ABOUT ME

I am Angela and I love to sew. I started sewing as a child and by the time I was a teenager I was wearing the very latest fashions to go out in. All me-made. I am passionate about reducing the amount of textiles sent to landfill, and encourage you to repurpose fabrics and clothes I started this blog in order to have a way in which to pass on my gained knowledge, and my professional knowledge to you, Sewing is empowering, you can save money by making items, make money by selling then, You can pass your knowledge on to others. What is there not to love? Interestingly I am a direct descendant of the Flemish weavers who came over to England in the 1300's. I find that fascinating especially as most of my family from as far back as I can trace are somehow involved in the manufacturing of fabric . . I have a degree in tailoring with a special interest in WW2 fashion.

Friday, 14 April 2023

Butterick Sewing Pattern 6856 in linen Look cotton fabric

 



This Butterick top was made in this gorgeous cotton fabric from Minerva.com and can be purchased by clicking the link below highlighted in Blue 
Minerva Core Range Washed Vintage Linen Look Cotton Fabric  Minerva linen look cotton
I had intended to make this over  Easter but my lovely son "forgot" to tell me he was coming to stay. I was delighted of course and hastily converted my craft room into a bedroom. It was his birthday too.so it was a wonderful time 




Little Coco was overexcited, she is only a few weeks old and hadn't met Matthew before.





Anyway, back to sewing.
If you are a newbie then you may not want to go through all the prep but trust me on this, you need to do several things before putting sewing machine to fabric.
Firstly wash and press your fabric,I never skip this bit as fabrics can take you by surprise and shrink in the first wash.
While this is happening take your measurements and compare them to the measurements on the pattern envalope. I also check the finished size but this can involve a hunt as some pattern companies place them on the relevant tissue pieces, others put them somewhere on the envalope or the instructions. A cup of tea is welcome at this point.



Butterick Sewing Pattern 6856


Transfer your pattern markings onto your fabric and then iron on any interfacing.




It may take a couple of days to do all this prep but now sewing the garment can be carried out easily and quickly. One final point is to press each seam as you sew it. It makes the difference between a homemade garment and a Handmade, bespoke garment. It is far better to spend time before sewing to get everything done and will save time in having to make alterations or wondering which is the right side of the fabric.
Well, I shall get on with sewing it then I can wear it.







The pattern is fairly straightforward but in one or two places it left me to figure out which way round some of the bands were meant to be sewn. Studying the diagrams recommended.






I spent ages top stitching the entire garment but it took the blouse from the very casual look I wanted to something a whole lot smarter. So I spent an evening unpicking all the top stitching, maybe it was an unnecessary thing to do but I wanted to stay true to when and where I wanted to be able to wear it.
The altered sleeves are successful, one of the photos shows how I did it.
I shall wear this again and again, it's perfect.








#Sewangelicthreads 
#sewingblogger
#sewing
#tutorial
#blouse
#shirt
#butterickpatterns 
#butterick6856
#cottonfabric

Wednesday, 8 March 2023

Simplicity 9270 loungewear set in a reversible squares and stripe fabric from Pound Fabrics

 Loungewear Set by Simplicity patterns,  fabric from Pound Fabrics 


I love nice loungewear and this is just perfect for evenings relaxing with a book or watching TV





The fabric is totally amazing and is very affordable 





This wonderful reversible fabric is from Pound Fabrics , it is 70% Cotton and available in three  colourways 

It is a double layered fabric , substantial but the high Cotton content makes it easy to wear.It is airy and soft next to the skin and needs minimal pressing .


I made size 12 and it took 3m of fabric 



It is reversible with small squares on one side and stripes on the other 
It is a stretch fabric and therfore you will need a brand new stretch needle in your sewing machine   
I  recommend using a stretch thread , this means that you  can use an ordinary straight stitch without risk of it snapping during wear 
The thread I use is 
mettler-seraflock-stretch-thread from Jaycotts.co.uk,  or there is 


 I also like to use my walking foot which feeds fabric through easily without stretching or distorting it. I find that once I have this foot on my machine it is a while before I remove it it makes sewing any fabric a total breeze 


In order to make best use of this wonderful fabric I wanted to incorporate both sides, the top is made using the squares as the right side with the collar and facing cut out with the stripes showing 

 

You will need stretch iron on interfacing to support the collar and front facings.  Please never  buy  cheap interfacing, it is horrid and will cheapen your garment.  These little touches make the difference between Home Made and Hand-Made . The latter is what we are aiming for 

I  chose I neutral coloured button and added an extra one as the pattern has just three. 


The trousers are stripe side out. 

Do you struggle with sorting the front from the back? I do, so I just stitch a bow or a flower or anything else I like onto the centre front . Easy! Of course you  could put a label inside at the back but I find them irritating 




The sewing pattern is suitable for  beginners upwards. There is a  choice between shorts and trousers and a long and short sleeve top. This versatile pattern will inspire you to make lots of garments. If you are a beginner I recommend starting with nightwear and loungewear as they tend to require very little fitting.  I believe that it is far more satisfying to make a simple garment well rather than to make a mess of a more complicated pattern. Learning to sew should  be a pleasurable experience so take your time.






Another tip. Sometimes jersey Fabrics can  be tricky when it comes to sewing buttonholes. I use small pieces of a machine embroidery stabiliser under each  buttonhole and it prevents the fabric  from misbehaving. Save scraps of tissue paper from  when you were cutting out for the same purpose 




Side vents in the top add to its comfort 






Lovely to wear when spending time in the sewing room too






Do you like this pattern and fabric combination?  Will you make it too?


I hope you have enjoyed this post

Angela

Sewangelicthreads 



#Sewangelicthreads 

#sewingblogger

#sewing 

#handmade 

#loungewear

#simplicityS9270

#reversiblefabric

#cottonfabric

#stretchfabric

Tuesday, 7 March 2023

Sew House Seven Cosmos Sweater and skirt in Stretch Sweater Knit

 The Sew House Seven sweater and skirt 

A Minerva.com post 




I have a page on Minerva.com where you can find more of my posts. This is one such post so to read more on 

My posts on Minerva.com are on this link so do click on the text where you will find photos and fabric details etc

 







The pattern I used is this top and skirt combo from Sew House Seven details on my Minerva.com page 





The fabric is a glorious sweater knit,which is an absolute breeze to sew 







I took the hem up by about 8" in order to balance the loose fitting top 




The skirt needed taking in quite substantially 





I am very happy with the results so please don't forget to follow the link at the top of this post and see what else I have been making



#Sewangelicthreads 

#sewingblogger

#sewist 

#sewing

#sewhouseseven

#sweaterknit

#fabric

#knitfabric

#tutorial 

#MinervaBrandAmbassador

#minervamaker

Tuesday, 13 December 2022

Vogue 8854 in dark green Velour Rib

 This is Vogue V8854 made in this absolutely butter soft cord. From Minerva.com 





This absolutely gorgeous velour rib knit is from Minerva.com,  available in many different colours.  Do please click through this link to view more details about this fabric  

Velour cord knit at Minerva.com   Velour cord strech knit fabric

Although it is an "easy" pattern if you are unsure then I suggest that you do a mock up of the front first, any fabric will be fine for this, especially a woven. This cord stretches and care needs to be taken with the front.




To prevent the fabric edges from curling up then I suggest iron on seam taper - it really helps.

There are one or two alterations I want to make, the sleeves need shortening by a couple of inches and as I won't wear the collar up I may as well remove the top popper







The pattern is very roomy, so compare your measurements with those on the pattern.

This is a sucess I feel 😍


My posts on Minerva.com can be found on Sewangelicthreads on Minerva.com



#MinervaBrandAmbassador 

#sweater

#Sewangelicthreads 

#voguepatterns 

Saturday, 3 December 2022

Vogue Designer lounger wear using gorgeous French Terry Fabric

 

Loungewear Set.





Iam greatly impressed with this fabric. I received 2•5 metres which meant that I could make not only a tunic top but trousers too. It was a bit of a jigsaw puzzle fitting all of the pattern pieces onto the fabric, and keeping the animals the right way up and the grain line accurate, but in the end it was not so difficult.




The fabric is exclusive to Minerva.com and is available here:_ French Looped Back Terry

I have parkinsons disease and have a lot of days when just the act of getting dressed exhausts me and I will not be able to do anything for the rest of the day. I find that if I spend a day doing housework, shopping or even just meeting with friends means that I have to pay it back for the next day or so.
I therefore love nice loungewear which is easy to put on is comfortable to wear especially if I am going to be resting a lot, but it has to look amazing too, because quite frankly wearing something lovely really cheers me up. We all need to look good don't you think. Of course a chocolate biscuit always helps 






I do love Vogue patterns and for the top I used a Marcy Tilton design for Vogue. You will. No doubt notice that I have used this pattern before. Each design has its own set of pattern pieces which means in effect that you,In this case, get four patterns!
For the pants I used an old pyjama pattern, I am sure that you will have a suitable pattern to use.


I am excited about this project, the French Terry is so gorgeous. Plus it is mostly cotton, this is important to me as natural fibres help to regulate my body temperature



It is always the same for me - I try on a new Minerva Make in order to take photographs and I love it so much that I do not take it off!
This is my new loungewear, different to pyjamas as loungwear, to me anyway, is just a but smarter and more fitted, the pants in particular.
This Vogue pattern is so very easy to make and with three separate patterns in the envalope there are lots of choices to vary each make.









The pants are from a old pyjama pattern, but I took the width in to give them a more streamlined look.
And as for the fabric! Wow! This French Terry has such an amazing print, very much like the jungle prints I wore in the late 60's yes, sadly I am that old.
For me, loungewear is a special part of my wardrobe, as I have mentioned before I have parkinsons and need plenty of rest days, but I still love visitors - I had a coffee morning yesterday, so even if I am not going anywhere I boost my own self esteem by dressing nicely but comfortably. This outfit is perfect


Do look at the fabric, it is gorgeous 





 Thank you to Minerva.com for the fabric.  Do please follow this link to view the entire website including sale items Minerva.com



#sewing #sewingblogger #Sewangelicthreads #minervabrandambassador #minervamaker #loungewear #voguepatterns