Eva Sweatshirt & LCC Craft Swish 2019

After making the Nina Lee Richmond Blazer I wanted a quick and fun make that wasn't too taxing on the brain. I came across a free pattern whilst sorting through my stash for the London Craft Club Big Craft Swish last Sunday at Cecil Sharp House in Camden.

I'll tell you about the Big Craft Swish first and give details about the sweatshirt later!

In preparation for the Swish, I reduced my stash by two bags of fabric and returned from the swish with a 2-metre piece of heart printed polyester and a half metre of lovely soft green stripe knit cotton.

There was a lovely bunch of people at the Swish. I bumped into my good friend Alex who had recently had a massive de-stash herself. She rather admirably left with NO swish items which was very impressive!

The walk through the park to get to Cecil Sharp house was beautiful. The calm before the thrill of the swish storm!

All the volunteers worked really hard and I had the good fortune of catching up with Geraldine who attends lots of London Craft Club events which was fab. A big thank you goes out to Sonia and Zoe from LCC for organising such a great event!

Onto my new sweatshirt. The free Eva Collection Sweatshirt pattern involved just a few pieces and I was drawn to the interesting chevron sleeve details. It is a great pattern for using up small sections of fabric. I had a few scraps of leftover black jersey from the Monroe Turtleneck and I bought a 0.8-metre piece of this cool 'junk-food' sweat-shirting in the Tilly and the Buttons flash sale last week.

I cut it out last Sunday afternoon and sewed it together at the Sewing Social at the Village Haberdashery on Thursday evening. In my head, this top was going to be the cutest but with an 'edge' style sweatshirt. In reality, it hasn't quite worked out that well.

The back neckline gapes terribly (and I used a walking foot too), the sleeves are too long after I added some impromptu cuffs (easy to rectify, I know!) and the overall fit is not what I imagined. It is also partly due to the lack of grey fabric that meant I had to add the extra black section on the lower sleeve which in hindsight breaks up the style lines too much!

On the plus side, it is very cosy, so maybe it will be relegated to an 'inside-only' garment.
Maybe I should chop off the sleeves at the 3/4 point, as I think the two different weights of fabric do not sit very well together?
What do you think?

Have you had any sewing disappointments lately?

Monroe Turtleneck & Marimekko magic!

The free PDF Tessuti Fabrics Monroe Turtleneck is a quick make. I used a piece of £3 knit fabric that has been in my stash since October 2017 which I bought from a little fabric store in Fitzrovia. Norman Lyons & Co are a wholesale fabric company who also sell to the public on Cleveland Street. It is a quirky place full of polyester prints, wild dress fabrics and lots of other vintage treasures and bargains. The black cotton knit fabric I bought is a lovely quality and is a good weight too. When I spotted the free PDF Monroe Turtleneck pattern I knew it would make a perfect partnership!

The treasure trove of Norman Lyons & Co fabric shop on Cleveland Street, Fitzrovia

Below are photos of the Monroe turtleneck in progress (I will get some photos of me wearing it on Tuesday). I cut out the size One based on my bust size but overall is is a VERY generous and loose fit. I normally have to lengthen any sleeve but this pattern was the perfect length, although I ended up creating a simple cuff for the sleeve by folding over a length of the fabric and re-attaching.

I also modified the hem by adding two bands of folded fabric to create a split high-low hem. I used my regular machine to sew it up using a 2.5 wide zig-zag with a 2.5 stitch length. The turtle neck on my version sits quite high because the fabric has quite a bit of body, I suspect I will wear it folded over. Something to consider if you have a short neck (and I would say I have a longer than average neck). Overall, the fabric behaved beautifully and it was genuinely fun to sew a whole garment in an afternoon and for only £3.00. I am also linking this to the #makeyourstash hashtag too!

How much do you love this free Monroe Turtleneck? Thiiiiiis muuuucccchh.....

Onto the second part of my post. For any long-time followers of my blog you will know I have BIG LOVE for the Finnish design company Marimekko.  I have made MANY, MANY cushions for my house with their iconic prints (examples here and here). Earlier in the year I attended my first Craft Swish and scored this small piece of black and white Unikko print for free! It would have been rude not to sew another cushion!

And here it is in all it's cushion-ary glory snuggling alongside previously me-made Marimekko cushions.

The Marimekko story does not end there. Fabulous Finnish fortune came my way again on Friday when I dropped off a few items of clothing to Oxfam in Fitzrovia and just as I was leaving I spotted a pretty black and white scarf. The print Gods were looking down on me when I discovered it was a Marimekko scarf for only £5 (usual retail price is between £80 - £120). Yes! I snapped it up and I am looking forward to wearing it this Spring.

Have you had any good sewing / fashion fortune come your way recently?

Check out other crafty blogs at Sum of Their Stories

Leopard Print Zoe Dress

This is my second Sew Over It Zoe Dress. It is a relaxed princess-seamed shift dress with French darts and deep pockets in the front seams. The Zoe dress is super comfy and I can see a few more in my me-made wardrobe.

Construction for the main dress was the same as my previous version with a change to the 3/4 sleeves (as per pattern) and I added an extra 8cm to the length. The only slight hiccup when making the dress was when I accidentally slightly melted the zip when ironing the teeth open which made the zip tape twist. It's not hugely noticeable but the back seam is a bit wonky.  

The leopard print cotton was free from a Craft Swish in Chiswick last month. I was very restrained and entered the Swish with a big bag of craft and sewing stuff and left with 1.5 metres of this leopard print cotton and a 0.25 metre of a fun stylised tree print.