I'm wearing it with my own coral necklace I bought when I visited Kyiv about a decade ago. I think it pulls it all together quite nicely. I do like the cardi, and I really like how I was able to take my vision of something that coral means in my life and turn it into this project.


Warm, cheery, and personal. What more can we ask of our sewing?

The Savvy Seamstress / Nicole Mallalieu
Lafayette, CA: C&T Publishing, c2017.
175 p.

This is an excellent read, one I'm happy to have finally got my hands on. Nicole Mallalieu is an Australian sewist, designer and teacher, and she has created a book that is perfect for self-taught sewists.

It covers basic sewing information: terms, tools and techniques, with lots of photos. But it also then goes on to explain how to easily alter patterns, how to change details like pockets, how to best perform sewing tasks like inserting zips or attaching collars, and even shows how to change patterns substantially - how to change a back zip closure to a front button one, for example, or how to completely change a neckline. It moves from simple to quite complex.

There were useful tips in this book for sewists like me, who know how to do most basics, how to use a pattern and alter it in minor ways, but want to do more. She covers how to make a big change, and all the resultant details that need looking after: changing a closure or neckline means also altering the pattern's facing, seamlines, or perhaps darts. There are tons of illustrations and clear explanations of all the steps needed to effectively design your own dress from a basic sheath dress pattern, say.

The chapters are organized into themes: Basics, Pockets, Button plackets, Necklines, Zip Closures, Waistlines, Yokes, Collars, Sleeves. There are many ideas and lots of instruction in each chapter, and depending on your experience and your interests, you might use some of the chapters more than others. But I found that for a sewist who is past being a rank beginner but not at the stage of being able to draft one's own patterns from scratch, this book is full of gems. It's clear and easy to use, and really inspiring.

There are no patterns of any kind in this book, the focus is on the techniques needed to use and change the patterns you already have. This is definitely a good title for the sewist's bookshelf, especially if you don't have anything in this topic area yet. It's very user-friendly and not at all intimidating.

I downloaded the Jalie Yoko as soon as it was posted -- what a great shape! I have been looking for a boxy style top for a while now and this was just perfect.



Also perfect was the mossy green lightweight sweater knit I picked up at Fabricland in a sale just a day or two previously. It was so very soft I couldn't leave it behind. Luckily it has just enough stretch in it to be able to get away with using it for this pattern.

It's a simple design, and Jalie's drafting is so good, that I cut it without too much concern. I wondered if I'd got my sleeve shortening alterations right, as the drop shoulder threw me off a little - but as it turned out it is perfect. I love the way it drapes on the body and the shape and fit are just what I was looking for. Because I'm short I didn't alter the length - I wanted it to end at the bottom of my hip so didn't have to change anything.



I don't have a serger, so I sewed this way I usually sew knits, with a narrow zigzag stitch - 3 long & 1.5 wide. Jalie's instructions gave a different method but I didn't try it out so can't say how effective it might be (though of course, with Jalie being the experts in sewing stretch fabrics I'm sure there woul be no problems).  I wonder how this would turn out in a different fabric -- because it was so simple and I really, really like the result of this attempt, I may just try again.

Really if you haven't tried any Jalie patterns before, download this free pattern and give it a go. I think you might be pleasantly surprised.

Pattern Making Templates for Skirts & Dresses / Alice Prier 


Wow, this is one thorough book! I ordered it from the library, and have had it for the full loan period and yet have barely scratched the surface. Definitely one I'm going to have to own.

It is a book on drafting patterns, and as such I haven't done much of the actual patterning it guides you toward. Time and all that....

It comes with 16 downloadable pattern slopers (which you'll have to tape and trace, unfortunately, but I'm used to that now). Then, using these slopers, it guides you into the process of fitting, drafting, creating and altering designs. (they come in UK sizes 6-20).

I'm sure if you had your own customized slopers to begin with it would all be easier to fit etc. But the amount of detail in this book on all the different ways you can shape and alter a sloper is fantastic. Out of the basics, Prier creates 32 different designs -- and they are quite different from one another so if you made even half of them you'd have tons of experience already.

I also really enjoyed the way she talks about details like collars, necklines, or pockets, even fabric, and how to alter them to change up a look quite easily. If you are at the point where you'd like to start delving into designing your own looks using a personal sloper, this is a great book to read. I'm not 100% at that point quite yet, but it is a goal of mine to develop more pattern making skills -- starting with slopers -- so I know that this book will be a great addition to my sewing library. It's one I think I'd need to work through slowly to figure out what I needed to know -- but the author, with her 30+ years of dressmaking experience, covers everything from terminology to pattern hacking to design thinking.

Definitely for an intermediate sewist, this one will help to elevate your sewing game. Just reading it through I feel like I've learned a lot already. Now on to the practical experimentation....

I've now finished my second Sorbetto that I began back in November. But with this version, I spent a lot more time over it :)


Two things came together for this project: my love of hand embroidery and the new DMC colours, and the front pleat in the Sorbetto pattern, which is extremely ideal for hand stitching additions. In the process of making the pleat, there is a seam all the way down the pleat extension, and then the pleat is fastened down in the neck binding and hem. So there is no way any underside of stitching or stabilizer will show (or get caught on anything) once construction is complete. Perfect.




I was inspired to make this Sorbetto as one of the possible versions for the PR One Pattern, Many Looks contest in Nov/Dec; actually it was the original idea I had for it. But as I mentioned in my last Sorbetto post, contests never get far with me ;) I gave up on the contest idea, but I kept working away at this project, stitching sporadically and sometimes in the evening while watching tv, as you might be able to tell by some of my not so perfect stitching in the petals as I was getting tired! But I wasn't going to tear anything much out -- it's good enough -- it's for a top, not an exhibition piece, and besides, if someone is looking at my stitching in close up on the front of the blouse when I'm wearing it, there are bigger issues than uneven stitches that I'll be worrying about ;)


I made this Vogue 1247 skirt ages ago (in 2014), and as I was cleaning, reorganizing, shuffling (whatever) my stash around in the fall I realized I had quite a large piece of the grey cotton-linen fabric left over. It felt like really nice fabric for stitching, and I considered hooping some up for a decorative piece, but then this idea hit me and I just couldn't do anything else with it. It has a lovely hand and was dreamy to stitch on.

I found a free border floral design at Mary Corbet's embroidery site and adapted it to the size I needed but ended up free styling a bit as transferring the design to this rougher surfaced dark fabric was time consuming. I semi-traced it and semi added in lines with a chalk pencil. I stitched the leaves in my favourite fly stitch, outline/stem stitch for the stems and rough satin stitch for the petals. I enjoyed my time doing it! I used DMC floss #18 for the petals, which I remember because I had such a hard time finding it, and I can't remember the colours of the cream and green, they were just in my stash.




For such a simple project, I feel very pleased with how this turned out. I used my original pre-altered Sorbetto again for the body of this version, but I used the sleeves from the new version of the Sorbetto pattern. I tried to adjust them accordingly -- I took out a fair amount of length between shoulder and bust from the original design, but I couldn't recall exactly (it was about 5 years ago that I first traced the Sorbetto, after all). So there was a bit too much sleeve, but when I gathered the sleeve cap it turned out to look like they were pleated and slightly puffed and I love it so much I left them that way.



Long story for such a simple free pattern (both shirt and embroidery design) but it does get just a little longer. This is the project I had just prepped as some hand work when I was invited to be a part of a super secret project, which is now, this week, no longer secret -- the Sewcialists' Wordpress commercial! It was such fun to be able to help out in a tiny way with this, and the 60 second commercial is full of happy sewing thoughts. Take a look if you haven't watched it already.

Back in mid-November I cut out a couple of Sorbettos, inspired by PatternReview's One Pattern, Many Looks contest. I had a lot of ideas on how I could alter this simple pattern and come up with a bunch of different looks -- I even sketched out 7 different options! But, as usual, I didn't keep going with contest sewing, and started other projects instead.

But this first Sorbetto was half done, so over my Christmas break I hemmed it and put the neck binding on. And it was done!

Please excuse the wrinkles, I forgot to take any photos until the end of the day!

I made this first one of a length of vintage fabric from the thrift store - I think it's some kind of rayon blend as it is soft and drapey but also (obviously) quite prone to creases. I had *just* enough to squeeze out this top, altered to leave out the centre pleat that is a defining feature of the Sorbetto. I tried this version once before and really liked it, and it suits this fabric nicely, I think. I added sleeves using a pattern & blog tutorial originating with Mena of the Sew Weekly. I gave everything a narrow hem, and the fabric did stretch out slightly but not enough to keep me from wearing this.




I narrowed the neckline somewhat, as I do find it quite wide. But I like how this pleatless version fits, and the fabric is so light and comfortable, it made me feel like spring was coming even in January! I wore it with another free pattern, my polka dotted Lindy Petal Skirt, which I love, and enjoyed a relatively warmish day to wear this light outfit on (with a cardigan when I was not being photographed!)


This was a fun "unseasonable sewing" project and I'll have another to share later this week that was a little more extensive in detail than this one. I had enough time off over the holidays to get a good start on my unfinished project stack!

Love At First Stitch: Demystifying Dressmaking / Tilly Walnes
London: Quadrille, c2014
192 p.

I've finally got my hands on Tilly Walnes first book, and it really is everything it says it is.

This would be a wonderful choice for an eager beginner: with patterns running from extremely simple (the Brigitte scarf, to teach straight line sewing) to more complex fashions like the Mimi Blouse, or the Morgan Dress, there is a stepped learning curve here. Working in order and making each of the 7 patterns in sequence would be a great way for a beginner to learn many basic skills, as there is a technique explained then used in the next pattern. The steps are clear, with lots of illustration, and would reassure any new sewist.

Besides the patterns, there is also lots of good information on basics of the sewing world - how to buy fabric, how to choose patterns for your style, how to adapt and make patterns your own.

I found the voice of the book very warm and engaging, and with a lot of jargon-free detail to inspire someone not as familiar with sewing. I even traced off the Mimi Blouse, and discovered that the patterns themselves had a lot more information on them than I usually see -- for example, at some edges it was noted which seam this would connect to, ie: "connects to front yoke" or something to that effect. There was also clear notation as to gathering lines, sleeves and so forth. This might be particularly useful to someone who isn't as familiar with pattern-based sewing. Having to trace them might be an extra step that a beginner would need to learn -- although with the massive rise in the popularity of pdf patterns, this is a skill that any modern sewist needs to become familiar with anyway!

Even as a long-time sewist, I enjoyed reading this book and loved all the cute photos and Tilly's aesthetic. I'd probably make only half the patterns here for myself (the Mimi!), but the book is very engaging in any case, and the level of detail and basic, clear explanation makes this one a real winner. I love The Great British Sewing Bee and recall watching Tilly on it, and am so glad she's continued on because she has a real affinity for teaching. I'd recommend this one.