You know those sewing days where the one thing you use more than any other is the seam ripper? Yep, today was one of those. I battled on and have most of a finished top but I’ll refrain from showing it until I’ve finished the hems. I hate hemming. I’d like my next craft purchase to be a squadron of hemming elves who come out while I sleep and finish everything off. Not likely. I have got hold of a couple of things lately that have made life easier in other ways.

Wow. That’s a dull photo. But it’s of very exciting stuff, if you happen to get excited by interfacing, and boy, do i know some ladies who get excited by interfacing. This is knit interfacing. I never knew there was such a thing until the day I went to John Lewis and this was the only interfacing they had out. It was a bit more expensive than the normal stuff, but since you only really need it for facings and wotnot, it’s not getting used up in a hurry. It’s magical stuff, and essential if you’re sewing with knits, because it means the fabric still behaves like a knit.

Mmm. Pins. You can never have too many pins. I only just realised why these are called quilters pins. The pretty flower heads are flat, so you can slap your big ruler on top and rotary away. My word. Since a lot of bag making involves long straight lines I use the cutter a lot and round headed pins are just a big pain in the ass. As an added bonus these pins are super long too. Not cheap, but I guess you do get what you pay for.

So yes, four more sleeps til Japan, and I’m still trying to finish things to take with me. I planned it all ages ago, but you know plans – tricksy things…

I’ve been fighting off some sort of horrid lurgy the last couple of days and it’s made me irritable and unpleasant. As Mr J coughed and spluttered and blew his nose in a manner that was so irritating I could have throttled him, I decided that the best thing would be be remove myself to my sewing table and concentrate on the dress.

The things I do for my marriage.

One almost finished cosmopolitan dress (yes, my mirror is still dusty). I really really love it. It fits well, it’s really comfortable and the inset waist band with the ties gives me back some shape. I learnt a few things (and made notes for next time), mostly that I really needn’t have done the panama at all, or at least not quite as big. There is quite a lot of room up there anyway, and since it’s a knit it stretches… Ah well. For once I have a dress that isn’t either a tent or gaping across the front. I’m still pleased I attempted it since it flipped a switch in my head – patterns are a starting point, and if it doesn’t fit right out of the envelope that doesn’t mean I am a mutant woman thing. It’s a confidence booster too – look what I did to the pattern and I still got a wearable garment from it.

I’m definitely making this again, which makes the pattern cost well worth it.

I couldn’t have done it without my beloved DK Book of Sewing. It’s dry – oh so dry – but it has photos for every technique it describes, so you’re not left wondering what on earth the text might mean. The pattern says that the sleeves are ‘attached like a normal shirt sleeve’ so I flipped open my book to ‘attaching a shirt sleeve’ and had illustrated steps to follow.

The Fit for Real People book also arrived. The authors designed patterns for Vogue and McCalls, and make it sound perfectly normal that you’d mess about with the pattern: in fact it’s more than normal, it’s almost required. All of the adjustments have really good illustrations so I think I could stick my neck out and recommend it.

Oh and there’s one more thing I couldn’t have made the dress without…

In my defense it’s an ex-demonstrator model from SMD (still available at time of typing) and as such had almost 20% off. I was assured it had been checked over by the engineer, and it came with all the normal freebies, so I just went for it. Since it’s already seen action in neatening seams and finishing edges I can report that it works perfectly. Adventures in knit can continue.

So I said I wouldn’t try it, and then I realised that there would never be the perfect project, so after reading countless how-to’s and discovering umpteen methods I set at my pattern piece:

Slash and spread, baby. Terrifying. I’ve added width and length, and had to add a dart at the waist because it has to attach to the rest of the dress. I’m not sure I’ve done it the best way but it’s a way. The poor pattern piece looks like Frankenstein’s monster now:

At least if it doesn’t work I remember where I got the fabric…and just in case I do have to do it again, I’ve ordered the book that people seemed to refer to the most: Fit for Real People: Sew Great Clothes Using ANY Pattern Bold claims, indeed, but hopefully the contents are as good as they say.

You know, the trouble with this ‘hobby’ is that one thing almost certainly leads to another, and the more you sew, the deeper down the well you crawl, the higher the stash, the bigger the pile of books and equipment…

*This is what Mr J says I must call it from now on, having seen the Panama mannequins.

Finally! I have to say that wasn’t the quickest order process I’ve had from the US – far from it. It took almost two weeks from placing the order before they shipped, and then it took just over another week to arrive. On the plus side, no customs to pay, which is always nice. The patterns themselves also go a long way to making me happy with the company again (and I am). Like Onion patterns these are printed on thick white paper rather than tissue, which makes handling and using them so much easier and a hundred times more pleasant (big 4 take note!). The instructions are just printed onto A4, and there are no illustrations at all, so this might be scary if you’d never made a single garment in your life. Having said that there are times when I’ve stared and stared and stared at the illustrations on commercial patterns and come away more confused, so maybe it’s no bad thing.

The pattern you can’t see in the picture at all is the plain and simple A line and pencil skirt – skirts are easy, pencil skirts are everywhere in the shops, and this one has optional lining, which I’ve never done before, so I’ll be able to push my boundaries if I want to. The Weekender Sunshine tops have had good reviews, and it looks like it could be a good staple, if I can get the fit right. It’s a t-shirt that’s more than a t-shirt, if you see what I mean.

This is really what prompted the order in the first place. The Deco Vibe Cosmopolitan dress. Ah. Pretty. I know I seem obsessed with wrap type dresses, and that’s because I am. I already know that I won’t be making the New Look one again (at least not until next summer) and this one has different neckline, skirt length and sleeve options. It’s mixy matchy. Put together the dress you like the look of most…This appeals to me because it’s like making up your own pattern but without having to do the drafting.

Reviews of this dress seem to be universal in approval, though some people say it comes up big. Given that, and the stretchiness of the jersey I have to make my practice dress, I’ve decided to make the size that fits the rest of me and not the bangers (as Gok would call ‘em apparently) instead of the other way around. I’m not going to attempt a full bust adjustment because I’m making the wrap version and I figure it will either stretch enough or I can wear something underneath.

Another factor in deciding to go for it is that there is a lot of advice about making this dress out there:

Scarf sleeves – mitred hem
Adding a band to the neckline
Using clear elastic to keep the neckline snug to your body
Cuff directions and a great review
Leaving off the neck facings (and two nice versions to look at!)

With all of that to digest I just want to leave you with one more link that made me howl with laughter – Cidell’s visiting her parents in Panama…

On Saturday we had a re-run of Crafternoon™ whereby me, Helen, Lisa and Florence giggle our way around central London and try not to buy things we weren’t intending to…

I did pretty well. This is the sum total of things I didn’t mean to buy: one remnant, far too nice to pass up, which is destined to become messenger bags; one spool of ribbon, because it is nice and was only one english pound; one flexible curve, which I have discovered is a complete gem in tracing off patterns, never mind drafting your own.

I found the ribbon in a new to us shop called All the Fun of the Fair, which is just off Carnaby Street. It’s mostly about the yarn side of things (I love those cacti) but it does have some notions and a nice selection of cute buttons. It seems like a nice shop, with friendly staff so I’ll try to keep it in mind when I’m button hunting – I hate the idea of little ventures failing for lack of footfall.

After we’d had a good long lunch, as if we were properly French, and then looked at the entire craft section in Borders, we ended up in the bar in Waterstones again, taking far too many photos in far too many configurations, like the bloggers we are.

Ah, the internets. Made of awesome.

Nothing like a bit of hero worship. I went into town today to meet the one and only Amy Butler, in Liberty. She was sitting next to a display table covered in samples and copies of her new book, which is why I was so surprised when she stood up – man, that woman is tall! Anyway, being slightly nervous I talked way too much* and now she knows way more about my travel plans and my fabric obsession than she needs to, and of course I was wearing the new bag so I flashed the lining at her in a fan type way, which may or may not have been a bit weird. You know what though? She’s really lovely. And tall. But mostly just a very nice person who happens to design all my favourite fabrics.

(*I did the exact same thing when I met Douglas Coupland and David Mitchell. I should learn to listen to the voice in my head shouting ‘shut up already!’)

Afterwards I had a coffee and then wound my way down to a new to me shop of goodness:

I read about this on Fehr Trade but couldn’t remember going past it – it’s just around the corner from the Cloth House on Noel Street. It has notions and trimmings, bag handles and buttons, pipe cleaners and fabric dye, and a lot of interfacing. Including some new Vilene stuff I’d never seen before that looks tough but flexible. I left only with some purple thread and a magic stick of iron cleaner made by Vilene, which means I am certainly not the only one to leave her iron covered in brown ick.

And then I sat in Trafalgar Square and watched the finals of the eventing on the big screen. I’m taken by these Olympics, maybe a little too much – I got a little teary when the German dentist took the individual gold. A grand day out all told.

Oh and the book? It’s super-cute, and I need to steal a baby to make wee things for.

This is the bag that has been buzzing around my head for a good few months now. It exists in the world (and you have no idea how many swearings that took) and I can take it on holiday. The construction of it taxed my little brain, and I did make a mistake in the maths of the lining but I think I can be forgiven, given what I was attempting…

I’ve made a dividing zipped pocket across the middle, and the two sections are different sizes. The back section is narrow and fits a paperback (think guidebook!) and my notebook (think moleskine!), while the front is fat enough for my purse. In the past I’ve been obsessed by trying to fit A4 into everything I make which is limiting in the kinds of bags you can make, and it uses acres of fabric. I decided to abandon that, but I had to be able to fit in my moleskine – I’ve been carrying one around for years and it just wouldn’t be right to have to leave it at home. It’s a perfect size, frankly.

The fabrics, by the way, are an Amy Butler print and some charcoal cashmere that was left to me by an Italian friend when she went back to Italy. There is now just one tiny scrap left, but I think I’ve made the best use of it. The silverware looks brilliant too, but it got too dark to take even a crappo picture so I’ll do that tomorrow. It’s not just decorative though – the sliding handle moves far enough up to turn this messenger into a shoulder bag. Oh yes. And there’s a zip pocket on the back panel for easy access to one’s travel card. Oh yes. But it is dark now, so I’ll flickr photos another day.

Goodness I completely love it.

Where did July go? I was just getting into it…

I said I had a plan for the summer, and that plan was to enjoy every single one of the 12 weeks before I went to Japan, with no worrying about what I was going to do when I grow up or anything like that. I’m doing pretty well, with only a week or so of panic about my general direction in life (fairly good going for me) but now there are less than four weeks until I go away, and I still haven’t been to the Globe, or a prom, or made a pilgrimage to my old neighbourhood for bread from the Turkish bakers. It’ll be okay – I’ll make a list, and then I’ll have to check things off, because I find lists compelling like that.

I’ve been improving other things aside from my general well-being. Like bag patterns. I spent a good deal of time at the weekend talking about bags, thinking about fabric, doing the sums, and making pattern pieces. It’s not so much of an improvement as a completely new thing, but making things up from scratch makes me excited about sewing. No sneak peeks for this one. No sir. This one you can see when it’s done.

The house is due some improving attention too. We went to B&Q, for paint and repair plaster. The amazing thing was getting Mr Joleo into the car – he hates cars. Plus he gets flustered as a navigator, so he’s not much help there either. The improvement is of course a sat nav. This is a gadget, which means he is automatically happy, and it does the scary part of figuring out where we are and where we ought to be, so all he needs to do is look at it. I should have bought one years ago.

Lastly, an improvement in supermarkets. I had a day out at Whole Foods in Kensington. That wasn’t the intended day out, but that’s what happened. It’s like a food theme park for grown ups; me and my friend were both in heaven. You can mix your own muesli, and grind your own coffee. I find that fun. Seriously. But the best thing is that it has a wine bar right there on the shop floor, next to the cheese counter. So we sat and had a glass of wine, and watched a couple kissing in one of the aisles for ten minutes. That doesn’t happen in Tesco, I can tell you…

I love ebay. I love it a lot. This week I sold some of the crap I’ve had lying about the house, like a pair of shoes that pinched but I bought anyway and then only wore twice, and the little red filofax I bought thinking I might stop scribbling things down on bits of paper except I could never remember to carry the thing around with me, and some old patterns bought cheap and then either made once or never made. I get points for always tracing the pattern off there…

Sooo, after fees and wotnot, I ended up with £70. Best spend some of that straight away, lest it gets lost in bank accounts doing sensible things like buying food. If you’ve been paying attention then you’ll guess what’s coming next… cosmoplitan dress, simple skirt and weekender top. I figured that if I’m going to make clothes then I might as well make things I really like. I’m so excited by the dress and have the idea that I’ll make it in a fabric like this deep eggplant jersey and only wish I could afford the international shipping ($48! for those of you who are interested).

The other things I’ve bought this week are hotels. Well, nights in a room in a hotel, rather than the whole thing. These hotels are extra special because they’re in Kyoto and Tokyo. Four weeks to go! I’m so excited now I know we have somewhere to sleep. This ryokan in Kyoto looks lovely from the website (love those english translations!) and I’m so glad we we managed to get a couple of nights in it. This set a precedent of bed hopping, so although we’re staying in two cities we have four hotels, but it makes sense – no two areas of London are the same after all.

Speaking of London, if you’re going to visit or even if you live here these audio guided tours look great – I haven’t tried them yet, but I plan on it. I’ve been out walking quite a bit while the weather is good, planning bags I want to make for myself in my head. My craft desk is currently covered in different material while I try to make some sort of decision, but aren’t they sometimes so difficult? Don’t you worry, I’ll plough on but it might be a while before I finally get going with my carry on bag.

It’s a stitch for knits on my Janome, and I have come to like it a lot, despite the acres of thread it uses. This weekend, in between mopping my too too hot brow I’ve been making New Look 6674. Oh, you remember – it’s the wrap dress I already had in my stash that stopped me buying that Hot Patterns one instead.

Look, here it is.

Now I do love that fabric, but the dress has come up a bit shapeless for my liking. I’m no waif but I do have some shape under there, and the pattern seemed to promise some. After a look about the interweb, I figured out my problem. My bust measurement indicates a much larger size than the rest of me – about two sizes up in actual fact, so with the worry that I might fall out of it I made the larger size. But this doesn’t help, because as I now know, sizes are made with a B cup in mind, so not only have I got excess baggage around the middle, but the bust doesn’t sit quite right. The Sewing Divas set me straight…

Apparently, and correct me if I’m wrong, what I need to be doing with my patterns is choosing a size based on the rest of me and performing a Full Bust Adjustment. This sounds almost surgical, and is obviously going to be difficult and frustrating to learn.

(And there I thought making my own clothes would be the answer to clothing manufacturers assumptions of averageness among women…)

On the plus side, if not particularly flattering, it is at least light and comfortable, and since it’s 30 degrees (or roughly 85 if you aren’t metric) inside my house – and I know because I keep going to look at the thermostat – perhaps I should just be grateful and not worry about my disappeared waist.