It’s time to admit that we’re entering Autumn sewing season. Thankfully, I’ve got sewing plans that I never got around to last Autumn, which I’m still excited to get into this year. Assuming I get around to them this time.
First of all, I need to interrupt this broadcast to give a huge thank you to TipStitched for the How I Create Digital Sketches video, which explains how to make images like the one above. Game changer.
Let’s dig into it!
First up, I’d like to make myself another pair of Ginger Jeans. This will be my second pair of Gingers. I took a jeans making workshop at Bobbins and Bolts a couple of years ago and made a pair in indigo denim, but I needed a lot of handholding at the time and so far I’ve been too nervous to attempt them again by myself.
I feel like my sewing skills in general have come a huge way since then, so I’m ready to give them another shot. Plus, I need some more jeans for the cold weather.
I’ve coloured them in green here because that’s what excites me… but I don’t actually have that fabric in my stash! I’ve got some more of the indigo denim, so I’ll start there and if it goes well, then I’ll invest in some vibrant green denim (if I can find any with the right stretch percentage).
The Ottoline jacket is next on my list. I’ve picked a beautiful pink colour for this image, and I’m picturing that in canvas … but I don’t actually have any of that fabric either. (Did I get a bit carried away with my new Photoshop skills? Yes. Yes I did.) In reality I’m going to make a wearable toile in a beautiful light blue denim that’s already in my stash.
I’ve never made outerwear, so this will be a first. I’ve got a mild nervousness about it but I don’t have a rational reason for that. I’ve made collared shirts aplenty, and my machine is heavy duty enough to sew denim, so I don’t know what I’m scared of. The unknown, I guess. Another chance to face up and be brave.
The third thing on my list is this polkadot Shelby dress, which is vaguely based on Gwen Stefani’s dress in the Don’t Speak video. That video being on repeat when I was in my family’s home in the Philippines in 1995 is a pretty formative memory for me. That album was one of the first CDs I bought, and it remains one of my favourites.
I’m making this for a friend’s birthday, which is 90s themed. So it’s the only thing on the list with a deadline, and that deadline is freakin’ soon so I’m going to have to get a move on.
The other thing that’s on my list is to draft a pattern like this Gucci dress. I’m currently learning pattern drafting from Pattern Workshop and the excellent book Metric Pattern Cutting by Winifred Aldrich, and I reckon it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch for me to draft this for myself.
The dress retails for £2550 and if I can get this right, I can make myself a version for under £50 in materials I reckon! And probably £2500 in time and skills because this is going to take me ages…
Let’s see how far I get with these plans ey!