Autumnal BHL Charlotte Skirt

A quick post about my new By Hand London Charlotte skirt that I finished last week using the remnants of some gorgeous Autumnal printed floral linen I bought from Sew Over It last year. I made a Sew Over It Ultimate Shift Dress out of the first metre and a half which I absolutely love. I thought the remaining metre of fabric would be perfect to squeeze a Charlotte pencil skirt out of it and I'm really pleased I did.

No changes to the pattern since the last version (I have graduated from one size at the waist to a larger size at the hips). I constructed it with French Seams, bias bound the centre back seam around the zip with black bias-binding and hand stitched a deep hem.

I lengthened the waistband so I could overlap it and added press-studs for extra security. Overall a speedy make if you exclude the sewing of eight darts!

My wool and cashmere coat is the Sew Over It 1960's Coat which I get lots of wear out of in the winter months.

Pattern: By Hand London Charlotte Skirt Pattern = £9.00 (£4.50 as it's the second time I've used it)

Fabric: 1 metre of linen from Sew Over It = £10 (from stash)

Gutterman Thread: Burgundy from stash = free

Invisible Zip: Black = 50p

Bias Binding: 2 metres of black satin bias binding from Ray Stitch = £2.20

Press-studs: from my Grandma's stash = free

Total: £17.20

1960's Coat Completed

Yeah, I've made my first ever coat!
Ok, so it has only taken me since the start of November 2014 to complete this beauty and was beginning to wonder if it wouldn't be ready until November 2015.
To re-capp, this is the 1960's coat from Sew Over It. I attended the workshops at the Clapham store and was taught by the lovely Julie Johnston who breaks down the coat construction into manageable steps. There is quite a bit of homework between classes but it is worth it in the end.

Pattern: Sew Over It 1960's coat
Fabric: Cashmere and wool blend from a shop on Goldhawk Road (£Expensive p/m)

What new things did I learn / do?

• Fusible facings on wool
• Clipped collars and shoulders to improve internal structure
• Internal shoulder pads
• Fully lined garment

Back to the 1980's - shoulder pad time!

Fushia pink lining

1960's coat progress.... or not

Way back in November I started a coat-making workshop at the Clapham Sew Over It store. Things started well over the four weeks but since the course ended I haven't had a moment to spend on it. I hope to get back to finishing the 1960's coat in the new year.

My chosen fabrics - Grey cashmere and wool mix herringbone with bright pink rayon-mix lining

Assembling the many pattern pieces

Cutting the lining

Laying out the coat outer shell - didn't want to make a mistake with this expensive fabric!

The centre back seam with the interfaced back and side sections

The back yoke pinned ready for sewing

The bust dart cut ready to be pressed open on the ham

Coat fabric research

In a week or two I will be embarking on an exciting adventure that is outer garment making. Yes, I will be making my first ever winter coat. I have decided I need help in this area so signed up for a workshop at Sew Over It at their Clapham shop.
Lisa Comfort of Sew Over It designed the coat based on a 1960's silhouette which I think is really simple and stylish. Here she is below modelling two versions:

I am not sure whether to go for a statement bold coloured coat or a more neutral colour?!

I have collected a few samples of 100% wool coating from MacCulloch & Wallis, John Lewis and Shaukat so far.

I love the idea of making a striped, checked or dogtooth coat but recognise that I really should just cover the basics of making a coat first without making it too difficult for myself by adding stripe or pattern matching into the mix.

The 100% boiled wools in the left middle and centre bottom look gorgeous but at the moment I am veering towards the navy and white herringbone fabric at the bottom right. It feels lovely and I am thinking of adding a very bright coloured lining to make it a little bit special.

I am taking a trip to Gold Hawk Road on Friday to do some more research (and hopefully find some cheaper versions). The costings of the 100% wool fabric from the above shops range between £17 - £30 per metre so I can't afford to make a mistake when I need 3 metres to make this coat!

What colour do you think I should go for?

Any suggestions for shops that sell 100% wool fabric in London?