Tag clothes

New activewear: Jalie Clara leggings for #sewmystyle January

bellecitadel 4 Comments

Hi sewists! It’s such a cliché, but almost everyone I know complains of overindulging over the holidays and it’s a lot of fun to do it! Believe me, I enjoy it. However, I went home for a whole month to the UK this year and I haven’t been back for a few years, so I went to town on all the lovely things I’ve missed since being away. Of course, the things you miss tend to be terrible for you (Tunnocks teacakes, fish and chips, sausage butties for breakfast, etc.) and a whole month of that has meant my clothes aren’t just tight on me – they properly do. not. fit.

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So I was pretty excited to see that the January theme for #sewmystyle2019 was activewear. I’ve put on around a stone in weight since I did my triathlon last June, so was in need of some new bits and pieces as I kick off my 2019 exercise schedule. Now, you will never see me looking like this at the gym. I’m more of a loose tee or hoodie kind of girl (below) than a midriff-displayer, but in order to show you my projects – here you go! I made the Jalie Clara leggings and the Greenstyle Power Bra. There’s a fair bit to say about the power bra, so I’m going to talk just about the leggings today. Continue reading “New activewear: Jalie Clara leggings for #sewmystyle January” →

New pants: The Hollywood trousers from Liesl & Co.

bellecitadel 13 Comments

These are hands-down, no contest, the most professional looking and feeling trousers I’ve ever made. And this is in no small part due to the typically fantastic instructions that Liesl Gibson writes for all her patterns. They’re well-described and illustrated and her methods just seem so well thought-through. Occasionally when I’m making a pattern I feel like the designer has “winged it” a little bit in terms of construction – and I am NO expert. But that is never the case with Liesl. She knows what she’s talking about, which gives me a lot of confidence making her designs.

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Continue reading “New pants: The Hollywood trousers from Liesl & Co.” →

Hey June Handmade Halifax Hoodie for #sewmystyle August

bellecitadel 5 Comments

I got the date completely wrong for this one again and thought I had another week to make it, when in actual fact the reveal date was last Sunday. If it had been any other pattern I would just have skipped it, but I actually really need a new hoodie, since my beloved grey Nike hoodie bit the dust a couple of months ago.

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There are an absolute ton of different options for the Hey June Handmade Halifax hoodie and you can see all sorts of interesting versions if you do a quick search, from a sweater with interesting design lines, to a cowl neck zippered hoodie. I knew that I wanted a traditional front-zippered, hooded-hoodie and this is View C from the pattern. It’s the most time-intensive, but even this version didn’t take very long at all – half a day at most. Continue reading “Hey June Handmade Halifax Hoodie for #sewmystyle August” →

Mystery blogger award AKA some random stuff about me!

bellecitadel 6 Comments

I’ve seen this type of thing come around once before and I really enjoyed reading some of the replies and finding out a little more about bloggers I follow, outside their “sewing life”. It’s a nice little bit of fun I think!

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So I’m very touched to have been nominated by both Andrew from mensew and Wis from What I Sew, who are both bloggers I HUGELY admire, to give you a few details on my extra-curricular activities away from sewing. Ahem. First the official stuff: Continue reading “Mystery blogger award AKA some random stuff about me!” →

New make: Named Kielo dress

bellecitadel 15 Comments

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The Kielo dress is one that is popular with sewers, and I always think that must be for a good reason. I, along with many other others, am a big fan of Named’s aesthetic, although I’m not always convinced it’ll look too good on me. Usually it takes a few makes from other people before I take the plunge, and so it was with the Kielo dress. I was particularly sold by this version from verypurpleperson and I saw the other day there is now a second version to covet too. I also very much liked the long-sleeved version from Named themselves, rather than the pattern cover version, even if I wasn’t necessarily planning long sleeves myself. Love those bold stripes – just love ’em. Continue reading “New make: Named Kielo dress” →

New make: Metro t-shirt in interlock

bellecitadel 10 Comments

Hi all! Wow – the summer is fairly flying by! I’ve been keeping busy the last few weeks with enjoying the great outdoors in glorious Washington and unfortunately my blogging has suffered a little. But I have been sewing! I have been spending rather a lot of my time figuring out the Hannah dress, which is finished, but for a few errors I need to fix. I also finished a woven circle skirt apart from the hook and a t-shirt for myself. But first I’m posting this second male Metro t-shirt that I finished for my husband.

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Discoveries of a novice: Intelligent/smart fabrics – they do WHAT?

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I had absolutely no idea that there were fabrics in this world that could do the sort of things James Bond could only dream of. I came across the subject in the intro of my fab swatch book, Swatch Reference Guide for Fashion Fabrics. I read about the cross-breeding of spiders with goats to make spider silk. Yes, that’s what I said: spiders with goats. I assumed this was some sort of weird joke, but when I read it out loud to my husband, he said “Oh yes, I remember that in the news”. WHAT? So maybe I’m the last person in the world to know about it (and I regard myself as a reasonably well-informed person), but if the goat/spider phenomenon (and others to follow) passed you by, here’s what they are talking about. Continue reading “Discoveries of a novice: Intelligent/smart fabrics – they do WHAT?” →

New make: Fancy Tiger Crafts Sailor Top

bellecitadel 10 Comments

Well, hello there! Remember me? Three weeks since my last post: eh? It’s not because I haven’t been doing/making things but is actually because it’s been one of those bitty periods where I’ve been starting things, screwing things up, trying little tips, etc. etc. I now have enough bits and pieces to write a post or two, but first I’m going to catch up by posting the last make from my Drygoods Design Apparel Trilogy course earlier this year: the Fancy Tiger Crafts Sailor Top.

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New make: Luna pants

bellecitadel 4 Comments

I’ll be honest – this style of trousers/pants are not really my thing and I had kind of disregarded the Luna pants pattern when it came out. That was until I made the Beatrix top, also by Made by Rae and very much enjoyed it; and then saw this pair, which made me pause a little. There’s also no denying that these kinds of trousers are very practical, particularly when you’re running around after small children. I saw Rae was doing a sewalong, so I thought, well, why not? I did skip ahead of the sewalong since after I got to the sewing part I just decided to finish up. I’m sure that’s pretty normal.

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New make: Butterick B6207

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When I was younger, I had this two piece outfit from French Connection that my Mum persuaded me to buy (being 13 or so, I had other ideas). It was a lemon and mint striped cotton top and skirt/culottes outfit that was a lot nicer than it sounds in writing. I still rather like the look of matching tops and bottom outfits and I’ve been thinking about making one for a while. As well as the whole outfit for a more put-together occasion, you’ve also got the option to wear them separately – three outfits in one really! I had been, and am still planning, some sort of cotton circle skirt and vest top affair, but in the meantime, I’ve made up this outfit in a knit. And can I just say…. DRUM ROLL… this is my first Big Four pattern!! Woohoo!

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Continue reading “New make: Butterick B6207” →