Book Review: The Great British Sewing Bee, Sew Your Own Wardrobe

What it is, basically?

To be honest, when I was sent a review copy of this year's Great British Sewing Bee book, my expectations were low. I was cynically expecting it to be a fluffy, glossy series companion with bios on this year's contestants and plenty of 'swoon-worthy' pictures of Patrick Grant: a homage to the show and little more. I hold my hands up, I was wrong. There, I said it.

It is actually a book about sewing. As in, it teaches you how to sew. I guess the clue is in the tag line 'Sew Your Own Wardrobe', which somehow I must have missed at first. And there aren't even that many pictures of Patrick in it. The best bit is that it has a very generous separate patterns pack which includes loads of multi-sized patterns for women, men and children, all of which have been (or will be, I assume) featured in the challenges set in this year's series. You'd really struggle not to find at least a couple of the styles worth having a go at (personally, I think I'll give the leggings a whirl...). Plus the patterns are printed very clearly, it's not a headache-inducing mess of lines like the pattern sheets from a Burda magazine. With the pattern pieces traced off, the book then assists the reader with the construction of those garments using clear diagrams and helpful written explanations.

Who is it for?

Unless you've been sewing for as long as May Martin (Patrick's super-skilled sewing teacher co-judge) or Anne (the 80-something winner from series one), this book is bound to be useful. All it assumes from the reader is that they own a sewing machine, can thread it already (or can find out elsewhere how to thread it) and aren't afraid to put the pedal to the metal. Ideally it'd make a great gift for someone who has watched the show and expressed an interest in getting into sewing themselves, or perhaps for someone who has already made a few things but lacks confidence in expanding their repertoire.

Is it any good?

Yes, for the reasons given above. Plus it's only £25, which I think is a really good price for so much detailed information and heaps of useful sewing patterns. However, if I were to pick holes in this book, I might say that it's not an overly stylish publication in terms of the book design and the garment styles involved (but we've got Tilly's book on the way for that). But in a way, that is also this book's strength, because I'd imagine it will then appeal to a wider range of would-be sewing enthusiasts. Don't get me wrong, the book does include lots of beautiful photographs that inspire you to run to your sewing corner (or carve yourself out a sewing corner) and immerse yourself in buttons, but it doesn't have a strong particular look, if you get what I mean.

Neither does it particularly encourage the reader to unleash their creativity and f^*k shit up with their sewing machine. By which I mean, it doesn't offer variations on these basic patterns by suggesting alternative collars, sleeve styles, skirt lengths, pocket additions etc. But that's not what this book is concerned with and it doesn't need to be. It's teaching you to make a really wide range of great, wearable garments by acquiring and applying a whole heap of sewing techniques. If you are creatively inclined beyond that, I don't think you really need a book to give you permission to then take things further.

For me, my favourite part of the book is actually the foreword written by May:

'...It's so rewarding making an item of clothing, for yourself or somebody else, that is all your own work. If you keep it, you can give yourself a pat on the back and if you're making it for someone else, you're giving them a part of yourself...'

Big Spring Contest: Last Few Days to Enter...

**THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS SO MUCH TO THOSE WHO ENTERED**

This is a reminder that there is less a week left to enter the Big Spring Contest to come up with something to sew using Offset Warehouse fabric for the chance to win that fabric and much, much more. The closing date is 16th March, AKA this Sunday, so you still have time to concoct an 'Everyday Awesome' garment, and/or something that fits with the other three themes that have been conjured up by the other blogger judges. You can enter once for each of the themes, so that's four chances to win the fabric of your choice and have a chance to go on to win a whole heap of amazing prizes. 

Earlier today I was having a think about what my entry would consist of, if I were allowed to enter (which as one of the judges, I'm pretty sure I'm not!). I decided on using some of this lush looking Indigo organic chambray (pictured above) to make an Everyday Awesome dress. I'm a bit late to the Chambray Party, I've only just begun to realise just how casually versatile it is. With the Indigo chambray, I'd use a vintage pattern that has been lurking in my stash for a couple of years, Simplicity 6795 (pictured below) that was published in 1974. I'd probably use a contrast red binding and red buttons to make the whole thing pop. 

I always feel really put-together and special in a dress but I so rarely wear them, particularly during the day. They look like you've made lots of effort, even though to create an outfit with a dress involves much less mix-and-matching than with separates. I'd spend quite a bit of time toiling and fitting the bodice to get a really comfortable and flattering fit so I'd never be put off from wearing it. Plus, I think this dress would span quite a range of temperatures and weather conditions depending how you wore it: just with flip flops and sunglasses in the Summer, or layered with a vest, cardigan, opaque tights and boots for colder months. That's a whole load of potential Awesome I'd be injecting into my Everyday wear.....

So if you haven't already entered, what would your Everyday Awesomeness garment/outfit consist of? Why not email me your entry before Sunday to sozoblog (at) gmail (dot) com?

Nautical Palazzo Pants

Look! I made a thing!!!!!! That's basically the crux of this post, like most of my posts I guess now I come to think of it! Before these beauts were completed I only had two pairs that fit and are ok to be seen in the outside world. With the amount of five-month-old-baby's puke flying round these days, it was rapidly becoming clear that another pair of trousers would be mighty useful. 

Pattern:

Back in December I put the call out to you lovely readers to help me figure out what sailor style trouser pattern would be the way to go, considering my limited free time for sewing. I am very grateful for all the tuppence worths that were subsequently put in. The lovely Handmade Jane threw another pattern option in to the mix by offering to lend me her copy of Simplicity 2654 (pictured above) from which she had previously made an awesome pair of sailor trousers herself.  

I decided to take Jane up on her kind offer because I loved the notched waistline plus she explained how she found the front pleats made them easily adjustable (no time for toiles these days). In the end the pattern size that Jane had already cut out was fine with no modifications required. The loose style and forgiving fabric helped make that so. Styling wise, the simple omission of the side tab detail from the original design and the equally simple application of buttons, and BOOM!: vintage-style sailors slacks are go. 

The only change I made to the pattern was to lengthen the legs by 5cms to be safe, even though I'm fairly average height. I'm pleased that I did because they are just about long enough with a modest amount of hem turn-up. 

Fabric:

If this grey something-or-other-type-of-fabric looks familiar, it's because I have already used the same stuff for these cropped trousers and my mild-maternity Tova tunic dress. So like the porridge debacle in the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, this fabric was a bit too thin for the cropped trousers, and a bit too thick for the Tova tunic dress, but just right for this project! Hurrah! It has enough body for the notched waistline shaping and is warm enough to be wearable in Spring, but it also has sufficient drape for the wide legs to flow nicely. I have just enough scrap-age of this fabric left over to create a false hem or false turn-ups if I need to lengthen them in the future (I found with my black and denim wide leg trousers that after heaps of laundering, they slowly shrunk in length to a state of unwearability). 

Extras and thoughts:

The navy buttons are purely decorative, and it may not surprise you to learn that they have anchors carved into them. They were a gift that had been dwelling in my stash, along with this fabric that I don't think I paid for either in the first place, so effectively this was a free garment. I'm not sure if the final trousers are a bit too dressy for my day-to-day life, and I've only worn them to a house-party (daytime baby-friendly house party to be precise) so far. They did glean some compliments and there were vague hints from others to suggest that they would like me to make them a pair, that I managed to expertly side-step! 

So if you've managed to read this far into this post, I shall now reward you with a pic that includes one of the cutest babies in town!

Offset Warehouse's Big Spring Contest! What's your idea of 'Everyday Awesomeness'?

**THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS SO MUCH TO THOSE WHO ENTERED**

Oh hi sewing-competition fans! Ethical fabric purveyors, Offset Warehouse, have just launched the Big Spring Contest, and guess what...? I’m one of the blogger judges! Hurrah! Want to win some fabric and a whole bunch more stuff? Of course you do. Read on, friends...

As one of the judges, I’ve been asked to come up with a theme and judge all the entrants for that theme. I get to pick one lucky winner who will get sent the fabric of their choice to make their design in three weeks. If you are selected as the overall winner out of the four 'theme finalists', you will win a whole goodie-bag of prizes!

The theme I've come up with is 'Everyday Awesomeness': garments that you wear day in day out that make you feel great, whatever that means to you. To enter, let me know what you would like to sew for the theme of 'Everyday Awesomeness' using fabric from the Offset Warehouse. You could choose an existing sewing pattern, commercial or self-drafted; you could adapt an existing sewing pattern; or you could design something entirely from scratch. Whatever you come up with, if chosen, you will need to be able to actually make the garment design you have submitted. Make sense?

To submit your idea, please email me your 'Everyday Awesomeness' idea by Sunday 16th March to sozoblog (at) gmail (dot) com. Your entry could be a link to which existing pattern you'd use, a sketch of a new design idea, a photograph: basically whatever you want as long as it adequately conveys to me what you would like to make. Along with your design/pattern choice, you must include details of which Offset Warehouse fabric you’d make it with, plus a sentence or two explaining what's 'everyday-awesome' about your submission. Please include 'Big Spring Contest' in the subject line of your email.

After that date I will choose a finalist who will be sent the fabric/s they need to make their garment. After those garments have been made and judged, an overall winner from the four theme finalists will then be chosen to win the goodies.

To get started, have a browse on Offset Warehouse's site and see what fabric inspires you! Or have a browse of the other themes. Here are all the bloggers participating and the themes you can choose from (click on each image to be magically transported to their blog for details of their themes):

'So what can I win?', I hear you ask! Well quite a-bloody-lot actually!

These bambu Adjust-A-Bowls are the ultimate 'hold everything' bowl and Green Tulip are generously giving one of each - a hemp organic denim one and a cork one. Fold 'em down, or pop 'em up, use them to store your sewing bits and bobs, pop it in the kitchen for fruit, vegetables or bread etc. Hemp has eight times the tensile strength and four times the durability of other natural fibers, and is mildew resistant and anti-microbial. Cork is renewable and biodegradable, and cork forests are essential to preventing soil erosion, maintaining water resources and storing CO2.

This gorgeous leather trim buckle basket is handmade in Morocco with palm leaves. It is lightweight, strong and free standing, great for shopping, the beach, picnics, gym, nappy bag and much more! The leather handles are incredibly soft and long enough to go over your shoulder and tuck under your arm. With the added bonus of a leather strap and buckle to keep everything safe - it'll be your new best friend!

DIY Couture: Create Your Own Fashion Collection, by Rosie Martin (former interviewee here on this little blog). The DIY Couture collection is 10 stylish, easy to make pieces of clothing that can be endlessly reinvented in different fabrics, textures and colours. This is the perfect book to give to someone who always sighs wistfully saying 'I wish I could sew...' whenever you rock up in a new creation! With no complex sewing patterns, even beginners at sewing can make their own beautiful clothes.

Make It Your Own, by Anna Alicia, the designer-maker behind eco-ethical homeware and jewellery label A Alicia, brings you 25 beautifully designed projects to help transform your home into a wonderful living space that truly reflects your personal style. The gorgeous photography throughout shows how the projects can work with your existing décor to transform your space. Anna also gives tips on using eco-ethical and vintage materials, a subject close to her heart. Whatever kind of space you live in, this book is about creating beautiful handmade objects that will make it really feel like your home.

For more details, check out Offset Warehouse’s site here. Now go and get your crayons or have a rummage through your pattern and start planning your everyday awesome garment!

Back to Work...

So I'm about to get back in the game and teach a few sewing classes! I must admit that I'm a little bit nervous, having been out of the game for nearly six months, but I know that they'll be heaps of fun. If you or anyone you know might be interested in attending a class, please read on...

At The Village Haberdashery, North London:

The Renfrew Top class 

Saturday, 8th March, 10:00am - 1:30pm, £90

(image source: Sewaholic Patterns)

The Sewaholic Renfrew pattern has become a firm favourite with the online sewing community. And with good reason, it is basically the perfect women's basic tee! In this class you'll learn how to sew with knit fabrics whilst making your own semi-fitted v-neck, scoop-neck or cowl-neck t-shirt. The fabric and pattern are included in the course fee. The Village Haberdashery have some fabulous organic jerseys by Monaluna for you to choose from, check out their ranges Raaga knits and Woodland knits (pictured below). You'll leave class with a great new top and the confidence to tackle any knit pattern you've been coveting!

(image source: The Village Haberdashery)

Sew Your Own Knickers class: SOLD OUT! Sorry peops...

At Sew Over It, South London:

Introduction to Commercial Sewing Patterns class
Tuesday 1st April, 6.30pm - 8.30pm, £40

This session will designed to demystify and explain how to use commercial sewing patterns. This is a discussion and demonstration based class, not a practical 'doing' one. This class is perfect for someone who has already taken a beginners sewing class or generally feels ok using a sewing machine, and now wants to amp their skills to become a confident dress-maker.

Topics covered will include:

• What to do if your measurements span two or more sizes on the pattern 
• What to do if you are taller or shorter than the pattern has been designed for 
• What the differences between vintage and modern patterns are How to select appropriate fabric for your pattern 
• What all the symbols on the pattern mean and what to do about them 
• Plus lots more. 

Dolores's Christmas Dress

Here's some makery for you. I started this cute little dress for my little lady whilst I was still pregnant, a time that feels sooo far away now but was actually only just over 4 months ago, and picked it up again to complete and give to her for Christmas. This garment is for a baby of about 1 years old so there's still ages before it will see action. My main issue with it is that I want to wear it myself! 

Pattern:

I'm not sure if it's Burda magazine or me, but for ages now I haven't liked any of the women's patterns in it. However the above edition (9/2013) had some baby's wear patterns that I definitely felt belonged in my pattern-arsenal. I imagine I'll come back to some of these patterns again and again, tracing a bigger size each time. If you want to get hold of this dress pattern you can find it on the Burdastyle website here (along with the other baby patterns from the magazine edition). 

Fabric and Notions:

Like the majority of my makes these days, this dress is comprised of 100% stash stuff. The navy fabric is some poly/cotton bought in Shepards Bush market years ago that just won't seem to disappear despite having made several things from it now. The contrast polka dot fabric that I used for the yokes and pockets came from my last 'proper' job. The heart braid was bought from a tiny shop in the Gothic quarter in Barcelona that sold only braid (!). I really love how these randomly sourced elements look perfect together. 

Construction:

This was a relatively simple garment to whip together, although I overlocked all the raw edges inside to give it a clean finish. The only problem I encountered was my own laziness and reluctance to figure out the old school manual method of making button holes on my new (to me) sewing machine, so I cheated and stitched poppers down the back instead! To be honest, with seven sets of tiny poppers to stitch on, it probably would have taken the same amount of time to just sit down and work out how to use the machine, but at least popper stitching can be done on the sofa whilst enjoying a small vino. 

Conclusion:

Sewing baby/children's clothes is frikkin' awesome! Who knows if it'll fit (if you're making it as far in advance as this one) but when it takes as little time and fabric as this project, you're unlikely to mind so much if it doesn't work out. Plus there's not so many fit issues to consider so the likelihood of it not working out is reduced as well. So, who's up for the challenge of grading this pattern up to an adult-lady size?! I've still got some of that damn navy poly/cotton left...

1940s Tea Dress Pattern Giveaway!!!

**THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED, THANKS EVERYONE WHO ENTERED**

To celebrate their first sewalong for their new sewing pattern range, 'Sew Over It' is offering readers of this blog the opportunity to score themselves a 1940s Tea Dress sewing pattern (pictured above). This dress style is a gorgeous, updated version of a vintage look that I guarantee looks amazing in both printed and solid fabrics. In fact, this pattern is close to my heart as it is one of the classes that I have taught at 'Sew Over It's' bricks and mortar shop/sewing school in South London, plus I helped develop the instructions for this pattern. Check out Lisa's delightful peaches and cream silk version pictured below, plus you can see my black version of this pattern here.

How to Enter:

There are three copies of this pattern up for grabs. This giveaway/competition is open internationally and with no cost to yourselves. All you have to do is help 'Sew Over It' decide which of their in-the-flesh classes they should release as a sewing pattern next. So head over to the classes page of their website and decide which garment you'd most like to be made available as a pattern and leave a comment in the comment box of this post. Along with your answer, please leave a way for me to contact you if you are successful (i.e. if I can't 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.

Make sure you have commented by midnight GMT on Wednesday 12th February to enter. The following day I will use a random number generator to select three winners for the three copies of the 1940s Tea Dress sewing pattern and contact them to get their postal addresses to forward on to Sew Over It so they can send out the prize.

Good luck lovelies!