Craft Project – Sewing the Grainline ‘Stowe Bag’ & Matching ‘Petal Pouch’

March 3, 2019.Reading time 10 minutes.

Hello sewing friends! I’m back with a quick craft project today; I’m really starting to love throwing these into the sewing queue to mix things up a little bit; for those times I need a chance to sew without having to worry about fit issues, tracing out masses of pattern pieces or sticking huge PDFs together. When I feel myself reluctant to do any of those things, I reach for a craft project instead and this one, the ‘Stowe Bag’ from Grainline Studio and the ‘Petal Pouch’ from Noodlehead, I thought went really well together. My sisters’ birthday was coming up – she’s a keen knitter / crocheter so I figured these would make a good present; creating something for her to make her own craft projects portable.

I have both patterns in PDF format; they were ridiculously quick to stick together and very quick to sew. However, the Stowe Bag instructions did make me blink insensibly in a slack-jawed kind of way on a couple of occassions. It was easy enough to work out in the end, just that in a couple of places the instructions and accompanying illustrations didn’t … well, illustrate … in a way my brain could immediately comprehend! I figured it would be worthwhile then to write a lil’ post sharing my process in making both these!

Ok, so bag first…

My Finished Deer & Doe Luzerne Trench Coat!

August 9, 2018.Reading time 8 minutes.

Hello again…let’s get this coat finished!

I proceed with sewing my coat like an F1 driver on the home stretch…I want it done and impatience has set in. I’m mindful of this and try and force myself to pay due care and attention…to not rush to the finishing line…but still I find myself easily irritated and rushing anyway. And this is the quandary; I know not to sew when I’m in this mood – mistakes likely happen – but given that my mood is underpinned by bloody-mindedness, I carry on.

My Deer & Doe ‘Luzerne Trench Coat’ Makers Diary – Part 4 : Collar and Facings

August 2, 2018.Reading time 9 minutes.

“Mom, I’ve spilt my drink all over the floor”… “Mom, can you make me a sandwich?”… “Mom, there’s a wasp in the lounge!” … Oh the joys of trying to sew when the kids are off school for the summer!

But sew I do. We’ve agreed that Mommy can sew in the morning and we’ll do stuff together in the afternoon. I can’t sew in the evening as a rule, my brain just doesn’t work. In fairness, it doesn’t always fully function in the daytime either but, slurping coffee, it stands somewhat of a better chance!

So back to sewing my Trench Coat!

I left off last time with just needing to Read More

Deer & Doe Luzerne Trench Coat : A Makers Diary – Days 2 and 3

July 12, 2018.Reading time 9 minutes.

Hello there!

Thank you for joining me again in my quest to sew the Deer & Doe Luzerne Trench Coat (if you want to catch up on Day 1, you can read it here). Today I’m covering pattern alterations, cutting out and clueing up on bound buttonholes!

Whilst waiting impatiently for the fabric and supplies I’ve ordered from Minerva Crafts to arrive, I use the time to consider what, if any, alterations I want to make to my traced out pattern pieces. I feel pretty sure that the basic Deer & Doe block fits me well; they design for a fuller bust (C/D cup) so I wasn’t concerned that I’d need to do an FBA. However, I was a bit unsure as to the sleeve length on this pattern. I consider myself petite in height (I’m 5.3″) but sewing their Melilot shirt revealed that, surprisingly, I didn’t need to take anything out of the length of that sleeve. Looking at the Luzerne sleeve pattern piece though, it looks way too long for me. Mmmm. What to do … Read More

A Makers’ Diary – The Deer & Doe Luzerne Trench Coat : Day 1

July 10, 2018.Reading time 12 minutes.

Hi!!

I’m starting something a little bit different today…a short series of blog posts covering the one, more involved, make. I’ve come back to my sewing table really craving a longer-term project. I’ve reached the point, I think, whereas to curb getting jaded, I need to push myself out of my safety zone and learn some new techniques. I want to invest the time to sew a garment that I should be able to wear for years; a project to breathe new life into my sewing bones, if you will.

So what did I decide upon? Never mind that the sun has been beating down and ‘cracking the slabs’ these past few weeks, what I want to sew … is a coat. One of my 2018 Make Nine, to be exact, the Deer & Doe Luzerne Trench Coat.

This short series then is about sharing the whole process of making this coat in, more or less, ‘real time’… Read More