White Leather Bag

Past summer I enrolled Don Morin's course in Craftsy: Making Leather Bags. I am thrilled about everything I learnt! Did you know that only with some supplies we can sew leather at home, with our domestic machine? Let me explain you about it...
 I didn't like the pattern Don was offering, so I made my own pattern and tried to apply everything I had learnt during the course. My experience with Craftsy online courses is that it is better to watch them while sewing something easy, and start the project once I have watched the whole course.
I found some cheap goat leather in the internet. We can find leather bargains in the internet, specially small pieces.
To start, I bought all the tools I was going to need to complete my project. A self-healing mat, a rotary cutter, a Teflon foot, hand and machine sewing needles special for leather, double sided mounting tape, and since I couldn't find the cold rubber tape Don was using, I substituted it for some surgical tape (made of clothing, it performs the function of preventing leather form stretching when sewn):

As Don recommended, I started by doing a mock up bag in felt. It proved to be helpful, because I changed the measures, and then used it as pattern to cut the lining and leather.

Secondly I proceeded to cut the lining and its interfacing:

Then I made a zipper pocket with its bag, and on the opposite side, I sew a rectangle and divided it into two pockets for phone, etc.

I reserved the lining for later. I cut the leather on the self-healing mat with the rotary cutter. I practiced with some scraps first, and I missed some metal ruler, but I got quite nice cut pieces at the end.
The first thing I sewed was the handles. I put some felt inside for them to be thicker. It took some essay and error to adjust my machine to make good stitches with the thick nylon thread I used, but I managed to do an acceptable job after all:

 Then I put the surgical tape all around the pieces of the bag, and applied the double-sided mounting tape on top of it before sewing two pieces together. Since we cannot use pins or basting with leather, we put the two pieces to be sewn together with this tape. Avoid putting it in the needle's path, we don't want the glue stuck in in the needle.

I sewed the two lateral pieces, stoping in every corner, then taking the thread to one side and knotting them up, since we cannot go backwards with the machine when sewing leather.

I measured the complete lenght of the bag opening and then finished the lining (with mitered corners) and its leather belt on top, which had to be the same lenght as the bag opening. I attached some magnetic fastener in the middle of this leather piece. I sewed one side at a time, previously applying double sided tape, and knotting the treads together after sewing each of the four sides:

And this is the final result. It is a lovely white leather bag, just as I had imagined it, but winter has come, and this project, planned in summer, will have to wait in my wardrbe for the sunny months ahead: 

Pink-Trimmed Black Dress

Eva Hache was the inspiration for this project. I had some elastic cotton in my stash waiting to become a classic dress. On the other hand, I had my faboulous Swedish Hasbeens, which are so confortable and so beautifully pink, so it was a total call for me. I found the pink trim and some pink buttons in a sewing supplies store in Lleida, and started to make the dress.

I decided to use the top of my 1958 Simplicity Pattern. This is the third time I use this pattern, it is beautiful and confortable, and fits me like a glove. For the skirt, I had a half cricle skirt planned, but I had not enough fabric for it, so I decided to use my own pattern for the long skirt I made last winter, which was absolutely perfect. I tend to appreciate more and more my own patterns instead of the comercial ones. They are better in all senses. Even in the case of this top, I thought next time I am going to make my own pattern from the "close fitting bodice block" in Aldrich's book. 

A good trick with these two-pieced dresses is to finish the skirt with a waistband, well adjusted and confortable to wear and sit in. Then, we will attach the bodice to that waistband, machine sewing it by the inside. Only then the dress is confortable and stays always in its place, on the waist.

To apply the trim was, not difficult, but laborius to say the least. I learnt in the process that it is better to bast it in place in the good side to the dress first. Second, we will put the facing on top of it, secure it with some pins, and then sew it with the machine on the side of the dress where we can see the basting, and goint just over it. Even thus, one can see the white cotton peeking at some places. But the overall effect is wonderful.

Judge by yourselves:

I even  made the pink trimmed belt, using and old buckle my auntie gave me.

I am in Sitges, in the Fantastic Cinema Festival, my favourite event of the year.

Long T-Shirt, Short Dress

I made this simple, but very confortable and practical long top form some jersey fabric I found in a retail store we have in our city, where they sell fabric by weight. This is my favourite shop, mostly because it is cheap, you can touch and feel every fabric, and you get inspired by them. Most of the times, I buy some piece just because is nice, and then I start thinking what could I do with it, like in this example. Although sometimes I like to sew with luxury fabrics, most of the times the principle guiding me is economy. I learn to sew from my mother, and her aim was to save money sewing all the clothes of the family. Nowadays, with very cheap clothes made in countries where the workers are underpaid, we tend to dew for other reasons, but since I grew with it in mind, I still feel well when I manage to get a dress done for 5 Euros. I used the Universal T-Shirt pattern I have used so many times before, which I love for its raglan sleeves, specially suitable for knit or jersey fabrics. It makes a very nice outfit with some leggings for this time of the year.

Summer Knit Skirt

This is a very simple, but very becoming and comfortable jersey skirt.

I made the pattern myself from Aldrich's book, parting from the very simple skirt pattern, in the "Flat Cutting" section of the book. This pattern is for knit fabrics, so it was perfect for this project.
The first modfication I made was to add some flare to the pattern, cutting vertically form the waist dart downwards and moving the dart together.
Then, I cut it in two horizontal parts. I divided the lower part vertically in four rectangles, cuting them all along but leaving the upper tip joined. We will open the lower part of the rectangles giving them a fan shape. I finished the skirt with an ellastic band in the waist. After some small correction in the first fitting (it was 2 cm too big), I finished it in a perfect fit.
I think it is confortable, sporty, but ellegant at the same time.
Here I am wearing it with my Converse, but wear it with some nice sandals and we'll have a nice formal skirt. I love it!

Lolailo Sundress

With the summer at an end, one must take profit of time and sew sundresses! I had this stretch fabric since last summer, so I've spent some time thinking what to do about it. Finally I remembered this pattern (Burda magazine) from some summers ago, which was complete success in two previous projects, and I think it has been a winner.
Another good decision was to line the bodice with red jersey. I had a small piece hanging around and also, there was not enough fabric to do the lining. You can see the red underlining in the back of the dress, in the knot.
All in all, an easy, fast project, very refreshing and with a practical result.I love wearing sundresses in summer because you are dressed in a moment. These days I am following a Craftsy course, and I needed some easy labour to keep my hands busy while I watch the videos.

Mind my new shoes!
They are Swedish Hasbeens Savanah and I am completely in love with them!

Blue Sundress

Hello!

We were in Denmark on holiday last July, and there I discovered people is sewing and Knitting a lot, it is very popular as one can see for the lots of shops selling knitting kits or fabric. I found this in Copenhagen, http://stof2000.dk/, and of course, I bought myself a couple of potential dresses. This one is a high quality cotton, crisp and with a beautiful liberty pattern.

























The last two summers I have been seeing lots of lady dresses like this

 and I thought this cotton would be lovely for one. I used again the Burda skirt pattern, and made a new pattern for the top. I followed Aldrich's instructions from the "Close Fitting Bodice Block". First, I shaped the side seam and armsythes. Second, I shaped the waist, and decided to combine the waist and bust darts, obtaining a big waist dart (there are multiple choices to place the bust dart, it is wonderful). Finally, I draw a neck line, deciding to make it as deep (it is hot!) both in front and in the back, in a round shape. I placed a zip in the back, so that there is nothing at the sides to compromise its close fit to my body.

I finished the skirt fisrt, and sew it to an underlined waist band. Then I completed the bodice and attached to the waist bans so that this was ocult. In this way, the dress sits perfect and confortable around my waist.

The result is wonderful, very flatterng to my old sillouette, confortable, ellegant and lively. I only had to modify the bodice length, making it 2 cm longer. It is amazing, i won't tire of exclaiming, how the custom made patterns sit wonderfully in my body!

Black Minishorts

Basic piece one has to have in her summer wardrobre, for sure, the black minishorts. Wear them with flat sandals, and you have a casual, comfortable outfit, wear them with high heels and a blouse and you will have some sexy yet elegant ensemble.
The pattern is selfmade, from Aldrich's book (Hipster Jeans), and the fabric is some wonderful black cotton I bought in Leeds last year. It has some ellastan into it, and it is thick and a touch shiny, just perfect. I still have some left to make a black dress. All in all, I am quite happy with the result.