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 ...

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! 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! 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...

Hello Sewers! It's been a little while since I've been able to post any news makes due to redecorating our home and having a manic time at the day job lately! It's Christmas time now though and that means plenty of time to sit at my machine and get making! So today I am bringing you a review of the Seamwork Dani Pinafore . I am a member of Seamwork so I got this with my credits but you can purchase it without being a member. I made this dress in a very chunky navy corduroy I bought on a visit to Goldhawk Road. I deliberately waited until autumn to make my trek there as I knew they would have a good choice of corduroy then and it's my favourite fabric. The pattern is fully lined and so I used a simple matching navy polyester for that. The pattern itself is a PDF which I am not 100% keen on as I find it difficult to get the pattern pieces to all match up perfectly but none the less I managed it. The instructions were relatively simple to follow, I did get  b...

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! 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 ...