sewing liberation

Today I want to share 2 things with you all rolled into 1!

In July I promised that as part of my "getting personal" series I would post a pic of myself once a month, to try and get over my feelings about seeing myself captured by the camera.

Secondly I want to show you what I was working on a couple of weeks ago, and now have fallen in love!

So here goes.......

When I was working on the drawstring bags for my aunt's school, it got me thinking about how easy making a skirt could be. I just had to push myself over the fear barrier if truth be told. What if it was too small, short or I just looked plain silly in my sewn creations? These used to run through my mind all the time. At the same time I would look at beautiful garments and something inside me would say that I could make clothes if I just knew where to start.

For me it started with "sew what! skirts" a fantastic book for all novice sewers. This gave me so many ideas and how to make the simplest of skirts! The main thing for me is my body shape. I am an apple, yes, it has been confirmed by Gok and his "How to look good naked - and his style consultation".

 (You should give this a go, lots of great advice on what clothes suit what shapes.)

Anyway, because I have small shoulders, big boobs, a tummy and no hips, I am an apple. And apple shapes suit A-line skirts. I have always know this and when I looked through my wardrobe for a skirt to use as a template I realised that the skirts I didn't like/ wear were not a-lines. (I love a revelation!)

Then on to the fun bit.

I searched online for "retro fabrics" and found this amazing fabric shop Seamstar. It was love at first sight.

It didn't take long at all once the fabric arrived. Maybe 2 hours? I used one of my own skirts as a temple and drew round it twice, adding on an extra 2 inches all round for seams, hems and a bit of give.

I then cut out strips of the contrasting green cotton and attached them to the waist and the bottom.

(I made the waist band into an elastic casing so I had a comfy fit skirt.)

And here we have it, my first proper skirt. I spent yesterday going through my Boden catalogue singing, "well, I could make that, and that, and that..." then I had an idea.....

In Gok's consultation he reccommends styles for dresses for my shape and being an admirer of Kirsty Allsop and her beautiful frocks, I decided, "I can do that....." Buying dresses that fit me in all the right places has become a nightmare. Well, no longer..... I bought myself this!

My first ever dress pattern by Butterick (B5030)

Now I have slowed things down a bit so that I can buy some muslin to practice on and I'm saving my beans for fabric, (I have 3 that I have my eye on.)

In the mean time I am going to make another skirt, this one maybe 3" longer so that I can wear it with tights and boots. This time I think a heavier weight cotton would be best with maybe a autum/ winter colour pallet?

Listen to me!!!!!

  

  

Inspiration - Sew Lovely

This is my latest collection of necklaces, "Sew Lovely". They were inspired by these little "Singer" sewing machine like charms that I saw a couple of months ago. As soon as I saw them my emotions strated running high and I just knew I had to make things with them.

Like most of our Granny's, Nan's and Grandmother's, mine has been sewing for years. My Mum and aunties all remember her sitting running the machine into the wee small hours. She would make them all sorts of outfits, dresses, coats and trousers. I can just imagine the flares and snocks in funky 60's cloth! There were seven of them so Granny was kept busy! But right at the last minute she would find time to rustle herself up a glamourous outfit. There are so many photos of her looking elegant and stylish and then she'll tell you how the waist band wasn't finished in time so she made up a belt with a diamonte button to cover it up.

The best part of all is that she still has an old original Singer machine on a wooden topped iron table with a peddle. It sits by the window in one of the back rooms and at some point during a visit to her house I always pay it a visit. I used to spend hours sitting at that table pretending I was a seamstress from "House of Eliott", making designer fashion in the 1920's. My Mum talks about the almost soothing sound the peddle and wheel made, they could hear it running through the night.

Isn't it strange that I would love one, not to sew with though, just to look at, like a sculpture.

Recently when I bought myself "Sew What Skirts" I spoke to Granny about my venture into machine sewing. I listened for hours as she told me how her friend took her to buy her first pattern and the dress she made. How Margaret  told here that this was a 'Vogue' patter not a Carey one. (She was apt to make things up as she went along, which as far as I'm aware is dangerous stuff when it comes to following a pattern!) She told me about the time she 'aquired' mens suit fabric and making it into 3 winter coats with added velevet trim. My Grandpa was a little upset that he didn't get a new suit, but the coats lasted well. 

I also remember playing in my Mum's sewing box when I was young, I would lay out the patterns and pretend I was running my own Remnant Kings fabric shop. I can see this was a running theme, me setting up various shops in my bedroom. Maybe all that 'let's pretend' play has stuck with me. It is amazing how many memories that this little charm has brought to life for me, and how much I have learned about Granny and her sewing antics. I can see so much of myself in her from these stories. Her leaving things to the last minute, adapting things, working into the night and her love of fabric.

Silver Sew Lovely Charm Necklace

For this necklace I have combined the silver charm with a piece of cotton with a hand stitched line of electric pink thread. This necklace shows the length of my novice sewing skills.

Gold Sew Lovely Necklace

This gold necklace has a small Jade heart hanging with it. This signifies the love that so many people have for their sewing machines, and the love my Granny speaks of that she put into each garment she made.

Sewing Kit Charm Necklace

This last necklace has a silver sewing machine and cloth scissor charms, with a small purple ribbon on the side. The ribbon represents the sweetness of the outfits Granny made and the scissors make me smile because of my inherited obsession for different scissors for different tasks. (You can hear me holler from the other end of the house if I spy MrLB lifting my cloth scissors to cut paper!)

What are your memories of sewing machines? Did your Mum or Granny sew?

Shared Hearts - Number 1

"Liquid Heart" by Sophie

This is the first reader heart to be sent to me, isn't it beautiful. Sophie said her other half noticed it while they out enjoying a cuppa one afternoon! Sophie has a great blog over here. She takes amazing photographs and has a great eye for stunning interior design ideas. Thanks for sharing Sophie!

Here is a fabric heart I made yesterday and I couldn't resist adding a few little sparkles, you know how it is. Keep them coming please and lets Spread Global Love or Hearts!

Day 9 - Help is at Hand

Della's Yibble Cottage

Made using satin, silks, aqua beads and silver glitter glue

Yesterday the Yibble Liberation Front gained a new member, my little cousin Della. She has been the inspiration for the Yibbles from the start. She is currently working on a little book about them too, creating characters, their cottages and lots of other fine details. So yesterday we met up to do some making with fabric, beads, glitter glue and PVA and she suggested that we made some collage Yibble cottages! She was very clear on how they should look, 1 door for the Yibbles and 2 extra doors for foxes and mice! I had a wonderful time, it has been so long since I just cut and stuck. And I think Della enjoyed it too!

Close up of Della's "Button Collage"

This was my attempt. I have been struggling for weeks to come up with ways to creat the Yibble kingdom and 10 minutes with Della and it all becomes clear! So keep watching, when the Yibbles are Liberated you may well get a little cottage for them too! I would like to say a big thank you to Della for a fab day and all her Yibble help. She asked if I could post her pictures for you all to see and she'll be checking it out very soon, so hello Della P!

I would also like to introduce you all to Eleanor, the wonderful mind behind A good idea on paper. She is a fine artist who specialises in Book art and has a really interesting post about sharing a page from your sketch book. I think this is a great idea, getting to nose into a page of other creative minds and to share the different ways that we all work. Head over and take a look at her beautiful paper dress up doll pages, leave a comment and she'll post up your pages. Get going, I'm sooo nosey and can't wait to see what you are all up to!

This is one of the pages from mine, it is little Olive in Paris! I still love doodling about her and find the different surfaces of the book to really lead me in starange directions. Well I'm off now to walk my pup and get sewing and I'll be back and let you know the date for the Liberation and some more little details. Happy Wednesday x

Day 7 - How I got my groove back

My creativity seems to come in waves, some days I can come up with 100's of new ideas and others it is just the same idea over and over again. Over the last few days that has been the Yibbles, but everytime I try the computer shuts down. Now as you have read over the last few posts this has become a pattern. Yesterday, I just sat, and looked at the screen for about an hour and it came to me. I love doing Yibble doodles in my journal, I really love making the fabric ones and I have made quite a few now for family and friends and they are happily in new homes. So, I have decided that their adventures will continue as doodles in my journal and the fabric dolls will be liberated. I am having a Yibble Liberation! So I'm going to set them up in the shop and find them new homes and adventures aroung the world. I have a few to finish today, so later I'll let you see who's who and set a date for a shop update.

Yesterday I spent a couple of hours making up birthday cards and pulled out the beautiful fabric remnants I got from starlitnest and decided to work on my birdie collection, and I had such fun. I am going to work on a little range and I'll let you see them finished. Happy Friday :)

Not forgotton

I have not forgotton about Stefan, he is just still a work in progress. I have lots of ideas now, with bo's help, for the land of yibble and some adventures. We are thinking a recycled land, where all their finds (our discarded items) are transformed into wonderful useful or decorative things! More to follow soon.

I got this beautiful parcel on Friday from etsy seller starlitnest. They are 2 envelopes filled with beautiful farbric remnants and now I can't decide what to make with them, they are all so beautiful! Maybe they could become part of the yibble creations?

Well lots to do, I am still relisting things on etsy with new photos, making bracelets and have a card commission to work on over the next few days, plus some much needed book keeping, so I need to keep my head down and get stuck in. I managed to waste a whole hour this morning writing a new set of lists and scoring off done jobs. What a joy! Do you write lists? What kinds of lists do you like?

Keep posting for the competition new visitors, the time is coming soon, and I better keep posting I'm only at 85 and I only have 7 days left! Let me just do the maths...... so thats 7 days and 15 posts... oops. Well I'll come back tonight with something to show from my soon to be productive day hehe.