Twelve Things: March's Sewing

In my mission to keep trying new things each month of this year, March's activity was a sewing project. Our little flat is on the ground floor and has fantastic big original sash windows, so the only downside is people wandering and peering in as we're watching TV in our dressing gowns on a Saturday morning! The sheets of tracing paper did a temporary job, but getting re-inspired by this year's series of The Great British Sewing Bee, I thought I'd make us some "net" curtains. With a new sewing machine (thanks Mum for the newest hand-me-down), some inexpensive muslin and curtain cord from good ol' Wilkos, I was ready to go.

1.   measure up your windows

2.   add extra for the hems +2cm for the side seams, +4cm from the top and bottom seams plus any extra you might want for gather (we chose ours to have only a little gather)

3.   doing the side seams first, fold over twice by 1cm, press with a hot iron and pin, then sew along each edge. repeat with the top and bottom, this time fold over by 2cm twice

4.   finally thread through the curtain wire, add the eyes (attach hooks to the windows if they're not already there) and hang up your lovely, simple "net curtains"

Looking back: in January I started to learn to swing.

In February we learned how to make pasta.

Dreaming of Dresses

The Great British Sewing Bee started on Tuesday evening and even before the programme finished, I though "I wanna make some simple dresses for summer"! Whilst pinning I came across Samuji, a Finnish designer, and I love their light feminine dresses above. Since, I've been thinking about the tulip shaped dress, like this one, but I'm going to continue on the hunt for the perfect pattern. I've loved the clothes by Wiksten for a long time, check out the collections. For now I must keep my architecture head on, just 35 days to go, after which I can get the sewing machine out and dream of holidays in the sun.

Images by Samuji

Soft House

Cosy architecture. Buildings you can hug. These are Pillows by Poppy and I wish I could turn up to studio having created something like this and be taken seriously. I wish!

Images from Pillows by Poppy via rockstar diaries

Smashing Quilts

Mrs Welch, my cousin's lovely wife, has started making some amazing quilts! She's now branching into hot water bottle covers and I am a massive fan. Check it all out at Smashing Quilts!

Image from Smashing Quilts

Woman's Day

Today I found a bag of the embroidery that my great-grandmother did; some aren't finished (maybe I'll complete them one day), others could be framed. Alongside was a copy of Woman's Day from February 1960 - what a trip back in time! The women were just so glamourous and the articles so hilarious:

Miss Ann Carrick says... "What should I do about hats? My boy-friend likes me to wear a hat, and I agree with him that I look better-dressed with one than without. But, perhaps it's because I'm a teen-ager, most of the styles I try on seem to be years too old for me, and I can't ALWAYS wear a beret, even though I know they suit me."

What dilemmas there were for young girls in the Sixties! Still trying to impress the boy-friend!

Sewing Shop

This weekend I popped back to Canterbury and we wandered into The Sewing Shop so that Tash could buy one needle! It's been completely redone and looks more like a boutique than a dated haberdashers. There was such a great range of fabrics, like these Liberty ones, and it makes me want to get sewing something to wear this summer!