Sew Hello

Right O', I'm jumping back on this here blog again. 

I've missed writing in my little space to talk. Ever since all of the changes of the past few years I just lost my blogging mojo and with this life changing so has the focus of what I want to chat about and show you.  I'm still as creative as ever, probably far more so, but the focus has switched very much to my dressmaking adventures and that's what I'll be focusing on here from now on, along with all the usual chat about stuff in general.

Over the past two, nearly three years since being made redundant from education I've had the luxury of more time to sew and I've been using that time most productively. You could almost say bordering on obsessive. What I would give to have an endless supply of all the fabrics and patterns I'd like to work with. But hey ho, patience Lisa, you'll get to them one day. So I've been busily stitching away for myself, for my loved ones and for my lovely customers. 

I've decided the best start would be to show you many of the clothes I've completed since I last posted and then I will start writing in more detail about just one thing. That's my plan. I've five posts all ready and waiting to go. Steadily, one at a time.

      The Celine Bodice and Sophia Skirt from Boundless Style by Kristiann Boos at Victory  
                                                                      Patterns.

My first frock is a late winter make from earlier this year in a soft tartan.

The patterns in this book are downloaded from a CD ready to print so there is the cutting and sticking element involved. I've bought quite a few digital patterns now from New Zealand and American designers rather then wait an age for the postage and after the first few it doesn't feel like too much of a chore putting all those pieces of paper together. If you're impatient like me to get your hands on a pattern then I think it's a blooming marvellous invention. 

The book is split into sections for a choice of bodices, sleeves and skirts so you have the freedom to choose how you'll put your frock shapes together. To be honest I mix and match patterns hacking them together all the time these days. Often I don't like the skirt in the pattern, just the featured bodice so it means I can get exactly the shape I want.

The darts on the Celine bodice and the Sophia skirt are one of my favourite features in this frock. The bust darts radiate out from the keyhole and the skirt darts follow this same angle. This bust dart feature means I don't have to do a Full Bust Adjustment which is normally essential having a upper bust which is two sizes down from my actual boobage. I've still not worn this frock, although I love it. It got put away on the WIP pile as I need to bring the zip in as it's a bit too big then hopefully it will get plenty of outings this season.

My next make was a request from Millie for trousers for her GCSE Textiles trip to the Cambridge Botanical Gardens.

She described the shape she was after, then we went fabric shopping and she chose a lightweight jersey which has a lovely drape to it. 

We drafted up a pattern taking into account the fact that as we're all tall it's not just about lengthening the legs, but the front and back rise too.

This was all a bit last minute so I ended up sewing it up on Mother's Day for her to wear the next day.  Luckily they worked out exactly as she had planned in her mind and she was thrilled with them.

Unbeknown to Millie I was working on a couple of makes for her upcoming 15th birthday at the same time. She'd said she loved the Mary Dress when she saw it in a magazine and as she likes completely different fabric patterns to me I knew I would be safe with the choice of a black and white frock for her.

I opted for solid fabric sleeves for her version and lengthened the arms while I was at it. 

This was a beautiful dress to make in a lightweight wool, the only difficult part was the curved yoke on the bodice which meant lots of pinning and slow and steady stitching to get it laying perfectly.

She's worn this a few times already as she loved it.

I also made her a blouse in a flamingo print rayon. I'd made this pattern up for myself and as she had loved the shape I knew it would be another suprise winner.

I made mine up in a vintage fabric using a 1970's pattern I found in the charity shop. I altered the sleeves from floaty balloons to cap sleeves which suit me far more. I think it has more of a 1930's shape now which I far prefer.

Shirt making for my love still continues. This is the last shirt he requested in a plain black and now he would like a black waistcoat to go with it. I've made him a waistcoat already which I'll show you in my upcoming posts.

My final two makes for today are a blouse and a frock from the same pattern in Gertie Sews Vintage Casual. I absolutely love Gretschen Hirst's designs. She totally nails it with vintage style and fun in my opinion.

I'd been searching high and low for a pattern for a blouse with a rever collar. I tried a few, but they didn't work out how I hoped, then I saw this one in my much thumbed book. Not sure why I'd missed it before, but luckily I spotted it in the end.

I love clothes that are figure hugging and fit with my love of vintage styles from the 30's to the 60's. For this blouse I used a contemporary anchor print fabric that I'd bought to make a man's shirt. Instead it became a lady blouse. 

Sailor Blouse - Gertie Sews Vintage Casual

This pattern is created from a dress bodice with the additions of a peplum and a lot of button loops to the front. I wish I'd mentioned it to my costumier pal beforehand as she gave me a great tip afterwards for making sure they don't slip and slide when sewing them all in place. Hey ho, I know for next time, if there is one.

As I loved the shape of the bodice so much I decided to make the full blown frock up too. 

I didn't buy any fabric specifically for this, I just used some charity shop cloth that had been hiding in my cupboard a while.

This dress has some really interesting features, piping on the sleeves, a waist stay which I'd not sewn before and the fabulous front zip which makes me feel all retro naughty nurse.

Zip Front Dress - Gertie Sews Vintage Casual

This is a great shape and fabulous to wear, but the fabric puts me off slightly so I guess I'll be making this one up again in something cheerier. That's after the long list of other makes I already have in my head.

I've so many other projects to share with you before I'm all caught up and then I plan to start talking in more detail about each of the projects I'm working on if you'd be interested.

Until then. Tatty bye.

Vintage Cloth Lover .... that's Me

Has it really been that long since I last visited blogland? 

Oops. 

It's now silly o'clock past midnight and I just got the overwhelming urge to write a post, as you do when you're a night owl like me.

My first news is very sad. Last week our dear Alfie Blue died. Back in the days when I blogged regularly, and we lived another life in the countryside,  he featured a lot in my posts with his funny loving ways. You may remember that he came and lived with the girls and I when we moved briefly to my mum's,  after selling our family home. Eventually we had to hand him back to his master and only saw him a couple of times after that. We had to accept that we had lost a lot and so we had to move on,  but hidden away in our hearts where it didn't hurt so much we missed him terribly. I was told he had died by my ex in a very short text so I don't know all the facts, but I do know he was loved incredibly by him and that's as it should be for a sweet kind soul such as our Alfie was.

Now to try and lift the mood I thought you might like to see what I've been stitching of late and to hear about some of my adventures. 

Well most recently, last weekend in fact, whilst my love was having a wonderful history trip time in Ypres with his dad and brothers there was a vintage fabric fair in Felistowe. The Festival of Fabric (run by Amanda Bowden of the Felixstowe School of Sewing) was something I'd been looking forward to for a while. When the time came I was utterly skint. My lovely man made sure I didn't miss the fabric fix I needed though by giving me enough pennies to do a bit of damage so like Cinderella we got dressed in our finest and off we went.

We walked into a hall of delights. Two of my favourite dealers were there, one who's a friend, so we had a good catch up too. Another lady I'd never met before, Vee for Vintage was selling the most ooh and aah cloth. I could have bankrupted us with her fabric, but restrained myself by buying these four.

I also treated myself to a beautiful wool felt brooch made by Lucy of 1940's Style for You who knits the most amazing vintage pieces, makes frocks and sells CC41 shoes, hats and dresses too.

Then we came upon The Vintage Pattern Shop. Good lordy too much delectable choice here. All the patterns have been reproduced onto strong paper with instructions which makes using these a lot less mind boggling than those with no instructions or even a clue which piece is which. 

We had a really interesting chat with Sonny, whose business it is,  about studying fashion, design and well you know all the stuff that dressmaking cloth addicts like.

Now that was on Sunday and that evening my love came home. We spent the next day together and as I do prefer him to fabric and sewing, I waited until the next day to get stitching the idea I already had in my head. 

Using the free pattern from Sew magazine (New Look K6447) and one of the pair of Fotheringay curtains I'd bought on Sunday, I got a cutting and a stitching. 

I can't believe I finished this frock in one day. Head down, no distractions and I was off.

To line the bodice I used a jewel bright purple cotton I found in my cloth cupboard. I love the surprise of seeing it there.

The frock had it's first outing the next evening when we went to see The Viceroy's House as a free preview, followed by dinner. It also scrubbed up well to take me for drinks with a friend at The Gin Palace on the Friday too. All in a frock that cost me £15 to make and is already earning its keep. 

Two days later, while Doris beat the hell out of the outdoors world and after I'd finished a few orders, I squeezed a bit more me sewing time in. This time I had a whirl with the Anna Dress from By Hand London. This comes as a Pdf so it's fun and games jigsawing the pattern together before you get to work on the exciting bit. Thankfully it's a really simple and quick make once that's done.

I chose the subtle barkcloth for this frock that I'd also bought on the Sunday. Even though there's a lot of this cloth, I didn't want to waste it pattern matching as I plan to make some bags from it too. 

I'm not sure if this was the right choice, although my Millie assures me it was.

 No photo wearing it as yet as it still needs the zip stitching in.

Finishing off a truly cloth and frock related week, a pal and I, who I've know since art college days, went to the Costume & Textile Association's free talk on the New Look. Boy that was interesting and has made me want to join their group too so I can go and look at the archives of amazing fashions they hold.

When I got home I started on one of the vintage patterns I'd bought on Sunday. I need to mention at this point that I'm not always industrious like this. In fact I haven't sewn this much in ages, just some weeks I guess you get the fire in your belly and I had the time. 

I chose to make the version with the tie and it needs a lot of cloth. Often with patterns I find myself choosing what I have in my stash that fits the amount needed. This cloth was gifted to me by a dressmaker friend after it was given it to her by a lady in her WI group. She also gave me another stunning 1950's piece that I haven't dared cut into yet.

As I didn't have enough to make the bias binding for the neckline and sleeves I bought some ready made black binding. I was also debating whether to make the ties in black. That's why this chunk of blackncloth (which is destined to become a man's shirt) is wound around the waist, I'm planning on it looking far more flattering than this and have decided I need to use the same fabric.

Now I think I'll end this post here for two reasons. One, I think any more and you'd be nodding off and two, well...it's 2am so I really should be nodding off. 

I hope and aim to be back shortly as I've lots to share if you don't mind.

Ta ta for now.

Happy Shopping

Long before the advent of the 5p plastic bag charge I started making Happy Shopper bags out of beautiful barkcloth and vintage cottons. 

I made my first one six years ago now and then sent it off to it's delighted new owner. Many more bags have been sent hither and thither over the years. 

A couple of months ago I fired up my machine to start making Happy Shoppers again.  I was thrilled to hear from a lady in Australia who wanted to buy another one to add to her first which is still going strong and being adored. It was wonderful as a maker to know that something I've made and sold is still used and loved. Handmade goods have a part of the maker in them. A lot of love and thought goes into the making of each item, so it's unavoidable. To know they bring a bit of sunshine to someone else is a very good thing to hear. 

The hardest part of making these bags has been adding to my stash to ensure I've got a steady supply of beautiful fabrics to use. 

How awful it is searching markets and online for beautiful fabrics. Ah well, someone has to do it don't they!

The other very difficult bit is sharing it, but that's why I buy a lot of what I do. I choose fabrics that catch my eye that I know I will love working with and that will be loved by their new owners when they become a new thing.

Our new home is up and running so I've commandeered the dining room as my workspace. 

At present I'm between jobs and suddenly Bobo Bun is coming back to life as a small business once more. Rather than completely planning it, it just happened to me once I think all the business of the past year or so had been boxed away. I have lots of plans and am busy beavering away on all sorts of things. All the same I think I shall have to find a part-time teaching job eventually, but for now I'm trying to use my time to make what I love work for me. 

Working from home means I'm also here if my man stops by with a delivery for me. Funny that I was working on red rose fabric at the same time. Serendipity.

Once I've cut and stitched together the main bag, there's the serious business of choosing the perfect spotty lining and stitching together my labels.

I love each part of making these bags as I'm surrounded daily in a sea of colour and textile history.

I've even been adding to my vintage towelling collection so I can offer some Happy Shoppers in these too. After all they're not just for shopping, but for days out, taking crafty things and work stuff here and there too.

Alongside the Happy Shoppers that I make and sell through instagram, I've also received a few commissions for  bags in favoured fabrics. 

This one was for a surprise gift which I duly posted off. 

I was really pleased to hear this morning that it is loved.

Another favourite fabric has been this gorgeous mustard cut from a beautiful 1950's bedspread. I've made a fair few bags from it and now and only have the frilled edging left to play with.

Each scrap always get used up somehow or other mind you. 

I've had a few requests to sell the scraps from my making. This morning the talented Pompombelle (instagram) let me know she had finished creating another beautiful creature of hers. Seaside Sally wears a skirt and hat adorned with one of the fabric scraps she bought from me. 

Isn't it wonderful how we are keeping all these beautiful throws, curtains, bedspreads and fabrics alive by re-using them to bring colourful splashes to our everyday. 

Boy I do love vintage fabric.

Peeking around the new homestead.

How de do dee again.

Well I read each of your lovely comments on my last post with happiness. Such lovely words and greetings, thank you.

The picture above is just me in a new favourite frock. It has nothing much to do with this post, except the fact that I like it. So there it is.

Now let's go off for a tour around the new place that my girls and I now call home shall we.
I love a peek around other peoples homes so I'm pretty certain I'm not alone in that.

Now despite missing our woodturner, in fact log fires in general as I've always had one, we are lucky enough to have a fireplace in the sitting room as a focal point. 

Moving from a large country cottage to a city terrace has meant that a lot of furniture hasn't been able to fit, plus of course it had to be slightly shared out between him and I. 

That means there's a lot less space to put out stuff. This is probably a blessing as with each box I open, I think to myself why ever did I think we needed all this stuff. Mind you - I'm careful and go through the girls charity boxes they put by the door. I'm secretly squirrelling away precious things that they think they don't want anymore, but may one day you know.
A fairy wand given as a gift by Flora, Miss Millie's fairy guardian, a notebook of childish drawings and little china sheep. Oh my heart melts for all those times past and then I store those feelings away also. This is a time for moving forward. For taking on our new world together, but all the same the sentimentalist in me still wants to raise her head. She's not been allowed much space of late.

This place already feels like a home to me. It has such a lovely atmosphere and has everything we need.

I kept house hunting until I found a house painted through in white with three bedrooms off a separate landing.  Can you imagine the rows if two teenage girls had to walk through each others rooms all the time. There are some arguments you can try to avoid I think.

As I couldn't afford to buy a house, nor did I want the stress of it then it became hard to find a home that suited my taste and budget. I couldn't believe our luck when I walked into this place. A perfect location within walking distance of the girls school, in a quiet spot opposite a park and a short hop to the city no less. It ticks off everything I was after and more.

The view from the kitchen door is of a lawn free yard, so one less job to do there, and a church spire peeking through the trees. At the front we're on a pedestrianised street so there are no cars, just the chatter of people as they stroll on by.

The kitchen wraps around the bathroom in an L-shape so it all feels very open plan from the dining room.
I've opened and carried so many boxes to get to unearth the dining table. In truth it was a puzzle how to even get it through from the sitting room past the stairs. A spatially aware man helped out with that one.  Then I just piled everything on it again and blocked the whole room up to get some order everywhere else. 

Now I've noticed I have grown small round upper arm muscle bumps. All that humping you see. 

The boxes of course. 

I don't think I've ever had them before. Funny that. 

Outer and inner strength both needed for this time in my life.

In this new space a lot of our old stuff just doesn't go. Paler colours of 1930's china and fabrics suited an 1840 cottage, but here stronger colours and bolder design with less clutter is needed. So that means paint slapping on the furniture and stitching new cushions and curtains for a re-vamp.
Exciting stuff, just hard work. 

Lily cat is very happy here watching the world go by. She probably wonders where the horses she used to watch have disappeared to.

I love my bedroom. I snaffled the biggest room for me because that's just how it rolls isn't it.

I have a large walk in cupboard, my very own dressing room no less. 

Then in the other cupboard I've stored my stash. I've even edited it down hugely, which was brave of me I think. Four bags gone to the girls school now for GCSE textiles use. 

Despite getting rid of some fabric, I've also been adding to the pile with a few new ones as well. This beautiful red floral is a recent addition from Pomme de Jour.

Then the very lovely Rachel, who trades as Rainbow Vintage Home and sells the most amazing fabrics, sent me some bits of bobs of fabric as a house warming gift. 

Slowly, slowly, those boxes are getting fewer and fewer. 

Forgotten things are being brought out again which is all quite exciting.

A far less cluttersome friend, she even puts her toaster in the cupboard, who loves all my stuff was still thrilled that I had less room for so many things to be everywhere. 

This is my kind of minimal.  

No more than this. 

Just three things on top of a cupboard instead of tons of things.

All the same I just can't find it in myself to get rid of all the jugs. And really, you do have to ask yourself how many jugs does one person need?

With everything nearly unpacked, we're just waiting on delivery of our new sofa's and then it'll be time to add a Christmas tree and sparkly decorations I feel.

I can't believe how quickly we're nearly back to the time of year when all of this change started. How far we've come since then. And oh yes, so much happier too.