Love and Hate

Sewing is many things to many of us, and while contemplating this in an intellectual manner (or not) I thought I'd put together a little post on the matter. 

There are times when we love it and times when it drives us crazy (beginners take note!).What follows are the worst and the best of our treasured art. 

Things I hate about sewing:

• When the bobbin runs out and you've got like 6 more stitches to do until you've finished (obviously I don't pre-spin bobbins- does anyone do that!?)
• Changing thread colour mid way through.

• Finding threads stuck to all my clothes, all over my bed, in my cats mouths, in my cups of tea, in my husbands chest hair...!
• Endless cutting. 
• When you are gathering a piece of fabric and the thread breaks-agggghhhh! 
• Snipping off all the annoying threads at the final hurdle (I mean, do you do that as you go? Smarty pants if you do!)

Things I love about sewing:

• Looking at pretty fabric and knowing you can make it into anything you want.
  

• The smell of a hot iron on new fabric- what is that? Chemicals probably!
• Making and giving awesome handmade presents. 
• The other cool people who sew to or who want to sew.
• Vintage pattern art. 
  
• The way that when you are totally in sewjo mode everything else switches off, its kind of like meditation right?
• That cats and sewing are a match made in heaven (a kind of heaven where cats continually sit on your workspace, chew your pincushions and knock over your tea onto your fabric-but in a mega cute way!)

• The sound of a sharp shear slicing through silk (say that fast)
• Pride in your finished product.

I'm sure I'm missing loads, what else is there? What do you love and hate? 

(I hope everyone realises this wasnt just a cunning way to get two cat photos onto the blog....Who me?)

A very unseasonal coat post!

I've got a coat post. Ok, I know its practically summer, but what can I say, slow blogger right here! 

I made this coat for the hub for Christmas, technically it wasn't ready by Christmas but I think he got it in January, so not too bad. And pretty generous of me, if I do say so myself!

 I used a burdastyle pattern....a woman's pattern! The first muslin I made up was huge, I really don't get Burda patterns, the sizes are weird and never the same. The 42 was much too big in the shoulder so I adjusted it a lot and changed the hood as you really could have fitted a head and a cat in there (not that I would be averse to carrying a cat around in my hood, it would be brilliant actually!)

I topstitched the whole lot, around the hood, down the opening edge, around the sleeves and the tabs. The fabric was a sort of brushed wool/felt thing in a deep forest green and the top stitching really gave a bit of interest to the otherwise plain fabric. I decided not to go with yellow for the top stitching to match the toggles and piping as I thought the coat already looked enough like an 8 year-old's coat and that might not have been the best look for a man of mature years!

The thing that really took the time was quilting the lining, which I did with a fleecy backing to give extra warmth. We live somewhere warm but the hub has an unnatural tendency to feel the cold. The quilted lining looks pretty awesome if you ask me. 

I also hand sewed those bloody toggles on (slighty wonkily ...) as I couldnt get my machine through the layers at such an awkward angle. If I'd have properly thought it through I would have done them first but well, I didnt!

The piping round the pockets is straight in real life!

Just like the original eh?!

source

He loved it (but since its not really winter anymore hasn't worn it much yet) and I think it turned out grand.
Inspiring anyone to make a coat? Hmmmm, well perhaps not now, but wait until October you lot and you'll be knocking down my door to make yourself a coat at one of my coatmaking classes!

What has sewing done for me (and could do for you)?

I've been sewing for probably about 5 years, let's see, Mad men was first on TV in the UK in 2008 maybe, so it must have been around then that I suddenly realised I didn't have to put up with buying all the clothes that weren't quite right from shops that were all wrong, and I too could dress like Joanie (if I so dared) or Betty.

Since then, I've learned oh so much, made way too much and had a blast. It's really in the last three years, since I've been living in Beirut that sewing has come to be so central to me, it's not only my hobby now, it's my job. And so, inspired by SallieOh's comments about her sewing ....I thought I'd break down what sewing has done for me.

·         Numero uno and probably most importantly for me, it's stopped me shopping! Not that I was some out of control shopping freak, just your usual, shopping on a Saturday type of girl. But it's been two years now I haven't bought a single piece of clothing from a high street shop - I have bought some second hand things and maybe one or two things from independent shops. This makes me so happy. I'm eternally grateful that I was able to get off the consumer treadmill, it has made me so mindful of all the shopping I now do and I have become so much more conscientious about my consumption habits. This year, and after reading Overdressed, I'm not buying fabric. I swear! 

·         Like Sallie mentions sewing has definitely got me feeling better about my self-image. Going into shops like H&M and Topshop and having to try on clothes that don’t fit doesn't really help a girl feel good about herself. Now that I make my own clothes I don't ever consider "sizes". I know my measurements and I know how to make clothes fit me properly. I'm not self conscious about my ample booty any more, clothes go over it these days and don't gape around the waist like they used to...and that's because I made them the right shape. I think that's pretty cool. 

Never thought I could wear a wiggle dress, but I love this one!

·         I feel like I really have my own style these days. I feel like my clothes really express something about me. I'm not just wearing a version of what everyone else is wearing because I like the fabric but not the style so much, or I like the style but the fabric is "meh". Everything I wear is something I chose because it says something about what I love. I am the most me version of me in my me-made clothes! 

·         I feel like I'm constantly learning and I like that. Having been a teacher all my working life, I really like the feeling of always learning. Sewing gives me that. I feel there's so much more to master that I can never consider myself an expert. 

first time i sewed in a lining!

·         I take pride in my achievements, like, all the time! I go round just beaming with pride at how cool and lovely my clothes are! And when I make something for someone else, woah, the pride (some might say all this pride might warrant a fall...lets hope not!)

Add sewed for someone else- very proud me!

There's probably loads more to say, but I'll stop there for today. Safe to say, that as we all knew, sewing is all kinds of brilliant, amazeballs and fun! Oh yeah, and that's not even with me mentioning that sewing has given me a job, a business and an income. What? That's crazy amounts of things sewing has done for me! What has it done for you? Or if you're not there yet, what could it do for you?!

New classes and dates for 2013

Hope everyone had a lovely festive season and the new year is treating you well so far. One of my new years resolutions this year is to try and get my classes organised and booked ahead of time. Better for me because I know whats coming and can get prepared and better for you because you can put it in your diary and get excited about it!!

So here are my proposed classes for the next few months. None of these are set in stone and there are still possibilities for change. Remember to sign up early for things because I hate to disappoint and you know I only have limited space in each class. All these classes are suitable for those who have taken the beginner course or have some sewing experience (unless otherwise noted).

Sewing with stretchy stuff: Wednesday 16th January, 23rd and 30th 5.30-8pm. $60.
This 3 week class teaches you how to cut and sew with jersey, t-shirt or any other kind of stretchy fabric. In this class we'll start with a basic t-shirt/top and then make something of your choice...dress, skirt, pants, up to you. (This class will also take place on Tuesday 5th, 12th, 19th March).

Dress-making: Thursday 17th, 24th, 31st January and 7th February 5.30-8pm. $80.

Choose from a variety of patterns in this 4 week class to craft yourself a dress, while learning techniques like inserting an invisible/lapped zipper, fitting darts or adding a lining. (This class will also take place on Wednesday 6th, 13th, 20th and 27th March).

Made by Lindsay here

Making a tailored shirt: Sunday January 20th, 27th February 3rd and 10th. 3-6pm (the first class will be 12-3pm due to elec cut). $95.

In this 4 week class you'll learn some advanced techniques to make your own tailored button down shirt. Learn how to make a collar and cuffs, and finish the shirt with french seams for a very clean finish on the inside as well as the outside. You'll go home with a perfect shirt for the office or something more casual.

Trouser/shorts-making: Wednesday 13th, 20th, and 27th February 5.30-8pm. $65.

In this 3 week class you can choose from a variety of patterns which will  teach you all the basics of making and fitting a pair of trousers. Learn how to add in-seam pockets and fly fronts for a unique pair of trousers or shorts. 

Refashioning and recycling: Thursday 14th and 21st January. 5.30-8.30pm. $35.
Give your old clothes a new life by refashioning them. In two evenings turn shirts into skirts, dresses into tops, add detail to boring clothes or simply mend and fix well-loved and worn out clothes.

Pattern Drafting: Thursday 7th March and every Thursday until 9th May (this does not have to be Thursday, if you want to do this and prefer a different day then there is a possibility of changing it) 5-8pm. $200.

A brand new class to teach you how to make a dress pattern from scratch. We'll start by drafting a bodice, sleeve and skirt block to fit your exact measurements , make a muslin to check the fit and then learn how to change design details like darts, necklines, pleats etc to create a dress of your own design! N.B you need some experience sewing clothes for this class, not suitable for those who have only taken the beginner course. (I am also open to doing this on a weekday if I have enough people who want to.)

Handbag making: Saturday 16th and 23rd March. 11-3pm. $65.
A two day workshop in which you'll learn how to make a professional looking handbag/purse/man bag/holdall etc. Add metal fastenings and fancy closures for a bag which looks shop-bought.

Underwear/swimwear making: Starting beginning of May? 6 weeks. (details of this not finalised but want to know if there is any interest)

Guest posting

Like many of you sewing lovelies out there in the ether I have just read Overdressed by Elizabeth Cline. Inspired by this I wrote a little guest blog on Now Lebanon

Here it is:

Cheap and fast fashion has changed the way most of us dress and shop. 
Nowadays, trends in fashion move quickly. Necklines swoop then turn turtle, hems come in high and then make their way down to maxi lengths, all in a short space of time. In this environment, shopping on a weekly basis becomes a necessity for those intent on keeping up. 
This boom in shopping has altered the way we consider clothes. Not long ago, an average of 64 new items of clothing a year (the number that Elizabeth Cline cites as today’s average in her recent book Overdressed: The Shockingly High Price of Cheap Fashion) would have seemed unthinkable, and unaffordable to most.  This high number of garments is in exchange for a lower percentage of our household incomes than ever (3% as compared to 15% in 1900.) Now, less money can go much further, and so we shop without pause, leaving no time to consider where our clothes are coming from and, equally importantly, where they will go once we have stopped wearing them.
Countless high street stores have been exposed for using inhumanely cheap sweatshop labor, paying barely live-able wages for excruciatingly long hours in cramped conditions. Most of us are aware of the existence of cheap labor, yet struggle to connect its wrongs with the dresses and t-shirts and jeans that we buy. It has become increasingly difficult to disentangle finished garments from the fabrics and fingers that went into making them.
I consider myself lucky; my mum taught me the very nearly lost art of sewing when I was growing up. Making my own clothes not only brings me a lot of pleasure – being able to make clothes that fit how I want them to fit, in fabrics I choose from the shops of Bourj Hammoud – but also allows me to opt out of this consumerist cycle which is at least in part fuelled by unjust practices.
Being able to sew means that when I see a piece of ready-to-wear clothing, I can see the hours of hard work that went into it, and am therefore aware of how unrealistically low the prices are we expect to be able to pay for a throwaway dress or top. I can see how $5 for a firsthand t-shirt that would have taken even a pro-seamstress over an hour to make cannot be a fair price, even without the costs of material and shipping. 
While fashion used to be much more about self-expression, now it seems that it is driven foremost by ritual consuming – socializing on a Saturday has for many become synonymous with shopping. I’m not standing in judgment on this - until I learnt to sew I too struggled to connect the clothes I saw in shops with the efforts that had gone into making them. Making clothes isn’t easy or quick. Perhaps sparing a thought for that might help us to understand the knock-on cost of our fashion habits for those behind the sewing machines.

This piece first appeared here 

I also did a little interview which I completely forgot to post: here it is. 

some sewing...

Here are some things we sewed this month:

some pjs...

Some laptop cases...

some cute things...

some skirts...

some more crazier pjs...

some tailoring...

some tops...

some backpacks...

some t-shirts...

even more pjs...

some more tops....

and some baking!

A nice little score!

A little while ago a very generous friend gave me a lovely big stash of old sewing magazines that he found in an old house. I've always thought that one day, somehow, a haul of 50's sewing magazines would find it's way into my sweaty little grasp, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for a sewing and 50's enthusiast like me.

his was almost this moment. Most of these beauties are Burda magazines from the 70's, but there are a couple of gems from the 50's. 

The Burda magazines are complete with all pattern sheets and very limited instructions. I'm not a massive fan of the 70's myself but there were some things I thought I might make. 

This coat was one of them. I love the pleats on the back. This is definitely on the winter sewing list. 

 

I like these tops too, and the 70s turbans are brilliant! 

 

 And although not something for me, the 70's colours and stylings are great.

There were also some not so stylish things! Crazy lace-up shoes:

 

 Very German dresses!

Weird thigh length men's cardigans!

 And loads of naked ladies! Burda clearly rocked things a little differently back in the day.

 But the 50's magazines....ahhhh the beauty. Unfortunately, most of them are mail order patterns so I'll have to just drool over and stroke the ones I love.

Finally, I too, am having that moment of smug joy at the brilliance of the things I have just inherited! Jealous? I totally would be!