Pattern Review: TATB Safiya Dungarees/Playsuit hack

Here is my third pattern review from the Make it Simple book - this time, I have combined two variations in the book for the Safiya trousers. Details Name: Safiya Variation: Dungarees for bodice/straps, playsuit for shorts Design House: Tilly and the Buttons / Tilly Walnes' book Make it Simple Size I made: 4 Fabric I wasn't sure how this mash up would turn out, so to be on the safe side, I found something in my stash.  I ended up using an old curtain, which was easy to sew up. Difficulty There are no tricky fastenings and the darts…

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Pattern Review: TATB Shortie PJs

Here is my pattern review for the shortie PJs from the Make it Simple book! Details Name: Juno PJs Variation: Shorts and short sleeved – with cuffs from Tabitha variation Design House: Tilly and the Buttons / Tilly Walnes’ book Make it Simple Size I made: 4 Fabric I used up some yellow ponte fabric which I originally used for my yellow Kinder cardigan for the shorts.  The top was made from a nice single knit fabric I found in my local Trago shop.  The yellow ribbing was from My Fabrics. Difficulty I found this a nice simple make overall…

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Pattern Review: Bertha Cardigan

Recently, I received the latest Tilly and the Buttons book - Make it Simple - as a gift.  here is my first make from it! Details Pattern Details: Name: Bertha Variation: Original without additions/hacks Pattern House: Tilly and the Buttons Size I made: 4 Fabric This red drapey single knit fabric is from my stash and was meant for my nan's Kinder cardigna, but I cut into the wrong fabric for that.  It has a clear right and wrong side.  It was tricky to cut out as it was hard to lay out on the table to cut.  I had…

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Pattern Review: Butterick 5189 Dressing Gown

Recently I made another of my planned makes for #2020make nine - the dressing gown - as a gift. Details Pattern Name: 6232Variation/style: Dressing GownDesign House: ButterickSize I made: L Fabric The main fabric is a polyester brocade and the lining is a red terry cloth.  The brocade is woven and the terry cloth is knit fabric.  Both are from Fabricland.Using a knit and woven was quite challenging as they act very differently to one another, and I would recommend to avoid using them together in a project like this if possible.  The terry cloth was happy to stretch away…

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My 2020 plans

Here are my plans going into 2020... 2020 Make Nine Here are my make nine plans: Freya Sweater by Tilly and the Buttons Toucan t-shirt Shawl Mila Dungarees by Tilly and the Buttons Dressing Gown using Butterick 5189 A men's shirt (not decided on pattern yet) Slipper Boots (free pattern by Tilly and the Buttons) Trousers Art of Knitting throw Other plans Learn to draft a trouser block (going to a locally held class) Mend textile items at home which need fixing Successfully make any items for special birthdays coming up this year Keeping track of my progress and achievements I decided that…

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Review of the year: 2019

With the year drawing to a close, I thought I would reflect on my makes during 2019. Most challenging make - the black copley cardigan I've chosen the black copley cardigan as it is the make that took me the longest.  I have made this pattern before but in a yellow colour, which was a lot easier on the eye!  I can get quite impatient so the fact I persevered and finished it within a year is quite an achievement. I haven't worn it much yet - I think I have just got a bit exhausted from it.  I'm sure…

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DIY Fabric Gift Tags

I couldn't resist the temptation of one last Christmas DIY before the main event!  This time, I decided to explore making personalised fabric gift tags. Now it is worth noting that in order to make this a bit less wasteful, it's best to make tags for people where you can retrieve the tags back from them after they open the gifts (unless they really want to keep them) so you can use them annually.  As a result, I would only make them for close relatives. The tools I used for the ones I made: Fabric remnant in desired colour (I…

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Pattern Review: So Sew Easy Serger Scrap Catcher

Today I am sharing my thoughts on a free sewing pattern you can follow on the So Sew Easy website - it's the Easy Serger Scrap Catcher! Details Pattern name: Easy Serger Scrap Catcher Variation/Style: N/A Design House: Pattern from So Sew Easy website Size I made: made according to the pattern's suggested measurements Fabric I used some remnant fabrics to make this - I would say that the toucan fabric pictured is quilting cotton weight.  From the image below, you can see I had two colour ways of this fetching fabric.  I also added fusible fleece to it to give the final mat…

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The Hundred Day Project: Days 1-20

This year I decided that I would take part in The Hundred Day Project and embark on a project which has been on my mind for a while... The theme of my hundred day project is 100 days of free machine embroidered animals - or the hashtag #100daysofFMEanimals To record the project, I thought I would post a blog update every 20 days.  Here are the first 20 animals of the project: Day 1 - Parrot Day 2 - Emu Day 3 - Flamingo Day 4 - Starfish Day 5 - Stingray Day 6 - Newt Day 7 - Bear…

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