Emerald Green Dress

The Emerald Green "Silk" I bought in India has been made up into a beautiful dress.

The pattern I used was New Look K6723, the material I bought in India and from Minerva Crafts I bought the lining, zip, buckle and thread making a total cost of about £45.00.

The fabric proved tricky to work with and it was fraying as I breathed.  So I actually made it up in 5 days, not giving it time to fray.  Sewing was mainly done on working days and sitting down for a couple of hours a day. Not easy when you work 12 hour shifts.  In total (including making a toile) it took me 8 hours to make.  so how they do it on Great British Sewing Bee in 6 hours I don't know!

My one regret with it, is that I bought some black interlining, but didn't use it.  The skirt is too light and I need to look at the waist again.  I am thinking of taking it in at the waist and putting some petersham in there to give the waist some substance.

I wore it last Wednesday at one of my sewing classes and it was very comfy and I shall definitely be wearing it again.

Now to make my 50's petticoat.

Cowl Neck Dress

This dress I eventually made from the book, "Sew Many Dresses sew little time" by Tanya Whelan.

This is not a very flattering photograph of me in the dress.

I really enjoyed the process of drafting the pattern and the fit is lovely.  As the material has got some lycra in it, it is really comfortable.

The material is Blue Parasol from Stitch Fabrics and I bought 3m at a cost of £30.00.

A truly unique dress, so pleased!

Paying for my time

I sew and I love to sew.  If I see something I like and want and I can make it, I will.  

My sewing started when I was very young (3 or 4 years old), my mum and grandma sewed and therefore so did I.  At first it was just things or clothes for dolly, but I soon started making clothes for me.  My mum made my clothes and I sort of rebelled, because I wanted to wear more "modern" clothes and something different to my sister.

It was the early 1970's and clothes were expensive - everything was expensive.  I remember my mum crying because she had bought 5lb of potatoes and inside her bag (you went to the greengrocers with your string bag) was a large pebble.  She had just bought a very expensive pebble and to top it all we wouldn't have enough potatoes for the week.  Anyway - we could only dream of buying clothes off the peg and apart from C&A, Woolworths and BHS, there wasn't much choice.  Grandma was great, she made all our best clothes and even bought us clothes from Marks and Spencers.  She worked at S R Gents, who made clothes for Marks and Spencers, so had contacts.

In my teens I started making clothes for me, one off items.  There were plenty of fabric shops and lots to choose from.  I saved my pocket money and bought wisely.  It never occurred to me to make clothes for other people.  

But over the past thirty years or so I have been asked to make clothes for people and I have always refused.  Or I have been honest and told them how much it would cost.  Many brides-to-be ask me to make their bridesmaid dresses.  I'm sure they think I am cheap and are very surprised when my quote is far more than their off the peg wedding dress.  

One of the biggest costs is my labour, but material can only be bought in small quantities and therefore don't have the bulk price that the manufacturers can buy at.  My labour charge is £15 an hour and add to that the cost of consumables and electricity etc.  I am just too expensive.

In my last post I showed you one of the aprons I made

I posted the picture on Facebook as it was of interest to my friends.  Not all my makes go on Facebook because I like my friends to guess what I have made.

Well a neighbour say the apron and wanted one for her Dad.  She asked me if I would make one and said there was no rush as she didn't need it until August.  I never really answered her at the time, I never do, just changed the subject.  The material is from The Little Button Co and they also sell the aprons.  I know I have made one, but it was for my own use and a "gift" for my mum.  I say "gift" because she paid me for the material.  The material for one apron costs £18.  They sell their aprons for £18.  I know my neighbour would buy one off me for £25, as I guess she thinks she is doing me a favour.  But I should confess and say that I would be in breach of copyright and get her to buy one from The Little Button Co. 

My husband appreciates what I make and loves the quirky things I make him and as for my mum, how many aprons would pay for all the times she has wiped my bum, nose or blooded knee?

This weeks makes

This week I have managed to finish four items.

From the material I bought in India I have finished one of the dresses and a scarf.  Just as the weather is turning warm and the hope of summer is in the air.

Before cutting out the pattern pieces I didn't check the width of the sleeves.  They are too narrow for me to get my arms in and the shoulders end up just above my elbows.  I haven't got fat arms, but it was a pattern I hadn't tried before.  How many times do I tell my students to measure twice?  So I will be taking the sleeves out and having a sleeveless dress.  I don't have any spare material to make anymore sleeves.  I love how the material has been printed giving a beautiful border around the bottom.

If you are wondering what Neve is up to at the moment and how big she is, you can just see one of her paws in the above picture.  But here she is in full.  

The window behind her is my sewing room, and on sunny days she loves to lie on the table and watch me through the window.  I have even had the window open a couple of times and she puts her head through and falls asleep.  

I hemmed the scarf material, not much of a boast, but here it is.

This week some material I ordered came.  From The Little Button Co, it is upholstery weight cotton covered in Yorkshire sayings.  Check them out, they have some lovely gifts and fabric for sale.  This photograph was taken after I had washed it at 60 degs and it had no colour runs and was easy to iron.

So far I have made two aprons, but I only managed to take a photograph of one because my mum took hers before I could photograph it.

From the left over material I hope to make a couple of flat caps, one for me and hubby and a cushion cover.

What to give my Mum for her birthday

Here's the dilemma:

For her birthday I normally either make my mum something or I give her a present of something she can make.  But this year, whilst on holiday, I bought her a jacket she liked.

I have seen people making appliqué cards and wondered how hard it could be.  So I had a go and here it is - 

For my first attempt, I don't think this is bad.  The writing I think could be better, but that comes with practise.

I know she will like it.  What Mum doesn't like anything her children make?

Catch Up

As promised I am letting you see what I have made recently.

In October a student wanted a pattern for a twist front t-shirt.  She showed me a picture and after a few tries I managed to draft a pattern and make a t-shirt.

Needless to say my student hasn't made hers and I haven't worn this either.

To test out my new overlocker I then bought some t-shirt material to make a long sleeve t-shirt for myself.  Using Simplicity 1070 I was able to make a beautifully fitting t-shirt.

This t-shirt fits lovely and the hems look really professional using my coverstitch function on my overlocker.  I wore it with jeans to teach sewing.

It was time now to tackle my nemesis full in the face - trousers!  I have such a strange shape that I can not buy ready made trousers and I wanted to make some trousers, just so that I can say to my students that I can.  

I wore these for teaching that night and they fitted great, except they were too flared for me.  So back in the wardrobe they have gone and I will make them narrower when I get time!

I was now to go to India for three weeks and was determined to buy some fabric whilst there.  Not until the last day was I allowed to go to a fabric shop, with only about half an hour I bought some fabric.

The first three were in a pack to make an indian outfit, enough for a smock, trousers and a scarf.  I will make two dresses and a scarf.  Despite being told they were cotton, after washing they were obviously poly cotton.  But for six metres of material for £12, it was still a bargain and the colours are my favourites and they will remind me of my holiday.

The purple flowered material is also a poly cotton and washed really well, I bought three metres and hope to make a fifties styled dress from it.  

The emerald green material was sold to me as silk, but is a man made fabric, I loved the colour, was short of time and it was cheap, only £18.00.  It too, has washed well and I have a lovely pattern to make another fifties style dress from it.

At the end of November I was asked to teach yet another tunic dress.  For this time I made a light denim dress.

I have to say it looks better on the mannequin than it does on me.  I wore it to teach and don't think I will wear it again.  Hopefully the trend for tunic dresses is over, as I haven't found anyone they suit.

In early December I took my sister, Rachel, to Fabworks. To get some material for me to make an outfit to wear on Christmas day and also to get Rachel her Christmas present as well.  I bought her some tweed material and she took this home to make a shawl.  I bought some jersey and made her a dress, here it is and she loved it.

I have enough material left to make me a sleeveless top.

I bought some scuba and jersey to make a skirt; jacket and t-shirt for me.  Using the Simplicity 1070 pattern and on the 23rd December I finished the skirt and top, just in time for Christmas.

The jacket I finished at the end of March

The outfit looks great together and I wear it often to teach.

During December I started to take my overlocker to classes every week.  I tried to get a wheeled case for it, but these have been discontinued.  So I made myself a cover.  It is however waiting for a frame to protect the overlocker - hubby?

As it was made from materials and other items that are surplus or given to me it actually cost me nothing.

In February I found a jacket pattern I loved,  it is Kwik Sew K4139 and I found some gorgeous material from Stitch Fabrics.  It's called Blake Winter and is very soft.  the jacket is lovely to wear, but more for spring or autumn.

I hope you like my finished projects.  Hope not to be so long in writing again.  But I need to get lots of sewing done now that Neve will let me sit for hours on end.

New Teaching Venue

From this Wednesday 13th January 2016, I am now teaching Dressmaking and Machine Sewing from Crofton Academy, Wakefield.  The classes are still 6pm to 9pm, £12.00 per session with free tea and coffee. Anyone interested can contact me at claire.jakins@gmail.com.

This is great for me as I am venturing out on my own.  I can't wait, will let you know how I am getting on.