A Floral Agnes Dress

Agnes Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.comAgnes Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Agnes Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com
Agnes Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Agnes Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.comAgnes Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.comAgnes Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Oh, hello there!

It’s embarrassing how long it took me to write up a post this time! I have to blame a whole new bunch of hobbies for it. I’ve discovered wool spinning and all that comes with it and have spent the last couple months pretty much doing nothing else than handling wool in all shapes and forms. It’s really fun and distracts me from sewing at the moment. I’ve been making all sorts of little projects for the kids in my family, as well. So I’ve been very much involved with all things creative. People ask me all the time how I have the time to do so many things at once and, well, I haven’t. I really have to make time to be able to explore so many creative activities and some things have to get pushed to the bottom of the list. In the last few months it’s been mostly working out (the most likely candidate) and blogging. Preparing a blog post eats up a lot of time and, to be honest, isn’t always the most creative part of the process for me.

Just before discovering the joy of old spindles and raw fibres I finished a couple of really cute outfits which we photographed months ago. One of these was this really lovely jersey dress, which I’ve worn endlessly since then.

pattern: hacked Agnes Top (Tilly and the Buttons), size 10
fabric: 1.5m of printed jersey (gifted)

cost:Ā next to nothing: fabric was gifted, 10cm elastic (1.99ā‚¬/m),Ā 
matching thread from my stash
duration: ~2 hours

I used the Agnes Top pattern by Tilly and the Buttons and lengthened it into a dress. Itā€™s the third time I made myself an Agnes dress, the other two dresses (here and here) are some of my favourite garments to date. It’s fairly easy to do this freehand. I usually use the Sew Over It Cowl Neck Dress as a base for the skirt part, since I really like the fit and length. As I said, you don’t necessarily need a skirt pattern for this. You could simply drop the hem down to knee-length and curve the side seams a bit following the shape of your thighs.Ā 

An Agnes dress is super comfy, but doesnā€™t look too slouchy. You can easily dress it up with some heels or dress it down by wearing trainers. Itā€™s also one of my favourite garments to take on holidays, as itā€™s such an allrounder and fits easily in any bag without creasing.Ā 

I love the feminine shape of the neckline. Itā€™s such a simple, but effective trick to use a short length of elastic to ruche the centre front and turn it from a scoop neck into a pretty v-shape. This technique is included in the pattern booklet and can also be easily applied to other garments. You could also use this trick on other tops you would like to update. Any scoop neck would be perfect for this. The elastic is stitched down with a zigzag stitch, which only takes a minute or two.

Agnes Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.comAgnes Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.comAgnes Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

I would really love to get my sewing juices flowing again! I’ve been browsing a bit for new indie sewing patterns and bought a couple Sew Over It dress patterns recently. I would really like to explore other brands as well, since I feel I’ve been missing out on all the latest pattern crazes (Myosotis Dress anyone? I’ve been eyeballing you!).

Do you have any recommendations for patterns and indie pattern designers which I should check out? Please let me know in the comments!

xx

Charlie


Happy sewing!

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A cropped cardigan (Agnes/Coco hack!)

A Coco/Agnes cropped cardigan by thisblogisnotforyou.comA Coco/Agnes cropped cardigan by thisblogisnotforyou.com

A Coco/Agnes cropped cardigan by thisblogisnotforyou.com
A Coco/Agnes cropped cardigan by thisblogisnotforyou.com

A Coco/Agnes cropped cardigan by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Dreaming of Spring

Ohhh, how I can’t wait for spring to come! We took these pictures just before Christmas, actually. It did look a bit like spring was coming early this year, but now we’ve had some really long weeks of heavy snow, ice and super low temperatures. Today is the first sunny day in a long time and this reminded me to finally blog this little project.

pattern:Ā self-drafted variation of Coco/Agnes (Tilly & The Buttons)
fabric:jerseyĀ with flower print byĀ Kƶnigreich der StoffeĀ 
amount:Ā ~ 1m
cost:Ā 10,99ā‚¬ (+ zip from my stash, ~4ā‚¬)
duration:Ā ~2 hr

Yep, this is yet another T&TB Coco/Agnes hack! I love to use both patterns as base for self-drafted garments. For the bodice I used mainly the Agnes pattern, adding to the waist and bust, so I can easily fit a sweatshirt underneath. I used the Coco sleeves and also added a bit of width. I didn’t have a lot of this fabric, and I wanted long sleeves, so I had to crop the bodice to fit all pattern pieces and have enough left for the cuffs and pockets. Initially, I didn’t want it to be this short, but then I found this matching light-blue metal zip in my stash which was too short for the length I had planned. So I cropped the pattern a bit more to fit the zip.

I really don’t mind the shorter length, as I wear sweatshirts underneath, anyway. Also, I now have a perfect cardigan for all my high-waisted skirts and jeans. Hurray!

All in all, this was quite a quick and successful project! Next time, I would probably change the size of the pockets, though. The opening is a bit too narrow and they’re not deep enough to fit my phone. Bummer. So basically, they’re mostly decorative! Well, we learn with every project, right?

A Coco/Agnes cropped cardigan by thisblogisnotforyou.com

A Coco/Agnes cropped cardigan by thisblogisnotforyou.com
A Coco/Agnes cropped cardigan by thisblogisnotforyou.com

A Coco/Agnes cropped cardigan by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Oh, Aslan can’t go unmentioned, right? He did a great job modelling alongside me for this shoot, hehe. He’s grown into a massive, crazy ball of fur. I’ve made quite a few Dog Diy projects last year, I wasn’t able to blog yet. So keep your eyes peeled, if you’re interested!

Also, thanks so much for all your lovely comments and appreciation on my last post about making our hobbies way too stressful. I really appreciate the feedback and feel encouraged to write more mental-health related posts, which is amazing as this is my second biggest passion! You guys rock! x

xx

Charlie


Happy sewing!
ā™„

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SEWING FOR TODDLERS PT.2

Toddler Pompom Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.comToddler Pompom Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Toddler Pompom Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com
Toddler Pompom Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Toddler Pompom Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Fluffy Dots!

Oh, dear! I completely forgot to post these cute makes for my nieces from Christmas 2016 (!!!). I just found them while editing photos of my most recent makes for them. Better late than never!

This little jumper deserves its own post. It turned out really cute and my niece loved it.
It’s a La Maison Victor pattern. I used some scrap sweatshirt fabric for the bodice and cuffs. The shoulder insets are a faux suede jersey in blush pink. The little felt poufs are from a craft store. I pre-washed them to make sure they wouldn’t bleed and stain the fabric in the wash. So this whole project didn’t cost much at all.

Toddler Pompom Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.comToddler Pompom Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Although I took care measuring and cutting the pattern and fabric, I had a feeling the neckline wouldn’t be wide enough to fit comfortably. I couldn’t be bothered to take the neck binding out again, as I had already overlocked the edges, so I had to come up with an alternative solution. This is how this quirky little keyhole opening came about. I found some matching pompom trim and button in my stash. It’s not very well done and a bit wonky, but it did the job!Ā (My nieces aren’t very harsh judges anyway.)

Toddler Pompom Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

I had such fun making this little quirky sweater. Unfortunately, they grow so fast at that age. It’s sometimes hard to consider whether it’s actually worth putting so much effort into a tiny little toddler sweater that won’t be worn more than just a couple of times. Well, luckily a nephew has been born just before Christmas – so I will make gender neutral clothes now that can be handed down the line.

xx

Charlie


Happy sewing!
ā™„

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A Cosy T&TB Coco Jumper

Coco Jumper by Thisblogisnotforyou.com

Coco Jumper by Thisblogisnotforyou.com
Coco Jumper by Thisblogisnotforyou.com

Coco Jumper by Thisblogisnotforyou.com

COSY CHRISTMAS

Hello sewcialists! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas! Having some time between the holidays I could finally get around to take pictures of quite a few of my recent projects.
This cosy jumper is one of them. I made it as a Christmas gift for my best friend who designed it and picked the fabric herself this year.

The fabricĀ (‘Anemone’ by Albstoffe) is from a German fabric online shop Kƶnigreich der Stoffe (Kingdom of Fabrics). I only recently discovered this shop and really love it. They have the most amazing prints and a gorgeous selection of knit fabrics. They ship internationally, so do check them out on you’re next shopping spree!

The fabric was quite expensive (26ā‚¬/m),Ā an amount I rarely spend on fabrics, but ohhhh,Ā it’s so soft and cosy! It’s worth every penny. Unfortunately, this beauty traded hands just after Christmas Day!

Coco Jumper by Thisblogisnotforyou.com

The pattern for this sweater is based on Tilly & The Buttons “Coco” and a sleeve hack from their “Agnes” pattern which I also used for my Star Wars sweater last year. I added cuffs and made it a bit wider at the waist and sleeves. Here I’m wearing it with my Mia Jeans and handmade beanie hat.

I have more and more completely handmade outfits and I’m planning to make more matching separates next year. My To Sew List is full of sweaters, jeans and blouses. If I’m lucky, I get half of that list done!Ā Coco Jumper by Thisblogisnotforyou.com

My Christmas & New Year’s Eve outfits are 100% handmade this year! I look forward to sharing them with you soon. What are your sewing plans for 2018?

xx

Charlie


Happy sewing!
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A second, fitted Alice Top!

Sew Over It Alice Top by thisblgoisnotforyou,com

Sew Over It Alice Top by thisblgoisnotforyou,com
Sew Over It Alice Top by thisblgoisnotforyou,com

Sew Over It Alice Top by thisblgoisnotforyou,com

Hello there!

As mentioned in the previous post, here’s another version of the Alice Top from SEW OVER IT’s new online class.

This time I used a lightweight jersey with a black and white owl print. Adorable, right? I’ve talked a bit about the online class and the construction of the pattern in the previous post. So if you want to know more about the pattern and the class, you can read about it here.

These are all the adjustments I made:

  • The front neckline was gaping ever so slightly. I took out 2 cm on length from the front neckline at the shoulders.
  • The sleeves were rather tight. I added 1 cm width at the sleeve seams.
  • The fit at the waist was quite loose. I took out about 2 cm of width on each side an around the waist and about 1 cm around the bust.

The fit is much better now and the top more comfortable to wear, although the changes are probably hardly noticeable. I’m really pleased with this top and can’t wait to wear it more often! We’re having a heat wave at the moment, so anything with sleeves is out of the question.

Wanna hear a fun story?

I wore this top when I went out to a restaurant with my family. When I wanted to put it in the wash a few days later, I only then noticed that there were still pins in there! The little bust tab at the front was only secured by two pins on the inside. This was one of the times I was glad I’m quite flat-chested. Otherwise, eating out might’ve become quite uncomfortable…
Sew Over It Alice Top by thisblgoisnotforyou,com

Have you left the houseĀ pins still sticking in your clothes?

xx

Charlie


Happy sewing!
ā™„

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