'From my Mother to Me' is back! With a Miss Matatabi giveaway..

It's Mother's Day in the US this weekend and the perfect time to relaunch the series From My Mother to Me!

After a two year gap, From My Mother to Me is back with an amazing sponsor, a new line-up of bloggers and an incredible giveaway...

Just look at this dreamy selection of fabrics? Can you guess who our wonderful sponsor is? With an amazing giveaway running all next week!

Back in 2014 I invited some of my blogging friends to pay tribute to the 'gifts' that their mothers had passed on to them.

My mother passed her sewing skills to me, almost without realising it, and I am so grateful. Sewing and creating connects us with previous generations and cultures, and I wanted to hear other bloggers' stories.

We had some amazing stories, and I loved hearing about history, heritage and amazing mothers.

Check out Celina, from Petit a Petit's gorgeous mother! Is it any wonder that Celina is the queen of style? Full post here

Here's my mother, aged 16 wearing the coat she made from a Vogue pattern, assisted by the lady next to her, Miss Taylor (!) who taught her to sew.... details here

And there were some other wonderful stories and pictures. Here's Suz from Sewpony's mother on her wedding day. She sewed her own wedding dress and all three bridesmaid dresses. Aren't they beautiful? Her post is here

And An at StraightGrain went back a generation and wrote about her grandmother and her seamstress skills, it was so lovely to see these two generations together

, From My Mother To Me returns, just in time for Mother's Day weekend

All next week, there will be  a new team of bloggers sharing their stories of their mothers..
I'm thrilled with this line up of new friends and old friend bloggers from across the globe.

Monday May 9

A Jennuine Life

Little Cumquat

Tuesday May 10

Gaafmachine

Do Guincho

Made by Sara

Wednesday May 11

La Folie Sewing Booth

Just add Fabric

Thursday May 12

As it Seams

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And  throughout the week we're hosting a  wonderful giveaway, thanks to the lovely Frances and her wonderful shop Miss Matatabi....Keep your eyes peeled for the giveaway which launches on Monday....

What I learnt from Mie: The Ultimate Coat

Sometimes a sewing project fills every moment so much that I go to sleep thinking about it.
This coat was that project. 

It's been an all-consuming journey;  a step up for my sewing ability and shift in  my sewing confidence.

And part of that confidence has come from learning alongside my sewing blogging buddies, such as the lovely Mie of Sewing like Mad,  the master seamstress. Today, is 'Mie day' with a group of sewists, including me, celebrating what we've learnt from her skill and advice. 
For me, that has been that attention to detail really, really makes all the difference. This coat is testament to that. I've made a complete effort to sew every step perfectly, no short cuts, no quick half measures.

Missy chose the fabric - and if I'd thought for a minute longer, I would have said Noooo, don't choose the plaid, or tartan as I have always called it, as I'm a Scot . It might be a lovely Italian wool bought in a Boxing Day sale from the Village Haberdashery but doesn't it look so perfectly British? Just perfect for strolling in our lovely valleys.

This is Burda coat pattern 145. Look princess seams front AND back too for added cutting 'fun'! Extra skirt panels that are pleated! And on the back too! Faux pocket flaps! The perfect pattern for cutting in plaid ?  I was mad. Sewing like Mad perhaps, Mie?

But I did it! It would take me a whole evening to cut out just two pattern pieces. I would pin the plaid together at every 'crosspoint' of the check in order to get a perfect match on both sides. Then stare at red and blue lines for hours before taking the scissors to this.

And look - the checks match! Not just across the princess seams, but continuing around both pieces of the sleeve and across the back. I am soooo proud, I've been pointing this out to random non-sewing friends; "look! follow that red line round Missy's chest and back!" and they look at me like I'm mad.
But Mie, she would 'get it'. She would know that it's getting that plaid to flow, that 'makes or breaks' this coat as a project.

Thank you Mie, I will never, ever sew over a pin again! Xx

Now something very special has happened today - bloggers across the globe are showcasing their sewing skills, as inspired by Mie.
And you can see us all come to life, including a glimpse of Missy's new coat, with this incredible video created by Celina of Petit a Petit. 
And keep going to the end of this post for an extra little film of Missy, with her own special sewing tip, never, ever forget the Notches!


What I learnt From Mie from Celina Bailey on Vimeo.

And there are blog posts popping up all over the place today from my sewing buddies, take a look at some of the creations by my sewing buddies:

Celina . Petit à Petit and Family, Abby . Sew Much Ado, Rita . Conversas de Hermanas, Heidi . Handmade Frenzy, Olu . Needle and Ted, An . StraightGrain, Jenya . While she was Sleeping, Trine . Groovy Baby and Mama, Andreia . In a Manner of Sewing, Jess . Sewing Rabbit, Hayley . Welcome to the Mouse House, Marta . Do Guincho, Maria . My Cozy Co, Natalie . La Gang à Nat, Holli . Hello Holli, Erin . Erin Always, Olga . Coffee and Thread, Delia . Delia Creates, Alida . Alida Makes, Gabriela . Chalk and Notch, Victoria . As it Seams, Rachel . Stitched Together, Chelise . Chelise Patternson, Emi . Just Add Fabric, Inês . La Folie

World Book Day Blog Tour - My Top Five illustrators

When Rebecca at Dobbins Bobbins invited me to join her World Book Day tour, my sewing imagination hurtled through a zillion ideas.

Then life got in the way, and we  had a big family trauma this week and there was no way my One Big Sewing Project  would be ready in time.

But I so wanted to take part.  Then another idea hit me... 

Children's book illustrations are already everywhere on As it Seams. 

I grew up with a world of books. I never, ever stopped reading. Anne of Green Gables, Fantastic Mr Fox, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Pippi Longstocking, were alive in my head, pages and pictures that danced through my childhood alongside me.

I 'read' pictures as much as pages. I know these pictures like old friends. Looking through my blog it became obvious just how much Missy's wardrobe has been shaped by great illustrators.

So apologies, I haven't (yet) been able to create something new, but here's five of my favourite illustrators - alongside a few of Missy's creations 

1. Mabel Lucie Attwell

Who could not love  Mabel Lucie Attwell's chubby babies and fairies?  Her Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan are my favourite representations of these characters. Her watercolours are beautiful, but not sugary, and Alice aand Peter Pan become real, solid characters not whimsical 'princess type figures'. Her colors are strong and her clothes have the beautiful drapey silouhettes of the 1920s

2. Cicely Mary Barker

I'm staying in the 1920s, with Cicely Mary Barker, creator of the Flower Fairy series. 

Cicely's illustrations may be  whimsical, but look at the clothes! Aren't those fairy dresses just an endless source of inspiration?

3.  Kate Greenaway

What can I say? She was the first, the great, and her illustrations are a record of Victorian style. I loved these pictures as a child, the soft colour palate, the dreaminess

4. Jan Pienkowski

Oh look! I'm almost up to date. Next up is Jan Pienkowski, best known as creator of Meg and Mog. But it's his fairytale silhouettes I loved most as a child. These are pictures that in themselves told a story, with echos of Russia, Eastern Europe and age-old myths. And I know that I like to create clothes for Missy that create stories too...

5. Mairi Hedderwick

Mairi Hedderwick is the creator of young heroine Katie Morag who lives on a Scottish island where she roams freely on the wild beaches. 

Mairi's pictures sing to my soul. Her paintings capture the light and drama of the Scottish landscape. They're full of the quirks and details of a childhood of the late 70s and 80s. She has depicted the memories from my own childhood. I spent every summer playing in the near midnight sun on these remote beaches, creating stories in my head and clambouring over rocks and seaweed.  This is my sister and me in 1980 I guess, flying our kite as the sun set at around 11pm...

Little Katie Morag and her Scottish adventures were part of the inspiration behind my as yet unfinished World Book Day sewing project. Here's a sneak peak, to be revealed in its full glory very soon...

As I put this long post together, I realised just how much stories are part of my life. Of course, I am a 'professional story collector', a journalist. 

This week has been a very raw one for the As it Seams family, facing a big change. The next chapter for our little family has plenty of blank pages...Daunting and exciting...x

Rebecca at Dobbins Bobbins has some FOUR fabulous prize packages to giveaway with the World Book Tour .  And there's a great list of participants. Do click around and see the actual creations this week

Sewn In The Attic

While she was sleeping, Just Add Fabric,  Fairies, Bubbles & Co , English Girl At Home,  As It Seams Made by Sara Sewing With Kate MinnieMie Call Ajaire Sew Country Chick Paisley Roots Bel'Etoile

No. 1: a Rafflecopter giveaway
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No.3: a Rafflecopter giveaway
No.4: a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Eleena Dress - perfection in denim

Giveaway alert! See the end of this post!

When Olga of  Coffee and Thread put out a call for her newest pattern the Eleena Dress, I admit that I paused for a moment, before signing up.

It's such a lovely, nostalgic dress pattern, so my style. But Missy really doesn't need many pretty dresses. She wears school uniform or t-shirts and jeans most of the time. But still...the Eleena was proving hard to resist...

The solution to the 'no more dresses' dilemma lay in  that old favourite - denim.

Because a denim dress isn't actually a dressy-dress, right?

A denim dress is one for posing around with a sword and being a warrior Queen...

A demin dress is one to giggle in, and run away from the camera, or be a serious kind of girl who can tackle anything.

The Eleena has lots of options, and I love seeing how one pattern can create so much variety. I wanted to keep things simple. because my life is complex enough. I  picked the flutter sleeve no collar option, because I knew Missy would get most wear from this 'all weather' kind of dress. 

But regular followers will know I rarely 'keep things simple'. 

I accentuated the Eleena's distinctive box pleat with red piping, and lined the flutter sleeves too, to keep those lovely clean lines. 

The only other change I made was an afterthought. This is size five on my tall nearly-six-year-old. The chest measurements are fine, but I suddenly panicked and wished I'd cut the denim longer. So I added a panel to the hem just to lengthen it. Denim is so forgiving - it lets you get away with this kind of thing...

I lined and piped the flutter sleeves too, lining them with a remnant of Cotton and Steel's Cookie Book print.

The piping was an easy addition, but it has added a little bulk to the neckline, which means the lining peeks up. 

Missy and I both love this dress, it's simple and playful. And easy to sew.

There's a pattern tour running this week, showcasing the Eleena and all it's varieties. Do take a moment to see the other creations - honestly they are all so different!

And Olga at Coffee and Thread is offering the pattern at a discounted price of $7 (usual price $9) until March 7.  
And there's also a fun little giveaway to win two Coffee and Thread patterns of choice and one yard of Sara Jane fabric.

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February, 22 

Bonnie & Lottie, As it Seams, Sew Happy, Call Ajaire

February, 24

In a Manner of Sewing, Skirt Fixation, Stitched Together, 

Made by Sara, The Life of Compulsive Crafter

February, 26

A Jennuine Life, Fairies, Bubble & Co, Hungie Gungie, Doguincho

February, 29

Rebel & Malice, Sew Shelly Sew, Creative Needle and Threads, 

Welcome to the Mouse House

March, 2

Candice Ayala, LBG Studio, Crafty Biggers, Sewing Like Mad

March, 4

Greendoodle, Rita Pirolita, Boevenbende, Kristine Hansen 

March, 7

Les Reloux, Just Add Fabric, Lokakid, While she was sleeping

Thanks for visiting! Do stop by again... follow me here...

A Rabbit's Waistcoat - Alice in Wonderland, Chapter Three

So let's start 2016 with a little time travel? And a white rabbit...

I'm the world's slowest blogger, and just as it is snowing, I'm sharing pictures of summer flowers. But this is my little webspace, so I can do what I like, right?

And time travel is entirely appropriate - because this is  Alice in Wonderland Sewing.

Last  summer Sara, of Made by Sara, had the genius idea of celebrating the 150th anniversary of Alice in Wonderland with a sewing series. And it captured my imagination. I had Way Too Many Ideas...

Chapter one, was a pair of  table-cloth dresses, , Chapter Two, was this little blouse, and this is, ta da..

Chapter Three, The White Rabbit's Waistcoat.

It's inspired by other elements from Alice; a white rabbit and playing cards, and perhaps ideas of 'transformation'....

This white velvet, is just a so 'rabbity'. I bought several metres ages ago for a bargain price (I still have a metre, I'm thinking it's time for a waistcoat for me too?).

I teamed it with a remnant of brown corduroy, and this stunning print from Cotton and Steel's Cookie Book collection, which looks just like the back of a pack of cards.

The pattern is a free pattern from Little Kiwis Closet, and was a real 'find'. I made it completely reversible, with two sets of the little Cookie Book covered buttons.

Missy loved this, She liked the hood, the cuddliness, and the different looks.
It's pretty, white velvet on one side...

Then turn it over. and it transforms

Into cosy, practical needlecord..

Of course, any White Rabbit's waistcoat has to have a watch pocket. This little pocket is trimmed in The Cookie Book print.

Of course these photos are six months old and are from the summer - but it's been worn a lot since then, right into our autumn and winter too.
It's a waistcoat for running away in, for dreaming and becoming whoever you want to be. And aren't five year olds experts at all of that?

My other Alice in Wonderland sewing was unashamedly whimsical, but this waistcoat has  been simple, and practical. And yet Missy still looks like she's emerged from a dream. Love this theatrical little girl so much...

Alice in Wonderland - Chapter One

Alice in Wonderland Chapter Two 

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