Denim Skirts and Blogging Habits

Hey everyone. It's been a little while between posts recently around here and that has kind of taken me by surprise. Blogging used to be one of my favourite things about DIY projects, I couldn't wait to finish it so I could get it up on the blog. I am taking a more relaxed approach at the moment and I think it's likely I'll continue this way. I am enjoying posting just occasionally about what I make and I am definitely taking blogging a little less seriously, it'll be quite light hearted, infrequent and more 'look what I made' than 'here is how you can do this' for now. 

I have still been making things though and this skirt was promised a couple of weeks ago here. It's just a simple circle skirt made with some leftover fabric from my two-tone denim dress.

I think I was feeling particularly self-conscious about being photographed on this day though because I don't look at all relaxed in these photos. Well except the one at the top but you can't actually see most of my face in that one, I guess that's why I liked it. I have been getting much more comfortable about having my outfit photos taken but this was just one of those days.

There is little more to say about this skirt so I think I'll just leave it there for now. I am still deciding what I am planning for me-made-may this year but I'll let you know when I do. Zoe x

Two-Tone Denim For A Lovely Laurel

Is it ok that my 18 month old niece was my style inspiration for this dress? Well, whatever, that's who it was ok? She has a super cute tunic, with the two tone denim and raglan sleeves. It's lovely. I figured I could pull off a grown-up version especially since denim is everywhere this season.

The pattern is Laural from Collette patterns. It is actually the third time I have used this pattern. Once with a fabric that it turns out I really don't like so you will probably never see that. The other is a simple white top which I am yet to photograph. I bought the pattern in order to make myself more basics to add to my capsule wardrobe and I'd say this one gets the seal of approval.

The finished dress is one of those items that makes me feel really proud that I can make my own clothes. It didn't require any complicated sewing techniques and the fabric is an easy one to sew with but it is something I know I will wear many times. Here's to having bare legs more and more in the next few months! Zoe x

Sewing School // Sew a Flat Fell Seam

A flat fell seam you say? What on earth is one of those? Well luckily for you I am about to tell you.

Are you wearing jeans? Well look at the inner leg seam, you can see two lines of stitching right and a sort of bump all the way along the seam. This is a flat fell seam and you find it on most jeans here because its a super strong seam that works well for the heavy denim fabric. Also its particularly good on the inner leg where the jeans take a lot of wear and tear. So without further ado, let's sew a flat fell seam:

Step 1

First off place your fabric pieces with the wrong sides together, this is the opposite way to normal, so that the good sides are facing out. Then sew your seam using your usual seam allowance.

Step 2

Using your dressmaking scissors trim 1 (but only 1) of your seam allowances down to half the width, you'll end up with one wide one and one narrow one.

Step 3

Now press your seam open from the wrong side of your fabric. Then turn it over. Then fold and press the wider seam underneath the narrow one.

Step 4

Finally top stitch along the folded edge of the wider seam to secure it down. Then give it one final press and hey presto, a flat fell seam.

If you are making yourself a pair of trousers then this is a great technique to have under your belt before you start. Be careful though, you won't be able to use this type of seam on both the inner and outer leg seam because of the way it is constructed. Make sure you sew the inner leg seam first if you want to use this technique. I learnt this the hard way and had to unpick my outer leg seam when I first tried it. Luckily you can learn from my mistakes. Have fun. Zoe x

Sewing School // Tips for Sewing With Denim

I don't know about you, but I wear loads of denim. More often than not my outfit for the day has some denim in. Mostly so far this denim has not been handmade. I wear jeans and have never made myself some. So recently I decided this needed to change and I should try and make myself a pari. This project is well under way but long before I even cut my fabric I had to work out how to sew with denim. So today I am sharing these tips with you.

What is denim?
I am sure you all would know denim when you saw it, but could you describe what it is? Maybe but possibly not. Denim is simply a woven fabric, made from cotton, where the threads in one direction are blue and the threads in the other direction are white. At least in true form this is what denim is. You can find other denim-like fabrics out there that don't fill this requirement but they often call it denim any way. Chambray is one kind of denim but is just must lighter weight. The denim I am going to be talking about today is the heavy weight stuff that your jeans are made from. Some times it's stretchy (mine has 5% lycra) and sometimes it isn't (100% cotton).

Get the Right Equipment
When working with denim it's a good idea to use a thick cotton thread in your machine. Usually we match the material of the fabric with the thread, hence cotton, and thick because your fabric is heavyweight. Also you'll need a needle that is designed for heavy weight fabrics. A size 100-110 for european sizes or 16-18 in american sizes will work well. If you have had your fabric scissors for a while or someone 'accidentally' used them on paper you probably are going to need to get some new ones too, the denim needs an extra sharp blade.

Prepare
When you have your fabric make sure you prewash it, especially if it's a stretchy one because its quite prone to shrinkage. (If your anything like me your jeans are tricky to do up after a wash and almost falling down by the end of the day, I think I should invest in a belt.) Also prewashing will help the fabric soften making it slightly easier to cut and sew with.

Prevent Fraying with Strong Seams
Sadly denim is also pretty prone to fraying. To help avoid this you can try using flat fell seams (come back next week for a tutorial for this) which is extra strong and keeps the raw edge inside. If you take a look at your jeans the inside leg seams are usually flat fell seams. On other seams make sure you finish the edge of the fabric with some zigzag stitching or pinking sheers (unless of course you have a Serger, no? Me neither). Also don't be afraid to use a really high heat when you press your seams, the denim can take it and the seams need it.

So there you go, my whistle stop tour of sewing with denim. It's much easier than it sounds so don't be too scared. If you pair your denim with a simple project (like this bag?) then it should be much easier than sewing some button-fly high waisted skinny jeans, which crazy person would try and do that?!? Oh yes, that would be me. I'll show you when I am done. Zoe x