The lapsed sewer

So why did I stop sewing? In the last 10 years things kind of happened, studying and full time work, and there just wasn't any time left over for sewing. My 'thing' was sewing clothes for myself. I have made Roman blinds (that actually work properly!) and curtains but that's functional sewing, really, as well as saving quite a bit of money too, which is always a good thing in my book!

So why did I decide to return to sewing? Funnily enough it was watching the tv series presented by Dawn Porter, 'This Old Thing' that really gave me the kick-start I needed. So here I am. I got my sewing machine repaired by the legendary David Drummond at Haymarket (don't try to find a website, he hasn't got one). Absolutely fantastic service- took the machine to him on Saturday and picked it up on Wednesday. Now for my first project after a 10 year gap.

I spent ages in John Lewis on Saturday but eventually chose New Look 6895 and spent even longer choosing the right fabric. I eventually decided on this 100% cotton, Rhythm Stripe by Felicity Miller for Free Spirit. The pattern repeat is quite big when you've got 1.6m to play with and I'd totally forgotten about matching stripes until it came to laying out the pattern pieces. I've also added 6.5cm at the waist to lengthen the body as I'm taller than the average pattern allows so laying out the pattern pieces took an unbelievable hour!

I'm going to make the sleeveless shell top which has a few gathers at the front neck and bias binding edging around the armholes and neck. Purchased bias binding matches the darker vertical stripes. Yes, I'm using purchased bias binding. One step at a time, I might work my way up to making my own bias binding in future projects.

So, today is a sewing day, what a luxury! I'll let you know how I get on with My First Project For Years and if it's wearable and decent enough to post online (with what's available on the internet, why am I worried?!) I'll let you see what the finished result looks like.