Girl Can Sew

  This week I’m breezing in in my latest make, it’s the Pauline Alice – Coeli Blouse made in a light cotton voile from Minerva Crafts . Perhaps a little early in the year to be wearing such a billowy top but I’ve been waiting to make this since it came out and perhaps by wearing it I will beckon in more spring-like weather? If anyone could see the contents of my wardrobe they’d see that I am quite the sucker for a white shirt. They’re just so easy to wear, it can be smart, it can be casual, but either way, it’s effortlessly cool. There are some very pretty details to this specific blouse which I am particularly fond of such as the oversized sleeves, mandarin collar, and the cute little ties to close the back, not to mention the pleats! The fit is perfect but that’s not difficult to achieve as it’s not a fitted silhouette. It took a little longer to make than other shirts I’ve made due to the extra details: pleats, gathering, French seams, and button loops as opposed to buttonhol...

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...

Hi Everyone! Today I bring you my seasonal review! I started this blog mid-way through Spring/Summer and so not all my makes have been written up and so I thought it would be interesting to have them all in one place and see what they look like all together. I have recently been working through the Seamwork Build My Wardrobe tasks and designing my own look book for Autumn/Winter so I am concerned with creating an overall cohesive look to carry through for the whole season. Looking at my makes from this past season I can see some key themes coming through. This is most likely down to that fact that I am highly inspired by the highstreet and what is currently on trend. Key themes this season: Frills Dresses Button closures       My makes this season do not have very much cohesion which is the result of not planning my makes ahead of time and making whatever took my fancy in the moment. Now that I am working through the Seamwork Build My Wardrobe tasks I think ...