A Foxy Tea Dress

Two posts in one night! (that last one was actually in this one but then I realised I'd rambled on so much that it needed it's own section)

A few weeks ago I finished my latest dress with this foxy ass fabric.

It's a very heavy cotton, almost like curtain material, and was about £5 a metre from the craft show I went to in September with my mum (read about it here). My current obsession seems to be foxes and I just couldn't resist.

I decided, because I like the fit of the last one I did so much, to make the English Tea Dress by SimpleSew again (see here), but this time sans sleeves. The problem is, however, that I started this dress in September, and because of PGCE insanity I only finished it in December. Which means the fit is completely off around my bust and my waist. I could fix it, but I'm bound to gain the weight again, and I really can't be arsed right now. So here it is:

To be completely honest with you all, because that's the best policy, I am not 100% happy with it, it hasn't been worn out yet as I am struggling to style it and it is much too big. When I get a chance I'm going to take it in but for now it's considered finished and hanging with the rest of my creations in the Sew Well Travelled wardrobe!

I'm off to HobbyCraft tomorrow with a voucher, so hopefully the next blog won't take too long!

Til next time,

Kat

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

Pattern Hack | The Elephant Allure

Hi Blogisphere! This is an old make, one of my first pieces, but it was my first hack and I was happy with how it turned out :)

The title makes it sound like an odd one, but my mum and I often joke that when I undo the top button of a dress or shirt, or wear a v-neck I'm switching on the 'allure'. So this is my Elephant Allure top. 

It's a pattern hack from the GBSB sleeveless shell top pattern (which I made here) but with a v-neck and sans facing. It was a bold move and I was kind of sewing in the dark so to speak,  but I do love it and get lots of compliments on it!

It has a precarious dart right in the middle of the V however, as there was an inexplicable fabric issue which resulted in what looked like a third nipple. I do not have a third nipple.

All I did was use the basic template for the shirt then cut a V out of the front and back. I wish I could say I did more than that....


(So, I was going to airbrush and edit the following pictures to make myself look slimmer. Shameful, I know, but I wasn't at all happy with how I looked in them and I've always been self conscious of my weight. But you know what? No. I'm a size 18 "plus size" woman, and yes I am trying to lose weight but this blog is all about handmade things and real life. This is the real me, flabby top-heavy me. So here you go. So there!)

Not all that adventurous but I do love it and its fit!

Til next time,

Kat

Hiatus and Books

There are a few reasons for my chosen title this time, one being quite obvious... I've neglected you all again and for that, I am so sorry. I started Uni last week and it's preoccupied my mind so much I actually forgot all about sewing :( I keep trying to pick up my current project and then get distracted or decide I'm too tired. I hope this year doesn't kill off my need to sew for sanity.

To those of you who have sent me well-wishes on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and to my face - thank you! It really means a lot to me to have this wee support network and makes me feel so loved. If you're interested, Uni has been an overwhelming whirlwind, but today I finally felt settled. I had a bit of a wobble about it over the weekend, I guess I was daunted. I'm the sort of person who needs routine and stability, so that time between leaving my work routine and figuring out a Uni routine knocked me for six a bit, but I'm fine now and am really enjoying the process of becoming a teacher!

So next is books... I'm a student now and it'll come to no surprise to anyone that my room is filled with them. I've already started researching my first assignment (in week 2! If only my English Tutors could see me now) and have been reading a wide range of children's books for prep (seriously... go read some of David Walliams' books). But also, I just love books, and it runs in the family. So much so that my sister picked out some fabric and asked me to make her a library themed top.

I've been quite unfair to my sister since I started dressmaking - my mum, boyfriend, friends have all received something handmade, but Heather hasn't. She kept asking me and to be honest, it was really nice to have your work in demand. So I made her this...

She chose the Sleeveless Shell Top from the Great British Sewing Bee 'Fashion with Fabric' book which I had previously made for myself (read all about it here) and I have to say, I made it nearly perfectly. It's also made me realise the importance of using a pattern more than once, that way you can compare how you've improved over time. It was 5 months between making the two tops and all the mistakes I made the first time round were avoided this time, which was fab.

At the end of it all I have a perfect top in my portfolio and a very happy sister! What more could I ask for?

Til next time...

Kat xx