It’s the beginning of a new month (hello rainy July!) so it’s time for another run down of what I’ve been making. Like many others since the lockdown sparked by Covid-19, I’ve had far more time on my hands to make some of the many things on my sewing list – and no excuses not to make them! I’ve also started learning to crochet and naturally dyeing yarn, so you’ll start to see some more crochet and dyeing posts in the future as I get better at those activities.
Something that had been on my list to make for a while was a shirt. By the time lockdown started, I had two fabrics earmarked for such a project, plus I’d had the pattern for some time. I’ve been trying to complete projects from my list in the order I added them to it, and both shirts were at the top, so I thought it was about time I actually made them. The pattern I used for my shirts was the McCall’s M7575. When you open the pattern up, it says it’s a pattern that can be made in just three hours, and I’m sure more experienced sewists could make the pattern in that time, but not me. The first shirt I made was view B, a standard long sleeve shirt with pockets and it took me a week. Granted, a lot of that time was spent procrastinating so I didn’t have to sew the buttonholes or buttons (this is the project that got me over that fear), but still.
Making my own collared shirts
I’ve liked the idea of using contrasting fabrics for details like collars and cuffs for a while and so I chose to make the collar and cuff in a plain cream. Although it took me quite a while, I’m pleased with the outcome and it’s really comfy to wear – and as a massive plus, it doesn’t gape anywhere. I struggle with a lot of store bought shirts as I’m not exactly busty and so they tend to fall forwards and reveal all if I need to bend over for any reason – but not this shirt! I did sew the side seams of the shirt at 10mm rather than the stated 15mm as I initially thought it might be too tight around me, though by the time I attached the plackets for the buttons and buttonholes I needn’t have worried. The small amount of extra space is nice though, as I can comfortably move around in the shirt without worrying about seams getting stretched and stressed. For this shirt I also used buttons made from Corozo, which is a natural and biodegradable substance made from a particular type of nut from the Ecuadorian rainforests. It’s tough and scratch resistant, plus the method of collecting the raw supplies for making the buttons is completely sustainable, so I’d been looking forward to using Corozo buttons for a while.
Shortly after making the first shirt, I started on the second. This time I made view D, which is a longer shirt (almost long enough to be a dress) with an empire collar and turned up sleeves. I decided that since I wanted my sleeves to be permanently turned up, I’d modify the sleeves and cuffs so that I didn’t have a big roll of wasted fabric sat on my arms. This took up most of my time, as that meant I needed to make the cuffs bigger so they’d sit on my arms properly and shorten the sleeves to the right length. I was tempted to do the same as before and contrast the collar, cuffs and plackets with a plain cotton, but in the end I decided to make it with the fabric I had. This project took just three days to make compared to the week the first one took, so perhaps in future (if I make another) I’ll be able to make a shirt in a day!
I decided to use metal buttons for this shirt, as I already had some I’d bought for a project and not used. I sewed the side seams at the suggested 15mm this time and I’m pleased with the fit of it – like the previous one, it doesn’t gape at all and it’s really comfy to wear. The only thing that bothers me is that it’s not quite long enough to sit on properly, but also not short enough to clear my bum when I sit down, so it does sort of get pushed up and ruffles at the top, which isn’t ideal for wearing when I’m sat down for long periods of time (such as sitting down to a nice meal and a chat with the husband) . Otherwise I’m quite happy with it.
As I mentioned, I started learning to crochet around this time. Trying to start off simple, yet useful, I began with some face scrubbies and a soap saver, both designed by Moara Crochet. Honestly, opening the patterns for the first time, I was struck by just how different crochet patterns are to sewing patterns. Even beginner crochet patterns are full of abbreviations and can be quite complicated to read if you aren’t sure what you’re looking at – yet because a lot of what you’re doing is repeated for many rows, crochet pattern instructions tend to be quite short. Thankfully, Moara Crochet have videos on Youtube for many patterns, in which Roseanna talks you through making the pattern. This made the learning process a lot easier and I really wish more designers would do this – I know it takes a lot of time for them to do, but watching a five or ten minute instructional video takes away hours of mistakes, and therefore frustration! I’d made almost the entire soap saver before I saw the video and realised I’d been doing the stitches completely wrong. It’s disappointing to unravel a project and start again from scratch, but if that had been a sewing project I’d have been heartbroken since there’s no going back when you’ve cut out your fabric.
Learning to Crochet
I’ve found crocheting to be really relaxing – there’ve been times where I’ve gotten frustrated with my sewing machine and so decided to leave it for the day, started a crochet project instead and within 15 minutes I’m much calmer and able to think clearly about my issues with my sewing. There aren’t many hobbies or activities that I do which have this effect on me! There’s so many amazing patterns out there I’m pretty sure I’ve got more crochet projects on my list now than sewing ones… it’s also probably a good thing a few of my friends have kids now, as there’s more than a few patterns for cute toys that I’d like to make.
Once I got the hang of things, I started crocheting my first Amigurumi toy – a Baby Yoda from The Mandalorian. This was a gift for a fellow Star Wars fan and she loves him. This is by far the best pattern design I’ve seen for Baby Yoda and it was really quite fun to see him develop over the couple of days I spent making him. I used a slightly smaller hook than was suggested, as it was one I’d already bought to make the scrubbies and soap saver, so he came out a bit smaller than he perhaps should have done (12mm safety eyes looked absolutely huge on him!) but I’m still pleased with how he looked when I finished.
Back at sewing, I’ve also been making a few bits and pieces of my own design. I’ve been learning to design patterns with Affinity Designer and so early on in lockdown I tried one out – a travel sized purse with card slots. This started off as an adaptation of someone else’s pattern for a much larger purse, but I’ve made so many changes to it now that there’s very little of the original pattern left in it. I don’t think I’ll be selling patterns any time soon, I’m just not qualified enough to make decent ones, though it’s nice to be able to make my own when I just can’t find one which suits what I want to do.
Sewing the purse was a big learning curve – for starters, the original pattern I was adapting from used hard felt and so didn’t include any seam allowances for fabric, so I had to work out how to properly attach the fabric without fraying seams or making them too bulky to run through my sewing machine. It perhaps also made it slightly more difficult as I’d made the purse from a thick cotton canvas, so it wasn’t super easy to work with. I’m pleased with the result, though there’s a lot I know I can improve upon in future and I’m sure I’ll learn even more by sewing some other patterns for bags and purses. I’ve already got a few on my list to make which are by Blue Calla Patterns, so I’m hoping I’ll learn even more from someone who’s experienced in this area of pattern design.
Saying this, I also embarked on designing and making a bag for my sewing machine – something I’ve been wanting to do for some time. I’ve not finished this though, as I’ve gradually found I’ve not wanted to work on it and so ended up procrastinating instead. For now I’ve put it aside and at some point I’ll go back to it, though I don’t want to leave it like I did with the handbag project that I started two years ago and I’ve still not done. I can see the end in sight with it, but there’s a lot of issues I need to fix (and incorporate those fixes into the pattern) and I think that’s why I’ve not wanted to just get it finished. Instead, I made an undercover maker mat by Lillyella Stitchery.
While I know I’m luckier than most people in that I have my own sewing room, I’ve been getting a bit frustrated with keeping it organised. I came across the undercover maker mat and honestly thought it was perfect for what I was looking for. It’s got loads of pockets that are just the right size for tools, plus it can be used as a dust cover when I’m not using my machine – I really hated the original dust cover my machine came with and wanted to get rid of it so badly! I’d bought way more material for lining my sewing machine bag than I actually needed, so I used this to make the mat, with a plain cotton on the back. For the pockets I used scraps of fabric I had, including leftovers from other projects and fat quarters that I hadn’t yet used. I did try and make the butterfly charm block as suggested in the pattern, but as I’ve never quilted before I really struggled with foundation paper piecing and just getting it together properly, so I abandoned the butterfly in favour of showcasing a piece of fabric woven at Quarry Bank – an old industrial mill just outside of Manchester which the National Trust now operate as a working museum. One thing the pattern suggests doing (which I loved the idea of and so had to do) was to make the two smaller front pockets from selvedge edges. This is quite fun, though it didn’t turn out exactly as I’d hoped – if I ever make another mat for any reason, I’d change how I made these pockets as I think I got a bit carried away and didn’t read the instructions properly.
With the excess I still had of the lining material, I also made a lampshade for my sewing room. I’d bought the kit a while back and it had sat on the shelf just waiting for me to open it. I was disappointed when I realised it used PVC, but now that I know I can make things like lampshades, I’ve discovered that there’s quite a few different frames to choose from which don’t require PVC. In order for the kit to be compact, it just had two rings and no connecting struts, which is why it needed the PVC – plus it turned out to be a no-sew kit, so the PVC was sticky backed. In future I’d get a different lampshade base which doesn’t need the PVC, but it still looks good and does the job quite nicely.
This brings us neatly up to my current project. Last year, I went to Peru with my husband and spent an amazing couple of weeks in Cuzco and the Sacred Valley areas. We fell in love with Cuzco as a city, it’s such a nice place to wander and explore – plus it has an incredible history as it was the central city of the Incan empire. Near to Cuzco is the Sacred Valley, which leads to Machu Picchu, and the Sacred Valley is where I first became fascinated with natural dyeing. While in Cuzco, I was determined to bring home some fabric and so I found a few fabric shops in the city. My current project is finally using much of that fabric – I’ve been working on the Tea House Top by Sew House Seven – though the fabric is proving a bit more difficult to work with than I’d bargained for, as it frays so easily! I’m yet to attach the sleeves as I need to get more thread, but I’m really looking forward to wearing this! It’s been a great way to test the pattern and instructions too, as I want to make the dress from the deadstock silk I bought recently. I know I’ve made a couple of minor mistakes with the top, though I’m confident I’ll be able to avoid these when I make the silk dress – I just need to get the confidence together to tackle working with my silk.
I’m now slightly disappointed with myself for not bringing fabric back with me from Sierra Leone when I was there in 2018, as I love how just looking at a piece of clothing made from the fabric brings back memories of the place you got it from. However, I didn’t get back into sewing until after I’d been to Sierra Leone, so it wasn’t something I was looking for while I was there. Perhaps if I ever get the opportunity to go back there, I’ll head to the fabric markets, as one thing I really loved about the country is the vibrancy of colours there – in the landscape as well as in the clothing.
