10 x 10 Challenge!

Reducing this down!

So, for Autumn, something a little bit different - some might say crazy, mad, extreme!  I have decided to embark on the 10 x 10 Challenge.  This is something I have been aware of for a while from following various blogs that focus on capsule wardrobes.  In this case it was the www.un-fancy.com blog, she did her 10 x 10 in September, but now her friend is doing the challenge for 10 days starting tomorrow Monday 10/10/2016 (just realised that date is rather appropriate!)

So what is the challenge?

You pick 10 items from your wardrobe.
Style them into 10 looks.
Give yourself 10 days to it.

That's it, easy, haha!

Things I considered in selecting 10 items.

Weather:  On checking the weather high are between 12 and 14 degrees and lows between 8 and 10 degrees, if the weather forecast can be trusted! So, definitely getting cooler, but not too cool, hopefully.

Lifestyle:  Things I'll be doing over the next 10 days, working from home mostly with occasional meetings and some casual social occasions, so maybe not quite as taxing as if I were 'working out' if you know what I mean.

Colour:  Whenever I first looked into capsule wardrobes, the one thing that struck me was how a lot of them were monochrome or very similar colours.  I had enough of that when I worked in a big organization, so I love colour and definitely incorporate colour in my wardrobe.  Having said that I do get that items have to go together, especially when you have so little.  My colours for this are based around blues and greens, which I love.

Shapes: Not sure if I'm going to be that successful from this point of view.  Again, items need to be interchangeable with eachother and silhouettes need to work together also.  We shall see.  This is part of the challenge.


So here are my 10 items.

1 pair of shoes - Navy Trainers from Tedandmuffy

1 pair of ankle boots from Russellandbromley.co.uk

1 dress - Handmade, using pattern Tillyandthebuttons Bettine sewing pattern.

1 navy jeans from meandem.com

1 pair of dungarees - Handmade using sewing pattern Roberts collection by Marilla Walker

3 Tops - All handmade   

1.  Navy/White striped top ( Liesl and Co Maritime Top)
2.  Floral Top (Mercury Collection by Marilla Walker)
3.  Pussybow blouse (pussy bow blouse sewing pattern by Sew Over It.)

1 cardigan (www.boden.co.uk)

1 Jacket (Sussex wax jacket from fatface.com)

So, why am I doing this challenge at all I might ask myself.

Well, partly just for the challenge.  Also, as this is mostly a sewing blog and I love sewing (but really sew too many things still) I want to try and be more mindful about exactly what I need, what really works for me on a day-to-day basis (both style-wise and practically) so that I can choose patterns more wisely.  I definitely have improved a lot over the past couple of years, but I would like to hone my style a little bit more (must be a turning 50 thing!) I would like this challenge to encourage me to get more out of my clothes and really WEAR them.

It could be really boring and repetitive (sorry in advance if that's the case) but I hope to have fun with it and maybe learn something along the way.

Wish me luck.  I'll be aiming to put a photograph on instagram every day #stylebee10x10

Not too late, anyone else up for an October challenge, you can check the details out here.

City Stroll Wrap Skirt

So, I've been meaning to make this skirt for ages, and finally did towards the end of the summer and have been getting quite a bit of wear out of it.  It is the Liesl and co City Stroll Wrap skirt which has a curved hem and pockets and a neat hem facing.

Worn with Sewaholic Oakridge blouse
 

I made mine in a fairly lightweight organic corduroy form organiccotton.biz in a teal colour which I bought a few years ago.  It's ok, but I think I would go for a slightly heavier fabric the next time.

Worn with Made-by-Rae Josephine blouse.

The pattern itself is very straightforward with great instructions as per all Liesl & Co patterns and the pockets give it more interest and, of course, are very practical.

The facing on the hem also gives a lovely neat finish and a little chance to use a co-ordinating fabric.  The one I used is one of the Atelier Brunette rayon's which worked very well.

I was thinking of lengthening the skirt, as I thought it might be too short, but I made no adjustments at all and I think it's fine especially now in the autumn with thicker tights.  It's been a surprisingly useful skirt (I wasn't sure to be honest, it maybe seemed a bit novelty)  and even had a trip to Reykjavik earlier in September.  So, all in all I am really pleased with it and will be aiming for a slightly heavier version for winter.

Even fine when sitting down.
Coffee stop in Reykjavik.

True Bias Emerson pants.

 I knew as soon as Emerson crop pant/shorts pattern came on my radar that I'd love it.  I've always loved the wide-leg style, like a palazzo style, but these are cropped 3/4 length, hitting about mid-calf, which is, of course, very en trend at the moment.  Well, you've got to try, haven't you?

As they have an elasticized back (so no zip insertion) but a flat front waistband which sits just below the natural waist they are both comfortable and flattering at the same time.  Also, they have nice pleat details at the front which gives a bit of shape.

 They also have in-seam pockets, well you've got to have those, don't you.  I made my Emerson's in a blue chambray lyocell fabric which is light-medium weight but with a great drape which I think works really well with this pattern.

I made a straight size 14 with no adjustments and they are spot-on, I'm really pleased with the fit, which makes me think I might try more True Bias patterns.

I love the length they fall at too.  I'm 5'5" and they fall mid-calf I would say.  I love them and have in mind a navy pair for autumn in a suiting fabric which I think will work with boots too.  I think they even work fine with flat shoes too, so overall a great all rounder.  Who knows I might even make a shorts version, but probably not this summer.  It's feeling very autumnal all of a sudden, where did that summer go to?

The Gypsy blouse by The Maker's Atelier

So, thought I'd share one of my most-worn items so far this summer.  It's the Gypsy dress and blouse sewing pattern from The Makers Atelier.  It's the second pattern I have made from their collection, the first being the holiday shirt and top which turned out rather large on me, but I have since made in a smaller size.

In general the styles are a bit over-sized as I made the Medium (12/14) in the Gypsy top and it feels slightly big, but I think it's part of the style of it. 

Seamwork Moji Trousers and Makers Atelier Gypsy Top.

I made it in the stripey Cotton and Steel double gauze which is cerise pink, mint green and taupe, I've had it a while so thought I'd better use it.  Double gauze is perfect for the summer and in this case I have tended to wear the top as a cover-up over a vest top or lightweight t-shirt, a handy top for a balmy evening!

It was a very quick straightforward make, it's a raglan style sleeve, so no set-in.  You can elasticate the sleeves and waist hem, but I did mine with a plain hem, so very fast indeed.

The drawstring is fed around the neckline through bias binding - I used a fancy one from Guthrie-ghani.co.uk with a lace edge which looks rather nice.

The patterns are a little bit on the expensive side at £22.50.  They come in a substantial cardboard packaging with a cord closure, the instructions are printed on a folded sheet of paper and the pattern itself is printed on a top quality weight paper.  However, there are quite a few other 'Indie' pattern companies who produce similar if not higher quality patterns for a lot less.

I think their strength may lie in the fact that they are, in general, quite simple styles and as such could be made to look quite different by using different fabrics, so you could get multiple uses from their patterns without it being blatantly obvious. So, cost per use might make it worth it, it has definitely been a go-to, so I'd say I'll probably be making it again, so possibly justified.

A meeting of Maya and Emily

So, we have returned from our holiday and I thought it was about time that I shared some of my summer makes.  Thankfully, the weather was very kind to us this year and we very much enjoyed our tour of Cornwall, the lovely Rye and the New Forest.

As the weather was so warm and sunny, I actual got to wear light-weight summery clothes... Yeah!! 

The first item is a Liberty version of the Maya dress and top sewing-pattern by Marilla Walker.  I've been meaning to give it a go for ages, but somehow didn't get around to it.  The pattern is a kimono/cap sleeved dress or top with a fairly loose style and a patch pocket. As with all of Marilla's patterns she gives several options including cropped top, tunic and dress length, with or without a button down front.  Also options for the type of hem, ie.shaped or straight

It's a great pattern for showcasing a bold or colourful pattern and I love the colours in this Liberty cotton lawn, blues, greens, pinks, all very jewel like.

The instructions are very straightforward to follow and overall it's a fairly simple make with just two main pieces and neck facing.  The side seams are French seamed so it's nice that all raw edges are enclosed.  It's a great basic style top to have in your wardrobe, would also be nice in plain colours.  I intend to make a dress version of it too at some stage, so overall I really like the pattern.

I am wearing the top with the Itch-to-stitch Emily culottes - I really wanted to make a pair of culottes this summer and I have a few different patterns, but went for this one in the end.  It took me three goes to get the sizing right, but was worth it in the end. They kept turning out way too large, I think I ended up with a straight 12.  These are in a brown linen fabric which was lovely and cool on holidays and they got a good bit of wear.  The pattern is a pdf download and also is excellent as the instructions are incredibly detailed and with a ton of options, including a few different pockets, lined or unlined, pleated or non-pleated, a tie front, and different lengths.

I went for the non-pleated, tie front, knee-length version which is fine, but you really need to wear a tucked-in top with them, otherwise a little bump appears.  I would leave the ties off and do a pocketed version the next time and now that I've got the sizing right there will definitely be more, they're just so comfortable to wear - I highly recommend!

 One of my holiday highlights was paying a visit to Rye and in particular to Merchant and Mills and I got to touch and feel all their lovely selection of fabrics.  It was their dress shirt pattern that started me off on my sewing venture 4 years ago, never having sewn any garments before, so it was very special to go there, I loved every moment!

An added bonus was that the town of Rye is very pretty with lots of lovely shops, cafes and restaurants.  My boys enjoyed going into the tower of the church to see around.  I think they were pleasantly surprised with the town, it had a good atmosphere with plenty of people about.

My Rye lunch, coronation chicken salad, sustenance after the shopping ... and these were the purchases.  I honestly went intending to buy some Harris Tweed for a Haremere jacket, but none of the designs really were me, a bit too muted, but I will keep an eye out.

The Strand and The Rugby

Linens and stripes from Merchant and Mills

I will be back soon with some other summery makes, although I'm started to think of autumn!

The Bennett dress.

Even though the weather has taken a turn for the worse here, I thought I would share one of my recent makes, the Bennett dress from Marilla Walker. It is classified as an Advanced Beginner level pattern which I would say is about right.  It is a shift style with princess detail in the bodice (or a front panel), waist ties (optional) and two different hem options.

I chose to make Option A which has the shaped shirt style hem, waist ties and front panel.  Having loved the double gauze that I made my dungarees in from Merchant and Mills, I thought I would try another one for the Bennett dress, but this one was all together different. It is double sided, one indigo blue and the other a small grid check which is great, but it is very fine, almost see-through, quite an open weave and frays considerably.  It is described as double gauze laundered linen, so I guess that's what it is, definitely ideal for very warm weather like we had a couple of weeks ago.

Realistically (because of the fabric) I'm not sure how much wear I'll actually get out of it.

Pattern wise, it's a great style.  The instructions are great, probably the trickiest part for me was turning the belt ties the right way round.  That was a bit of a nightmare as the fabric would have gone into a hole very easily.

There is definitely plenty of scope for fabric combinations.  With it having the front panel, it is crying out for colour blocking, you could go simple minimalistic monochrome, chambray/denim and liberty or a broderie anglaise panel would be lovely.  I think it would even be a useful dress for the winter (maybe in a fine corduroy) with a fine long sleeved top underneath.

I made a straight size 5 with no alterations and I think it's pretty close to a perfect fit for me.

So, I think I probably have enough summer dresses now, I'll have to get back to some basics like T-shirts and jersey bottoms.  Back soon to show my new culottes, which are also very lightweight, hope the good weather returns SOON!

Trying a little 'vintage'

So I have really gotten out of the way of posting on the blog.  I think the handiness of Instagram spoils us in a way.  During May I have made a number of items, so I thought I'd better get onto it.

I have wanted to get into making more shapely dresses for a while now and in particular shirt dresses and like most sewists I have a number of sewing patterns I've gathered over the last couple of years.  I decided to start with this one and it is the Sewoverit Vintage shirt dress.  I wouldn't be into vintage style exactly, but I liked the ones that were popping up on blogs.

So it is a classic style shirt dress with two pleats on the front and back bodices for shapeliness and pleats also on the skirt.  The collar is also shapely and rounded which is very flattering.

The pattern recommends light to woven fabrics and for mine I chose the lovely new Atelier Brunette rayon fabric called Blossom Coral from Misformake.  I love these fabrics, they are beautiful to work with and wear.  This particular one is more muted than I normally would wear, but it's lovely for summer.

As you can see I chose the sleeveless version which was great for the balmy 20 degree day we had in May. (Hope that wasn't our summer) The armhole is finished with self bias binding. There is an option for a sleeved dress which would be nice for the cooler months.

The instructions are done very nicely, very helpful little diagrams and arrowed labels of exactly where to stitch.  The part I found tricky was attaching the collar to the bodice - it just did not want to fit at first, so I just left it for a while.  Also, got a few wee tips from Seamsoddlouise - thank you.

So when I went back to it, by some jiggery pokery and a lot of pins I got it, it's all that 'easing' business and thankfully it sits rather well.

On me the length just hit my knee and I', 5'5" just to give an idea and I made the size 14.  Overall I really like the style and I would say come the autumn there will be a long sleeved version.