Bring on the Rainy Days

My great news today is that I have finally finished my Amy Butler Rainy Days raincoat (cue masses of rapturous applause!!! Yey!).  After its humble beginnings in December 2010 to now.  I had seen the Amy Butler Sandalwood fabric and loved it and at the Festival of Quilts had bought 3m of the Ivory design in cotton.  When I saw that other Sandalwood designs in different colours had been produced in laminated fabric, I was on a mission.  I searched all around the UK (literally everywhere that stocked it - couldn't even find it in Liberty) and eventually happened upon it in the USA via Tinternet.  Luckily for me, I managed to get it back to the UK, and then it sat in a cupboard until my New Years Resolutions in 2011 were practically crushing me with their recriminations....

Finished mac (all pieces present and correct)

The pattern itself was very easy to follow, and I loved that Amy Butler has added so many useful details.  I was a bit nervous about not having a Teflon foot, as is suggested, but my Walking Foot came to the rescue with that, and allowed me to create fanastic (ie straight) seams and have it look really professional.  I now worship at the altar of edge stitching (Thank You Amy, for making my life a little happier with that tiny detail). 

Edge Stitching

I only did dressmaking when in Sixth Form (ahem, one or two years ago) and didn't take to it very well, but this pattern has really made me think I can achieve some good results as long as I apply myself and don't rush.  Oh, and be prepared to unpick when something goes wrong.  As it did, of course.  When I first sewed the lining to the exterior, the fit was awful, all the seams were ruched and I couldn't pull it around my middle!  My first reaction was to hide it away in a box at the back of the cupboard and not talk of this mac ever again, but then after giving myself a mental dressing down, I agreed with myself that it could not be a fault with the pattern (those lovely ladies on the cover wouldn't be looking as comfortable as they were) but more with the seamstress.  So I went back and looked again at my pieces, and realised that I'd sewed the front panels together and put them on the back and done the same with the back panels (gracing the front of the coat and pretending they had always meant to be there).  So after unpicking and resewing all the correct pieces in all the correct places, I had a much better fitting lovely, lovely mac!  I covered the buttons, and sewing them on with the suggestion of using flat buttons to stabilise on the back was a great idea.  It was my favourite thing of the whole mac.  I only had teensy-weensy buttons in the right colour, but I think they look very neat.


Teeny tiny little buttons on reverse

covered buttons,which were so easy to make



I am going to have a look at what fabric I have left, and see whether there's enough to make a bag to go with it.  Now, all I need to do is look out for rainy weather and I am ready to go!  Although, I do wonder how waterproof it will be...  Never mind, when does practicality ever get in the way of fashion?



New Years Resolutions

Well, it's been busy in Crumpsey Corner over Christmas. I was working on an article so furiously stitching in between washing sprouts and finding storage for the 6 billion mince pies we brought in for the festive period (amount left: 6 billion minus 2). I didn't have time for all the festive stitching that a domestic goddess would have been hard at work doing in the blissful few weeks to Santa's visit. Ah well, Crumpsey Corner was a veritable haven of chaos, as it is every year despite my best intentions. And talking of intentions, the New year brings me to Resolutions and plans for what to achieve. As my first resolution of being more organised came crashing around my ears on January 2nd when I realised I had clashed 2 appointments, I lay more hope at the Doorstep of Stitch… for those of you that have seen the film Wanted with James McAvoy, the Doorstep of Stitch is not to be confused with the Loom of Fate (yes, really). So my Resolutions are to i) tidy up Crumpsey Corner ( I Had to put that one is as it's a rolling resolution and I'd feel a void if it wasn't there), ii) do a few more design and sketching experiments to get back into practice, iii) make the Amy Butler mac that has been sitting in my 'pending' pile for over a year. I am starting the preliminaries now, so I hope 2 post a few more pictures as I progress. I am using Amy Butler Sandlewood print in Laminated Ivory. I feel I have to do this as I chased that fabric around the world and tracked it down (natch) in the USA on www.fabric.com and eventually got it back to the UK only for it to languish neglected in a cupboard. So 2012 is not only an Olympic Year but the year of my AB Mac! And other resolutions may well follow on, but it's good to start small and work your way up.

No pics of a mac, but there's always cake. Here are some cake pops made before Christmas. There were small people involved and that is why there are enough sprinkles to send a horse into a diabetic coma. And also a birthday cake I made for a Stitch friend. Not so many sprinkles, but still enough sugar to fuel a short run.