Tag Archive for 'Liberty of London'

PORTFOLIO TUNIC : CLAIRE AUDE

Published on February 18, 2014 in clothing and stitchery. 7 Comments Tags: #januaryfinish, Claire Aude, Liberty of London, Lisette, portfolio tunic.

Portfolio Tunic : Lisette for Simplicity
Liberty of London Tana Lawn : Claire Aude

It seems like winter may never end, so it’s best to embrace it! Or in this case, head outdoors in a short sleeved shirt for 15 minutes to catch some natural light!

I have had the Portfolio Tunic in my pattern stash for a while. Amanda sent it to me ages ago but I could never decide which fabric to use and other patterns always seemed more pressing. Recently I spotted this Portfolio Tunic made by Allyson. (Thank you, Pinterest!) Immediately, I knew I had to make one and it had to be this sunny yellow Claire Aude print from Liberty of London that I had in my stash. Just the thing to cheer up some winter blues!

I chose to do the short tunic to see if I liked the fit and the pattern in general, so I missed out on doing the awesome pocket detail with this version. But I already have a next Liberty print set aside for my next version and it will be the longer tunic for sure. The pattern is a dream! Very simple, clear instructions and easy sewing. The front square yoke detail is so cute. The sweet two button closure at the back was the perfect place to use a couple of vintage glass buttons from The Button Dept. My only note would be that you need to really clip the seam allowance for the curve of the sleeve so that it sits properly.

Unfortunately, this pattern is out of print! I didn’t realize it, but quickly found out as people started asking where they could get a copy. Luckily, Liesel Gibson commented on one of my posts that she is working on an updated version of this pattern that she’ll be putting out herself. Hooray!

SCOUT WOVEN TEE : MISTRAL

Published on October 11, 2013 in clothing, gardening, stitchery and the workroom. 7 Comments Tags: Grainline Studio, Liberty of London, Mistral, Scout Woven Tee, the sewing factory.

Grainline Studio Scout Woven Tee
Liberty of London Tana Lawn Cotton in Mistral

Firstly, a woven tee. Such a great wardrobe addition! Secondly, a simple and quick sewing project! Brilliant on so many levels.

This is actually my third Scout Tee. I made two during The Sewing Factory. One in Nani Iro double gauze and one in a strawberry linen. I love those short sleeve tees, but with the fall here, I knew my wardrobe really needed a tee with a longer sleeve.

I pulled out the sleeve piece for the pattern and traced it out. I made the sleeve piece about 14.5″ long, but when I sewed it up, I found that length a bit short and had to hem the sleeve with binding. I will cut my next version out with a sleeve piece at 16″ or 16.5″. I also adjusted the side seams of the sleeve and brought them out a bit so that they drop straight down. I feel like I could adjust the sleeve a bit more, but I’m going to need some expert advice on this. I am wondering if I need to add any fullness to the sleeve cap due to adding the length and weight to make it sit nicer. I’ll report back after I do some consulting!

I also added a couple inches to the length of the body. I tend to like things a bit longer in length.

I love having good basic patterns to fall back on and this is definitely one them. The Liberty Tana Lawn is perfect for this pattern. Okay, it’s pretty much good for everything. But once I perfect my changes, I will be turning out a dozen more, for sure.

p.s. This is our garden!

ROXANNE : SUSANNA

Published on September 24, 2013 in clothing, stitchery, textiles and the workroom. 12 Comments Tags: Liberty of London, Roxanne, Susanna, Victory Patterns.

Victory Patterns : Roxanne
Liberty of London Tana Lawn Cotton in Susanna

I have had the pleasure of watching Victory Patterns emerge from dream to reality in the last couple years. When Kristiann Boos, one of the workroom’s instructors, told me she wanted to start a pattern company I was absolutely thrilled! Kristiann’s sense of design and style is so unique, I knew right away that she would produce patterns that were unlike others out on the market. She started out with PDF patterns and finally this year launched printed patterns. Kristiann’s patterns are lovely to work from. They are clearly written & illustrated, plus beautifully packaged.

The Roxanne pattern is a beginner level pattern. I chose to make the sleeveless version, mostly for the amazing collar detail. I went with the dark navy Susanna print from Liberty. The pattern was very simple, with the most complex part being that collar. The design of the collar is very clever and I got huge amounts of satisfaction sewing it. Once you’ve completed the collar, the rest of the top flies together. The top has a lot of volume, there are pleats that fall from the yoke at the back. With the right fabric, such as the Liberty Tana Lawn this volume creates a gorgeous silhouette and movement with the high/low hemline. I love that this top feel very elegant and dressy. I can’t wait to try a version with sleeves next.

This is the second Victory Patterns pattern that I’ve tried. I made the Hazel first, but still need to photograph it now that the weather has cooled down enough for long sleeves.

See all the Victory Patterns here & see the Roxanne pattern here.

LIBERTY OF LONDON HOODIE

Published on September 5, 2013 in clothing, stitchery, textiles and the workroom. 19 Comments Tags: Alice's Garden, Guy Latulippe, Hoodie, Liberty of London, Linford Fleece.

Hoodie pattern by Guy Latulippe
Alice’s Garden : Liberty of London Linford Fleece

As soon as September arrived, the temperature at night seemed to drop down to chilly. I’ve been enjoying throwing on my cozy new hoodie for my night walks with Maisy. Making a hoodie has been on my wish list for a long time, so I was thrilled when Guy told me he had a hoodie pattern that he had designed.

The first Hoodie class was held as a day camp in August. Day camps at the workroom are one of my favourite things!

Let’s talk about the fabric first. This Liberty of London fleece is incredible. Not only is it a cotton fleece printed with a gorgeous Liberty print, but it also so thick and soft. We had received two prints (Manning & Alice’s Garden), just in time for the Hoodie class. This print is called ‘Alice’s Garden’ and I just know it will cheer me up in the winter months when I am missing my garden.

I’m always excited to demystify basic pieces of clothing like the t-shirt and underwear. We sewed the hoodie up on a regular sewing machine and used the serger as we went along to finish the seams. I usually will do all my serging at the start before I sew, but for this project it made sense to serge the seams together as each step was sewn and then they got top stitched down. I used a light shade of mauve for my sewing and did a double line of stitching for all my top stitching. Little details like that make me pretty happy. But my most favourite detail on this hoodie is that I did a pretty great job of pattern matching the pocket. I’ve had a lot of practice pattern matching my Wiksten Tank pockets, so this one was a piece of cake!

All the hoodies made in class were so beautiful. Each one different and very professional looking. Guy talked to us about variations on the pattern, so I think my next version will have a zip front. The fall session of the Hoodie class starts soon and I can’t wait to see the next round of hoodies.

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!

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.

You can find the Darling Ranges pattern here!

LIBERTY OF LONDON : BLOOMSBURY GARDENS

Published on November 1, 2012 in textiles and the workroom. 6 Comments Tags: Bloomsbury Gardens, Liberty of London.

Just thought I would break up this grey week with a little fabric love from Liberty. The new quilting weight collection that arrived last week is so pretty & cheery.

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.

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.

WIKSTEN TANK IN KERRY’S FLOCK

Published on May 27, 2012 in clothing, spotted, stitchery and the workroom. 7 Comments Tags: Kerry's Flock, Liberty of London, Madison, tank top, The Grid, Wiksten.

Tank Top Sewing Pattern by Wiksten
Liberty of London : Kerry’s Flock print Tana Lawn Cotton
Photographed at the Extended Stay Deluxe in Madison, WI

Hello from Madison, Wisconsin!

I haven’t been here for ages, so we have lots to catch up on. I’m going to focus on the little things first and work up to the bigger things, if that’s okay. It feels easier to talk about this new tank top rather than the life changing things that have happened in 2012. We’ll get to that stuff.

It’s true though – Andrew, Maisy & I are living out in Madison, Wisonsin for a month. I prefer to tell that story with photos right now, so you can visit my personal flickr site which is updated everyday. In particular, the Madison photo set starts right at the beginning.

I have quite a few sewing projects that I’ve completed in the last little while. I brought a bunch of them along on this trip to photograph in Madison and share with you. Plus, I have my sewing machine with me! Having my Bernina with me is the best and I’m working on several new projects.

Being on the road, my Wiksten tank tops have been in constant rotation. With jeans or shorts, they are the perfect thing to wear in any situation. This Liberty version using the Kerry’s Flock print is the newest addition to the collection. The lightweight tana lawn cotton is heaven to sew with and wear.

By now, it seems like everyone has tried this pattern. If not, you should! We have both of Jenny Gordy’s Wiksten patterns available at the workroom now (both online and in our shop on Queen Street). We can hardly keep them in stock, they sell so quickly. The patterns were just mentioned in this week’s THE GRID article on the workroom and some of our most favourite items.

My growing collection of Wiksten tanks includes this Paris Map version and this Martha Negley version. Many, many more to come.