Me Made May Pledge #mmmay15

'I, Jennifer at www.knitsewgrow.blogspot.com, sign up as a participant of Me-Made-May '15. I endeavour to wear my handmade items, either sewn or knitted, as often as I can for the duration of May 2015. I will also try to sew some more garments for my me-made wardrobe.'

There we are, I'm all signed up and excited to give this a try!

I saw a load of blogs and tweets last year and thought #mmmay14 was a great idea, but as I'd only just started making and blogging in earnest I didn't really have enough of a handmade wardrobe to give it a proper go.

This year, I've got more me-mades in my wardrobe, sewn and knitted, that I'm planning to wear whenever I can throughout May.

I also want to try and make a few more things, especially a couple of tops and maybe a dress - apart from anything else I've got tonnes of fabric sitting around waiting for me to do something with it!

If you don't know, Me Made May is a challenge administered by Zoe at SoZoWhatDoYouKnow, and you can read her post about this year's challenge and see who else has pledged to take part here.

Wish me luck! And Good Luck to everyone else taking part, I'll keep you posted with pictures of what I wear, and I can't wait to see what everyone else makes and wears!

Kamut Jumper

Hi everyone! What have you all being up to lately? I’ve been trying to cram too much in as usual, but do have a couple of completed projects to show you.

I started knitting this jumper at the end of January but then got side-tracked by making gifts for other people so it’s taken a bit longer than I expected to get it finished.

The pattern is Kamut from this Rowan Simple Shapes: Summerspun and Purelife Revive book with patterns by Sarah Hatton. The yarn was a pack of the Summerspun that I got at last October’s Knitting & Stitching Show in colourway Maida Vale. To be honest I wasn’t sure about the colours from just seeing it in the balls, but I really like how it’s knitted up and how the different tones of light and dark green, rust and brown have come together.

The pattern itself is just a basic round necked jumper, but the ribbing on the body, cuffs and neckband is a little more unusual for a change and looks really effective. It’s two rows of 1x1 rib between four rows of garter stitch which gives a really effective texture, especially in the multi-tonal yarn.

As I said, a straightforward knit with all of the main body and sleeves in stocking stitch. I’m pleased with the sizing too, I think it’s one of the best fitting things I’ve made in terms of the shoulders and bust area, although it could have maybe done with being a couple of inches longer in the body. However, as I really didn’t have a lot of yarn left by the end (maybe a quarter of a ball, if that) I wouldn’t have had enough to lengthen the back and front by much.

I love these Rowan yarns; they knit beautifully and are comfortable to wear (this one being a cotton and wool mix), and I’ve got another pack in a pink/orange combination but I’ll probably make a different pattern with this.

Nothing much else to say on this one, very happy and I’m sure I’ll be wearing it a lot, it’ll be great in this changeable spring weather.

Another little quick make to show you, this Doll Face Cushion made for my cousin as a birthday present, the pattern and instructions are in the latest issue of Mollie Makes magazine. I used felt for the face and the back and front hair pieces were cut from a fat quarter with a bit to spare. I actually enlarged the pattern from the size on the template download and I’m quite pleased I did, I think it would have been a bit small and fiddly otherwise. My cousin is also into her sewing and crafting so I hope she likes it!

Portia Trousers

A new sewing project to share with you this week – my Sew Me Something Portia trousers.

I had this fabric in my stash from a post-Christmas binge in my local haberdashery and had been debating what to do with it, maybe a dress, but with the big checked pattern I wasn’t sure if it would work. Then I bought the Portia pattern from Jules at the Knitting & Stitching Show and realised it would be perfect for these wide leg trousers, especially as the wool blend would drape wonderfully as well as being comfortable.

Tracing the pattern from the pack is always a bit of a mission – the front and back leg pieces just about fitted across the dining room table where I got the best light, and this time rather than re-tracing with carbon paper I cut out my pattern pieces to pin to the fabric and cut round. I also had to put extra pins in the fabric once it was folded in half to make sure the pattern stayed matched up, but this seemed to work pretty well.

With everything cut out it was time to start sewing, and one of the first steps in the instructions was the joined the front crotch seam and then insert the zip fly. Well, this turned out to be a little more complicated than it first appeared, but eventually, after consulting several YouTube videos, unpicking three times and checking what I was doing against another pair of trousers I came to the conclusion that one of the steps in the instructions wasn’t right. The fly on a woman’s pair of trousers should cross right over left, but the first stage of construction for this pair tells you to attach the fly extension piece to the wrong side, leading to a left over right fly. I’ve emailed Jules at Sew Me Something about this as I’m pretty sure that’s where the problem started. Anyway, I’ve ended up with the zip fly ‘the wrong way round’ but as I’m left-handed it doesn’t actually bother me in terms of using it. But at least I know for next time!

The rest of the construction was fairly straightforward. I was hugely impressed with my own neat double topstitching to attach the back pockets, and am really pleased with how the front pockets sit too. Oh, and pattern matching happiness!

Attaching front to back introduced a few fitting issues. I’d cut out a straight size 14 based on the measurements given, which was fine around my hips with a comfortable ease for moving and sitting. But I knew the waist would probably need taking in, and in the end I took in about two and a half inches in total across the centre back seam and two back darts. This definitely solved the gaping back issue, but meant I had to remember to alter the waistband when I attached that.

Waistband on, belt loops attached, button hole made, button sewn on – nearly there! Just the hems to do, which I had to get Mum to help with pinning them up to the right level.

Done! I’m really pleased with these, they’re definitely the most complicated thing I’ve made yet, but not so scary that I wouldn’t make them again (now that I know what to do with the zip!). The fit is still not quite right, I think I erred on the side of caution a little too much with the waist and it could really do with taking in another inch or two so that they sit better at my actual waist line. I’ll do this after they’ve been through the wash in case there’s any further shrinkage anyway (I did pre-wash the fabric before starting!). They are really nice to wear though, and I’m delighted to have found a good pattern for wide-leg trousers as I just don’t get on with slim or skinny trousers at all, they plain and simple do not work for my body shape.

I’ve got more knitting to show you next time as I’ve almost finished my jumper. What have you all been making recently? Hope you’re enjoying the sunny warmer weather too!

Rainbow Blankets

Happy Easter everyone! I hope you're all enjoying the long weekend. I always look forward to having the extra time off work to get on with other stuff at home, but then try to fit in too much and wear myself out! 

Today I actually want to show you a couple of things I haven't made myself, although I have been involved in the projects.

If you've seen any of my previous posts you might have noticed that I take a lot of my photos against a multi-coloured blanket background. In purely practical terms this is mainly because it's on my bed which is a good flat space in pretty good light under the window. In more sentimental terms it's there because my Mum knitted it and gave it to me, and I've had it on my bed all winter because it's really warm and cosy.

Now I love anything multi-coloured, or anything coloured in general really. You'll very rarely find me wearing black unless there's a pattern or another colour somewhere in my outfit (red lipstick is a prime example). My bedroom has orange wallpaper, my bed sheets are bright colours, and a lot of my accessories and 'stuff' is very colourful too. I just find that being surrounded by colour makes me feel better, happier, and more optimistic. Most of the time - we're all allowed an off day.

In my crafting too I love colour. If you take a look back through my previous projects you'll barely even find anything in neutrals, I'd much rather use fun fabrics and yarns as I find them more fun to work with and they fit better with my personal style, or I'll try to match an appropriate colour if I'm making a gift for someone. My gardening is very colourful too, my favourites are any bright and cheerful flowers - at this time of year it's daffodils and tulips, later on I'll have sweet peas, lavender and dahlias, and my favourite cut flowers are gerberas.

Rainbows especially make me very happy, and not just in the traditional 'red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple' spectrum, but any combination of lots of colours together, whether they're subtle tones or bright contrasts. I quite often pin rainbow coloured things on my Pinterest boards purely because they make me smile.

Sorry, waxing lyrical a bit there, back to the blankets.

My Mum has been a knitter for years and years, since my Nan taught her, but she prefers to just knit simple things that she can work on in front of the TV without needing to concentrate too hard. Garter stitch squares are pretty much as simple as you can get, but once you've got a pile of well over 200 of them in loads of different colours the best use of them is in a massive bed blanket. This is where I came in to help; we spent a really fun couple of hours with all the squares laid out on the living room floor (after we'd moved the furniture to make room!) playing with patterns, eventually deciding on the diagonal striped effect with the colours running through toning families. It then took another long while to sew all the squares and rows together (I helped), and then Mum knitted a red narrow border to go all the way round which just finishes it off beautifully I think.

With this first blanket being a bit more luck than judgement in the co-ordination and planning stakes, Mum decided to choose her colour scheme more carefully for the next one. Thank goodness for the ease of internet shopping, quick delivery from Deramores, and a slightly weighed down delivery man, we now had a huge bag full of Red Heart Lisa in pinks, purples and blues. Mum's been working on this one for about the last six months - no rush, it's just for fun - but I absolutely love how it's turned out. It's slightly more subtle colour shading than my blanket, but I still love the rainbow effect that works really well on the diagonal. This one is having a purple border which Mum is in the process of knitting now. 

I'm kind of hoping to acquire this blanket too, but we'll have to wait and see! And then we'll have the fun of choosing a whole new set of colours for the next one!

This post is my submission  to the Deramores Craft Blog Competition 2015. Deramores is the UK's number one online retailer of knitting and crochet supplies. Visit www.deramores.com for more details.

Handmade Gifts

Hi! How’s everyone’s week been? I’ve been really busy with work the last few days and out and about at a few meetings, but I have managed to finish knitting a sleeve for the jumper I’m working on and start the next one.

Just a quick post this week to show you a few of the gifts I’ve made recently – quick little makes but apparently gratefully received!

First a hanging fabric heart for my friend’s birthday – this was made from some of the leftovers from my first Delphine skirt. I just cut out two heart shapes with a paper template, sewed most of the way round attaching a length of ribbon at the top as I went, then turned through, filled with toy stuffing and closed the gap. A couple of little buttons from my stash neatened up where the ribbon joined in.

Next a mini cushion for my cousin, also for her birthday. This is from a pattern in the Half Yard Home book they bought me for Christmas and is made by cutting wedges of fabric then sewing them back together into a circle – I used a biggish dinner plate as the template. I used some bits of old jeans and a ripped up pink lace shirt to make the alternating panels – the lace is backed with more denim for sturdiness and to stop the stuffing coming out! Once turned out and stuffed (more toy filling) I used some embroidery floss to sew through pulling in the ‘pumpkin’ shape making each segment more individually puffed up. More buttons for finishing off the centre.

My sister also got a cushion for her birthday last week (a bit of a theme going on...). This is just a nine square patchwork cover with plain envelope back – the prints for the front were from the pack of Liberty scraps I got at the Knitting & Stitching Show, and the back pieces are from another pair of my old trousers. This is a straight copy (in terms of pattern) of the other Liberty patchwork cushion cover I made a while ago, and really quick to do – whizz up the rows for the front and then put them together, hem the open edges of the back pieces and then sew round the whole thing before turning out and putting the cushion pad in. The colour palette for my sister’s wedding later this year is ‘shades of blue’ so I thought this would be appropriate!

Finally a knitted gift. Some friends of mine are expecting their second baby in a few weeks so I knitted this little hooded cardi – they know it’s going to be a girl so safe with the pink! This is the same pattern as I knitted for my cousin’s baby for Christmas (that I forgot to take photos of), except a smaller size for a newborn, so a bit quicker too! I love this yarn, it’s a two-tone DK from Stylecraft and I love how it comes up in the double moss stitch, plus I’ve got loads left as it was a big ball! I spotted the little flower buttons in my local haberdashery, and love how the little pompom on the hood looks - so cute!

I’ve got a couple more gifts in the pipeline over the next couple of months, as well as this jumper for myself to finish – I’ll get there eventually! I’m also hoping to make a start on my Portia trousers this weekend and am steeling myself to attempt the zip fly – wish me luck! Have you been making gifts for your friends and family? I’d love to see what you’ve been getting up to!

The Spring Knitting & Stitching Show

Hi everyone, how are you all? I can’t believe we’re past half way through March and the weather is still so cold! I’ve hardly managed to get out in the garden at all yet this year, and the only real time I did was the plant up an old tin bath with some spring flowers – and I made sure to stay in the greenhouse out of the wind! The little narcissi tete-a-tetes have come out in flower and look really pretty against the blue primroses, and there’s some tulips growing nicely ready for the next wave of colour. Hopefully it will have warmed up enough by Easter weekend to get out and do some proper gardening, get the vegetable patch prepared and some seeds started.

Anyway, back to the main reason for this post – a run-down of my trip to the Spring Knitting & Stitching Show at Olympia a couple of weeks ago. I went for the first time last year and really enjoyed it, so booked tickets again this time and took Mum with me for a day out. The Olympia show is only half the size (in terms of number of exhibitors) as the big Ally Pally show in the autumn, but actually I quite like it as it’s not so crowded and you get a better chance to look at everything, talk to stallholders and makers, watch some of the demonstrations, and take part in workshops.

We started off working our way round one end of the hall and I was tempted straight away by rolls and rolls of ribbons, gorgeous buttons, miles of fabric and beautiful coloured yarns. I had gone with a targeted (if long!) shopping list so I tried my best not to get too distracted! I met the lovely Jules from Sew Me Something at their stand – it’s great to put faces to names after chatting on Twitter! I also bought one of their fab tote bags and the Portia trouser pattern. This is going to be my most ambitious project yet tackling pockets and a fly zip, but as it’s one of the very few patterns I’ve found for wide leg trousers (because I can’t stand skinny trousers) I think it’ll be a useful one to have in my wardrobe.

It’s compulsory (in my opinion) to hit the yarn dive at Black Sheep Wools and see what goodies emerge from the pile – this time I scored another pack of Rowan Revive and a pack of Summerspun – yarns I’ve already used and love – although I could have gone mad with several other packs, and the selection of cross stitch patterns was amazing, but I really don’t have the time to work on one of these! My other woolly purchase this time is a pattern and yarn from UK Alpacas for a shawl. I’ve not knitted one before, but this pattern is knitted from end to end so you started with a few stitches, increase until you get to the middle and then decrease across the other side. It sounds simple enough, and the yarn is gorgeously soft (I went for a neutral cream) so that’s going to be next one my list after I’ve finished my current jumper.

I got a few other ‘odds and ends’ this time round – a couple of extra feet for my sewing machine and some spare bobbins, dressmaker’s tracing paper and a couple of pompom makers. I expanded my pattern selection too with the Anna dress from By Hand London, and a few easy jersey knit patterns from McCall’s.

Fabric was my main spend though, starting small with a pack of Liberty Tana Lawn pieces in beautiful blues, and then I found the SimplyFabrics and Fabrics Galore stands. From the first I got a couple of metres of red and white striped jersey, and two metres of this amazing blue and white patterned viscose. It drapes beautifully and I’ve got it earmarked for a couple of summer tops. The prices here were incredible, only £4 a metre for the two I got; almost makes me wish I’d bought more!

At Fabrics Galore I treated myself to some more Liberty Lawn in this purple Capel print (Capel is the parish in Kent where my Nan grew up), and this red peacock print cotton – these will both make more summer wardrobe basics I hope. Finally, by pure luck I spotted this Alexander Henry ‘La Paloma’ on a roll that someone else had finished with and snapped up the final two metres! This was the fabric that Deborah used on the Sewing Bee for her summer cotton print dress and I loved it – every website I’ve checked since has been out of stock so I’m really happy to have found it. It’s only a narrow cut but I’m hoping I should have enough for a simple dress – something that doesn’t require too much pattern matching!

After a well deserved sit down and a picnic lunch Mum went off for a wander round the quilting and textile art exhibits, and I did a workshop making an easy jersey knit t-shirt. I was hoping to pick up some tips on using an ordinary sewing machine for working with this kind of fabric as I like wearing it and want to make use of the patterns I bought. Unfortunately I don’t think the set-up for the Dressmaking Studio space was very practical, it was really just an open area in the middle of the main hall with tables and sewing machines set up, but people could still wander through and of course it was open to all the general chatter and background noise. I think there were about 10 of us in the group but because of the noise the lady running the class (Janice I think, though she didn’t properly introduce herself) had to walk round between us instead of being able to stand at the front and talk us all through at the same time. The fabric pieces had already been cut out for us to save time and we ended up with a t-shirt with grown-on sleeves (so no need to set them in) meaning just two long seams down the sides. We did have to insert a bias neckband which was a bit fiddly but mine ended up OK – I had to go over a bit that I’d missed and left a hole so it ended up a bit puckered at the front. We also didn’t have time or opportunity to hem our t-shirts and we didn’t have twin needles for the sewing machines, so I finished this at home the next day. In the small amount of remaining time we had a go at slashing and plaiting spare pieces of jersey which was quite fun, but I think I’d have rather had a bit more instruction with the t-shirts. When we looked round, some of the other workshop spaces were in a different area and more screened off so I think they would have been quieter and a nicer place to be taught – I’ll have to remember to check for next time.

Overall I had a really good day, it was lovely to chat to other crafters and laugh at our efforts with the t-shirts in the workshop, and I’m very happy with all my shopping. It was nice to spend some time with Mum too as we’ve had a lot going on at home recently so it was good to have a break and do something fun. I can’t wait to get stuck in to making things with all my lovely new fabric but just need to work out my time as work has been really busy lately, and we’ve had a lot of family things at weekends. Hopefully now the evenings are getting lighter I’ll feel more like doing something when I get home from work instead of just cosying up on the sofa in front of the TV. My fabric stash expanded even more recently thanks to acquiring some fantastic curtain material from my Nan’s house – the pastel floral should be enough for a Walkaway dress, and the orange 1970s stuff will also make a dress I think. I’ve actually been making a lot of presents for other people recently so I’ll update you on those next time – when they’ve all had their gifts so that I don’t spoil the surprise!