New Sewing Pattern – the Elliot Sweater & Tee by Helen’s Closet – tester make and finalised versions!

.Reading time 6 minutes.

There’s a new sewing pattern launching today – you’ve probably seen – the Elliot Sweater & Tee from Helen’s Closet. I jumped at the chance to test this pattern for Helen; as again it has all the hallmarks of a closet staple; warm but not too warm – perfect as a layering piece for the transition into the colder months.

The raglan sleeved Elliot comes in three views; View A which I’ve made, features a high neck and has a high-low hem which frankly I love; it means I can pair it with leggings without feeling I’m revealing too much backside! That side slit also makes sticking your hands in your pockets easier and provides forgiveness around the hip. View B is somewhat cropped (great for high waisted bottoms) and View C is your everyday comfort tee. There’s 20% off during the launch week too! Read More

Sewing your Sunday Best … and Blogging about it on a Monday! (The Sunday Dress by Pattern & Cloth)

.Reading time 11 minutes.

Hello! Having been quiet here for a wee while (too busy sewing!) I’ve now got a double-whammy of posts coming up in quick succession (haha clearly I blog as I live!); there’s a new sewing pattern launching later today I was really happy to be part of the tester group for; I’ll post on that next but, for now, I want to share the 5 dresses I’ve recently sewn using the Sunday Dress pattern from indie designer Pattern & Cloth. Read More

Getting Crafty Again! Sewing a Machine Cover for my Serger / Overlocker…

.Reading time 3 minutes.

Ah finally the six weeks of bedlam and mayhem that constitutes the summer holidays are over! The minute the children were shooed on their way back to school, I took a sweeping look at the devastation left in their wake and took to frenzidly cleaning, tidying and organising the house. And, of course, once that was sorted, my attention turned to my sewing space!

It’s not that long ago I assembled my ‘bijou’ sewing area – the beginning of the year in fact. But, like my middle-aged waistline, the area has continued to expand! It seems I’d consoled myself with having my sewing time curtailed during the school break with planning; buying a shedload of fabric and patterns, as well as a number of new sewing tools.

So my sewing space got a bit of a makeover too! And as part of that I decided to get crafty and sew myself a new machine cover for my serger, using the free downloadable pattern from Closet Case Files. Read More

The Surprise Hit of the Summer! The Rosetta Dress by Pattern & Cloth

.Reading time 4 minutes.

I’ve sewn quite a few things for my daughter over the years, including a fair amount of ‘fancy’ dresses. They’ve all had some love but nothing, I repeat, nothing like the amount of love my daughter has for this dress pattern; the ‘Rosetta Dress’ by children’s designer Pattern & Cloth. It’s been the undoubted hit of the summer, the first being worn so often that I just had to make a second so she had something else she wanted to wear!

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The Mystery Blogger Award : Your Questions Answered!

.Reading time 13 minutes.

You may have seen posts on this ‘Mystery Blogger Award’ popping up in your feed; it’s basically an awesome shout out and works like this – a blogger nominates a number of their favourite bloggers and asks them to answer some questions they pose. In doing so, the recipient must then nominate some fellow bloggers and pay the Award forward. I was nominated by some pretty awesome sewing bloggers who asked some really interesting questions! An opportunity to thank them and pay the award forward, as well as answering their questions, meant no way could I pass this one by!

So, what is the award exactly?

“The Mystery Blogger Award is an award for amazing bloggers with ingenious posts. Their blog not only captivates, it inspires and motivates. They are one of the best out there, and they deserve every recognition they get. This award is also for bloggers who find fun and inspiration in blogging and they do it with so much love and passion.” Created by : Dkoto Enigma

What a lovely gesture!

Colourful canvas sueFirstly, I was nominated by the titian haired goddess that is Sue (A Colourful Canvas). I adore her blog, she’s an engaging writer and always has something interesting to say, and show, with her fabulous creations.

The questions Sue posed are: Read More