Sewing with Handprint Fabric (and Trouser Update)

I just thought I would show you what I have made with my first piece of block printing. You can read more about the printing process here.

Despite Andy, the teacher's, adversion/phobia to mushrooms, I still am glad with this choice. I used the tutorial on the link below to make a large pencil case. It is for my daughter to store some of her sewing tools, so is on its way to London. You can't see from the photo, but it has a dark denim back, blue cotton lining and red zip. The tutorial was really helpful, showing how to insert a zip neatly in a case with a lining. 

Youtube Sewing A Sewing Life 

Last Friday we went to a local primary school, helped with some blockprinting workshops. The children worked together to make banners, with insects, leaves and flowers, which hopefully I will show you. Fun beng back in a school. Now we have the rest of the course to complete our own banners for the school. Not very happy with mine, but there is still a bit of time left to work on it.

My daughter is now at her second internship in London. With the first company, Nicholas Daley, she went to the British Fashion Awards at the Albert Hall, and wore the denim trousers I made her last summer. We laughed a lot that her "intern trousers" made it to the big time. She did say that apart from her boss Nicholas Daley they were all quite underdressed, but somewhere there is a photo of the group of colleagues on the red carpet. I would so like to see that photo. She had such a good time with Nicholas Daley, learning a lot and being given a lot of responsibility. I think she fell on her feet here, so am hoping the next internship will be just as good.

Tartan Dressing Gown

Busy sewing a dressing gown again. It does seem that this is the only thing that I sew, but it does mean I have had very good value from this pattern.

 

But this time the pressure was on, as my daughter asked me to make a dressing gown for her friend, as a birthday gift. Both girls are studying fashion at Brighton, so I felt that I should do my best job. 

Actually having said that, with sewing I always try to do my best with each part, however long that takes, as in the end you have a better finished garment. It is one of the two things that worry me with "The Sewing Bee". Firstly have they neatened their seams? And secondly the thought of sewing with a time pressure would be horrendous. It will take as long as it takes. But anyway for this version I did most of the seams as French seams, handmade the binding, as well as a handsewing the hem. Oh dear, I do sound grumpy.

Here is me doing a part way try on, and below is the birthday girl in the finished garment. She looks happy!

Forgot to say that I bought the brushed cotton online from Dalston Mill, as I couldn't find the right thing locally, and was very pleased with it.

Modern Knitting Illustrated and A Little Trip to Brighton

Last weekend I went on a little trip to Brighton with my daughter. She is going to study fashion and business studies there next year. On the first day we mooched around the town, sat on the beach, went and looked at the halls of residence on her short list (imagining what it would be like to live in each one), went to see the graduates show from this year (very impressive), and tried to soak up the atmosphere. 

 

I think it was well worth doing, as she is even more excited than before about starting her course. She has now heard she has a place in the halls she was hoping for, and also I will be able to picture her there.

On the second day we decided to go to a boot fair near Brighton Marina. I was really pleased with my £1 purchase, of Modern Knitting Illustrated by Jane Koster and Margaret Murray.

 

 

Published in 1948 this little unassuming little book contains over 60 knitting and crochet patterns, and although I doubt I will make anything from it, as most are 3ply or even 2ply, I have got a lot of pleasure looking at the patterns.

Apart from the design I also find some of the captions amusing. The girls in the pictures above and below are described as "smart girls". I'm not sure if this means they look smart, or that they are smart for making their own clothes.

This opera top "looked pretty enough to add to a trousseau".

 

This scarf and glove set reminded me of my Dad, who always wore a trilby hat until he retired, when he moved on to a flat cap. The caption says "the gay colour scheme would please most men".

 

And this hat and glove set remined me of Celia Johnson in Brief Encounter.

 

Just a few pictures from the many in this book. 

 

I didn't take many photos (as I have been told that my constant photography can be a bit annoying!), but here is a friendly herring gull from the beach, and we did a little detour to see The Long Man of Wilmington. The two little figures in the foreground show the size of this figure carved in the chalk downs.

 

Granny Chic (and Crochet Technique)

 

I have been busy making some granny squares, as my daughter has asked me to make her a top. She sent me this photo, to give me a bit of an idea of what she was thinking, and at the moment I am just working on lots and lots of squares.

 

We have a joke that her style is granny chic. We both enjoy a charity shop or boot fair, and recently she seems to go for clothes that we both call granny. (Beige jackets, embroidered cardigans, you know the sort of thing. (I hope this doesn't sound like I am being rude, as I am old enough to be a granny, although will nover be a chic one.) At first I would try to put her off, but somehow she seems to be able to put these clothes together in such a way that it turns into "granny chic". It makes me a bit sad that my mum is not still alive, as I think they would have a great time comparing their Edinburgh Woollen Mill tops, and sensible rainwear.

So if the granny square top works out, this will just be part of the granny chic look ...  I will keep you updated.

I do occasionally crochet, but really I am a knitting gal. Part of the problem is I don't crochet enough, so every time I decide to have a go, I have to get my books out and reteach myself the basics. The other problems are I can't follow a diagram pattern, and I am really, really slow. 

But this time I decided to use Youtube to remind myself how to make a granny square. Here is a link to the tutorial I used. It was really good, but what I realised on the first run through was that I was crochetting as a knitter - wrapping the wool around the hook, instead of hooking it. Kept having to pause the tutorial, as I was probably going at less that half the speed. I don't think I had realised this from following instructions in books, so am a real convert to the youtube tutorial, and am trying to work on my technique. When this top is done I may try and branch out to another sort of block. If you can suggest any for a learning novice I would really appreciate it.

I wonder if someone who regularly does crochet, knits in a different way. Hmm ...

 

Bridesmaid Dress

I made this post a few weeks ago, and some how forgot to post it. We have all gone a bit wedding mad here in the UK, so it seems like the right time.

I read a very interesting post on Sum of Their Stoires, about sewing with vintage patterns. One of the patterns looked familiar to me, so I had a look through the old patterns I have in my sewing box. I was mistaken, as it was not quite the same pattern, but clearly from the same series. 

And since my sister and I have been sorting through the family photos, I thought you might like to see me in the bridesmaid dress. I was bridesmaid for my cousin. I also still have the dress hung up in a wardrobe, and my daughter wore it for a while when she was the right size. 

I think I might be giving away the fact that I am a bit of a hoarder!

Just a reminder that my Ginx Woolly Linx party for May is still running. Click on the photo above or at the top of the page to find the party. I would love to see what you have been working on this month.

A Stitch in Time - Part One

Did anyone else watch a wonderful series on BBC4 called "A Stitch in Time". I accidentally found this programme, but then got completely hooked. Each episode picked a piece of historical art, and then recreated the clothes using the original materials and techniques. 

It was presented by the rather fascinating Amber Butchart - British fashion historian (well there is a career that passed me by, but I wish I had known about). She usually wears an elegant turban, or velveteen knickerbockers, and after guiding us through the art and the process of recreating the garment, the lucky duck gets to model the clothing at the end. So as well as all the technical sewing bits, she also tell us what it feels like to wear the garments.

So I was very excited when I found out that the six costumes were on view at Ham House, a National Trust property which is just up the road from where I live. I had a lovely morning visiting, and being able to closely look at the garments. I'm going to show my pictures in two posts, as I think there is a lot to take in.

Charles II  was credited with introducing the three-piece suit. The painting show him being presented with a pineapple by his gardener, John Rose. His outfit looks relatively simple but involves an extraordinary amount of fiddly hand-stitching – his jacket has more than 100 buttonholes, complicated pleating and yards of decoratively looped silk ribbons.

In the second episode she looks at Dutch painter Jan van Eyck's Arnolfini Portrait. The bulky, fur-trimmed wool dress is a brilliant green. The programme looks at the interesting process of weaving and dying the fabric. 

The starting point for this garment was a rare portrait of a working man, wearing a jacket probably second or third hand. The programme looks at working with leather. When the jacket is recreated and in pristine condition, it is clear that it started off as an incredibly elegant garment.

The series doesn't seem to be available any more on BBCiplayer though you can still see some interesting clips. I do hope they repeat it, perhaps on a main stream channel. The team who recreate the outfits are led by Ninya Mikhaila, and use only traditional methods. In their workshop is probably where I would like to be. 

There are so many people who love fashion, sewing, art and history. I am sure there would be the scope for another series. 

I will show the other three garments in another post in a few days. 

My daughter has shown me how to use Layout to arrange my photos. Never too old to learn. Expect all sorts of fancy arrangement in the future.

Just a reminder that you can still to join in my Ginx Woolly Linx party for April. Click on the photo above or at the top of the page to find the party. I would love to see what you have been working on this month.

"I Could Make You One of Those ..."

So many times when I am out shopping with my daughter we see something nice, and I hear myself saying "Yes, but I could make you one of those ....". 

OK, so most of the time I don't actually get round to the making, but I found myself saying this when she wanted one of the kimono style robe/jackets that have been all over the shops this year.
  

The thing that often puts me off sewing is that I know that by the time I have bought pattern, thread, material etc. it would really be cheaper just to buy the garment. But for this simple garment I thought I could make my own pattern. So out my old copy of Winifred Aldrich Metric Pattern Cutting, the bible for pattern cutting, and I had a go at blocking out the pattern properly. I used the basic bodice block, which is then adapted into a basic kimono block. It is quite a while since I have done this, but so long as you take careful measurement and follow the instructions step by step it is not too difficult.

 
The material was from Fabricland. It was very fine, which was quite tricky to sew and cut as it was quite slippery. I couldn't save time by just pinning, but had to tack all the seams. I used French seams, which is great as all the raw edges are safely sealed away. It turned out so well, and I now have a pattern, so I may have a go at another version of this kimono. Or even make one for myself.

Here are a few more photos of my daughter wearing the kimono in Bruges, where we had a short break last week. A beautiful city - which has museums of chocolate, beer and chips. Something for everyone.

... and with slightly more camera shy big brother.

Knitted 1930s Swinsuit

At half term we went into London to visit the V&A. It is a huge museum, but you might have been able to predict that we started in fashion. Then for no real reason we wandered into the Japanese section, followed by ironwork, jewellery and then up to the top where there was an interactive room where we were the only visitors. There we tried on a crinoline, squeeze into a corset, and built our own version of Crystal Place. There was so much to see that it warrants some more visits. 

So rather than swamp you with photos I will just show you my favourite item. This is also to make up for the lack of knitwear on my blog recently. 

This knitted swinsuit must have been the height of fashion in the 1930s. It was made by Neyret, a French designer, and bought in Galeries Lafayette in Regent Street, London. It is really cleverly constructed, and in the reflection you can see the stylish navy side stripe.  I love it. Eat your heart out Madonna.

1940s Fashion - New Look Jacket

This is my second post on 1940s fashion. Previously, after my visit to the Imperial War Museum, I wrote a little about the utility fashion of the war years. But in 1947 Christian Dior came out with "The New Look". Although jackets still had the slightly military look, and a nipped in waist, The New Look was more romantic. They often had a peplum, to give a really feminine shape. There was a move away from the austerity and fabric rationing of the war years.

I am really using this as an excuse to show you a jacket I made as part of my City and Guild Fashion course, which I did as an evening course quite a few years ago. It skulks at the back of my wardrobe, as I never seem to have an occasion that is quite right to wear it.

Forgive the terrible photos. I forgot to brush my hair, and that my bottom half was in jeans. My eye is also immediately drawn to all the faults in the jacket, but I guess as I made this jacket two babies and a lot of years ago, it is not too bad. I had a second attempt at photos, but they turned out even worse. At least the garden looks nice in the background. What a contradiction - although I love fashion and clothes, I am also naturally quite scruffy, and would probably wear jeans all week if it were not that they aren't allowed in my job.  Also this is almost the most I have ever shown of myself on my blog. I am a shy blogger, which is also a bit of a contradiction. 

As well as designing and making the pattern from your own block, you had to have a theme and incorporate techniques. (I had a thoroughly good time, learned a huge amount, and met some lovely people. I also ended up with a collection of rather unusual clothes.) 

Sketches where I was working out my design ideas for the jacket

My theme for the jacket was 1940s "The New Look", but with a twist. The twist was that I used a zip as the front fastening of my jacket. Although zips were used in clothing in the 1940s, they tended to be used concealed in the side of the garment, and it would have been more usual to have buttons at the front. 

Drawings of the jacket

The jacket is made up of panels, which was also a feature of the 1940s war years, when large pieces of fabric might not have been available. The black pieces are made of a suedette fabric, and I was really pleased with how the handmade piping between the sections and around the edge of the collar turned out. Though probably the best bit, which you can't really see, is the lining. I hadn't lined a jacket before and probably won't ever again!

Here are some links to other garments that I made on this course: African Skirt, and Shepherdess Smocked Blouse. There is one more that I will show you in the future probably when I am a bit short of knitting news. Although I have been knitting this week, most are Christmas gifts, and I don't want to spoil the surprise.

1940s Fashion - Make-Do and Mend

I have just spent some of the morning at the Imperial War Museum in London. My son is going to monthly mathematics classes nearby, so my daughter and I had some time to kill. We decided to concentrate on just one small part of the museum, which was based on a real family of 10 children, their home and their experiences in World War II. We found it fascinating, partly because the family eventually moved out from central to London to the part where we live.

Clothes during World War II were typically utility clothes. They featured squared shoulders, narrow hips, and skirts that ended just below the knee. Tailored suits were the dominant form of utility fashion. Material was in short supply, and women were encouraged to make-do and mend. 

You are probably not surprised that when we got to the museum shop I was drawn to these postcards reproducing wartime propaganda posters. I am very much drawn to this idea, or as we would call it recycling, so am going to put the postcards up in my sewing room.

Women were also encouraged to knit socks for the troops. 

In a corner of one of the display cases was this sweet little needlecase, which I photographed because I thought it might be fun to try to reproduce it.

If you keep watching my blog, there will be a second part to this post on 1940s fashion.

Lady Gaga - Tiny Icon

After Little One said my Cherry Fairies reminded her of Lady Gaga, it put in my mind to have a go at making the lady herself. I have had great fun with her. Her phone hat is sewn in place.

I have thought of a few other fashion or pop icons that I might have a go at making. If you have any suggestions for other Tiny Icons I would welcome them. Some ideas I have had are: Marilyn, Madonna, or Audrey. As you can see I am not very up-to-date. Lady Gaga is heading off to Etsy.

I have made her a little velvet bag to live in, with her name hand embroidered. I thought the deep burgundy suited her. I am going to put a tutorial on shortly on how to make these simple little bags. I've only made tiny ones for my toys, but guess larger bags could be useful for all sorts of things.