Presents for Isla

There was a bit of excitement at Gather HQ last week as we both became aunties again! Isla Lily finally made her appearance last Friday - is there a better reason than a new baby to get crafting? No.

I made a pair of rain clouds for the nursery (at the request of the new mama - I made similar for my first son) to hang over the cot.

Sandra made this adorable bear (she's a pretty mean knitter, I'm in awe - my knitting skills extend to squares or rectangles in garter stitch...). You can find the pattern in this book.

Both the clouds and the teddy were made over a long period of time - grabbing a few minutes here and there in order to finish in time. They'll be off to their new owner shortly where I'm sure they'll be cherished! There's something so lovely about making baby gifts and there are endless patterns and ideas out there and on pinterest to inspire (which is lucky as I've got three more baby gifts to make before the year is out. Maybe it's time I improved my knitting...!)

A To-Make list

I've not been doing much garment sewing for myself recently - the reason being that my figure was expanding at a rapid rate. Having given birth 6 weeks ago I'm itching to get my waistline back and start making again! Funnily enough, I wasn't inspired to make any maternity clothes, partly as I knew they had a limited wear period and partly as I didn't see any patterns that particularly grabbed me. Having lived in ONLY stretch fabrics for what seems like an eternity I'm ready to wear some new me-made clothes!

I seem to live in my faithful skinny jeans most of the time and I'd like to break the habit. Having been inspired by these

I'm now planning a pair of my own using the Clover by Colette. I've also been hankering after a light summer jacket (for our glorious English 'summer'...) and really want to make a leopard print version a la Kate Moss:

I'm currently on the look out for a leopard print gabardine or cotton twill - planning a trip to Goldhawk Road in the near future. I initially wanted to use the Sewaholic Robson trench pattern but as she cuts for pear shapes (and I'm the complete opposite!) I decided to find one that will need a bit less altering - the winner seems to be this Vogue 8884 pattern.

Lastly, for a summer dress I loved the Laurel from Colette but as I'm nursing (and will be for a while) I need something a bit more practical! I'm probably going to go for the Darling Ranges dress by Megan Nielsen.

So I think for now that's enough to keep me busy for a while... Not entirely convinced I can fit it all in in between the 3am feeds and the business but I'm going to give it a go!

Christmas tree decorations - a tutorial

This is possibly the quickest and simplest way to use up your fabric scraps and make some toddler/cat proof decorations for the tree! They take very little time to make and all you need are some fabric scraps and stuffing - I used toy stuffing but if you don't have any you could easily use cotton wool.

Take your scraps (around 3" x 3" is best) and lay them together with the WRONG sides facing. Draw the shape that you want to make using a fabric pencil or marker - I used a glass to draw round mine.

Using the edge of your presser foot as a guide, stitch inside the line that you've drawn, leaving a small gap so you can stuff later.

Remember to backstitch at the beginning and end. Using a small amount, gently push the stuffing into your decoration, taking care not to overfill as it's then tricky to sew closed! When you've filled it, sew the opening closed and tie off the ends by hand.

Using pinking shears, trim around the shape using the line that you marked earlier. Thread a piece of cotton through the top, knot and hang on your tree! So simple.

Tada! This is our last post before Christmas - we hope you all enjoy the festive season. We'll be back sometime in the new year with exciting pattern testing news!

A few me-made presents

Seeing as it's coming round to 'that' time of year again (I can't quite bring myself to say the big C word...) I thought I'd get cracking early with some little me-made pressies for some of the little people in my family!

You can't get simpler and easier than some pretty name bunting for nurseries or bedrooms and this is a great way of using up some of those larger scraps of fabric. All you need is some triangles of fabric - I double sided mine but you can easily use just one piece and cut out with pinking shears. I cut the letters out from felt and stuck down with fabric glue. So easy! If you wanted something a bit more detailed you could appliqué the letters on to the flags.

The recipients have obviously not yet seen these so here is just a sneaky peek!

I decided to make some bags to present them in as well as I've been wanting to try out some transfer paper that I bought a while ago. I'm starting to see a lot of these calico bags in the shops now with initials or pictures printed on and so whipped up my own version for a fraction of the cost. I used Lesley Riley Transfer Artist Paper which is brilliant and can be used for printing on to lots of different surfaces, not just fabrics. Again, these bags were very quick and easy to make but add an extra touch which makes the whole present look really special.

Sandra's also been crafting and has made a tote bag from the Cath Kidston 'Sew' book as a present for a certain someone - we won't mention who just in case she's reading!

So, the Christmas crafting has begun! Are you making any of your presents this year? Or is all your sewing time devoted to yourself?!

Sewing habits

I've noticed recently that I do something a bit odd when sewing.

No, I don't sew naked. Nor can I only sew whilst listening to thrash metal. Or whale song. And it's not that I keep my sewing tools lined up in alphabetical order.

I've realised that when I start sewing a seam, the first pin I remove ALWAYS goes in my mouth, between my teeth. The rest of them go back in the pincushion as they're removed. Only when I've removed whatever I'm sewing from the machine and snipped the threads do I remove the pin!

Image Source

I've got absolutely no idea why or when I started doing this but it seems to have stuck! What about you? Got any eccentric sewing habits or superstitions you want to share? Go on, we won't judge. I promise.

Variations on a pattern - Colette Macaron

There is a great post over on Tilly's blog right now about Stitcher's Indecision (an ailment I suffer from mildly but that's another blog post entirely...). She talks about "the ability to design bespoke garments exactly how you want them. You choose the colour, the style, the fit, the neckline, the sleeve, the buttons..."

This is one of the reasons why I love dressmaking so much. We've been making design changes to our pattern recently but I keep having to remind myself that the beauty of home sewing patterns is you have the freedom to make those changes yourself! I love to see how different people interpret patterns and I also love how the same pattern can look completely different simply by changing up fabrics and embellishments.

One of my current favourites is the Macaron by Colette. Here are just a few versions which prove how versatile it can be.

The classic LBD by Sibeli- simple but so chic, I like the sheer fabric next to the Ikat print. The skirt looks more fitted and not using a contrasting fabric for the waistband gives it a really nice, clean look.

The vintage fabric day dress by Kathie - colourful, summery and cute. This version uses vintage fabrics and I particularly love those stripes. She's added piping to the bodice and also a small fabric detail at the bust but otherwise has remained true to the original pattern.

Source

The a-line, rose print slip dress by Natasha - this one is the most altered but possibly my favourite! She's kept the sweetheart neckline and sleeves but completely changed the shape of the dress. I like how there's no contrasting fabric but by using lining you can still clearly see the shaping at the yolk.

Source

Got a favourite? Check out some of the OWOP posts for some more variations on a theme!

Progress and Packaging

Things are still ticking along nicely at gather HQ. Our pattern is SO nearly there, but we've decided to make a few last minute design changes which has slowed us down a little. We've tweaked a sleeve, lowered a neckline - all little details that you don't realise make a massive difference until you have a few finished dresses in front of you! 


Our slow-down has given us chance to start thinking about our packaging though. Here's some of what we've been looking at for inspiration.

From top left clockwise:
Wax Seal by Follow Studio
Striped String by Folly & Glee
Printed Paper Bag by Peach Blossom
Striped Ribbon by Jane Means
Canvas Bag by Under the Sycamore
Mast Brothers Chocolate

What do you think? Have you got any examples of amazing packaging that you've seen - sewing related or not? We'd love to see!

A progress update

We're hard at work at the moment working on our final samples and we've now made what will (hopefully!) be our last design alterations. The dress is looking great! To the relief of both of us we've also moved on from making up calico versions to using fabrics we're considering for our kits. We're testing various fabrics, seeing what works best with the design. It's so lovely to be working with great prints rather than endless beige!

Hopefully we will soon be ready for pattern testers to volunteer their services. If you're at all interested in testing our pattern then keep an eye out on this blog or come and follow us on twitter: @gatherkits

We'll be putting the call out as soon as we're ready for you!

A progress update and some fabric inspiration

A belated Happy New Year to you all!

Us gather girls had a somewhat frenzied Christmas break - a family wedding on the 23rd, a poorly toddler and a very poorly cat meant that the sewing machines went untouched for the whole festive period... I think a break is actually no bad thing sometimes, it means we're both raring to go now! And we've got something rather exciting to be sewing up too: our first dress pattern! We're currently testing all the pattern pieces - seeing how they fit together and making any small adjustments. The dress has a few different sleeve options so we've got quite a few versions to make up, nevertheless, it's a hugely exciting time for us and we're both pretty chuffed with the results so far. As soon as we're happy with the final pieces, the next step will be to get them all graded, in preparation for the real pattern testing. There will be more information regarding testing to come, keep an eye out on here or twitter if you're interested in helping us out with that!

Now we have an actual dress form to work with our minds are naturally turning to fabrics and prints. Here are some of the prints that are currently inspiring us, a little taster of what's possibly to come!

Andover

Premier Prints

FreeSpirit

Andover

Timorous Beasties

Hanna Werning

Joel Dewberry

Joel Dewberry

Timorous Beasties

Liberty

Andover

Timorous Beasties