Make Of The Month; Clare
Regular subscribers will know the thrill of receiving a SewHayleyJane box, new subscribers you’re in for a treat! I get so excited when it’s post day to see what amazing goodies are inside. My very first box was a Mother’s Day gift back when Hayley sent the boxes with handwritten postcards. It was always a ritual to try to guess what the fabric would be like from the clues, and I was always surprised! Now we have the even better magazines, and I am over the moon to be featured in it as make of the month this time!
This is the London Dress by Selkie Patterns. I have had this pattern waiting to be made up since their Kickstarter campaign, but I was heavily pregnant when it was released so I wanted to wait until after the baby was here before making it up. The pattern has a beautiful keyhole neckline with the option to add ties, raglan sleeves, a pleated skirt and is fastened at the back with a zip. You can also choose to make a skirt or a blouse with a peplum! I decided to make the version with ties as I was worried the fabric was too drapey to hold the shape of the keyhole. It came together beautifully, and just in time to wear for a birthday outing to the knitting and stitching show. I felt so special wearing something me made to my first sewing show, and it received some lovely compliments.
The fabric itself is a beautiful soft blue viscose with small pink flowers printed across it. It was really easy to sew with and I didn’t notice any distortion in the pieces. It feels so lovely against your skin so I know it will get a lot of wear! I also used the London themed fat quarters from a previous box to make pockets, because I couldn’t resist putting them in a London dress!
I subscribe to the Classic Box which has the perfect amount of fabric for me, and so many extra goodies. I’ve been pushed out of my comfort zone with fabric types and prints I wouldn’t have picked myself, but these have become some of my favourite and most worn garments. I love the extra haberdashery items; the bamboo point turner, seam gauge by Rocking Stitch and beeswax are used in most of my projects now. I like that Hayley supports and promotes small businesses with the extra items and collaborations she includes. I was unsure about what to do with the fat quarters at first because I always associated them with quilting, but I’ve gone on to make them into drawstring bags, pockets, linings and bodices for baby dresses!
One final thought, if you don’t already I really recommend watching Hayley’s unboxing on YouTube and following #sewhayleyjanemakes. I’ve been introduced to so many new patterns this way, from Hayley’s choices in the Luxury Box to what the community has made.
Happy sewing! Love Clare x