Pattern Pyramid Giveaway and the Power of Perseverance

This is a story of love, obsession and heartbreak...and most of all, the story of perseverance.  Meet Economy Design 157:

How graceful, beautiful and fragile.  My love and ultimate obsession with this pattern begin when Karen of Did You Make That posted the novel idea of the Pattern Pyramid.  She had a bunch of patterns she got and hosted a giveaway where she split them into several bundles and sent them onto the winners.  The winners would pick one pattern and then host their own giveaway.  So on and so on until all the patterns had been won and welcomed into loving homes.

Among the original patterns was Economy Design 157--so unlike all the other patterns.  And so it began.  I commented on the original Pattern Pyramid giveaway post over at Karen's blog:

I missed the deadline for the giveaway over at Sew Brunswick who won the original lot including the Economy Design 157 pattern from Karen. Then the Pattern Pyramid made it's way over to the lovely Seersucker Sally and she was deciding between keeping the New Look pattern and the Economy Design pattern and....phew! She chose the New Look pattern.  Here's my comment on her giveaway:

Then the patterns traveled to Tiffany in Seattle.  I missed her giveaway which was won by Kat in Wellington, New Zealand who blogs over  at Modern Vintage Cupcakes.  Kat decided to keep the Economy Design pattern (sob!) but I entered the giveaway anyway.....

I get the patterns in the mail and what do I find?????  The Economy Design pattern!! Turns out that at the last minute Kat opted to keep the Simplicity 3661 pattern from 1951 instead of the Economy Design pattern! I was OVER THE MOON!  To say I love this pattern would be an understatement...I have literally tracked it around the world and can't believe that after the roller coaster Pattern Pyramid ride that it now calls My Happy Sewing Place home....

Don't you just love fairy tale endings?  Now's your chance.  Up for grabs in this 6th round of the Pattern Pyramid are the original patterns:

The Sewaholic Alma Blouse was added in Round 4 by the lovely Tiffany:

And in celebration, I am adding 3 more patterns to the Pattern Pyramid Giveaway (I anticipate this giveaway will be going strong for at least another year!!!).  First up is this adorable 1974 McCall's pattern for summer tops (which, um, I will never sew for the Scottish climate!):

This adorable pinafore/jumper pattern from 1968:

And the best of all....This stunning 1952 Vogue pattern:

To Enter the Giveaway

Just leave a comment below to enter and let me know which pattern you'd like to keep.  All the patterns will be mailed to you, you keep one and then hold a giveaway and mail them onto someone else!  I will ship anywhere in the world.  I'll randomly pick a winner on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday the 22nd).  And you'll get a bonus entry for sharing this post (via your blog, Facebook or Twitter).  Just let me know you've done that!

The other exciting news?  This giveaway is the start of my 3-YEAR BLOGIVERSARY CELEBRATION!  Three years ago on the 19th of November, I started sewing and tracking my progress through this blog.  To celebrate, I've got a couple of weeks of exciting posts planned including my biggest sewing news to date, new outfits, reflection posts and more giveaways.....  YAY! Super excited to share this milestone with all of you!

{Blogiversary Week} A recap of the week

Thank you all for making my blogiversary week so memorable! I read each and every comment and loved hearing your stories and reading your comments!  Like the Oban (city in Scotland) fireworks display for Bonfire Night—my blogiversary week was over too quickly!!

Here’s a recap from the week:

Projects
Well, I managed to only get three of five planned projects done during the week! Seems I was a little ambitious given my hectic work week but I am super happy with what I did get done:

‘My First Dress Revisited’

‘The Hawk’s Eye View Dress”

‘The Bow Sweater”

Reflections
It was great having a dedicated space to reflect on the last year of sewing!  Here's a recap of my reflection posts this week:

• It’s my blogiversary: Highlights  I share the ups and downs of my second year of sewing.  I also reflected on a few memorable sewing projects.

• From 12 to 45 in 12 Months:  A Reflection on Sewing Weekly  In this reflection, I shared my thoughts on this year's challenge of sewing weekly and how much I feel I've grown as a seamstress and how instrumental the online sewing community has been for me this past year!

•  From 1 to 59: The Year of Meet-ups  Recollections of lovely blogger/sewist meet-ups that I was lucky enough to participate in this last year.  

• Supporting Independent and Local Bussinesses  A reflection on some of the amazing independent sewing and local businesses I've been able to support and/or work with. 

• What’s Next  A reflection on what I'm itching to do next!

Giveaways

• EvaDress pattern giveaway (closed)

• Burdastyle pattern giveaway (closed)

• The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pattern giveaway (closed)

• Custom Couture Book giveaway (open until the end of Monday the 21st)

• A Fashionable Stitch giveaway (open until the end of Wednesday the 23rd)

I'll announce the winners from the giveaways this next week!

Thank you all for such a wonderful week!  xoxoxoxo

{Blogiversary Week} What's Next?

It seems best to end my blogiversary week by thinking ahead....what do I want to focus on in my third year of sewing/blogging?  

Following my Whim

I'm quite looking forward to going with the flow next year and working on projects that get me excited and that strike my fancy at any given moment.  This year has been very structured and it has been exactly what I needed and wanted.  This past year allowed me to explore lots of different styles and time periods.  I have loads of ideas and projects I want to do (and a growing pattern and fabric stash) and I'm excited to see when certain projects will come to the forefront this next year!

Despite my desire to follow my whim next year....there's also a few things I know for certain I want to do...

Put my house in order

Quite literally...my sewing room is a HOT MESS! (lol).  I look forward to using some of my creativity and time to sort out a space that will allow my creativity to flourish! I feel a bit cramped and disorganised and I know I am not using my space wisely.  Time to draw some inspiration from other creative ladies and get the place to be exactly how I would imagine my creative space to be.

The other thing?  My blog....oh deary, I can't find anything on my blog.  First up is to go back and tag all my posts (I've started already) and to create menus so that my blog is a bit more searchable.  It's a bit sad when I have to go to the Sew Weekly archives to figure out when I made a certain garment so that I can then find it on my blog! I have lots of other fun ideas for the blog but those are the first steps.  I realise I need to learn a bit more about computers and design and look forward to exploring that new (to me) territory.

Big(ger) Projects

I am very much itching to delve into some BIG projects! All I can think about are suits, suits and more suits, tailoring, gowns, embroidery, etc!  All the things I haven't had the time to really explore this year.  I look forward to taking my time and going DEEPER into projects (hello Gertie's Bombshell course!)  My posts may look a bit different next year as the pace slows down a bit.  The upside is that I'm looking forward to sharing more of the process with all of you and learning from you all DURING the process (as opposed to after a garment is finished)!!  That will be so much fun!  I do plan to have several mini-challenges throughout the year (much like this week has been) just to keep that different kind of challenge going!

Regular Features

Sew Country Chick did ask me this last week if I was going to participate in the Sew Weekly next year.  The answer is yes but only as a regular column contributor (monthly?)  For that feature, I am planning on taking modern patterns and giving them a vintage twist!  I also look forward to occassionally completing the weekly challenges as a Sew Weekly Circle community member.

I'm also still planning on completing my Sewing through the Decades challenge.  I'm making blouse/jackets/tops from each year from 1931 to 1949.  I've completed several projects already but look forward to picking that back up again!

Three new things I would love to focus on for sure next year:

• Vintage office attire (did I already mention my current obsession with suits?)
• Inspiration from classic movies--I'd love to sew up a few iconic movie outfits
• Vintage patterns--I really want to explore different brands of vintage patterns across various decades

Becoming More Involved
There are several online communities that I would like to spend more time contributing to, namely:

• Pattern Review
• BurdaStyle
• Sew Weekly Sewing Circle
• Sew Retro 

 I'd like to also do more through my Facebook page!

I'm happy to say that despite a hectic year, I have even more energy and enthusiasm for my next year of sewing and blogging!

Thanks again for making my blogiversary week so special!!  Here's to another year of friendship and creativity!!!  xoxoxoxo 

{Blogiversary} Supporting Independent and Local Businesses

One of the best parts of this year has been seeing members of our own sewing community start or expand their sewing businesses!  In addition, I've been able to connect with and support one of my favourite Scottish small businesses.

Here's a little recap of everyone I've worked with or supported over the past year:

Reproduction Pattern Businesses:
I just love repro patterns.  For someone who enjoys sewing 30's and 40's patterns, repro patterns are a great way to have access to very rare patterns that would cost an arm and leg to otherwise acquire.  Earlier in the year, I put together a list of sources for acquiring 30's and 40's patterns and listed several repro pattern sellers.  During the past year, I've had the chance to sew with patterns from Wearing History, EvaDress and Vintage Fashion Library.

 

1934 Wearing History repro gown that I made for Valentine's Day

Two outfits sewn from EvaDress repro patterns (1933 Butterick Repro pattern based on an early Katherine Hepburn movie and a 1931 suit pattern)

 1932 gown repro pattern from Vintage Fashion Library

I've also hosted Wearing History and EvaDress pattern giveaways and I hope to work with this 1933 Vintage Pattern Lending Library pattern before the year is out!

Independent Pattern Companies
I've just loved seeing how both Colette and Sewaholic patterns have grown over the past year.  It's fantastic that both Tasia and Sarai are also active bloggers! I love that and I hope to use more of their patterns before the end of this year and definitely into next year!  This past year I made a Pendrell blouse and worked with Tasia to host a Sewaholic patterns giveaway and also had the chance to sew up the Parfait dress from Colette! 

  My Purple Parfait Pinafore (say that ten times fast!!) made with the Parfait Colette pattern.

Etsy Sellers
I buy quite a few patterns from etsy and really enjoy interacting with the sellers!  One seller that I bought and made up two patterns from was Miss Betty's Attic.  She kindly offered my readers a discount to her pattern shop! 

1950's Patio dress and 1941 Sailor dress made from patterns from Miss Betty's Attic.

Another thing that Etsy is great for is finding high quality vintage items!  I had the opportunity to work with The Paraders Vintage to host a giveaway to their etsy store.  Both the ladies behind this business are fantastic and they are going to be launching their own online store soon!

Local Businesses
One of the most exciting collaborations for me is being able to work with Ness, a Scottish company that focuses on using tartan and tweeds in fun and fashionable ways!  I've been a huge fan of Ness since I've moved to Scotland.  You might say that I had a bit of a crush on them!  In my first year of sewing, I actually built a sewing plan around the colour palette of two pairs of Ness shoes and my Ness jacket.  One of the highlights of the year was meeeting the people behind Ness in person.  They are so lovely and I'm just so excited to be a Ness ambassador as I truly love their products and their vision and the fact that they are a small company doing exciting things in Scotland!

Giving the Ness 'Azure' bag (this week's "Bag of the Week") a test run while grocery shopping in our local South Asian food store!  I've paired my Ness 'Brooke' sweater with my very first me-made skirt!

Ness is currently offering my readers 15% off all items (of orders £50 or more) on their website!  Enter code XM4S at check-out!  They are also offering a 'Mix & Match' offer if you buy any combination of bag and wallet to get an additional 10% off (on top of the 15%).  If you've been thinking about getting any Ness presents for the holidays, definitely do it while it's discounted!!

Another fabulous local UK company that I had the chance to work with this year was Fancy Moon: Purveyor of Fine Fabrics.  It was so lovely of them to host a giveaway on my blog! I just adore their fabric!

 My 'Midcentury Madness' dress made from Fabric from Fancy Moon.

The Giveaway

One of the new independent online sewing stores that I haven't hosted a giveaway for is A Fashionable Stitch!  Many of you know Sunni from her blog and the store!  I've used several of Sunni's belt kits for my dresses including my 1941 sailor dress and my 1950's halter and skirt outfit.  I just adore Sunni (she is so lovely), I am in awe of her projects and I just love her store!  She stocks so many things that are hard to find (belt kits, horsehair braid, tailor's tape, wrist pincushions).  Sunni is very graciously offering one lucky reader a $25 gift certificate to A Fashionable Stitch for them to get whatever they like!

This giveaway is open to all my readers anywhere in the world. To enter, just leave a comment on this post and tell me what you would get from Sunni's store with the gift certificate.  Enter your comment by midnight (London time) on Wednesday the 23rd of November for a chance to win the $25 gift certificate to A Fashionable Stitch. 

Thanks so much Sunni for your lovely generosity! And a big thank you to all the independent businesswomen in the sewing community--you are all such inspirations!

{Blogiversary Week} The Bow Sweater

I'm really excited to share my newly refashioned sweater.  I'm especially happy because I made it to match my Mrs. Peacock skirt and my teal Pendrell blouse!

Awhile back (ok, too far back), the folks at Sixth & Spring Books sent me the book Custom Couture to review.  I feel like in order to properly review I need to do one of the projects from the book.  This book includes 32 refashion projects.  While flipping through I saw this picture for the 'Folk Cardigan':

I had a matching black sweater in my closet (except mine was a turtleneck sweater) that was earmarked for the local charity shop.  It's an older sweater (a hand-me down from my sister) and it lacks a bit of shape to look flattering as a main layer.  Plus, the fibers from the cable knit are starting to stretch--just enough that it's slightly see-through.  So as a main layer you'd have to wear something black underneath.  When I saw this project in the book I got really excited because the sweater is a perfect candidate to become a refashioned cardigan.  Cardigans come in super handy in scotland--so I decided to try it out.

First, I marked the centre front of the sweater.  This was very easy because as a cable knit it was perfectly symmetrical.  I also marked and cut around the turtle neck.  The next step was to make binding and sew it around the newly cut openings.

I decided to use some left over fabric from my Mrs. Peacock skirt.  It was really easy to sew the binding on and since the sweater is black--you can see any stitching.

There were a few parts of the book's instructions that I found confusing.  There are a few illustrations included and that was good because it made it very clear but I felt that some of the sections of text could have been clearer.  The illustrations for making the bow were clear but since I was using tweed, I had to adjust the stated measurements to accommodate the thicker fabric.

There's also some very interesting refashions in the book.  Some that I don't think I'd ever do--they are just not my style but I could see that maybe some people could pull it off??  This sweater refashion with bows on the arms is one good example.  I'm not exactly sure what look they are going for or if the refashion is even better than the original (lol):

Despite a few projects like that, there are some real gems in this book, including a few really neat ways to refashion tank tops!  All templates are included at the back of the book as well.

Lots of the projects are simple and are things I wouldn't have thought of.  It helped me to look at my wardrobe in a new way and to use some of their ideas to think about what I could do to change up items that are no longer working for me.

I am very happy with my sweater refashion and I love that it automatically completes this outfit for autumn/winter!  Makes me want to go out and find more sweaters in charity shops to make matching cardigans for all my me-made outfits!!!

The Giveaway

 

 

I'm hosting a giveaway to win a copy of Custom Couture. This giveaway is open to all my readers anywhere in the world. To enter, just leave a comment on this post and tell me about any garments in your closet that are candidates for refashioning.  Is there something you don't want to get rid of but that's not really working for you in it's current state?  Enter your comment by midnight (London time) on Monday the 21st of November for a chance to win a copy of Custom Couture by Helene Le Berre.   

{Blogiversary Week} From 1 to 59: The Year of Meet-ups

One of the best parts of this last year has been all the fabulous people I have met both online and in person!

Eight months into my first year of sewing/blogging, I had the chance to meet up with one of my favourite bloggers, Tilly from Tilly and the Buttons.  It was the first time for both us meeting someone from the blogosphere. I was very nervous but Tilly is so lovely and we had so much fun.

During this second year of sewing/blogging, I've had the chance to meet-up with 59 people! WOWZA!  I just love it! It's so much fun to be able to connect in person.  My first set of meet-ups this last year happened on the same weekend.  First, I was able to meet the lovely Solvi who blogs over delfinese and Kristen from Kristenmakes.  Kristen lives in Edinburgh and it was so great to meet her (and we've met up subsequently--though Kristen, we should do it again soon!) and Solvi came over to Edinburgh from Sweden!

I just love the picture below of the three of us bent over a pattern box at a local vintage store:

The following day, I was super excited to hang out with Sofia and Jen.  Sofia is an amazing seamstress, which must be a family trait because she just so happens to be Tasia the Sewaholic's sister.  Sofia and Jen were touring around Europe and were in Scotland for a couple of days and I was super happy to be able to show them around one of my favourite towns--St. Andrews.

 Just a little over a month later, I had the chance to meet-up with Elise who blogs at Chez Napier
while she was vacationing in Scotland:

We went to my favourite fabric store (Edinburgh Fabrics--and where I love to take people) and then out for a cup of coffee!  I was even one of the first people to find out that Elise was pregnant! I kept it a secret and I can't wait until the baby comes--I just might have to send him/her a little something from Scotland :)

Later that very same week was the Blogger Meet-up of the Century in London.  This was the most epic blogger meet-up I've been to yet!  It involved 1 fashionable exhibit at the V and A museum, 10-12 fabric stores, 38 + sewists, 1 bar and a six hour train journey (on which I finished my dress that I wore to the meet-up! lol).  It was so big, I didn't even have a chance to properly meet everyone!  I had so much fun and I hear there might be another London meet-up this next spring organised by Tilly and Zoe from So Zo...  Though this time I'm definitely spending the night in London so that I can spend more time with everyone!

Look at all of us chatting away when our two big groups met up at Goldhawk Road Station at the exact same time:

This was my first ever large-scale meet-up and I just *might* be addicted.  I got to meet the ladies who blog at: Did you Make That?, Charlotte and Victoria from the Sew Weekly Sewing Circle, Beebee's Vintage Dress, Sew Far Sew Good, Heart's Cottage Vintage Sewing, House of Pinheiro, Marguerite Designs, The Reel McCoy, Space Craft, MagpieMimi, Diana and Me,The Needle Diaries,Tuppence Ha'Penny Vintage, Midnight Betty’s, How To Use Your Time, So Zo, Tilly and the Buttons, Dibs and The Machine,Scruffy Badger, Miss P, Made In Oxford, All Style and All Substance, Catherine Daze, Pimp My Curtains, A Sewing Odyssey, Oobop, Blondon Daze, Pin Cushion Treats, Handmade By Freya, Tea and Crumpets Vintage, Little Miss Twitchy, Cyberdaze, Handmade Jane, Eugenia’s (fabulous) world of fashion, Molly and Mango.  I hope I didn't miss anyone on from that meet-up! Like I said, it was huge!

In early June, I got to meet Jane who blogs over at Daisy Donut before she set out on a wonderful European cruise.  I was also able to set Ted off on his excellent adventures across the UK to help Jane Jane fundraise for the Macmillan Cancer Support charity.

Just a few months ago I was able to coordinate visiting my family in the States with meeting lots of people!  First off, I was so thrilled to be able to meet Mena, Christine, Shannon and Xandra at the Gatsby Summer Afternoon event in California! What a treat that was--we all got dressed up in our me-made 30's dresses and Mena had a lovely picnic spread and lunch for us!

Mena also took me fabric shopping and to some of her favourite local stores the following day!  It was great to meet Mena and see the woman behind The Sew Weekly!

On this trip, I also got to meet the lovely Solanah from Vixen Vintage who just so happens to live in the same part of the world as my family!  Solanah and I spent a Saturday going to some amazing estate and garage sales!

I was hoping to meet-up with Sarai from Colette patterns as well on this trip but I ended up canceling our arranged meet-up so that I could spend some time with my Grandma.  I'm hoping I can catch Sarai again in the near future as it would be loads of fun to meet her and Caitlin and to get a peak at their creative space!

Later in that trip, I was able to stop in NYC to co-host with the amazing Oonaballoona, Meg the Grand and Mena another EPIC meet-up.  I had been wanting to meet Oona and Meg since I started interacting with them on the Sew Weekly community site!  I knew I would be flying through NYC on my way back to Scotland, so I seized the opportunity and emailed Oona about my plans! Several emails, blog posts, and a youtube video later and we had quite a gathering in the big apple!

At the meet-up, I got to meet Vicki, daughter fish, Cindy, Mena (in another city!), Oona, Meg, Lisette, Nettie, Marina, Puu and Peter. We started with a sangria lunch, exchanged patterns, shopped our hearts out, went to dinner and then Oona, Meg, Mena and I continued onto a super secret venue that involved colour-coordinated dresses.  Needless to say I had a blast!  Why can't every day be like a fabulous blogger meet-up day? 

As if it couldn't get any better...Oona and I also had the chance to take a class with the one and only Gertie.  The class was amazing and SO MUCH FUN!  I highly recommend taking a class with Gertie if you ever find yourself in NYC! 

Fast forward to this very last week and my most recent meet-up with Miss Katie who blogs over at The Little Red Squirrel.  We had so much fun shopping and gabbing up a storm! It was lovely!

Phew! What a social year, eh?  I just love meeting fellow sewists and have been so delighted to meet everyone this year! I'm looking forward to many more social gatherings next year!

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pattern Giveaway
What better way to celebrate all the fabulous people I've met this last year than to host a pattern giveaway!  This is not just any pattern--but a traveling pattern!  This lovely Butterick re-issue pattern from which you can make a sheath dress, full overskirt, sash and cape in sizes B30-34 (just a note that the size 34 has been cut out but the other sizes are still included)! 

 I originally got this pattern in a swap back in February with Adey from the Sew Convert.  She made lovely hot pink dress and a 1950's Sabrina inspired cape from the pattern.  I made this pattern up into a teal dress for my meet-up with Oona, Meg and Mena.  Oona very kindly even let me use Kenny for some last minute sewing!  I ended up leaving a few of the pattern pieces at Oona's place.  So I'm sending the pattern to Oona who is going to make her own delicious version but at the same time will send the pattern along to one lucky winner!  We hope you'll keep the tradition going and send it along to someone else.  It would be great to document where this pattern goes in the next year! 

To enter:
This giveaway is open to all my readers anywhere in the world. To enter, just leave a comment on this post and tell me about your most memorable meet-up!  If you haven't had any meet-ups, let me know who would you most like to meet?  I can't wait to hear your stories.  Enter your comment by midnight (London time) on Saturday the 19th for a chance to win 'the sisterhood of the traveling pattern'.    

{Blogiversary Week} From 12 to 45 in 12 months: A Reflection on Sewing Weekly

Source: Diane & Me who got this from the theaudacityofcolor.com via Amy on Pinterest

 I saw this quote by a journalist over at the blog Diane & Me a couple of weeks ago and it really struck a cord in terms of reflecting on The Sew Weekly challenge I embarked on 11 months ago.

But let me start at the beginning...back in December 2010 the lovely Mena from The Sew Weekly blog put up a post looking for contributors to a year-long challenge that entailed sewing a garment/outfit every week.  I had been following Mena's blog for quite some time and just loved all her creations!  She asked for interested people to send her an email.  Well, I did.  I equate it to signing up to run a marathon if you've never done one before.  You're not quite sure what you're in for and once you start training you think "Can I do this?"  But you've already signed up so you just jump right in!! 

Before I joined the Sew Weekly I had sewn 12 garments TOTAL in 12 months--most of them separates.  I don't think it started to dawn on me how much more I would need to sew to meet the challenges until I started!  A few of the co-contributors (Adey and Veronica--I'm looking at you!) commented that the Sew Weekly would help them slow down a bit!  Fabulous Adey had sewn 46 garments in 7 months before the Sew Weekly and the lovely Veronica had done several sew one thing a day for a whole month challenges!  Eeep! 

Well, I am happy to report that I was able to keep up (for the most part--a few skipped challenges here and there and a few, ahem, slightly unfinished garments) but man, I was not expecting the incredibly positive impact sewing weekly would have on my life.

I don't know why, but I tend to veer towards complicated and challenging patterns.  In fact, you might even say that I seek out unusual patterns with really neat details (that oh, require a lot of time)!  One of the biggest challenges for me has been to marry my sewing style with producing weekly outputs within a specific theme.  Therein lies one of the greatest benefits of this last year--using patterns that wouldn't have normally been high on my sewing list!  Some of my favourite creations have been from these patterns that I wouldn't have normally prioritised within my sewing plan (examples include my 1933 Butterick Katherine Hepburn Repro dress; my BurdaStyle dress and matching 1941 apron; my 'Raspberry Sorbet' dress; my "Purple Parfait" pinafore; my 'Fake Bunny Love' jacket).  The weekly themes have helped me step outside my comfort zone and try some different decades and styles.

One of the things I have truly loved about the sewing weekly challenge is the sewing community that has grown up around it!  Getting to meet other sewists has been so inspirational!  Seeing everyone's interpretation of each week's theme has really fueled my creativity! I just love it!

 Photocredit: [1] Ms. Oonaballoona, [2] Marguerite Designs

Another groundbreaking revelation about Sewing Weekly for me has been that in order to make it happen, sewing has to be given equal status to other areas of my life.  Earlier in the year, the lovely Tilly from Tilly and the Buttons asked me to do a guest post on sewing productivity.  For that post, I thought really long and hard about how Sewing Weekly has changed some of my inner thoughts and habits.  Here's what I wrote back in May that still resonates as I reflect back over six more months of sewing weekly:

Now the thing that I’ve found useful with the Sew Weekly that I didn’t have on my own — is a deadline! Ok, I know what you are saying… I have deadlines in my day job; I don’t want or need deadlines with my hobby… Ok, hear me out with this one. You know how they say that the way to create a new habit is by doing the same action over and over again (consistently) until it’s just second nature? I think the same is true with sewing. Having a structure that is consistent helps to get the ball rolling until it seems much easier to get into the rhythm. I think this is especially true with sewists. Just from the type of blogs I read, I notice that we tend to be the type of people that have lots of demands on our attention and time (we’re passionate about many things in our life - from our children, to our jobs, to our social life, etc.). With this increased pressure on time and attention there is likely to also be procrastination - especially by those that want to succeed with sewing the most.

I’m the worst with procrastination. Due to everything going on, if it’s not something that’s immediately due it tends to take the backseat. What I love about a deadline is that sewing is forced to take equal status with other areas of my life. And why shouldn’t it?? Why should I relegate the thing I love most to the very last? I once read somewhere that we only procrastinate about those things that have value to us. Interesting thought, no?

 Which brings me around full circle to the quote at the beginning of this post:

It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close the gap and your work will be as good as your ambitions.

I've gotten so much sewing experience this past year.  Not all my projects have been perfectly constructed but let me tell you, I am SO EXCITED for this next year to really explore my sewing and dive into some ambitious projects that without this foundation might have been overwhelming!  It's been an amazing journey this last year--with highs and lows and I am incredibly grateful for it.  Thanks for sharing it with me!!

{Blogiversary Week} Revisiting my First Dress

My very first sewing project and my very first blogging post was about this dress...

This pattern said 'Simple to Make' and got me all giddy because it had detachable collars and cuffs!  Well, they lied about the simply made bit and they kind of lied about how "detachable" the collars and cuffs were.  But I digress...

This dress has spanned two American cities, two countries and four addresses.  I finally finished the dress two years ago and it didn't fit!!  Luckily, my amazing readers helped me pinpoint the problem(s) and nearly a year later, I started refitting the dress to this:

This was one year ago.  I wore this dress when I met my first other sewing blogger in person.

Well, two years later I figured it was time to get onto the 'detachable' collars and cuffs!  I decided to go with green since it's in my autumn palette:

I adjusted the collar so that the pointy bit didn't sit so high up.  I really like the green with this dress:

Hmmm...maybe I'll do another collar at my 3 year blogiversary? I could make it a tradition to keep revisiting this dress!

Giveaway:
One of my very first  giveaways was to EvaDress patterns--an amazing reproduction online pattern site.  I had the opportunity to meet the lovely Xandra from EvaDress at the Gatsby Summer Afternoon and she is SO LOVELY!  So I thought I would revisit that first giveaway again by offering up reader's choice of their favourite pattern from EvaDress!


This giveaway is open to all my readers anywhere in the world. To enter, just leave a comment on this post and let me know what was the very first thing you ever started sewing (finished or unfinished).  I can't wait to hear your stories!  Enter your comment by midnight (London time) on Saturday the 19th for a chance to win an EvaDress pattern.

It's my blogiversary!!!

2 years ago on this very day, I started sewing in earnest and tracking my thoughts/progress on this blog.  Over the past year, I've really seen myself grow both in sewing and blogging and I've met so many wonderful people along the way.  So I've decided to celebrate this last year's journey through a blogiversary week!  Over five days, I'll share some new projects, some reflections and of course, giveaways!

This first reflection post will be a sort of 'highlights' stroll down memory lane to rediscover the fun, the inspiration and the tough moments along the way.  I'm taking the format and categories I used for my first blogiversary post (this may become a tradition??) to share some of the highlights of this past year!


Project I am the most Proud Of:

Without a doubt the project I am most proud of and that I really see as a turning point in my sewing was my dress sewn from the 1933 Butterick reproduction pattern from EvaDress.  This was the second challenge I completed for the Sew Weekly and really highlighted: 1) how much I love early 30's patterns, 2) how much I love wool, and 3) that I can tackle any pattern no matter how difficult it looks! This one was actually fairly easy to sew up (another reason I love early 30's patterns--really great details that are brilliantly drafted).  I'm also super proud of this dress because I won the EvaDress contest for 'Best Use of Pattern in its Original Form' despite stiff competition.

Hardest Moment:
The hardest moment of this past year has to have been the March to May time period when I was working like crazy (hello two jobs), participating in the Sew Weekly and had just found out that we had to move!   Talk about crazy intense!  Luckily, things have slowed down a bit (I can hear David laughing about this one--maybe it's just that I've gotten better at getting things done with so much going on??? lol.)

Ideas that Didn't Pan Out:
Sewing whilst travelling! That's my answer to this one!  I had grand plans to finish a load of outfits when I was visiting my family and travelling around the states.  Let me just say that it sounds so much easier.  In the end, I made what I needed to and took some much needed time to relax and see family and friends!

Project I Would Most Like to Redo:

The two projects from this last year that I'd most like to redo (or finish in one case!) is the 1950's 'Patio Dress' and my 1940's 'Chocolate and Wine' dress.  The Patio Dress has some serious gathering issues and I'm actually not quite sure I like the colour combo.  Maybe a teal and white like the pattern envelope would be much nicer?  The 'Chocolate and Wine' dress I definitely want to finish and since it has long sleeves would be perfect for winter!  You may recall that I had a big hurdle with button loops on this dress.  I received so many helpful comments on my Sew Weekly post that I'm sure I can go back and confidently tackle those darn loops :)

Easiest Project:

The easiest project was also the most last minute project! It was this gathered 1950's style skirt which I made using Gertie's tutorial. 

Quickest Project:

The quickest project(s) was making two faux wrap blouses out of pillowcases! You can check out my tutorial here.  I had never thought of making something using a pillowcase--so it was fun to be a bit creative and now I am always on the lookout for fun fabrics to refashion!

Piece of Clothing I Wear the Most:

Ok, this is a toss up but I think I'm going to have to go with my 1940 hooded dress.  I absolutely LOVE this dress.  It's the perfect weight for Scotland (made out of medium-weight gabardine) and the great part is that I can wear it as a jacket/coat or as a dress! Though it was really funny coming through security on my way back to Scotland from the States when the security screener asked me to take off my coat!  Erm...it's a dress! At which point, he looked very sheepish and said, 'oh sorry'!!!

Most Surprising Project:

Without a doubt, the most surprising project was my 1943 'Raspberry Sorbet' McCall dress!  I very much underestimated this pattern!  It's one of my favourites and I hope to make more versions--the style looks understated on the pattern cover (at least for me...lol.) and I just love how classy the design looks!

Scariest Moment:  
No truly scary sewing moments this last year (thank goodness!) though I did get a bit of the stomach butterflies right before three big blogger meet-ups! I had the wonderful opportunity to meet several of my favourite bloggers/sewists in London, NYC and San Francisco!  More on those fabulous meet-ups in another post later this week!

Wow--it's fun to reflect on this past year of sewing!   Stay tuned later today as I revisit my very first dress!!