A Beginner's Guide to Sewing with Knitted Fabrics - blog tour

Today it's my stop on the Beginner's Guide to Sewing with Knitted Fabrics blog tour. This is Wendy Ward's latest book and the perfect starting point if you're wanting to branch out and start sewing with knits. The book includes full sized paper patterns for six core garments (T-shirt, Wide Leg Trousers, Tank, Lounge Pants, Cardigan and Skirt) with a variety of hacks to give a choice of twenty different variations. 

The book is laid out in a similar way to Wendy's first book A Beginner's Guide to Making Skirts (reviewed here). For each project there are step-by-step instructions with clear diagrams, with methods for tackling specific techniques (adding a neckband, hemming, using elastic etc) included in a comprehensive 'techniques' section. These techniques are noted at the start of each project and I'd recommend reading up on them before you start. In fact I'd strongly recommend reading the "How to Use This Book' section on page 9 before you do anything, as it lays out everything you need to know to get the most out of the book.  

The patterns are printed on both sides of each sheet and overlap, so you will need to trace them. Also, some larger pieces (such as trouser legs) may be printed in two halves, so make sure you know where the two halves are! A helpful guide showing which projects and pattern pieces are printed on each sheet can be found on page 23. One thing I found slightly annoying is that there are no sizes i.e. size numbers printed on the patterns, just the different pattern markings for each size. If you're confused about which markings relate to your size (as I was) there's a key on the inside back page of the book.

Sizes range from US size 4 (UK 8) to US 22 (UK 26) and the garments are sized depending on which area of the body the garment will fit most closely. The two trouser patterns are sized on hip measurements, the cardigan, T-shirt and tank are sized on bust measurements and the skirt is based on waist measurement. Just make sure you're working from the correct area of the body before you start.

I have to be honest and say that a couple of the patterns were not really my style, most notably the Longshaw Skirt. The T-shirt and tank were similar to designs I've made lots of times before and the wide legged trousers didn't appeal. It was therefore a toss up between the chic and versatile Kinder Cardigan or the Monsal Lounge Pants. Now Lounge Pants have never really been on my sewing radar, but the weather was cold and miserable at the time of making, and all I wanted to do was lie on the sofa, so lounge pants it was.

There are three pattern options: full length, with or without cuff, and shorts length. I went for the cuffed version, adding the optional cut away pockets with a contrast pocket band. One very helpful thing that Wendy does in the book is list the fabrics that each of her samples are made from. Based on this I chose a navy ponte for the main trousers with a contrasting grey marl in the same fabric for the cuffs, waistband and pocket bands. The quality of the ponte was lovely - a nice medium/heavy weight with a good amount of stretch. With hindsight, I should perhaps have chosen a lighter weight fabric for the pocket bands as the double layers of ponte ending up very bulky to sew through. 

The instructions were a breeze and actually employed a different method than I've previously used for trouser making. Usually I would make up both legs separately, then put one leg inside the other and sew the front and back crotch seams in one go. The method in this book is to sew the crotch seams first - which give you an entire front section and an entire back section - then sew the inside leg seams. Once the pockets are added you simply sew up the side seams and you have a pair of trousers! This seemed like a much simpler method to me and one I'll definitely use again.

Trying to replicate the model's pose above...

The fit is supposed to be loose (not baggy) with a tapering leg shape. I like the tapering leg shape but I could probably have done with shortening them a bit as they noticeable crumple below the knee. The calf section is also a bit tight, but that may be down to my newly discovered runners calves (ahem). As predicted, they're supremely comfortable and perfect for lounging stylishly around the house. When the 'Beast from the East' hit the UK recently they were an absolute godsend - cosy, comfortable and a definite step up from pyjamas!

There's a lot of work that's gone into the writing and production of this book and this is evident throughout. It's an excellent first guide for beginners and a very good source of patterns and advice for those who are already familiar with sewing with knits. Like the look of it? Well you're in luck, as MAKEetc.com are offering readers of my blog a 25% discount off the purchase price. Simply purchase through their website and enter the code BLOG25 at the checkout. The discount is valid until 21st April 2018.

A Beginner's Guide to Sewing with Knitted Fabrics was given to me for review by CICO Books and the fabric for my project was kindly supplied by Minerva Crafts. All views my own. 

A Beginner's Guide to Making Skirts - blog tour

When I first learnt to sew in 2009, my dressmaking teacher advised me to master the art of skirt making first. Her reasoning being that women's bottom halves are generally easier to fit than their top halves. I searched in vain for a book that would teach me to do just that, but never found anything suitable that focused exclusively on skirts. How I wish A Beginner's Guide to Making Skirts by Wendy Ward had been around at that time!

The book is exactly as described: a comprehensive guide to making skirts with full size paper patterns. Wendy focuses on eight basic skirt shapes: circle, A-line, stretch pencil, wrap, bubble, tailored pencil, front opening and culottes and offers three variations for each style. That's a lot of skirts to get your teeth into!

The simplest version of each style is shown made up in denim, which I think is a nice touch as it gives you a good idea of the basic shape before you start getting adventurous! The majority of styles are ones I'd make and wear, the only exception being the bubble (or puffball) skirt which I was never a fan of, even as a teenager in the 80's!  

There are step-by-step instructions with clear diagrams for each project variation, with basic methods for inserting zips, attaching waistbands, adding linings etc, all included in the excellent Techniques section at the back of the book.

This section is massive and it really does cover everything you need to know, not just about skirt making but about sewing in general - it's almost a sewing book in its own right! The techniques required for each project are listed at the beginning of each skirt 'type' and it's definitely worth reading through them beforehand so you have an idea of what you'll be doing. You'll still have to flick between different parts of the book to look them up, especially if you're a beginner, but at least you'll be prepared. 

While we're on the subject of preparation, I'd also recommend you read the Using Paper Patterns section very carefully before you start. I dived straight in and consequently tripped up a couple of times. Firstly, the pattern piece for the skirt I made (the Rusholme) is printed in two halves (top half and bottom half) on two different pattern sheets, which flummoxed me a little. Secondly, some pattern pieces, such as waistbands and facings, are used for more than one project. I was looking in vain for ages for a facing for the Rusholme skirt before I re-read the instructions and realised I had to use the pattern pieces for the Fallowfield skirt!

Once you've located your pieces you'll need to trace them from the three large pattern sheets, as the sheets are printed on both sides and the patterns overlap. I have to admit, a Burda-style pattern road map is not my favourite way to work, but having said that, once I'd worked out a few basics (see paragraph above!), it didn't actually take long to trace them off.

The skirts in the book are printed in order of difficulty and the Rusholme A-line skirt I chose is somewhere in the middle. The skirt is shown with three variations: short with a waist facing, knee-length with waistband and centre front pleat or long with pockets and waistband.

In the spirit of the book I chose to mix and match between variations, making a short skirt with a waist facing but also including a centre front pleat. The book actually advises not to use a facing with the pleated version (and I can see why as there is more fabric in the pleat to be supported) but I decided to be a rebel and throw caution to the wind.

Sizes are based on your hip measurements and range from 34¾ inches (88cms) to 51 inches (129cms). This is the equivalent of UK sizes 8-26 or US sizes 4-22. I cut a size 38 inch hip but graded to the next size up at the waist as the finished measurement would have been too tight. I also used the length of the smallest size to save having to shorten the pattern. These were the only changes I made to the pattern and as there were just two skirt pieces and two facing pieces it didn't take long to sew at all.

The fabric I used was a fine wool suiting (Muted Grid in Denim) from Fabworks, who kindly supplied the fabrics for this blog tour. It's a reasonably lightweight fabric with a good drape and the ability to hold a sharp crease, which was exactly what I was after. It does fray quite noticeably if handled too much, but apart from that it was a pleasure to work with.

The finished skirt fits me like a glove: it has the perfect amount of ease around the waist (I'm glad I went up a size!) but still has a nice shape. I love the roominess of the inverted pleat too, it almost looks like I'm wearing a pair of culottes. As for the illegal facing/pleat combination I'm happy to report it hasn't caused any problems so far, probably because my fabric wasn't too heavyweight.

A Beginner's Guide to Making Skirts is an excellent introduction to skirt making, not just for beginners but for more experienced sewers too. As Wendy says at the start of the book, "The devil is in the detail and I'll show you how to perfect those details…I'm a stickler for doing things right and taking the time needed to get the best results" I'm definitely pleased with the results - so much so that I've already cut out a second skirt!

A Beginner's Guide to Making Skirts was given to me for review by CICO Books and the fabric was supplied by Fabworks. All views my own.

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Get Into: Sewing

Good morning! Guess what's published today-hay?

My book, that's what!!!!!!! Yes, September 8th sees the publication of Get Into: Sewing by Jane Marland!!!! Get Into: Sewing is the first in a series of creative craft titles by Wayland Books designed to get kids interested in popular hobbies. The eleven projects in my book use simple hand sewing techniques and are fun, colourful and easy-to-follow. 

The book is aimed at 8-11 year olds and the projects are suitable for a range of abilities. Here's the complete Contents list.

I've included some absolute beginner projects such as Lavender Bags and simple Felt Flowers….

There are a few projects that are a bit more involved, such as brightly coloured Bunting…

 … and a smart Pencil Roll…

The shirt cushion project is a very simplified version of one of the tutorials on my blog, especially adapted for hand sewing. Once the front and back are cut out all that's required is some neat backstitching!

And my favourite project in the book is probably the Juggling Ball - fun to make and such a cool present!

I'm slightly biased, but I think it's a great introduction to sewing for children! And if you know of any little people who might enjoy it (or even big people!) it's available from Amazon as of today at £12.99! I've been told it's also being published in Australia around the same time and am awaiting details of availability in the US and Canada. I'll add an update to this post as soon as I know.

Have a great day! x

EVERYBODY in my family will be getting a copy for Christmas!

Book Review: Sew Over It Vintage

Sew Over It Vintage is the second book by Lisa Comfort (of Sew Over It sewing classes and patterns fame), this time focusing on vintage style. I found it refreshing that Lisa doesn't promise you a head-to-toe vintage wardrobe once you've read it. What she does do is to take inspiration from vintage fashions and styles of the past and mix them up with modern elements to avoid looking too costumey. This pretty much sums up my own approach to using vintage style in my wardrobe so I knew I'd get on well with this book!

It's divided into four different sections:

- Dabble with a bit of vintage - for those who want to add a bit of vintage flair to existing items. 

Adding a Peter Pan collar to a neckline 

Adding fur cuffs and collar to a coat

- Make a vintage inspired wardrobe - this was the section I was really interested in!

- A little something to go with it - how to make your own vintage accessories

- Vintage Home

The 30 projects in the book are clearly labelled with a skill level and there are plenty of quick, easy fixes for those new to sewing, particularly in the Embellishing and Vintage Home sections. For me though, it was the second section (make your own vintage wardrobe) that was the most interesting part of the book and what I'll be focusing on in this review.

You do need to have a bit of sewing experience before tackling the dressmaking projects. The reason for this is because there are no patterns included with the book - they're all made from blocks which you draft yourself based on your own measurements. I promise you, this is not as scary as it sounds - I'm a complete thickie when it comes to anything involving maths and measuring, but even I managed to draft a bodice block without incident. Yes, they take a bit of time to create, but they're not difficult. There's a well explained section on measuring yourself properly (you'll need a friend/partner to take some of the measurements) and the steps are very comprehensive and detailed.

The book includes ten garment projects, all made using either the bodice block or by drafting a skirt section. Lisa then shows you how to adapt the basic blocks to create the different garment designs. Influences for the designs range from the 1920's to the 1960's:

A chic, 1920's-inspired Anita Tie Top for pairing with jeans.

A lovely, tie-necked 1950's sailor blouse with a simplified collar. 

A Betty Draper-inspired box-pleat skirt. The example in the book is made from crepe which gives it a softer look- I'm keen to make one with a more structured feel. 

A cute, 1960's-inspired pleated dress. This project uses an existing fitted top as a starting point, then shows you how to draft the skirt to attach to it. Such a pretty result!

One thing to note is that the bodice block is not supposed to be close fitting - the projects that use it all have quite a lot of ease built in. This simplifies the process and eliminates the need for darts and closures. So if you like your top half to be fitted to within an inch of its life, then the dressmaking projects probably won't be to your taste. To be honest, I like my top half to be super fitted too, so I was surprised when my attention kept being drawn to the chic, 1920's inspired, unstructured Anita Tie Top!  Eventually I caved in and drafted one for myself. Yes, you read that correctly, I drafted one for myself!!! Despite my scepticism about the relaxed fit, it's a winner and I've already worn it out twice! I changed a couple of things about it, so I think it deserves its own separate post, but here's a sneaky peek of the finished top….

…and one of me wearing it. It's self drafted don't you know!

If you're familiar with using commercial patterns, but would like a bit of hand holding before moving onto pattern cutting in more detail then I can't recommend this book highly enough. I certainly got a lot out of it and already have plans for a self-drafted pleated skirt.  x


Sew Over It Vintage was given to me free of charge for review by Love Sewing Magazine, all views my own. You can find out what other sewing bloggers thought of the book here:

A Stitching Odyssey
Did You Make That?
House of Pinheiro
What Katie Sews

Fashion with Fabric book review

Just as the Great British Sewing Bee seems to have evolved as a TV series (more challenging tasks, contestants working with a variety of different fabrics and techniques etc), so too does the accompanying book. I reviewed the book for the first series here and was mostly positive about it, my main criticism being the lack of patterns included. I was recently asked to review the book for the current series - Fashion with Fabric - and wow, what a difference a couple of years makes!

The focus this time is on the fabrics used, which makes for a surprisingly interesting read. The book is split into four main chapters based on the most widely used and popular fabrics: cotton, wool and other animal fabrics, stretch fabrics and luxury fabrics. The reader is encouraged to use the book as a starting off point, then experiment with their own ideas, which I think is a great approach to take. Lots of projects also have 'hack' suggestions, some of which are improvements on the original pattern in my opinion! Each chapter also contains advice and tips on working with these different fabrics, which I found really useful.

Unlike other pattern books (and I include the first GBSB book here), there is a comprehensive section of the book dedicated to adjusting patterns for an accurate fit. As well as standard bust, waist and hip measurements, the reader is told to take a high bust measurement to determine whether a full or small bust adjustment is required. It then shows you how to do one. This is such an important fitting step for a lot of women, yet it's only ever skirted around in a lot of books. There's also advice on moving darts, broad or narrow back adjustments and a page of useful tips on fitting trousers and fiddling about with crotch depths and lengths. The author - Claire-Louise Hardie - has years of experience as a theatrical and costume designer and runs her own sewing school. She's also the sewing producer for the show and this working knowledge absolutely shines through in the book.

There are 30 projects in the book, including a few from the series to date (Capri trousers, Walkaway dress, men's kilt and curtain skirt), and a couple of men's and children's patterns. For those who want to get their teeth into more challenging projects, there's a corset dress (with bustier hack), a leather jacket and the afore mentioned kilt. The patterns come in a separate pack, which in my case anyway, will actually encourage me to use them. Patterns that live in the back of books tend to get easily forgotten in my world, but if they're in a separate pack, they can live with my patterns! The patterns are full sized but need tracing off as there are several on each sheet. This isn't the headache it sounds as they're all clearly marked and colour coded - nothing like a Burda magazine!  The women's patterns come in seven different sizes ranging from size 8 (32 ½" bust, 25 ½"waist, 36" hip) to size 20 (45 ½" bust, 38 ½" waist, 49 ½" hip)

Of the patterns themselves, there are several that I'll probably try out at some point...

… the sleeveless shell top ...

… the silk woven tee ...

… and the sleeveless collared blouse.

I also like the look of the Capri trousers, despite the hideous example the poor model has to wear in the book…

There are some patterns that I can admire from afar but will probably never try: the men's kilt is one - although I'm tempted to make it for the sole reason of getting Jon to model it! The drapey knit dress is another as it's so far removed from my personal style. I can admire it on others who CAN rock that style though, I'm thinking specifically of Karen's version from Did you Make That? Simply stunning.

I've been keeping one final pattern up my sleeve  - the lace pencil skirt - as it's one I've already made!

I kept coming back to it in the book and in the end just decided to give it a try with some leftover fabric from my lace top. For the underskirt I used a sea-green lining fabric previously used to line the sleeves of my boiled wool coat, so all in all, a good stash busting exercise! The skirt is a simple, elegant shape with no front darts, an invisible zip and a facing. I only ever intended it to be a practice run to test out the pattern, but I think the finished version is totally wearable. I also made it before this week's episode of the GBSB and let me tell you, I could NEVER have finished it in 3 hours or however long they were given. Hats off to the semi finalists!

Using the finished measurements as a guide, I made a size 10 with no adjustments, and the fit is spot on. The two skirt layers are made up separately, but attached around the zip as a single layer. They're then treated as two separate fabrics below the zip. It's a brilliant technique which I'll definitely use again. I also used hairline seams for the first time, where the seam is stitched, narrowly zigzagged and then trimmed. A hairline seam is a good choice for sheer fabrics and it worked well for my lace overskirt, creating a very light finish.

I'm amazed by the number of excellent tips and techniques I've picked up from reading this book - I learnt two new ones just from making a simple skirt! I'll keep you updated with anything else I make from it, but so far, it's shaping up to be one of my favourite sewing books to date.

'Fashion for Fabric' was given to me free of charge for review by Quadrille Publishing. All views my own.