Butterick 6225-Midi-length shirt dress hack

I wanted to make a medium-length shirt dress which could be worn on its own or as a duster over trousers. The image in my head was something loose-fitting with a gathered waist and full enough so that it would work as a dress but also open over my white linen trousers. I saw a […]

Waffle Patterns Kaede Utility Apron

Out of the blue just before my Italian holiday, I was contacted by Yuki of Waffle Patterns. She was testing a new pattern. She must have read my mind because the latest pattern was a utility apron/belt. That’s a bit out of the ordinary, you may think but, for the longest time, I had been […]

Soft Suit Combo – The Final Set

Here it is! Three garments, two patterns, one great suit. I’m over the moon with how this turned out. Even with a few errors, the set is everything I wanted from it. The shirt/jacket that I have been shunning for so long, is just great. The trousers have that smart/casual feel that I love and […]

sswaistcoat

Soft Suit Combo – the Waistcoat

The waistcoat is the final piece in the combo. This piece came into the plan last. I started to see a lot of these looks and liked the idea. The waistcoat is worn without a top underneath (see more on this later) and the overall look is the epitome of smart/casual. I’ve seen them in […]

Soft Suit Combo – the Trousers

For the last few years, I’ve been focused on perfecting the fit of my trousers and last summer I made the first of what is now a few pairs of linen trousers. I’ve had linen trousers in various colours over the years and they all were worn until they fell to bits. I’ve been meaning […]

Soft Suit Combo – the Shacket

I have resisted the Shacket with all my might for the last couple of years. Although I liked the look of it, I always baulk at anything that “everyone’s wearing”. It was the super trend a couple of years ago and my problem is that I like to be in fashion but I don’t like […]

Soft Suit Combo – the Preparation

Welcome to part two of the Soft Suit Combo. When I started this project, I knew it would have to be more than one blog. After all, there are three garments here, it would be an extremely long read to put them all in a single instalment. So, one blog for each item? That seemed […]

But you don’t do trends….. Soft Suit Combo Intro

I’ve said many times on this blog that I don’t like to follow trends, well apparently that’s not the case anymore. Out and about this summer, I’ve seen a lot of this look and I’m really into it. I’ve also been liking this a lot – a linen waistcoat. I’ve seen this a lot in […]

Sewing Plans update – Half Year recap

At the beginning of the year, I posted some bold sewing plans and a fuzzy #makenine pledge. I’ve made a lot of my proposed makes from earlier in the year but as I expected lots of things have caused the original plans to pivot. Travel of course is a major factor in any of my […]

Supercool – white linen trousers

Following along in trouser mode, here’s a quickie. I’ve wanted to make a pair of white linen trousers for the longest time. I once had a pair which I think came from Marks and Spencer’s many years ago. I wore them until they fell foul of my chubby thighs and I eventually mislaid them somewhere. […]

Sorbet season is here – self-drafted trousers in red shot linen

I’ve always loved linen trousers, especially on the hot days of summer. I’ve had several RTW pairs over the years and I always wore them to destruction. I’ve been meaning to make a pair for ages, but because I wanted to draft my own, it’s taken a while. I’ve also had a piece of beautiful […]