Sewing distractions: Year of the Frozen birthday cake!

I have been sewing, just not getting around to taking photos of anything to put on the blog!  I've made another Moss skirt for myself, and a couple of dresses for Emily, but chances are I won't manage to blog about them until after the Easter holidays now.  Also, there have been distractions! Our darling daughter's birthday fell at the end of March and, of course, a Frozen party was requested!  This caused a bit of head scratching as other friends within the group had already had birthdays through the year and had already had Frozen parties.  What could we do that was any different?!  Thankfully we managed to talk her into a cinema trip with friends to see Cinderella (including the Frozen Fever short!), followed by birthday tea (with a surprise visit from Elsa herself!).  

However, we couldn't very well get away without making the requisite 'Frozen birthday cake', and I was quite keen to give it a bash, although whilst I enjoy baking I don't have any great skill in it, and probably a lot less in cake decoration!  It was a stressful process, with many a late night icing session, and a least one point where all appeared lost.  But despite everything, and much to my own surprise, the cake was a success!   

I think it looks good, but since it's basically just a glorified platform on which to stand some (plastic) Frozen figures it really wasn't that complicated. I baked three sponge cakes, one in a round springform tin and the other in silicon 'giant cupcake' moulds. I covered the round sponge with a layer of buttercream and the two colours of fondant icing.  I hacked at the 'cupcake' sponges until I was happy that I had a 'mountain' shape, although this was immediately and henceforth referred to as 'the molehill' by my husband.  The 'mountain' was also covered with buttercream first, but then spread thickly with royal icing which I tried to swirl around in a snow-like fashion!  It really did just look like a molehill as it was with Elsa standing on the top.  Either that or, as my husband pointed out, it looked like she was perching on an eyeless, noseless Olof head.  Great!  I had intended to make some blue 'ice shards' out of sugar glass to top it, but after one attempt that went badly wrong (think murky green solidified goo) I changed tack and made this curved backdrop out of scraps of blue fondant.  

I used blue shimmer dust on the snowflakes, lettering and backdrop with varying success, but didn't really get to grips with it very well.  Even so, this is definitely the best looking cake I think I've ever made, and I'm so relieved to have crossed 'Frozen birthday cake' off my to do list!   Emily loved it and the bonus is she gets to keep the figures.   Phew!

Other sewing distractions have been through end of term school activities, not least preparation of the obligatory Easter bonnets.  I managed to shoe horn a bit of sewing into making them this year.   One involved 'sewing' chocolate eggs onto wool to string around the rim of a Tilley hat Aussie fashion (in place of corks!).  The other involved an afternoon making felt flowers with my daughter, followed by an evening of continually pricking my fingers whilst trying to sew them all onto last year's straw hat.

We pretty much made this up as we went along and it was a lot of fun.   It was nice to make something a bit more long-lasting that can now be added to the dressing up box.  Needless to say the other hat was not so long-lasting and lost all of its eggs before the day was out.  I guess that's bound to happen when you sew with chocolate!

Agatha

This is Agatha, an Andi Satterlund knitting pattern.  It's the second (adult-sized) cardigan I ever made, and definitely the first time I attempted anything this complicated.  It's an unblogged make that I completed in May 2014, but I thought I'd blog about it now as it was a bit of a 'eureka' moment and sparked a year of intensified knitting! 

I had managed to make one cardigan before from the February Lady Sweater pattern but it took me 18 months to complete!  Inspired by Lladybird who took on Agatha for her first cardigan I thought I'd give it a try and cast on.  Gahhh!  Establishing the pattern was so tricky I thought it might break my brain.   Once I got past the first 20 or so rows it got easier and I managed to knit the whole thing up in 2 and 1/2 months.

I knitted it in Hayfield Bonus Aran in 'Spruce' (ravelry notes here).  I like this yarn because for a beginner like me (who never knows if a garment's going to turn out well) it's cheap to buy but still has some wool content so it feels nice to knit and to wear.

My Agatha is not perfect by any means, and I learnt a lot knitting it.  The lace pattern was impossible (for me at least) to memorise so I had to keep the instructions close by at all times.  I knit a Small and followed the pattern except for the sleeve cuffs.  I wanted long sleeves that would sit over my hands rather than the turned back cuffs specified in the pattern, but that was an easy enough adjustment to make.    

Things I really like about this cardi...

• The lace pattern is awesome! 
• The colour of the yarn is lovely.  These photos don't really do it justice but it's a jewel-like emerald colour with lots of variation of shade within it.  It works really well with the lace pattern.  
• I like the long sleeves - my other knitted cardies have 3/4 length and it's nice to have a cosier option.  Also the lace pattern is really showcased on the sleeves.
• The buttons.  I used a selection of vintage glass buttons - similar sizes but different designs - that look great against the colour of the wool and the lacework.
• I made it!  Making it has given me the confidence to try other projects that I wouldn't have attempted before. 

Things I'm not so happy with...

• The length/fit.  Although it fits very much as the pattern is intended, this style of cardi is both a bit on the short side, and a bit close fitting for my taste.  I wouldn't normally wear it done up like this. I think if I made it again I might cut down on some of the decreases and add at least an inch to the length.  
• The scoop neck.  Although it looks lovely when the cardigan is done up, when worn undone the neck flops around a bit because the scoop is so low.   Since I normally wear it like this it does get a bit annoying.
• The bind off.  I used a slightly stretchy bind off at the waist (it was so long ago I don't remember which one), but I should have used Jeny's Suprisingly Stretchy Bind Off.  The negative ease in this pattern means you really do need the extra elasticity because the hem will need to stretch out when you do the cardigan up.
• The buttons!  Although I love them I'm wondering whether to take them off this cardi and save them for another project as the weight of them adds to the tendency of the scoop neck to flop around. Boo! 

Despite any niggles though, this cardi does get a lot of wear and I love it.  It will always be the cardi that made me realise that if I just keep following the pattern and plugging away I can actually make (and finish) something wonderful!  

Indigo skirt and a Yellow Brick Road

Well, I finally made a denim skirt!  This is the Moss Mini from Grainline, although I made it up in the not-so-mini version with the hemband.  It's a fly-fronted, slightly A-line skirt with pockets and a back yoke, and it's fab!  The instructions are extremely clear which seems to be the case with all of Jen's patterns.

You will see a lot of this skirt, either if you read the blog or if you know me in real life, as I could happily wear it every day (and have done, virtually, since I made it!).  It fits my lifestyle perfectly!  I've had this denim for a couple of years, bought from the stall in Coventry indoor market.  It's a lovely deep indigo, although I imagine it will fade a fair bit over time.  Despite being a stretch denim it's still quite a stiff fabric, but that works well with the shape of this skirt.

I took a lot of care with the seam finishing so it looks nice on the inside (for a change!).  I flat felled the yoke and front/back centre seams, and bound everything else with bias binding.  I used this IKEA botanical print fabric for the pockets and waistband/hemband facings and I love the contrast.  It also meant I probably used less than a metre of the denim.  Yay!  I have enough left to make another!  

Overall I love this pattern.  It sits lower on the waist than the Miette or Kelly skirts, neither of which I got on with terribly well, and it's nice that the length is variable.  If anything I could probably have done with making it a little smaller - I always err on the side of caution when it comes to sizing.   Also, I think I would add more interfacing to the waistband next time, but otherwise I am very happy with it.  The only problem is finding something else to wear so I don't wear it everyday!

The cardi is also a recent make.  This is the Yellow Brick Road cardi by Ela Torrente, found on Ravelry.  l made it in a bid to replace another beloved yellow cardi (shop bought not handmade) that a friend gave me, but which I stupidly left in a park.  I was gutted, although also secretly pleased to have an excuse to knit a yellow cardi (after all, how many yellow cardigans does one girl need?!).  

It knit up fairly quickly and was exactly the style and shape I was after.  The expanding arrows patterns was very straight forward, and the sleeves have an interesting pleat design which curves them forward slightly as if you've pushed them up at the front.  I went for a shorter length than the pattern stipulates, and also a looser fit, again to try and match my inspiration garment.  The only difficulty I had was with the button bands which I did over and over again and which still have a tendency to twist inwards.  Not enough to make me want to do them again though, and I'm hoping that I might be able to sort this out if I block it a second time.

I love this pattern and I've already cast on again to make another in navy blue.  It's very comfortable to wear and the colour goes with practically anything.  Gotta love a yellow cardi!

A Tale of Three Renfrews...

Well hi there!

It has been a whole year - how did that happen?!  I guess it's not surprising in a year that has involved running around after our three kids (one of whom left the baby stage early on in the year to become a raucous, physical, adventurous toddler!), supporting my husband as he completed a PhD and started his first post as vicar, and moving house to boot. It's been fun, and a challenge, and exhausting!

I'm going to pick up right where I left off.  Be prepared for some terrible photos though!  I think having to photograph clothing makes is one of the things that stops me blogging more often than not, so I've decided to just get on with it and post what I can.  Back in January last year I was blogging about my plan to make three Sewaholic Renfrew tops in quite different fabrics.

I cut out all three fabrics at the same time in the same size and was interested to see how the fabrics would behave differently.

I made up the crazy print mystery knit Renfrew back in February last year.  It is ok but not a favourite.  The fabric doesn't have much stretch and I think I cut it on the cross-grain so it's a bit tight through the back, shoulders and upper arms.  As a result it feels a bit 'clingy'.  Also I'm just not convinced I like the cowl-neck.  I probably will still wear it but it's never my first choice out of the drawer.

The navy viscose jersey Renfrew is a wardrobe stable, great for layering and so comfy it sometimes gets worn to bed.  I left the cuffs off the sleeves and had to take the side seams in quite a bit in this slinky fabric.  Looking at the photos I could probably have taken it in a lot more, but it feels nice to wear, and I don't generally wear it on its own anyway as the drape of the viscose jersey is not kind on any lumps and bumps!

The last of the three fabrics was a sweatshirt knit that I bought hoping to use for a Lola dress, but once received I decided that a) it wasn't thick and cosy enough to hold the shape of the dress, and b) I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable wearing such a pale colour head to toe.  I cut it out for a Renfrew, imagining a snuggly winter top, and started sewing it up.  However, when the crazy knit cowl version turned out to be a little uncomfortable I had a horrible feeling that my 'snuggly' winter top would end up being just 'snug'!  The sweatshirt knit has very little stretch, and I could imagine the stitches popping as I struggled to pull it on over my head!  Hah!

Well, a year later I sat at my sewing desk with a can do attitude, came across the pieces of my sweatshirt Renfrew, and had it finished within an hour or two of picking them up.   What was I afraid of?!  To be on the safe side I sewed the side seams with a 3/8 inch seam instead of 5/8 and it has just the right amount of ease for a fitted sweatshirt.  And what's more....I love it!  It's sooooo cosy.  I love fleece lined sweatshirt knit.  It is perhaps a little reminiscent of a pyjama top, but not so much that I wouldn't still wear it out, and yes, I have slept in it too!!

Seen here with my extremely shabby denim skirt that I made from Jon's jeans back in July 2013 and have since worn virtually to pieces!  In fact, looking back at the photos in my blog post I can't believe how much it's aged.  I can't put my phone in my back pocket anymore without risk of it falling through and smashing, and Jacob has great fun finding things to post through the hole in the front!   I have finally (finally!) made a new denim skirt (from fabric not Jon's cast offs) that I will post about soon [sneak peek in some of the pictures above!].

So that's it - my journey through three Renfrews.  It took a little longer than expected but now I have three wearable tops and have learned more about stretch fabrics, and about how the amount of stretch will affect the fit of a garment.  I'm hoping that now I'm back into sewing regularly I will be able to make time to blog again regularly too.  Time will tell!  

Super sewing!

There comes a time in every child's life when they need a super hero costume!  Super heroes rule!!  My two eldest were recently involved in a school creative writing initiative with a super hero theme.  Had it been the usually 'dress-up for charity' type of event I would have probably gone down the shop bought route, but since the whole point of the initiative was to fire their imaginations I really wanted to give them the chance to design their own super hero costumes.  I should say that when I suggested the idea I thought it would be a quick make! It wasn't!

I sat the kids down with pens and paper and here's what they came up with:

Emily went for her initial, but William decided to go with 'A' for 'Awesome'!  Love it! 

I had thought of making the capes from adult sized t-shirts (inspired by Pinterest posts) but when we got to Asda it turned out they don't stock brightly coloured t-shirts in November!  Doh!  So much for a quick make!  We walked round the shop a couple of times before deciding on pillowcases.  They're a great size for children's super hero capes and they did nice bold colours so we bought red and blue.  I used a cereal bowl to trace a round hole for the neck and I angled off the corners with my french curve.  I trimmed the seam allowances, turned it rightside out and attached velcro to the tabs.  

I left the bottom open to do the applique so that all the stitching would be hidden on the inside, but once I'd finished I closed it up with a hem.  

To make the super hero logos I cut out templates to match the shapes that the kids had drawn, traced them onto interfacing then ironed them onto fabric.  

There were no yellow pillowcases (I guess it's not a particularly restful colour!) but we didn't need much yellow so I cut up one of William's t-shirts after persuading him to sacrifice it for the greater good!

I used a zig zag stitch to applique all the pieces together and to stitch the emblems onto the capes.

After stitching Emily's logo and finding the fabric a bit slippery I tried adding an extra layer of interfacing to William's badge and the extra thickness made it much more stable.

I was running out of time but still wanted to make some super hero masks to complete the outfits.  To make things easier I used felt, sandwiching three layers together to get the right thickness.  The nice thing about the felt is that it moulds slightly to the shape of the face which gives the mask a great 'authentic super hero' look!

I glued the layers together to stop them slipping about then zigzag stitched around all of the raw edges twice, catching elastic in the hem at either side.  

I added the star and the 'E' to correspond with their logos and prevent the masks from looking too plain.  I was a bit limited in my felt colour choices so ended up colouring some pale blue in with a dark blue sharpie to get the match.  

And there you have it - two bespoke costumes for the super heroes in my life!  Making things like this really makes me glad that someone once gave me a sewing machine and the opportunity to learn to sew.  It was so great to see the kids' reactions when they got to put it all on.  

I didn't get too many pictures of them - they didn't stay still for very long! - but I think they looked (and felt) SUPER!

On my sewing table...

A sewing space!  It's not huge, and there is still a huge pile of kids' artwork on top waiting to be sorted, but I finally have a sewing desk.  I'm hoping this will be good for productivity as I can now leave my machine out and fit in the odd bit of sewing whenever I've got a free moment.  

To start 2014 I'm making a Renfrew top.  Actually I'm making three!  In another bid to increase productivity I cut out the pattern in three different fabrics to sew up over the next couple of weeks.

The fabrics are a navy blue viscose jersey, a crazy print jersey with a fairly open weave, I guess almost a tissue knit, and a sweatshirt knit (all from Minerva Crafts) making for three very different Renfrews.   These were some of the fabrics I ordered for my birthday back in October.

Birthday bundle - hip hip hooray!

I  made my first Renfrew a couple of months back from the purple marl jersey.  I really love it and I wear it all the time.  I've cut out the long sleeved round neck versions in the blue viscose jersey and the sweatshirt fabric and the cowl neck 3/4 sleeve version in the crazy print, all in the size that I cut out previously.  This may be a bit of a gamble considering the very different fabric weights but it'll be interesting to see how they all turn out.  I feel I need to undertake a bit of trial and error in order to learn how different fabrics behave and affect sizing, etc.  If all goes wrong and they're not fit to be worn in public at the very least I can use them for pj tops!  Actually I think I really need some Renfrew pj tops in my life!

Back and ready for 2014!

Well, that was a bit of a hiatus!  Looking back at my last post I was so hopeful that the return to school of the older children in September would mean lots of time to sew and blog, blog and sew.  It turns out that, whilst I did have more time in theory, sleep deprivation isn't great for creative inspiration or productivity, and child number 3 has not slept properly for a long time.

"Who, me?"

When I say 'hasn't slept properly' I of course mean 'hardly at all', and when I say 'for a long time' I mean 'E-V-E-R'!  Whilst I have had a few projects pootling along in the background my motivation for doing them has come and gone depending on my level of sleeplessness, state of the house, etc.

More recently I have been getting more sleep (hurrah!) and accordingly I have been sewing and knitting more, but the blog has taken longer to get back to as I've been reluctant to spend precious time typing when I could be making! ;-)

Quick!  Must make superhero costumes before the baby wakes up!

I have been keeping up with reading lots and lots of blogs though.  They have kept me going with vicarious sewing satisfaction over the dry periods, and have inspired me to get back to it too.  I'd love to get more involved with the online sewing community this year and maybe join some of the sewalongs if I can find the time.  I so wanted to join in Gillian's Top 5 of 2013 round up but I procrastinated too long (also I think my list wouldn't have been so much a 'Top 5' as just '5'!).  Maybe next year!

Sneek peek of unblogged Renfrew construction

One thing that has been stopping me getting back to blogging is the whole 'taking pictures' thing, and I know I'm not alone on that one.  I take loads of construction photos that build up until my memory card is going into meltdown, but the finished garment photos are another matter. 

Gratuitous brightly coloured construction shot. 

I always like to see people wearing their finished items, and some bloggers out there are great at modelling their me-made makes.  Rachel at House of Pinheiro, Marie of A Stitching Odyssey, and Lizzy of Sew Busy Lizzy have no trouble looking glamorous, whilst Winnie at Scruffy Badger Time and Jo from The Amazing Adventures of Taracat never fail to inject fun and humour into their modelling posts.  Whilst I do wear the clothes that I've made quite a lot, there is always something that prevents me taking the photos - the light's not good, it's raining outside, there's nowhere tidy enough to pose inside, and, more often than not, my hair is a mess!!  Think I should probably just bite the bullet, stick two fingers up to vanity and get on with it!  I love all the garment pics I see on other people's sites whether they're slick and well executed or slightly fuzzy with washing piled up in the background (in fact those pics are quite reassuring coz we don't all have it sorted do we?!). 

So, plans for 2014 involve lots of sewing and knitting as well as a return to the blog.  Oh, and hopefully more sleep!

Sneak peek into a pocket!  ;-)

Home sweet home!

Well, we're back, and after two and a half weeks away I think the kids and I were ready to be home (not so the hubby - he'd live on the beach if he could!).

I had a couple of parcels waiting for me when I got back....

Gotta love getting fabric in the post!!  I made a couple of purchases before going on holiday - two from Favourite Fabrics ebay shop, and the other from a private ebay seller.  It could have been a disaster as the postman in his wisdom decided to leave the packages around the back of the house between the wheelie bins (and didn't leave any note to say he'd done so!).  I had a little panic when I spotted them, but thankfully they were both well wrapped in waterproof packaging (one of them only on the inside so the postman couldn't have known this!) so they survived two weeks sitting in the damp without mishap!

I love the funky jungle print with it's wintery colours (check me out planning ahead!).  I'm thinking I might make it into a Ginger Skirt unless I have any other ideas in the meantime.  The grey twill is a little lighter than I'd hoped, but might become a Moss [not-so] Mini.  The white is a couple of meters of viscose jersey I spotted on an auction listing.  I bought it to make a Pavlova Top to go with my [as-yet-unblogged] Miette Skirt, although I'm going to have a practice go with some (hopefully) less slippery jersey first.  I picked up the fabric below in a charity shop.  It's still a pretty fine jersey but I won't be so worried if I screw it up.  There was a big rust or paint stain in the middle of it, but I managed to work around it in the pattern placement.

I downloaded the pdf and stuck it all together (I love the immediacy, but the assembly is a drag!).  I really wasn't sure which size to cut out on this one.  I'm fairly petite around my top half but thought I'd play it safe and start with the larger size.  I can always go a size smaller for the next attempt.  I had to cut the fabric out on the kitchen floor but it doesn't look too shabby.  I'm yet to work out how to put it together, but I've got a couple of evenings coming up to work on it whilst Jon has meetings - yay! Sewing nights! 

I've also made up my Mathilde Blouse muslin finally.  I think I've been putting it off coz I'm scared of it!  I have a few fitting adjustments to make.  The neckline is too high against my throat for some reason.  I'm going to try and drop it by lengthening the shoulders as I don't want to have to mess with the neckline and facings.  I'm taking a little of the width out of the back shoulders, dropping the bust darts (perhaps a nursing bra issue - too much information?!)  and grading the side seams to be a little wider at the hips.  I've also got major sway back issues so I've got to try and figure out how to take some fabric out where it's pooling at the back without messing up the buttonhole placket.  Hmmm.....might be a bit out of my depth already!  

So, it looks like I'm back into the swing of things post-holiday.  You can tell because the sewing machine and selected accessories are firmly back in place in the middle of the kitchen table!

I'm so desperate for a little sewing area I can call my own!  I'm working on it and have my sights set on our bureau, currently in use as kid's artwork storage unit, but look -

aarrggghhh!  Definitely the worst corner of the house!  I've got a ton of planning, organising and moving to do before this dream becomes a reality!

I've still got Miette and Sorbetto pics to take and post, but I think that's going to have to wait till next week when school starts up again.  Looking after three kids in holiday mode does not leave much time for prancing around taking pictures of myself in handmade clothes!    

We're all going on a summer holiday...

...no more sewing for a week or two!  

Apologies for my blog silence (if anybody's missed me!).  I didn't want you to think I'd dropped off the face of the planet.  I'm finding that school/summer holidays are not conducive to sewing or blogging productivity - no surprise there perhaps!  Having said that, I have actually completed a couple of makes - I made my first Miette skirt in the odd moments I could squeeze in between holiday activities, and I have finally finished my second Sorbetto attempt.  The trouble is I haven't had time to take the photos to blog about them.  

Now on an enforced absence from my sewing machine I am keeping myself going with vicarious sewing satisfaction reading other people's blogs.  Meanwhile I am chomping at the bit to get back and get making!  

I did bring one make with me - I'm trying to finish off my 'Oil on Rainwater' Honey Cowl whilst I'm here with a bit of beach knitting...

...a great activity to do from my comfortable spot on the beach blanket whilst I watch the others doing this...

Suffice to say we are having a lovely break filled with plenty of sun, sea, family, and a bit of this too...

I know the pics make it look glorious, but I have to admit it's actually tipping it down with rain as I type!  Oh well, it's what you have to expect from an English holiday, and overall we've had more sun than we could normally have hoped for.  Until next time...

Back soon!