help – Stacey Stitch

Help me choose a pattern (aka being indecisive sucks)

Published on February 22, 2015February 22, 2015 by Stacey Stitch11 Comments

Well as you know we’re in the new house, all is unpacked and yesterday we had our nearest and dearest over for a housewarming. So lovely to have our friends over and the next generation ( not star trek – just our mates awesome kids).

Now the dust has settled I’m in the mood to SEW!

I took a little trip out to my local John Lewis last week and picket up this gorgeous fabric for half price but now I’m stuck on what to make with it.

A dress? Yes, but which one?

These are the three I have to choose from:

(View 1)

(also considering making the coat in the heavy gold satin I brought back from Vegas)

(with sleeves)

I’m favouring the Simplicity or Vogue at the moment, the Butterick is gorgeous but it’s quite a similar shape to other dresses I’ve made in the last year and I’d like to try something different.

Any feedback/help in making my mind up will be appreciated. What would you make?

Tank Tops (also known as my topsy-turvy brain thinks it’s Winter)

Published on May 20, 2014 by Stacey Stitch6 Comments

I went a little tank top crazy last week and bought four, and along with a brown dagger collared shirt, they cost me the grand total of £11. Bargain, thought I.

Then I considered the fact that:

I’m Going to Vegas soon and this is not suitable attire
It’s very nearly summer in the UK

And wondered what I was going to do with the, Ah-ha! I declared (inwardly, as I was in the middle of Manchester when I had this eureka moment), I am obviously just being super prepared for the coming winter of course.

With that thought it in mind I had rummage through my patterns and found a great 60s skirt pattern and a fantastic pattern for some flared trousers with turn ups.

So all that’s left is colours and materials to choose, any ideas anyone? I am getting stuck at brown, black and mustard and can’t seem to get my thoughts any further.

If you liked this blog please vote for me in the NVAs as I’ve been nominated under the Best Vintage Fashion/Lifestyle Blog category. Voting is open throughout May and it’s a simple click to select Stacey Stitch and then enter your email address to confirm the vote (you wont be spammed). Clicking on the photo or links above should take you straight to the website. It’ll only take a few minutes of your time if you have it spare! Thank you!

I’ve been Nominated in the National Vintage Awards: Please vote for me!

Published on May 2, 2014May 2, 2014 by Stacey Stitch6 Comments

Super fantastic new for my little blog: I’ve been nominated under the Best Vintage Fashion/Lifestyle Blog category of the UK National Vintage Awards .

It means so much to me to be nominated, especially as at the end of this month it’ll be my blog’s first birthday (special giveaway to follow so keep your eyes peeled!). If I get shortlisted to the final it would be even better, the competition is very strong with other fantastic blogs listed, it’s going to be a very close call, so if you read my blog and you like what you see please vote for me.

Voting is open throughout May and it’s a simple click to select Stacey Stitch and then enter your email address to confirm the vote. Clicking on the photo or links above should take you straight to the website. It’ll only take a few minutes of your time if you have it spare.

Thanks to everyone who has voted so far, it really warms my heart to know that people are backing me for the NVAs and I am so happy to be representing the online sewing community.

It makes me feel like the dreams I have of sewing for a living could actually come true in the future, knowing I have the support means the world to me.

Big love and lots of thanks

Stacey xx

Sewing for Vegas!

Published on March 12, 2014March 12, 2014 by Stacey Stitch11 Comments

Well I had a little good fortune a couple of weeks back (thanks to a big PPI refund) leading the very excited announcement that:

*drumroll please*

I AM GOING TO VEGAS!

That’s right! In June I will be going to Vegas to attend the Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend, with a few of my burlesque pals. Not only will I be out there surrounded by super amazing talented folk, some of the best showgirls and guys in the business, some of the legends from the old days and everyone will be super sparkly, I will also be there for MY BIRTHDAY.

For anyone who is used to jetting off to the States or anywhere further than a field in England for their holidays, you probably aren’t as excited as me, but as I have haven’t been abroad for a holiday since we spent 3 weeks in Vietnam in 2010 as my husband is studying full time, this is all kinds of awesome.

Now, foolishly or not, I have decided that most of the things I take away with me will be home made. I really can’t afford to go away and spend a tonne of cash on new threads for the trip. I would like to look as lovely as possible though so for the next few months I’ll be Sewing for Vegas.

Sew Retro

Now I did have a little money left over (once we’d bought and insured a second hand car – yippee – we are mobile again!). So I bought a little equipment (self-healing cutting board rotary cutter plus a few other little bits) and enrolled in a couple of Craftsy courses, one of them being the Gertie Sew Retro class.

I’ve picked a lovely cerise medium weight cotton, with a contrasting pale blue for the trimmings. This will be my birthday evening out dress.

Has anyone else taken this class? Any tips?

I’ve also bought a few metres of stretch denim so I can make the Butterick B5895 Capris, in full length and have a go at making them into shorts. Hopefully I’ll have enough left over to make a pencil skirt too.

I’m planning on making a start this week, progress to follow!

Anyone else got any holiday plans yet?

Sew Today: Pattern Pick Up

Published on June 25, 2013 by Stacey StitchLeave a comment

I decided to subscribe to Sew Today to give it a go and see what it’s all about. I have not been disappointed, there are two very handy articles in the two issues I have received (one on different types of “french” seam, the other about making your own wedding dress…I have an evening gown in mind that is not dissimilar to a wedding dress).

The bonus of the sign up is that I get most patterns at half price now I’m a member and I also got to pick two patterns for free.

I went for Butterick B5895 and B5882; both Gertie patterns (I am so in love with her blog and creations….and have lurked around her blog watching and reading avidly for some time now!).

Although I’m looking forward to trying them out, they both present their challenges. I have never made any kind of trousers before and I have never used boning in a dress either, but then this is what this is all about isn’t it?

Does anyone have any recommendations for other sewing mags that may be of use to a beginner? websites or other blogs to visit? I do follow quite a few vintage blogs and sewing blogs but I’d be eternally grateful for any help.

In other news I have been cracking on with my McCalls dress and have finished. Blog to follow soon!

McCalls 2440: Sewing Project

Published on June 14, 2013June 14, 2013 by Stacey Stitch3 Comments

I recently purchased this amazing vintage pattern from ebay. It was on buy it no for £8.99, it’s rather more than I’d usually spend but I have been in love with this style of dress for a while now but without the cash to purchase one of my own.

It is very much like the classic Swirl wrap dress often available on ebay and etsy but usually costing around £50 – £100 that’s plus postage (and usually tax if it’s coming from America). The lovely ones are always at the higher end of the pricing too, which is why when I saw this pattern I snapped it up immediately.

Then there’s Heyday’s version, which again is quite expensive, usually around the £85 mark, unless they’re on sale.

I have um-ed and ah-ed a little as it has so much bias binding on it, something I have never attempted before, but I do like to throw myself in at the deep end.

I have found some gorgeous teal cotton for the main material and for the bias binding (and maybe the pockets) a beautiful black atomic print cotton.

teal cotton

Teal cotton from fabric rehab

Atomic print cotton from Frumble

I’m also guessing I’ll need one of these tape makers? Something else to add to the stash.

I do like the thought of the two materials together, I am not sure about the pockets being so dark against the teal though, but I’ll just figure that one out when I come to it, I can always change my mind. Any thoughts would be of help though.

If anyone has used this pattern before or can give me any tips on bias binding on a curved edge etc that would be a great help.

In the meantime I am off to London this weekend, to visit one of my best girls for her 30th. Then it’s fabric purchasing time and getting down to it. Wish me luck!