Pyjamas Forever

All about our favourite clothes to relax in - pyjamas and lounge wear 

I love pyjamas don't you? They are so wonderful for relaxing in after a hard day working at the sewing machine. They are something which, at least in my case, are the garments I spend least on yet I love them so much.

I decided to address this immediately and kit myself out in PJs made only in premium cotton.

The pattern is straightforward and you can choose design features which appeal to you. The tops have optional pockets but I left them off. You have a choice of sleeve length and there are shorts as well as trousers.

These three  fabrics were actually from Seasalt but they are no longer in stock. You will want to choose your own colours anyway so may I suggest either a. Cotton lawn or a cotton Voile.
Cotton Lawn
Cotton Voile
Both of these come in a wide range of colours, designs and prices

Make some super smart Stay At Home wear

Let's make some lovely staying at home clothes to wear 

Maybe like me you never thought about what to wear when staying indoors for long periods of time. I know some people are wearing PJs but really I think it is better for morale to make a clear distinction between day and night. If you are wearing something which you feel good in and which is comfortable you will feel more " normal"

These are some items I have made for myself to wear and I am really happy with them.

I made a pair of trousers in a stretch fabric (another pair is cut out ready to sew)
The top I am wearing is a piece of jersey with a silver sparkle running through it.
The front top I am holding is made from the same fabric as the trousers with the addition of a scrap of fabric taken from a t-shirt I never liked.

The top on the left is made from a more cuddly knit fabric and it has a cowl neckline.

It's Sew Easy to Sew Lingerie, My Collection in Pink.

Sewing Lingerie

There are many Lingerie patterns around and lots of people seem to be wanting to try them but are scared to even start. The problem is they look fiddly and the list of haberdashery seems daunting. However if you look again at the instructions you will reconsider . It really is not that difficult to achieve amazing results.

 This is my collection in Pink. I made a slip out of Viscose cut on the bias, a Bra and two pairs of pants.
The fabric requirements are as follows,
Viscose fabric for the slip,
The viscose fabric and the cotton jersey for the pants were from MinervaCrafts Viscose dress fabric  and Cotton jersey fabric
The stretch laces, elastics  powernet and stretch mesh were from my own stash, but they are widely available. Minerva Crafts stock them too.
The bra findings are from Jaycotts.co.uk or MinervaCrafts
Bra underwires
Bra fasteners
Bra accessories
Shoulder strap elastic
Simplicity Underwired Bra and panties pattern
Butterick slip and panties pattern

Make a fabulous onesie for an 18" teenage doll

Make a super-cute onesie for your 18" doll

What a fantastic little outfit this is . The pattern  is Kwik Sew 3966 available from 

Jaycotts.co.uk

A Toddler Dress and Dolls dress

Every little girl would love her doll to be dressed the same as her. In this post I am going to show you how to do a simple "pattern hack" in order to make a straight dress using the basic top pattern and the skirt pattern.  It is very easy to do and means that you can make even more garments from your
pattern.
first though we are going to make the Child's dress

You will find lots of suitable patterns in the children section of pattern companies

With this blog post I want to discuss sewing for children

How to read a pattern and how to hand sew for beginners

Do you know how to read a pattern?

I am using a doll's pattern for an 18" doll as I would like you to know that children can sew too!


In this post we are going to take a look at what is inside the pattern envelope,and because not everybody will have access to a sewing machine I am going to show you how to do some hand sewing.
Preparation can be frustrating because we just want to get going and sew!  I understand that, I feel the same way sometimes but if you want good results it is important to get the basics right.

A dress for a little girl and her doll

Mother and daughter sew-along A jaycotts.co.uk post.

This is a fantastic opportunity to make your daughter a dress and at the same time she can make an identical one for her doll. This is a lovely pattern from Ellie May Designs for Mccalls Kwik Sew It is available from Jaycotts.co.uk KWIK SEW K221
There are other patterns

The pattern is fresh and modern and includes some very easy to do applique flowers on both the girls and the dolls dresses.

Parkinson's, Sewing and Me.

What is it like to be a young woman with Parkinsons?

With thanks to Jaycott.co.uk.

Please note that these tools are suitable for most disabilities, not just Parkinsons

Update 17 May 2020

To say that this has been a trying time is an understatement as anyone else living with a chronic illness or disability will know.

One day life was relatively normal - for us that is because our lives are not normal in your sense of the word.

We are controlled by a strict medication regime, by pain, by financial restrictions, and by extreme fatigue. By fatigue I don't mean just being tired , it is the sheer utter inability to move even when you know you have to. That is fatigue.  

Then when you go to bed,  sleep eludes you. 

For us there will be no release from Corona Virus lockdown for many months to come, we are still to be confined indoors, with no visitors not even family, for months. Imagine not seeing your beloved child for months, it's what I have to do and it's heartbreaking

The financial cost has doubled, yes there is online shopping and some lucky people receive food parcels - I don't. I have tried to do online shopping but the prices are higher, there is a delivery charge and even worse there is a minimum spend , which when you only need bread and milk is impossible. So I have to go to the shop and hardly anyone adheres to social distancing, they don't recognise invisible disabilities, and why should they, but it brings on so much anxiety we end up not going out. A

friends to help is what people say, well my response is that friends tend to be in the same situation, they too feel the strain of being unable to go out for basic necessities.

People are trying to help but they often are generous people who want to help but have no knowledge of what our needs really are so it is up to us to educate them.

 It's not their fault.

Please practice social distancing, the person you accidentally bump into may be chronically ill and more susceptible to this dreadful virus. And if you know someone who is disabled talk to them , see what they need. You might be surprised that what they need is nothing more than a bottle of a certain shampoo, which seems nothing to you but which brings some normality back to their daily life. It matters, we matter 

All about being a sewing blogger

I have been asked many times why I blog, do I get paid, what happens to the garments afterwards and lots more questions

The answers to these questions are in this video so please do watch it

It gives an insight into my life as  a Sewing Blogger
And will hopefully answer your questions.

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Cotton Gauze Summer dress

Cotton gauze summer dress 

This beautiful summer dress is made from a Double Cotton Gauze. If you have never sewn with it before then you really should try it. It is soft, lightweight and perfect for warm days . It is made from two very fine layers of pure cotton which are basted together every half inch or so in a grid pattern These stitches cannot be seen.
You cannot tell from the photographs but the leaves on the design are a shiny silver on blue. The overall effect of this beautiful fabric is one of elegance
I like this dress pattern very much. It is actually a wrap dress but there is the option of having it button through or with a tie belt.

The rest of this post and fabric and pattern details are on The Minerva Crafts Blogger Network on this link Cotton gauze summer dress 

I hope that you enjoy reading this post and that you decide to use this incredible fabric yourself

Angela

#Sewangelicthreads