garments Archives - Anna-Jo Sews

The Sloppy Overalls (Ottobre Summer 2018) in double gauze

I’ve been meaning to share these cute little Sloppy Overalls I made for Lauren for a couple of weeks now. Finally here they are, and still seasonal if you’re lucky enough to live in the southern hemisphere 🙂 They’re from Ottobre Summer 2018 edition if you’re interested in making some yourself.

This is yet another of the Minerva makes I’m catching up on blogging here–I’ll be carrying on with these into the new year, that’s for sure! I received the fabric for the make in return for a 500+ word post on their site with 6+ photographs. You can find the Minerva post with lots of nerdy sewing deets here: https://www.minerva.com/posts/1055850 Continue reading “The Sloppy Overalls (Ottobre Summer 2018) in double gauze”

The Not-for-me Boucle Cardigan – sewing the Seamwork Oslo

This Seamwork Oslo cardigan is modelled by me, but the instant I finished it and tried it on I knew I wasn’t going to keep it. It’s just too… big!

It’s one of my Minerva Makes using fabric gifted in return for a review with photos. You can find a full detailed write-up over with more pictures on their site here: https://www.minerva.com/posts/1056029 Continue reading “The Not-for-me Boucle Cardigan – sewing the Seamwork Oslo”

The Unicorn Cold-Shoulder Top – an Ottobre 1/2019 make

I made this fabulous digital unicorn print jersey cold-shoulder top from Ottobre 1/2019 for Daisy. Check it out!

Okay, so I meant to post this yesterday but real life intervened (ill toddler meaning hardly any sleep for me). I’m not sure anyone will notice anyway, although they might now I’ve mentioned it…

It was a Minerva make (they provided fabric in return for a 500+ word post with pics on their site) and you can find the full deets of sewing it up over on my profile there: https://www.minerva.com/posts/1049199 Continue reading “The Unicorn Cold-Shoulder Top – an Ottobre 1/2019 make”

The Lounge Lizard Joggers – sewing the Monsal Lounge Pants

As promised, here I am back with another make from earlier this year. Yep, 2020 has definitely been the year of loungewear, and fittingly I’ve made the Monsal Lounge Pants from Wendy Ward’s Sewing with Knitted Fabrics book.

You can find out more about the process of sewing the Monsal Lounge Pants up on my Minerva post here. Interestingly, it’s been a while since I wrote that blog post and when I read it through I discovered that I was absolutely in love with these joggers back when I wrote it. So what changed? Continue reading “The Lounge Lizard Joggers – sewing the Monsal Lounge Pants”

The Lovely Llama Print Toddler Dress and Trousers

Hey everyone! I’m back to blogging regularly by the looks of it. Here’s to keeping up with good habits once the lockdown ends and Christmas preparation goes mental…

Today I’m sharing something I made for Lauren almost a year ago, but which is now up on Minerva’s brand new site here. It’s a super cute dress and trousers made from some awesome llama panel print jersey. They definitely shouldn’t be worn at the same time, though!

Llama panel jersey toddler dress and joggers

The patterns are both from Ottobre magazine: the dress is the Sunray Jersey Dress from 3/2018 and the trousers are the First Steps Pants from 6/2019, both in a size 80 although I lengthened the dress to a 98.

Amazingly enough Lauren does still wear both of these, although the dress is getting too tight for easy dressing and the trousers are starting to look a bit short. I’m seriously considering getting the most out of my makes by finding some co-ordinating stretchy jersey (pretty sure I have some nice grey stuff somewhere) and recutting and binding the neck and armholes to get a few more months use out of the dress. Continue reading “The Lovely Llama Print Toddler Dress and Trousers”

The Stella Hoodie Dress from Tilly Walnes’ Stretch book for Minerva Makers

Phew, that title was a bit of a mouthful! Yes, I’m back and sharing another project made with free fabric from Minerva (in return for a blog post with pics on their site–no obligation to post here). This is one from early in the year–February to be exact–which is now coming back into regular wardrobe rotation. I present to you, the Stella Hoodie dress:

You can find the full post with details of the fabric and sewing process over on Minerva here. I’m not 100% sure that sweatshirting with so little stretch was ideal for this project–it’s fine for the oversized look where stretch isn’t necessary, but I prefer something more fitted which means this isn’t as easy as I’d like to take on and off. Still, it’s really comfortable and practical, and makes a lovely snuggly winter dress. Continue reading “The Stella Hoodie Dress from Tilly Walnes’ Stretch book for Minerva Makers”

Hello, blog! I’m all dressed up with nowhere to go…

Sequin Cocktail Dress Hi everyone, I’m still here, and I’m still sewing!

Yes, 2020 has been quite a year and I don’t think anyone’s going to judge me too harshly for neglecting this little blog. Basically, I have no childcare now (my mum has a serious respitory condition and can’t risk having the kids) and instead am now doing lots of childminding for other people. It’s really nice to not be broke any more (why hello, all you beautiful fabrics I can now afford to buy!) but the flip side is I have hardly any spare time for blogging.

Anyway, I’ve made lots of things and have a backlog to share here. I’m getting them up on the shiny new Minerva site–seriously, it’s awesome!–as there are lots made with fabric I was either gifted by or bought from there. I’ll be blogging all the ins and outs of making them there, but also be doing link posts here where I might say a bit more about how the items are fitting into my wardrobe. I’m still really interested in refining my style and think it’s one of the best ways of creating a sustainable wardrobe. Continue reading “Hello, blog! I’m all dressed up with nowhere to go…”

The Mother’s Day Hug Cardie – a Seamwork Oslo Cardigan

Thanks to the current coronavirus lockdown in the UK I can’t hug my mum right now. This last Sunday was Mother’s Day over here, and I was feeling really sad about the prospect of missing that hug.

Then I realised that the fabric I had earmarked for a wearable toile of the Seamwork Oslo Cardigan would be absolutely my Mum’s style. And what better substitute for a warm hug than a warm, snuggly cardigan? It’s like wearing a hug!

Seamwork Oslo cardigan in textured sweater knit

You’ll have to put up with some poorly lit pics of me modelling said cardigan, as obviously there are real difficulties taking pics of my Mum in it. She’s roundabout the same size as me so it looks about the same on her. But it suits her better, I reckon! Continue reading “The Mother’s Day Hug Cardie – a Seamwork Oslo Cardigan”

The Ride-Sallie-Ride Dress – a monochrome Sallie Maxi Dress

Oh wow, what a week….

When I wrote my blog post last week I was in a state of extreme agitation and worry about my mum, who has a chronic lung condition and seemed to be in a state of denial over how serious the COVID-19 threat was. I tried to distract myself by writing a post that didn’t acknowledge the situation in any way, and I hope it didn’t seem too frivolous to be posting sewing projects at this time.

The thing is, I think we need some distraction and things to lift our spirits right now (and for the forseeable future). So I’m going to continue blogging my sewing projects. There probably won’t be many party dresses because I don’t think there are going to be many parties this year. There might be more in the way of practical sewing–I can’t buy toilet roll so who knows, I might have to make washable wipes out of fabric scraps!

I’m less emotionally shaken now that I know my parents are self-isolating reasonably strictly, although I’m somewhat apprehensive about having everyone (including my teacher partner Andy, who also has a lung condition) at home ALL THE TIME. For who knows how long?

I think I’ll be going out for lots of runs and get myself fit again. Also sorting out my garden. Silver linings…

Closet Case Sallie Maxi Dress in Lady McElroy crepe jersey

So without further ado, here’s a share of a Minerva post I wrote some time ago, about my joint favourite dress of last summer. Continue reading “The Ride-Sallie-Ride Dress – a monochrome Sallie Maxi Dress”

The Wedding Guest Dress: Charm Patterns Rita dress hack

I’d been meaning to make the Charm Patterns Rita Blouse ever since it first came out, and finally I got around to it. Only as a dress!

I’ve got to admit, it had been years since I’d been to a wedding. Maybe it’s my age: most of my friends got their weddings out of the way in their early thirties (if they got married at all, that is), and there’s been a bit of a dry spell since then. So imagine my delight when Andy and I were invited to a friend’s daughter’s wedding last September, and I got to put my fancy-pants sewing skills to the test!

Charm Patterns Rita dress hack

Continue reading “The Wedding Guest Dress: Charm Patterns Rita dress hack”

The Sweetheart Dress: sewing the Ottobre Bubu Dungaree dress

So, this is me sharing a make from last May, and the photographs are from back then too. Lauren definitely doesn’t fit this one anymore! It’s the Bubu Dungaree Dress from Ottobre 1/2019. I meant to share this last week, but I completely forgot! Never mind. Here it is:

Ottobre Bubu Dress in upcycled chambray shirt

Doesn’t she look a little cutie? I love dungaree dresses, which I’m sure won’t come as a surprise to anyone who’s been following this blog a while. I’ve made three Cleo dungaree dresses for myself, so it was about time I made something similar for my baby girl. Continue reading “The Sweetheart Dress: sewing the Ottobre Bubu Dungaree dress”

The Silver Stripe Boat Neck Top

Today I’m sharing a make from last March, which is late but at least I can give you an idea of how much I’ve been wearing it. Silver linings for a silver-ish top 🙂 This is the Boat Neck Top variation of the Knit Sweetheart Top from my favourite sewing book, Gertie Sews Vintage Casual (affiliate link) by Gretchen Hirsch.

Boatneck Gertie top in silver stripe jersey

This was a bit of an experiment for me as it’s the first time I’ve ever even worn, let alone sewed, a boat neck top. I don’t know why I’ve avoided them. Perhaps it was just down to not being sure which colours looked good close to my face, so I’ve tended to go for lower cut necklines in the past. Continue reading “The Silver Stripe Boat Neck Top”

The Quilted Pencil Skirt – sewing Seamwork Margo

I made the Seamwork Margo skirt again (previous version in navy scuba crepe here), this time in a rather lovely quilted jersey. I actually made it last March, but at least after a year I can give a true picture of how useful it’s been in my wardrobe.

Seamwork Margo skirt in black quilted ponte

The answer is: sadly, not as useful as I thought it would be, although depending on the weather that could change this next year. Let me elaborate… Continue reading “The Quilted Pencil Skirt – sewing Seamwork Margo”

The Whatever-the-Weather Cardigan – a Jalie Drop Pocket Cardigan for Daisy

I made one of my TNT patterns, the Jalie Drop Pocket Cardigan for Daisy. And this post actually went live on the Minerva blog back in July, but hey, I’m sharing it here now. Better late than never!

Jalie Drop Pocket Cardigan in Cloud print French Terry

Ah, the Jalie Drop Pocket Cardigan. My love for this pattern knows no bounds! Seriously, I wear one of my two versions (blogged here and here) nearly every day, even if that’s just around the house in the evening. And quite often that’s not the case: I’ll be wearing it as part of my outfit for the day.

Why do I love it so much? Continue reading “The Whatever-the-Weather Cardigan – a Jalie Drop Pocket Cardigan for Daisy”

The Velvet Citrus Leggings

Oh yes, I made leggings! And in stretch velvet! Read on to find out the complicated route my Velvet Citrus Leggings took from a maternity version pattern test to the final (non-maternity) version pictured below…

Velvet Citrus Leggings

I’ve never been particularly drawn to pattern testing. Perhaps it’s my background in self-publishing, but I’d only ever expect friends or superfans to want to read and comment on my unfinished writing for nothing. I’ve always paid to get proper edits and proofreads. Seriously, this is valuable work and people deserve remuneration. Continue reading “The Velvet Citrus Leggings”

The Bits and Bobs Pocket Top – Ottobre

I thought it was about time I shared one of my favourite kids’ makes from last year: the Longline Loop-back Sweater from Ottobre Magazine.

French Terry Ottobre Design Boys Sweatshirt with pocket

This make hit the Minerva blog back in August, but in case you missed it then I thought I’d better link it here. Also, I like to have a record of everything I’ve made on my own blog. The full write up is over there, but I’ve got some more thoughts to add here.

Gabriel loves this top and pleasingly he’s wearing it right now, with no prompting from me. In fact, I’d only just put it back in his drawer clean yesterday, so this is definitely an item of clothing in regular circulation. That’s definitely what you want with kids makes as they grow so fast, it seems a total waste to make something they only get to wear a few times before they grow out of it. Continue reading “The Bits and Bobs Pocket Top – Ottobre”