WHS - A Kimono Tee and More Leggings!

I know, I know...how many pairs of crazy leggings could one girl need? Well a lot apparently. Now that I have this pattern all figured out, and it's super simple, I have to make it! I'm a bit of monster about it really. So I used what was left of my Renfrew and made purple leggings. My best pair yet, I think. I am really proud of my sewing on this pair. I used my double needle to do the hemming and top-stitching and I think it turned out really nicely.

The other lovely thing I made, is another freebie! The Kristen Kimono tee by MariaDenmark. This t-shirt was super easy and I actually love the fit. I was a little bit skeptical as I thought it might be a little tight for me around the belly, but it's not. It's just right.

This pattern is a downloadable PDF, and it super easy to assemble. There are only two pattern pieces and a neck binding - super easy! To be honest, I don't really love the neck binding - I think when I make this top again, I will just turn it under for a cleaner finish.

The fabric I used for this guy, is more mystery jersey knit from Fabricland. It was part of the buy 1 metre, get 3 free deal, so I still have a couple of metres left, which is awesome because it is super soft and I love the colour. And because I know you are dying to see what my purple leggings look like on, and more of my awkward selfies: Ta Da!

Ooooo, shiny bum! I can't really decide if I am a leggings as pants kind of girl. Definitely, when I am lounging around the house I am, but in public? I'm really not sure, maybe if I was 20 years younger. Some of my skinny jeans/jeggings I own are probably just as tight, but they are of a much weightier fabric.  With leggings I feel the need to have my butt covered, so usually in public that would mean a long tunic top or a dress. What do you think?

What can I say, I am starting to have fun with it! (The camera that is.)

Happy sewing!

Where Heather Sews - Sewaholic Renfrew

I really love this pattern. I made a long-sleeve version a few months ago and it turned out really great. My only problem is I keep making mistakes. On my first one, I decided after it was completed that it was too long. So I had this great idea to just eye-ball it and cut off 3 inches. Well I did that, then reattached the bottom band and it was way too short. I loved it so much that I wore it a ton anyway. The fabric I made my first one out of was a super luxurious cotton spandex jersey from Girl Charlee (one of my favourite online shops to buy knits). This one is made out the same type of knit from Girl Charlee, just in a different colour. I love the rich purple!

I feel like a bit of a dork while I take these pictures, so I decided to just go with it, and dork right out. LOL

So while I don't think this one looks too bad, I made a pretty major mistake, I used the wrong cuffs! DOH! I was wondering why they were so hard to attach!! I used the cuff for the long-sleeve version which are a little wider (deeper?) but are meant to go around your wrist, not your bicep. Thank goodness for stretchy fabric. Do you think it looks okay?

This one is a little bit roomy and I like it that way. I used my Serger to put it all together, so I didn't strictly follow the 5/8's seam allowance. If I had, it would probably be a bit more fitted. The fabric is really nice, but it's a little bit heavier than regular t-shirt material. It's perfect for transitioning into summer and I imagine it will be perfect for fall too. While my mistake with the cuffs really cheeses me off, I am sure it will still get lots of wear.

I am really liking that I am sewing pieces that will get lots of wear. I have made a number of dresses, that I love, but sometimes you just want to throw on a t-shirt and jeans. What are your go to/staple pieces in your closet?

Where Heather Sews - Attack of the Plantains

A couple of months ago I discovered a fabulous french indie pattern company called Deer & Doe. This company has only recently started printing their patterns and instructions in english and I am very excited to try out some of their designs. While I am waiting for the patterns I ordered to get here, I decided to take a crack at their free downloadable t-shirt pattern: The Plantain. The Plantain is offered as a free PDF pattern. So you just download it, print it out, tape it all together and then cut out your size. It's actually pretty cool and means that you have your pattern pretty much instantly. I had heard/seen/read lots of good things about this t-shirt on the interwebs, and because of it's relaxed silhouette, I thought it would be a good match for me, plus it seems like one of those patterns that would be endlessly customizable.

I am really happy with how this one turned out. I decided to use a patterned fabric for the neckline and the back panel. I have a couple of t-shirts very much like this from Anthropologie and I wore them a ton last summer. (It's so cool to be able to make my own!) I think that added the back panel just makes the plain old t-shirt a little more interesting. I got the pink jersey knit fabric on sale at Fabricland. They were having this ridiculous deal, where you buy 1 metre and you get 3 free, so I have a number of things made out of this fabric, and it's buttery soft to boot. The flowery jersey is from Girl Charlee and it's just as nice. The construction of this tee, was really easy and the directions were very straight forward. I used my Serger to put it all together and then used my double-needle for the hems.

It seems to be that I do most of my projects in two or more, and this one is no exception. Here is my second version:

For this one, both fabrics came from Girl Charlee. I can't seem to get enough of stripes. I open my closet and it is filled with stripes, so instead of making a fully striped t-shirt, I thought making the back and sleeves solid, this one would at least be a little bit different.

The remote for my camera only seems to work when I point it directly at the camera. I was trying hard to be discreet with it, but it wouldn't work, so that's why I am sometimes awkwardly bending, or twisting. (Just in case it wasn't obvious enough in the pictures LOL).

I really enjoyed making both these little tees, and they were super quick to whip up. I know they will get a ton of wear from me this summer. Looking forward to making more Deer & Doe patterns!

Happy Sewing!

Where Heather Sews - Finally A Sewing Post!

I feel like I've been doing copious amounts of fabric shopping (and blogging about it), and not nearly enough sewing (and blogging about it). Well that all stops today - I have finally put together a sewing post complete with awkward/terrible selfies. Woo hoo! We are currently, chilling at our country place on White Lake, and I have brought all, well most of, my sewing gear. So while John's out fishing, I'm sewing. I've actually been having a ton of fun, although I'd be lying if I said I didn't have some frustrating moments. Which brings us to the first project I will share with you: Espresso Leggings by Cake. This is actually a really cool pattern. You take various measurements of your legs, waist and rise, and then you connect the dots, and voila: you have your very own custom leggings pattern. I've had this pattern for weeks, but haven't tried it. I had read lots of great things about it: that it was super easy and resulted in amazing custom fit leggings. I always have problems with getting store bought leggings to fit. I think it's because of my super short legs, so I was super keen to try this.

Let the great leggings adventure begin! Have you ever had one of those days where nothing goes right? No matter what you do? That was how my day went when I first attempted these leggings. I have only been sewing clothes for about 4 months now, so I was fully prepared for my test pair to not be perfect (or was I?). Don't get me wrong, I had my fingers crossed and hoped that because this pattern was so "easy" that they would be perfect, but I was also prepared to cut myself some slack. Well, my first pair I couldn't even get on! I made a classic rookie mistake. It was a 2-way stretch fabric, and I cut my leggings so that the stretch was vertical instead of horizontal. DOH! I couldn't even get over my knees. I felt pretty silly, but I shrugged and laughed it off. I still had enough fabric left over for another pair, no harm, no foul.

Second attempt: somehow I made them about 5 inches too short, and they were pretty much cutting off the circulation to my feet. Plus my butt fell out when I sat down. Not a good thing. What did I do wrong?? (Um, measure twice, cut once Heather, hello-oh!) At this point I was pretty tired and frustrated, so I called it a night, but I vowed to not be defeated and told myself I would try again the next day.

Third attempt: Success!! I had John go over my measurements with me again, and it turned out that I had completely miss measured the length of my legs, and I didn't do a very good job measuring my rise either. So with new measurements in hand, I made a completely new template and discovered that I had marked some of my dots wrong, which also added to my fit issues. Anyway, long story longer, my third pair turned out pretty awesome. So awesome that I made a second pair, and then a third pair. Cue awkward selfies:

Ya that's my butt! These ˆˆˆ are my favourite of the three pairs. They fit awesome, and I love the crazy print. I have no idea what I will wear them with in real life, but I picture them with a long black tunic top, or maybe a simple black knit dress. I am sure I will think of something.

Don't I look totally 80's on my bottom half? Excuse my lulu hoodie, I was just lounging around. What happened to my face, why is it so blurry? And what's going on with my hair? I s that what it always looks like?

While these ones don't look that flattering in pictures, they are pretty awesome too. I got both of these fabrics from Denver Fabrics and they are both an ITY knit. At the time I had no idea what an ITY knit was (and to be honest I still don't) or what it felt like, but it was cheap and pretty, and when it arrived, I saw that it had tons of stretchy-ness so I thought it would make great leggings. And the best part, so far this fabric repels pug hair. Score!

My last pair, are just plain black leggings. Probably the most practical of the three. I got the fabric from Girl Charlee, and it is a super soft cotton jersey. I am hoping that they won't stretch out over time, but we'll have to see. Unfortunately, this fabric attracts pug hair, so not the best fabric for lounging around cuddling my grumble, but great for out of the house attire (with a long top or dress of course).

Whoa, what am I doing in this pose? And how did my face get so shiny? Of course no selfie is complete without a pug or two hanging out.

So that's pretty much it for leggings. While this project didn't start off the greatest, I am glad I persevered, as I am thrilled with my new leggings.  I also learned a couple of things about my crotch curve and how to fit pants so fingers crossed that helps with future makes. Hopefully this post wasn't too painful for you, as there will be more coming your way.

Do you sew? Have you ever made your own clothes or clothes for someone else? Got any tips for me on taking selfies? (Or maybe in airbrushing? LOL.)

Walthamstow Market

On Saturday (May 3rd), we decided to head out to Walthamstow Market. I read that it is another good place to buy fabric, that there are lots of good deals, and that it is also a great big market on Saturdays. We took the tube there, and it took us about 30 minutes to get to Walthamstow Central station. From the tube station, it’s a short walk to the high street market. This market is huge! And it really seemed to have a little bit of everything. There was food, clothing (including underwear), shoes, pots and pans, various appliances, cell phones, electronics, all kinds of knick-knacks, jewelry and of course, fabric. Really there was a little bit of everything! The street was packed with people and seemed to go on forever!

There were tons of fabric stores and fabric stalls at this market. And lots and lots of good deals to be had. I got some gorgeous fabrics for £1 and £2 per metre. I think the most expensive piece of fabric I got was about £5 per metre. So I was happy, and by the end of the market, loaded down with fabric. Fabric is heavy!

One of the best market stalls, was the one in front of Sainsbury’s. The fabrics were beautiful and the guys there gave me some good deals. I even got a little bit more fabric than I requested because of end of the rolls. It was pretty awesome. I got some beautiful jersey knit and a couple of gorgeous patterned dress fabrics. I can’t wait to sew them up! One of my favourite shops on this market street was called Saeed Fabrics. I got a few things there, but a lot of it was a bit higher end. They had some really beautiful cottons and upholstery fabrics.

If you are ever in London and want to go to a bit of a different market, or if you love fabric like I do, I would definitely recommend heading to Walthamstow Market.

Liberty

The day we went to Liberty (I think it was Wednesday April 30th to be exact), we had actually planned to take the tube out to Westfield Stratford City, but our plan came to a halt, when we ran into this:

A closed tube station! Actually the whole line was closed due to a tube strike! Ughh!

We weren’t too distraught as the buses were still running, and we were just going to go out to Stratford to see what it was like. I suspect that it’s much like Westfield White City, but you never know…..and neither do we cause we never actually made it out there.

Anyway, we decided to change our plans and head to Liberty. I really wanted to go and drool over the fabric and haberdashery, and John wanted to look for a new sweater. So off on the number 10 bus, we went. (John has a really great app on his phone for the London buses, so he always knows the right way to go.) The bus is great! It’s a bit slower than going on the tube, but you have the advantage of seeing London while you are travelling. I really enjoy it to be honest. Here are a couple of pics for you:

I think I actually took these photos coming home from Liberty, rather than on our way. We were sitting right at the front on top which is the best view. Sorry for the bugs on the windshield, if I was a bit better with the photoshop, i would remove them, but I didn’t bother.

Anyway, on to Liberty. We looked around and found John a really nice sweater that he was happy with, and then it was up the stairs to the fabric. It was absolutely beautiful and crazy expensive!!

I ended up getting a couple pieces of Liberty cotton that I absolutely love, but I have no idea how I will work up the nerve to cut into them! I also found an adorable little pin cushion that followed us home.

After Liberty, we grabbed some lunch at Garfunkel’s and then headed out to Oxford Street to catch the bus. While we were walking to our bus stop, we passed by McCulloch & Wallis, another fabric store that I had read about. I had read that it is really big (3 floors), and that the staff can be quite rude and snotty, so my hopes weren’t too high. We ended up only checking out the main floor (there are three) and found the staff to be very nice and quite helpful. It was a bit on the pricey side (although not nearly as pricey as Liberty), but we ended up finding 2 really quite printed cottons we couldn’t leave behind.

So ya, this trip has had a lot of fabric shopping! I can’t believe how much fabric shopping there is here.

Fabric Shopping On Goldhawk Road

A few months ago, I started doing a bit of research online about where to buy fabric in London. A number of the sewing blogs I follow are sewers from London, and I also fell in love with the TV series: The Great British Sewing Bee. It’s on the BBC so I didn’t get to watch it live, but I found it on Youtube, so I watched it there. I actually got quite attached to a number of the contestants, and I am eagerly awaiting the American version, which they have started to cast for. Anyway, I discovered that Goldhawk Road, near Shepherd’s Bush (which is the tube station right next to the mall we frequent), is apparently one of the places to go for fabric. It is lined with several fabric shops, along with a couple of haberdashery shops. Of course, as soon as I read about it, I was dying to go. I told John about it a couple months ago, and being the amazing husband that he is, he figured out exactly how to get there, and promised to take me.

It was actually really easy to get to. We took the number 237 bus two stops from Shephard’s Bush and at the fabric shops of Goldhawk Road. It was actually very cool, and to be honest a bit overwhelming. The first shop we went into, I just stared and touched fabrics. Everything was so beautiful. In the next shop, I bought my first piece of fabric, and then it became really fun. John was so patient, and even helped me pick out a bunch of great pieces.

I was really hoping to find some amazing deals, and while I did get a couple of fabrics fairly cheaply, it wasn’t much cheaper than buying from Fabricland at home. I do think that the fabrics are much nicer and of better quality though, but the proof will be in the pudding when I start sewing with them. They was definitely a way better selection than at home though. That’s for sure.

Here are the spoils from the first trip, yup that’s right, we ended up going back for second time.

There are a lot of shops, and we didn’t quite get through them all the first time.

This shop (above) ended up being one of my favourites. I got some nice jersey (t-shirt material) and several pieces of Liberty cotton at a way better price than buying them at Liberty. So all in all, I was very happy with both our trips to Goldhawk Road, and I can’t wait to get sewing!

Fabric Shopping in Montreal

So along with doing a lot of sewing, I have also been reading a lot about sewing. There are a ton of great sewing blogs out there, some have tutorials, some have inspiring ideas, and most of them share projects and a love of sewing. It’s great! Anyway, one of the blogs I stumbled upon features a seamstress who lives in Montreal, and she alluded to the fabric district. Of course I had to look it up, and it turns out that there are all kinds of delicious fabric stores along Rue St. Hubert, and John knew exactly how to get there. Even more importantly, he said he would be happy to take me! I have the best husband ever, what can I say.

Anyway we drove down St. Hubert and found a great parking spot in front of this lovely store:

And inside, we found all these lovely rolls and bolts of fabric. I have never seen anything so nice. At home, there is pretty much only Fabricland, and they don’t even come close to having anything as nice as the cheapest thing in this store.

The man (I am thinking he is the owner) inside, was very nice and very accommodating. The service was impeccable, and while we didn’t, I think this gentleman would have loved to haggle. He did end up giving us a discount on everything we picked out. I pretty much spent my whole budget! But I got some beautiful dress fabrics and a couple of gorgeous Alpaca fabric for a winter coat. My only problem now is that I am afraid to cut into any of the beauties. It’s a little more intimidating than sewing with the fabrics I’ve been buying out of the clearance section at Fabricland.

Montreal also has a fabric store chain, called Fabricville, and we spotted one a few blocks away from Matt’s place, so we went in. It is very much like Fabricland, but it seemed a bit nicer and cleaner, and they had a better selection. The staff was also very nice. I’m not sure what it’s like where you live, but the staff of the Fabriclands in Calgary, are notorious for being rude and very unhelpful. I’ve been lucky and mostly been able to bond with one or two of the girls at the location that I frequent. But I have heard over and over just how awful people have been treated there, and if you don’t believe me, just Google “Fabricland Calgary” and have a look at the reviews. It’s actually a bit funny.

Anyway, I managed to pick up some really cute jersey knits, and some denim which were all on sale, for a steal, so I am a happy camper. I can hardly wait to get home and get sewing!

Do you like to sew? Are you even interested in hearing about my sewing adventures? I have been debating starting a separate blog for sewing, but I'm not sure if that is necessary what do you think?