Girl Can Sew

Hey Sewers! I'm really excited this week to bring you my version of the ex Topshop fabric bomber jacket. I bought this fabric on Goldhawk Road just because it was so unusual! I mean what are these fluffy patches? Some look like liquirice allsorts, some look like flowers, either way it's hilarious! I don't think this fabric could have been made into anything other than a snugly bomber jacket. I used the Greenstyle Creations, Midway Bomber Jacket pattern . It has an optional lining, welt pockets and ribbed neck band, cuffs and waist. I lined it with a black ponte roma from the same shop and bought the ribbing at the The Knitting and Stitching Show. The zip is from Minerva crafts . I chose not to use an interlining because the lining was already quite heavy and I was concerned that adding the interlining would make the jacket fit very tight and I would struggle to sew through all the layers especially with the welt pockets and the zip. I had heard people had stru...

Hey Sewers! I  am very excited for this weeks blog post, never have a pattern and fabric gone together so well! I have teamed the  Megan Nielsen - Sudley dress with this beautiful embroidered sheer fabric from Montreux Fabrics which I picked up at the Knitting & Stitching Show. It's lined with a simple black cotton I got from Goldhawk Road. I saw this fabric from afar across the stall buried under many other rolls, I made a bee line for it, wedging myself between the hordes of people queuing and fished it out. It has vivid multicoloured embroidered flowers meandering across a sheer black base giving it a psychedelic 70s vibe. There is a blue border along the selvedge which I took advantage of for all the hems, this did mean ignoring the direction of the grain on the fabric but I don't think that's a problem. I opted not to pattern match with this fabric because of the way it is made, even though the pattern has a repeat they're not perfect and I k...

Hey Everyone, Welcome back to my blog, this week I am continuing with my makes from my time off work - I got a lot done! Another quick make, it's the Molly top from Lisa Comforts eBook 'My Capsule Wardrobe - City Break' . This is my second make from the book, the first being the Mia Jeans - seen below. I really like the dropped shoulder seam and the slightly longer length makes it really flattering and easy to wear with jeans. I chose to make it in a drapey jersey I bought from Montreux Fabrics at the Knitting and Stitching Show earlier in the year. The pattern is a PDF and has easy assembly - I often assemble my patterns in front of the TV because you need a lot of floor space to sprawl out on.  Jersey tops are probably the simplest of things you can make because you do not need to worry about fit too much, there's often no darts or closures to worry about and you don't even have to finish the seams if you don't want - I always do though because ...

Hey Everyone! Continuing with the skirt theme this week I bring you another make from my week off work, the Clemence Skirt by everyone's favourite indie pattern house Tilly & The Buttons. I had the opportunity of meeting Tilly at the Knitting & Stitching Show earlier in the year and I have to admit I did feel like a total fan girl! Tilly is sewing royalty and I find what she does as a female entrepreneur truly inspirational. The Clemence skirt is somewhat of a cult pattern featured in Tilly's book 'Love at First Stitch' which I'm sure is no news to you whatsoever as most people I hear talk about sewing refer to this book as being their introduction to sewing. Worn here with Simplicity K8376 I have been wanting to make this skirt since I got the book 3 years ago but I had not seen the right fabric - until now! When I was at the first Sewing Bee Live show a couple years ago I saw this jelly fish fabric (Michael Miller 'Into the Deep') on dis...

Hi Sewers! The weather is slowly turning here in the UK which means I can actually photograph my makes! I've also been taking this opportunity to re-evaluate my sewing plans and going through the Seamwork - Build Your Own Wardrobe series again. I'm really keen to sew things which I know that I am going to love and keep wearing time and time again rather than just making for the sake of it so I'm taking my time and planning it all out until I am certain. I recently had some time off work and what better way to spend my time than to sew! I sewed everyday for almost the entire day for about 7 days and I was starting to get a bit tired of it by the end if I'm honest with you! There's something quite lonely about being on holiday when no one else is even if I am spending my time doing something I adore. The next series of makes were as a result of this time off I had. The first thing I made was actually a stash buster! Last year I made the Nina Lee - Kew Dress an...

Hey Sewers, This week I am reviewing the Mia Jeans pattern from the Sew Over It My Capsule wardrobe: City Break eBoo k. I made them in a 20% stretch black denim from Fabric Godmother .  I was a little apprehensive about washing the denim because I had heard of others having issues where the dye washes out of the fabric inconsistently resulting in pale streaks where it's been folded up in the washing machine. However, I decided to continue as normal anyway and need not have worried, it washed beautifully. It was very creased, which is to be expected, so I ironed it out and was good to go. This pattern is very economical for your fabric, I bought 2 meters and still have enough left to make a denim skirt. I did not follow the suggested pattern layout - I never do! I often find this isn't actually the most economical method. The instructions were quite simple to follow with clear photos until you get to inserting the zip fly. I got completely lost at this point, I en...

Hey Sewers! In this weeks post I am reviewing the Wear Lemonade, Simona Blouse  which I have made in a classic William Morris 'strawberry thief' cotton from John Lewis .This is the first wear lemonade pattern I have sewn and it won't be the last! Their website is really colourful and inspiring with lots of great photos of all their garments made up in funky fabrics (They also sell their fabrics if your purse can stretch that far!). Their patterns are contemporary with interesting details that make them stand out. I was drawn to this pattern over other pussy bow blouses because the bow has more structure and the pleat in the back This pattern is actually quite a simple design which is why I paired it with this busy fabric. I knew I would need to pattern match so I didn't want to create too much of a challenge for myself. The only draw back I would say about this pattern is that it's French meaning that even though it is translated to English sometimes it...

Hey Sewers! It's been quite a while since I last posted but I have certainly still been sewing! The weather in blighty has been a bit grim and without a suitable place to take my photos I haven't been able to get a post up. Anyway I'm back and this week I actually bring you 2 reviews: Closet case patterns, Morgan Jeans made in the same rust corduroy (bought from Goldhawk Road) as my Sew Over Erin Skirt in the previous post and Simplicity K8376 made in white cotton jersey from Walthamstow Market. Morgan Jeans - Closet Case Patterns Corduroy is probably my favourite fabric, I like the soft texture, the weight and the wide variety of rich colours which make it super versatile. I made these trousers in the autumn so the colour was bang on trend and they are great for keeping warm in the cold weather. Having previously made the Closet Case Patterns Kalle Skirt dress I knew that this pattern would have clear instructions. Having never made any jeans before I was nervo...

Hey Sewers! This week I bring you something a bit different. A new vintage shop has opened in town which I am very excited about! Even though for the last 2 years I have vowed to only sew my own clothes I will still purchase vintage clothes because I feel like I own a piece of history which I find enchanting. I find vintage clothing tends to be made from higher quality fabrics to what the highstreet offers now and more care has been taken with the construction. Also, even though this dress is from the 80's it was made in the UK which is pretty rare nowadays! Before After I saw this dress in the window and was immediately attracted to the colourful print. The dress only cost me £8 but it needed a lot of alterations before I could wear it - it was a size 16 and I'm typically a size 8. Adjustments I made: Firstly I had to remove the shoulder pads - as awesome as they were I didn't want to look like I was going to a fancy dress party! Then I removed the sle...

Hey Sewers! It's been a busy week and I've been sewing up a storm so for this blog entry I bring you a bumper edition - two reviews in one! The first is the Freya top by Tilly & the Buttons made in striped rib knit from Goldhawk Road and the second is the Erin Skirt by Sew Over IT (from the ebook My Capsule Wardrobe) made in a chunky cord also from Goldhawk Road - I had a shopping spree there after I'd planned all my autumn/winter makes so a lot of my fabric is from there at the moment! Freya top - Tilly & the Buttons I am a really big fan of Tilly's patterns and so I was really excited to finally open up my Stretch book and sew my first make. This make was inspired by my Seamwork mood board which is heavily leaning towards 70's style and colours. This fabric kind of reminds me of old tube seats - I love it! The pattern was incredibly easy to follow. This make took me about 3 hours from tracing the pattern to wearing my finished top and I even pa...