October Inspiration

The fabrics are gorgeous and perfect for the season, the fat quarters are not only beautiful they are sewing themed too and the metal sewing gauge is one of the most useful tools to have in your kit (blog post coming soon). Plus… chocolate!

But for now, lets talk about the fabrics shall we? I have put together a few pattern suggestions for the main fabrics and some projects for using those fat quarters as well. So, let’s crack on!

Mini

For some lovely nightwear you could use your 1 meter of viscose fabric to make either the Reef camisole or the shorts from Megan Nielsen. There are two different short styles to choose from and the camisole is cut on the bias so will drape beautifully.

Whilst the Nantucket shorts from Seamwork might be better suited to the summer when worn with bare legs, worn over opaque tights and ankle boots will see you through the autumn too.

The Hadley Top from Grainline Studio is a great pattern with two different top versions. Although the pattern suggests using over 1 meter of fabric having read this post from the Guthrie and Ghani ladies it seems the sleeveless version can be squeezed out of less.

For a bit of vintage chic try view C from Simplicity 1692 featuring kimono sleeves and cute button detailing on the shoulders.

Classic

A longer length of the viscose fabric lends itself perfectly to elegant blouses that can be worn with trousers or skirts for workwear but will look equally gorgeous with a pair of jeans during the weekend.

First up is the Stella Shirt Dress (blouse version) from Named Clothing which features raglan style sleeves and is finished with snaps at the centre front.

The Ella Blouse from Sew Over It is a sweet little wrap top that secures with long ties and finishes with facings on the inside.

Made up in the black floral viscose and worn with tights and boots the Aubépine Dress from Deer & Doe will make the perfect autumn outfit with an empire line bodice, elbow length sleeves and tucks across the front of the bodice and the sleeves.

The Simona blouse from Wear Lemonade is a lovely loose style featuring a big bow at the collar. The instructions come in English or French but they also feature a sew along on their website which, whilst in French, means you can see the techniques.

Luxury

The Luxury box came with the Portobello Trousers from Nina Lee, but her Kew Dress pattern would look equally gorgeous made up in that teal cotton lawn. This dress has three different sleeve versions and all feature buttons down the centre front. There is also a skirt option.

The Bleuet Dress from Deer & Doe is a smart princess seamed shirt dress that can be either sleeveless or have cap sleeves.

Sew Over It’s Kimono Jacket is a great way of styling up an otherwise simple outfit. This is a quick and satisfying project to whip up in an afternoon.

Finally, try the Lliria Dress from Pauline Alice which is gathered at the bodice and has an interesting asymmetrical button closure at the front.

Fat Quarters

I thought I’d stick to projects you can make for your sewing room with those lovely Sewing Bumble Bee fat quarters, kind of a no-brainer really! This gorgeous sewing machine cover tutorial from Sew Delicious uses squares from a charm pack, but you can easily cut your fat quarters to the right size.

I love this Embroidery Hoop Storage Pockets for a quick and simple make. The inserted magnetic strip gives you a great alternative to a pin cushion.

Of course, you can never have too many places to store your pins… I can see three different pin cushions within an arms reach right now. So how about this adorable little mouse from Prima – just look at his little eyes!

If you prefer cutting your patterns out with a rotary cutter to using scissors you’ll be needing lots of pattern weights. So try out this tutorial from Anna for some simple yet effective weights.

As always, I cannot wait to see what you make with all the goodies from the October boxes. There have already been a few things pop up on Facebook so make sure you send me some pictures of your creations, or add them to Instagram using the hashtag #sewhayleyjanemakes and you might be featured on a roundup post on the blog.