A Shirt for Rob

This is McCalls 6044, a nice and simple men's shirt started ages ago and finished just in time to wrap and give to Rob for Christmas. It's my second make of this pattern and aside from a few mistakes it went quite smoothly. I think he likes it.

I hope you all have a lovely end of 2012 and I hope to be back stronger and happier in 2013! Love you all, thank you for sticking with me through my good and bad moments.

Happy Christmas!

Happy Christmas my dear readers! I thought I would share some of my lovely presents with you.

My first presents were opened earlier in the month, when I celebrated Christmas with my lovely knitting group. Secret Santa was involved and look at what gorgeous and talented Julie got me. Believe me, I had tears in my eyes! It was so unexpected and I have been struggling with my mood/ confidence lately so this was very special.

Next is another Secret Santa, this time the amazing one organised by the also amazing Kat. Look at that pattern. Swoon!!!

And finally some other lovely presents I go from my lovely husband :)

I'll be back before the end of the year to show you some photos of a recent make. Till then, be merry!

Tale of Three Skirts: Part 1

I finished this cute little number some weeks ago, and have already worn it a few times (including to the fantastic Birmingham meetup). I got this fabric on a swap at the Walthamstow meet up and even thought it is a synthetic fabric, it was a delight to work with. Thank you so much Karen, for wanting to get rid of it!

The pattern is from the August 2011 Burda Magazine. It is my first make from a Burda magazine and also my first make following Portuguese instructions (I learned to sew in English so do not know all the technical terms in Portuguese, even though I am Portuguese). It is a wrap skirt so really quick to put together. I spent a Saturday night catchstitcing the hem. If I may say so myself, this is gorgeous work!

I still have plenty of fabric and will be making another skirt. Stay tuned, I'm going to rock this Winter in skirts!

Last but not least, I have stalled with my Couture dress (reasons for it later) and have decided to very slowly start the below beauty. Very scary, as will be using some expensive wool flannel. Might post some muslin and progress photos as I could use your help and support on this make. My confidence is a bit shattered.

Have a great week ahead!

Black & Blue Soul

Black and Blue Soul because Alma means soul in Portuguese. I have finished this Sewaholic Alma blouse sometime ago but only today managed to photograph it. I have been sort of out of sorts (if that makes sense) and some things take much longer to do.
I am really happy how this Alma turned out. Shame that the weather is turning too cold and I have to wait till next Spring to wear this again.

I used a very soft cotton-like fabric which is a bit of a nightmare to work with. I decided to go with contrasting black cuffs and collar and love the result. I planned on doing the black belt as well but the fabric was so fiddly I decided to ignore that. I'm happy I did as I botched up on the narrow hem and will not be using this blouse untucked. I love it with some high waisted trousers!

I'm slowly getting back to sewing (and knitting) regularly. Have quite a few projects on the go now. Focusing on getting one ready to wear next Saturday for the great Birmingham Rag Market meet up.
Will try to keep you posted on how it goes!

My Stripy Alma blouse

Finished a few weeks ago, I waited and waited for hot weather to photograph my first version of Sewaholic's Alma blouse. But the weather didn't warm up so I just wore this for a few hours in the house to take some photos.

The aim was a wearable muslin and a wearable muslin was achieved! As usual with Tasia's patterns, the instructions were a breeze and the blouse a pleasure to put together. I used a piece of soft cotton fabric swapped at the Brighton Me-Made June meet-up. It came for Zoe's stash, so a very special piece indeed.

Mid way a sewing run, I realised I didn't have any suitable zip to go in. I tweeted my despair and Lizzy  mentioned that some people didn't use a zipper so I decided to baste and see how it went. What a delight, zipper-less it went.
The one thing I will change when I make the short sleeved version again is reduce the cap size. On my tiny shoulders it will look better a tad smaller.

I'm already making my second Alma, this time the long sleeved version in a gorgeous petroleum blue cotton type fabric with contrast cuffs and collar. Might be ready in a week or so and hopefully will still see some wear this year.

Have a lovely week ahead!

Currently, on Suzy Patterns!

Not much, I'm afraid. Back in June I had a fantastic plan in place for Suzy Patterns. I knew what I was doing and I knew when. But then... I got married!
Fear not, Suzy Patterns has not been abandoned, my head is still full of ideas and my drafting pad full of (awfully drawn) sketches. But I'm out of capital and without that I can draft as many patterns as I want but they will not make it to you. Grading, digitising, printing, packaging all costs and at this stage I simply cannot afford it. You might notice I say printing and yes, whilst the Antoinette Dress Pattern is available as a PDF it was always my desire and plan to move quickly to printed patterns. I, for one, don't really like pdfs (even though I admit they have many qualities) so keen to make my patterns available in good old paper.
So, being more realistic than ever, it might be another year or so until a design from Suzy Patterns comes out. Disappointing, but on the positive side, it will give me a chance to improve my skills and come out with a better product.

I thought it might be interesting to have a small weekly feature in my blog to share with you all the process of working towards Suzy Patterns and towards improving my skills. Kind of like a diary, sharing with you the good bits and the bad bits, my skills and my lack of! What do you think?

PS: I have disabled the annoying Captcha on my posts!

Vintage Patterns Sale

Shameless plug relating to some vintage patterns I am selling on Ebay. Me and Rob plan to go to Japan for our honeymoon but boy, is it expensive! I had planned a clear out of patterns I know I'll never make  and those whose size is too different from mine and now is a perfect time to do it. There are also a few books and a super board (and some sewing unrelated stuff).

A lot of these patterns are in a sad condition and many have something silly missing, like a facing or a tie belt. I'm hoping they'll find someone who will cherish them.
Click here to see items!