A trio of small things

The first thing I have made is a knitting needle case. I have already made one of these for myself, this one is for my knitting chum. There are many knitting needle cases around but most of them are a roll design. This is like a giant pencil case, 18" long. The fabric is designed by Heather Bailey.

You can see the lining in this picture:

I made this clutch bag to use on my wedding day and its just big enough for my lipstick and compact. I bought the pattern from etsy. Michelle also has  a fantastic blog. 

I am going to make one for my bridesmaid to match her dress. I first saw this pattern being used on this lovely blog.

This little hat demonstrates my new hobby: knitting! I have made it for a work colleague who is expecting her first baby soon. The pattern is by Debbie Bliss using Baby Cashmerino wool. She doesn't know (or isn't telling) the sex of the baby so I chose this soft green and white as it would look lovely on a boy or girl.

I am still working on my second summer top. The body is finished but the cowl neck thingy still needs some tweaking to get it right.

I'm back sewing

Work commitments and planning our wedding have prevented me from sewing much during the past 6 months or so. I have some more time at the moment and I have been inspired by some great blogs out there so the time has come to dust off my sewing machine and whip up a few things. I have a few summer tops in the pipe line. You know the thing: make it in an evening, no complicated fitting and lovely crisp cottons that don't slip all over the place. First up is Simplicity 3692. I love the Built By Wendy patterns and I have her Sew U books still waiting to be used.

I used a blue and white checked cotton. After reading the reviews of this pattern I knew it was going to come out very big, even though I was using a woven and not a knit. I cut a size 6 rather than my usual 8-10 and even then I took it in a little on the waist to give it more shape. I added a self tie belt which is 1.5 inches wide cut the whole width of the fabric. I made view C, adding white lace trim and three white buttons. The photo below is not that great (of me or the top) but it gives you the general idea. I will try to get a better one, and a close up of the trims I have used later.

The next top I have planned is Simplicity 2593, one of the new Cynthia Rowley patterns. have a lovely printed cotton voile to use.

Michelle Obama: Love her style

On her recent visit to the UK to accompany President Obama for the G20 summit, Michelle Obama wowed the UK with her style. It is so refreshing to see a confident, well-dressed woman who obviously takes great delight in her clothes. I think the phrase is that she wears her clothes, not her clothes wearing her. Her clothes were a great contrast to the drab mannish power suits of the likes of Angela Merkel and Hilary Clinton. I wonder, why is it that women have copied the business suit from men without very much refinement, could one of the women world leaders ever turn up to a summit meeting in a skirt and cardigan combo?

These images and details of her outfits are from Mrs O.org (edited: Mrs O blog has changed so I have taken some of the images out)

J.Crew Constellation sweater in ivory with beading and sequins paired with Dazzling dots mint green pencil skirt. This outfit sings like spring. Great jewelry too.

Ivory and black silk crepe dress by Isabel Toledo, paired with a black Azzedine Alaia cardigan, and black satin opera coat by Jason Wu. Another great little cardigan. Monochrome is always stylish.

Floral silk jacquard dress with black mesh trim and coordinating, reverse print coat, both by Thakoon. A very polished look which is professional and ladylike.

Black knit and ruched dress worn with black bolero jacket, both by Azzedine Alaia. This is so beautiful....

Fitted Narciso Rodriguez black knit dress paired with Azzedine Alaia black bolero jacket and black kitten heels. What woman would not want to look like this? I need to get to the gym...

Oversize white bow blouse by Moschino, worn with a black pencil skirt by Michael Kors, black cardigan and studded belt, both by Azzedine Alaia. Another pencil skirt and cardigan combo. I think the belt that sits high on her waist is one of her key looks too.So, what are the key elements of her style?

1. Short, fitted cardigans
2. Fit and body-skimming clothes
3. Pencil skirts, as well as A line skirts
4. Belts that sit high on the waist
5. Black
6. Colour: no "Michelle purple" on this trip though
7. Polish: very well chosen accessories
8. Shift dresses
9. Kitten heels
10. Those arms!

I would love to create a wardrobe inspired by Mrs O..... more research and a trawl through my patterns is required. A mini wardrobe may be difficult though: even though she often wears clothes in different combinations, one of the things I love is that she wears so much colour which may be hard to coordinate.

Many thanks for your votes!

The votes have been cast in the Mini Wardrobe contest and I gained 31 votes! I am totally amazed by this, especially as it is the first time I have entered a competition. My only other attempt was a full SWAP and I didn't even come close to the finishing line. I think it is a major achievement to complete the four garments and the winner, Adrianne thoroughly deserved to win for her fantastic wardrobe. I particularly like the fact that she had a variety of looks from smart casual to formal from just her four garments. You can see al of the entries at Pattern Review.

I have been able to finish my Vogue 8426 skirt now that the contest is over. I started this at the beginning  of the summer but I put it on hold when I was completing my wardrobe. I based the design on a skirt that I loved in Karen Millen, but at £120.00 I decided to make my own version! The shirt below is Karen Millen though, a girl has to treat herself sometimes!

This is the second time I have made this skirt so I knew that the fit was right. I made View C this time which has 5 pleats at the back:

The pattern goes together superbly well and the instructions are very clear. The only alterations to them were that I used an invisible zipper using my new invisible zipper foot. This enables you to get much closer to the zip and I am pleased with finish I got for a first attempt. I also top-stitched the seams using a zig-zag stitch. I used topstitching thread but it is VERY thick and if I was to do this again, I would just use double thread. My other alteration was to the hem, I took a narrower hem allowance and topstitched the hem on the machine, at the same time, attaching narrow lace that I had pinned from the right side. At the seam allowances, I caught the hem allowance by hand to stop it falling forward.

I wore this skirt for work on Friday and received some really nice comments. I would definitely recommend this pattern to you.

Mini Wardrobe

I am chuffed to bits that I have finished my wardrobe on time to enter the competition and more importantly that my garments have turned out so well. I have worn my blouse already and I know that I will wear the others when I am back at work.  I also think I have enough of the Donegal tweed to make a waistcoat. As I have chosen simple classic styles, I will wear these garments in loads of other combinations too.

Fourth Wardrobe item: Donegal tweed trousers

This is another version of the brown trousers I made a few weeks ago from Vogue 1035. I made them in a black and white Donegal tweed wool fabric which goes really well with my Chanel Jacket. I think this is the first time I have used a pattern a second time and it certainly gives you confidence knowing a pattern will fit.

LBS not LBD

Burda World of Fashion 08-2008-121

My initial plan was to make a little black dress to go under my Chanel Jacket but I decided that I have lots of dresses and not many skirts so the plan changed. This skirt is super easy and fit really well with just a slight adjustment on the hip side seam. I know that it looks creased in these pictures  but it does not in real life, I think there was a lighting problem when we took the photos.

The skirt has eight panels in it and I love the shaping at the bottom which fall like godets. The pattern is also lined and I used a soft knit lining which feels great when you wear it.