Really, it’s pretty obvious that I’m taking a blog break, since I haven’t posted since about August!  Everything is fine, and I do plan to return to blogging, but I’m not quite sure when.  I am still posting what I sew on Instagram so you can check in there in the meantime ..read more

A couple of months ago I blogged about a recently sewn Liesl + Co Gallery tunic.  It didn’t take long until I pulled out the pattern again to sew myself a Gallery dress! Becaue this wasn’t long after I’d sewn the tunic, I simply had to tape the dress length pieces back on and knew that it would fit. I had already shortened the sleeves an inch or two from the pattern length. I wish that I’d remembered to do that with a subsequent Liesl + Co pattern (that I’ll blog when I eventually get photos) – I think that Liesl must have long arms! From the pattern page: Relaxed-fit pull-on tunic or d ..read more

Firstly – I sewed this a year ago.  I took some photos, looked at them and was very unhappy with how the hems were sitting.  So it sat, for months, until I fixed the problem.  Then it sat again, for months, until I finally got around to taking these photos! It’s the Tessuti Oslo coat, sewn in wool/cashmere coating from Super Cheap Fabrics, bought a few years ago. It’s actually teal in colour; my phone can never get this shade correct in photos. From the pattern page: The Oslo Coat is a fully lined, double-breasted style with a shawl collar, full length raglan sleeves and side ..read more

Although these are both patterns you’ve seen before, this time I’ve sewn them in quite a different fabrication. It’s the Style Arc Bob pants again, and the Pattern Fantastique Aeolian tee again, but both sewn in suiting-weight woven wool. I was fortunate enough to obtain the length of fabric from a clearance of ex-Job Warehouse stock, and figured that it would be worth a try with the Bob pants.  Having enough of the fabric to cut out the top as well as the pants was an unexpected bonus. You can see the lovely herringbone grey and white weave in the above photo. From a distance (such as ..read more

Sometimes you just need to be comfortable and cosy. This set definitely fits the bill. The top is the Tessuti Mandy boat tee, yet again! Size Large, with full length sleeves. You need to choose your fabric carefully when sewing this top as it needs to have enough stretch for the seam around the bicep to be comfortable. If you’re looking for an alternative tee pattern with a wider sleeve, check out the Grainline Hemlock tee (free to newsletter subscribers). If you pay attention at the cutting out stage, it’s not too difficult to match the stripes at the side seams. I usually check that the st ..read more

Oh my goodness, a new pattern! Balanced out with a tried and true, of course. When I met Lindy of Stokx Patterns fame last year, she gave me a copy of the Stokx Rock to try out. I don’t wear skirts all that often. I wear dresses a lot in summer, and in winter I tend to gravitate to pants or pinafores. I had some denim in stash that I figured would be fine for a hopefully wearable toile. Choosing a size for anything that is fitted around my waist is always hard for me. My hips are two sizes smaller than my middle, and I don’t have clear waist definition. I eventually chose to sew size 5 (I’d ..read more

This pattern was sewn twice in 2013, then has sat in my pattern archives for another ten years before once again seeing the light of day.  It’s Style Arc’s Marie jacket, one of their older patterns. I had a single size pattern cut out (still on thin paper which is one of the ways I can tell I’ve had it for ages), in size 12. I used to wear this jacket zipped up; that’s definitely not an option when using the same size ten years later! You can check out my previous versions of this jacket here and here. Both jackets had plenty of wear by me, then moved to friends’ wardrobes, where I know ..read more

This pattern is probably the most used pattern that I have. The Tessuti Mandy boat tee – a free pattern – has been around since 2013, originally in just one size, and was updated in 2018 to include four sizes, two sleeve lengths and some reworking of the back neckline. I generally sew the size Medium or Large, depending on the fabric that I am using and my current size. I have altered the pattern to include a forward shoulder adjustment. I really like the neckline on this top. I use double sided fusible tape to secure it in place, then a twin needle to stitch it down. The neckline is finishe ..read more

I barely need to say it, do I!  These are both repeat patterns. I first sewed the Style Arc Bob pants in 2019, in chambray and in linen. I enjoy wearing both pairs, and wondered if the pattern would work in a more wintery fabric such as corduroy. As it turns out, it does! I sewed the same size 12, with legs shortened an inch and a half for my 158cm height. I did alter the front pattern piece to give an angled pocket opening, rather than do the inseam pockets that were included in the pattern. This was very straightforward; I just grabbed the two pocket pieces out of the Barry pattern an ..read more

I haven’t even counted how many times I’ve sewn this pattern – it must be into double figures by now. I’m not going to go into much detail; just use the search feature on my blog if you want to find my previous versions. It’s Vogue 9057, first published in 2014 and still in print but now as Vogue 1733. It was a Pattern Review best pattern in 2015, 2016 and 2017, and there are more than eighty reviews of it there at the moment. I tend to sew size Medium, which is smaller than my measurements would suggest. Marcy Tilton designed this pattern, and it seems to work really well on most body shape ..read more