Fabric Indulgence & The Pattern Swap

I’ve gone a bit crazy buying fabric of my dreams recently. It was my birthday a few weeks ago and with being off on maternity leave (hoping lots of sewing time) and at a size where no clothes fit- I found plenty of excuses. So help me decide what to make.

Of course top of my list as always, was Liberty.  But this time I treated myself to a selection of their finer fabrics- can’t believe I just wrote that as tana lawn is quite fine enough but gosh the silk- I'm in love!!  They were all heavily reduced in the sale, still £20-£30 per metre but I think it’s worth it!!

Firstly I got 2m of this silk for my birthday from my mum. It’s on sale at Croftmill and I adore it. It’s one of my favourite prints,I have a sweatshirt in it- so something in silk will look so different!! I have lining and thread all ready to go. I m thinking between Deer and Doe Myosotis dress or something more like a Kalle shirt.  Do I go simple style/ shirt dress or more frilly?  The Deer and Doe is a new pattern I look forward to trying, whereas the Kalle is a tried and trusted one I've made a few times.

I then bought myself a selection of silk, silk satin and hammered silk in the Liberty sale. One metre of each.  I love them all but the hammered silk (first one below) is I think the nicest fabric I ever owned. What to make???
The top 2 I can combine together to make a dress as they go together very well or make them separately as either tops or skirts? What do you think?
The red I m thinking of a top- but no idea what style
The black will be a skirt- though it looks navy in this picture, curiously!

I then have been lusting after Nani Iro for some time and decided to treat myself.  I had a hard time decididing but chose these two.  The first bright one  has the most vibrant colours and is double gauze.  It will be a summer skirt - probably simple A-line or gather to let the pattern do the talking and the second is almost a sateen finish, undecided whether it will be something to wear or cushions!

I then spotted this fabric in navy. I made a top in the pink version and I totally adore it- beautiful print and quality fabric so couldn’t resist buying the navy. It will become a dress of some sort.  These last 3 are all from Drapers Daughter.

This is my top in the pink colour way.  I just adore it!

Finally, for my birthday my sister in law bought me 2.5m of this gorgeous silk, direct from Shanghai!
Definitely destined to be a dress, but what style?  The colours are super vibrant.

I then acquired 3 new patterns courtesy of the #greatbigpatternswap on Instagram which is such a wonderful idea! I gave away 5 patterns most of which  I got free with magazines and will never use and in return for 3 I am super happy with!  The top one need to wait till cooler weather and certainly the vintage one, needs to wait until my baby belly goes! The top is high up the sewing queue though as it’s perfect breastfeeding atire- I cut it out already in navy jersey.  Thanks to Lynsey, Jo and Pterodactyltrinket who sent me these patterns!

Do let me know any suggestions for patterns for my new fabrics!
Messyessymakes
x

Shanghai & Silk

I recently had the good fortune to visit Shanghai - a business trip, but my sister in law recently moved there so I extended over a weekend to hang out.  To my delight she had done some research into fabric shopping, cue an excursion to the Shanghai Fabric Market.

What to expect?  The place is effectively a shopping mall over many floors (I didn't even go to them all) and basically the focus is on tailoring.  There is lots of fabric and lots of mannequins with tailormade clothes.  Most stalls are offering tailoring services - you pick the fabric and the style and they make it.  But most will also sell you the fabric- so don't be put off.  There are lots of different types of fabric- but suiting/wool and silk are the majority.  I personally didn't pay much attention to anything other than silk.  I wasn't planning on carrying heavy suiting fabrics around with me - but the beautiful silks, thats another matter!!    Just giving you a screen shot of photos from google of it to give you an impression:

The silks there were gorgeous.  Great quality and stunning designs- in lots of different styles. Be warned its not cheap cheap.  But for great silk, I found it acceptable.  I paid 200RMB per metre for most of these 3- which is around £22 p/m.      This is what a typical stall looked like...

I'm regretting not buying the bottom purple one...  I ALMOST did, but decided I'd spent to much.

Tip - have cash.  Across China credit cards are not so reliable (Everyone uses Wepay/Alipay  on their phone).  Tip 2- bargain.  They will be prepared to negotiate downwards a bit- in one place we got it from 260 to 200RMB  (maybe I still overpaid vs what a local might pay but I found it a fair price for the quality). By the way, didn't see any drinks places or anything, so take what you need...

So... onto my purchases!!  I bought 3 silks, all heavily patterned of course...because I just don't really do plains.

This first one has the feel of what I call a regular silk (sorry, I really should have better knowledge on how to describe the different ones!)  but its really quite thick & sturdy for a silk with a matt finish- so I m hoping it will be good to sew with.  I love the colours and little birds on it.  I m planning a skirt.

 This one is so, so soft with an amazing drape. I think it would make an amazing bias cut dress or maybe a blouse.

And finally this one is 97% silk with 3% stretch.  Its more shiny than the other 2 and lighter weight.  I just loved the design- so many details with all the flowers and little bugs in there - do you spot them?!  It looks designer, I feel like I've seen it somewhere... anyway its quite busy so I just bought 1 metre to make a top.

 I was so excited by this one, I cut into it the day I got home!!  After much thought on the plane, I decided to go for just a really straightforward top with a few ruffles.  I used my regular top block to make a simple shape with front darts.  I then made ruffles for the sleeves and round the bottom with what I had left!!    I would have preferred to finish the top with a facing but I didn't have any fabric left so I used a contrast bias binding for the armholes and neck - which works ok actually.

I'm super happy with this top- I m sure I will wear it lots.  The silk feels amazing and actually to my amazement it was a dream to sew! I actually avoid sewing silk- my previous adventures have been frustrating and difficult (silk pulling out of shape, impossible to unpick, pins plucking it...) but this first one was perfect to work with- maybe thats a sign of quality!  

So to round up, what were my overall thoughts on Shanghai?  I really liked it.   It was a short visit, but I found people really friendly and with the help of a smart phone, getting by was much easier than I expected.  Of course it was wonderful to catch up with my sister-in-law and have a guide who had already found some great places too!   We ate some amazing food- they have a great selection of brunch places and all the regular types of food you would expect in such a major city- and some brilliant bars.  It feels a really safe place to walk around and has a real buzz about it.  I found people had a real sense of living in the now- a mindset that anything was possible and felt people really valued and embraced self expression.  Anything goes when it comes to fashion there!  But boy was it hot and humid!  The first day I was there we had tropical storms all day long (hence the amount of time I spent in eating & drinking establishments) and then it was nearing  40 degrees, with high humidity for the rest of my stay- and frankly, I m not designed for that climate!   Hope you enjoyed reading about my adventures with Chinese Silk & seeing my purchases. Any more tips for Shanghai let me know as I'm sure I'll be back there at some point in the future.

Estelle x

Memade Orla Kiely Skirt

I picked up 2 different Orla Kiely fabrics at Fabrics Galore, London recently.  I can't resist the bold prints of Orla Kiely and I'd never come across their fabrics for sale before, so I snapped them up!  They are truthfully furnishing fabric I think, relatively heavy weight. But I couldn't resist making a skirt out of the first one.  I pre-washed it to check it washed ok and it did - it frayed massively (note to self, should have overlocked the edge before washing) but it was fine, phew!  Let the plans commence.

I recently made up this Butterick pattern in denim and have worn it non stop, so it was the obvious choice. This is my first sewing after 3 weeks holiday, so i was dying to get back behind the machine with a relatively quick, indulgent and fun project.

So it was a straightforward make. I worked hard to pattern match behind the pockets and I did my best on the pleat from to have a complete pattern repeat either side, which works quite well.  I was unsure with the waist band whether to do the pattern across or down - but doing down, it would never perfectly match the skirt due to the pleat, so I went for across.


 I wanted a different style of pockets so it wasn't too intrusive with the pattern so I free-styled that and chose to put some piping at the top of the pockets as a feature:

The only other deviation from the pattern that I also did with my previous version was to add some shape to the waistband.  The pattern piece is a perfect rectangle- which personally I don't think works - I m not sure anyone would have a perfectly rectangular waist when the band is so thick.  So my technique here is to sew the front waistband to the front skirt  and shape off the waistband following the line of the skirt (so effectively cutting a triangle off each corner).  I repeat for the back, then sew the front & back together in one go.

The final details I wanted to share are on the inside.  I had a dust bag for an Orla Kiely handbag so I cut that up and used it as the facing fabric for the waistband as well as the inside of the pockets.  No one else sees it but it makes me happy to have the iconic stem print on the inside too.

I did alot of topstitching - I was undecided but the fabric felt like it needed it for stability, especially down the side seams and around the front pleat, so I also did some top stitching on the waist band too.  Probably not everyones cup of tea, but I m quite happy with it- gives it a more informal vibe and I m hoping strengthens the seams too.

And finally,  I used bias binding on the hem.  The fabric frays heavily so needed properly finishing and was too thick to double turn up- so this seemed like the best solution.

I m so happy with this skirt.  I love the pattern and the colours and the style of this really fits me perfectly.  I love skirts that fit snugly on the hip, have a bit of body and also have pockets and this ticks all three boxes.

Messyessymakes
x

My Autumn - Winter Wardrobe Planning

I am a random sewer.  I buy a vast amount of fabric with a stash growing probably 5x faster than I can sew.  I do the same with patterns.  Then I just make what I feel like at that moment.   Often forgetting what I even have!  Biggest issue- lots of single items and things that don’t match!!  Here is my pile of fabric  Ive selected for the season...

SOOOO I decided to get organised and PLAN what I’m going to make for this season!.  Thereby actually using some of the lovely patterns and fabrics in my stash, and making OUTFITS that go together for the season – not singular pieces. Plus a few extra special things that will keep me on my toes. Here is my game plan - and progress so far

PLAIN TOPS:

 I hate sewing plains, but I ve learnt that once I ve made them, they can be the most worn, as I need some plains to be able to wear all my prints ;).  So  I ve got a fab selection of patterned skirts and a common thread is they all look good with black tops.  I ve got 2 routes here.

 First up, making a batch of black tops in different styles.  I m thinking one jersey, one vintage long sleeve, one short sleeve using my block. My second route is I buy a RTW shirt (yes I know, I just typed BUY) and customise it.  Honestly- making a shirt is a lot of effort.  I often buy the ones from Uniqlo, which are reasonably priced, wash like a dream and fit me perfectly.  I then customise- often with new buttons.  A simple shirt with a few Liberty covered buttons can look really special.  Here is one with ombre buttons!  (ok so yes, I can't really do plain as I even make a plain thing less plain)

JOYOUS SKIRTS

So  here I allow myself to indulge in some glorious colour & pattern from my stash (and ok I admit it I bought some new stuff recently 'cause, you know, I can't resist a pattern ;).  I ‘ve got a very colourful jacquard that I just finished as a Sew Over It Tulip Skirt and also a  burgundy/red wool that I’ll be making up that I bought from Fabric Godmother. Probably into an  A line with a front pleat.  I then went a bit crazy at a House of Hackney sample sale and bought some rather patterned, dreamy fabric.  That will now also be added to my 'skirts to make list'.    My rule  on these skirts being – they must match the black tops!

COATS:

This one is driven by a love of a fabric and a pattern in my stash.  Sadly they don’t work together, so 2 coats it is then!

Clare Coat in Avoca wool: I bought this fabric and promised to make myself a coat with it.  I ve decided the Clare coat by Closet Case will be a good option, plain enough for the design to work and I like the shape (plus reviews say its got brilliant instructions which I need for a coat).   I just need to snap up some lining fabric and I ll be started on it!

Watson cape coat:  I bought this pattern last winter and I m itching to make it.  This year it will get sewn.  Hunt on for the perfect fabric- open to suggestions!!!  I m thinking a pink/grey type of tweed with maybe contrast collar/buttons…..  But I’m committed to having this one finished before the end of winter.

HARD WEARING DRESSES:

I love wearing dresses – a lot of what I made over the last year though are not really everyday dresses….. given most of my life is running around after a toddler, ‘dressed up’ is not a common theme for me these days.  So on with some practical numbers, using lovely fabric in my stash already- with a rule they must match the jackets & accessories I already own.

These will be some shirt dresses (already in progress), including my first ever proper vintage pattern make and dresses with some Liberty twill that I have- which is possibly my favourite thing to sew as its got the colour & vibrancy I love, but with a strong weight and bit of stretch.  I find it to be hard wearing, doesn’t need lining and practical between seasons.  I made one already whilst I was working on this post!

my vintage pattern

my completed shirt dress!

MISSONI

This will be my ultimate indulgence…I ‘ve been lusting after a Missoni dress for years but with the price point, I ve never succumbed.  I was ecstatic when Fabric Godmother stocked this Missoni fabric and I bought 2 colourways- so I need to master how to sew it and find some appropriate patterns.  Any recommendations?  One I m thinking more of a cowl neck, another more fit & flare.

JUMPERS:

Not something I ve sewn a lot of but I need some new ones and I ve got 2 lovely patterns (and fabric to go with) that I bought last year which I should make for winter time.  Again, going to force myself to go plain navy/charcoal with these.

\

GIFTS:  And last up – I want to do a bit more unselfish sewing for Christmas.

GULP – I just counted and that makes 18 different makes!! Is that possible?  Lets see how I get on.

Any other recommendations that you think I would like?  What are you planning this season?

Messy Essy Makes

x