Threads Magazine

Have you discovered Threads Magazine yet?  
It's a sewing magazine published in the States, it has some basic sewing articles but it normally has more advanced sewing techniques.  I love it, and you can also have an Insiders subscription to additional articles on their website.  
This week on their blog there was a link to an interview with the author of Couture books - Claire Shaeffer.  

Threads Magazine - Chat with Claire Shaeffer

I'm also looking into the courses given by Susan Khalje, her courses look fantastic, I'm going to work out the cost of going on one or two!!!!

Susan Khalje Classes

If you look at Susan Khalje's home page there are also some online courses!!!!

Oh and by the way, I have no link to Threads other than as a customer!!!!

I'm back!!

I've been blocked out of my workroom by building work we've been having done.  And today I got access back!!  Yippee!!!!!  

I've only been without full access for about a week, but it's been a long week!!

3 weeks ago I blogged about this lovely dress  

                                        Lovely dress for bride or bridesmaids

and I'm not the only person who loves this dress - Burdastyle.com are using it in a Mash-up this week -  burdastyle - Meg's magazine mash-up - Great Minds!!

Chanel Jacket - First blog of probably many!!!

Sometime last year, quite early too, I promised my daughter that I would make her a Chanel Jacket.  A nearly all made-by-hand too!  

I'm using the Claire Shaeffer book and pattern as a base for the jacket, my daughter has asked for some changes to the styling though!

In the photo below you can see the fabric she has chosen, along with the plain black silk habotai lining. She also wants a zip front fastening and we have decided on a large black rickrack trim put together with another trim.

In this photo you can also see the pattern pieces, I drew them out on swedish pattern paper so that we could use them as the toile.  We've also re-sized the lower pockets, they need to fit an iphone!

I now need to pluck up the courage to start cutting fabric!

I also have fabric to make a Chanel Jacket for myself but that project is going to have to be another series of blogs!!!

Completed Outfit

I made this skirt sometime ago, please excuse the creases, it's been hung in my wardrobe since last summer and this blog is really about the top :-) and added the grey stripe, sometime last spring, to add a little to the length.

But last week I finally made the top from the same grey jersey ponte as the stripe and   
I'm rather pleased.  

The linen skirt fabric makes my family smile, it was a display curtain remnant from John Lewis (UK department store) which I picked up for £5.  My daughter's partner was more than surprised that I planned to turn it into a skirt, not something he'd seen happen before, my daughter, needless to say, wasn't surprised in the slightest!

I do have a love of grey at the moment, my wardrobe has changed from a black and brown mixed base to grey, black and navy.  I have wondered if the change in hair colour and skin tone that is coming with age has something to do with it!!!