Girl Can Sew

  I planned to make this skirt last winter but then we had a scorching hot spring and it felt wrong to be making anything in corduroy! Even though it is my favourite fabric. Once we hit October it was like someone flicked a switch and we are now deep into autumn and I can finally get back to those projects I put on hold. First on my list was the Salida skirt from TrueBias . My brother had kindly gifted this pattern to me last Christmas – Thanks Bro! I’d picked up some buttery soft, forest green corduroy from Goldhawk Road, back in the days when we could venture into London and weren’t fearful of the bustling streets! Before I could begin I had to choose which size to make, I have been blessed with quite a curvy figure which meant my waist was a good 4 sizes smaller than my hips which was a bit problematic as this is a fitted skirt. I persevered and decided to cut the waistband to the smaller size and everything else to the larger size and then once sewn, and before attaching the ...

  This make came up a little bit by chance as I was planning on using the Mind the Maker fabric which I picked up from Sew Me Sunshine to make a wrap skirt but I hadn’t yet decided which pattern and others I’d seen looked like they’d be too long on me. Until I saw an advert for this new pattern company – Made Label offering a free wrap skirt pattern which fit the bill completely! So I went ahead and downloaded, printed and assembled the pattern. Which was really easy to do, the colours and bold lines made it really easy to assemble and each pattern piece is assembled separately so you don’t need to worry about creating a giant pattern sheet that won’t even fit on your floor! Each size is a separate PDF as well so you don’t get confusing merging lines or have to worry about constantly checking the key for your size. Really simple pattern with only 6 pattern pieces and because it’s a wrap there’s no need to worry about any closures or fit issues. There are no written instruct...

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...

Hello! Welcome to this weeks pattern review for StyleArc's Steve Jean Jacket . This is a classic oversized jean jacket pattern with all the bells and whistles you would expect including: welt pockets, sleeve vents, patch pockets and lots of topstitching! Inspired by some images I saw on Pinterest  I decided to make this jacket in pink corduroy which I bought from Fabric Land  and lined it with faux shearling from Hobby Craft  apart from the sleeves which I lined with a normal white cotton. I finished it off with bronze jean buttons from Minerva Crafts. I am really happy with how this make turned out, it is exactly as I imagined and I don't think I would do anything differently. I think I might make another version in camel coloured corduroy with silver buttons or just a normal denim version. The pattern it self is really well drafted and all the pieces fit together perfectly and create that signature oversized shape. However, the instructions were not very easy...

Hey Everyone! Another week, another make! Inspired by Rosabella from Sewn I decided to purchase the New Look, 6469 pattern and paired it with this luxurious stretch velvet from Minerva Crafts . Originally I intended to make it in a similar purple stretch velvet from Goldhawk Road but found when I got home that the fabric was faulty and large patches of the pile were going in the opposite direction resulting in large black areas when the light hit it. Not sure what caused it but that will teach me to pay better attention to the fabric I purchase there in future by unrolling it some and checking for faults. Pattern instructions were easy to follow and had clear illustrations. Originally I was a bit confused as to why you would need a zip in a knitted garment - surely you can just pull it over your head? I stuck with the pattern anyhow and I'm glad I did because the neckline is quite close fitting and so it would put too much strain on the neckband if you did not includ...

Hey Everyone! This week I bring you my latest vintage make, it's the Merchant & Mills Trapeze dress made from a vintage bed sheet I bought from Oxfam online . Zeus wanted to be involved with this one! The pattern instructions were relatively easy to understand with illustrations of each step. However, I have to say I disagree with the method chosen to construct the dress. The all in one facing which covers the arm holes and the neckline, was near impossible to attach. It requests that you fully attach the neckline to the facing and then attach the armholes, this is all after you have sewn the side seams and centre back seam. Honestly, I still do not understand how this is supposed to work and all videos I found on YouTube were using a completely different method. In the end I decided to overlock the facing so it was only around the neckline and then use bias binding to finish the armholes. This method worked very well and was much simpler. In future I would rec...

Hey Everyone! This week I bring you my latest make which probably anyone who sews has either made or is planning to make. It's the Tilly and the Buttons Cleo pinafore dres s. I used a super soft pink corduroy from Walthamstow Market. Practical things first - as with all of TATB patterns the instructions were super clear with plenty of photos showing each step. It also gives tips and explains why you do certain steps which has helped me when sewing other garments. I did not make any fitting alterations at all but I did make sure that I bought the hemline buckles as I have previously used the Prym ones and found the buckles tend to come undone too easily. I also bought Gutermann top-stitching thread as I wanted to make a statement with the top-stitching. I have seen many different versions of this dress so I knew exactly what to expect and it turned out precisely as I imagined it would. It is a simple design which makes it easy to layer with many different tops and jumpers ...

Hey Sewers! I'm really excited to share my latest make with you, it's the Tilly and the Buttons Francoise dress . What really inspired me to make this dress was the fabric, I recently found that you can purchase vintage textiles from Oxfam's website . So without a project in mind I bought a 1960's floral curtain, a wool bed sheet and a William Morris curtain. I had seen other people using vintage fabrics to make this dress so I thought this floral curtain would be the perfect match. As I've said before this pattern is exactly what you can expect from a TATB pattern, very simple instructions with plenty of photos. Slightly more advanced than the Cleo pattern as you need to fit an invisible zip, bias binding and darts.I did not make any fitting alterations other than rather than using the pattern piece for the bias binding I bought some normal bias binding as the fabric I was using would be too bulky and fraying to make a good binding. I was also quite lim...

This week I bring you the first of my autumn makes and the first of many pinafore dresses I'll be making this season. Originally I found out about this pattern from The Fold Line new pattern release video and I love the way they styled it layered over a black top with velvet platforms and wool tights – perfect for autumn! I always like a dress with pockets! The relaxed fit is great for lounging around indoors, curled up with a nice cup of tea after walking the dog. I’d seen a lot of summer dresses and tops made in beautiful double gauze this summer and so with this pattern I thought it was the perfect match. I chose to make it in this mustard shade to be in keeping with my autumn wardrobe. Pattern Company – Tessuti Fabrics Pattern Name – Felicia Pinafore Dress Size – XS Fabric – Mustard Cotton Double Gauze from Material Girl Laura – Gorgeous fabric absolutely recommend! Lovely texture, washes well and the colour was true to the website. Alterations Once I f...