Finished drafting the making instructions and paper patterns for the ‘Brookmill Park – volunteers waistcoat’; they are keen to get going with sewing their own waistcoats!
Category Archives: Studio posts
Brookmill Park Volunteers waistcoat update
The sample is now made up in a wonderful thick canvas, I had some lovely organic cotton tape (in my stash) which works perfectly for the ties!
The next part of the brief is to draft ‘making instructions’ , so the Brookmill Park group can make their own waistcoats! As I made the sample I photographed all the stages (here are just a few), to help me improve the instruction notes and diagrams I’d made for myself. You can see that the waistcoat is made inside out and turned through a gap in the facing seam on the back, so it’s all ‘self neatening’ and reversible.
Apron innards!
This is the making of the new No14:2 apron I posted yesterday. All the pieces, bib, pleated skirt, ties, come together in the waistband.
Brookmill Park Volunteers Waistcoat
During these last few months I’ve been (distanced) working with a local community group, Friends of Brookmill Park.
The gardening volunteers wanted waistcoats that had big pockets and space to print ‘Brookmill Park Volunteers’ on the back, and, they wanted to be able to sew the waistcoats themselves! – I’m really impressed by that part of the brief; but it does mean I have to provide really, really, good instructions, which is an extra challenge – but really enjoying the process. Five toiles and paper patterns later, we’re getting close to finalising the design!
In The Making – Aprons Poster
Got my act together and made posters – they are being put up in local artists studios today!
Honing No23 design
I’ve been working on this apron design for some time. The main idea behind it was to create an apron that could be made with fabric offcuts – it needed to have a bib that could be just sewn on top of a square skirt, such as the denim patchwork Boro aprons I’ve made.
I had also hoped to make this a tie apron that converts to a crossback and spent a lot of time on getting the width and details right – but in the end I realised it just doesn’t give the breadth of sizing that is so important. So back to the drawing board, deciding instead to have long adjustable ties that pass through fabric loops and knot or tie at the back. Again went through a couple of loop variations before settling on the narrow loops that look neat and don’t make the waistband lumpy!
Fabric layout calculations day…
Spent all yesterday working out pattern layouts for No4:5, No23, No14:2 on various fabrics with different widths – calculating out how much fabric needed for each apron and the most economic use of fabric. I keep layout sketches on file, for reference when cutting out new aprons.
First Sample of new apron…
The initial idea behind this design, was to provide a bib top with pockets, for ‘Boro style’ denim patchwork apron skirts and make use of fabric remnants – but now quite excited about lots of colour and fabric combinations! … also my daughter is keen to have a split skirt version, so more work to do there…
The apron can be worn as a crossback or with neck ties.
Linen scraps bag….
Last summer I made a dress using Merchant & Mills ‘Scandium’ linen, a beautiful neon yellow woven with a natural beige colour. Perfect for sunny days! I still had some leftover pieces of fabric, so last weekend I pieced them together making a stripe feature of the beige selvedge – the straps are made from webbing I use for my market aprons (No12) which is from a UK supplier on Ebay.
….just a few teeny scraps left, to make into lavender bags.
Repeat custom order…
This morning I posted a custom No4:2 denim crossback apron to Sarah at Mojo & the Maker. It’s the second one I’ve made for her; the first was a year ago, when between us, we were able to use the No7 apron she already had as a template, pinning on bits of paper, measuring, photographing, messaging, until it was just right.
