Monday 14 July 2014

Kirsten Kimono Tee - summer stripes

A few months ago I made my first t-shirt from the Kirsten Kimono Tee pattern.  The pattern was so easy, I fancied having another go.  I picked this fabric up in Fashion Fabrics in Bath - there was only 80cm left, but that was plenty for this cute t-shirt.


There's nothing like stripes for a pattern matching challenge, but I can verify that the matching was significantly easier on this t-shirt compared to the chevron skirt - a combination of not trying to get them at right angles and also the stripes being much broader.  Horizontal stripes are reputed for making people look wider, but I decided I really didn't care - I like the fabric too much!


Last time I made this I had a few problems - first was the fact that my machine kept skipping stitches, which I then had to tidy up by hand on any bits which were visible.  Happily, this was fixed by my new jersey machine needles - definitely a worthwhile purchase.

Secondly, last time round, I just couldn't get the neckline right.  It ended up quite loose at the back and very stretched at the front.  This time was significantly more even, and I also did a 'stitch in the ditch' rather than the zig zag stitch over the binding, which I liked a lot better - although I did have to do some hand stitching to catch a bit of the binding which didn't get caught by the stitches.  The tension might have been a little more than I wanted, as the fabric is ever so slightly tight in places, but overall, I'm much happier with this attempt at the neckline.

My second t-shirt, and I'm really pleased with it.  Hopefully it'll get plenty of wear this summer if the good weather stays around...!

Monday 7 July 2014

Fabric shopping in Bath

I had the chance to go into Bath for a bit of a trip round the shops recently. For me, trips to the shops almost always involves some fabric shopping too, and this time was no exception. I had my first trip into the beautiful Country Threads, on Pierrepont Place.  


Fabric shops tend to fall into two categories...either absolute chaos (maybe organised chaos, maybe not...!), or absolutely beautifully laid out. Each is good, in my opinion - I love a hunt for some buried treasure, after all! Country Threads is in the beautifully organised and set out category. It's such an appealing shop, and the staff were lovely and friendly too. I could spend a long time in there!


Country Threads is primarily for patchwork, and so as well as the fabrics in the back, they have a lot of fat quarters, and other small sizes of fabrics.  While I was there, I picked up these two lovely pieces...

I got a metre of this...

I'm thinking this would be perfect for cushions for our living room, which could do with a bit of a refresher!


I also picked up a half metre of this gorgeous 'french sewing' fabric. Again, it's quite a hard wearing fabric, so more appropriate for furnishings rather than clothes. I'm not exactly sure what I'll use it for yet, but I'm sure I'll think of something!

While we were hitting the shops, we also nipped into the new Anthropologie shop. I absolutely loved Anthro when I was out in America last summer - but it is expensive, and I'm inclined to wonder if they maybe just changed the dollar signs on their prices into pounds for coming over here, because it seemed even more expensive here in Bath! All three of us tried on these two gorgeous skirts, but they were £53 each - in the sale - and I just couldn't justify it at all!! However, I'm sure I could make something similar, so watch this space for an attempt at another maxi skirt...!


Please note that the dress hanging beside the skirts looked hideous on all of us!

As I'm on the topic of fabric shopping in Bath, a month or two ago Pete and I were there, and I popped into Fashion Fabrics on Green Street.  This is more of an 'organised chaos' shop, but also packed full to the brim of hidden treasure!  While I was there, I picked up some t-shirting, and this very cute owl print, which will hopefully be made into something fun soon!


Thanks for browsing the shops with me...!