Vogue 8278 strikes again

Hello my dear readers, do you remember my little pullover dress - Vogue 8278? I am now onto my second version, but this time I made a summer top (albeit with an autumn-feel print):

It was a really quick project, especially as the pattern was already altered for a smaller bust and waist (I know I have said this before, but SBA tutorial on this to follow!). I had this polycotton remnant sitting in my stash for ages, so it felt great to finally put it to good use. 

Truthfully, I was pleasantly surprised by how different this looks to the pullover dress. I think the neckline really helped, and I like the sleeves. 

The only other real design change that I made was adding a button and loop to the neckline so I could wear it both ways:

I am very excited about this new addition to my Hawaii wardrobe - I have teamed it with a halter-neck bikini top on my dress form to make it look more beach-worthy ;) 

Simplicity 2146

It's a Sunday double-bill! 

This is my latest creation, and the beginning of my attempt to build my honeymoon wardrobe - did I tell you that we are going to NYC and Hawaii in less than FOUR WEEKS time? I can't wait to get away, not just from my busy and stressful work at the moment but also from the grey weather here - In fact, I had been waiting for a sunny day to photograph this dress, but that day just never came, as yet!

I used Simplicity 2146, yet another Project Runway pattern. I love it! Its simple princess lines are so elegant, and it was such a quick project to make. All in all it took me less than a day, which I am pretty happy about. 

 A few firsts for me: 

1. Working with a linen blend - it's a linen and viscose blend (55%/45% I think) that I bought from the remnant bin from Decorative Cloth for about £5 during one of my trips to Leamington! Although I would too often skip the preshrinking step, I decided to wash and press this fabric first as linen is famous for its bad behaviour. It was a dream to work with - no complaints whatsoever! It is prone to creasing during wear, but I think this is somewhat mitigated by the viscose in the fabric. 
2. Lapped zipper - This is my first lapped zipper! It was easy enough to make, thanks to the Dressmaker's Technique Bible. I can proudly say that I have now done 4 types of zippers - centred dress zipper, invisible, handpicked and lapped :D
3. Vent - This was also straight forward, but I am pleased to have ticked another thing off my learning list. 

Overall I found the pattern very easy to make, and it has a great basic design, as well as a number of interesting optional details. I only made 3 minor changes:

1. Petite adjustment on the bodice, and also shortening the skirt by a rather lot (as well as having a very wide hem)
2. I finished the neckline and armholes with a thin, contrasting bias tape
3. Instead of the hook and eye, I added a button and bias tape button loop at the top of the zipper. 

I am happy with the result! I'm planning on wearing this on its own:

... and teamed with this jacket, the colour of which complements the bias tape detail on the dress:

Normal-sized baby blanket!

You may remember my first attempt of making a baby blanket, and the fact that it turned out to be so large that little Teddy could take it to uni with him... 

So when I made my second version, I decided to make it look, well, more normal. I used what Jane recommended in her tutorial as a reference, and realised that I must've misread the measurements (80cm as 180cm?!) the first time round!

Anyway, this time I bought a metre of winceyette fabric in this super cute Winnie the Pooh print from Barry's fabric warehouse/superstore from the Birmingham meet-up, and a metre of plain winceyette in cream from my local Fabricland. I picked the fabric as my friend is not going to find out if it's a boy or a girl - everyone likes Winnie the Pooh, right? 

The blanket turned out to be so soft that I wanted to keep it myself! Thank you again, Jane, for such a lovely idea!

What I would recommend to beginners

Rather strangely, over the last two weeks, four people (you know who you are) have asked me about starting to sew, and have shown a genuine interest in dressmaking. Most, if not all of them have already own a sewing machine, but have generally limited their use to making cushion covers so far. These conversations get me extremely excited, but I never feel like we have enough time and space (at my mother-in-law's wedding, or at work) to discuss such a big and interesting topic, and it's never as easy to share the useful resources by chatting. So here it is, as promised, the blog post for what I would recommend to beginners. 

Where to start? Making your first garment will seem like a really daunting task. I remember when I started dressmaking a couple of years ago - so many questions overwhelmed my little brain. Should I make a top/skirt/trousers/jacket/dress? Do I buy fabric first or should I pick a sewing pattern first? What size do I choose? Do I need any other tools? What do all these markings mean on a sewing pattern? and how do I read the instructions? 

I am not going to attempt to answer all the answers here - instead, what I would suggest is getting a couple of helpful books. What you need is something that will not only teach you the basics, but also continue to provide great insights as your skills develop. 

Books

Here, I would strongly recommend 2 books to give you a head start on dressmaking:

The Dressmaker's Technique Bible is one of my favourite sewing books of all time. As the title suggests, this book is largely about sewing techniques, and indeed, this is my "go-to" book every time I come across a new technique. For example, I did a lapped zip recently, and after reading the sewing instructions from the pattern (which was clearly written), naturally I turned to the "bible", where the technique was beautifully illustrated by a series of pictures (in colour!), and some wonderful tips (eg how to sew past the zip tab). I referred to it for the handpicked zip, too. 

In addition to sewing techniques, this wonderful book also has a helpful "getting started" section, which is perfectly comprehensive for beginners. I love the "body shape guide" and "fashion shapes", as they provide a useful perspective to choosing the right pattern for you. 

What's more, I just love the spiral binding, as I can just keep it open whilst using the techniques. 

Alright, you get the idea, it's a great book, go out and get it! You won't regret it!

The next book that I think will be a good choice for beginners (and beyond) is The Colette Sewing Handbook. This is a rather new book (just over one year's old), and it is beautifully made (and spiral bound!), and of course I wouldn't expect anything less from Colette! 

It's not often that I read a sewing book from cover to cover, but with this one, I did. I was amazed by how much I could just relate to the book.   
One of the main selling points of this book is that it contains 5 free Colette patterns - and these make the book excellent value for money. I won't go on any more now, as you'll find lots of detailed reviews of this book in the blogsphere. 

Free resources
I'm sure you'll have come across this already, but Tilly has a Learn to Sew section on her blog, and is still expanding it. Go check it out!

One of the things that I love about sewing is feeling part of a huge and incredibly welcoming and encouraging sewing community. One of the first sites that I joined was Burdastyle, where I found my first pattern - the coffee date dress (there's a multisize version too)! I couldn't believe how kind everyone was, especially with my far from perfect projects, most of which have now gone to my local charity shops. 

Much later on, I joined Pattern Review (PR), and immediately wished that I joined as soon as I started dressmaking. My advice here is, join it now! It is free, so what have you got to lose? You will have access to all the reviews of sewing patterns (I always check PR before deciding to purchase a sewing pattern), and more importantly, access to the wonderful forum where your questions will be answered by sewists from around the world, ranging from beginners themselves, to professional seamstresses. 

There are also a huge amount of tutorials on the blogsphere - it is very rare where I need to find a sewing tutorial online quickly for a project, but cannot. I have listed a few below, but do make sure that you search for it if and when you come across something that you don't know. 

Easy sewing patterns - the perfect place to start
As much as I liked a challenge, I decided to start with simple projects when I started sewing, and slowly letting my confidence increase before tackling trickier projects. Please be warned that although some sewing patterns claim to be "easy" projects, they are not! Do check how many pattern pieces there are that make up the garment - as a rule of thumb, the fewer (usually) the better. 

From my own experience, these are the projects that I would recommend to beginners:

The 20 minutes skirt - tutorial here and my project here (I have made this again, but have just realised that I have failed to post my second and slightly less imperfect version). 

The Sorbetto top - FREE pattern here and my project here

Shirred dresses - my favourite shirring tutorial here and one of my upcycled projects here

McCalls 2401 - no waist seam to worry about, yet incredibly versatile - see my blurry version here and spotty version here

Coffee Date Dress - pattern for size 32 petite here, multisized pattern here and one of my versions here 

New Look 6965 - a simple top - my project here

Vogue 8278 - very easy dress and top pattern (pullover, so no zipper or buttons!) - my dress version here, and I'm just finishing a top version as a beach cover-up (will share soon!)

New Look 6457 - strapless summer dress - one of my first ever projects (it pre-dates this blog!) but you can check it out here

Simplicity 2451 - it's a simple yet versatile skirt pattern, in fact, it was rated as one of the best patterns in recent years. I've only made it once so far, but have no doubt that it will reappear on my sewing table this year. 

Ok, I think that gives you plenty to start on! Just one more note for people who may want to focus on making home furnishings, as opposed to dressmaking- I really enjoy Cath Kidston's Sew! and am sure that you will love making beautiful items for your home, and also the free bag that's included in the book (including the label!). There's also the Kindle case, the baby blanket, lavender bags and so on that can keep you entertained. 

Finally, welcome to the wonderful world of sewing! and remember, patience is key when it comes to such a fine craft - if you can give your garments the attention that it deserves, you will end up with beautiful items in no time! It is such a rewarding hobby (um, you get tangible clothes from it!) and opens the door to the best community full of so many inspiring and lovely people - enjoy! 

Liebster Award!

 

Before Christmas, Jen and Elena kindly nominated my blog for the Liebster Award. Hooray! This was the first ever blog award that I have received! I have finally got round to doing a blog post for this, and to pass on the award. 

Here are the answers to the 11 questions that Jen and Elena had set for me:

    1.What's the most rewarding thing about blogging, for you?

Being able to document my sewing adventures, and (can I have two “most” rewarding things?) truly feeling part of the lovely sewing community.

2. What's your favourite book?

Complete Sherlock Holmes (in English and Chinese – I’m not fussy)

3. Are you a morning person, or a night owl, and why?

Definitely a night owl, as I struggle to get up most mornings, but always seem to have too much to do every day to actually go to sleep.

4. What are you hoping Santa brings you this year?

Ah oh, I think I’ve managed to miss the window for this question!

5. What's your favourite food?

Chinese spicy hotpot (has anyone else tried it?)

 

6. Who has been the biggest inspiration in your life?

I think I have taken inspiration from almost everyone that I have met/come across, for different things. I am quite easily influenced/swayed by others (read: very indecisive) and I do enjoy being inspired by everyone and everything.

7. What's your favourite TV programme?

I am still trying to come to terms with the fact that Desperate Housewives are finished for good, but I am slowly (cough) being drawn to the stunning series of Mad Men.

8. What's your favourite thing to do at the weekend?

Sewing of course.

9. Other than the current one, which era of history would you most like to have lived in?

That will depend on which part of the world I’d be living in, and honestly, history is not my strong suit.

10. How many languages do you speak?

Mandarin, English. I could just about sing, and understand singing, in Cantonese, and speak introductory French (by which I mean enough to get by so that I wouldn’t starve!)

11.Who would you most like to be trapped in a lift (elevator, for our non-English friends) with?

My best friends!

As part of the award, I must share 11 random facts about myself. So here they are:        

1. I am a blue belt in taekwondo
2. I have passed my driving test, but I am too afraid to actually drive.
3. I am terrified of dogs (yes, even puppies)
4. I was born in Beijing, back in the days when the air was a lot cleaner
5. Sewing has not put a stop to my shopping, though it has changed what I would/would not buy – thankfully I have not learned to make shoes!
6. I have never been a member of the gym for more than 3 weeks
7. My face always (without fail) turns bright red once I have had a drink
8. I used to be able to ride the unicycle, but when I got onto one about a year ago, I could no longer do it!
9. I have never tweeted, or followed anyone/anything on twitter
10. I can (sort of still) play the flute
11. I have entered the prize draw for the Vienna New Year’s Day concert every year for the last few years, and am still waiting to win the privilege of being allowed to buy two tickets.

I would like to nominate the following blogs to pass on this Award:

Bernie and I

Little Red Squirrel

Sew Stylish

Krafty Kat

Sew Incidentally

I think all of the above qualify, as they have less than 200 followers, but I am not certain whether any of them has already received this award in the past. 

And the 11 questions that I would like to ask them:

1. What made you start your blog?

2. Favourite project so far?

3. When do you find the time to sew?

4. Favourite sewing pattern?

5.Are you a self-taught seamstress or have you taken any classes?

6. How long have you been sewing?

7. Favourite place in the world?

8. What's your favourite food?

9. What/who inspires you?

10. Favourite pastime, other than sewing and blogging?

11. How many languages do you speak?