My Handmade Suitcase.

Sorry to disappoint anyone with a hankering for sewing up a suitcase, but this post is not about how I have sewn myself a lovely suitcase for travelling with but infact the contents of one. Even though it was 2014 that I pledged to not purchase any clothes I could buy, it has really been 2015 that I've been able to make a well rounded wardrobe of skirts, tops , jackets and dresses. And even one just-about-wearable pair of trousers. So I'm feeling very proud of my summer holiday wardrobe, which bar a couple of trusty rtw items is entirely hand-made.

I have a grand total of 6 dresses, 4 skirts, 1 pair of shorts, one jumpsuit and 6 tops. (And it all fit in my hand baggage!)

So what's in there? Well maybe a quarter of that is as yet unblogged, I really have been sewing like a fiend this summer. So more on those new items at a later date.

The rest of it you may have seen here before...:-)

My denim Wenona dress, Named patterns

Vintage shirt dress, Sew Over It

GBSB wrap dress

Scalloped neckline Lilly dress, Tilly and the buttons

Hollyburn skirt, Sewaholic

GBSB Box pleated skirt

GBSB tunic

Burda Trousers

Emily Kate.

GBSB Book - Box Pleated Skirt

I've been frantically sewing away for my upcoming holiday, and really trying to make my homemade wardrobe more versatile with tops, skirts and shorts rather than just endless amounts of dresses. Although a girls gotta have a lot of dresses...

 

 

This skirt is the box pleat skirt from the Great British Sewing Bee, Sew Your Own Wardrobe book. (the second one). I received this for my birthday last year but I haven't actually made much from it yet. The couple of things I did make had some fitting issues. They were mostly my fault, as I should have measured the pattern really, but they make the measurements of the garments really difficult to find tucked away in a chapter somewhere. This time I chose my size based on the finished garment measurements and the fit is much better. However with a skirt like this it was only really the waist fit I needed to get right!

 

It was a really quick and easy sew, box pleats are simple as long as you transfer all the markings correctly. I learnt how to do a lapped zip at the side, and I also added a lining as the fabric I chose was quite a lightweight cotton.

 

Its a bit difficult to see it clearly in the photos but the fabric is a lovely cream/off white colour with an ikat print in coral pink. I found it from a little indian etsy shop here.

 

The lapped zip is only in the skirt section so you need to add a hook and eye closure as well along the waistband edge. I used some hook and eyes that I found in a little box of sewing supplies I was given from the belongings of my great aunt who died a little while ago. The packaging suggests they were sold before World War 2, so its bringing a bit of history and vintage to my little skirt, and I'm sure she'd love to know they were used after all those years.

 

 

Do you have vintage sewing supplies you like to add for a finishing touch?

 

Emily Kate.

Instagram Challenge #sewphotohop

I was a bit of a late convert to Instagram, having only had a phone that was up to it for the last year or so (more than one washing-machine incident) Even then it wasn't really until this Easter that I started trying to post something everyday. And now I really see what all the fuss was about, especially for sewers. It's a great way to have a short instant fix of what people are sewing, find out about new patterns and styles, and of course connect with other home sewers. I've never really been one to browse on twitter, way too much advertising for me, but instagram is just what it says on the tin. Pictures, pictures and more pictures!

 

I've taken part in photo challenges, linked to sewing ones before like Me Made May, and One Week One Pattern. But this one is a little different. This August Rachel at House of Pinheiro is hosting a photo challenge that is just about the photos and the things that inspire and motivate each of us to sew. That's not to say that some of the themes don't require quite a bit of thinking about!

 

 

I jumped on the bandwagon a bit late, only finding out about it a couple of days ago. I'm also away for ten days in the middle of August, but I will be doing my best to post each day. If you're in on the action too, or just want to see what I'm talking about, follow me at @emilykatemakes and say hello!

 

 

Are you taking part in any sewing-related challenges at the moment?

 

Emily Kate.