Half Term

Well hello there my fine wee corner of the internet, I'm back!

This year I have really had to prioritise things, which has meant that I have had to ignore my wonderful wee sewing club here at Sew Well Travelled, and for that I truly apologise. It is currently May half term and my school has two weeks off! Which means I am going to endeavour to do SOME sort of sewing/craft as well as plan the hell out of my LAST TWO WEEKS ON PLACEMENT!!!! That's right guys, I am officially on the home stretch, I made it through the stress that is the PGCE year and have many grey hairs to show for it.

The last few months have been very tough going, I am currently job hunting for September as well as working hard to maintain my grades to get a good pass at the end of all of this. On top of this, in April we bid a tearful goodbye to our wonderful 20 year old cat, Toyah (pictured below).

She was something else was our Toyah but she became severely ill and it was cruel to keep her for our own sakes when she was no longer enjoying life. My mum and I made a resolution to live cat-less for the first time in our lives and we lasted a week. Toyah was such a big part of our family that no one could ever replace her, but our new feline friend has softened the blow. 

His name is Murphy and he is the survivor of what seems like a severe cruelty case, as a result he has a gammy leg, no teeth on the left of his mouth and is extremely needy. Quite a lot for a four year old to deal with! He likes to help me plan my lessons by walking all over the keyboard when he's not getting enough attention.

Aside from my cat news that really is all that's been going on in my life aside from teaching. My current class are amazing characters and I am going to miss them a stupid amount when I leave at the end of June. I still don't have a job but I remain hopeful and tenacious with the process, yet right now I really am looking forward to relaxing a little this summer!

I've got a plan in mind for a top to make this half term using this fabric which I bought at the Sewing fair in Manchester last September.

It's going to be a semi self drafted strappy top, using a pattern from last year's Sewing Bee book. I hacked the pattern last summer to make the dress below and it worked out quite well! I'm thinking of breaking the rules and making the straps in a totally different fabric, just to make it a bit wilder! 

I really need to wear that dress again actually. As well as that I'm going to make a few wee bits and bobs and finally put them on Etsy with the aim to top up my ever diminishing student loan, stay tuned for a link on here! I have a huge stash of fabric that needs to be used up, my first placement class did enjoy choosing from it for their iPad cases at our craft club though!

Anyway, you'll definitely hear more from me this half term, but until then - Happy Sewing Crafters!

Katharine xx

Manchester's Stitching Sewing and Hobbycraft Show Haul

Morning readers! It's that sporadic blogger again, the one who is trying to juggle establishing a brand, completing a postgraduate degree at Masters level, and fighting off germy fluey germs. 

As you may have already gathered from previous posts I have inherited the crafting bug from my darling Momma-Bear, who I am unsurprisingly very close to. So, way back at the start of the year we kept seeing ads for craft shows across the country and were toying with the idea of going to one. Unfortunately we never really got round to it so for her birthday I bought her a ticket to the one in Manchester, 6 months in advance! 

Now, due to my lack of blogging time the show was actually a month ago, but all too sadly I haven't actually made anything with my haul so (almost) everything is still intact. 

The show as a whole was brilliant. Seriously, us crafters are the friendliest people ever. The show was packed and yet everyone who bumped into me apologised and looked so sorry. You wouldn't get that on a Saturday on the Headrow! 

There was a wide range of craft stalls, but the majority were fabric and paper crafting. My mum, being a cross stitch addict only had a handful of stalls to choose from, but made some good connections and got a wide range of patterns. (As well as an amazing Victorian sampler to make for me). 

I went a bit mental with money that I don't have. But I'm seeing is as an investment for the year, everything I've got pending right now will see me through until next September so I don't have to spend my precious and modest student loan on fabric, unless it's for a present. 

First of all I found a nice wee haberdashery stall packed with shoppers and goodies and went a bit mental. At the start of the day I'd budgeted £20 for myself, that was nearly gone at one stall....

I absolutely loved the vintage style of this. I got a fat quarter's worth and think it may become a purse or a head scarf. It's too cute.

This is printed denim from somewhere called "The Denim Company". I would have loved to buy more but I was really pinching the pennies. This is a perfect example of my love for fabric, no plans but I had to have it!

We all know I love to flaunt my sewing and dressmaking skills, I just wish I could have afforded more of this to make it into a top, but it was quite pricy and I could only stretch to a half metre, maybe it'll be a sewing bag? Or travel sewing kit?

I don't think I've mentioned this before, but I am totally and completely obsessed with penguins. Penguins are my true love, sorry Danny. Only a fat quarter again as the fabric was quite thin and I didn't want to make it into clothing. Ideas for it's uses are welcomed!

My current obsession is foxes, and I am actually almost finished making something with this one! I bought two metres and am making a English Tea Dress (previously made here), sans sleeves! Full post on that to come ;)

I fell in love with this cotton from Abkahan fabrics and stretched to buying a metre of it. I have a cami pattern in mind for it, or maybe some lingerie. The colour is so rich and I have always had a fascination with birds. So in love and it's great quality cotton!

So there we are, all in all it was a fab day at our first sewing show. We met some lovely people, got some good stuff and totally exhausted our feet! We slept well that night :) The tickets, bought in advance, were £7 a piece, which for a good day out was pretty good. I'd definitely recommend going one. For one in your area, check here http://www.ichfevents.co.uk/

If you have any ideas for what I can make with any of this stuff please let me know! Especially the fat quarters, my stash is huge and needs to be worked at. Share your ideas, let's make Sew Well Travelled an idea forum!

Til next time,

The Stressed Out Student that is Kat xx

16 Things That Will Inevitably Happen When You Get Addicted To Sewing...

Whether you're a new seamstress inspired by the Great British Sewing Bee or an established sewing veteran who has picked it up once again you will relate to some, or all of these points. If not then sit tight, it is still to come!


1. You become a regular in your local haberdashery/fabric store.
Whether it is John Lewis, HobbyCraft or a local business, you're greeted with a smile, on first name terms, known by tastes, and remembered by projects. It's the first place you go to on payday, and you can ALWAYS justify a new addition, even if it is just a fat quarter...

2. You start cancelling plans in order to sew, and don't even feel guilty about it...
"Oh no I can't tonight... I'm needed"
"Who by?"
"...Janome"

3. You find yourself talking about your clothes even more, just to gloat.
Today I asked a male uninterested colleague if he liked my dress, just so I could tell him I made it and feel the praise. You strut around just waiting for someone to comment on your new creation, just so you can say "Oh no... I MADE it" when asked where you got it from.

4. You have had to label your scissors to ensure housemates know THEY'RE NOT FOR PAPER.
The HORROR when someone tries to cut paper with your fabric scissors, as if someone has used your favourite dress as a towel.

5. Your sewing machine (if you have one) has a name, so you can chastise it when it does something bad.
Bertha loves me, and I love her. Except, however, when she carries on sewing when the thread has broken/the bobbin has run out/decides to eat my fabric/generally acts like an erratic lunatic.

6. You have less money than ever before

Handmade doesn't mean cheap. But you can always justify £30 on fabric and £5.99 on a magazine, because it's your love. And so it's ok.

7. You realise ANYTHING is possible with a sewing machine, even if it isn't Pinterest worthy.

8. Your seam ripper is your most used tool, and you hate that.
One day I'll make something right first time. Until then, hello old friend...

9. You feel less inclined to hate people.
Sewing releases endorphins, finishing a project gives you pride, looking forward to sewing at the end of a rubbish day is an amazing thing.

10. Sewing is basically a diet.
You are constantly moving between the table and the iron, you can't eat a jam donut while making a dress, and since you have to take more photos of yourself head to toe you own more stomach sucking in tights than ever before. (not necessary though, because we're all beautiful no matter what.)

11. Acquiring storage and designing a future sewing room is totally normal.
I currently have 2 wall hangings waiting, furniture decided on, and the dressmaking dummy selected. Now all I need is a room.

12. Hours are spent analysing and visualising patterns.
The fear of wasting beautiful fabric on a substandard pattern is real.

13. You walk around shops thinking "can I make that?" 
You see a dress you love, check the price tag, see the rows and rows of identical pieces, and evacuate to the fabric shop.

14. You can spend hours of joy organising your craft things.
"What if... WHAT IF... I store my seam ripper in the top tray, rather than the bottom... GENIUS!"

15. Time is precious, and time not spent crafting is time wasted.
"What do you MEAN you won't pay me to make stuff?!"

16. You realise you have the greatest hobby in the entire world, and can't imagine life without it.
You're hooked. It's like falling in love; you want to spend every day with it, you want to treat it to things, discuss it constantly, drop it into conversation, show it off, rub it in that you can MAKE things. Even if the rates of production may vary according to the needs of that silly reality thing, you are, and always will be, a sewist.

Are YOU a sewaholic? If not, WHY not? Feel free to leave other signs and suggestions below and follow me if you want to hear more about my life as a self proclaimed sewing addict! 

til next time... Kat xx

The Katie Dress

Hiya lovely people!
Sorry I've been so rubbish with blogging lately, with work and actually finding time to sew I've been sleeping rather than blogging but that is about to change! With effect from today I will be posting a creation every Sunday without fail, and maybe a few extras during the week - stay tuned lovelies!

So, if you read my previous post you'll know that for the past two weeks I have been working on my first made to measure project for my friend Katie. What a challenge it was, but I really enjoyed it, even after all the long nights at the sewing machine and definitely will be doing it again! Though without such a tight deadline next time.

Anyway, Katie had been looking for a 1960's shift dress, a little like those pictured below, and so I got to work with some poorly drawn sketches pretending I knew what I was doing. I still had a long way to go...

Anyway, Katie chose some lovely nautical blue and white striped fabric from Minerva Crafts, however it turned out to be a little thinner and a bit more see through than we anticipated, which was actually a blessing, as it meant I could do all the fittings with the lining. It also meant I could learn how to line something!

So I went to Leeds Kirkgate Market to find some plain white lining material and whilst I was there picked up Simplicity pattern 1197, which I thought would be perfect. However, by the time I got it home I realised that the pattern was completely different, had a front panel which wasn't suitable for the striped pattern of the dress, so in the end I kind of had to wing it!

And so after taking her measurements... it began.

The lining fabric was a dream to work with, and I was particularly proud of how it turned out...

The next day Katie and I met at work and went to some unknown toilets in the building that I work in for the first fitting. Some people tried to visit the loo, don't they know that is my dressing room!

Sadly I was a tad generous with adding inches and the forgot how petite the lovely Katie is and so the dress ending up looking like a lab coat. But no matter, it's always easier to take in than take out. This is how it looked after pinning...

In total 4.5 inches were to come off, the sleeves to be cut down by 8.5 inches and 6 inches off the hem. After this I took the sleeves off, took it in at the side seams, the back, and then down the front to keep it in proportion and take in the shoulders. Everything fit for our next fitting and so I started on the outer fabric.

As it turned out, the fabric was much thinner than I anticipated and frayed very easily. But this is not yet an issue in this story...
I managed to finish it in 10 hours last Wednesday due to taking annual leave. I was shattered but immensely proud of finishing it before the Thursday deadline and showed all my colleagues with pride...

Unfortunately, when adding the lining to the outer it had eaten into my seam allowances and the perfect fit was no more. The bust was still too big and the skirt too narrow. The final deadline was the next day so I made it a mission that night to fix it. After a visit to my favourite Haberdashery and a brainstorming session with the owner I fixed the issues with the use of pleats.
It took 5 hours, and I finished at 1am, and then did some more on my commute the next morning, but it was done. Luckily I took some photos before I crashed out.

So it's far from perfect, the sleeves could do with some work and due to the fragility of the material the seams are frayed to unpicking and picking, but it's done. In a way I feel like it was a blessing in disguise as I think the buttons add a certain something to it. The additional pleat at the back was a good call too as the side seams just couldn't be taken out much more.

I don't think I've done a bad job though for my first piece... I mean, look at this pattern matching...

It's a bit off but come on! For a first timer that's pretty awesome.

At the end of it all, Katie was smiling, she's wearing it over another dress but that makes the fit even better. She can't currently lift her arms all the way over her head as I need to take the sleeves and the armholes a little further out, but it zips and it fits!

And due to me hoping to make a business out of this (one day...!) I even made a little tag...

So there it is, my first made to measure project, the first of many more I hope! Please let me know what you think and any tips or comments you may have and until next time folks!

Don't forget to follow me if you like my stuff, I'm on Bloglovin' too, and share this with any fellow crafty friends!

Til next time, Kat xx

How To Make A Clip Frame Purse (Or How To Ruin Something With Fabric Glue)

Happy April, readers! It is officially my BIRTHDAY MONTH! I don't care what my boyfriend says, it IS a thing.
So over the Bank Holiday weekend I decided to make myself a new purse in a last ditch attempt to save some money. I figure, if I can't carry around every coffee card, loyalty card and magic money card (credit cards...) I own I can't overspend. So as I can never find one affordable that I like in shops I decided to make my own clip purse.
Now don't get me wrong, it's still pretty big, but I can only keep 3 cards in it which is a win.

For the first time in my relatively short sewing career I made something without a pattern! What a win! It's almost worked too... amazing. It's really easy to make and it only took me a few hours too.

So to begin with I traced around the clip frame (£3 on eBay) onto some greaseproof paper (my holy grail) and sketched the kind of shape I wanted the purse to be from there. I then drew a line down the middle of this and cut out the better half of my template (I like symmetry...)

Then I took the material I was using and folded a bit over, right sides facing up. Placing the straight line I drew down the half of the template on to the fold I pinned and snipped. I did this twice on each fabric piece I was using (two for outer and two for lining). 

o

I then did the same again to produce 4 matching pieces of light weight iron on interfacing. Then you simply affix the interfacing to the fabric to give it a little more structure.

Side note: do any other sewers get a weird thrill out of pressing fabric with a hot iron? I hate ironing but I bloody love pressing my own creations.





Anyway, next I made some credit card pockets by drawing round one of my cards onto, you guessed it, greaseproof paper. I made 3 slots so cut 6 matching pieces of fabric. You need to make the cuts a fair bit bigger than the card, however, as it turns out mine are too small. But they're sewn on now and I'm not redoing that!

I sewed each pocket RST then turned them out and pressed. You'll notice from this photo that I made a 4th pocket, but we don't talk about that one...


So then I had to make the main body of the purse. To make sure I didn't get overly excited with the sewing machine and seal the thing I marked with pencil where the bottom of the clip frame will come to...
I then sewed the outer right sides together, adding a little ribbon loop to the side as you can see to the left... (to the left to the left everything you own in a box to the left).



So with the outer done it was time to sew the inner. Which is where my credit card slot fail happened. I basically tiered the pockets as you can see in the picture, but sewed too far in which made them teeeeeeeeeny. Not to self, in future check before doing the lining. But no matter, it just means no cards for me ever! Do all your inner features before any other sewing, far easier :)

At least it looks good...

So next I stitched RST with the lining again, but leaving a 3ish inch gap at the bottom in the middle, and turned it round and pressed again.
THIS WAS WRONG. The next series of photos are to show you how NOT to insert lining...

*La la la Kat is feeling overly confident and is quite tired but in the sewing zone so will just carry on anyway la la la la la.... "look how pretty and perfect the fabric is! I'm glad I'm doing this right and won't have to unpick it!" lalala*

Right side facing wrong side.... that is always how it goes.... <_< 

"I AM SO CLEVER! I GOT IT RIGHT FIRST TIME! Let's sew :D"

 "....oh. Balls."

*goes to bed*

So, I had a long sleep, got up, and started again...

So, RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER, put the lining inside the outer fabric and pin together. Sew around the top edges (where the frame will be essentially and where the edges are raw) and notch the curves as you go.

 
Then... using the gap in the lining that you left when sewing it the first time, pull the outer through so it looks something like that to the left (try and resist the urge to sing Beyonce...)
 


Press the open seam and stitch it closed. I usually press the lining and the outer at this stage too (believe it or not, this isn't the first time I've made something with a lining). Now you can push the lining back into the outer fabric and it will actually look like a purse!

 So next came fabric glue. I was so tempted to use superglue but after reading a lot online I was put off this idea and went into town to get some fabric glue. Annoyingly though, the nozzle was quite wide and as I applied it quite liberally to the channel of the clip frame when I pushed the purse in it OOZED. I wiped it off the fabric with a wet cloth but there are still some yellowy stains. It can't be helped and I have learnt my lesson for next time! Sadly though, it doesn't look as perfect as it should due to this error in judgement. Next time I'll invest in a teeny tiny brush for this. Some instructions have also suggested using cord in the channel to help the bond so I'll try this too. 
At the end of the day though, it was a learning curve! Not everything in life is perfect and considering it was my first try it doesn't look too shabby... does it?

 Til next time loves,

Kat x