this is officially a mixture of very old project and that golden unicorn – the finally-finished UFO project. I had the bright last-minute idea of making sleepwear for everyone in my household as a well-meant gift on an impossible timescale. A pair of men’s pyjama bottoms for my husband and a pair of Carolyn pyjamas for my mother-in-law. And while I was at it, why not another pair for myself? I mean, they’re just pyjamas, right? Why not indeed?

Anyone who has already made the Carolyn pyjamas will be chuckling at this point knowing, as I too now know, that the Carolyn pyjamas are not a simple cut and sew project. They are beautifully detailed and those details take time. Quite a bit of time, actually. As well as that, my green pyjamas project was one of those where lots of little annoying things happened.

Continue reading “New sleepwear: the epic saga of Christmas Carolyn pajamas and Ottobre menswear” →

New skirt: In the Folds Barkly Skirt and #sms2020 June

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Alright, sooo, we got a new puppy a few weeks ago – and this skirt is called the BARKLY skirt. I mean – what’s a girl to do? Enjoy a guest blog appearance from our new Lagotto Romagnolo (or Italian lake dog to you and I) who is now known as… Luigi. Oh yes we did.

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I was really excited when I saw one of the patterns for Sew my Style was a new pattern from In The Folds. I’ve made a couple of the free patterns that the owner/designer Emily collaborated on with Peppermint magazine (The Jumpsuit and Jersey Dress) and I also own the Rushcutter dress and Flynn jacket pattern from her own line, although I must admit I am yet to make them (time, time….always time). But I’ve made and seen enough to know that Emily is a fastidious designer who takes great care with her design, drafting and instructions – and so I was always going to plump for the Barkly skirt this month. Continue reading “New skirt: In the Folds Barkly Skirt and #sms2020 June” →

New bags: Summit Packs by me and the husband (!) Sew My Style Feb 20

bellecitadel 8 Comments

My first Sew My Style project this year and it’s a goodie! Even better, you get two for the price of one, as my husband nearly blew my socks off my saying he would be up for trying to sew one as well! He had fancied trying a crossbody bag for a while and when I saw the Summit Pack was one of the choices for the February pattern, I showed him the pic, thinking he’d have forgotten all about his desire. To my surprise, he seemed keen and so his first sewing project was game on.

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Now, I have to be honest – this is not necessarily an ideal first project. It’s quite a complex bag, as bags go, with lots of zippers, pockets and other details that make it a fantastic pattern, but a lengthy effort for a beginner. It’s actually rated as Intermediate or Higher, but, nevertheless, we decided that with me here to help and demonstrate, we’d give it a go anyway.

Continue reading “New bags: Summit Packs by me and the husband (!) Sew My Style Feb 20” →

Sew My Style November: The Raspberry Rucksack and Bagmaking 101 Tips

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Ahhh – the lovely world of bags… there are so many great things about bags… You can use your scraps and feel virtuous, you don’t have to fit yourself, you can get away with a few inaccuracies and you use all that quilting cotton you bought for skirts when you first started sewing! (I know it’s not just me). I’ve made a few different bags before and I really enjoy the process, but it’s been a little while, so I’m delighted to be one of the leaders for November’s bag month on Sew my Style 2019. I already wrote an intro to the bag patterns we’re featuring this month and suppliers, and Eowyn wrote a fantastic post with lots of bag inspiration for both patterns, so check them out if you didn’t already!

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This month I’ve made the Raspberry Rucksack by Sarah Kirsten, which is a really cute, but very spacious rucksack, and not unlike some of the RTW rucksacks that are popular in high-end shops. I really like the end product and will give a few specific tips on this bag in the second part of the post (so go on and shoot down if that’s what you’re here for), but first I wanted to list a few invaluable tips for bag beginners or anyone looking for a refresh! Continue reading “Sew My Style November: The Raspberry Rucksack and Bagmaking 101 Tips” →

Welcome to Sew my Style November: Bag Patterns and supplies!

bellecitadel 4 Comments

Hi everyone!

It’s November and that means it’s time to make bags! We have two amazing patterns for you to choose from this month – make sure you use your exclusive Sew My Style discount code, which Meg sent out in the newsletter on October 15th. You can use them right up to November 30th.

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One great thing about bags is that you don’t have to fit them, so you can make one (or twenty-three) for yourself, but they also make perfect gifts… and you know what’s coming up next month… I personally plan to make at least two as festive gifts for people in my family, and I love the fact that they’re both rucksack designs that can really be adapted for anyone, anywhere! Continue reading “Welcome to Sew my Style November: Bag Patterns and supplies!” →

Style Arc Stevie denim jacket with a Sherpa lining – tutorial and tips

bellecitadel 14 Comments

Wow – denim jackets, eh? I’ve made a couple of pairs of jeans now and I actually really enjoy working with denim and topstitching. This denim jacket took topstitching to a new level though! Admittedly, this was partly (mostly) to do with the fact that I decided to go back to my teenage roots, be brave (you may choose an alternative adjective), and add a Sherpa lining to the Style Arc Stevie jacket – which is my Sew my Style October project. And it was totally worth it, because this is the coziest, most winter-appropriate denim jacket I’ve ever owned.

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Now, the good news is that creating the lining is really not difficult and it doesn’t add much to the construction really. If you’re going to the effort of making a full-on oversized 80s-style denim jacket, adding a little bit of Sherpa really isn’t much more effort. However, I do have a few tips that will make life even easier for you at the end of this post, because the extra bulk does need a little consideration. Continue reading “Style Arc Stevie denim jacket with a Sherpa lining – tutorial and tips” →

New shorts: Dawn jean shorts by Megan Nielsen

bellecitadel 13 Comments

Truth be told, I wasn’t that excited about making jeans for Sew My Style July. Not because I don’t like making jeans – in actual fact I find it really satisfying – but because I’m trying to lose a little weight and jeans are a lot of effort to make if you then go and change size. I also was pretty sure I was going to make the Megan Nielsen Ash jeans as I’ve had that pattern since it came out and really wanted to give it a go. However, there were quite a few choices this month and, when I noticed that the Dawn jeans, also by Megan Nielsen, had a shorts version, I thought “Aha”.

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I feel like shorts are a little more forgiving size-wise, plus I had this amazing acid wash denim in my stash that all of a sudden seemed PERFECT. I got it from a #Seattlesews fabric swap event and had been mulling over what to do with it. It’s very soft, vintage denim, probably from the 80s or 90s, and I’m quite partial to an ironic piece of retro clothing, I must say. Continue reading “New shorts: Dawn jean shorts by Megan Nielsen” →

New dress: Jennifer Lauren Quincy dress for #sewmystyle June

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This was a slightly unexpected make at the last minute, as for most of June I was team Orchid Midi dress the whole way. It’s not that I didn’t like the Quincy dress, but I felt I had made dresses recently that were kind of similar and I haven’t made anything like the Orchid before. However, a week or so ago, I came across the sleeveless version made by @goingtoneedstitches on Instagram and thought “Aha – that’s what I’m after”. I also really loved the look of the Quincy by @seams_sew, so in the end, I changed tack a few days before the end of month deadline and got into the Quincy with gusto.

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In case you’re not familiar with Jennifer Lauren, she produces patterns with a definite vintage feel and the Quincy shirtdress is no exception. It has a lovely little V neckline, back yoke, large pockets and is shaped with bust darts and a drawstring at the waist. As you can see, I decided to put elastic in the waistband rather than a drawstring and I also omitted the sleeves as above. If you do make the sleeves, Jennifer usually makes the length slightly longer than normal (I loved this in her Ostara top) for a more vintage touch and these sleeves can be finished with either a hem or a notched cuff. Continue reading “New dress: Jennifer Lauren Quincy dress for #sewmystyle June” →

New shirt: Blank Slate Novelista for #sewmystyle May

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I’m one of the hosts for the May edition of Sew My Style and this month the theme is button-ups – one of my favourites. I decided to make the Novelista shirt by Blank Slate. Being a curvier gal with a large bust, the princess lines really appealed to me and I’d heard good things from other gals blessed with maximum mammaries.

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The Novelista shirt is quite a classic shirt, with a two-piece collar and a larger collar than that of, say, the Melilot or the Perkins, which is the type of collar I’ve been encountering recently. It looks quite 70s to me when it’s open, (which is not necessarily a bad thing!) but took me a minute to get used to. I also wasn’t sure it would look very good buttoned up, but actually I like it! It has a choice of long or short sleeves and two different backs: a regular shirttail back and a crossover back, which is a little more unusual. I went for the short sleeves and the regular back as my fabric has a little crispness and I felt the crossback halves might not sit too flat.

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Continue reading “New shirt: Blank Slate Novelista for #sewmystyle May” →

Sew my Style May 2019: Buttonhole tips and tricks

bellecitadel 11 Comments

Hi everyone! I’m one of the hosts for this month’s button-ups and wanted to write a quick post supplementing the great info already posted in May.  I’m taking a quick look at buttonholes since we’re getting close to the end of the month and this is one of the final things you’ll do on your shirt. I’m just about finished with my Novelista, which I’m making out of this popping Nani Iro pochi fabric.

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Creating buttonholes and adding buttons strikes fear into the heart of many a sewist – and I understand why – I used to be exactly the same (and occasionally still am if it’s a treasured piece of fabric!). But really, there’s nothing to worry about. A bit of practice with your machine and a few little tips will get you well on the way to perfect buttonholes. So without further ado, here are some of my favourite buttonhole and button tips and tricks when making a button-up: Continue reading “Sew my Style May 2019: Buttonhole tips and tricks” →