Simple Folk BOM Month 5

Month five of Sarah Fielke's Simple Folk BOM and there's only one applique block to complete.  The rest was the spacer blocks around the edge and the centre.  I've had a heavy work schedule over the last couple of months so I'm a little behind on my monthly progress and I intend to make up over summer.  The 'Heart in Hand' motif is one of my favourite folk art references although I'm not sure I'm totally smitten with my finished block.  It reminds me a little of a fancy washing-up glove with a contrast cuff (probably the colours I chose nudging my imagination in that direction!).

I did end up making a change to the heart motif.  I shrunk it down a little- the original seemed a bit large to place centrally, although I'm not sure I've done a better job with the second one.  I also changed the colour from my first choice.  I'm trying to balance colours out across the whole quilt and sometimes I can't see the effect of a colour choice until after I've sewn it up.  I loved hand sewing the tiny squares on.  I wasn't so keen on the zig zags, but they are pretty neat.  The fingers were undeniably tricky but I got there!  

Here's the first version:

I really liked the fabric (Suzuko Koseki) and the colour but the coral red has more impact and I've saved the heart just in case it might come in handy elsewhere!

I'm having a short break from online activities.   I have a small operation to get over and lots of family events so I'll be dipping in-and-out of social media more briefly than usual.  

See you in a few weeks x

July at Plush Addict and Eternal Maker

I've chosen a wonderful selection of the latest fabric and pattern arrivals at Eternal Maker and Plush Addict for my July sponsor post.  The weather is forecast to continue warm in the UK for the next month or so which is a great encouragement for dressmaking, plus I've included some 'Christmas in July" quilting items for those who want to make an early start!  The Plush Addict website has had a makeover and I found it easier to navigate for specific items, especially on my iPad.

From Plush Addict, l to r:

1. Dashwood Dovestone Large Floral Viscose (Rayon), wide width, ideal for dressmaking, lots of drape. I've bought a couple of metres of this for a Sew Over It Kimono and cami so this photo is from my fabric.  The background colour is a charcoal grey, it is divine!  Other prints include Ochre Floral, Small Floral.  It needs gentle handling and prewashing (30 degrees on handwash or wool cycle) as rayon tends to shrink.
2. Tilly and the Buttons Seren Dress.  Suitable for a sewist with some experience. Lots of options- frill, no frill, tie front detail.
3. Dashwood Studio, Winterfold 8 FQ bundle.  Winter themed quilting cotton with copper metallic detail.  Also available in yardage. 
4. Dashwood Studio Christmas Street Drawstring Advent Bag Calendar 75cm Panel. Designed by Jane Farnham  I saw these on the Dashwood IG feed a few weeks ago and it was love at first sight. The panel is enough to make 24 drawstring bags (using your own backing fabrics) of various sizes.  Print includes metallic highlights.  I went a little Dashwood crazy in this month's selections, so many good things to chose from!

From Eternal Maker, l to r:

1. Echino Sprout Natural, Echino in natural. Cotton linen blend. Metallic accents. Gorgeous print and a great weight for cushions and bags.
2. Kokka Double Gauze, Bubble Birds Khaki and Grey.  Pretty soft double gauze in a simple print. 
3. Nani Iro 'Grace' Double Gauze. Bold colours and block stripe design. 
4. Friday Pattern Company.  This is a new-to-me women's wear garment pattern company with modern designs, often for knits, many of which are particularly summer friendly- Vernazza Two piece bikini (love the big briefs!), Joni Jumpsuit, Hi-lo Dress, Sunny Dress/Top

SaveSaveSaveSave

The Gathered Dress Hack: Maxi Version

I've liked the fit of my Gathered Dresses (long sleeve and short sleeve versions) so much, especially the bodice, that I knew I wanted to try the bodice on other dresses so this is my first hack.  I had two metres of wide double gauze from Stitch fabrics, bought at a local craft show earlier this year and I wanted to make a maxi sundress with it to maximise its floaty qualities.  So, I used the top bodice and sleeve, tracing the front piece off and shortening it to the pattern waistline marking on the back bodice.  I added the skirt and pockets from an old favourite,  Simplicity 1801 (here's the original post for this pattern).   

I've used this skirt with Maxi Darling Ranges dresses several times and I love the front and back centre gathers, deep pockets and smooth line over the hips. The gathers make it an easy marriage between bodice and skirt and as with the Darling Ranges dress, I added ties to bring the waist in whilst still keeping a relaxed fit. This double gauze is softer and has more drape than a Nani Iro double gauze so the finished dress has a floaty look and feel and is really comfortable in hot weather.  I used the short sleeve from the Gathered Dress pattern and rolled up the finished sleeve which works well in this fabric.  I think the bodice will be perfect to adapt for tops so I predict more hacks in the future! 

SaveSaveSaveSave

The Gathered Dress in Double Gauze

Each summer, I seem to have a favourite dress pattern which I end up making multiple versions of.  This year, it's The Gathered Dress by Avid Seamstress.  I've made three, this is number two:  short sleeved option and in Nani Iro double gauze.

It's a little crumpled from lots of wear!  It's a great style for a heatwave: loose, but still fitted at the shoulder and with a little back shaping to avoid the sack look.  The sleeves are on the longish side for short sleeves and stop at a flattering place, low on the upper arm. They also help protect against sunburn but I could imagine a cooler version would be a shorter angled sleeve.  Any changes made to the pattern were mentioned here, sleeves were unchanged.  

The double gauze has less drape than the linen I used for the long sleeve version but enough body to cope with the pockets and is of course, nice and airy to wear.  The print is Sen Ritsu and has been in my stash for a long time, years even.  I picked up a great tip from Cheryl of Sewstitchybee. She suggested holding a neck facing in place by adding a label on the back neck facing and stitching through all the layers.  I find labels scratchy so I used some of the fabric selvedge and it works really well!  Great tip. Another Gathered Dress coming up soon...

Summer Exhibitions

I'm running my summer in reverse, doing a few holiday type things now before having some time off for a small operation and then a work project that will take up a lot of spare time, so I managed to book a weekend in London visiting my brother and catching the Royal Academy 250th Summer Exhibition and the Orla Kiely: Life in Pattern Exhibition at the Fashion and Textile Museum.  It was a hot, heatwave weekend, but I think that made viewing the exhibitions in a cool space all the more pleasurable!  If you're new to the RA summer exhibition, it's an annual event curated by different academy member each year and includes established and new artists through an open submission process.  Grayson Perry was this year's curator and it was a joy...

'Royal Valkyrie', Joana Vasconcelos

'Boom', Katherine Morling

'Prison Culture,' prison issue buttermilk soap, Lee Cutter 

'Red Bear', Debbie Lawson

'Cabinet Members', Sharon Wilson

'Rufus 3rd'', Timothy Blewitt

'Material Tenderness, free machine and handstitched, Michelle Holmes
' Via Con Me (Dreaming of You', hand embroidery on vintage photograph, Francesa Colussi

'Emmeline', hand embroidery on vintage postcard, Francesa Colussi

'Europe Running Through My Veins', Tisna Westerhof

'Head of a Dog', Patricia Beach

'Little House on the Prairie', oil and embroidery thread, Julia Hall

'I Love Alan', name tapes and dressmaker pins on canvas Joy Pitts

Each display space had a different colour background and wall treatment and the content was chosen and hung by Grayson and another Academy member.  I've been to a few RA Summer exhibitions and this was the strongest in terms of curation.  I could feel the difference in mood and aesthetic as I entered each space.  It was a journey, rooms of still and calm, rooms of vibrant, lively, stirring works.  Politics- Brexit and Grenfell featured many times, animals- pets, many dog paintings, 3D animals like the carpet bear and dog.  Lots of textiles too - embroidery, sewing, cross stitch, weaving, knitting, crochet and a strong folk art feel to many works (see Prison Culture example). Fun and silliness, particularly in the free McAulay gallery which is open to all without charge and had lots of Grayson's female persona, Claire, portraits, David Shrigley signs.  It was invigorating to go around.  You can explore all the galleries online here.  #RASummer

After a break for lunch, we walked on to the Fashion and Textile Museum to visit the Orla Kiely: A Life in Pattern.  As it was a hot Saturday and many people were in pub gardens watching a World Cup match, we ended up walking around almost alone which was an utter treat.  

Giant Dresses, patterns scaled up accordingly.  On the walls, tiny dolls wearing Orla dresses, patterns scaled down.

It's an exhibition about product and pattern.  It's not a personal exploration so it contrasts with other FTM exhibitions I've visited which show background, sketches, swatches and samples and so this might be a disappointment if you're looking for this sort of storytelling.  Instead, it was the journey or Orla Kiely's trademark motifs and how they are tweaked and reworked whilst still retaining their essential Orla Kiely aesthetic. The wall of bags (tiny part is shown above) was a perfect example of how a motif can be realised in so many different ways.  There were also collection photos, lookbooks and videos showing collections over recent years.  It was thoroughly enjoyable and I although I usually resist museum shops, I couldn't help but buy the exhibition poster and mug. 

I also visited the National Portrait Gallery and the BP Portrait Award exhibition which I try and catch somewhere every year. I didn't take photos inside as I was just off the train but it's always an interesting selection of styles.  My favourite was this  'Mrs Anna Wojcik', by Monika Polak.  The portrait canvas is a piece of vintage fabric bought from a charity shop and cleverly worked into the painting. #BPPortrait

All exhibitions are worth checking out.  An Artfund pass will get you half price entry to the Fashion and Textile Museum and also includes 50% entry to the American Quilt Museum in Bath and many other free and discounted entries elsewhere.