After disassembling my bicycle tshirt the other day, I got it in my mind to tweak the Scout pattern as there were some aspects I didn’t like so much. Even cutting it to a size 0, there was too much fabric around the waist and in the sleeve caps. So I took in a bit here, added a bit there, and this is the result.

The battery is dead in my camera so we’ll have to make do with phone pics this time, sorry!

The fabric I got from Pippa Blue at the K&S show. I think it’s a Robert Kaufmann cotton. It’s not as stiff as your usual quilting cotton so it drapes a bit better.

You can see the shape and fit better here.

My modifications were these: I’m about a 35″ bust and 28″ waist so I found cutting the recommended size 6 to be way too baggy. That’s the style of it, though, so it depends what you like. I cut a size 0 and then, I took an inch out at each waist side seam (so 4″ overall) and drew in the curve so that the hip measurement stayed the same. I raised the neckline 2″and I took 3/4″ out of the top of the sleeve. I think it worked pretty well.

Speaking of Pippa Blue, I was able to visit earlier this week and I picked up these really fantastic fat quarters!

They are so fun, I’m not sure what I’ll use them for. Maybe the one on the right for something kitchen-y and the one in the left for a project bag.

I also picked up this marvellous navy floral print.

I was eyeing it for quite a while online and let me tell you, it is even better in person. I paired it here with a Kona cotton that I bought this time last year for a blouse but never got around to it. I think these go really well together – something like a quarter circle skirt and a sleeveless fitted shirt to tuck into it is what I have in mind. These are both washed and ready to go so I’m hoping to get stuck into both really soon (like, tomorrow).

Have a great weekend and hope I have something to show you Monday!

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I apologise in advance for the photos of wrinkled fabric. I wash fabric as soon as I buy it so that it’s done. It is unbelievable how much fabric can change after the first wash.

I was really looking forward to sharing photos of a sweater and a shawl I finished recently! When I went to upload them just now, I found that I must have deleted them by mistake So today, I’m going to share my plans for summer knitting and sewing instead.

If you follow me here, you’ll probably have noticed that this year, I’ve made a lot of work wear – lots of skirts, blouses and plain sweaters. I have gotten particularly good wear out of the skirts and blouses. I like to wear this combination to work because even with a less formal fabric, like polka dots or floral print, it looks well. Previously, I shunned blouses because it was so hard to find one that fit comfortably. Now that I can make them to fit, they are my favourite thing to wear. Coming to the end of the school year, I now realise I actually have very little casual wear that I’d be happy to wear in public. Rather than spend my time sewing light tops that I get to wear very little (which is what I did last summer), I’m going to sew some casual things that I can wear all year round.

First up: some Archer shirts. When this pattern came out first, I was sceptical. Thanks to the glory that is the internet, I’ve watched people from all over and with all different shapes sew this up with success. I think I will follow suit. It will look good tucked into high waisted pants or wide-legged pants, loose over tight pants and shorts. Here are my fabrics.

The bottom is a plain denim chambray I found in Hickey’s. I have been looking for a year for a nice chambray. I would prefer something a little bluer but the light drape of this is perfect. I’m looking forward to doing lots of detailed topstitching with this fabric.

The middle is a butter-soft cotton lawn I found in Murphy Sheehy’s. It’s got insects on it. Yep. If that’s not the perfect fabric for a summer holidays shirt, I don’t know what is.

The top is something I have refused to put away since laundering: a habotai silk that I ordered from Britex Fabrics in San Francisco. It wasn’t cheap, but it was on sale at about $20/yard, which is pretty good for any kind of silk. I have never seen a silk print of this kind before and I love rope print. I dream of a blouse that will waft over a pair of shorts or posh up a taffeta skirt.

Summer is meant for skirts! I have a good few summer skirts already so I will probably concentrate on wearing them. However, I got the pattern for the Hollyburn skirt and I’d like to use this ridiculously old fabric to make it.

I bought this in Hickey’s before 2005. I loved it so much but didn’t know what to make out of it so I bought a ton. Thankfully, the Hollyburn takes a ton and the style will definitely suit this. The colour scheme gives me lots of options in terms of what I can wear with it. I think I will probably give the Moss mini skirt a go too. I have made so many skirts by now that they tend to be a quick make.

Other definites include a white cotton shirt and khaki canvas pants.

The khaki pants has been a long-term plan. I found the fabric for very cheap in Murphy Sheehy’s. I made a pair of Juniper pants (a Colette pattern) in heavy black cord and I wear them all the time. I have them all broken in just right, I’m happy to answer the door and pop to the shop in them. This khaki canvas is lighter than the cord and I think the colour is more summer-appropriate. The white cotton is a sort of gauzey shirting that Murphy Sheehy’s tends to keep in stock. It is ridiculously wide (I think nearing 80″, about 2m) and very reasonably priced (maybe €8/m). I have two metres here. If I was able to squeeze a fitted blouse and a loose shirt, that would be great. I made a Liverpool blouse out of the same fabric last November and it has softened into one of my most comfortable makes yet.

Other honourable mentions include Colette’s Laurel (shift dress – I’m hoping to salvage the dress from this post) and Iris (shorts – I love the pockets on these and I have something very specific in mind).

The one thing I’m setting my knitting sights on is Kate Davies’ Ursula cardigan. I have been dying to start a new colourwork project because it has been soooo long! I received a very generous voucher for This is Knit for my birthday recently. My voucher, this cardigan and me – it was destiny! I’m excited for this.

I am going to continue with being very strict about working on only one project at a time. I have just finished two sewing projects in quick succession. Before I start on anything I’ve talked about before, I’m going to sew my Mum a blouse for her birthday. I’m using this Amazing Fit pattern and I’ve already cut out the muslin. These are particularly detailed patterns so I am really looking forward to working my way through this one.

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A floral blouse for spring. Such a print literally makes me weak at the knees. Behold its tiny, delicate prettiness:

Finally cracking on with my tartan kilt. I got the whole thing assembled ok and tacked down all of the pleats. I started to topstitch the pleats when I realised that this is not going to work. The pleating is slightly curved and despite my tacking, was impossible to keep aligned exactly as I machined it. I let it sit for a while and then yesterday, decided to look up a youtube video to see if anybody else had the same problem. Whilst searching, I came across a very simple video of someone hand-stitching kilt pleats in place. It gave a totally clean finish so I decided to start again and do it this way. So far, so good. I can stitch two pleats in one quarter of NBA basketball so two games will see me to the end.

So, the new tools. I wouldn’t describe myself as a gadget person. I’m lucky that I often get very useful presents for Christmas and my birthday and consequently, rarely go on the hunt for those little things. However, recently, I have felt in want for some things to help me in my sewing.

On the top is a large clear ruler. I think it is 18″ x 3″ with marks throughout in both directions at 1/4″ intervals. There are also markings for 30, 45 and 60 degrees. I find it difficult to align pattern pieces absolutely along the grainline. I use a combination of a measuring tape and short ruler with varying degrees of frustration. This new ruler has a good weight which means I can move the piece very slightly underneath it.

The blue tin on the left is a tin of silk pins. Pins are funny things. I have two sets of pins – the long dressmaking pins I bought before starting the drafting class I took about five years ago, and the quilting pins that I use when sewing knitting together. When working with fine fabrics, I find that even my dressmaking pins leave holes. Sometimes they press out but sometimes they don’t. I suppose it doesn’t really matter but if I’m going to shell out for an awesome fabric, I’d like my finished garment to look as good as possible.

The weird pliers-like implement to the right of the silk pins is a pattern notcher. I noticed when making my spring pants that where I had cut my pattern notches, it significantly weakened the seam and caused a lot of fraying. I read up about this gadget and figured it would be worth it considering that I am sooo slow at cutting out notches and very bad about tidying up the million triangles that result. So far, so good.

Second from the right is a gauge. I think it’s more of a quilting tool but I am abysmal at marking hems. This gadget has a little red notch that you can move as a visual aid. It only cost me about £2 and was worth every penny. No more wonky hems! Then on the right is a little box of glass headed pins. I have a huge problem with my regular dressmaking pins – I have no nails because of the piano and it takes me ages to pick one up or take out of fabric. As my sewing has increased, so has my frustration. These pins were about £2.50 and I thought I would try them out. Verdict? I’ll never go back. The glass heads aren’t affected by iron heat and are easy to grasp. The body of the pin is just like my old pins so there is no compromise.

Nerdy, no?! The rulers and pins I got from an English shop called Cotton Patch. The notcher I found on Amazon.

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Things are busybusybusy here as we get into competition and concert season! Alb and I are also busy counting down to Easter because we have had a little getaway planned for a long time. Of course, with holidays comes sewing for holidays so here are my plans for the next few weeks.

The green print is a cotton with some stretch that I bought in Murphy Sheehy’s last spring. I bought enough for a dress but never had the guts to sew it up. Dear readers, its time has come. It’s going to be a Cambie Dress. Given my previous success with just the skirt part of this pattern, I think it’s time to sew up the whole thing. The solid green cotton was a long-searched-for match. It is peculiar how the texture of a fabric can affect colour matching. Anyway, it is for a bolero. I looked through all my patterns and many online before finally settling on one that I have had a long time but never made: the cropped blazer from Salme patterns.

The black hole on the top of the photo here is in fact navy stretch cotton for a pair of pants. I bought this Burda pattern after seeing a few peoples’ successes with it, it seems like a good match for the cotton. The print is a light voile for an Airelle blouse. I will probably omit the collar given my track record for making blouses with collars that do not fit over cardigans!

And that’s it. I think two outfits to bring with me and still get wear out of afterwards is a good, achievable aim.

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Just to show a quick peek at my blouse that I finished yesterday.

I tried it in when I had basted both sleeves in and to my surprise, no fitting for the shoulders was necessary. It’s a miracle! I suppose I could have fiddled about with then to make them a little more sleek but that leads on to the problem of making both sleeve caps the same… So I left well enough alone.

I also may have started sewing a small fur cape. I sewed the lining first to make sure of the fit.

I bought this satin lining as a remnant along with half a metre of fur about 18 months ago, maybe more. There was never enough of the satin to make a top of any substance, and the fur, short though it may be, was taking up a lot of space. I’ve been meaning to make the pattern since I bought the fur so no time like the present.

I sewed a quick muslin of the skirt I’m going to make to go with the blouse; it fits just fine. In the course of my rummaging and stash clearing, I found a wonderful peacock lining in teal and I think I will just about have enough for both the skirt and jacket!

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