Happy #MMMay17! Sewbox Giveaway

***THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED AND A WINNER HAS BEEN SELECTED. THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO ENTERED. CONGRATULATIONS BETH!***

Here's the second and final #MMMay17 celebration giveaway, and it's a really good one!!! Susan from Sewbox.co.uk has been insanely generous in offering up a £50 voucher to be spent on her site, with free postage included worldwide! £50?! You know what £50 will get you? LOADS. Sooooo annoyed I can't enter....

Well, if it wasn't unethical to enter my own giveaway and I won, do you want to know what I would pick? Probably some of this Liberty Tana Lawn pictured above. Because I recently discovered this French sewing blog and she makes lots of beautiful stuff from the Liberty Betsy print. 

And I'd further my trouser-making investigations with this lovely-looking Hot Patterns slim cut pants pattern. Plus, I'd probably get some other bits I'd need for the project, like the zip and thread. Job done.

If you are a Me-Made-May'17 participant and would like to enter this awesome giveaway, please let us know in the comments for this post what YOU would choose from the Sewbox.co.uk site. Don't worry, if you win you will be allowed to change your mind if you wish! Make sure that you've entered by midnight GMT on 28th May, and please include your email address in your comment if it can't easily be found within two clicks of my mouse. Good luck! 

Happy #MMMay17! Miss Maude Giveaway

This Me-Made-May, we've got two awesome giveaways for participants to enter by way of celebration. This first is being hosted by Jennifer Lauren Handmade, and the prize has kindly been donated by the incredibly well-curated, NZ based online sewing emporium, Miss Maude. Emma, Miss Maude's owner, has generously offered the winner their choice of one sewing pattern and two metres of fabric, PLUS a surprise piece of haberdashery thrown in for good measure, AND includes shipping worldwide.

If you're asking me what I'd choose (and I know you were just about to!), I'd probably go for some of this delicious looking organic cotton gingham woven in India (pictured above). How chic and grown-up would it look made up as an I am Patterns Pan Tee?! But that's just me. 

Head over to Jennifer's blog post to find out the full details on how to enter, but do so quick because the giveaway closes this Sunday (14th May). 

Indie Stitches #MMMay16 Giveaway!

Shall we have one more celebratory #MMMay16 giveaway?! Yes, let's! This week Jen is hosting the final giveaway in which #MMMay16 participants can win their choice of PDF sewing pattern from the range stocked by Australian-based Indie Stitches. It's super simple to enter, so if you are a participant, head over here to through your hat into the ring. 

Jennifer Lauren Handmade and So Zo #MMMay16 Giveaway!

**THANKS EVERYONE WHO ENTERED, THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. CONGRATULATIONS KAMILA!!!**

Ok Me-Made-Mayers! It's time to celebrate all your efforts further still with another of our weekly giveaways. This week, us organisers (myself and Jen) have come together to provide the prizes: a bumper collection of PDF sewing patterns. 

Jen of Jennifer Lauren Handmade (formerly Jennifer Lauren Vintage) is offering two sewing patterns OF YOUR CHOICE from her awesome range. Oh my goodness, there are so many beauties to choose from. How about her beautiful newly released Hunter tank pattern (pictured above)? Or the button lovers favourite, the Cressida skirt pattern (pictured below)? Or any of the other amazing options...

So what am I bringing to the table? Well I don't currently have a sufficient quantity of patterns to offer a choice, so I'm simply offering up both my two sewing patterns! There's the Dolores batwing pattern (pictured below) and the Anya shoulder bag pattern (pictured lower down in this post). 

To enter, all you have to do is answer a quick question: what's the next sewing technique you want to master? Leave your answer in a comment at the bottom of this post, and remember to include your email address if I can't easily find it within two clicks of my mouse.

Every time I host a giveaway, I end up having to redraw the winner because someone didn't leave a way for me to contact them. If you win but there's no email address, then there's no way to get the sewing patterns to you.

Your email address will not be used for any purpose other than contacting you if you are the winner. Please remember that the giveaway is open to participants of Me-Made-May only. Leave your comment by midnight GMT Saturday 21st May 2016. I will pick a winner by random number generator the following day and contact them soon after.

Good luck!

Miss Maude #MMMay16 Giveaway!

Well it's the beginning of the second week of #MMMay16, which means one thing: GIVEAWAY TIME. This week's celebratory giveaway that is open to Me-Made-May'16 participants is being hosted over on Jennifer Lauren Vintage's blog. The prize is a delightful selection of vintage and new haberdashery and notions, everything you see in the picture above in fact, plus more. Head over to Jen's post to find out how to enter.

I hope you have a fantastic and enlightening second week of your challenge. Remember, taking photos of your outfits isn't important! It totally doesn't matter if you don't document your challenge, everyday or at all. It's all about wearing those amazing hand-stitched items, enjoying them and learning from it all.

Happy Me-Made-May'16! Fabric Godmother 'Dream Wardrobe' Giveaway

**THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. CONGRATULATIONS HEATHER!!!**

HAPPY ME-MADE-MAY'16!!!!! It's here and I'm sooooo excited to get cracking and to see everyone's challenges unfold. As with previous year's, we will be celebrating this month of awesomeness with weekly competitions/giveaway for the participants of #MMMay16 to enter. I will be hosting two, and the lovely Jen from Jennifer Lauren Vintage will be hosting the other two. And ohmygoodness, is this first one a cracker!

UK-based (but will send internationally) online fabric seller, Fabric Godmother, has offered up a very exciting prize: a month's instalment of their 'Dream Wardrobe' project kit. 'What's that?!' I hear you ask. Well, when someone signs up for the dream wardrobe package, they receive a style consultation with Josie, owner of Fabric Godmother. She finds out all about their style preferences, lifestyle, colouring, body type and so on, then they will receive one package per month for the duration that they have signed up for that contains everything required for a fantastic sewing project. 

(some stunning rose print stretch cotton sateen, available here)

It's such an amazing idea and would really benefit lots of sewers. Maybe you are fed up with making the same type of garment project and need a gentle push towards something you may not usually gravitate to? Maybe you're frustrated by having made poor fabric choices for sewing projects in the past, and would like someone else to take on that part of the equation for you? Maybe you simply don't have time to go shopping for all the elements required for a sewing project and would appreciate receiving them all in one bundle in the correct colours and necessary quantities, so you can crack on with the fun sewing part?

(elegant 'Delphi' layered maxi dress pattern by Named patterns, available here)

To enter, all you have to do is answer a quick question to help Fabric Godmother stock the things you'd really like to see in their online shop. Quickly visit the sewing pattern section of their site and see which of your favourite indie sewing pattern brands they don't currently stock that you think they should. Leave your answer in a comment at the bottom of this post, and remember to include your email address if I can't easily find it within two clicks of my mouse.

Every time I host a giveaway, I end up having to redraw the winner because someone didn't leave a way for me to contact them. If you win but there's no email address, then there's no way to get the Dream Wardrobe instalment to you. 

Your email address will not be used for any purpose other than contacting you if you are the winner. Please remember that the giveaway is open to participants of Me-Made-May only. Leave your comment by midnight GMT Saturday 8th May 2016. I will pick a winner by random number generator the following day and contact them.

Good luck!

Anya Shoulder Bag Pattern: Tester Makes and Giveaway!!!

**THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS TO THOSE WHO ENTERED, THE WINNERS HAVE BEEN SELECTED AND EMAILED**

(pale green spotty by Elisabeth)

Thanks so much to everyone who has greeted the Anya shoulder bag pattern warmly so far, by leaving a lovely comment on my previous post which announced its release or by buying a copy! Here's a butchers at some of the fabulous versions that were made by the pattern testers. (Plus, stick around for a giveaway...)

(vintage haberdashery print by Jane)

Of course I owe ENORMOUS thanks to all the Anya testers:

Claire S, Elisabeth, Jane, Nicola, Sarah, Louise, Claire Corry, Cassandra, Emily V, Abi, Ana Rita, Alyssa W, Amy, and Martha. THANK YOU, ladies!!! Your feedback was invaluable and it helped me improve to the instructions by approximately 1000%.

(teal with contrast floral yoke and button tab by Nicola)

Thankfully, all the feedback I received agreed that the pattern itself didn't require any changes. Therefore, the versions in these pictures were made with the same pattern that you'll receive if you buy, or win, the Anya shoulder bag pattern. Which leads me to...

(bold stripes by Sarah) 

Giveaway:

To help spread the word of its existence, I'm going to give away ten review copies of this pattern. To be eligible to enter, you must have a blog and/or Instagram account, but it doesn't matter how many readers or followers you have. You must also promise to make the bag and then blog about it with an honest review, or share your bag on Instagram with a couple of sentences about it (plus use the hashtag #SoZoAnyaBag) within four months. Deal?

(yellow with black floral motif by Claire S)

How to enter:

If you would like to receive a free copy of this pattern and are willing to make, review and share your creation, then please leave a comment in the comments section of this post. Please include what type of fabric you think you'd like to make it in (coz I'm nosy) and if I can't access your email address within two clicks of my mouse, then make sure that it is included in the post as well. Email addresses will only be used to contact you if you win. The deadline is midnight GMT on 4th December 2015. Winners will be chosen at random using a random number generator, and contacted within a couple of days. If you have already bought the pattern (or are intending to do so), you are totally able to enter as well. If you win, then I will refund your payment so you'll still be getting the pattern for free.

Good luck!  

(green corduroy by Louise)

(denim with red piping by Claire Corry)

(damask upholstery by Cassandra)

(floral by Alyssa W)

Three Knit Garments PLUS Girl Charlee Fabrics Giveaway (Europe Only)

***THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS FOR ENTERING. CONGRATULATIONS TO VICTORIA***

You know me, I'm a stash buster at heart, but I can't refuse the offer of free fabric when one occurs. Girl Charlee has recently launched a UK and Europe arm of the long-established US company, both of which sell high quality knit fabrics. They emailed me (and probably lots more UK sewing bloggers, let's be honest!) and offered me my choice of fabric in exchange for a review on my blog, so I chanced my arm and suggested a giveaway for my readers as well. 

My Fabric Selection:

Man, the weight of what to choose hung heavy! Seeing as I don't buy new fabric as a rule, the offer of some free stuff is a chance to really fill any holes in my wardrobe. Like many sewers, my stash is full of fun prints, so I felt this was a chance to pick a quality solid coloured fabric to make some decent basics that will bring me closer to a really cohesive clothing selection. You may have read my recent ramblings on and explorations into organic cotton, so my first port of call was to see what they offered in that vein. Nothing really grabbed me from their currently-small selection, plus it was unclear if theirs are GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certified (which is what you really want to find out when buying 'organic', IMO). So instead I asked for 2m of this navy Ponte de Roma, and if that was out of stock then some of the red anchor print jersey instead. Never one to shy away from a stereotype, me! Bless them, they sent me both my selections, from which I made three different garments. 

Fabric and Pattern Matching:

I'm going to blog separately about each of these three projects but I'll run through them in brief. First I tackled the printed anchor jersey. The base fabric is quite fine but stable, with very little drape, and I felt a form fitting knit top pattern would be most suitable for these qualities. I used the Bronte top pattern by Jennifer Lauren Vintage and some scraps of red jersey from my stash for the neck bindings. This top is so much fun! I wore it all day yesterday and it received a lot of compliments. Warning: this is an attention seeking fabric!

I always had a cardigan in mind for the Ponte de Roma, as my self-made cardi selection currently consists of only my leopard print Jenna cardi. I took this opportunity to attempt the gathered shoulder version of the Jenna in a solid fabric to make a garment that will hopefully layer well with all my striped jersey tops. The Ponte de Roma is super soft so feels great against the skin. It is very stretchy so I had to adjust the pattern a bit to accommodate for that properly (more on which in the separate blog post to follow). 

Despite making the long sleeved and hip length options of the Jenna (i.e. the most fabric hungry), I was left with enough Ponte to whip up a knit skirt too. I used the knit pencil skirt pattern in the Gertie Sews Vintage Casual book, and I couldn't be happier with the final outcome. The stretchiness of the Ponte is EXACTLY what I want for making a skirt. I can run around in it at playgrounds and playgroups, feel comfy on long train journeys and after eating big dinners, plus it feels lovely if worn with bare legs. 

The Giveaway and How to Enter: 

Girl Charlee are offering one of my blog readers the opportunity to be in the same situation that I was in: to choose 2m of whichever fabric that takes your fancy from their site! All you have to do is browse through their selection and copy the link of whichever you would like to own. Let me know what you've picked and paste that link in a comment at the bottom of this post. PLUS if you aren't sure I can find your email address within two clicks of my mouse, leave your email address in the body of the comment. Email addresses will not be used for anything other than contacting you if you win this giveaway.

It's not a prerequisite for entering, but I also heartily recommend that you follow Girl Charlee on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to hear about their special offers, new fabrics and so on. They also often share tutorials, guides, patterns, giveaways, etc.

Apologies to readers of this blog who live elsewhere, but this giveaway is for residents of Europe only I'm afraid. When I can, I make my giveaways international (I ended up sending the B*Inspired magazine to New Zealand, BTW), but I'm not making the rules this time, sorry.

Make sure you have commented by midnight GMT on Monday 31st August to enter. Multiple entries will be discounted, as will any entries that do not tell me which item you'd like to win (honestly, you'd be surprised by how many people will no longer be reading this far down the post...). And just to clarify, if you win your choice of fabric, it will be posted to you for free, with absolutely no cost to yourself. On the 1st September I will use a random number generator to select one winner and contact them to get their postal addresses to forward on to Girl Charlee so they can send out the prize. All clear? Good!

Sailboat Blouse, Plus: B*inspired Magazine Giveaway

**THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS EVERYONE WHO ENTERED. CONGRATULATIONS TO VANESSA!**

Agh! I may love this little garment too much. Cute little retro style? Check. Nautical vibes? Check. Worn by my naughty little scamp? Check again. I have a couple of people to thank for the materials that allowed me to make this, and a giveaway as well so you may want to stick around til the end for that. 

Pattern:

A bunch of months ago, I was lucky enough to receive two copies of children's sewing pattern magazine B*inspired's 4th edition. One was for me to get my grubby mitts on, and a second copy it to be given away. This edition is full of sewable Spring/Summer styles, but there was one that I had to make. This little tie-front blouse has a retro 1950's bowling vibe that almost demands a novelty print and sweet buttons. Who am I to deny it?! 

(image source: B*inpired magazine)

B*inspired is created by the same Dutch team who make My Image womenswear pattern magazine (that I wrote about here). I would say that all the pluses and minuses that I found with My Image also apply here. Speaking positively, from what I can tell from making one pattern from each, the patterns seem well drafted, with some very wearable styles, IMO. The magazines themselves are beautiful and printed on lovely paper. The pattern sheets (from which you trace off the pieces required) are nice and clear, and not overcrowded like the Burdastyle magazines' pattern sheets are. They feature photo shoots that show the garments off well and definitely made me want to sew a good number of them. With all those lovely patterns included, the magazine is excellent value at only €5.95.

However, the negatives are also true: the instructions translated into English were confusing at times, and seemed pretty sparse generally. I felt confident in choosing this blouse pattern to try because it was one of only two patterns included that showed some step-by-step photography. However, even with this additional assistance, it wasn't enough to prevent me fluffing up and having to crack out the quick-unpick (AKA seam ripper). Plus there was some potentially-useful information missing, like any indication of where to position the buttons/buttonholes, or how long to cut the elastic for the gathered sleeve hems, which made the project a bit more taxing than this bleary-eyed sewing mama felt really comfortably with. I can imagine that it would be a frustrating experience to try making this blouse without having made any blouses or shirts before (and in my case, that apparently still wasn't enough to help me through without mistakes!). Despite all it's awesome points, unfortunately it would be hard for me to recommend this magazine to anyone who didn't have a number of years of sewing experience and quite a few completed sewing projects, under their belts. 

My one other small gripe is with the sizing. I traced off and made the smallest size (92), which is a full two sizes bigger than Dolores is currently wearing (according to other sewing pattern magazine sizing and most mass-produced second-hand stuff she has). I expected this to fit her summer 2016 but when I got her to try it on, I was really surprised to find that it is almost the perfect size right now. 

But I have to say, this project was FUN to make! A fiddly little woven garment that will probably only get a few wears (unless we luck out and it ends up spanning two summers), may not feel like the best use of limited sewing time, but it really was enjoyable to make something small and crisp and perfect. I'd definitely make this pattern again, and have lots of fun picking different cute fabric and button combos. I'd like to make a sleeveless version too at some point. 

Fabric:

I was sent a small piece of sailboat printed poly/cotton from the very lovely Catherine of Clothes and Sewing a couple of months ago. At first I wasn't sure what to do with it exactly, and I feared that it would languish in my stash. But the stars alined and this pattern presented itself at the right time. The fabric washes easily and presses well, and was the perfect weight for this little summer blouse. The only thing I regret was not choosing a plain white fabric for the facing rather than using the same printed fabric because the facing sailboats are slightly visible through the front. But then, when is a toddler ever still for long enough to really notice such things?!  

The buttons were from my stash, having originally been given to me by my blog sponsor Maggie from Textile Garden. They are navy blue plastic with tiny white stars printed on them. The navy blue of the buttons is a bit darker than the blue in the fabric print, but I think it is close enough to look nice. 

So, on to the giveaway bit. This giveaway is open internationally. To enter, simply leave a comment on this post which must include your email address, unless I can access your email address within two clicks of my mouse. No email address, no way to contact you to send you the magazine. If you aren't positive that it can be accessed within two clicks, then leave it in the comment itself. Your email address will not be used for any purpose other than contacting you if you are the winner. Leave your comment by midnight GMT Sunday 12th July 2015. I will pick a winner by random number generator the following day. Good luck!

Me-Made-May'15: Tilly and the Buttons Giveaway

**THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS EVERYONE WHO ENTERED. THE WINNER HAS BEEN CONTACTED**

Well my friends, here's the last Me-Made-May'15 celebration giveaway. Let's go out with a bang with lovely one from Tilly and the Buttons. Tilly is kindly offering one paper pattern to be chosen from her lovely range, PLUS an awesome DIY Dressmaker tote bag!

So what to choose?! Maybe you've had your eye on one of Tilly's patterns (like the Mathilde blouse pattern, pictured above) for agesssss. Well now could be your chance to finally snag a copy. Or perhaps the new Arielle skirt pattern (pictured below)
has caught your eye?

The DIY Dressmaker bag (pictured below) is a lovely quality, strong, sturdy and spacious bag, made from 100% cotton canvas, with long webbing handles that won't cut into your shoulders. The clever gusset and landscape style of the bag make it super roomy, easy to carry, and perfect for fabric shopping or taking to a class. The bag is made from a sustainable crop in a Fair Trade registered factory in India and screen printed in the UK using water-based ink. I am lucky enough to own one of these and I can vouch for the fact that it really is excellent quality, more than a cut above your average tote!

This giveaway is open to participants of Me-Made-May only. Go and have a look at her selection of sewing patterns, and let us know which you'd choose and what you'd make it up in (fabric/trims/any embellishment/etc.)!

To enter, simply leave your comment on this post which includes your email address, unless I can access your email address within two clicks of my mouse. No email address, no way to contact you about your prize. If you aren't positive that it can be accessed within two clicks, then leave it in the comment itself. Your email address will not be used for any purpose other than contacting you if you are the winner. Every time I host a giveaway some people comment without any way to contact them, and it sucks to be them coz often those peops get picked by the random number generator and I have to re-draw. Don't let that be you! Leave your comment by midnight GMT Friday 29th May 2015. I will pick a winner by random number generator the following day.

Me-Made-May'15 Giveaway #3 (and review): My Image Magazine

**THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS EVERYONE WHO ENTERED. THE WINNER HAS BEEN CONTACTED**

Well, if there was ever any doubt, last week's Jennifer Lauren Vintage giveaway confirmed that you peops love sewing patterns! And you're hungry for more. Fancy winning a whole magazine full of them? 

If you live in Holland, Belgium or Germany you may well have heard of My Image magazine already. It's been going since 2010, but this magazine is produced by a tiny team: just two guys, Jet and Martijn, based in east Holland. With almost 20 years experience in the industry, they decided to go it alone and produce this independent pattern magazine after their former employers folded. They do everything themselves, from designing the patterns, to organising the photoshoots, to the marketing, to distribution. 

On top of producing this pattern magazine, they also produce children's wear pattern magazine, a range of paper 'envelope' sewing patterns and AND a line of PDF patterns, phew! Despite the only having two employees (what happens when they get sick?!), their product is pretty impressive and they are trying to reach a wider audience. Hence this review/giveaway. I was given one copy to use and review (see below), and one copy to send to a giveaway winner. 

So let's get on with the review part. First up, the magazine itself as a source of sewing inspiration is hella pretty. It's printed on lovely paper with great photos. I found the fabric choices and styling unobtrusive enough to be able to ascertain the potential in each pattern design. I think there's a good mix of simple/quick and more tricky/time consuming projects. The patterns could be used to make a nice little summer wardrobe and I think that most sewers would be drawn to at least a couple of the designs (all of which are pictured above). 

Of course I wanted to try a pattern to see what the magazine is like to actual use, as opposed to simply gazing at in bed before going to sleep. I really like one of the dress styles (pictured above), but in the end I chose this simple top/woven T-shirt pattern as I was strapped for time, plus I had suitable fabric already in my stash. The top is a bit like the Scout woven tee but with bust darts. I'd imagine this one might worn better for those with larger boobs, including those who generally need to do FBA's. My Image patterns are multi-sized and printed on separate pattern sheets, just like Burdastyle magazine. Unlike Burdastyle though, there are fewer patterns printed on each sheet so it wasn't such a pain in the arse to trace out. 

I often feel that simple garments are often the most difficult to draft and fit, because any flaws are going to be impossible to disguise. I found the fit of this top to be excellent, it really hits the sweet spot between fitted and loose and I found the sizing to be accurate. I made this top for my best mate Vic and she's a big fan of it. I made two small changes. Firstly, I ended up shortening to sleeves one stripes-worth after taking these pictures. Secondly, I repositioned the pocket lower because it's intended breast-pocket position wasn't sitting well with the obvious, wide stripes. The fabric I chose, BTW, was a slinky viscose that I scored in a fabric swap in Brighton a few years ago.  

Now for the negative: the instructions. They are sparse, plus in places the English translation isn't great. And like Burdastyle, there aren't any diagrams. When making this top, I really had to rely on my own judgement and past sewing experiences to complete the neckline. It kind of puts me off attempting the trousers/shorts pattern because I'm not very experienced in making fly fronts and I'd like my hand firmly held for that step. I guess it could be do-able with some googling and youtubing at the same time, however, if you don't own a good sewing manual (which sadly I don't).  

So with the instructions in mind, I think this magazine would be most appropriate for 'intermediate' and more experienced sewers. Even though some styles, including this top, might be considered basic and therefore a good project for beginners, I think the experience would be disheartening for those without a number of completed garments already under their belt. 

Review over, on to the giveaway bit. This giveaway is open to participants of Me-Made-May only. To enter, simply leave your comment on this post which includes your email address, unless I can access your email address within two clicks of my mouse. No email address, no way to contact you to send you the magazine. If you aren't positive that it can be accessed within two clicks, then leave it in the comment itself. Your email address will not be used for any purpose other than contacting you if you are the winner. Every time I host a giveaway (last week's included) some people comment without any way to contact them, and it sucks to be them coz often those peops get picked by the random number generator and I have to re-draw. Don't let that be you! Leave your comment by midnight GMT Friday 22nd May 2015. I will pick a winner by random number generator the following day.

Me-Made-May'15: Jennifer Lauren Vintage Giveaway

**THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS EVERYONE WHO ENTERED. THE WINNER HAS BEEN CONTACTED**

You peops love a giveaway! There were so many entries for last week's Village Haberdashery giveaway, and it's such a shame that there can only be one winner. Oh but wait... here's another fabulous sewing-related treat to have a whirl at winning! 

This week's prize is being donated by lovely lady and super-talented pattern designer Jen from Jennifer Lauren Vintage. She has kindly promised one lucky Me-Made-May participant a copy of a sewing pattern of their choice from her fabulous range. It's no secret how awesome I think Jen's patterns are, the Bronte knit top (pictured above) in particular. 

If you're asking me, I think the new Felicity dress pattern (pictured above) or the Cressida skirt pattern (pictured below) would also be fantastic choices. I've always been impressed with how Jen's designs have a distinctly retro feel, but are all completely wearable for day to day life, not just sitting around in whilst taking high tea. That's a really tough sweet spot to find but somehow she manages to every time. 

So, on to the giveaway. This giveaway is open to participants of Me-Made-May only. You do not need to decide what pattern you will choose if you win, but why not help a sister out and suggest what type of garment you'd like Jen to release as a sewing pattern in the future? Jen is currently hella pregnant, so don't hold your breath for an imminent new pattern release, but it will give her something mull over whilst she spends hours sitting on the sofa underneath a snoozing infant! 

To enter, simply leave your comment on this post which includes your email address, unless I can access your email address within two clicks of my mouse. No email address, no way to contact you about your choice of pattern. If you aren't positive that it can be accessed within two clicks, then leave it in the comment itself. Your email address will not be used for any purpose other than contacting you if you are the winner. Every time I host a giveaway (last week's included) some people comment without any way to contact them, and it sucks to be them coz often those peops get picked by the random number generator and I have to re-draw. Don't let that be you! Leave your comment by midnight GMT Friday 15th May 2015. I will pick a winner by random number generator the following day.

Happy Me-Made-May'15!: Village Haberdashery Giveaway

**THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS EVERYONE WHO ENTERED. THE WINNER HAS BEEN CONTACTED**

Happy Me-Made-May'15!!!!! I hope you stepped out of the door this morning in your fabulous handmade garment/s feeling super proud of yourself! Like last year, round these parts I'm going to be celebrating this year's Me-Made-May with weekly giveaways for participants of the challenge to enter. There's a nice range of sewing/garment-creating related gear up for grabs, and this first week's is a real corker.  

North London based shop-of-dreams, The Village Haberdashery, are offering up a £50 voucher for one lucky participant (to be chosen at random) to spend on their online shop. The Village Haberdashery post internationally, so this giveaway is open to ALL Me-Made-Mayers. 

The Village Haberdashery are sponsors of this blog, plus I also teach sewing classes there from time to time. Therefore I am lucky enough to have spent a lot of time in the presence of their seriously impressive inventory. I can tell you that they stock a frightening quantity of the most awesome quilting cottons known to (wo)man, and have a rapidly growing range of gorgeous garment fabrics, both woven and knit. They also stock stunning yarns (check me out not calling it 'wool'!), a great selection of notions and every freaking independent printed sewing pattern ever released (don't quote me on that last bit, but it certainly seems that way when you're standing in front of them all).  

So let me further whet your whistle with what you could spend the fiddy-quid on. Well, as I say there a squillion amazing quilting cotton designs like the two Cotton + Steel options pictured above. The lime green above is called Mochi and is currently available in sky blue here. The blue floral fabric on the right is a lovely border print called Mustang which you can see better here. Both these dresses are made using the fabulous Made by Rae Geranium dress pattern which you can also buy from The Village Haberdashery, AND make with me in a class in London on 6th June. 

Or, if you're more into wearing knit garments, you could use the spends on some luscious organic interlock. I can personally vouch that this stuff is seriously soft and cosy. The pattern used for the garment pictured above is the Christine Haynes Marianne dress pattern (would you be surprised to learn that you can also buy that pattern from VH?!) AND you can make one with me in a class on 20th June. 

Here's one more suggestion on what you could spend the voucher on. Some epically awesome printed organic needle corduroy designed by that multi-talented Made By Rae for Cloud9 Fabrics. Both the fabric collection and this specific print design are called Small World. See all the designs the VH stock in this collection here. I'm a lucky lady as I have 1 metre in my sticky mitts that the VH kindly gave me which I'll hopefully turn into something great that will be blogged about soon.  

So, the giveaway. You are not required to do anything in order to be in the running to win this £50 voucher, but I would very much recommend signing up to their newsletter. Also, I have started following their beautiful feed on Instagram (@vhaberdashery) and suggest you do too if you like be visually teased by beautiful fabric and projects on a regular basis!

Please remember that the giveaway is open to participants of Me-Made-may only. To enter, simply leave a comment on this post which includes your email address, unless I can access your email address within two clicks of my mouse. No email address, no way to get the voucher to you. If you aren't positive that it can be accessed within two clicks, then leave it in the comment itself. Your email address will not be used for any purpose other than contacting you if you are the winner. Leave your comment by midnight GMT Friday 8th May 2015. I will pick a winner by random number generator the following day. 

Happy May lovelies!!!