Patchwork Vest workshop prep!

This week I've been preparing some patchwork panels for a quilted vest workshop with my local quilt club. I haven't really made any quilted garments before so thought that this might be a good opportunity to give it a try. I don't have any quilt blocks laying around, since I don't really make quilts so decided to just do a simple patchwork block. 

It turned out to be a lot harder/more time-consuming than I'd anticipated! I am working on three panels so that we can cut the pattern to size, connect and bind it in the workshop. One front piece is a whole cloth panel, and I have tried to use the colours from that for the patchwork.

Not sure how I like it so far, but it has been a fun challenge. Maybe when it is complete I'll have a better sense of it. But at least I have tried something new -- that is one of my goals for this year! 

Weekend Review: How to Keep Your Clothes Forever

 

How to Keep Your Clothes Forever / Leah Giblin
Melbourne, Australia: Smith Street Books, c2025
223 p.

This was an interesting read! Aimed at regular consumers, not strictly sewists, it talks about things like how to maintain and care for your wardrobe, buy more sustainably, and maybe even learn some easy sewing. 

I thought it was a good read -- there is lots in it for people to learn, especially if they are newer to the idea of sustainable wardrobes. What I loved was that there is no strict minimalism or bland neutral colours on show here. It's more about being conscious of what you already own, and what you actually need to add to your wardrobe. There is a small section on thinking about WHY you buy clothes, and I think that could also apply to why we make clothes. 

The book is broken up into three main section: Buy Less, Care, and Keep. Buy Less is pretty obvious - it's here that she talks about options for buying & shares the ethical triangle ranging from "use what you have" to "buying fast fashion". Sewing our own ends up somewhere in the middle, closer to the more ethical side.  

Care covers laundering, closet maintenance, and fibre awareness. Keep goes over ways to make your wardrobe exciting again, whether by mending, refashioning, trading with friends, restyling new outfits, or deciding what's best to do when you need to dispose of something in your wardrobe. This section has some easy sewing and mending projects in it to inspire either making your clothes wearable again, or using their fabric for projects like a moth bag for your closet or a sunhat or a produce bag, etc. 

There are plentiful photos throughout the book, featuring models of diverse kinds, and lots of encouragement for the new sewist to try out some of the techniques. Many of the shopping and wardrobe maintenance tips are applicable to our own sewing as well, including fabric purchases. It was a cheerful book despite the discussions of the perils of fast fashion, and has lots of great ideas in it. There is a bit of a fresh perspective from this Australian author, too. I'm glad I came across it!

Cobalt Cotton Butterick Top

After my first Sudoku project, the Box Box, I've gone back to my 'vintage' pattern collection for the second easy top in the lineup. 

This one is just one piece of a wardrobe pattern, Butterick 6450. It's a nice button up blouse with extended shoulders, light and airy for summer or for wearing under a sweater or jacket. I love the colour of this cotton that I've had in my stash for a long, long time. (still lots of it left, too). 

This was a straightforward top, although I had to grade between 16 at shoulder and 18 at hip, and also shorten by an inch above the waistline. Pressing up the curved hem at bottom and the armhole was really the lengthiest part of the whole project!

I stalled for a minute on this one because of the buttons. I hadn't chosen buttons ahead of time, confident that I would have some in my stash of 5 full cookie tins of buttons that would work. I sorted through all of these and could not find the right size and colour to work with this blouse. So I had to put it aside for a bit until I had time to get down to the fabric store and pick some up!  

But of course I had another project to work on in the meantime... :) 

I think this is really cute and love the colour. It's a nice basic that will get a lot of use with a variety of the items already in my wardrobe. 

Pink Box Box Blouse

My first Sudoku wardrobe project was the Box Box top by Merchant & Mills. I've had this pattern for over a year and have been wanting to try it so this was the perfect time! 

This was one of only two new fabrics in my wardrobe plan. I really wanted the right colour of pink so bought some cotton at my local Fabricland. It's so pretty, though quite lightweight and fairly transparent. I thought a top with front pleats might work well with the fabric. 

It was pretty straightforward. The pattern was well designed with lots of markings to help form the pleats. There is also a stitch guide for the "Z" shaped stitching that holds down the pleats. I found that I had to lengthen the pattern -- I added 1.5" to the hem when cutting, but then also ended up giving it a narrow hem to keep as much length as possible. Might add a touch more next time to account for more hem! 

Another nice detail of this simple top was the back neckine opening. There is a slit and a button and loop. They give instructions for a rouleau loop to button it up so I thought I'd try it. I can't believe I got my hook loop turner to finally work and got a tiny rouleau that I was very pleased with! 

The neckline facing was one more thing I had to fiddle with a bit. This fabric is quite lightweight, so I cut the facings and interfaced them with lightweight fusible - that all worked fine, but when I was testing the position of it I noticed that I could see the white interfacing through the blouse. Ack! But the fabric is too lightweight to have a non-interfaced facing. I couldn't really use binding because of the back slit, either. So I cut another facing and layered it with the existing one, sandwiching the fusible in between. After that, I couldn't see the interfacing from the outside or the inside, which was perfect. And the fabric is so floaty that it didn't add any excess weight either. 

I considered using french seams because of the fabric but hadn't accounted for that when I cut it out so just trimmed and pressed the seams to one side and hoped it would be fine. I think it is: I don't notice the seam allowances through the blouse, unless I'm looking for them. And I would be the only one doing that! 

It fits really nicely (I made size 14) and the instructions were clear. The only small issues I had with it were down to my fabric choice. But with this colour, I had to do it! 

Weekend Review: Well Worn

 

Well Worn / Skye Pennant
NY: Chronicle, c2024.
144 p. 

This is another book in the now common Visible Mending area. This one is by a UK author, so has a little bit of a different feel to some others. But it covers the basics that are to be expected in a book on this topic. 

The intro gives us an introduction to the author and the topic: why and how to use visible mending, and an overview of fabrics and mending supplies, so that you can learn to judge which option might be best suited to your particular project. 

It covers darning, patches, sashiko, and some troubleshooting - like when NOT to mend (if the fabric is too worn or weak, for example). She talks about sustainability but also about evaluating whether a mend will be worth your time and effort, considering both the age and condition of the fabric but also how old it is, if you have mended it before, if you wear it often, and so on. 

There are then eight specific chapters, showing techniques and options for the following: 

• Jeans
• Sweaters & Knitwear
• Shirts
• T-shirts
• Leggings
• Socks
• Jackets
• Delicate Fabrics 

Each chapter tackles some ways to approach these different kinds of mends and repairs. Whether that's darning a knit sock or sweater, patching or reinforcing woven fabrics, or using applique or decorative stitching, there are many examples given. 

The book has many illustrated instructions for the stitches and techniques. It also has a lot of photos, clear but in a subdued palette. They are very useful, and give the book a relaxed vibe. 

There are some straightforward, easy ideas given here, but nothing that has not been shared in many other mending books. And to get full satisfaction from this, you will need to really love the very visible mend. As a first approach to the topic, I think it would be useful to a reader. If you've read or own a lot in this area, you probably won't need it. Check it out at the library to see for yourself! 

Sewing by Sudoku, with PatternReview

One of the challenges I'm taking on right now is one I briefly mentioned as part of my monthly plans. It's the Suduko Wardrobe Challenge, hosted by PatternReview in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the site. As such, it's a Sudoku style grid of 25 squares which you have to fill with specific wardrobe items, to make multiple matching outfits. The good news is, you only have to sew 10 of the items for this grid, over 10 weeks! 

I spent quite a bit of time thinking about this one over January and February, and came up with a bit of a plan. I pulled fabrics from my stash, compared things, looked at patterns -- the planning is really half the fun! My working plan is based on a lot of my thrifted 80s and 90s patterns, with a couple of new ones thrown in. And the colour scheme is essentially black, cobalt, pink and a touch of print with other bright colours involved. Most of the fabrics are also stash. Here's an example of the grid you could use to make plans: with five different categories and nothing repeated anywhere. The outfits have to work horizontally, vertically, and across the two diagonals. 

I've begun the first project -- I am starting with the easy ones -- and will keep at it to see how close to finishing I get. I haven't been sewing one item a week in recent memory so will have to see if I can do it. But in any case, I have a fun wardrobe planned and will finish all the pieces at some point even if I don't make the contest deadline. It was great to pull so many nice fabrics out of the stash and make plans for them. 

March Sewing Plans

It is already March! I got some fun sewing and embroidery done in February, but now I'm looking ahead to a month with some busy sewing and challenges to focus on. What's up this month? 

I have lots of fun projects on the go. There is a rather challenging Challenge going on over at PatternReview, the Sudoku Wardrobe, which I'll talk more about later this week. Lots of sewing involved there. 

I have a patchwork vest workshop coming up, which I have to prepare fabric for -- this is a challenge for me, as I'm not much of a quilter and it will take some concentration to get this ready! 

And I have another project for my Fabricville blogger activity to get busy on this month as well. I have some really fun fabric coming for that one! Between all of these projects, there is plenty of sewing to keep me occupied for most of March, without even thinking hard about it! I hope I can maintain the excitement about all of them and get some of my fabric out of my stash and into my closet. 

And....of course I will be announcing our Spring Round of the Literary Sewing Circle very soon! It will be launched on March 20, with a title that I hope you will all love as much as I did. Stay tuned.....