Secrets of Great British Sewing Bee with Dr Dawn - plus that GIVEAWAY!

Do you harbour a secret dream of competing in the BBC's Great British Sewing Bee? Or does the idea of cutting up a man's shirt to create a little girls dress in less than an hour fill you with horror?

I'd love to be a competitor - mostly to get my hands on all that lovely fabric. 

So when I heard that TV presenter and real life doctor, Dr Dawn Harper was a 'celebrity competitor', I couldn't wait to talk to her.

Dr Dawn Harper, picture from BBC Children in Need

Dr Dawn presents TV's Embarrassing Bodies, but she's also a working doctor in a health centre near my home town. This week she's swapping the surgery for the Sewing Room for a special 'Celebrity' version of The Great British Sewing Bee, in aid of BBC's charity Children in Need.

She'll  be on TV screens in the UK on Tuesday evening, competing against Hairy Biker Dave Myers, DJ and presenter Edith Bowman, Coronation Street actress Wendi Peters. And she kindly gave me five minutes to share the secrets of the Sewing Room.

“My sewing experience was almost zero,” said Dawn.

“When I was at school it was domestic science was taught at the same time as Latin, and I learnt Latin.

“My mother is an amazing seamstress and cook, but those genes didn’t pass to me!”

Dawn admits she was a last minute addition to the series.

“I had a call on a Friday saying, can you come in tomorrow? So I had no chance to cram in any sewing lessons.

“When my children were little I went through a ‘nesting’ period and tried to sew for them. But they’re 20, 19 and 17 now. It was a long time ago.”

“It was a very, very steep learning curve. I had to be shown how to thread a bobbin.”

Dawn sewed all day from 10am to 4pm for three days, with three challenges.

“The first challenge was to make an A-line skirt from a pattern, then in the afternoon, change a Hawaiian shirt into a child’s garment.”

Sunday’s day-long challenge was to make a dress from our favourite era.

“I made a Charleston dress,” said Dawn.

“I don’t think I’d feel confident enough to make proper clothing, but to know I could make a fancy dress in one day is quite a nice feeling. It wouldn’t stand up to close scrutiny, but I was quite pleased.”

Dawn won’t reveal the result, but said; “I didn’t disgrace myself”

But she says, the refashioning challenge was the hardest.

“I’m not a great TV watcher, so wasn’t familiar with the format of the show.

“Trying to think how to convert the shirt into a child’s outfit was the hardest challenge. I sewed a little dress, but I think I could have been more imaginative.

“But I’m quite good at following instructions, so making the skirt from a pattern went quite well.

“I love clothes and fashion. I’ve got a few dresses that I now look at with awe.”

“We had a really lovely time, it was great fun - If I had the time I could see myself getting into it.”

Dr Dawn will appear in the episodes on BBC Two, 8pm on Tuesday 21 October. Two further episodes will be shown on Thursday 23 October and Friday 24 October.

GIVEAWAY REMINDER!

Speaking of lovely fabric - that 1.5 metres of this gorgeous double gauze by Nani Iro is still up for grabs, plus three copies of Straight Grain's Hanami pattern. The giveaway is open until October 31. Simply click over here for full details and to enter; Nani iro giveaway

Fairies, Straight Grain, Nani Iro and a GIVEAWAY

This a post about fairies and magic.
Magic that happens when you combine the legendary sewing words; Straight  Grain, Nani Iro and GIVE AWAY.

But firstly back to that fairy.

I don't like fairy dresses. At least not the kind that are made of nylon in a factory in China. But I do like fairies. (And I also like giveaways, see the end of this post for details!)
So I set about making my own fairy dress - only Missy had her own ideas.

I wanted to make something ethereal, and properly 'fairy like'. So this is what I came up with. A modified Hanami dress, with a circular skirt cut into eight petal shapes. This must be about the eighth Hanami dress I've sewn from Straight Grain's pattern - it's so versatile.

It is entirely lined, and completely reversible, in two different shade of green, one a mock linen cotton, the other the finest voile. I had to think quite carefully how to make this work on both sides. I might even do a tutorial.
And this was my 'styling' vision. A leaf dress, over a 'fairy skirt'. Missy however had other ideas.

She wore this combination for exactly five minutes - before deciding she would rather be in the garden.

"It's my bean dress!" she declared, picking up trowel and planting beans.

That was fine by me - because I really believe that the clothes  should be worn, and not tucked away in wardrobes.
The fairy/bean dress had another outing, this time a picnic in a  beauty spot near us, called The Heavens (yes really). This time, it looked particularly fairy-like. When she started paddling in the stream, mud and all, I realised that this little Missy is more 'earthy fairy' than ethereal.

Please forgive the photo-fest. I'm enjoying bringing back memories...

Now for that giveaway. Back in the summer I amazingly won the Secret Squirrel Sewing contest! One of the prizes was one of An from Straight Grain's sewing patterns. 
Um well, guess what? I already have them all. As can be seen in the little gallery below, all sewn, or flipped from Straight Grain's patterns. 

So An is  letting me give my prize away! And not one prize - but three Hanami dress patterns!
The Hanami is my go-to dress pattern. Simple bodice, elegant options, it's proved infinitely variable. 

And An has been stunningly generous. She's added 1.5 metres of Nani Iro fuccra double gauze, as the top prize in this giveaway. Fabric can be posted worldwide.

That's more than enough to recreate Norah's beautiful blouse pictured here.
Oh An! I'm beside myself with excitement. And there are lots of chances to win. Simply click on the rafflecopter. Giveaway ends on October 31.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

A blouse of Joy... and smiles, and flowers..

So the clue is in the fabric's name; Joy.

And that is exactly what this metre and a half has brought me.

 

Its full name is Joy Flower in Smile (isn't that the most life-enhancing name!) It's by Nani Iro, double gauze, bought from  Miss Matatabi and on sale here.

(I must confess to developing a certain addiction to little packets arriving from Japan...)

My photographs - taken by my eight year old son Torin - don't do the delicacy of this fabric justice.

It is a subtle pale beige, a colour I don't often choose. It's over printed with subtle garlands of white flowers that have the gentlest shimmer , and little spots of floral colour.  'Smile' indeed....(and yes...I spotted that stray loose thread too. But if I ask Torin to re-shoot the photos, smiles will evaporate).

For a pattern, I went for something effortless and simple - this great free pattern from Melly Sews, the High Low Shirt.
I actually completed this months ago, in the same week that I finished Mr As it Seams' birthday present shirt which was such a monumental project, that I need a sewing antidote.

Melly Sews blouse was it. With just three pattern pieces, it's dipped hem at the back, gentle shaping with bust darts, this only took an hour or so.  I cut the main pattern pieces with a slight flare to them, in an effort to create a swing silouhette. The sleeves are bang on my elbow, a flattering length - but it does mean they look creased immediately - this blouse is freshly ironed for these photos, honestly.

I also completed a sewing first - home made bias binding neckline. I had barely enough fabric to complete the bias, so it's in lots of short strips, and the double gauze wasn't the easiest to maneouvre, but it turned out fine.

And this has been a real wardrobe hit. I had aimed to make this as a sew-along for Miss Matatabi's Nani Iro month (which was in June... yes. yes, I know.... it's September...) 

I did manage to finish this in time to take on our summer holiday, and it was a lovely easy piece to chuck in my bag. Here it is in situ, complete with holiday creases, in a Romanian meadow. Photo by Torin, aged eight.

Joy Flower, Smile, indeed....

"It's lovely to have you here, come back soon!"

Take one Dress # 9 - Glitter + Wit

IT'S September! It's the new term! And Take One Dress, the monthly creative chain, is back! 

And this time, I'm thrilled to welcome Tasha from Glitter + Wit. Tasha must be one of the most creative seamstresses out there. Her sewing is always surprising and stunning, and her blog is so much fun. And for Take One Dress, she's come up with another wonderful creation... Over to you Tasha!

As my daughter says to the cashier and bagger at the grocery checkout, "hey guys; it's ME!!!" But seriously, I'm Tasha, I blog at Glitter+Wit, and I am pumped to be a part of the Take One Dress series. In case you missed the dress Renee picked as my inspiration, here it is:

   

You can find Renee's pin for this Mini Boden dress here. I usually love all the Mini Boden things I come across on Pinterest, but this one just wasn't really speaking to me. I pulled myself together and ended up with something I feel really draws from the inspiration, but is still ME. And looking at the inspiration again, I can see that I may have been subconsciously influenced by the orange on the shoes!Ha!

I 

I modified the [Baby] Hummingbird Dress pattern by Rabbit Rabbit Creations to create this fun little dress. I added the mismatched collar, faux belt, and rosettes. I also reduced the width of the elastic casing, lengthened the straps to create a crossed back, and pleated the skirt with my pleating foot (instead of gathering).

The hem was a happy accident that resulted in the perfect full twirly skirt. For the photoshoot, I told E she had to wear the dress but she could choose the accessories. Of course she picked her STYLO hat (her "rain hat") and bright red shoes & socks. Kids will be kids!

The entire dress is knit (vintage!), which pretty much means that it ended up a little too big. I took up the straps a bit but didn't adjust the elastic. She'll be wearing this one through next Summer! Next on the Take One Dress line-up is Laura from Behind the Hedgerow. My inspiration for Laura is one of my very favorite dresses ever--the dress I made for my daughter's 18 month photos. I made this dress about a month into my sewing/blogging adventure, and it's the dress that helped solidify my own personal sewing style. Have fun, Laura! And of course, thanks so much for adding me to the series, Victoria! 

Tasha, thank you! I completely love your creation! It's so fun and wearable and a bit whacky. Just brilliant!

And your inspiration dress is great too. So many ideas to play with - I'm sure Laura's going to have fun. Don't miss Laura's creation here in October! Follow As it Seams on facebook, blogger etc on the links below! See you next month!

Holding Back Summer Part 2; Taking Nani Iro to Romania

It was late at night, I'd been sewing and unpicking for hours, in a desperate bid to finish a complex dress for me.
It was going badly...
So what did I do, in my fit of temper?
Start a completely new project.
I'm not kidding that I started this little blouse at 11pm, and finished it by midnight. It was one of those evenings when I just HAD to sew something, anything, just so long as it turned out right.

And this little blouse was also part of my frantic 'Hold back Summer' sewing. I knew that if I didn't get a few things finished for Missy's summer holiday wardrobe I would miss my chance. And I was right. Since we returned from Romania, the weather has shifted. An autumn chill is in the air. Pretty summer tops and dresses are set to languish for another year. 

Which also means I have zero chance of persuading Missy to pose for photos in this blouse. But in the spirit of hasty sewing, it seems appropriate to make-do with these snaps from our Romanian adventure. (Oh and a few others have sneaked in... forgive me)

We spent a glorious Sunday morning riding the bumpy tracks around the village on this horse and cart. Everywhere people were making their way to church, smiling hello, and dressed in their smart white blouses, billowing skirts, headscarves. 

The cart driver wore his traditional hat typical of the Maramures region. He adored having Missy sitting next to him, she chatted and giggled at every bump of the cart. The fields were full of wildflowers, Missy and Torin were happy, it felt heavenly.

 It was such an inspiring place to be. 
Here are Missy and Torin watching Romanian cartoons, sitting on the sofa in the cart driver's farmhouse. Check out those textiles! A feast for the eyes!
 

 
And these! 

But I digress...back to the sewing...This little blouse is made in Nani Iro Herringbone double gauze, bought from Miss Matatabi. It's made from leftover scraps and I barely had enough, so the back is pieced together. 

I think the effect kind of works with the sea-washed texture of this gorgeous fabric. I completely 'winged' this self-drawn pattern. The bodice front and back is sheered, and there's  a little elastic over the shoulders too. There's no hem (apart from on the sleeves), just a selvege.

It's rather cute, the fabric is fabulous, and for one hour's effort I'm pleased. But it's been worn once, and I expect it will be outgrown by the time the warm weather returns. But this little blouse meant I could go to bed that night and sleep easy. And for that it was worth it....