Planning my makes

 

Above are 4 new velvets. All are stretch and I have plans!

Well I am still not able to sew. But as I mentioned in my last post I have been making plans. I can sort fabrics and patterns and get ready so that is what I have been doing. I have been advised not to spend time bending over a table eg. to cut out fabric for  my next sewing project. Orders from my Physio!

I may have to ask my other half to cut some new dog coats for me because they would be an easy sew and the dogs need them. It would be a nice easy first sewing project for me to get back into the swing of sewing again. Its been weeks now and its really getting to me. I feel like an invalid when I do manage to go out because I need crutches to ensure I stay stable and do not fall.  I feel like an old lady with them. I find it embarrassing. We went out for breakfast yesterday and it was so hard just walking to the restaurant which is upstairs over a shop.  Hopefully not too long to go now and I can be "young" again ( relatively speaking anyway!). 

Anyway, I have been buying fabric for patterns I have been intending to make for in some cases years. Not good for my stash busting which has been going very well for around 2 years now and has seen a serious dent. I found some lovely fabrics when I could do nothing but sit still, so thought I would write about these because there is no sewing going on to speak of. 

Well I had all this time sitting with nothing to occupy me other than knitting which I am slow at due to problems with my hands and Audible. What else could I do but let myself free to plan and that led to buying because in all honesty I cannot currently even get to my stash let alone rummage through to decide what to use and I bet I don't remember half of what is in there!

I have got a skirt I will need to hand-tack to get it to fit. Its an old make but the hand woven wool its made from is lovely as well as warm so I need to get round to fixing it. I made the skirt several sizes too big. I then bodged it but have decided it needs to fit properly and last winter I took it apart to do these adjustments and then never did anything else. Now seems the right time to get this sorted out. Also the cold bit has yet to come here in the UK, and I should be back out and about by then so its good timing to do this because the fabric is 100% hand woven wool. Woven by a small scale crafts-person in Scotland.

So anyway, I have probably enough fabric for the rest of my life if used just for what clothing I actually need, rather than what I want. But my stash is mostly "officey" and I do like some fun bits too. It seems it is mainly the fun bits I use since I make the smart casual work stuff when its needed and not the rest of the time. It just stays stashed until something looks a bit tatty then I replace the tatty item so this "officey" fabric hardly gets used. Not really that surprising I suppose. Though maybe its time to find uses for the officey types of fabrics ( suiting etc) for other items worn outside of work rather than leave it stashed and possibly to be eaten by moths! Or even mice because its in storage. Anything could decide its a nice comfy place to live in lets face it. Its not happened so far fingers crossed, but could. Its the nature of storage spaces. I need to have a look at whats on the high street and see if I can become inspired to use some of the boring grey and black "officey" fabrics I seem to have in huge quantities. 

So this is what I have bought- and there is a lot!

My new fabrics - same photo I am afraid but here in detail:

Well there are the stretch velvets in 4 types. From the top left: sparkly black which is lovely and £2.50 per m. Its available in 4 colours. I have since bought a second piece which is not yet here and is blue. The sparkles don't fall off unlike most of these kind of fabrics I have had before. Good fabric for the price!

Blue/ black at bottom left is a weird irridecent with a black when its dark in one direction and bright electric royal blue in the other so it kind of glitters depending on how the light is. Cost £5.95 per m. Impossible to take photos of well as it turns out. Then top right is a feather print magenta piece which is very fae. Same fabric at bottom right but in red and green. The red green is not a good photo I am afraid. Both are lighter weight, very stretchy velvets which would make good dancewear. 

The glittery blue/black and the black with sparkles are both thicker and heavier with good drape. Better for dresses and leggings, but all 4 pieces are lovely. I think these two will work with patterns for scuba. There is another piece yet to arrive of the sparkly black, but in royal blue instead. That's because I but this sky blue (below) which was wrongly described. Its not at all stretch, but should be according to the website. They will allow a return and apologised about the mis-description, and will even pay the postage for it but I decided to keep it anyway because I just will not buy 5m of anon- stretch velvet. I am sure it will be useful for something! 

I have Burdas back to the late 50s and until the 80s nothing was stretch. So I do not have a clue what I will do with this but even circle skirts like some 50s dresses have is possible. So into the stash! I might even make an ankle length circle skirt or an Edwardian style skirt. And a top. Not yet sure, whereas I do know what I am doing with all the stretch fabrics.

Having said that I saw this jacket in Next. Its a velvet puffa jacket!

Well Velvet! 

Never considered doing that. But there is a similar coat and jacket pattern on the Knipmode website so I may have to buy the Knipmode pattern and make a puffa jacket. It seems for some reason I could not get the photo of this without the caption so you will have to just try and see this regardless I am afraid. 

I actually have enough for a full length circle skirt and a puffa coat or jacket so this is tempting. I am just not convinced my sewing machine will manage to quilt and it will need to do so to make this coat from the blue non-stretch velvet.  It may be something I need to try though because although it would not be waterproof it would be a lovely "going out" winter jacket. I think it could look nice in pale blue velvet as well. I cannot see me wearing the long skirt and jacket together but sets are not usually my thing really and separates would be fine in the same colour anyway. This is definitely a tempting option.

Just for info I also found a free puffa coat pattern on Mood Sewciety but have not yet had a good look at that but it could be a good pattern. When the fabric is this cheap its worth using it to make a wearable muslin because I can still make another one later regardless which pattern I go with. Maybe out of some "officey" fabric from my huge stash.

More fabrics

This on left, is sold as wine sweatshirting and is £2.50/m. Very cheap. I have looked at it for several months and not until now gone for it, but decided to take a risk and buy 2m which is the minimum they sell. Its not shiny as expected and reminds me of the expensive tops in mountain climbing clothing ranges. I have bought another 3m because its so good. I have a couple of Knipmode patterns in mind that originally used scuba but I am not a fan of scuba. Having said that I did find some lovely non-shiny scuba camo a few years ago and love the items I made from it but most scuba seems very shiny and reminds me of old fashioned 70s and 80s leotard fabrics. This sweatshirt fabric should work just as well I think. Also I intend to use it to make this dress that's been on my to-make list for quite a few months. I bought the pattern second hand from the local Oxfam shop for £1 but its uncut. I bought a few and they had hundreds but when I went back they had all sold.  It would be a lovely winter dress for Christmas holiday season if I can get myself sorted out to actually sew. If not then next spring will be just fine.

The ribbed cuffing (the rest of the fabrics in that photo) is a bargain lucky dip for £12.99. Since its full price is £6.99 per m this is well worth buying. 

I never bought any of the Pound Fabrics lucky dip boxes before but I will do again. Especially for things like cuffing. Its all remnants of under 1m but its easily worth more than double the cost and with cuffing you tend not to need much at a time so its a brilliant way to get lots of colours fast for only small cost. Glad I risked this one too. And luckilly I only got decent colours which will be easy to use. Thats what has always put me off this kind of bargain box. The possibility you end up with lots of hated colours you find hard to use. 

Right then plans:

Anyway, my new fabric!!!

All of the following are from Pound Fabrics in case you wanted any and no I do not get anything for letting you know that. Beware of Pound-a-Metre though. I got ripped off by them more than once. The two companies tend to come up together in google searches. 

Black/red wool mix. This is lovely. Slight stretch - good diagonal stretch and £6.50/m. Very nice and I should have bought 3m not 2m. This has been available before so if they restock and I have money I will buy more. I will probably make something that will show both sides so maybe a high low top or skirt? Not yet sure. I bought this one because they had only 4m left and I never got any last time they stocked it. I worked then. This would be fine for officey clothing  but I will use for every day "play clothes" for me. The picture is not very good. Its a black red marl on the darker side and bright red with black flecks on the red side. Nice!

I bought 2m of this stretch lycra printed velvet in pink ( not my usual colour choice because I usually actually avoid pink!) and a single metre of the red and green. 

Its supposed to be feathers. I will use it the opposite way to the grain because I prefer that print. Also against nap makes the colours darker. I though it was very Fae. 

I had this book for my birthday, and its inspired me to think again about "Fae Fashions". I reckon around 1m of this velvet will be a puffball skirt similar to my previous version years ago. If you would like a really easy tutorial on how to make one have a look. Mine has an elastic waist but if you wanted a solid waistband its simply a case of cutting a band to fit you pls a could of inches ( 5cm) for an over lap. Attach both skirt piece and lining and insert a zip. Any skirt pattern will explain this bit so I will not waist time here doing that but the pattern I used can easily be a puffball without the elastic waist. Since I like comfort and Christmas tends to mean expanding waits I might stick with elastic for the proposed new skirt. Anyway, it was so easy to make this and they are back in fashion. They were not in fashion when I made the black one but I always think its a nice thing to have available for when I am in the mood for a puffball. That's actually not very often, but at the time I just fancied seeing if I could make one. I worn it far more than expected since. I do fancy a velvet one and a couple of puffed sleeved velvet tops I think. That's not set in stone but its how I am thinking for this winter. 

For a small person I bought 1m of this. Its french terry and this small person always likes a top I made previously, so I will make him something to match. I only bought 1m but that's enough for maybe a sweatshirt and shorts for a child. Its £9.50/m so not cheap unlike everything else here.

I also bought this red stretch lace. I rarely buy florals and this is very floral but it was £1/m though you have to buy 3m but even then what a bargain. I wish I had had it last summer but I am sure I will find a use for this.

I got 2m of this stretch camo. Its not the best quality, but will be good for a top or to line a jacket when they need a stretch lining - or maybe as a puffball? That's a thought indeed!

Maybe puffball skirts are the order of the day for me this winter. They are warm after all, with double layers and all that gathered fabric. 

Ah, and I bought a few metres of each of these cotton wovens. 

They do not surprisingly come up under camo but you must instead look for super strike! 

They are admittedly not exactly camo but so very similar. They are £1.50/m and are a real bargain in my opinion despite I have tonnes of camo fabrics already. I was already intending to spend this winter using my other cotton camo ( woven) fabric so these can join the pile. Other than using the new stretch velvets above, I intend to be making clothing for next summer over this winter, so hopefully I will dent the rather large pile of camo type fabrics I have collected over the last few years. 

It would be nice to get the velvets sewn for Christmas though, but as I said I currently don't know when I am going to be up to this. It all takes far longer than you expect when you have an op to recover from it seems.

I also bought this cotton fabric called The Haunting. Its probably meant for Halloween but I intend to just make a summer dress or something from it. I have yet to decide but I reckon it kind of goes with my camo pile of fabric so this is now waiting to be washed and will then go one the camo cottons pile I think and become summer clothing for next year.

My biggest investment partly because of the space storing them will take is this heavy weight boucle. 

In three colours so I have the blue, green ( which looks grey int he picture but is khaki green in daylight so very wearable) and white and have enough for the Burda coat I have been wanting to make for years - since it was released in 12/2015.

 I am not so sure this will actually happen this year though, because as explained I already have a very long "to make" list and I also suspect this should be started after New Year with the knowledge I do not want to rush it and make a mess and I want to make a good job of this so its best left a bit I think. I already decided I intend to add the scarf collar from the Burda Easy jacket. 

I do not like the basic round neck but a scarf will be good so I bought extra to accommodate this. I have 4m of the white. That's another fabric in fact I would not normally buy. I rarely wear white and never in faux fur. But I love the cover photo of this coat and I have stopped working at least for the moment so best I make the most of that. I can't really see me not ever going back to work but for now I am free. Or I would be if I could get myself back in working ( and walking) order. It will come. What I really need to find and buy is some quilted cheap fabric to line this with to make it super warm.

Other items I intend to make from the blue and green boucles are the skirts ( possibly) like these and the  gillet top like this one. These are all from the same Burda Easy magazine A/W 5/2015

Other than these which are all my new fabrics, I intend to finish my long overdue denim jeans, make a RTW copy of a denim dress I nearly bought last spring but tried on 2 sizes. One was too big and the other too tight but I took down lots of detail so I should be able to recreate the dress to actually fit me.

And yes that big pile of camo fabric will be considerably diminished it I do as I intend so next summer will be a camo summer for me. That's the plan anyway.

I also have only my two dry robes left to show you and a pair of leggings. I have otherwise run out of not yet blogged about makes! Or the ones worth mentioning anyway. And that's unusual because I make far more than I blog about. I really want to show you these though because they worked very well, cost very little and pretty much anyone can make these even with minimal sewing experience so I will get round to getting photos of them in the next week or so if at all possible. And the cost of buying a dry robe is extortionate! 

I think other than that my current makes so far in the last month has been all knitting. I  still have a sock ongoing as well as a jumper and will probably start a child's jumper soon too. I like several items with different needle sizes going on at once. I relieves the pain of my stupid arthritic fingers to change needle sizes which is why I do this. Also it stops the boredom when you for example finish the first sock. If I take a day or so off I then want to carry on and do the second sock it seems. Just me.

Have a great week and thanks for popping by,

Take care

Bracken