First Look at My Book!

Ta Da! Here it is – the cover of my book! It has Breton stripes on the cover - YES. Love at First Stitch: Demystifying Dressmaking will be published by Quadrille on 8th May 2014, and you can pre-order it NOW!

So... what is it?

This is the book I wish I had when I began dressmaking – a book which I believe fills a real gap on the shelves. I own a lot of lovely sewing books – adorable beginner-focused books on making accessories and cushions; beautiful dressmaking books for people who already know how to sew; fantastic techniques books that are useful reference points when you get stuck on something... But I’ve never found a book I love that takes you from complete novice to confident DIY dressmaker – from the absolute basics of threading the sewing machine through to making a whole wardrobe full of gorgeous clothes you can be proud to say you made yourself. So I wrote it.

Love at First Stitch is about learning by doing. Rather than overwhelming you with tons of theory, you get to dive straight in to making gorgeous projects to wear. Each chapter centres on one such project, and takes you through the techniques you need to make it, as you make it. The book comes with full scale pattern sheets in eight different sizes (from 30-24-34" in to 44-38-48"). Plus there are variations for each project so you get to make it your own, and make it again and again. Think of it like a fun and informative dressmaking course, in which you make stuff and learn stuff at the same time :)

I worked really hard to simplify sewing so it’s enjoyable and un-intimidating for people who were never taught. The book is written in plain English, with all the jargon translated, plentiful colour photos to show you each step, and extra touches to take the head-scratching out of sewing, such as clearly labelled pattern pieces to help you visualise how the pieces come together to make a garment. Plus a can-do attitude and lots of encouraging words to keep you motivated!

And it looks absolutely gorgeous! Fresh, modern and totally different to what you might expect from a craft book. When I told Quadrille I wanted the book design to channel the modern aesthetic and colour palette of the Jean-Luc Godard movie Le Mépris, rather than laughing in my face, they put together a Dream Team to do just that! The result is a stunner.

I can’t wait to share more sneaky peeks nearer the release date, but in the meantime, you can pre-order the book here. (Amazon.co.uk the first place it’s available, watch this space for other retailers both in the UK and internationally.)

Thank you so much for your support!

[Soundtrack: 'Happy' by Pharrell Williams]

Glow in the Dark Pyjamas

My friends, I am now the proud owner of glow in the dark pyjamas. Not the most sophisticated of dressmaking projects, admittedly, but omigawd they're friggin' awesome! My photography skills aren't up to capturing the actual glow, so you're going to have to trust me that the glow is real. Hours of fun freaking people out in the middle of the night...

If you want to make your own glow in the dark pyjamas - for we will surely kickstart a trend - the fabric is Camelot Cottons Glow In the Dark Stars Flannel, gifted from Plush Addict. It's super soft and cosy, perfect for snuggling up inside away from the January chill. I drafted my own pyjamas pattern and finished it off with an elasticated waistband. Once I had the pattern, the whole project took just an hour from cutting the fabric to a final press of the overlocked seams - the perfect speedy make for a Monday evening.

I'm spending the rest of my time working hard towards the Coco sewing pattern release. Cripes, there are so many things to think about, but it's so much fun and I cannot WAIT to share it with you!

What have you been sewing this month?

[Soundtrack: 'The Lottery' by The Stepkids]

How to Sew Japanese Sewing Patterns

If, like me, you lurrrrve flicking through Japanese sewing books and drooling over the adorable designs, yet your brain turns to mush when you so much as glance at the instructions, then these e-books might be for you. 

Rin Gomura-Elkan from the blog Sew In Love sent me her e-book, How to Sew Japanese Sewing Patterns, plus its accompaniment, Easy Japanese Sewing Patterns. They promise to help you navigate Japanese sewing pattern books and decipher both the language and diagrams. While seriously cute to behold, some of the features of Japanese sewing books can lead to a bit of head-scratching if you haven't used them before. Distinctive features include diagrams representing multiple steps, very brief text instructions, and no seam allowance. Oh, and if you buy a Japanese original, then the language may prove tricky too. That's where Rin steps in... 

How to Sew Japanese Sewing Patterns provides useful translations of common sewing terms such as "stitch", "waist" and "right side", into both English and Romaji (which is Japanese written in Latin script). It outlines the process of sewing Japanese, from navigating the structure of a typical book, through sizing and tracing your pattern, to deciphering symbols and diagrams so you can sew them together. It also includes further resources and links, such as books, blogs and shops.

The second e-book, Easy Japanese Sewing Patterns, then helps you put what you've learnt into practice. It comes with two print-at-home sewing patterns for a cute skirt and dress, with Japanese instructions so you can test out what you've learnt, followed by English instructions in case you get stuck. Such a great idea! Adeline from The Sew Convert made this adorable cat print dress using the book - isn't it cute?

Mercifully, more and more Japanese sewing books are being republished in English these days, including Japanese Sweet Dress Book (reviewed here), Happy Homemade: Sew Chic (reviewed here), Feminine Wardrobe and Stylish Dress Book (reviewed here). But if you fancy getting your hands on a Japanese original and are up for the challenge of deciphering the Japanese text, then these e-books will lend a helping hand.

Sewing in a Shared Space

For the last four years, I’ve been a nomadic stitcher – moving my sewing gear around from kitchen to sitting room, packing away again when it’s time for work, dinner or when my flatmate came home.

Later this month, due to a change in living circumstances, I’ll finally put down roots in my own dedicated sewing space. I appreciate this is a luxury that not everyone has, so before I settle in I wanted to share some tips I’ve learnt about sewing from a shared space.

If you live in a small urban flat, if you’re sharing with housemates, or if you have a family to work around, chances are you’ll be sewing from the kitchen table or a corner of the sitting room whenever you can snatch the chance. How can you make this work, both for you and for the people you live with?

1) Keep it portable

The most challenging aspect of sewing from a shared space is probably the fact that you need to be able to move quickly – you wanna whip out your kit when the coast is clear and put it away again at dinner time.

I keep my sewing essentials in a portable glass – tape measure, scissors, marking tools, seam ripper... It’s quite rare I need a tool that isn’t in that glass.

Stash your current project in a bag or shoe box – fabric, pattern, thread and notions – so you can get it out quickly without having to rummage around.

Having a lightweight machine also helps – my old Janome J3-18 is super portable, so easy to stow away on a shelf and get it down when needed. If your machine is heavier – like my beloved Janome 6600P – store it at a level that makes it easy to pick up without putting excessive strain on your back (ouch).

2) Keep it pretty

If you’re stashing your sewing stuff in the sitting room, make it aesthetically pleasing to impress your guests… and so your flatmate or partner can’t complain about the mess!

Make a feature out of your fabric by organising it by colour – everyone loves a good rainbow. A thread rack is a really pretty (and practical) way of organising your spools. If you have a dress form, adorning it in one of your lovely makes is sure to raise a smile.

3) Keep it clean

Sewing creates mess, y’all. After a particularly indulgent day of making, if you’re not careful it can look like you’ve been burgled. So, to avoid freaking out your flatmates, try to tidy as you go along.

Keep a bin under whichever table you’re sewing on, directly below the sewing machine, so you can sweep scraps and snippings into it instantly. I try to save my cutting out for when the kitchen is free, as the lino floor is soooo much easier to clean than the sitting room carpet. Sigh… thread on the carpet. The way I clear this up is to crawl around the carpet with the head off the hoover, picking up the threads and inserting them into the suction hose. If you know an easier way, please do share!

4) Keep it organised

Store your sewing stuff away tidily so you’re not tripping over everything and so you know where everything is when you need it. I keep my patterns in large plastic storage boxes which are housed on my bookshelf. (Ideally I should keep my vintage sewing patterns in a cardboard archive box, I know – it’s on my shopping list.)

I also have a shelf of large plastic folders for my self-drafted sewing patterns, labelled with the pattern name so I can find them easily. A layered sewing box is great for keeping random bits and bobs such as poppers and thread wax.

My fabric scraps are organised by colour palette and kept in large shopper bags. Interfacing and toile fabric gets its own shelf.

And the cutting mat? Why, it resides under the sofa, of course ;)

5) Keep it regular

Sewing in a shared space means snatching up moments to make whenever you can. You may not have the luxury of being able to sew all weekend long, but don’t let the lack of a dedicated space stop you from getting your creativity fix.

If you’ve only got half an hour before your flatmate gets home, by all means use that time. Sew for 15 minutes before work if you have to. Making things can have such a positive effect on your well-being, so keep it up, y'all!

I hope these ideas were helpful. If you sew from a small or shared space, do you have any tips to share?