Comfort Zone

I know I have been sewing for more years than I care to remember but I have always kept within my comfort zone. Now I am looking at different blogs and doing my research on the internet I am wanting to try new techniques...I have always lined my trousers the normal way (making a full lining the same way as the trousers and joining them together at the waist) there isn't anything wrong with that I just want to try something different. So with these summer cotton and linen trousers I am going to underline them......I am going to underline them with silk organza (which costs more than the fashion fabric) to 2" below the knee. Now most blogging people just line the front with silk organza but what happens to the back of my trousers if I get a saggy bum.....so I have decided to underline the back as well.

New project

I am going to use this silk organza for the lining. I don't know whether to just line the front to the knee or line the back as well. Claire Shaeffer advisers you to do the front to the knee but doesn't mention the back....I will have to think about that one.
I have washed and pressed this fabric the same way as I washed the main fabric....the instructions on the fabric say to dry clean it but it has washed and pressed beautifully.....so I have this to cut out and mark, I will then sew the darts separately then put the two fabrics together and treat them as one.

This is the pattern I am using, I have used it a couple of times before to make tailored trousers. This pattern has been altered to fit me and I really like the fit of these trousers so I can just get straight on and make them without having to alter a pattern which takes me ages. Anyway these trousers are going to be more of a relaxed fit with no creases. I have straightened the ends, washed and pressed the fabric and line dried it, that is the way the trousers will be washed I won't put them in the drier.

I am making a pair of beige trousers for my next project. The fabric is a cotton and linen mix which I bought last year and never got round to making up. I know these are going to crease like mad but that is part and parcel of natural fibres. As you can see I have already cut the trousers out of the fashion fabric, this is the front you can see, I marked the crotch, knee and grain lines as well as marking the darts and the position of the fly front, I also marked the seam lines and waist line with tailor tacks.

Blogging

I read lots of blogs, most of them are about sewing, and I really enjoy them and I am amazed at the amount of people who get sick of sewing and seem to feel guilty about it. This is a time consuming business and if you have a full time job as well, which most of the ladies do, I just don't know how they fit sewing time in. Some of these ladies turn out the most fabulous work but are never satisfied with the results.
Over the years I have learnt not to rush my work but to slow down and enjoy it and make every garment count. I am not fashion conscious anymore, I like classic clothes that mix and match with each other and which will last me for years, with my lifestyle I don't need a lot of clothes but I value the clothes that I make because of all of the hard work that has gone into them. I know it is fabulous to run up a couple of garments in a weekend but what happened to slowing down and enjoying your hobby.....so what if it takes a few weeks to turn out a garment as long as you have enjoyed it and really appreciate the work that has gone into it.

Finished blouse

I look a little bit serious in the is one.....front view tailored trousers, black camisole and strappy sandals. I tried to show how versatile this feminine little blouse is unfortunately my photographs aren't very good but you get the idea.
I have enjoyed this project but I am glad it is finished, beige cotton trousers next, I'm sure this blouse will go with them as well.

Tailored trousers and strappy sandals.

Sorry for falling asleep on this one lol lol......this isn't a very good photograph, another pair of brown cotton trousers that I have had forever, a brown camisole and diamonte sandals.

Here is the finished blouse with a white camisole and cotton trousers I made a few years ago.

Spring

This beautiful specimen is in the corner of my garden ( I have no idea what it is called ) but I love it. Every Spring I am amazed at it's beautiful white blossoms, the birds seem to love it as well, they perch in it and preen themselves and sing till their hearts content. It is really far too big to be in such a small garden but I don't care, I just love it.

This is the Acer in my garden just coming into leaf. I have two of them, just outside the kitchen window, in huge pots. We only have a small garden so I have to contain their growth. They are my pride and joy, when I bought them they were like little twigs and very expensive, I nurtured them and now they are quite beautiful in full growth and very ornamental.
As far as my blouse is concerned I have the second sleeve tacked in and ready to machine then there is just the bottom and sleeve hems to do......I think I am going to hem them by hand.

Buttons

Other sleeve isn't in yet but it is cut out and tacked together ready to go in.

One sleeve is in.

These are the first two buttons I have done.......I knew these loop buttonholes weren't right, I have had to make them smaller with little tiny slip stitches. I followed the pattern to the letter (twice by the way) and they are still not right.....if you don't get the size of these loops right the fronts won't come together properly....it is a good job I am making a camisole to go under this because my fronts don't meet exactly lol lol.

These are the buttons for my top, I covered them with the same fabric.