Honeymoon in NYC!

I'm guessing the last time you saw some images of NYC, the ground was covered with water and bits of tree were in places you wouldn't normally expect to find them. It has been crazy to see the wreckage brought by super-storm Sandy on the place we were honeymooning in just a month before and I feel awful for everyone who has suffered because of it. That said, I know that some of my lovely readers would like to hear a bit about how our honeymoon went, so here we go...

We spent a week in total in NYC, spending two nights in a hotel in midtown Manhattan and the other five nights in an apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, that we rented via air bnb. Oh my goodness we had a good time! The whole place was sooo interesting, and we walked about seeing, eating and drinking as much as we physically could! 

During the first couple of days, whilst dealing with our jet lag, we put ourselves on those open-top tourist buses which gave us a fantastic over view of Manhattan and helped us to decide which parts of it we wanted to head back to and explore more thoroughly. Our criteria for 'places we'd like to head back to and explore more thoroughly' basically involves interesting, old architecture with fantastic looking cafes and bars. Using this criteria we found our way back to Greenwich Village, the East Village and the Lower East Side. 

Whilst we were in Manhattan, it may not surprise you to learn that we headed to the Garment District. Thanks everyone who made suggestions of where is worth going, all your suggestions were very helpful. I could easily have spent a whole day going to each location, but I was very aware that it was Pat's honeymoon too, and I would have felt bad dragging him to more than a few fabric and notion shops, no matter how many book stores I took him to in return. 

Seeing as I wasn't messing around, I went straight to Mood fabrics. Thanks very much to the ladies that explained how to find the entrance! No obvious to the uninitiated, eh?! I ran round that place like a game show contestant, trying to see every single section. Notice the mild panic in my expression in the picture above as I desperately try to see every damn roll of fabric. Just because I don't tend to buy new fabric and try to stash-bust instead, doesn't mean that I don't want to gaze at it all! As I mentioned in my previous post, I had decided that I would allow myself to buy some fabric if I fell in love with some. 

I was on the look out for some red, mustard or jade stretch denim type trouser fabric, but nothing there seemed quite right. I did, however, buy one yard of this ex-Just Cavalli leopard print twill with elastane content. It was $25 a yard, so although a pair of trousers in it would be epically awesome, I think I'll have to settle for making a high waisted pencil skirt!

I also visited a couple of notions shops, but there really is only so many anchor buttons a girl can own so I walked away empty handed from those. I did also visit Metro Textiles, another well hidden fabric cave owned by the inimitable Mr Kashi. Check out Erica B's amusing video to see this master salesman at work. As some people have noted, if you don't like very attentive salesmen, this shop might not be for you. I was able to deflect his attentions onto a couple of Canadian students and viewed his Aladdin's cave in peace. There are probably some awesome bargains to be found in there, but nothing particularly caught my eye. 

I also walked in and then out of Spandex House. Once again, I'm sure there are bargains to be found in there, but with all the off-putting super-synthetic leotard fabrics positioned at the front of the shop, and a cupboard full of jersey already in my flat, I didn't feel it was worth spending valuable time there when Happy Hour was fast approaching. Another shop, away from the Garment District in the Lower East Side opposite the Tenement Museum was a predominantly upholstery fabric outlet called Joey's (or something) which seemed like bargains lay within (see above). As we've previously discussed, at the end of the day who's to say what is curtaining and what is dress/coat/skirt fabric anyways?!

The Tenement Museum, incidentally, was incredibly interesting and I'd definitely recommend their Sweat Shop tour for learning about both how the immigrant population lived and how clothing used to be produced. It was really eye-opening and I felt super pleased we went on it.

Also in Manhattan, we were very lucky to spend an evening with the very lovely and gorgeous sewing blogger Janice from She's In Fashion (pictured above). It was great to meet her and have a chance to ask a New York resident lots of the questions Pat and I had by then racked up! And who would have guessed it, Janice practises martial arts so the conversation switched regularly between ninja stuff and sewing!

In terms of creative stuff, I could talk more about the inspirational markets, fairs, shops and so on we found in Manhattan and Brooklyn, but I could equally expand upon the epic Mexican food, Moritos (frozen Margarita and Mojito blends! Seriously Karen, that's a thing!), crack pie and so on that we experienced. Instead, I'll share a few extra little nuggets from out trip. 

A chicken caesar salad on a pizza! It was hot but somehow the lettuce was still crunchy. I don't claim to understand science. 

Somehow, as big as this flea market store was, there wasn't one thing I wanted in here. Weird.

Inspiration for my Autumn/Winter wardrobe.

Whilst we were drinking our coffees, a woman sitting close by announced loudly on her phone that she was stalking our table. We stayed there for ages longer that we otherwise would have. 

Moritos!!! It took me a couple of these to realise I would have been happier with a straight up Margarita, the fake mint flavour was dragging it down.

Drunken boy!!! Very cute.

Basically a warehouse full of Mad Men era furniture. I nearly wept. 

A Homage to Saint Chihuahua. I assume.  

Brooklyn Bridge! Sunshine! Hurrah!

Pat could easily have moved in to this Mexican restaurant/bar. I'm lucky he finally chose to come back to UK with me. 

Seriously?! ANOTHER amazing cafe/bar/restaurant?! You know my Achilles heel, New York. 

These croissants don't look as big in this picture as they were in real life. They were more the size of a new-born infant. They could sustain a girl for days. Or at least until the next lovely cafe/bar/restaurant.

Street Art! Boom! Did I mention that we saw TWO street art books that Pat has written for sale in New York book shops? No? Well, we did.  

Another food item the size of my face!

Giveaway Monday: Me-Made Rockabilly Swallow Skirts!!

** UPDATE: THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED**

A bunch of time ago I made a range of cute skirts to sell. First I tried to sell them on a market stall in London, with little success. Then I tried to sell them on Etsy, also with little success but I did nothing to promote or re-list them so that was not very surprising. Then when I started to organise a Brighton-based craft market, I sold some of them there. And finally I stocked the remainder in the awesome Handmade Co-op shop in Brighton (RIP) with much more success. Hurrah!

Right now our little one bedroom flat is stuffed to the gunnels with (my) stuff and I've been having a hunt for items that can be given a new home. During this hunt I found the final few pieces from my skirt range and thought maybes some of my lovely blog readers would like them, rather than stuffing them back in the cupboard!

Today's giveaway is for the final two Rockabilly Swallow A-line mini-skirts. I've got one left in each of the colour ways I made them in: a rich, tomato-y red and a dove grey. Both are a 'Medium', but in reality that's pretty freakin' small. 

The waists measure 33.5", so if the level you like to wear your skirts at measures a bit smaller than that, then these should fit you (or whoever you'd like to give one of these to) just fine. They measure 13" from waistline to hem, pretty damn short! 

They are made from a poly-cotton blend and have contrast cotton gingham facings. They fasten with a concealed side zip. The swallows are leather appliqués, I'd recommend a gentle hand wash in case the leather dye leaks. Some of these skirts have been washed many many times with no problems, but a couple have released dye when machine-washed. What can I say? You're getting these for free!

To enter the giveaway to get one of these skirts, just leave a comment in the comments section of this post telling me which colour you'd prefer and what you'd do with it if you won (e.g, you'd give it to a loved one; you'd wear it with some killer platforms, etc... not for any particular reason, I'm just nosey). If I can't access your email address within two clicks, please include it in your entry comment. Email addresses will not be used for anything other than to contact you if you are one of the two lucky winners of this giveaway. This giveaway is open internationally and the winners will receive the skirt completely free of charge. The giveaway entries will close at midnight GMT Sunday 11th November and the winners will be chosen by random number generator and contacted Monday 12th November October. Good luck, my skirt-wearing friends!

Refashion Friday Inspiration: Lace Heart Cut-out T-shirt

Today I present to you a pretty revamp of an old unwanted mens grey marl T-shirt. Using a smallish piece of lace, I created soft puffy sleeves and a heart cut-out back detail. The original grey T-shirt was one of those super-soft ones that feels slinky against the skin, which I think chimes well with this girly refashion. 

Using a self-drafted T-shirt block, I added a scoop neck line which I bound in a strip of the jersey I made from the removed sleeves. The puffy sleeves have a cuff made from more strips of sleeve. The shoulders and upper arms are visible through the sheer lace, but still kind of obscured. This T-shirt wasn't made for me, but as a woman with largish upper arms, I like sleeves that slightly obscure but not completely hide this area of the body. 

The heart cut-out is created using reverse appliqué. The lace heart-shaped panel was pinned to the wrong side of the back garment piece. I then stitched two rows of straight stitch close together around the heart shape and carefully cut away the grey jersey from the inside of the stitching, mindful not to snip the lace as I went.   

Happy refashioning/remaking, my crafty friends.

Sew with 'So, Zo': November @ Super+Super HQ!

I am excited to be able to say that I now have two classes at Super+Super HQ under my belt. In October I taught a Vest Making Session and an Introduction to Commercial Sewing Patterns Class. Both went really well and I met some super-lovely ladies who thankfully gave very positive feedback on their experience of each (hurrah!). My goodness I love teaching sewing stuff! I don't think there is any kind of occupation that I could enjoy more (they still haven't made Wine-Drinker a proper job yet, have they?). 

I'd like to let you know about the next dates you could take part in these two classes. Both take place in November at the same location, Super+Super HQ in central Brighton, UK. 

Class: Introduction to Commercial Sewing Patterns

When: Sunday 18th November, 10.30am - 1.00pm

Cost: £24.50

This session will designed to demystify and explain how to use commercial sewing patterns. This is a discussion and demonstration based class, not a practical 'doing' one. Topics covered will include:

• What to do if your measurements span two or more sizes on the pattern
• What to do if you are taller or shorter than the pattern has been designed for
• What the differences between vintage and modern patterns are
• How to select appropriate fabric for your pattern
• What all the symbols on the pattern mean and what to do about them

And lots more. The perfect class for a Sunday morning with a tea or coffee in hand. 

Will need to bring: Nothing accept a notebook and pen if you wish to make extra notes.

Recommended for: This class is perfect for someone who has already taken a beginners sewing class or generally feels ok using a sewing machine, and now wants to amp their skills to become a confident dress-maker.

More info and where to book: http://introtosewingpatterns2.eventbrite.co.uk

Class: Vest/Camisole/Singlet Making Session

When: Wednesday 28th November, 7.00pm - 9.00pm

Cost: £26 

This session will take you through the process of making your own vest from jersey fabric or unwanted T-shirts. Using my multi-sized vest pattern, we will go slowly through the steps from pattern preparation and cutting out the pieces, to construction using a sewing machine and overlocker/serger (no previous overlocker/serger experience necessary). By the end of this class, not only will you have a wearable, useful garment of your very own, but you will also have been provided with the skills and pattern you'll need to make hundreds more vests in the future.  

Will need to bring: 1 metre of jersey and/or some large unwanted T-shirts. Everything else will be available at the class.

Recommended for: All skill levels are welcome, but must have used a sewing machine before and feel relatively confident doing so. This class is ideal for someone interested in sewing with jersey fabric but isn't sure where/how to begin.

More info and where to book:  http://vestmakingclass2.eventbrite.co.uk

Once again, I'm going to appeal to your good nature and ask that if you know anyone who may be interested in taking these classes, please send them the links!!! Thanks so much for the support. 

(Belated) Giveaway Monday: 'Sew Over It' Book

*UPDATE: THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED*

Forgive the Tuesday-ness of this instalment of 'Giveaway Monday', I've got a shitty virus and was thoroughly sofa-bound yesterday. Anyways! Thanks to everyone who entered last Monday's giveaway which came courtesy of awesome Etsy shop 'The Polished Button'. The winners were selected by random number generator and have been contacted.

Today's prize is the new book by sewing teacher and sewing cafe owner, Lisa Comfort. Named after her South London based sewing shop/cafe/school, 'Sew Over It' the book is just as pretty and well produced. Before I continue, I feel the need to disclose any potential source of bias I may have: I was invited to the launch of this book, given a glass of champagne and a free copy of this book. I think I was chosen to 'represent' for the sewing bloggers (along with Tilly) at the event because I wrote about my visit to the shop last year. However, it takes more than one glass of champagne to buy my favour (FYI: it takes a bottle to do that!) so I think I can remain balanced in my opinion!

'So, what's this book like then?', I hear you ask. Well, it's definitely aimed at beginners rather than sewers with a fair chunk of sewing experience under their belts, which is not to say this book couldn't teach anything to the later category. It's thoughtfully planned out, this book. It starts with the uber-basics (including introducing the needle and thread, basic hand-stitches and sewing on a button) and then encourages the reader to take a look at the clothes already in their wardrobes and introduces some nice ways to customise and jazz-up (did I just write 'jazz-up'? I must still be very ill) your garments.

Next, Lisa encourages the reader to push their developing skills towards more substantial clothing alterations with more sewing-machine action than the customisation section required. She walks you through some clever tactics for making old and tired or second-hand/vintage clothing more wearable and updated. They following step is some basic projects starting from scratch with shop-bought fabric. These tend to be pretty accessories projects, including a 50's style head band that I might have a go at myself. The final section, entitled 'Challenging Yourself', encourages the reader to have a bash at some pattern-free garment and bag making. You are taken through three types of skirt and a reversible bag project by the end of which you may find yourself ready and chomping at the bit to get into more involved dress-making. At that point I'd recommend you attend the 'Introduction to Commercial Sewing Patterns' class I teach at Super+Super HQ in Brighton! (Hahaha! Do you see what I did there?! I sneaked in some subtle self-promotion!)

But back to the book, it really is a beaut, with a very feminine, retro-y aesthetic. If that aesthetic doesn't float your boat, perhaps another beginners sewing book would be more inspirational for you. However, if you are interesting in starting to sew, or know someone else who is, and want a pretty, positive resource to help you on your way, this is a good volume to get hold of. And I have one copy to give away to a blog reader.

To enter, just leave a comment in the comments section of this post telling me why you fancy getting hold of a copy of 'Sew Over It' (no reason, I'm just nosey). If I can't access your email address within two clicks, please include it in your entry comment. Email addresses will not be used for anything other than to contact you if you are the lucky winner of this giveaway. This giveaway is open internationally and winner will receive the book completely free of charge. The giveaway entries will close at midnight GMT Sunday 4th November and the winner will be chosen by random number generator and contacted Monday 5th November October. Good luck, my book-loving friends!

Refashion Friday: It's Curtains for You

Source: etsy.com via Zoe on Pinterest

In the vein of reusing existing things for sewing projects rather than purchasing everything new, I want to chat today about an often over-looked resource: second hand curtains. I'm currently working on a dress made from a pair of curtains that I cannot wait to share with you, plus I have a Spring/Summer coat project lined up for the other side of the Winter that uses some amazing vintage curtains that I can't wait to get my teeth (scissors) into. So what's so good about using second hand curtains to sew with?:

They are cheap! 

Obviously this is subject to the prices in your local charity/thrift/op shop, but generally you can pick up second hand curtains for far less than you'd pay for the equivalent meterage/yardage of fabric. For example, I bought a pair of curtains made from navy spotty cotton sateen for £6. I was able to make a Ceylon dress and TWO cute Simplicity 2451 skirts for my friends (see above) from them. £6 for three garments-worth of fabric? Yes to that!

Source: traidremade.myshopify.com via Zoe on Pinterest

They can be big!

Unless you're dealing with a tiny kitchen curtain or something, most of the time we are talking about  a decent amount of fabric when you are buying curtains. More often than not you can get multiple skirts, bags or a dress out of curtains with plenty of room to mess up! Plus fabric designed to be curtaining is usually pretty wide which is all the better for squeezing in those pattern pieces.

Source: eco-age.com via Zoe on Pinterest

They can be fun!

Obviously you have to let the curtain fabric dictate your project, rather than going second hand curtain-shopping with a specific sewing pattern/project in mind. But the discovery of something unexpected and using your nous to figure out a cool and creative use for it is a whole super-fun challenge in itself.

Source: traidremade.myshopify.com via Zoe on Pinterest

Whilst I was working for TRAIDremade we were lucky enough to receive a lot of donated second hand curtains to make into clothing. One particular style we developed to sew from curtaining was this 'paper bag' skirt (see the two images above). Even though the sewing pattern was the same, making the skirts from different curtain patterns lent each garment a unique feel and it was exciting to see the outcome from each curtain.

Playing with the scale of designs can also be a source of fun. For example, I really enjoyed making the skirt pictured below (another Simplicity 2451, incidentally) to see what effect you could get by making a mini skirt from such a large print design. Another great example of this is the wonderful dress pictured at the top of this post. It's a really interesting and clever use of curtaining to form the bodice that has then been combined with a solid coloured fabric skirt, almost giving the impression of two separate garments.

Words of warning:

You can be super lucky and find curtains that have never been used, but if they have been, have a look for any fading or stains. If you find some, don't panic, it may well be that the you can cut around the stains or faded areas and still utilise the cool fabric for a project. Fading in particular will usually only be around the edges of the curtain where day light has hit them, it may well be that the centre of the fabric is still great.

Fading, however, can indicate a further problem, particularly if the curtains are vintage and old. Like all vintage fabric and garments, old curtain fabric can be 'rotten', meaning that it can rip very easily. That is what eventually happened to floral skirt pictured above. Still, I had a good 9 months of use from it before I discovered the hard way that the vintage curtain fabric was no longer up to the task of being worn and moved around in!

(image source)

So next time you fancy a sewing project that won't break the bank, why not head to the charity shop/thrift store/op shop and scour the curtains section? Happy hunting!

What about you? Have you had any successes (or failures even) of sewing with second hand curtains? If you have a link, please leave it in the comments section, I'd love to check it out!