Make Of The Month; Harry
Every month I trawl the #sewhayleyjanemakes hashtag to find out what everyone has been making and select one lovely maker to tell us more about their beautiful garment. This month it was Harry @wheresyourthreadat
Hi, my name is Harry – I live in Essex and have been receiving the SewHayleyJane boxes since June last year.
I only started sewing 18 months ago when I got my first machine for my 30th birthday. I’ve always loved the idea of making my own clothes – ever since I was little I used to draw out designs and dream of going to fashion school, but after some mishaps in my textile classes at school, I presumed sewing wasn’t for me. It was programmes like the Sewing Bee – and a quest to quit fast fashion – that really got me engaged and interested in sewing again and on the path to making a me-made wardrobe.
After getting my machine I set up a sewing Instagram, where I discovered SewHayleyJane and after a few months watching YouTube unboxings – and swooning over the beautiful fabric and treats – I finally bit the bullet. My first one was the Knickerbocker Glory box with the amazing pineapple poplin, which I made into a summery Zadie jumpsuit and was perfect for the heatwave we had!
When I received my December SewHayleyJane box I was thrilled – I hadn’t got round to buying any festive fabric and immediately knew I wanted to make something cosy to wear over the Christmas period. I’m a huge lover of prints and pattern, and red is also one of my favourite colours to wear, so this fabric really was a winner. I’d not heard of Crafty Sew & So before so it was also nice to discover a new fabric shop.
After buying the Nina Lee London Bakerloo pattern in the Black Friday sales, I’d been waiting patiently for the perfect fabric – and this was a match made in heaven. The pattern is quite fabric hungry, with those long voluminous sleeves, so I only managed to squeeze the top version out of the 2.5m.
The brushed cotton was a delight to work with, easy to cut, sew and press. I made it up over a couple of days, taking it slower than usual as I really wanted to nail the finish. It was fairly straight forward, and Nina’s pattern instructions were super clear, however the collar was a bit fiddly in places with the frill and I had to be careful not to catch it when sewing the seam.
On the inside I used black ready-made bias binding for the neckline and then a gold sparkly button to finish off the keyhole opening. I found that the frill didn’t quite meet the top of the neckline and I didn’t really like the look of them hanging down slightly, so I blind-stitched the top of the frills to the collar by hand.
Overall, the Bakerloo Blouse came together really well. I wore this on Christmas Eve at home – it was perfect for feeling put together, but also cosy (with enough room to eat lots of food too!). For my next version of the Bakerloo I’m making the long sleeved dress, in a leopard print viscose, and I don’t think it’ll be my last!