Hello There. Long time no see!

Its been a year since I posted. Honestly, something had to give, and this was it. However I thought perhaps I should just pop this here because its quite a big thing for me...I released a pattern!

On the Move Day Bag PDF Pattern:

About the Pattern:

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This bag was designed for parents like me, who don’t need a large bag but still carry a load of children’s bits and bobs with them as well as their own essentials. Think drinks bottles, snacks, mobile phone (cellphone), lip balm, plasters (band-aids), cards, keys, sunglasses and so on.

I had ripstop (nylon) in mind because it is durable, lightweight and wipe clean, however variations can be made with any fabric. (see blog posts)

The bottle pockets can be made from the exterior fabric, or alternatively, stretchy mesh for a different look.

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Where to purchase:

Where to purchase:

Craftsy Shop: https://www.craftsy.com/sewing/patterns/on-the-move-day-bag-crossbody-with-bottle-pockets/498434

Etsy Shop: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/537695561/pdf-pattern-download-on-the-move-day-bag

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Please feel free to join the facebook group after purchase if you wish to add your photos/require assistance and so on.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1478003342270256 or search for 'SheWearsRedFeathers Patterns Group' on facebook. 

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Social media tags I'm using are #onthemovedaybag and #shewearsredfeathersand #pdfpattern

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This is my website blog with a link to all the tester photographs and details
http://www.shewearsredfeathers/blog 

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This is my facebook page https://www.facebook.com/shewearsredfeathers/

I also have an instagram account https://www.instagram.com/elpie74/ which you are welcome to follow (not just for bags though!)
 

Level:

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Intermediate. Construction is simple but there are lots of pieces.

Features:

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2 front pockets with flaps (featuring magnetic snaps) (fits phone, sunglasses etc.)

2 side bottle pockets using fabric or mesh (fits water bottles, mini umbrella, sun lotion etc.)

1 rear zipped pocket full width of bag

Adjustable strap

Zipped gusset for security, with open ends to allow access to inner key fob

2 inner zipped pockets

2 inner slip pockets at the sides for smaller items e.g. lip balm

2 larger inner slip pockets

Ripstop version requires no interfacing/stabliser.

Fabric version requires interfacing and foam stabliser is optional but will structure the bag.

Pattern:

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83 pages with photographs. Text version only available. PLEASE NOTE: this pattern is cut using measurements not pattern pieces.

Finished Size:

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11” wide (excluding bottle pockets), 9” tall, 3” deep. Full width 16” (including fabric bottle pockets)

28cm W x 22.9cm H x 7.6cm D (40.1 W with bottle pockets)

Dressmaking: the dress that isn't yet (Butterick 5748) , and the skirt that is (self drafted)

So, since I discovered the Fabric Guild, I've been going a little loopy buying larger amounts of fabric. This one is Cotton & Steel Mochi Gamaguchi Navy

I really wanted to make a dress for the vintage sewalong, however the more I worked at this (its 

Butterick 5748) the worse it got. Eventually I just shoved it in a cupboard to be looked at some.other.time...

Slightly more successful was what I did with the rest of the fabric. Determined to wear a handbag themed outfit for the school stall, I made this on a wing and a prayer. I used pleats instead of gathering and it came out ok. Phew!

Bagmaking: Mermaid Maisie - Swoon Patterns

So this is my Maisie. She was one of the 'blood, sweat, tears' variety.

I had the 'Drift Away' fabric at the ready for this bag. I'd been hoping to get the mermaids with the blue background, but some things are just impossible to get hold of when you want them in the UK, so I settled for this beigey background.

I used linen for the contrast. The piping and zips actually looked like they matched when I did this. They clearly don't in the picture. You'll have to ovelook that. My dining room is very dark and in hindsight I should have double checked the match in daylight.

I started cutting this bag out at bag camp. After a few too many. This was a gross mistake. When I got home I realised I hadn't cut out the contrasting linen panels for the back, and I'd run out of this particular linen - and so had every shop in the UK apparently.

I tried to get hold of some similar, but it didn't cut the mustard, so I worked with what I had. I'd already cut out a strap, so I used part of that to make those panels. They aren't cut on the grainline, and they didn't exactly have the correct amount of seam allowance, but honestly I don't think anyone will notice unless I point it out.

See how different those greens are - how could I ever have thought they were similar?!!

I love the bright lining. Its like when you open the bag - the sun comes out!

So the hardest bit could have been anticipated - this bag uses foam on both sides and stabiliser on the bottom. Trying to sew smallish curves with those factors - well lets just say it took a lot of passes. 

I'm pretty happy with the result though. Love a Swoon :)

Hardware from Emmaline Bags

Zips from Jaycotts

Drift Away fabrics and Kaufman Brussels washer linen in Charcoal from Billow Fabrics

Piping from Sew Hot

Outer Fabric

Pocket Fabric

Lining fabric

Strap and contrast fabric

Flora Sewalong - Part 1 - the Sundae Best dress

I finally managed to get going on my Flora dress. I've been following the sewalong, and I knew as soon as I saw the pattern, which fabric I wanted to use. I've had this perky ice-cream sundae fabric sitting in my stash for a while and I just KNEW there would be enough fabric. I started cutting out my pattern without checking. Duh!

I went for Variation 2, which is more 'modest' in the front department. I haven't got any frocks with this style bodice so I thought I'd give it a try. I don't really like drop hems so I'm using the Variation 1 skirt. I would have made it a bit longer, but I just don't have enough fabric! If I'm feeling a bit too exposed I may add a bottom border later - maybe a bit of broderie anglaise or something.

Luckily I didn't need to make any modifications for bust, but I did shorten the body as I am shortwaisted and also 'blessed' with a large tummy and I don't like the waistline sitting on my larger bits. As a plus size lady I used the largest size available on the pattern.

 

So I laid out my pattern all nicely, and started to cut thinking 'yey go me I've got just the right amount of fabric'. Then I realised. I'd put the back piece on the fold instead of the front. I quickly swapped them around, but this minor change meant that I could no longer fit my front and back bodice pieces side by side. Gaaaahh!!

Just before I realised I'd laid my pattern pieces wrong - thats the back piece on the fold when it should be the front piece!

I have learned a lessson from this. Well a couple. Mark your pattern pieces more clearly ( I just used a biro on the skirt pieces as I'd lost my black marker at this point - small children and pens - harumph!) and check you have enough fabric before you start rather than just crossing your fingers!

Pattern cut out and darts sewn up, awaiting ironing

 Anyway, after those hiccups I was away. Bodice darts done, lining attached to main fabric. It went together nicely.

 

Quick body shot of bodice fitting:

 

Then it was time to sew up the skirt panels. The darts were easy to understand and I sewed it up nice and swiftly. I did buy some seam binding earlier this week, but I'm impatient and it hasn't arrived yet (I buy most things online as we are lacking in local haberdasheries/fabric shops), so I did this instead ( I think its called a 'turned single hem'):

 

Again the pattern doesn't really match at the seams. It was too tricky to even consider, so I didn't. As stated previously, I didn't have enough fabric to do anything other than manage to fit each pattern piece on there. 

This scrunched up piece is my skirt ready for ironing then attaching to bodice!

 

In my head, this dress needs a Sundae Best Bag to match, and I knew that the U-Handbag Baguette clutch was the one. I always wanted to use my ice cream fabric for this, but I didn't want to cut into the fabric until I'd used it for a dress or something. 

Well I've done that now, and there is enough remnants to make me a Baguette. I also handily have the correct frame awaiting usage.

How I will fit this in before Friday 16th I don't know, but my invisible zipper foot hasn't arrived yet meaning my dress is on hold, so I might be able to get it cut out this evening. 

Please please let my zipper foot arrive by tommorrow though :)

What the! Two posts in one week?! It must be deadline time!

So what have I been beavering away at in secret for the last few months (other than bags of course)? 

Dolly clothes. For a competition. http://www.hellbunnyrag.com/win-me.php 

I immediately knew I had to enter when my hell bunny rag arrived - one problem though - no doll to dress. 

 

I found a Liv doll on ebay, made a few tiny modifications (painted her lips and eyebrows - her eyes are a bit too green (mine are brown) but close enough), and got to work on a coat - not strictly within the rules as they are after dresses - but in my head I wanted to do a coat so that's what I started with! I made some little fit patterns first then made paper patterns for the coat using my fit patterns. 

I used felt and trimmed it with black ribbon. 

 (this is a page from my working sketchpad -everything goes in here)

I quickly made her some trousers too for modestys sake, and found some little shoes and boots from ebay to fit.

 'Lindy' Dress #1 was a copy of my Sassy dress in tropical - as I have no tropical fabric in my stash I went for fruity instead, and made her a little net underskirt.

Last was the Larissa Flamingos dress (Dress #2) I knew I wanted to use some of my favourite flamingo fabric for this!

I also made a couple of mini bags and some jewellery to accessorise.  I'm pretty pleased with how she came out.
Noah and I got some wallpaper samples from B&Q to use for backgrounds, and I snapped her this afternoon. I'm not a great photographer unfortunately but I think you can get the gist!

 

Next on the list - Handmade by London - the Flora dress. Its all cut out ready for the sewing machine! Can I meet that deadline too?!

Swing Dress Finished! Puppytooth framed handbag finished!! Vintagebrooch in use!!!

All at the expense of a poorly sick child, which meant I could not attend my place of work today, instead having to fill in the time between being at his beck and call, by having my foot firmly on speed-sew...

So firstly. I finished the swing dress. I will post more photos on a page soon, but for now we'll have a few of me posing in some dreadful shots that I must apologise for but its the best I can do on my camera-phone with a dusty mirror. I'm pretty pleased. I think it looks the part and I'd be happy to wear this to work on a summers day, not just to the vintage tea party I made it for.  

   

Check out my brooch. This belonged to nanny (my dads mum - who was born in 1910) and is a vintage paste brooch/dress clips.Its been sitting in my jewellery box since she died in 1984.

I only just found out what dress clips are. Its been bothering me for years. Basically the brooch comes apart and the two sides become separate clips - for many years I thought they must be earrings - but that would be too painful due to the metal 'grip' at the back. More recently I thought perhaps shoe clips. Then I read about dress clips - eureka - so that's what it is! I have chosen to leave it in its brooch form here, but they were commonly worn either side of the neckline to jazz up dresses and coats.

  (I have ironed this believe it or not!)

I made quite a few adjustments along the way. I sewed up the bodice front as I can't be doing with gaping wrap style necklines. I shortened the sleeves and added faux cuffs. I shortened the waist-piece. I had to add side panels cos I'm such a porker. And the sleeves for the same reason. I added a few gathers to the sleeves at the shoulder. I had to modify the neckline at the yolk because the patterns off (OK, it is probably my lack of cutting skills)

New skills learned:

gathering using machine stitching (have always done by hand)

Invisible zip insertion. You can't see a zip can you? No? exactly.

Modyfying a pattern to fit (without the use of a muslin or a dressmakers dummy)

Also - I made a bag. A bag with a frame. I used the puppytooth fabric as it matches my shoes (sort of - its not entirely correct as its white/black not cream/black but near as dammit) For a first time/practice run I'm extremely pleased. I decided to leave the bag plain and have a nice polka lining. The strap is detachable. The brooch I made - well I'm a bit so-so about it - I think the ribbon makes it look a bit like a horse show rosette - but the beauty of course is that I don't have to use it. I may have another attempt at a different type of embellishment.

I would probably prefer the polka on the outside for more frequent use, but as I said, first go and all. The inner pocket is also too far down. Never mind. Its still a pocket.  It wasn't as hard or messy as I anticipated. The sewing bit was easy. The glue/fabric/frame bit was fine. I did spend half an hour picking glue off, but it looks OK now.

I am now really really wanting to start on my graceful kelly bag. But I need to make Noah his fox trousers first.

Beautiful Sunshine, Butterick Sale, new fabric, and progressing with the Swing Dress

This weekend was so lovely wasn't it? We made the most of it, heading to Hunstanton on Sunday (which is a bit of a trek in the car for a 3 and a 6 year old - the boys we're complaining mightily by the time we arrived) It didn't seem that sunny when we got there, but it was warm enough to play on the beach. My freckles even made an appearance!


This is the boys before they got covered in beach mud. It didn't take too long ;)



On Monday, Grafham Water had an all day taster event. Sadly Noah was to young to do anything, and protested loudly at this, poor boy. I don't blame him - the sailing looked really wonderful on a sunny day.

However Joey got to have his first go at a real climbing wall (as opposed to local playground climbing walls) and he is amazing. He just monkeyed up them like a rat up a drainpipe. I'm looking into his joining the climbing club as he really enjoys it (and to find something he enjoys other than lego is always a bonus!) That's him in the green t-shirt. He did the wall on the left of this one, and the wall to the right too (which is an overhang - arrgh!)



I also made some progress with the swing dress. Unfortunately its a case of one step forward, two steps back. Firstly I realised after attaching the waist piece, that whilst it looked ok hung up, it really didn't do me any favours when 'on'. I'm short waisted anyway (and have already made the adjustments for this), however it just looked wrong on me, so I had to unpick, hack a chunk off it, and re-sew. You can see the photo on the top is the original, and on the bottom is the modified version. I suspect with someone less dumpy the original version would be perfect.

I also discovered to my horror than I am much fatter than I thought. I have had to add side panels in order for the dress to fit.

On the up-side, I only have to attach the sleeves, sew in the zip, and hem it. Yey!





Also, I have been buying again. Minerva Crafts have a 40% sale on butterick patterns. It was tough, as there were many I would have bought had I endless dosh, but I kept it to 4 that I know I will wear, rather than patterns I hanker after but probably won't either make or wear (like Gerties coat and dresses).

Butterick 5748. I have a sundress that I modified which I bought from Peacocks for a fiver, and I want another one. This is a fairly close approximation of the pattern, and I think I'll use the cheap fabric I bought on ebay for it.



Butterick 5837 Really simple, but so cheap I couldnt resist. I will probably make a shorter version




Butterick 5030 I love this style, and I'm not sure what I want to make with it, but I know I want it in my pattern stash!



Butterick 5846. I've been umming and ahhing over this pattern, but the sale sealed the deal. I really love shirt dresses, although I would probably make mine longer as I don't like my knees showing (having said that, this model is probably 6ft and my knees won't show anyway!)



The one I can't afford:

Vogue 8577. Its £12.95, so its on hold. I love the shape and I love that it has pockets.



Other fabrics I bought over the weekend are this one:

which I love. I have New Look 6183 View A in mind which I have already.


This one was a wildcard. I have no idea what the fabric is, but theres about 5 metres of it, and it was supercheap. We shall see! I hate that there are no fabric shops near me, or market stalls that I can get to. Relying on ebay takes the fun out a bit.