What I made in 2025

 So... I made four skirts all to the same design - two lengths of fabric cut straight and seamed, with the top folded over and elastic threaded through, and of course pockets.  Two are gingham, one is Liberty Tana Lawn and one is quilting cotton - all fabrics from stash.

I also made three dresses - all Tessuti Felicias in linen in chartreuse, orange and a check one which is much more blue than it appears in the photo.  The orange linen I bought in Paris, the chartreuse linen I bought on Etsy a while ago and the check is Faro linen from Merchant & Mills.

I finished one cardigan which I'd started knitting in December 2023 from a pattern I'd bought in April 2018.  I bought it because I loved the design on the sleeves, but they turned out to be a real faff to knit in the round on 9" circs, and nigh impossible to unpick any mistakes and correct them easily, so I gave up and just knitted stocking stitch sleeves instead.  Yarn is 100% lace wool from Wollmeise.

The photo is lying, the sleeves are the same length as each other 😉. 

I don't think I'll be knitting any more round necked cardigans, I think v-necks are more useful.

In the works, a cardigan based on this pattern which I made a few years ago, with the wool from this jumper which I unravelled, steamed and reskeined because I just didn't wear it.  However, this version is in stocking stitch only - theoretically for quickness but it's actually taking me ages to knit because I haven't been prioritising it.

Me-made May 2025 (and 2021)

Another long gap with no blogging...

I decided to sign up for this again having not done so since 2021 - along with life and the world in general the contents of my wardrobe have changed quite a bit since then so I thought it would be interesting to see if what I would choose to wear had changed.

My pledge was to finish a skirt, make two more and one dress, plus get an ME2016 cut out, if not sewn up.  I also had a cardigan which I'd started knitting in December 2023 and wanted to get finished.

I took outfit photos on the days when I wore something me-made. 

Details here, here, here, here, here & here

Details here, here, here, here & here

Details here, here & here

Details here, here, here & here

Details here, here, here & here

I actually ended up making four skirts and three dresses and did finish the cardigan (I've written about them here).  However I didn't cut out the ME2016 (still haven't, hoping to get that made this year).  By the end of it I thought I would make some more fit and flare dresses although that hasn't happened (yet).  In fact I haven't sewn anything since.

And looking at the above photos there isn't really much change in the style of what I wore in 2025 from what I wore in 2021 - which I can see I didn't write about here at the time, but did record on instagram, so here is a quick summary.  I pledged to make three dresses (only made two, but did cut out the third and finished it in June) and to wear something me-made on every working day - only 13 days due to bank holidays and taking annual leave.  Some dresses which I wore in 2021 I wore again in 2025, some I've since passed on.  And May 2021 was clearly colder than May 2025 because there are a few handknits here (and a couple of rtw dresses - the first two in the batch of four photos).

Details here & here

Details here, here, here & here

Details here, here, here & here

Details here, here, here, here & here

Two Liberty Tana Lawn Know Me ME2016 dresses

I finally succumbed to buying this pattern after seeing so many versions on Instagram of it that I liked - there was a bit of a palaver with the purchase though.  I bought it from Sew Direct earlier in the year and when I took the pattern tissue out of the envelope to lay on the fabric ready to cut out I noticed several of the pieces had bits of printing missing - both grainlines and cutting lines.  I have never had this happen with any pattern I have ever bought over decades of pattern buying.  So I emailed Sew Direct to ask for a replacement and had to wait a while for one to arrive from the USA, because it turned out that all their UK stock had the same problem.

Both are made from 3m lengths of Tana Lawn which I had in my stash.  This wasn't enough fabric to make the skirt supplied with the pattern, so they have two full widths of fabric gathered, and inseam pockets.

The first dress I made was a straight size 14 and it's a bit on the roomy side, although the pattern is so busy that it doesn't really notice.  As well as changing the skirt, I cuffed the sleeves rather than use elastic - I find that elasticated short sleeves don't stay put when I move my arms and that bugs me, so I used the sleeve cuff band from my copy of Fibremood Judy pattern instead and I'm happy with how the sleeves look and feel. 

For the second version I cut a size 12 and didn't bother to line the bodice.  I also cut the neckline a bit lower - partly because I bound it with bias binding so it didn't need a 5/8" seam allowance, but also to actually make it a bit lower - about an inch or so I think.

I love these dresses, partly because the fabric is so gorgeous to sew with and to wear, but also because I love the style.

Still here... a quick catch-up on the last two years

 Well... long time no see.  Two and a bit years since I've written anything here.  Both the knitting and the sewing have slowed down a lot partly because, despite regular wardrobe culls, I've really got enough clothes, and partly because I've been doing other things with my time (and money).

However, last weekend I went to the Stitch Festival at the Business Design Centre in London hoping to kickstart my sewing mojo (it has, I have plans...).  It was a very enjoyable visit, not crowded which was a blessing, even pre-Covid I was not a fan of crowded enclosed spaces.  I bought three lengths of fabric for dresses (left to right Dolores cotton lawn from Fabric Godmother, Saffron Flower Sienna viscose/linen also from Fabric Godmother and Cebolla Garden Liberty Tana lawn, an Althea McNish design, from Sewbox).

a dress pattern from Tessuti

I've made their Felicia and Lisa dresses so am hoping this will be as straightforward.  I also bought some bias binding to go with the Sienna fabric - I'm pretty certain this will become another Anna Allen Demeter dress - and a circular knitting needle which I think I'll probably need for my current knitting project when it gets to the stage of joining the sleeves to the body of the cardigan.

Looking back, since I last wrote I have knitted a couple of things - a cardigan which I started in February 2021 and didn't finish until January 2023

based on this pattern.

I knitted the body in one piece up to the armholes and after using one skein of the yarn, despite having the right tension, it looked much too big so I unravelled it and started again - one of the reasons for the delay in finishing, I was fed up with it.  I also did plain top down sleeves, by the time it got to them I just wanted it finished and couldn't be bothered to knit patterned sleeves, seam them and sew them in.

I've also knitted a jumper which didn't take so long!  I started in August last year and finished in November.  I wanted an easy knit from stash and this was it.  I've knitted four versions of this design (here, here, here and here) over the years and they wash and wear very well.  I've worn this a few times recently - it's definitely a jumper for spring because of the colours - and it's been really miserable weatherwise.

I'm currently knitting a cardigan on 2.5mm needles, so I don't imagine that will be ready until next spring.

On the sewing front I made four dresses in 2022 - two Bardons (the teal one is linen from Merchant & Mills, the yellow check one is cotton from Minerva),

one Demeter (linen from Merchant & Mills)

and a mash up of Simplicity 2886 and 1801 with Liberty Tana lawn.

I also altered two which I love but wasn't wearing because I now prefer a longer length (original versions here and here).  Fortunately I had some leftover fabric for both of them.

There was no sewing at all last year and I find I'm missing it, so with a couple of bank holidays coming up in May, I should be able to make some time to sew.  Probably not this weekend though as the garden is in desperate need of a tidy up!

Me made May week 1 round-up

Well, I need to catch up here, it's already day 23 of me-made May!  So, without further delay, rewind to the beginning of the month.

1 May - Roses are Red dress and Sam Stewart cardigan.  I blogged about the dress here, but the cardigan I only finished last month and it will get its own post later.  This was the first time I'd worn this dress this year - it's not really one I would wear in the winter so I'm very glad that Spring is here because I love it!

Day 1 - Roses are Red dress and Sam Stewart cardigan

 2 May - Pink tape measures dress and Shell Pink cardigan.  I wrote about the dress here, and the cardigan here and here.  This cardigan is lovely and warm, although it has pilled a bit...

Day 2 - Pink tape measures dress and Shell Pink cardigan

3 May - Noro cardigan and jeans - which won't fit on Myrtle so they didn't get photographed.  It was flippin' cold and this cardigan is nice and warm!  I haven't blogged about it because I made it back in 2012, before I started writing this blog.  It's just a basic stocking stitch cardigan really - not much more to say about it than that!

Cardigan made with Noro Silk Garden yarn

4 May - Dotty Anna dress and Pecan Primrose cardigan.  Dress blogged here, and cardigan here.  I really like both of these - separately and together!

Day 4 - Dotty Anna dress and Pecan Primrose cardigan

5 May - Garden Birds dress and Blue Palm Leaf cardigan.  Dress blogged here, and cardigan blogged here.  It says something about the weather we had at the beginning of the month that I was wearing wool cardigans rather than lighter weight rtw ones.

Day 5 - Garden Birds dress and Blue Palm Leaf cardigan

6 May - Paper Roses Cambie dress and Sam Stewart cardigan.  Again.  Dress blogged here.  I am so pleased with this cardigan - it goes with quite a lot of my dresses!

Day 6 - Paper Roses Cambie and Sam Stewart cardigan

7 May - Pink Polka Dot Butterick 5748 and an rtw cardigan - the weather must have been warmer!  Dress is blogged here.

Pink Polka Dot Butterick 5748 and rtw cardigan

And there we have it - a week's worth of outfits; only two more catch-up me-made May posts to go!

Autumn and winter sewing plans

My sewing plans for the next few months are to make up dresses in the following

Purple tape measures - a shirtdress (although not sure which pattern yet), John Lewis purple bricks - at the moment I'm thinking a Simplicity 2444 with a stand up collar and long sleeves.

Tape measures and bricks

Khaki polka dot fabric - another shirtdress, olive atomic fabric - something with a fitted bodice, long sleeves and a straight skirt, mustard keys - not sure yet, but something with long sleeves and not too many seams to break up the pattern.

Olive atomic, mustard keys and khaki polka dots

Viva Frida fabric - still undecided on pattern for this one.  The brown and blue floral and the turquoise roses are, I think, destined to be made up with 60s patterns.

Viva Frida, brown & blue floral and turquoise roses

 
The sunflower fabric I absolutely love, and I think I'll save this to make up when we have some grey, gloomy days in the depths of winter - which I'm sure we will - and it will cheer me up as I sew.  Not sure of pattern, but maybe an Emery.  The resin beads fabric (I've called it this because that's what it reminds me of) will be a Simplicity 3774. 

Sunflowers and resin beads

Then  there are three Liberty fabrics which my mother has had for years and now they are mine!  The yellow floral one is voile and has a real 40s vibe to it I think, so I'll almost certainly use a 40s, or 40s inspired pattern for it.  The other two are Tana lawn - there is enough of the top one to make a dress - maybe a 40s pattern again, but the turquoise one will probably become a blouse because I don't think there's enough for a dress.

Liberty fabrics

I'd also like to make some separates.  The two fabrics below are destined to become skirts although I haven't decided on pattern(s) yet, and I'd like to make some shirts and blouses, but haven't decided which patterns to match with which fabrics, and in fact, to start with, I might just practise by using up some of my left overs - I like the way Rochelle New mixes and matches the fabrics she uses.

Trees and ferns

I realise that even without the knitting this is almost certainly far too ambitious to get through in six months, but ever the optimist I'd like to think I'll get at least some of this done.  And I can come back to this post next spring and see just how much I managed to make (or not!)

Paper Roses at Kew Gardens

I've just had a fabulous day out at Kew Gardens - the weather was beautiful, proper summer heat and sunshine and the place was blissfully uncrowded.  I discovered parts of the garden which I've never seen before - and I've visited on and off since childhood.  I must have walked miles!

More about Kew in a bit, first the Paper Roses part.  I wore a Cambie dress which I made this summer - my second.  I bought the fabric, a Liberty Tana lawn called Paper Roses, from Fabrics Galore at the Stitching Show at Olympia in March this year.  I went to the show with my sister and we had a thoroughly enjoyable time there.  This is the first time I've sewn with Tana lawn (I think, I don't remember sewing with it when I was younger, although I do remember my mother making us dresses from it when we were little) and I'm smitten.  It is a delight to sew with and a delight to wear.  There will be more in my sewing future!

Paper Roses A-line Cambie

I made the A-line skirt version and it took about 1.5 metres of fabric, so pretty economical.  I cut a size smaller than the first one I made last year, which didn't fit particularly well and which I have since unpicked to recut and resew.  I also moved the shoulder straps in by half an inch towards the centre front.

I love the fact that the fabric has scissors in with the roses - makes me smile!

Liberty Tana lawn Paper Roses (and scissors)

And now back to Kew...

This is outside the Princess of Wales glasshouse - yes cacti outside in September.

Outside the Princess of Wales glasshouse

Inside the palm house - I made the mistake of walking up the spiral stairs to the walkway which goes around the top of the glasshouse - won't do that again unless it's winter, it was really hot up there!

Inside the palm house

One of ten statues outside the palm house - this is the Unicorn of Scotland and photographing this particular one seemed apt since today the people of Scotland are voting on independence.

The Unicorn of Scotland

The waterlily house

The waterlily house

And a particularly beautiful waterlily

Waterlily

Then there were roses,

Rosa Lady of Shalott

and orchids,

Orchids

 

 

carnivorous plants

Maybe a sarracenia, the label was hidden

and a traditional Japanese house (a minka) which has been there since 2001 and which I'd never seen before.

Minka

Minka

And finally the parterre behind Kew Palace.

Parterre behind Kew Palace

All in all it was a wonderful day.