I've been wanting to move my blog away from Blogspot for a while but could never be bothered to actually do it. This week was the tipping point though, and I've now fully migrated over to https://patsypoomakes.wordpress.com/ . The blogspot address will remain here but all new posts will only appear at https://patsypoomakes.wordpress.com/ . There are lots of reasons for the move but my biggest one is how hard Blogger has made it for people to subscribe to receive new posts via email. It's such a basic requirement but apparently, they think it's too much to offer. I'm basing this purely on how I myself prefer to consume this stuff. I can't be arsed with feed readers anymore and emails are easy and convenient. When I receive one, if I fancy reading it, I will click through to it and, if not, I'll just delete it. Another reason is the spat between Google (owners of Blogger) and Instagram/Facebook/Meta. I don't even know if this is still the case anymore ...
So far I haven't done a lot of sewing this year but I made an awesome shirt last weekend during a surprise real life buddy sewing session with Mel. It was the best start to the new year! We went fabric shopping, did aerial yoga and had a bloody awesome time together. It was so good!
But today I wanted to share our last buddy sew of 2019 which was the Madeleine skirt from Victory Patterns. This skirt has been on my list for a very long time. I've seen so many gorgeous versions of it as well. It seems to be one of those patterns that looks good on everyone.
It has massive pockets, removable suspenders, topstitching for days and a super fancy lapped zip. What's not to like? I made a size 8 as it comes. However, after trying it on before hemming, I chopped 3 inches off the length because on me it was neither midi nor maxi and it looked odd. I felt like I was drowning in fabric slightly.
Speaking of fabric... Oh my, do I love me some denim? This one is a lightweight denim I bought at Barry's in Birmingham when I visited with Mel in June. It is the perfect fabric for this skirt as it has movement but also some structure. Plus, it was great to work with and a joy to topstitch.
The pattern instructions are very clear. The lapped zip bit was just spot on. I fully expected to have to resort to YouTube but it all made perfect sense. I've already got fabric to make another one soon. It's such a versatile skirt. Being able to take the suspenders off is an inspired choice as well. Well done, Victory Patterns. Bravo!
Now I'd like to talk a little bit about my shirt as well. It's another Granville so I don't have anything new to add. But it's too pretty to ignore. After I finished the skirt, I was thinking of what I could pair it with. Suddenly, it came to me: Liberty! I have had this cut of Liberty for about 4 or 5 years now. It was destined to be a shirt from the get-go but I wanted to become good at it before cutting into the good stuff. Sometimes I'm sensible like that.
I also wanted it to be a Granville but I wanted to iron out all the kinks before committing to it. That's why it's taken so long. I counted the other day and this one is my 21st collared project. That's a two-piece collar, with a stand. I like to think I finally know what I'm doing when it comes to shirts now. Expect more Liberty shirts to show up...
I also want to mention that Mel herself took these photos for me last week. How great is she? Having someone who knows what they're looking for when photographing sewing projects is an absolute game-changer! Ginner is good and I'm grateful he doesn't complain much, but it's rare for him to notice the clothes hanging funny, a weird fold here or there, threads everywhere - because they always show up for photos, don't they? 🙄 I miss my best bitch...
One last thing before I go. I'm not one to make resolutions and change what I'm doing just because the 1st of January rolls around. However, I do like to take stock of how the last year went and think about what I'd like to do differently from here on out. I'd like to balance my creative time a little better. I want to knit and embroider a little more this year than I did last year, which was virtually nothing. My reading went well down as well and that's something else I'd like to correct for 2020.
So far I've started a book and have worked on a jumper and some cross stitching. I've also done some sewing so things are looking good. Eleven days down, 354 to keep it up!