Even as I finished stitching my first me-made effort at bra making, I was sewing bra number two in my head. I was convinced I’d be able to create an even better bra second time around. Needless to say, things didn’t turn out quite as I expected.
I love making men’s pyjamas. It’s a chance to indulge in fantastic prints and luxury fabric and create something much more comfortable and stylish, than anything you can buy off the peg.
This summer I finally worked up the resolve to make not one but two bras, plus co-ordinating knickers. To my astonishment the experience worked out so well I am now working on bra number three.
I have never been able to get stylish jeans that fit me. Ever. Two years ago, after a particularly dispiriting changing room session, I decided there had to be a better way and found Heather Lou of Closet Case Patterns and her Ginger Jeans (obviously nothing to do with Made At Ginjer jeans!). I decided to make my own jeans.
Last autumn, after a couple of years of mulling over knitting patterns, I bit the bullet and cast on some stitches. An embarrassing amount of time had passed since I last knitted anything [20 or so years ahem!].
Back then knitting had never grabbed my interest as much as sewing. So I treated my new-found interest with scepticism. I cautioned myself not to invest too much, in case this was a flash in the pan.
I’m itching to start on Mr Ginjer’s pea coat. The thing that is exciting me most is I will have the chance to work with some Harris tweed.
When we started discussing the project I had visions of a classic navy wool melton, and he offered a preference for herringbone grey. But the more I searched for inspiration and added images to my Pinterest board, our initial ideas seemed a little tame.
I’m planning to sew another winter coat. What! Another? Did I ever finish the last one?
In short, yes. But by the skin of my teeth. I wore it on my trip to Louisville, USA. The coat, now dubbed the grey poodle, is super snuggly. I felt incredibly warm – yet smart – as snow flakes drifted in the chilly Kentucky air.
But, the night before my flight, I was up till 2am in my hotel room at Heathrow Airport, hand stitching the lining hem to the coat.
It’s been a balmy 9C on the Isle of Wight so far this January. Yes, it’s been raining pretty much since the end of October, but it has not been that chilly. Why so much weather info on a sewing blog?
I went to Hamburg for work mid month, where it was sooo cold my face actually hurt. I’m off to Louisville, Kentucky, at the end of February and I’ve yet to finish my winter coat.
Yikes! I have been gently stitching away, really enjoying learning some tailoring techniques, since the autumn, without much sense of urgency. Now there is a race on to finish before it gets too darn warm to wear it.
When you walk down a street in the evening, are your eyes drawn to those homes with the lights on and the front rooms all lit up? I cannot help taking a sideways peek to see how the front rooms have been decorated.
Similarly, when I read sewing blogs, I love to see the spaces where people sew. I feel I know them better if I understand their sewing room (if they are lucky) or the area where they keep their fabrics and work in progress. And I’m keen to pick up good tips on stylish storage or favourite tools.