Archive for the 'clothing' Category

MATHILDE : POPPY & HONESTY

Published on May 6, 2013 in clothing, stitchery and textiles. 11 Comments Tags: Liberty of London, mathilde, poppy & honesty, Tana Lawn, the great british sewing bee, tilly & the buttons.

Mathilde Blouse by Tilly Walnes
Liberty of London Tana Lawn : Poppy & Honesty
Photos taken at the High Park Cherry Blossom Hill

I’ve been working on my Mathilde blouse for a few weeks now and finally finished it up last night. To celebrate, I woke up super early this morning (6:30am!) and rode my bike over to High Park for a special photo shoot of this lovely top. What a gorgeous way to start the day.

I’ve been wanting to make the blouse for a while and finally got to buying the pdf pattern. This happened to coincide with my discovery of The Great British Sewing Bee (courtesy of some nudging from Guy). First off. Have you watched this amazing series?? You MUST. What a triumphant piece of television that had me on the edge of my seat, cheering and crying over a brilliant group of people SEWING their way through challenges. I won’t give anything away, in case you haven’t seen it. But please do give it a watch! There are just 4 episodes and it is delightful. Through the first episode, I was wondering why one girl seemed familiar and then I realized it was Tilly from Tilly & the Buttons! This got me very inspired to work on my Mathilde while watching each episode.

I’ve been saving this piece of Liberty from our last delivery at the shop. The Poppy & Honesty print was my favourite and in blue & grey, no less!

The blouse fits me perfectly and I love all the details, like the tucks running down the sides of the front and the full, gathered sleeves. Instead of buttons, I chose to do silver snaps down the back and I love how they look with this Liberty print! I’m a sucker right now for snaps. I followed the pattern, almost to the letter. Tilly has the most thorough instructions on her blog that walk you through each part of the process. It really couldn’t be more clear. I will definitely be making more. There are so many easy variations you can make on this pattern.

This is actually the first new clothing pattern that I’ve made in a while (so many Wiksten Tovas & Tanks!), so it was such a treat to finish this project, try it on and be delighted that it all worked out beautifully. At times, I did imagine myself as a contestant on the Great British Sewing Bee while I was making this along with the videos, but I don’t think I’d do well with a timer on my sewing. I really do a lot of dilly dallying while I’m working!

Thanks for the inspiration and fantastic pattern, Tilly!

Also – Congratulations to Lauren, one of the other contestants on the GBSB, she just opened up her own sewing shop, Guthrie & Ghani! Clearly, it’s time to take a trip to the UK!

WIKSTEN TOVA : PLAID COTTON SHIRTING

Published on April 24, 2013 in clothing, stitchery and textiles. 13 Comments Tags: Italy, sultan's fine fabrics, Tova, Wiksten.

Wiksten Tova Dress by Jenny Gordy
Red/Blue Plaid Cotton Shirting from Sultan’s Fine Fabrics
Photographed in the town of Morro D’Orro, Italy

Continuing on with posting some Italy photos! I really just LOVE this dress to pieces. Everything about it. This is my first Wiksten Tova as a dress and it was a wonderful piece to travel with. Super comfortable, but also very pretty.

This fabric is a dream. I bought it last year at Sultan’s Fine Fabrics. I adore this plaid colour combo, but the fabric itself is the most beautiful, thin, cotton shirting. I will have to go back and see if there’s anything similar. I could wear this kind of fabric all the time.

One lesson that I learned while making this dress was that if you are carrying your fabric pieces around and you go grocery shopping, it’s not a good idea to put a carton of blueberries in with your fabric. Oh yes, I got smushed blueberry stains on the back piece of the dress. Total disaster. Luckily, my lovely pal, Jacqueline of Soak Wash, took charge of the situation and had me Soak the fabric over night while she checked on it every few hours, giving it a light rub here and there. Miraculously, (or not, since Soak is amazing!) the stains were gone in the morning. Phew. Crisis averted & lesson learned!

These photos were taking in the little town of Morro D’Orro close to where we attended Squam Italia. We wandered the winding streets one afternoon with our tour guide telling us stories of how the town had been bombed during WWII and I snuck into an abandoned building to take these shots.

I have it from a good source that we’ll be seeing some new Wiksten patterns soon. I can’t wait to see & sew Jenny’s new designs!

DARLING RANGES DRESS : HOWELL’S LADDERS

Published on April 22, 2013 in clothing, stitchery and textiles. 16 Comments Tags: Darling Ranges, Howell's Ladders, Italy, Liberty of London, megan nielsen.

Darling Ranges Dress by Megan Nielsen
Liberty of London Tana Lawn Cotton in Grey Howell’s Ladders|
Photographed at the Hotel Alexandria, Rome, Italy

Somehow I have STILL not posted my Italy photos from September! I wore this particular dress on the weekend at the Spring City of Craft Show and it’s a good one, so I wanted to finally share it here.

Also – I’m going to blame jet lag for my serious look in the first photo. This was just our second day in Italy, so surely I was both tired and overwhelmed.

There are lots of things that I love about this dress besides the wonderful Liberty print that I used for it. I especially love the v-neck, since I don’t really have any other dresses, except my City Limits wrap dress with this neckline. I used Mother of Pearl snaps instead of buttons which I also love. Next time I make this dress, I’ll still use snaps, but just regular coloured snaps that are not as heavy as the Mother of Pearl ones. Since there are so many, they are a bit heavy on the lighter Tana Lawn cotton.

I made one alteration on the pattern, which was to move & change the bust dart. This was something that I also did with the Banksia Top. Megan Nielsen has included lots of helpful tutorials on her blog about different alterations you can make to her patterns. Very helpful! Other than that, the pattern is pretty straightforward and I’m quite sure I’ll be making another one.

SIMPLICITY 2215 SKIRT : NANI IRO

Published on November 2, 2012 in clothing, stitchery, textiles, the workroom and traveling. 13 Comments Tags: Italy, nani IRO, Simplicity 2215.

Simplicity 2215 Skirt Pattern
nani IRO canvas
photos taken at the NH Excelsior Hotel in Siena, Italy

Our trip to Italy was almost a month ago now and I’ve yet to post any photos from my DSLR. There are SO MANY! I really just need to spend one entire day going through and editing them before too much time passes by. I thought I’d post up some smaller bits to start.

This simplicity skirt pattern is one of my favourites! I have a few other pieces of fabric set aside to make this pattern in again. I just can’t resist the uneven pleats and the pockets.

This fabric might look familiar. Yes, it’s true. I already have a Birdie Sling in this same nani IRO fabric, but I really love it and felt like I also needed to make a piece of clothing with it. I laid out the pattern so that the hem of the skirt is actually the selvedge of the fabric so that I could include all the lovely text and the fringe.

Siena was one of my favourite parts of our trip. I promise more photos of the actual city soon!

WIKSTEN TOVA IN PAMELA JUDITH

Published on August 30, 2012 in clothing and stitchery. 3 Comments Tags: Liberty of London, Pamela Judith, Tana Lawn, Tova, Wiksten.

Wiksten Tova Sewing Pattern by Jenny Gordy
Pink Pamela Judith Liberty of London Tana Lawn Cotton

A couple months ago, Angela posted a sleeveless Tova in Pink Feathers. What a brilliant idea. I just had to make one for myself. I chose this pretty pink Liberty print.

I didn’t make any alterations to the pattern, besides just leaving off the sleeves and doing a bias binding for the armholes. I already loved this pattern, but now I’ve got another version that’s perfect for summer weather.

You know the drill, there will be more versions posted. These Wiksten patterns just seem to sew themselves. Here’s Tova #1 & Tova #2.

WIKSTEN TANK IN BIRCH

Published on July 28, 2012 in clothing, stitchery and the workroom. 3 Comments Tags: birch, habitat, jay mccarroll, tank top, Wiksten.

Wiksten Tank sewing pattern by Jenny Gordy
Fabric : Peach Birch from Jay McCarroll’s Habitat collection

I had been saving this one metre of Birch for ages. Actually, I was kicking myself for only getting the one metre. There really aren’t a lot of clothing options for such a small amount of fabric. I got it into my head that I could squeak a Wiksten Tank out of it with a little creativity a few weeks ago. With some clever fabric folding I was able to get all my pieces cut out, including a pattern matched pocket piece and I just had to piece together two strips to make the bias binding for the neck. Whoo! I cut out the extra small and I doubt this would work with any of the other sizes. It’s always worth a try though! There’s nothing more satisfying than making the fabric you have in your stash work with the pattern you choose for it after.

The Wiksten Tank list continues to grow!
- Kerry’s Flock
- Paris Map Fabric
- Martha Negley

We sell the Wiksten Tank & Tova patterns at the workroom!

SULTAN’S FINE FABRICS

Published on July 27, 2012 in clothing, local and textiles. 13 Comments Tags: B & J Fabrics, Mood Fabrics, sultan's fine fabrics, Toronto.

I used to work in the garment district of New York City. I think that made me a bit spoiled for textile fabrics. I would spend hours after work wandering the aisles of my favourite shops – B&J Fabrics, Mood Fabrics, NY Elegant Fabrics, etc, etc. The selection was endless. Rows, upon rows of cotton shirtings, linens, wools and everything else under the moon. It was not uncommon for clerks to say ‘this was from Marc Jacob’s/Calvin Klein’s/Diane Von Furstenburg’s last collection’. This selection of fine fabric is one of the things I really miss about New York.

The closest thing I’ve found to that quality of fabrics here has been at the Lida Baday Showroom, on a much smaller scale. Until now.

A few weeks ago, a customer was working on a dress for his wife in the shop, he was using the most gorgeous red & blue plaid fabric. When I asked where he got it, he showed me the card for a shop that I had never heard of. I took a photo of the fabric & the business card and I’ve been obsessing over that fabric ever since. Today, I took a little adventure in a Zip car to check out Sultan’s Fine Fabrics.

Tucked away in a small industrial building was an absolute treasure of a fabric shop.

I was not expecting the sheer volume of fabric and I was so happy that I had a specific fabric in mind as my starting point otherwise I may still be walking the aisles. The owner, Sultan, greeted me when I entered and after I showed him the photo of the fabric I wanted, he took me directly to the bolt. Thank goodness! I would never have found it on my own. Sultan was so helpful and kept pointing out all the different types of fabrics he carried – cashmere, wool, linen, lining, cotton shirting. His main clientele are Harry Rosen & Holt Renfrew for their made-to-measure programs, so you can imagine how nice these bolts were. His selection is amazing & overwhelming. His fabrics range from $2/yard to $5500/yard! My selections were in the $16 – $22/yard range.

I highly recommend going with some specific projects in mind or maybe a time limit. I had to return my Zip car, so I just had an hour to agonize over what to get. I ended up with four fabrics – the cotton plaid shirting, a grey stripe cotton, a brown plaid linen and a mustard-y herringbone. I am excited to sew these up! While I adore printed quilting fabric (obviously!), there has been a bit of a hole in my heart for proper clothing textiles here and there. No more!

Oh yes, and there were ‘cashmeres from Tom Ford’ on the shelf.

If you go to visit Sultan, please tell him that I say ‘Hi!’. You can also shop a selection of their fabrics online!

Sultan’s Fine Fabrics
89 Bentworth Avenue, Unit 2A
Toronto, ON M6A 1P6
416-783-7786

SIMPLICITY 2215 SKIRT : MANCHESTER

Published on June 6, 2012 in clothing, stitchery and traveling. 7 Comments Tags: Madison, Simplicity 2215.

Simplicity 2215 Skirt Version
Reproduction print from the Manchester Collection by Nancy Gere
Photographed in a corn field behind Black Walnut Chalet, Mount Horeb, WI

This skirt has been in the works for a month or so. I brought it along on this trip because the only thing I had left to do was to hem it and sew a button and buttonhole for the side closure. Sometimes those pesky last details are so difficult to get motivated to finish off!

This pattern is the skirt version of the dress I made in Jay McCarroll’s Purple Drop Cloth. I knew when I made that dress that the skirt was just perfect on it’s own. I love the pockets and all the lovely random pleating in this pattern. I have another version already cut and serged using nani IRO.

The fabric is a reproduction print by Nancy Gere. I love the fine lines and interesting motifs you find in many reproductions. This one was apparently originally printed in Manchester, England.

We are past the half way mark on our trip now. We’ll be coming home in just over a week. Still time for a few more adventures and a bit more sewing.

BANKSIA TOP : LEAVES & BERRIES

Published on May 31, 2012 in clothing, stitchery and the workroom. 10 Comments Tags: banksia, hello pilgrim, Lizzy House, megan nielsen.

Banksia Top by Megan Nielsen Patterns
Hello Pilgrim Leaves & Berries Print by Lizzy House
Photographed at the Black Walnut Chalet, Mount Horeb, WI

I’m making good progress on my summer wardrobe. When I packed for this trip, I planned on bringing dozens of unfinished things to work on. As I started to edit out due to space constraints, all the quilting projects got left behind and I was left with a duffle bag full of clothing patterns and yardage. Perfect for building my summer wardrobe! I had cut out this Banksia top a little while ago. The adorable strawberry fabric by Lizzy just couldn’t be more cheery and sweet. I love that when you make your own clothing you get to choose the fabric that is going to put you into a good mood as soon as you pull it out of the closet. Some days, you choose those items because it matches your upbeat mood, other days, you hope the cheery vibe of the garment will rub off on you, literally.

This is my first try using a Megan Nielsen pattern. I had not heard of her patterns until Angelune mentioned I might consider this line for their cute maternity options. It’s true, I have not seen such cute little tops and dresses for pregnant and nursing ladies. Luckily, there are also a few patterns in the line for those of us that are not expecting a bundle. All of a sudden, it seemed like everyone on the internet was making the Banksia or Darling Ranges dress. We have had them at the workroom for a couple months and we’ve just put them in our online shop too.

The packaging is charming, with a little velcro dot on the envelope to reseal it. (nice touch!) You get a nice little booklet of instructions that you can also make your own notes in. The day that I worked on this was extremely hot here, so I was a bit cranky and impatient. Not ideal sewing conditions, but I was determined to sew and tried to keep in mind that I was feeling slightly unreasonable. There are two ways to sew the placket. I chose to do the more complicated way (of course!), so I had to read slowly, several times through the instructions. It wasn’t as complicated as it sounded, but often when you’re not sure the direction that something is going in, you have NO idea how you’re actually going to get there. Yes, even I feel this way!

The top is fairly easy to put together. I found that the bust darts were not at all right for me, so I had to undo the side seams, stitch rip out the darts and extend them to make them a bit longer. After that the fit was so much better.

I did have enough forethought to bring along a selection of buttons on this trip for a few projects. I had some good feedback on my button choices from my Instagram pals. Some of whom had the brilliant idea to use all different buttons. What a great idea! I got to use three different cute buttons to finish this off. I’m also a sucker for a Peter Pan collar and this one is nice and big! Some people have extended this pattern to make it into a dress and I think that would be pretty sweet.

I’ll be making the Darling Ranges dress next. I’ve got the perfect Liberty fabric picked out for it.

SIMPLICITY 2472 : WIDDAS WALTZ

Published on May 30, 2012 in clothing, stitchery and the workroom. 5 Comments Tags: Liberty of London, Simplicity 2472, Tana Lawn, Widdas Waltz.

Simplicity Pattern by Cynthia Rowley #2472
Liberty of London : Widdas Waltz Tana Lawn Cotton
Photographed at the Black Walnut Chalet, Mount Horeb, WI

We’re out in the Madison area for about a month. That’s a long time to be cooped up in a hotel room, even an extended stay one. Even though it was all very last minute, I was able to find a log cabin that we’re renting for two of the weeks that we’re here. It’s the exact opposite of the one room hotel that will make up the other half of our trip. It’s an absolute treat to have a bit of room to stretch out and there are lots of great places around here to take photographs.

This top is SUPER easy. There is literally a front piece, a back piece and three pieces of binding for the neck and two sleeves. I can’t really say much more about it. It takes no time at all to make. I used a Liberty of London fabric called Widdas Waltz. It’s like a flowery sunset, with so many layers of pattern. So pretty. Speaking of Liberty. Our next shipment should be arriving in about two weeks!!!!

I’ve discovered Ciao Bello Sorbet. YUM. I finished off that blood orange tub and I’m about to crack open a raspberry one tonight.