Camo Skulls softshell jacket

 

I bought this fabric in the summer from Rock Star fabrics because despite them selling by the half a metre is worked out far cheaper than Ebay for the same fabric. Good thing too because I ended up buying 3m for the Ebay 2m price and I needed it because I cocked up on the right front and had to remake it. 

I sewed the pocket on slightly lower on the rights side but the stitching, when unpicked marks the fabric, so I realy did not want to wear it like that, so I ended up unpicking the entire side including the shoulder seams and resewing a new section. It was worth the effort though.

The pattern is Burda Style 139; 12/2012. Its meant to have exposed seams and be made in fully loden wool fabric. I am not actually sure what fully loden is but I think probably that heavy wool thats almost felted used for making winter coats. This though has normal seams and is softshell. I added two facings behind the zip and an extra facing all round the bottom to close the hem. 

 

Then hand sewed at intervals to keep the extra hem facing attached all the way round, Since its a princess line there are lots of inner seams to attach to. I also omitted the CB seam since could not see the point with this fabric and its a straight seam. Having it would ahve helped with keeping in place my hem facing but I did not yet kow I was using the hem facing because this was the first time making this and to be honest converting from exposed seams to normal was surprisingly hard to do. I very much made it up as I went along meaning this has taken me over two months of sewing to get it done with lots of thinking in between sewing.

The zip facings were then sewed so the hem facing covers them. This is wrong. It means they do not fold properly but so far I have not alterered this. They should have been sewed on top with the setup I have here.  I may not bother altering though but will remember next time I make this jacket. I suspect I will remake this one because its a great jacket so far.

I deliberately left the selvedges attached to the hem because it names the fabric. Not sure this was actually a good idea or not but it does give the jacket a RTW feel. Do I actually want that? Not sure.

 

The colour blocked leggings were made in 2019 and are from the reverse of that wrinkly crepe scuba. They are very warm in winter and much better than normal exercise fabric at this time of year. 

UPDATE: May 21: I added a pull cord round the hood:

 

I have recently updated this by adding an extra piece of fabric to make a channel because it had no pullcord round the hood on the jacket and kept falling off when its windy - which it seems to be lots when your hood falls off. It has small grenade shaped stoppers. The pull cord is currently a second hand (washed though) shoe lace but I am going to source something better. It works for now.

Hope you have a Happy New Year

Take care and have a safe and happy 2021

Bracken

Brocade shopping bags and a gift bag

These are not really the most interesting thing to make but these are very useful and very stash busting for those small bits of brocade and velvet I really cannot find a better use for. And all my current bought bags are wearing out and I do not want to contribute to planet damaging plastic even if its meant to be longer lasting than the thin bags that you rarely see these days. I do not though think the heavier plastic shopping bags are really any better!

 

I only made 3 bags so far:

 

One in blue bocade - this is actually the reverse of the fabric but more inca type and more wearable I think than the pale right side would have been.

Two are made of this christmas tree like brocade which I have hung onto for years but never found a  use for - until now anyway

 

Because I was lacking in some tree fabric but had spare of the blue I went for one bag with contrast handles. I suppose that makes it look a bit more home made but I generally do not care a jot for what people think anyway so whatever. Thats just the way I made it. It works for me.

All three are very strong shopping bags with very reinforced over and over stitched handles and have so far stood up to carrying heavy cans and bottles, bags of sugar and flour etc for several months of shopping on a regualr basis. They have overlocked insides with a strong line of straight stitchig as well and are all unlined because I could not see the point of lining a shopping bag.

Its definitely a great way to delete a bit of stashed material!

 I have also made a very similar but lined bag for my Mum. I was looking for a Christmas gift pack but they all seem to have small sized cosmetics rather than the normal size and this is such a rip off because they cost just as much.

I wanted to get her some cosmetics she could actually use and that will fit her life rather than a pre-made gift pack where she will not want half ( in some cases) of what is in it.

 

So the obvious choice buy what she will actually want and make a separate bag for the gifts to be given in.

 I actually made this in October and took the photos then but decided because of this being a  present I cannot blog about this till after Christmas just in case my Mum decides to read the blog. She does know I blog, but I have no idea if she is a visitor so best not to risk it. 

Then comes Christmas and I am wrapping everything and it just doesn't seem very Christmasey - this bag that is - so I decide to wrap everything inside separately and put it back inside the bag then wrap the whole lot up afterwards. So kind of pass the parcel I suppose. 

This then is for my Mum. It will work as a proper small shopping bag and will also be a bag to hold her presents. Its not perhaps as well made as it could be, because maybe the straps should have been included in the lining and they are stuck on afterwards but I am not unhappy with the end result and the satin used as lining is a bit weak so I dare not unpick if possible to get away with not unpicking it. Hence they are stuck on afterwards. The bag is strong though and should work for shopping or short trips and my Mum does love bags. 

Outside is regular strong curtain brocade and the inside is a nice dress weight satin or maybe lining satin. I am not too sure. I love the bright turquoise though!

Hopefully my Mum will also love this and find it practical as well. She seemed very happy with her present anyway.

Bracken

Black Mesh tops x 3

 I love mesh tops. It has nothing to do with current fashion either. I have worn them since I was about 17 when I got my first mesh t-shirt in the 1980s. 

These are all made form very ( relatively anyway) cheap fabric from one of the online fabric pound shops. I reviewed the shops a while back when I made my tiger stripe mesh top. The problem with these three tops is on the photos you cannot really see them so I deided to post about all 3 at once. It took a few weeks to make these due to time constrictions since I now work full time again, but they are really very similar. 

They are all self drafted similar to the navy top I made years ago now. I have made lots of versions of that navy top and found another piece of the navy mesh fabric in my stash which is brilliant because the three navy and one white top I made are very tatty now so I can make some replacements and actually throw a few items out ( whilst replacing with the same number of new ones I expect!). I seem to hoard clothing I make in a  similar way to the fabric I stash. These 3 tops, all though, have the boat neck from the pattern Butterick 5562 rather than my straight across neck in the original versions.

Anyway the most expensive of these is made from powermesh from ebay. That cost me £6.99 for one metre. 

This one is the most drapey fabric and is very stretchy - being made form powermesh.

 

Its also the most boring but wearable of the three tops.

Then the circle top is my second one is from pound-a metre.co.uk. Its not as stretchy and is prone to go into ladders when overlocking if you pull the fabric which usually on hems on this kind of mesh I would do, because I like a slightly wavy edge, but not the rolled edge you can do, because I want an overlocked punk look. Its sold as glitter circles but I reckon most of the glitter must have dropped off which is probably why its only £1 a metre. I only bought a metre and have enough left to maybe make a pair of knickers which could be nice.

This is much lighter weight and less drapey. BUT very evening wear.

Sadly there will not be any New Years Eve Parties this year because it would be ideal. Never mind it may still be around for the festivals next summer. If we get over Corona virus by then.

Top number three is lovely. It hard to see here though.

Its actually my favourite and is a shiny, glitter glossy mesh that has very good stretch but is not as heavy as the powermesh and is also quite drapey but again less than the powermesh. Its just perfect for a disco look. 

 

I will try and get some more photos of this because its really hard to capture in daylight but may work better on camera under electric lighting.

 

I will be wearing this over Christmas.

Its the perfect: punk, glamourous slobbing top, for wearing with velvet track pants, over a dress or under a slip dress  or over a small vest like I wore here. 

 

Take care and have a lovely Christmas 2020. 

Bracken

Sequined RP Laura dress

 

I have to be honest when I saw the line drawings for the Laura dress I was unimpressed. I thought it was not worth the fabric or effort to make this. There was no challenge, it being such a simple design. Then I saw it on people and it was a lovely simple and very wearable summer dress. I did not need another summer dress this year though because I had already made several by the time the Laura came out. 

Onwards a few months and its Christmas. Yes we cannot go out really but its still party season and when else do I get to wear sequins?

 I really want to finally get round to using this fabric. It comes out of my stash every year but I never find what to make. My initial reaction to needing a pattern was to go to Burda. I am very lucky in owning Burdas right back to 1968 and I have a good selection through to the present. I reckon about 200 copies. So you can imagine I have lots of different choices of patterns. But the problem is I really want to use something thats a simple design with no darts. Burda are generally either sack dresses or very constructed. That makes working with sequins, especially the old fashioned chain mail type, very difficult.

This fabric was an Ebay bargain around 5 years ago. I got 7m for £2.50 and I even picked up from the seller so never paid any delivery charges. Its proper old fashioned mesh backed fabric with real metal sequins. In fact I suspect I now need a new pair of cutting out sissors because this is hard to cut.

Then I remembered the Laura and I have  a credit still to spend with Rebecca Page patterns so I buy the pattern. Thats was about a week before Christmas. I printed the pattern last weekend. But I was tired after work every day this week and that was as far as I got.

Roll forward a few days and I have my fabric ready and sorted from my stash and its December 23rd. After work I put the pattern together. I cut my fabric.

I made a slight mistake and cut with the nap going sideways not down or up. I was in a  mad hurry to make this due to lack of time and I cannot sew at all over Christmas. My sewing table is the dining table so from Christmas Eve lunchtime there was no sewing allowed or even possible in my home and so it will stay for around a week.

 

Late 23rd and I am sewing this up. I lined with a rather horrible shade of coral scuba that is another Ebay bargain ( 99p for 6m) has also been hanging around for years and has made a few prototypes/ muslins but I don't like this colour at all so its fair game for this and happens to be easy to find because I sorted the sequins from the stash but never though till I was cutting about the lining and by then its pretty late already. I really cannot handle sorting through my stash looking for a possible lining fabric. So coral cheap scuba it is. It will also make the dress warmer for this time of year.

I am wearing it right now its its nice and warm despite the short sleeved design.

I start sewing and the instructions are as good and easy to follow as usual - I do like this about RP patterns. They instructions are usualy really good and I have started to use them for other patterns ( eg Burda) when the design is similar. 

 Unfortunately thought the Laura is not originaly lined so I need to work this bit out for myself. You sew the back vent first then the rest. I think thats probably the key - starting with the vent. I did the sequins as the pattern directions using my normal sewing machine. I considered pockets and even cut them out but it was by then really late and I have to work Christmas Eve so I need to get this done now. I cannot think properly due to tiredness by now let alone work out pockets and linings. I use the overlocker for my scuba lining but I did not do the back vent yet on the lining. I left it open.

 Put both bits together and sew the scuba to the sequins at the back vent. Then how to do the rest? 

I am not good at linings. Start sewing it all together flip it and Oh dear but my sequins are on the inside facing the lining. I have done the burrito method before but cannot remember. I do not have time to watch Youtube and work out how. I am tired and need to stop but if I do there is going to be no dress to wear this Christmas. Well I have lots so there will be something I can wear but not this one.

I unpick my neck and sleeves hems. I put it all together again and decide to just sew to the dress and tuck it all in together because you cannot see the stitching anyway.

 

 I use the stretch neck facing from the pattern but add to the inside and sew it down because I do not want it seen on the outside. It would ruin the look.

Finally the hem which I flipped over twice on top of the scuba layer to make everything neat - making this a bit shorter than I think probably it should be. Though I am taller than the person the RP patterns are based on. I usually add a couple of inches to a patterna dn forgot. The hip shaping is slightly high I think but still its a lovely comfortable unresticting dress.

And so here is my lovely lined sequined Laura dress.

I love the "tails" at the back. I will be making a few more of these come next summer.

I probably should have lengthened though. I usually do lengthen RP patterns but I do not mind this short and its really good. It will work very well with leggings too. I am so happy despite the sequin directions error. I actually can see me wearing this lots too not just for Christmas. I have a thing about grey marl - like sweatshirting - mixed with sequins and trainers. This will work well with a tshirt under it so that will be  a great look for January and I think surprisingly warm as well due to the scuba layer.

Happy Christmas!

Bracken

Blue Leopardskin print cotton T shirt top

This is my second recent version of a top I made ages ago. Its a T shirt shaped top with cut on sleeves and is an ideal way I feel to use up nice but relatively small scraps of woven fabrics.  I made a cartoon print version of this a few weeks ago and its very wearable so I decide to make another. Its a quick way to get a new top I can wear for work. Its self drafted really by just cutting around my previously sefl drafted top but like the cartoon print version it has shoulder seams which the old yellow top doesn't.

I had a few issues with the neck. I originally just tried to overlock the edge and turn it over. It just looked rubbish to then I unpicked the edge and restitched very carefully having pinned first which I did not do the first time. 

But it left a mark.

Then I was trying to decide how to hide this because otherwise I think this will be a nice wearable basic top.

The answer is my usual quick fix when things like this go wrong. Cover it with ribbon or lace and in this green ribbon. 

I have seen this kind of radomly sewn on ribbon edge decoration in several high end high street shops so I tried a random sewn edge and it works I think.

I also added a ribbin edge to finish the sleeves so it all ties in together.

I have used this fabric previously. Its Ikea cotton fabric which I bought many years ago now and its has just sat taking up room in my stash for ages. I have made a dress from this a long time ago now. I still have the dress. 

  

I also used it to line my hospital bag for my hip replacement.

I still have quite a bit left. I am thinking summer trousers maybe? I really could do with using this one up soon because its a nice wearable fabric but has been hanging around oin my stash for far too many years.

So once more here is my top. I really should iron before getting photos taken but I just wore this that day and it was a weekend so I did nto really care. I haet ironing and actually quite like clothig that does not have an over pressed look. Its just too formal and worklike for my taste.

I can see this one being a favourite.

Take care

Bracken