Re-use, recycle. Will you take the challenge?

 Re-use, recycle.  Make Do and mend. What is this all about?  Why should it affect me?

I am alarmed after doing some research  just how much clothing, some of it unworn, goes to landfill. We purchase a lot of cheaper clothes which soon lose their appeal and out they go. Our wardrobes are crammed with things we hardly ever. Or never wear.

Not just clothes, I have been rescuing furniture too

Did you know that Dunelm take back textiles? I shall be doing this 

The website is Dunelm Take Back Scheme

Easy to sew and fabulous to wear nightwear

 

Very easy to sew nightwear 

What is nicer than cool cotton pj's?  These are fabulous to make and even a total newbie can make them 

Do read on and discover how you can make some too 

Pyjamas and lounge wear

All about our favourite clothes to relax in - pyjamas and lounge wear 

I love pyjamas don't you? They are so wonderful for relaxing in after a hard day working at the sewing machine. They are something which, at least in my case, are the garments I spend least on yet I love them so much.

I decided to address this immediately and kit myself out in PJs made only in premium cotton.

The pattern is straightforward and you can choose design features which appeal to you. The tops have optional pockets but I left them off. You have a choice of sleeve length and there are shorts as well as trousers.

These three  fabrics were actually from Seasalt but they are no longer in stock. You will want to choose your own colours anyway so may I suggest either a. Cotton lawn or a cotton Voile.
Cotton Lawn
Cotton Voile
Both of these come in a wide range of colours, designs and prices

Vogue Nightwear in fabulous Art Gallery fabrics

A #MCBN post

Vogue Nightwear in fabulous Art Gallery fabrics

I saw a  pattern when I was browsing and although it is nothing like I have ever worn I wanted to make it.
One of my favourite fabric Brands is Art Gallery Fabrics and it took me no time at all to decide to use this combination of print and plain to make the garments

I was not disappointed!
This is an absolutely gorgeous outfit and I love it so much.  It is extremely comfortable to wear, it is fun and so different to what is available ready made.

There is also a camisole which I made with the leftovers.

To read this post and find out more about the fabric and pattern please click on this link
Vogue Nightwear in fabulous Art Gallery fabric

I do hope that you follow this link and read my post.
Thank you MinervaCrafts for the beautiful fabric

Angela

Sew a Beautiful Lingerie Bag

A pretty lingerie bag to give or keep 

I have made a lot of lingerie recently and I thought that it would be really nice to have a lingerie bag to keep them in. It is nice to put your night slip in during the day and they are useful to take on holiday too, they look really pretty sat on your bed.

They are not difficult to make and take very little fabric. They can be made any size you want and you could even make a small one for handkerchiefs. They make wonderful gifts too.

This is my lingerie case sat on my bed. I only ever buy or make Egyptian cotton bedding and always in white. I add lace trimmings to sheets and pillowcases and always add my initial. I therefore get the quality I enjoy at a good price  and can personalise it to suit my own taste.

It's Sew Easy to Sew Lingerie, My Collection in Pink.

Sewing Lingerie

There are many Lingerie patterns around and lots of people seem to be wanting to try them but are scared to even start. The problem is they look fiddly and the list of haberdashery seems daunting. However if you look again at the instructions you will reconsider . It really is not that difficult to achieve amazing results.

 This is my collection in Pink. I made a slip out of Viscose cut on the bias, a Bra and two pairs of pants.
The fabric requirements are as follows,
Viscose fabric for the slip,
The viscose fabric and the cotton jersey for the pants were from MinervaCrafts Viscose dress fabric  and Cotton jersey fabric
The stretch laces, elastics  powernet and stretch mesh were from my own stash, but they are widely available. Minerva Crafts stock them too.
The bra findings are from Jaycotts.co.uk or MinervaCrafts
Bra underwires
Bra fasteners
Bra accessories
Shoulder strap elastic
Simplicity Underwired Bra and panties pattern
Butterick slip and panties pattern

Sewing for total beginners - a Simple jacket, top and pants

This is a Jaycotts.co.uk blog post.

Kwik Sew 4250 Jacket, top and pants. A blog post for total beginners or those returning to sewing after a break.

This is the three piece loungewear outfit and isn't it fabulous!

I thought long and hard over this blog post.
The first thing I considered was how much detailed instructions to give, and how much opportunity should I allow for you to follow the actual pattern instructions. It is vital that we are able to read a pattern but I appreciate that they don't always make sense. I hope that I achieved a balance which is right for you.

The pattern I used is this one Kwik Sew pattern K4250
I love Kwik Sew patterns - view the range here Kwik Sew Patterns at Jaycotts
They are good for all levels, have a good design range and are printed on better quality tissue paper than most.

This is the range of fabrics which I used to make each garment featured in the pattern. These fabrics are a very good quality quilting weight cotton from - believe it or not - Jaycotts! They are only available in store at the moment. You cannot buy them online.

You will however easily find good quality pure cotton in most fabric shops. Do choose a medium weight or quilting weight cotton as it will make sewing your garments so much easier.

Mix and match colours however you like, sewing is all about making something which you enjoy wearing.

By the way these particular fabrics are quite narrow, Dress fabrics tend to be wider.

If I could make another suggestion as to fabric comfortable for lounge wear, I would choose a Cotton Lawn it is easy to work with and comes in at all sorts of prices .do take a look.

Fashion is very personal. I showed the pattern we will be using to some friends and asked them where they would wear it, some said lounge wear, some said beach, some said everyday wear, all depending on the fabric chosen.

I have worn my garments in different ways and matched them with other garments and I wanted to leave it to you to decide where and when you are going to wear your lovely new garments without influencing you.

 We are going to start by making the jacket. The pants and top will follow in another blog post. I didn't want to put you off by doing too much all in one go!
In the next post I will show you how I styled all of my garments and there will be photographs.
These are the fabrics I chose to use for  the jacket. We are always told never to mix prints but never be afraid to bend the rules , these two prints actually sit very well together.