2016: A Reflection

Hey everyone!

With the year coming to a close, I thought that today I'd take a look back on 2016 and reflect on both the good and the bad. For me personally, 2016 has been a wonderful year. I feel like I really hit my stride at university; I love living independently, studying what interests me and learning how to manage by myself in the wider world. I also took part in two national demonstrations (one against Trident and one against austerity), spent my first full year as a vegetarian (as opposed to the eight years I spent as a pescetarian - someone who eats fish but not meat) and celebrated me and my boyfriend's first year anniversary.

However, in many parts of the wider world, 2016 has not been a good year. Britain chose to leave the European Union, Donald Trump was elected President of the United States, there have been dozens of terrorist attacks all over the world, mass shootings and a 41% increase in hate crime throughout Britain following the Brexit vote. It's at times like these when we should be standing together, supporting each other, not demonstrating divide and hate.

2016 has also become known as the year of celebrity deaths and this, too, is devastating. So much talent has been lost this year, so many inspirational people. But whilst you spare a thought for those whose passing is big enough to make the headlines, please remember all the people whose deaths have gone unnoticed by the media, but who are just as important and just as worthy of mourning and remembering.

I watched Pride earlier on this evening, which in part was what motivated me to sit down and get this blog post written. A funny, moving and completely inspirational account of how the LGBT community came together in a show of solidarity with striking miners, it has really reinvigorated my love of activism, socialism and the fight for peace. I don't identify as LGBT, but I do identify as a socialist and a feminist - and when you stop to think about it, they're all interlinked. The fight for peace and equality is something we should all be invested in, no matter who you are or where you come from. That is why in 2017, I want to get more involved than ever in trying to make our world a better place. In March, I'll be attending the 'It's our NHS: National Demonstration', and I really do hope that you will consider coming along too. I also want learn as much as I can about the feminist movement, so am aiming to join the feminist book club Our Shared Shelf, which was founded this year by Emma Watson.

I know I'm just one small person in a sea of voices and I know that at 21 years old, I'm still young and inexperienced. But I don't want my life to be harmful in any way - I want to reduce my impact on the planet, I want to care for animals rather than contributing to their deaths through the meat industry, and I want to help people who need it. I want to use my life to fight for equality and peace, and I want to help inspire others to do the same. If we all work towards the same goal, we stand a far greater chance of achieving it than if we work alone.

I will aim to be back at some point before the New Year to share my sewing achievements of 2016 and my plans for next year!

Thank you so much for reading, I hope you have all had a wonderful Christmas and have a lovely week,

Beth x

Christmas Sewing List

Hey guys!

With the exception of my dissertation oral presentation tomorrow (I am absolutely terrified, keeping my fingers crossed it goes ok!), I have finished my work for the semester and am free to start planning all the lovely things I'm going to sew over the Christmas break.

With that in mind, I thought I'd put together a list so you can see what I'm hoping to make. I've not sewn since August so I'm planning on getting a lot done over the three weeks I have off, so if you have any more suggestions please do comment them below!



First up is the Cleo pinafore dress from Tilly and the Buttons. I am absolutely in love with this pattern and have got some absolutely gorgeous aubergine needlecord ready and waiting (I got the fabric as part of the kits Tilly has made to accompany this pattern, they're awesome and make the process so much easier).

I can definitely see a dress like this becoming a wardrobe staple for me, I've always been a huge fan of both dungarees and dresses, so to combine the two seems like a genius idea!



Next up is the Evelyn Romper from Ohhh Lulu. I've had my eye on this pattern for ages, so I've finally taken the plunge and ordered some black satin from Abakhan to have a go. It's different to the kind of garments I usually sew, but I'm looking forward to trying something new. Plus my pyjamas usually consist of old t-shirts that I've had since I was 10 and some bottoms that don't match, so it'll be nice to have something a bit posher!



I was inspired to sew the Ogden Cami from True Bias Patterns when I saw Erin's gorgeous versions. I've ordered some teal crepe from Minerva Fabrics to make my own. Although my heart lies with dresses, I've been trying to get into the habit of wearing jeans a bit more often in the cold winter weather, so adding a few more tops into my wardrobe to wear with them is definitely a necessity.



Finally, the Astoria Sweatshirt from Seamwork Magazine. I've already got three of these in my wardrobe (navy, cream, then a colour blocked one with a cream body and navy sleeves). However, I've been wanting a burgundy one for ages! So I picked up some burgundy sweatshirt fabric from Ebay and am looking forward to adding another Astoria to my wardrobe.

I'm also planning on doing some selfless sewing and making a sweatshirt for my boyfriend with some grey sweatshirting fabric I have (I've never been much into grey, but he swears it goes with everything).

So, that's my sewing list for the Christmas holidays so far! I'm 99.9% certain it will grow, especially as I'll be able to visit my home town's fabric shop for the first time in almost four months!

Do you have any sewing plans for the holidays? I'd love to hear about them!

I hope you've all had a fabulous weekend and, as always, thank you for reading,

Beth x

Flora

Hey everyone!

It's been a while, I know, and still no sewing going on around these parts. I miss my machine so much! It's sitting neglected and a little dusty in the corner of my room. Third year of university is leaving pretty much no time to indulge in sewing, so I'm finding myself semi-stalking Instagram, Pinterest and sewing blogs for some much needed inspiration. I have a long list of garments to make over the Christmas break, I can't wait to get started!

In the meantime, I thought I'd share my final make from over summer with you. I was running out of suitable stash fabric by this point, so the fabric I used is reasonably awful, but it worked well as a means of testing a new style...the faux wrap of the By Hand London Flora!

In a nicer fabric (this is some really cheap cotton stuff I was given from the Craft Club at my university; I really dislike the print, far too much pale pink for my taste), I think this could easily become a pattern I use over and over again. I made up a size 6, which is usual for me. When finished, there was a little gaping at the neckline, but I remedied this by adding a line of stitching down where the wrap pieces cross over, a quick and easy solution. 

Like normal, I swapped out the drafted skirt pieces for a simple gathered rectangle, my favourite style and the one I've used with almost all of my handmade dresses. 

Overall, I really like this dress. The bodice neckline is a little different to what I'm used to, but I have so many dresses similar to each other that it's good to try something a little out of the ordinary (note the navy floral fabric though...that's not going anywhere any time soon ;) )

As usual, thank you for reading, and for bearing with me through all the long silences. I'll try and write again in the next few days with a sewing plan for all the garments I want to make over Christmas!

Have a wonderful week everyone,

Beth x

Navy Sewaholic Renfrew Dress

Hey guys!

No sewing has been going on around these parts as of late, as I foolishly decided not to bring my sewing machine to uni this year (never fear; this should hopefully be rectified next weekend!). However, I do have another make completed over summer to share with you.

This is another Sewaholic Renfrew hack - like with my other versions, I just cropped the bodice pieces and added a gathered skirt to make a dress. This is so comfy to wear, especially in the snuggly navy jersey I picked up at the flagship John Lewis store on Oxford Street in London.

As per usual I sewed up the smallest size (0) and didn't have to make any fitting alterations. I'm really pleased with the finished result, it'll be great to wear once the colder winter weather arrives. I adore winter clothing and am thrilled the cooler autumn weather has at last meant I can switch back to wearing tights and cardigans.

Here's a closer look at the bodice. I've never really managed to get on board with the 'secret pyjamas' trend which seems to have been sweeping the blogosphere as of late, but this dress does fit the requirements!

That's about it from me today. Hopefully I'll be back soon to share another finished make once I have my sewing machine back!

I hope you all have a lovely week, and thank you so much for reading,

Beth x

Typically Me - A Navy Sewaholic Cambie

Hey guys! How are you?

I am fiiiiinally back at uni and it is awesome to be here. Lectures don't start for another two weeks, so I'm just enjoying spending time with my friends, working on a book review for my dissertation and watching Stranger Things on Netflix (which is seriously good, though creepy - would definitely recommend).

At the moment though, it is super warm and sunny outside, so I'm inside staying out of the heat with a bunch of double chocolate chip cookies to get through, so I thought I'd share another one of my recently finished makes with you!

Yes, it is yet another Sewaholic Cambie. To be honest, this being my eighth (!!!) version of this dress, I haven't got a lot of new stuff to say, but I like it and it fits my style perfectly, so I figured I'd blog about it anyway.

As per usual, I made up View B with the gathered skirt in a Size 0 with no fitting issues, and used a gorgeous cotton fabric that I found in my local market. It's navy with tiny white daisies, so from afar it looks very similar to another one of my Cambies - the first dress in this post, if you're interested. That wasn't an accident though, as I love that version of the Cambie so much (it gets worn alllllll the time) I've been planning on making another one for ages, so this one fits the bill perfectly.

Here's a close up of the bodice, you can see the print a little better. I can envision myself wearing this dress all the time come winter, with cosy cardigans, tights and boots.... is anyone else dreaming of colder weather at the moment?

So, that's pretty much all from me for now - the Cambie may be my favourite sewing pattern, but I think even I'll run out of stuff to say about it eventually! Still, I doubt this will be the last time you see it, I can definitely see more Cambies on the horizon!

I hope you're all having a brilliant week and, as always, thank you for reading,

Beth x

Outfit-Along 2016: My Completed Outfit

Hey guys!

I am exceptionally late blogging my completed garments for the Outfit-Along, but I only just got around to photographing them. Whilst I did finish both pieces before the deadline, unfortunately I never uploaded a picture on time for it to count in the competition! However, for me the real prize is that it inspired me to create an entirely new outfit, including a knitted jumper! For someone as slow at knitting as I am, I feel really proud of this accomplishment.

For the first part of my outfit, I (rather unsurprisingly) chose to make a dress. I had an absolutely beautiful length of Liberty Tana Lawn in my fabric stash which I'd been delaying using for fear of something going wrong! I decided the competition was the push I needed to create something from it though, and chose my favourite tried and tested pattern, the Sewaholic Cambie.

I made up the Size 0, which is standard for me, and didn't come across any fitting issues sewing it up. The whole of the dress is fully lined as well, including the fully gathered skirt.

I absolutely adore this pattern, which can be seen through the amount of times I've sewn it up! I have seven Cambies in my handmade wardrobe, the most times I've used the same pattern. 

Here's a close up of the bodice so you can have a better look at the beautiful fabric! I know that Liberty isn't for everyone, but I've been somewhat of a super-fan since the moment I stepped inside the store in London. Even the building itself is gorgeous, fitting to house such exquisitely designed fabrics. I have been known to spend more than an hour on the fabric floor, doing nothing but walk round and feel the buttery softness of the Tana Lawn. Whilst expensive, I do love the fact that I'm not able to sew with it for every project; the rare times I'm able to get my hands on some Liberty, my project feels that little bit more special.

Now moving on from my ramblings about my love of Liberty, let me show you my finished jumper! Whilst not perfect, I am really pleased with the fact that I managed to finish it at all, as I am definitely more of a machine sewer than a slow hand knitted project kind of girl. But I am glad I persevered!

For this garment, I used a pattern I found on Ravelry - the Coronis Jumper by Emily Ringelman. It's knitted in the round from the top down, which for a beginner knitter like me seemed perfect. My only regret is that I didn't follow the yarn weight instructions, using a thick aran instead of the recommended double knitting, so it's come out quite bulky. But, it's all a learning curve! And the finished jumper is still perfectly wearable.

I do love the yarn I used though, despite the fact it's a little weighty. It's a deep navy colour with little white specks, perfect to match all my dresses! I'm sure it'll see some wear come winter, as it is really warm and cosy.

Aaaaand here's the completed outfit! A Sewaholic Cambie dress and a Coronis jumper. I'm so pleased with both garments and happy that although I didn't get everything uploaded on time for the deadline, I've furthered my knitting skills and come away with two new items of clothing to wear.

Did you take part in the Outfit-Along? If so, I'd love to see what you made!

I hope you all have a fabulous week and, as always, thank you so much for reading,

Beth x

Backless Emery Dress

Hey guys!

It's been a long time coming, but I've finally got round to photographing some of my more recently finished makes! I've got so much to share with you, so I thought I'd start with my absolute favourite, a hacked version of the Emery Dress by Christine Haynes.

From the front, the dress looks like the Emery Dress as drafted. I cut the smallest size, using View A for the bodice but omitting the bow at the waistline. As is typical for me, I used a simple gathered skirt, which I lined. It's the back of the dress which is a little more interesting!

I bought a ready-to-wear backless dress from New Look this summer and fell in love with the style of it, so I wanted to experiment and see if I could replicate it. Using the back piece of the Emery bodice as a starting point, I simply got a pencil and drew a line down from the neckline, curving in towards the centre back as I reached the waistline.

I didn't bother to line the bodice, simply gave every visible raw edge a narrow hem, which worked out fine. I then added a little strap at the back just for some security and inserted the zip like normal. I'm so pleased with the finished result!

For the fabric, I used a lovely length of something I picked up in Abakhan in Chester, only I don't know what it is! It feels like a soft version of cotton canvas, or something similar? It's quite a heavy weight, but with a beautiful feel to it. I love the print as well! Navy floral? Yes please! It was a dream to work with, as it pressed really well and didn't fray.

Here's a close up shot of the back. It is quite dramatic! As I was making alterations to the paper pattern, I was just winging it really - I've never hacked anything in this way before. I just drew my new shape directly onto the pattern and cut it out, as it's a PDF file so I can just print off another copy if I ever decide to make another non-backless version. I do want to continue my experiments with backless though, perhaps a slightly less full version next time - have the scoop finish higher up my back and bring the sides round into my shoulder blades a little more. I do love it the way it is though, it's a real statement and I've worn it loads this summer.

So, that's my new Emery! I have loads more to show you though, so keep your eye out for more posts from me which should be up quite soon.

I hope you all have a fabulous week and thank you as always for reading,

Beth x

P.S. For the very observant amongst you, you may have noticed I've had a new haircut! I got bored of my curls and full fringe, so I've had a side parting and side fringe cut in instead, and have been experimenting with straightening! I'm still a bit undecided as to how to wear it full-time, but for the meantime I like it like this.