August round-up and September’s sewing plans

Summer is over. Boohoo! Okay, so autumn has its good points: pretty colours, misty mornings, golden sunshine, conkers, etc, but I’m really going to miss summer. Summer sewing, in particular. I didn’t get everything made I wanted to this summer (here were my ambitious plans for August), but I suppose in the UK the window for wearing summer clothing isn’t nearly as long as the one for wearing autumn/spring clothing, so I should really be turning my attention to the cooler months now. Sigh.

In other news, I had a lovely family holiday to the South of France this August. Just one week, but sometimes that’s as much as you want with small children in tow! And I’ve moved the website over to a self-hosted account. Come to think of it, it’s a wonder I got anything sewn at all 🙂

Oh, and something else I did that’s vaguely sewing related. I tidied the loft. Okay, so that might not sound sewing related, but I do store my fabric and pattern stash in the loft. It’s pretty easily accessible as it’s right next to the hatch and we have one of those cool ladders that comes down when you open the hatch, so it’s not as inconvenient a storage area as you might think. Anyway, here are the before and after pics of my sewing stash area:

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Bit of an improvement, don’t you think?! The two tubs at the bottom store woven fabric scraps for quilting/bias making, etc, and the three containers on the lower shelf house my stash of woven fabric, all cuts of at least one metre. The upper shelf has two containers of knit fabrics (all at least one metre), and the smaller tub in the middle is all knit offcuts and scraps. On the very top are some notions and an unfinished quilt project, and my pattern stash fits in one tub next to the shelving unit. The other wheeled tub is full of stuff that probably needs alterations or repair, but I need to sort through all that and chuck most of it as it’s making me feel guilty!

I think I have a fairly small fabric stash, more out of a lack of money than any restraint on my part, but Andy thinks it’s pretty large. What do you reckon? Is this big or small? I figure that there’s at least three month’s worth of sewing there, at any rate!

Blogged in August:

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Stitched in August:

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I’m really pleased I got those pedal pushers fitted. It took some work and I’ve learnt loads about fitting trousers, which will all be applicable for making jeans at some point in the (hopefully) not too distant future. The rockabilly top, headtie and scarf were all pretty quick makes, but I do like to average a make a week so I acheived this, despite the school holiday meaning I had both Andy and Daisy underfoot 😛

Money spent: £22.20

Patterns: £0 , Haberdashery: £22.20, Fabric: £0

Yep, essential purchases only this month, like interfacing and hook and bar fasteners. And a load of cheap zips in different colours, which weren’t exactly essential just yet, but really useful to have in the stash.

September sewing plans:

I’ve decided to rename September “Stashtember”, as I’m going to be sewing purely from my stash. This is out of necessity (I have NO spare cash, people!), but also because I could really do with some knit tops in solid jerseys, and I have plenty of those in my stash. Admittedly, solid-colour tees aren’t the most inspiring sewing projects (I feel like I’ve been there, done that), but I do really feel the need for them on a regular basis. I figure I can make it a bit more interesting by trying out some pattern hacks and different neckline finishes.

All the solid fabrics above are jerseys, and I have definite plans for the red (a longer sleeved Knit Sweetheart Tee, possibly with lace trim) and the pale lavender (a looser fitting tee for lounging, probably based on the Craftsy Sewing with Knits tee block, but with a notch neck instead). The others I’m less sure about at the moment, but I know I’ll also want a short sleeved tee or two to wear under my dungaree dresses, and I might well experiment with drafting cardigans.

I’ll also be turning that ditsy floral needlecord into a mini version of the Tilly and the Buttons Cleo dress, with the pinafore buttons.

And if I have any more time to sew, I’m going to draft some knickers, and I’m determined to make a dent in my alterations pile, and perhaps even get back to work on finishing that winter coat and those two quilts I’ve had hanging around for… years. UFOs cause me guilty feelings, so it would be great to turn them into delightful finished objects!

One last thing I’ll be doing this month is heading off the Great British Sewing Bee event in London. I’ll be there on the Saturday, doing my best to be satisfied with simply windowshopping as I have no fabric budget! If you see me there, do stop to say hello. I’ll be on my own so I’ll be exceedingly grateful for any friendly faces and will probably cling to you like a limpet 😉

What are you planning to make this month? Are you thinking ahead to the changing seasons, or still in total denial?! And is anyone else attending the Sewing Bee?

What do you reckon? I'd love to hear from you!

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