Author Archives: sheilaokelly

Not so ‘secret seams’ – and the LB Pullover

I had been noticing people talking on social media about ‘secret seams’ – patching bits of fabric together to make sure there is minimal waste. Helen’s Closet Arden pants in needlecord Thinking of autumn/winter, I had cut out two Helen’s Closet Arden pants, one in the blue needlecord and one in the dark red andContinue reading “Not so ‘secret seams’ – and the LB Pullover”

Tessuti Amara vest top – loose tops can be hard to fit too!

This is the Amara Vest top from Tessuti fabrics.(https://www.tessuti-shop.com/collections/pattern-books/products/amara-vest-pattern-1). I think this Amara top is a great layering piece for autumn/winter, although I’m still messing around with the sizing. Altering the armhole The top goes from size 1 to size 4. I made the dark check one in size 3 first. But I realised whenContinue reading “Tessuti Amara vest top – loose tops can be hard to fit too!”

Chateau boiled wool jacket – quick, easy and snuggly

I never know until a new pattern is finished whether I’m going to like the finished garment. But when I tried this on I just thought ‘Oh, that’s gorgeous!’. It’s the Chateau jacket from the Sewing Workshop. https://sewingworkshop.com/shop/Chateau-p78679101 I had been wavering between this and the Muna and Broad Mallee jacket (https://www.broadintheseams.com/mallee-jacket-from-muna-and-broad/), also for boiledContinue reading “Chateau boiled wool jacket – quick, easy and snuggly”

Helen’s Closet Arden Pants number 2

Colour combinations can be tricky! I thought I was making my second pair of Helen’s Closet (https://helensclosetpatterns.com/product/arden-pants/) Arden pants to go with the stripey top, but it’s my least favourite of the three here. I made the blue and white striped top knowing I was going to be making these trousers, but I’m not sureContinue reading “Helen’s Closet Arden Pants number 2”

Helen’s Closet York pinafore – it’s all about the bias binding

Yay! This York Pinafore from Helen’s Closet worked out as I hoped. The fabric is linen canvas Ruby Star from http://www.craftystudio.ie I have made the York quite a few times so I didn’t need to look at the instructions. This for me is real Zen-zone sewing, when I can just get into the flow.Because IContinue reading “Helen’s Closet York pinafore – it’s all about the bias binding”

Helen’s Closet Arden Pants are a winner

I’m really happy with these Arden Pants from Helen’s Closet. I made a toile in a non-stretch fabric first (the blue) and while they fit well standing up, I found them too tight when sitting. For the final version, I used a 97% cotton, 3% spandex mix cotton sateen from http://www.craftystudio.ie and this has workedContinue reading “Helen’s Closet Arden Pants are a winner”

Muna and Broad Torrens Box top and Willandra Pants

Leila and Jess at Muna and Broad have been using some beautiful colour combos. For this outfit I totally copied @leila_sews with these versions of their Torrens Box top in red and Willandra pants in black. I made straight size ii in the trousers, just lengthening them 1” at the shorten lengthen line. The fitContinue reading “Muna and Broad Torrens Box top and Willandra Pants”