Monthly Archives: February 2019

Showerproof non-denim Fashionista Jacket UFO

I fully admit I’m already starting more projects than I’m finishing this year, but having spotted this softshell fabric in my local fabric shop for £8 a metre, I couldn’t resist getting enough to make a showerproof Fashionista* jacket for the spring!

At the moment, my Denim Fashionista is semi-shelved while I figure out where I went wrong with the lining – I’d already sewn the denim sleeve to the neckline by mistake (don’t ask how I achieved that!), and in sewing the first part of the lining together, I had more pleats and tucks than I should’ve done. So that’ll need unpicking and some careful pinning to try and resew that.

But rather than plough on through a project that wasn’t going all that well, I decided I needed to feel I could successfully make something. Softshell fabric has a waterproof outer, with a fleece backing – perfect for spring, and also perfect because it doesn’t need a lining!

Now I know this jacket won’t be 100% waterproof, because at the moment I’m not planning on using any tape or anything to seal the seam lines. That means that water could seep through the stitch holes along the topstitching. But really, I think for my first attempt at sewing a proper showerproof jacket, I’m happy with it being 95% showerproof rather than aiming for 100%.

I didn’t want to try colour matching the pockets, so I picked out some ‘natural’ patterned cotton for the pocket bags – if I get them sewn in correctly, they won’t be visible from the outside so it won’t matter that they don’t match!

The back is all sewn and topstitched – I’m beginning to wonder if I should have made an attempt to fussy-cut the foxes, but I think this was the most realistic use of the fabric. If I’d fussy cut or tried matching the fox heads across each piece, I think I would have wasted a lot of the fabric.

The neatest front yoke I’ve stitched so far – yes there is a slight catch where the yoke joins the front panel top stitching, but it’s much better than my denim jacket’s front yoke! I did have a bird’s nest of bobbin thread on the pocket topstitching (I hadn’t realised I was sewing that with the pocket flap upside-down), but I’m hoping I can unpick that without too much hassle.

So far so good, although I’m not looking forward to adding in the sleeves – that’s where my denim Fashionista started to go wrong!



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Pattern: Fashionista * by WinterWear Designs*
Fabric: Softshell from Fashion Fabrics

What is black and white, and red all over?

There aren’t many sewing patterns out there for penguins which look like they’re sliding down a snowy bank, so when BeeZee Art released her latest penguin pattern, I knew it was one I wanted to try making.

Rather than sticking with the traditional penguin colours, I decided to use some tie-dye effect plush fabric I had lurking in my fabric bag. Of course this means that Percy Penguin looks like he’s been out in the sun for too long, but I quite like the colours on him.

As yet, Percy doesn’t have his feet attached, but because I added some plastic pellets to his tummy, he balances really well without his feet.

It’s strangely tempting to make more penguins in various different colours…. and hopefully make sure that their flippers come out at a better angle next time – Percy’s look like they aren’t quite right somehow.


Pattern: Penguins by BeeZee Art
Fabric: Tie-dye plush from Plush Addict

Purple Mash Hoodie

You’re probably sitting there thinking “what on earth is a Mash Hoodie?”… well, it’s simply a combination of two patterns. In this case, it’s the main body and sleeves of the
Hey June Handmade* Halifax Hoodie* with the neckline and hood of the Ellie & Mac Around the Block Hoodie.

This is the first time I’ve tried mashing two patterns together, let alone two patterns from different designers, but I wanted to try the hood and neckline of the Around the Block Hoodie without risking the rest of the hoodie being too snug as this French Terry wasn’t the cheapest fabric out there!

I was going to use the hood lining fabric for the cuffs, but it was disappointing in it’s thickness and strength. So instead, I used some premade ribbing fabric for the waistband, and found two premade cuffs that worked really well for the sleeve cuffs.

All I need to do now, is get it finished so it’s able to be worn!


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Patterns: Halifax Hoodie by Hey June Handmade*
Around the Block Hoodie by Ellie & Mac
Fabric: French Terry from Mibs Fabrics, hood lining from Minerva Crafts