Fibre Mood Mika sweatshirt

Hello everybody! I'm back to blogging after a little hiatus. Sometimes life just gets in the way but now I have more time and energy to focus on some sewing, craft and blogging.

I am excited to say that my first make in quite some time was from Fibre Mood magazine. Fibre Mood magazine is a fashion forward bi-monthly pattern magazine based in Belgium. You can see what it is all about by following this affiliate link here: Fibre Mood

I was invited to sew the The Fibre Mood Mika sweatshirt by Kate from @timetosew and I can genuinely say that since making it I have worn it pretty much everyday since (yes, I have washed it!).

It is exactly what you want out of a sweatshirt pattern; the perfect length, raglan sleeves and perfect neckline. Unlike the wider neckline of Grainline Linden sweatshirt pattern, the Mika neckline is smaller and I much prefer this silhouette to the Granline Linden! I can see many more Mika's in my future.

Even more of a bonus, is this make is entirely from my stash #makeyourstash. A soft black sweatshirt fabric which I think may originate from waaaay back to Sew Brum 2015 when I won a ton of Girl Charlee knit fabric in the raffle!

Onto the construction of the Fibre Mood Mika sweatshirt. I wanted to share a rookie error, in my haste to sew this up as quickly as humanly possible, I didn't fully read the instructions before cutting out the paper pattern. I DIDN'T add the required seam allowance onto the paper pattern before cutting out and additionally didn't notice until AFTER cutting out the fabric. I'm sharing this detail so you don't need to make the same mistake! Luckily, by using minimal seam allowances when constructing the sweatshirt it actually fits really well!

On my next Mika, (because there certainly will be another one), I will extend the raglan sleeve. I realised after sewing the sleeves onto the bodice that I would be a good 4cm too short for my long arms. I typically have to extend the sleeves on most patterns so I wasn't surprised that this would be the case here. I had a decent amount of black ribbing in my stash (purchased from Ray Stitch moons ago) so I created the design feature of a deep cuff so the sleeves wouldn't be too short for my taste.

To achieve the 'deep-cuff' I doubled the depth of the cuff and then followed the construction instructions as per the pattern.

The Fibre Mood construction methods and instructions are really clear and easy to understand (it was completely my fault that I didn't notice the seam allowance issue). The aesthetics are clear and focused and the step-by-step guide is extremely user friendly.

Overall, I absolutely love my new sweatshirt! Follow this affiliate link to get your own Mika too!

Sew Over It Alex shirt dress

I made my first SOI Alex shirt dress in 2017 at a workshop in the old Islington store. I learned some new tricks (making my own bias binding) and gained confidence using a more drapey fabric (I made it out of viscose). Fast forward to 2019 and I wanted to use a lovely piece of viscose fabric gifted to me by a lady on a different SOI workshop! The fabric was 80% sewn up into a shift dress which luckily afforded quite decent spans of fabric to be re-used. I cut out all parts of the Alex shirt dress in full sections aside from the belt which I cut in strips from the previous sleeves of its past iteration.

I couldn't decide which buttons to use, so asked a few sewing friends their opinion and the cream buttons were the favourites! I bought them from Ray Stitch in Islington, making this a pretty economical make as they were only 35p each.

Nothing new to report in terms of the construction. I sewed it together over three Social Sewing Wednesday's at the New Craft House at Broadway Market.

Another item completed from my WIP (work in progress) pile! I have worn this so many times since finishing it. It's perfect for this balmy hot summery weather we are having in the UK!

What's on your sewing table right now?

Navy Sew Over It Cigarette Pants AKA Grown-Up Trousers

I have 100% embraced the slow-sewing movement by taking an absolute age to complete the Sew Over It Cigarette Pants. Not only have I inadvertently joined an elite gang of mindful sewists I have also joined the ranks of 'grown-up' sewing. I made a pair of navy trousers - not a bright, crazy print in sight!

I cut out the navy crepe in February, attended a Master Class with the delightful Julie Johnston at Sew Over It Islington in March to help me with the fitting.
For the most part, my inactivity can be attributed to my sewing machine still being on the blink so sewing at home was difficult. Another burst of activity happened in May and June at the Village Haberdashery Social Sewing evenings where I would sew a few more elements of the pants.

I eventually finished them this weekend and it coincided with the fixing of my beloved Bernina sewing machine (which I will tell you about another time).

The navy crepe I have had in my stash for years and I have no clue of the origins or fibre content. The pocket linings are leftover scraps from a Camber Set Dress. It is a beautiful Windham fabrics cotton purchased from Ray Stitch.

This is my second pair of Sew Over It Cigarette Pants. I made my first version of these trousers in a soft linen mix which has slightly stretched since I made them in 2016. The other annoying thing about my first pair was I had to significantly take them in on the outer seam which means the pocket openings are so tight I can only just squeeze my hand in!

This second version was adjusted with the help of the lovely Julie at SOI.
Changes are as follows:

• Redrafted the pocket openings 
• Narrowed the leg width around the thigh and hip area
• Lengthened the waistband so I could have a longer overlap

I am totally happy with the fit now and I would happily add another pair to my wardrobe. I hope it doesn't take me seven months to make the next pair!

I must show you the pretty guts too. I couldn't have a completely plain pair of trousers now, could I?

Have you had a sewing project that has taken you ages to finish?

Camber Set Dress

A quick and simple make was on the cards last weekend in the form of the Merchant and Mills Camber Set Dress. The eagle-eyed amongst you will recognise I have made the Camber Set before in a top version here, here and here and in dress form here. It is the perfect silhouette to showcase a lovely print or drapey fabric.

I used a gorgeous piece of Windham Fabrics cotton I bought from Ray Stitch in Islington over four years ago. The fabric is no longer available at Ray Stitch but there is a list of suppliers here if anybody was interested. This Botanical 'Stem' design was created by artist Marcia Derse who was inspired by nature and forest rambles.

After cutting the dress out I realised the back was longer than the front so I freestyled a 'high-low' hem as a design feature. I added some patch pockets and created a simple waist tie using up the remaining pieces of the two metres.

You can still see the four-year-old crease marks in the dress!

Almost hidden patch pockets!

Yesterday I wore it in the sticky humid heat with leggings but it would be so much nicer bare legged with sandals!

Have you any repeat patterns that you love making? 

Tropical Deer and Doe Melilot Shirt

The Deer and Doe Melilot shirt has been on my radar for a while and when I bought the fabric I knew it would a perfect match. The fabric is actually a tablecloth I bought from a 3 for 2 H&M homeware sale last summer. I bought three cotton table cloths resulting in over 6 metres of fabric for £10!

This was a slow and steady make. I made it in small bursts of sewing sessions ranging between 30 minutes to two hours at a time so it is hard to say how long it took in total. The hidden placket and sleeve plackets were the most difficult part of the construction as the minimal instructions left me confused. I had to re-do the hidden placket three times and I know that it is not right as the collar does not sit centrally.

I decided to get my button holes done at DM Buttons in Soho partly due to the fact that last Wednesday I didn't need to be at work until 9am compared to the usual 7.45am which meant I could squeeze in a trip to DM Buttons as soon as they opened at 7.30am. I was the first in the door and the very friendly David sewed my button holes in ten minutes for only £4.00! The finished button holes look very professional and my concerns about sewing through the thicker collar stand was not a concern with DM Buttons amazing machines!

The only thing left to do was stitch on the sage green buttons which I bought from Ray Stitch in Islington.

Now onto a whole bunch of photos of the process of making the Melilot. Be warned!

I cut out three sets of collars to figure out what section of the tropical pattern would work best

Sleeve stand hand-tacked in place ready for turning the right way around and finishing

Finished sleeve stand

Almost finished shirt before sleeve cuffs and button holes

I trimmed down the side seams (I did my usual pattern grading from 8 to 10 on the paper pattern which in hindsight I didn't need to do) as the hips allowance is designed for a curvier lady than me

Considering I have used some fabric from my stash that has been there for over six months I am tagging Kate from @timetosew and @pillar_bear with #makeyourstash!

Check out other crafty blogs at Sum of Their Stories

Chambray McCalls 6696

About a year ago I bought two metres of this lovely Art Gallery Denim Studio grid-printed navy chambray from Ray Stitch in Islington. I always had in mind to make another classic McCalls 6696 shirt dress. I made my first version waaaaay back in January 2015.

The construction was pretty much the same as my previous dress with a few minor adjustments as follows:

• Removed 2cm from the collar lapel width
• Removed the gathers at the back bodice
• Added 5cm to the length of the skirt section
• Used French Seams throughout construction
• Bias bound the armscye, pockets and hem
• Rounded off the corners of the pockets

Here are some internal photos of the different finishes.

I wore the finished dress last night to the Sew Over It Islington launch party for their new 1940's wrap dress pattern. They had 50% discounts on paper patterns and 20% off fabric in store which was a little incentive to buy a few things for Christmas presents for some sewing friends. I met my friend Alex (My Creative Experiments) at the shop and also chatted to Karen (Did You Make That?) and Gabby (Gabberdashery) which was great to catch up with these lovely ladies in real life.

Here I am in front of the lush fabrics in the Sew Over It shop in all my McCalls M6696 wrinkled glory!

Pattern: McCalls 6696 Pattern = £8.00 (£4.00 as it's the second time I've used it)

Fabric: 1.5 metres of chambray from Ray Stitch = £16

Gutterman Thread: Navy from stash = free

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

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

Total: £22.20