Win tickets for the Knitting & Stitching Show! [Giveaway CLOSED]

September 25, 2014.Reading time 2 minutes.

K&S_LOGO RGB Win tickets to The Knitting and Stitching Show It’s time for another giveaway, people! (Ermahgerd! Again!?) Yes! The lovely people at The Knitting & Stitching Show have given me some free tickets so I can invite some pals (I’ll be sneaking around there, too!)

The Knitting & Stitching Show opens in 2 weeks (from 8^th – 12^th October) in Alexandra Palace, London (sorry non-UK folks!). Due to popular demand the Show is now open 5 days. It’s one of the largest textiles and craft events in the UK. You can see the list of exhibitors here. The Show has some exciting workshops and lectures to offer as well as a new interactive feature, Stitch-by-Stitch, which offers sessions and demonstrations for beginners and more experienced visitors!

I’m particularly looking forward to browse through fabrics, patterns, sewing books and all sorts of other products for the sewing enthusiast (I might spend a minute looking at knitting stuff as well, I promise!)

Win tickets to The Knitting and Stitching Show

I have 5 pairs of tickets to The Knitting & Stitching Show to give away to some of you guys! All you have to do is let me know in the comments what you’d like to see on this blog in the future. This could be sewing, knitting or refashion projects as well as tutorials on specific topics, reviews of certain products or patterns etc.

I’ll pick my favourites from your suggestions and mail the winners their tickets in time for the Show. Deadline for leaving comments is midnight (GMT) Tuesday 30th September 2014.

Please note these tickets are only valid all day Wednesday, Thursday 3-7pm and all day Sunday.

All images in this post are courtesy of The Knitting & Stitching Show.

Happy sewing!
♥

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The new Pussy Bow Blouse pattern by Sew Over It

September 25, 2014.Reading time 6 minutes.

Sew Over It Pussy Bow Blouse by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Hi folks! Today I sharing my newest pussy bow blouse with you! After sewing three (!) Lottie Blouses, it was time to try another pussy bow blouse pattern. Luckily enough, Lisa, mastermind behind Sew Over It, asked me to test her newest pattern, the Pussy Bow Blouse. Lisa is known for her gorgeous patterns, mostly basic wardrobes staples (such as the Ultimate Trousers pattern or the Ultimate Wrap Dress) with a vintage touch.

So here it is, in all its glory!

Sew Over It Pussy Bow Blouse by thisblogisnotforyou.com

The pattern:

The pattern was pretty much straight-forward and the instructions are very comprehensive and easy to follow, thanks to the illustrations. The blouse comes in two different variations – you can choose between a v-neck or keyhole version. I wanted to try the keyhole version, but couldn’t wrap my head around one particular step in the instructions (we all have those days, no?) and since I already have three keyhole Lottie Blouses, I went with the v-neck option in the end.

The pattern comes in UK sizes 8-20 and is available as both a printed pattern and as a downloadable PDF. Sew Over It will also host a sewalong in the future, so keep your eyes peeled!

What I loved most about the pattern are the little details: for example the super cute buttoned cuffs. I used a black fabric covered button, which you can hardly see on the polkadot fabric!

The fit:

I love the long sleeves – especially now that it is getting colder I was in desperate need for a long-sleeved blouse for work. This is the perfect pattern! The pattern has some interesting details in the way it is cut. It has a seam in the centre front! The cut resembles 1940’s blouses, sitting a bit off the shoulder. It confused me at first since I thought it was a fitting issue and I thought it would prevent me from moving my arms freely. In front of the mirror it felt as if I could’nt lift my arms all the way up, but now, after I have worn it at work several times, I can say that it didn’t bother me at all. I actually like that it has this vintage look.

The sleeves were a bit long for my taste and I simply could’ve shortened them, but I was too lazy to make a muslin. They are quite baggy and I really like the general shape of the sleeves and the cuffs, but since they are about 7cm too long they cover up the cute cuffs. My own fault! I could’ve at least measured them before attaching the cuffs!

The fabric:

The pattern suggests using light and drapey fabrics, such as rayon, chiffon and lightweight silks and crepes. I used a nude coloured georgette, which is slightly see-through and covered in black polkadots. I bought the fabric on Walthamstow Market ages ago (all I can remember is that it was super cheap), planning to make a dress or skirt from it. The print is actually quite busy and I am glad that I did not make a dress – I think it works best for a blouse like this!

The georgette is the perfect fabric to wear at work as it is not too warm (no sweat stains!) and is perfect for layering. It’s horrible to sew with, though. Cutting out georgette is messy and frustrating (never rush, but take your time!) and you have to be very careful that the fabric layers don’t slip when sewing and pinning. Luckily, I already had my overlocker then, so at least I didn’t have to worry about fraying edges!

I mostly wear my blouse over skinny jeans and tight dark miniskirts or tucked in paired with a pencil skirt. It’s a perfect office look and ideal for our smart casual dresscode at work. I also accidentally wore it on the day at work when we went to visit a farm, so imagine me watching the piggy race and feeding the alpacas dressed up like a 1940’s secretary. Well, the alpacas didn’t mind.

Have you tried any Sew Over It patterns yet? The Ultimate Trousers are still on my list and I’m eyeballing the 1940’s tea dress, as well.

Don’t forget to enter the blog anniversary giveaway, if you haven’t done so yet! The giveaway is open internationally and closes on 30th September!

Happy sewing!
♥

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Blog Anniversary & A Giveaway [CLOSED]

September 19, 2014.Reading time 6 minutes.

2nd blog anniversary

Woah! My blog turns two today! Has it really only been two years?

It feels like it is such a long time ago that I sat on my bed with a cup of coffee, laptop on my knees, setting up this blog. Much has changed in these two years and the blog has become quite a big part of my life. It has fuelled my sewing fever ever since I blogged about my first make. The first year had its ups and downs and I even thought about quitting at times, because uni (and later my job) were keeping me so busy.

I am so glad that I kept on going because this year has just been wonderful! I have met so many great people and went to so many fun sewing and blogging events. April was a special month as I officially registered the blog as a business so I could start selling my own patterns.

The blog keeps growing steadily and sometimes I look back in disbelief – when I started the blog I never thought others (apart from my family) would ever read what I wrote.

So here’s my THANK YOU for all you guys out there that pop by this blog regularly, leave lovely comments and contribute to keeping the blog alive and growing!

I have two bundles of goodies to give away to two lucky winners. Each bundle includes: a download link for my PDF patterns the Hepburn Dress and the Hepburn Skirt, washi tape and jewelry courtesy of Average Pony DIY and 3 vintage sewing patterns:

pattern giveaway thisblogisnotforyou.com

giveaway thisblogisnotforyou.com The lovely Maren, mastermind behind Average Pony DIY, decided to throw in some really great goodies! Each bundle will include one roll of washi tape “made with ♥” (Check out more of the gorgeous washi tape she offers in her shop here!), a sewing machine charm and a necklace with a sewing machine medallion! Yes! THIS COULD BE YOURS!

giveaway thisblogisnotforyou.com

Btw, if you see something in Average Pony’s shop and you’re not sure about ordering stuff from a German website, feel free to pop her a quick email. For those of you who are keen on reading a German blog, check out averagepony.com.

And last but not least I’ll throw in these vintage sewing pattern bundles, consisting of two dress and one jacket pattern each. I got these from the Mr.’s gandma who was a keen seamstress when she was younger. The patterns are quite rare, as they’re from former East Germany/DDR (GDR), published by “Verlag für die Frau” who published the sewing pattern brand “Neue Modelle” mainly in the 1980’s. The patterns I picked for you are in their original packaging and uncut and unopened.

They’re in German but look easy enough to be tackled by someone who doesn’t know a word German. Let’s have a look!

Pattern Bundle A

pattern giveaway thisblogisnotforyou.com

Aww, I love these 80’s illustrations. I tried to pick patterns which aren’t too 80’s and could be easily transformed into something more modern. Bundle A includes:

A pleated shirt dress (bust sizes = 84cm & 90cm)
A v-neck summer dress (bust sizes = 84cm, 90cm & 96cm)
A jacket (bust sizes = 90cm, 96cm & 102cm)

Pattern Bundle B

pattern giveaway thisblogisnotforyou.com

Bundle B includes:

A maxi dress (bust sizes = 84cm, 90cm & 96cm)
A summer dress with flared sleeves and buttoned up shoulder seams (bust sizes = 90cm, 96cm & 102cm)
A jacket (includes skirt pattern, too) (bust sizes = 90cm & 96cm)

To enter the giveway:

Simple like Average Pony DIY on Facebook and follow Thisblogisnotforyou.com on either Facebook, Bloglovin’, Twitter or Instagram or become an email follower (see sidebar). Leave a comment below (make sure you enter the right email address so I am able to contact you!) and state whether you’d prefer pattern bundle A or B.

The giveaway is open internationally and closes at midnight (GMT) on Tuesday 30th September. The winners will be announced on this blog (and also will be notified via email) in the following week.

THANK YOU ALL & GOOD LUCK!

Charlie
xx

Please note: I will randomly select two winners from all comments posted before midnight on 30th September 2014 and the two winners will receive the prize described above. There is no cash alternative, and your prize is non-negotiable, and not refundable. If the prize isn’t claimed within one week of the winner being notified, I will randomly select another winner.

A very autumnal Malvarosa Dress

September 18, 2014.Reading time 6 minutes.

Malvarosa Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com Hi ya, fellows! Hope you had a great week so far. After a few very stressful shifts at work this week and last weekend I am now even more happy about having a week and a bit off – my first official annual leave since I started my new job. My best friend is coming to visit me here in London (whoop, whoop!) and I hope to get loads of sewing WIPs done, as well.

By the way, did I mention that I started teaching sewing workshops at work? I work in a large psychiatric hospital and many of our patients are on home leave on the weekends, so it’s a bit quieter on these days and I have some time to squeeze in a workshop every now and then. The first one went really well and was great fun for everybody.

Another great news: Tomorrow my blog turns two years old and shhh… make sure to pop by; there will be a giveaway you surely don’t want to miss!

Now, let’s get back onto the subject: I hate to say this, but it seems as if summer has come to an end. I am finally forced to think about my autumn wardrobe. I tried to avoid this for as long as possible (we can wear sleeveless dresses in autumn as well, can’t we? Long love cardigans!) Well, but then I came across this fabric.

Malvarosa Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

The fabric:

It’s a beautiful peachskin polyester, courtesy of stoffe.de. It was end of roll fabric, but I loved it so much and got 1.1m of it. I thought it would be enough for a blouse or a mini shift dress. It’s a love it or hate it print and I love it (the Mr. does not so much). The fabric is lovely to wear, very light and soft and drapes really well. It was also great to sew with. Although I hate ordering fabrics online, I really liked my ‘shopping experience’ on stoffe.de (they’re called myfabrics.co.uk here in the UK!) They’ve got a massive choice of fabrics which are sorted very well and it’s easy to find what you’re looking for. The fabric is described in detail so what I thought I would get was actually exactly what I got in the end (which often isn’t the case when I shop online).

Malvarosa Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

The pattern:

The print is quite large and I thought too many darts and seams would ruin it. Browsing through the Pauline Alice patterns website (there was a 20% sale for their first anniversary!) I came across the Malvarosa pattern and thought the cut would be perfect for the fabric I had. I wasn’t sure whether I had enough fabric (you needed at least 1.5m), but I thought I’d figure something out anyway. In the end I shortened the skirt a bit and did not cut it as wide as suggested in the pattern. Thus, I have a few gathers less, but I could squeeze the pattern onto the fabric. I even had enough for the pockets (which actually sold the pattern to me!)

Malvarosa Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com I love pockets! Pockets are great!The fit:

I really like the fit of this dress. The pattern describes the Malvarosa as

“babydoll dress [which] features an A-line bodice, low waistline, full gathered skirt, boat neckline, bust darts and drop shoulder sleeves.”

And this is exactly what it is. The dropped waist makes the fitting of the dress really easy and it’s very comfortable to wear. I actually think the wider fit is quite flattering. I never got so many compliments at work!

The only thing I am not so sure about are the ‘sleeves’. I really liked the long-sleeved version, but obviously had not enough fabric. I thought the cut of the sleeveless variation was very interesting and unusual, but after wearing the dress I am not sure whether I am a big fan or not. They don’t bother me, but I don’t think I like the shape too much. It is a good shape to wear at work though, as the shoulders are covered.

Malvarosa Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

Have you tried the Malvarosa pattern? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

I’m pretty sure I’ll make this dress again, probably with the long sleeves. I also bought the Carme Blouse and Ninot Jacket pattern, make sure you check these out, too!

xx
Charlie

Happy sewing!
♥

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Of Birds and Coco

September 11, 2014.Reading time 3 minutes.

Coco Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com Hi everyone! May I present? Madame Coco in all her glory.

The pattern: I finally got around to use the Coco Dress pattern which I bought from the Coco lady herself, at the Makegood Festival in May. I didn’t make it earlier because I did not have the right jersey fabric at the time (I’m always short of jersey fabric).

The pattern is great, pretty straight-forward and the instructions that are included are very detailed and easy to understand. The dress came together in about 3 hours, and by this I mean tracing the pattern, cutting the fabric and sewing everything together. I was a bit impressed myself, I have to say. I sewed everything with the overlocker, though. Not only because I was too lazy to change needle and thread on my sewing machine, but also because I am absolutely in love with my overlord. It’s the best investment I made this year.

Coco Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com The fabric: I bought this soft and cuddly knit fabric on Walthamstow Market for £1.50/m. If you read and follow Dani’s blog, you might recognise the fabric as the one she used for her gorgeous Bronte Top. We actually bought the fabric together because it just looked too cosy to be true and, obviously, because it HAS BIRDS ON IT! That’s how awesome it is. I only had 1.5m and it took some measuring and squeezing until I figured out how to fit the dress pattern, the sleeve and the funnel neck on there. In the end I decided to cut out two pieces for the funnel neck, so it had two side seams now, instead of just one. Coco Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com The fit: For some reason I do have fit issues with Tilly & the Button patterns, they often turn out to be too small. This time the Coco ended up being a bit on the wider side, which is probably due to my fabric choice. I chose a fabric with a lot of stretch which is probably why it is a bit too loose. Apart from that the fit is quite good.

I wear the dress with a belt, though. Without a belt it looks a bit too comfy, almost like a night gown. (I’m really glad that I skipped the cuffs!) And the belt also helps to cinch in the loose waistline of the dress. I might take it in at the sides at some point. Coco Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com Lately, I have been sewing like a mad woman and I can’t seem to stop. I just got new patterns, new fabrics, hundreds of project ideas and a day off today. I don’t know where to start, my head is at risk of exploding. Sometimes I wish I could work on 5 projects at the same time.
Coco Dress by thisblogisnotforyou.com

What have you been up to lately? Any Cocos? Any autumn *sigh* sewing plans?

Happy sewing!
♥

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