Tag colette patterns

Seamwork’s Design your Wardrobe: the experience

bellecitadel 8 Comments

Hi there! No clothes project today, but I wanted to post about something I’ve been taking part in this last month, along with over 3,000 other Seamwork sewists. Yes, you read that number right. How do I know there’s that many? Well, as of the time of publishing this post, that’s how many people are members of the Facebook group expressly set up for this project!

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So what is it then? Well, I think everyone must be aware of Seamwork by now, but if you’re not, it’s the online, beginner-focused magazine/portal run by Colette Patterns. They issue an online magazine every month with articles, tips and two new patterns, aimed particularly at the novice sewist (although plenty of more experienced sewists use them too). It’s a subscription-based service and if you happen to be a member, you would have been invited to join the inaugural run of “Design your Wardrobe” back in January for free. Continue reading “Seamwork’s Design your Wardrobe: the experience” →

New shirt: Colette Negroni shirt for men

bellecitadel 2 Comments

My husband is resolutely a t-shirt kind of man. Which is something of a shame, as he looks splendid in a shirt, particularly a short-sleeved one. Therefore, I was more than delighted when he mentioned offhandedly that he was considering wearing a shirt to work now and again and might need to find some new ones. I immediately thought about the shirt patterns I had and decided to give the Negroni a go. It’s my first man’s collared shirt and I’m really pleased with how it turned out!

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New top: Colette Aster in rayon

bellecitadel 10 Comments

Hello! It’s been a while. After my furious burst of sewing a few weeks ago, the pace has dropped off as I’ve been knee-deep in wallpapering, painting and furniture rearranging territory (as you may have seen on Instagram with my lemur wallcovering. I love it.). Anyway, I have been doing some sewing; just not much photo-taking or writing. So I’ll get to it and dive right in with this latest make and my first proper button-up blouse.

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New make: Seamwork Sonya dress

bellecitadel 2 Comments

So I made a shift dress in linen. Not something I would have expected to put on my to-do list since a) I’ve always suited a more nipped-in garment, even when I was 19 and student-thin and b) have never been able to wear linen – I tried linen clothes many times when I was younger, but we just didn’t get on. And then there’s the grey. I chose this because I felt I hadn’t made anything grey forever and have since realised that almost every item of clothing I have been working on recently is, in fact, grey. I don’t know what’s up with my head but I definitely don’t need any more grey. Seattle is grey enough right now!

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New make: Colette Beignet skirt

bellecitadel 5 Comments

I’m so happy to have finished what I’m thinking of as my first “proper” skirt. I suppose what I really mean is my first “intermediate” skirt and I definitely learnt a lot making it. It consolidated many techniques and skills I’ve already picked up over the last year and a bit – and, most importantly, I really like it!

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New make: Seamwork Almada robe

bellecitadel 6 Comments

Hello there! Hands up who ate too much over Christmas and New Year…?  Yup, me too. Which is why this latest make comes at the perfect moment for hiding my well-tended belly, which it does beautifully, I’m happy to report. You may have seen this robe on IG already, but now I’ve had a chance to snap a couple of on-body pics. Ignore the peely-wally legs please (good Scottish word; don’t say reading sewing blogs doesn’t teach you anything).

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I feel like this pattern has been made in so many stunning versions before (including the ones from Swarm of Chickadees and Helen’s Closet to name but a couple) that everyone must be familiar with it by now. But if not, this is the Almada robe from Seamwork Magazine. It’s kimono-inspired in style and is a quick make, pegged at 3hrs of sew time. I would say that’s fair, although I may have taken slightly longer. If you make your own bias tape, add on an hour, I suppose. Continue reading “New make: Seamwork Almada robe” →

New make: Seamwork Astoria jumper

bellecitadel 3 Comments

Jumper, sweater, whatever mate. I sneaked in this little make after starting to think about my autumn/winter plans and planning a cohesive run of makes for once. I spotted a couple of other Astorias on the old net, didn’t quite remember the pattern from Seamwork, took a look, noted that it’s supposed to take about an hour to sew, so decided to give it a shot.

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And I must say that I’m surprisingly pleased with the result! Surprised because it’s a cropped jumper, which wouldn’t be my natural first choice these days (or any days really), and also because it fits rather well straight from the pattern. More on that later. Continue reading “New make: Seamwork Astoria jumper” →

New make: Colette Moneta dress

bellecitadel 7 Comments

I decided last week I’d work on a few knit items all at the same time given my current set-up of twin needles, low tension, walking foot etc. etc. I guess it’s partly due to laziness, but I’m still not so au fait with the settings that I can whip everything on and off like a pro. I already made the Metro t-shirt, and so I decided I’d follow up with a women’s t-shirt by Wendy Ward, plus this Moneta dress. Well, my apologies to Wendy, but I massacred the t-shirt by not realising the limits of a serger (or, indeed, my current serging skills) as I promptly shaved off half the t-shirt neck trying to turn an acute corner. It’s a goner I tell you. But I won’t do it again.

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Discoveries of a novice: Essential websites

bellecitadel 4 Comments

If you’re new to sewing, and online (the latter of which you presumably are if you’re reading this), then you’re probably trying to figure out which websites are the most useful for a newbie. Well, there are lots of great sewing websites I’ve both found and that have been recommended to me. I’ve listed five below that are free and that I reckon are invaluable as a resource/tool to learn and gain inspiration from: Continue reading “Discoveries of a novice: Essential websites” →

New make: Sorbetto top in plaid

bellecitadel 7 Comments

Hello hello! I almost didn’t post this make since it seems that everyone in the whole wide world has made a Sorbetto top at some point. But obviously not everyone has, and maybe there are even some people yet to discover that its a free pattern from Colette Patterns that you can download any time you like! Plus, of course, this ended up with its own little complications. Bias binding: I’m talking about you.

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