Hello again! I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has messaged, sent love and thought about me in my absence. I'm pleased to say I'm currently doing well and looking forward to sewing {and blogging} more regularly again.  I'm really happy to introduce the Nottingham Top to you along with my Mountain View Jeans I made a few weeks ago.  The Nottingham is the newest pattern by Itch to Stitch and the Mountain View Jeans are a fairly recent one of theirs too.  Nottingham is a lovely quick sew for jersey fabrics, with just 4 pattern pieces ad looks far more complicated than it is to sew.  In the past week I've made 3 and I'm only sewing an hour or so a day at the moment!

Those of you who have been following me a while will certainly not be surprised to see the first one I made was in a floral fabric! I bought this pretty viscose lycra at Kingston Fabricland in March and love how it turned out for this. It has plenty of stretch, beautiful drape and good recovery and it was the first of my stash fabrics which called to me having seen this pattern and even better that it perfectly matched my new pink jeans! 

The pattern includes 3 sleeve options (elbow, long and butterfly flutter) a round neck and is relaxed in fit through the body but with slim sleeves.  I chose the elbow length for this one as I knew it would make a pretty summer top.

Like all Itch to Stitch patterns, the sizing is US 00-20 (31-46" bust, 33-48" hips) and is a printable PDF pattern.  An A0 version is included if you prefer to skip the taping and get a copy shop to print full size for you however the pages all went together perfectly when printed 100% on my laser printer and I'd already sewn my first one {bar hemming} within an hour from downloading the pattern!  

I'm really enjoying taking part in blog tours this year, they are pushing me to create and try sewing some things I probably wouldn't have thought about before.

​Today I'm excited to be included in the Lulu & Celeste, Sprouting JubeJube Productions Back to School Tour now I hear you saying, "but don't you home educate?!" and yes, yes I do but we still have several groups which take a break over the summer and restart in Autumn time along with the need to change wardrobes for the new seasons weather.

Here in the UK, the Autumnal weather is wind, intermittent and unpredictable rain and temperatures. We spend a LOT of time outdoors so waterproofs and layers feature heavily for us.

I'm super excited by this outfit, It's just perfect for going to his forest group, walking through the countryside or even just playing out in the garden and I can't hide it from you any longer so here it is!

In my opinion, everybody needs a pair of classic tailored formal occasion or work appropriate pair of trousers in their wardrobe.  There isn't always time to make or buy a pair when needed so having them there, ready in case, seems logical to me!  With that, I introduce you to my newest pair! A pinstripe version make with the new North Point Trousers pattern from Itch to Stitch. Complete with all the necessary features including, single welt back pockets, slanted front pockets, zipper fly and hooks, belt loops and blind hems, they're the perfect pattern in my opinion for the job!

I'm not going to lie, these took a while to make! There are 29 pages to print and assemble (although they're trim pages and line up so well, that it's really not a chore at all!) and then the cutting of the fabric before embarking on a 79 step construction BUT I believe it is totally worth it for the quality, finish and fit of the final trousers. 

Ever since I made my Husband his football shirt from the Bram raglan pattern, he has been asking for some joggers to go with them, mostly because his legs are much longer than all the store bought ones fit and also because he wanted to be able to get them on and off over his shorts, boots and shin pads.  He practically brought me my machine and fabric when I asked if he liked the style of these from Wardrobe by Me, even when I told him he'd need to model them for release photos and here! So here they are, modelled with his Bram!

With well drafted sewing patterns for wovens becoming harder to find as the preferred jersey knit patterns seem to be increasing in popularity, I was happy to see Itch to Stitch's new pattern was another designed for wovens! I have to admit, I was just a little outside my comfort zone on this one as I've never worn a jumpsuit before, so I signed up for testing out the dress version only but a combination of curiosity and trust in the designer led me to trying the jumpsuit too! AND I'm glad I went with it as it's opened up a whole new avenue to explore and create with this Summer! 

A unique cross between joggers, loungewear and workwear, the Tierras Woven Joggers* have just been released from Itch to Stitch* and they are totally brilliant! I've made 2 pairs in completely different fabrics, I'll only be showing you 1 pair as they weren't final version pattern but I'll talk about them because the fabric is definitely one to consider which you may not have.  I'm looking forward to wearing my Tierra's in the summer as a great alternative to dresses whilst also being light and breezy, keep an eye on my blog as I've plans to make some new tops to go with these in the upcoming weeks as well!

My little men have recently had a bit of a growth spurt and one of the things they are majorly lacking in is PJ's that fit and they picked some fabric they wanted for some several weeks ago, so when the tester call for this lounge set came out I really had no excuse not to make some for them! They like to match quite a lot so I decided to make them from the same fabric and colours and use slightly different versions so they matched but weren't exactly the same!

My regular readers may have noticed I've been quiet around here for a few weeks, not because I haven't been sewing but because I've been so busy I haven't had time to blog about it all!  We've had lots of family time and a holiday around my Brother's wedding and just making the most of the {super short} nice weather period we get here in UK!

A great kick-starter back to blogging was seeing a call for this EYMM Back to School Tour: Mom's Edition blogtour*. My children are home educated so they aren't technically 'back to school' now but still, Autumn is quickly rolling in and slowing down now from the Summer and hey, any excuse to sew something nice for myself, right?

Following the ladies Swim & Surf shorts, the designer wanted a quick refresh of her Jasper Joggers pattern for woven fabrics.  I knew these would be great for my boys for the Summer and they looked so versatile so I went for it and here they are, my first but certainly not last pair of Jasper Joggers!  PS....read all the way to the end for a chance to win yourself a copy!

I saw a call asking for some additional testers for the last rounds of testing for these shorts on Tuesday.  They were called boardshorts but are designed to be made in any medium to heavy weight woven fabric so I could see the potential for everyday wear shorts from the pattern too and I had the perfect fabric ready and waiting in my stash.....this is what I went on to make on Tuesday evening!