Review of Offset Warehouse (Online shop review)
Have you seen the work that has been done on the one year, one outfit challenge? Bloggers in Australia such as the amazing Sue Stoney of Fadanista, have been getting hold of local wool, knitting trousers (!) . Carolyn has been making an embroidered felt dress and matching shoes (!!). The idea has been to use local, sustainable fibres, natural dyes etc to make an outfit entirely from your own labour. I suppose the implication is that it takes a year to make an outfit, and maybe that is all we need to create in a year. But these amazing creatives have done the craft outfit as well as all their usual sewing.
One thing they have done perhaps is to make the rest of us aware of some of the issues associated with where our clothes and dressmaking supplies come from. I was aware of Offset Warehouse because I have been buying silk online for a while. I was interested in a product they promote called Peace Silk. This is silk suitable for vegans, and people dislike the idea of silkworms being boiled alive. According to PETA, 3,000 silkworms are killed to make every pound of silk. It makes you think, but it may not change your behaviour. The peace silk is made from cocoons which have been discarded by the moth.
I don’t normally look for “eco”, “cruelty free” or organic products especially. I have found that some of them are a bit “goody goody” for me, and often there is little choice, high price and mediocre design. Also I find there is a degree of confusion about ‘non-exploitative” products – but if it makes you feel good to wear hand woven linen, or home spun yarn, then great.
If the price and quality is similar to ordinary silk perhaps we could be persuaded to change our buying habits. Offset Warehouse sell peace silk organza for much the same price as anywhere else, but I didn’t know what the quality was like. I thought about buying a few samples but I never got round to it. Having had a chance to examine it up close I would say the organza is nice quality and as good as any you can get elsewhere. They also carry a few block printed fabrics from India which I was interested in.
So I was thrilled to get an email from Charlie Ross the owner of Offset Warehouse, inviting me to a party where she would be showcasing her products, held at Fabrications in Hackney, which is now stocking the fabrics. This gave me a chance to have a good look at the whole range. I was surprised to find recycled polyester as I don’t really associate synthetic fabrics with ethical companies. But of course recyled polyester is made from old plastic cups and bottles, so I see the appeal to some (but not me!).
Of course it wasn’t all about the fabric. It was also about the people. It was great to meet Charlie herself, Kimberly who works with her, and Frankie Campbell. Charlie was wearing a gorgeous dress she had made in some Dusky Pink wool and tencel blend. Kimberly on the other hand had started (but not finished) a dress in some super navy handwoven Ikat fabric. I encouraged her to put the dress on as it is such a great pattern. Hopefully it is finished now! And Franki, who is a freelance pattern cutter, is wearing her rosette. The guests made these from Offset Warehouse fabrics. What a brilliant idea. Effectively we all went home wearing swatches of Offset Warehouse fabrics. My rosettes included some organza so I know it is great stuff.
Review of Craftsy Class “How to Sew with Lace”
This was my first and only Online Craftsy class. Previously I had tried on on-line training class and been very disappointed.
This time, thankfully, I was very pleased.
The instructor is Alison Smith who has just been interviewed by Rachel at House of Pinheiro.
She is from the North of England, and I found her very reassuring. Here is a highly competent seamstress who is also an effective teacher. She tells you succinctly what you need to know. There are no mistakes. The facts appear on the screen (eg stitch length), although they disappear a bit too fast.
The series covers all the aspects of sewing with lace and I learnt a great deal. Unlike many of the free tutorials that I have watched to date the timing is spot on. Not so fast you have to keep re-running it, or so slow that you go and make a cup of tea which the teacher laboriously films herself sewing a really long seam.
The lace making course covers everything from choosing the right lace, what to back it with, how to insert a zip, applique, putting an overlay on, hems and necklines. It is comprehensive and I found the tips useful as someone who is more or less a beginner with lace. If you are a complete expert artist, like Mary Funt, then this probably is not advanced enough. In fact Mary mentioned that it is a bit too machine-dependent, and that is probably true. It would be fun to mould lace with handstitching rather than trying to make it adapt so that it can be sewn up like most other fabrics, but I think there are two different issues here. For a day time skirt it is probably ideal to machine stitch it. For a wedding dress or a very nice cocktail dress the techniques would ideally be more advanced. Equally it depends on the cost of your ingredients. If it is a polyester or viscose or cotton lace that is a different ball game to using silk, or very expensive Chantilly laces.
I watched the episodes more or less back to front, absorbing the information as it is presented. Once you have bought the course you can rewatch it, something denied to those buying the Burda course I invested in.
There is a chance for a dialogue with Alison, but the reaction time is fairly sedate and I didn’t really have any penetrating questions.
Overall I thought it was a good course. Overall I thought it was expensive. Is it better than a book, to see someone actually doing the job rather than reading about it and trying for yourself? I suppose it is. I am much more familiar with learning from people in class rooms which is probably my prefered method of learning, which seems both highly personal and immediate. The course costs around £20, with say five hours of material. For £200 I can spend three hours a week for 10 to 12 weeks, with a tutor. And if I need to go back to check something I find books good enough.
I may try another one – sewing with sheers has been recommended by Gail. But I have signed up for more draping on the stand, starting in a couple of weeks. I can’t wait!
What is your prefered style of learning?
W. Bill is no more (but maybe you can get some of their cloth)
The firm W Bill was founded by William Bill in 1846, in Mold, North Wales. Originally WIlliam Bill specialised in blankets and Welsh flannels, but they soon branched out into tweeds and later into the finest cashmeres. Initially using tweed for menswear was a radical move, popularised by the Duke of Windsor in particular. and the firm moved to London in 1892. W Bill tweeds and knitwear were worn by Picasso, Shacketon and Hilary. The firm also exported a lot of cloth to the US through Brooks Brothers and other suppliers.
Until recently fabrics for tailored suits and mens’ outfits were available in the Saville Row area, kept in vast vaults. The tailor could send out for a bolt of cloth (with say 100 metres on it) and it would be brought around to drape on the customer. Personally I find this is the only satisfactory way to buy fabric. Choosing a nice colour and fabric from a pattern bunch is just not the same experience as feeling the weight and drape of a fabric on your body and seeing the impact of the texture, scale and colour against your own shape, size and colouring.
I first heard about this company though an article in the Financial Times “How to Spend it” Magazine. It explained how the vintage fabrics are in demand because of their quality, the fact that they are “London shrunk” and much more robust than contemporary clothes.
Until 1988 the firm was run by descendants of William Bill. The company was sold in March last year, having been sold by the family in 1990. The name is now owned by a major supplier of cloth to the tailoring trade. The whole warehouse was liquidated and the cloth ended up with tailors, on eBay, and in local sales.
Anyway the other day I dropped into one of my favourite London fabric shops Misan, in Berwick St, which has a ( rather pricey) bargain basement. There are some super choices here. I was very pleased to get the yellow wool that I have used for Esme’s coat. And if you can’t get to central London there is some W Bill cloth available on eBay.
Trying a 1940s blouse in jersey
I mentioned that I was interested in constructing a Vogue 1940s blouse in a knit.
I found this a fascinating project and one I want to develop further.
Pattern
The pattern is, to recap, meant to be made in a stable woven fabric, and has closures galore, including on the sleeves, and at the CB to secure the “girdle” over the closure at the side seam. I couldn’t face it, and thought that this design might work well in a jersey fabric. I found just 1 metre of a pinky purple polyester with elastane in my cupboard. Not enough for full length sleeves, but enough for a toile.
At the front you can see how the longer side sections are gathered into a diamond. At the back the girdle didn’t really work on this first version. Mainly because I cut two pieces, with sufficient to overlap and fasten (as per the pattern). I should have joined the pattern pieces together and just cut out one back piece.
Construction
I decided to leave the darts in the back, the bust dart, the elbow dart and the three darts at the top of the sleeve. It is these darts that give the top its vintage feel, even though (as many mentioned) it would have been possible to omit them, or just ease them in. The neckline has a tiny cowl and I bodged this, just finishing it and letting it drop inside. I left a larger opening at the neck to enable me to pull it on.
I stitched all the seams as normal, and didn’t overlock at this stage. I used a stretch needle and a smallish stitch and it went fine, although once or twice I nearly encountered the problem of the work disappearing down the hole in the machine.
I stitched the girdle into the side seams, gathered it at CB and stitched it to the body of the blouse. I was not happy with this effect and have a new plan for the second version that I will make.
Verdict
The top is really nice to wear and promising. I quite like a T-shirt, but they are so boring aren’t they? So if I can make a pull over jersey top with a bit of character then it has to worth some pattern development and further experimentation. Next time I will make long sleeves, and I think I will try a different arrangement at the back, probably adding some gathering at the side seams, and leaving out the extra girdle. On the other hand I love the way the gathering at the front creates a little curve. It just shows my navel (probably inappropriate at my age) with these trousers. But it was fine over a lace skirt for work last week. I am also keen to see what improvements I might make to the neckline – perhaps adding more fabric that I can fold into the sleeve seams to create a clean finish inside.
The trousers, by the way, were made very quickly with an old 1970s pattern. The waist band was right up under my ribs, so I lopped a bit off and created a facing instead. Eagle-eyed readers will see that this is the same fabric I used for Esme’s circular skirt. They are, now, comfortable and fun, and fine for sunny Sundays and holidays. I may shorten them to Capri length as the fabric is quite loud. But every now and again everyone likes a pair of patterned trousers – Stephanie of My Vintage Inspiration loves them so much she is making herself another pair of “crazy pants”.
In the meantime I will trace off the old Vogue 8526 pattern and play around with it. So more to come on this one.
Fabrications of Broadway Market, Hackney – shop review
How could I not fall in love with a shop called Fabrications?
It is not easy to get to. I had to take two buses from work (Kings Cross). It is a ten minute plus walk to the tube station at Bethnal Green. The nearest railway link is London Fields. If you go to Woolcrest it is in walking distance.
The philosophy of the owner-designer-maker Barley Massey is essentially about upcycling. For her upcycling is recycling plus. She explains:
For me upcycling is not only the process of transforming, giving new life, stories and meanings to waste materials but I see this resourceful approach as a framework to do more with less and to action positive social and environmental changes within ourselves, locally and globally
Fabrications has just started stocking ethical fabrics, which is how I discovered it. Calling itself a “mini department store” it also stocks
- glorious yarns and knitting equipment (including giant needles)
- kits, toys, cards and presents
- sewing machines and patterns
- stylish upcycled clothes
- household goods such as cushions
- downstairs there is a craft room where a wide range of courses are laid on, taught by Barley and a range of other talented women.
When I arrived Barley was wearing beautiful embroidered jeans. Within minutes she had changed into a lovely upcycled dress made from a pair of men’s trousers. The waist band worked beautifully as a stand up collar. You may be able to see the pockets on the back shoulders. In between is recycled tie fabric, tied in a big bow. She is wearing a black T shirt underneath but she said this was an oversight. You can see the upcycled tie curtains and tiles in the kitchen area.
I joined a brief workshop on how to make a rosette. Not only did I make a rosette (well two actually), I also sat next to Tamara Melvin who is also strongly committed to recyling. You may remember her face from the Great British Sewing Bee (series 2).
The World according to Instagram – Sew Photo Hop Reflections
I wrote about how I had participated in the SewPhotoHop challenge. I enjoyed it and was rather sad when it finished.
Here are some thoughts that occurred to me.
- Instagram (IG) is yet another aspect of “social media” we can embrace or ignore. If you haven’t seen it, it involves posting square photographs under your name. You can write quite a few words about it, but the picture is the main event. The squareness of the image, and the artiness of the medium, tend to mean that there is emphasis on how something looks, rather than the story. There seems to an astonishing quantity of photographs of food, babies, pets, pecs and holidays.
- But there are also millions of pictures about sewing
- It is a bit like Facebook, in that there is a feed, which shows you what those you are following have posted since you last looked. You can follow just about anyone, although some people are private. In this sense it is more like Twitter than Facebook – it is a public site.
- Twitter is known as a “micro-blogging” platform. You only have 140 characters to say something, although you can reference articles or blog posts, for example. I am on Twitter as my professional persona, and you can tweet photographs. But I think increasingly IG is being used for micro-blogging – just one image, and a little explanation is more than enough for many people who currently have blogs. One of the IG feeds I like the best for the writing and the interesting take of the writer is Sandra Bryans, who has now started blogging at Sewanista.
- Lots of seasoned bloggers use IG however – slipping out pictures (teasers) before they are ready to blog, or sometimes to drive traffic to their blog. Both Carolyns, Lara, Karen, Lizzy, Rachel, Tilly and more.
(Handmade) Jane and Rachel (Pinheiro) - The thing I liked the best about the images were seeing everyone’s “secret corner of shame” (we all have one, right?) and “worst part of sewing”. Both of these categories were very revealing and refreshing in the perfect world where we all feel like we are on show and being judged all the time.
- People are very generous on IG, but generally “liking” only takes nano seconds. Within a few days I was getting 50 likes – a lot more than with the blog. But it is very easy to be seduced into liking in order to be liked. I tried to just like things that I really liked, and to comment too. Commenting is much rarer and often of the “awesome” variety, which is a bit predictable.
- As the format is so visual language is not a barrier. This is one of the ace things about IG. I am following people in Russia, Austria, Brazil, Japan and France. Many kindly write in English as well as their own language. But even where they don’t, it doesn’t matter much!
- I followed lots of people during the month. Really anyone who “liked” or commented on my pictures. I also used the sewphotohop hash tag to identify others in the challenge. This allowed me to discover lots and lots of interesting people. Although there are many “sewing beginners” (90% of users are under 35) on IG there are all sorts of experienced and skilled craftswomen – patchworkers, knitters, weavers, dyers, embroiderers. Such a feast of skill and achievement. Over time I will develop my feed so that it has the highest quality work or the most interesting insight. And then I will try to live up to that myself.
- More than one picture a day is overwhelming for the viewer. And limiting it to one makes you edit your thoughts which is good.
- You can put up a 15 second video clip.
And here are a few facts.
Instagram was launched in 2010 as an App. It was bought by Facebook in 2012, when it had 100m users, for about $1bn (US). It has since grown by 23%, while Facebook has only grown by 3%. The most popular Instagram accounts are produced by “celebrities” who may or may not take their own pictures. The other thing, related to this, is that people always show their “best” side, or the best side of their life. They show what came for pudding at the swankiest restaurants; a reheated supermarket meal wouldn’t be that “amazing”. Ordinary people now feel they have to a) record the minutiae of their lives b) always look good. This tends to lead to great boredom in the watcher. Of course it is always a matter of degree.
What I could have put on Instagram today. But didn’t.
I took in a skirt for Esme by taking out the zip, and removing around an inch from each side, a technique recommended by Mrs Mole. The chiffon blouse is coming to a conclusion. Bunny had suggested a very fine needle and a fine machine embroidery thread. I was able to find neither, so just got on with it. As you may be able to see I have trapped some basting thread inside the button stand. I made a pair of 1970s trousers for me (a couple of weeks ago), in the same fabric as Esme’s skirt. The very high waist band was uncomfortable and also made the trousers look horrible. So I cut it off and made a facing instead. And finally I started to prepare to make an embroidered blouse. I will be away for work next week and fancied doing a bit of embroidery. So I started off with that. I got very frustrated because I thought I had lost the embroidery pattern for the right sleeve. But, after eating a Ready Meal for dinner, I found it in the bin. I also sewed on a bunch of name tapes for my grandson who starts school on Monday (a task I really thought I was done with). Real life is not as glamorous as the World of Instagram. IRL we all just try to get by.
Lining the Burda collarless coat
The Zara coat we copied is not fully lined. It has Hong Kong (bound) seam edges, and lining across the front. The Burda pattern we used has interfacing and lining. I looked around for some inexpensive yellow silk.
“Yellow. Silk!!?”
(“Brown lace“??) You are getting used to my opinionated client. Esme, already convinced the coat was way too yellow, put her foot down. What about painting the lining I suggested. No. Esme proposed beige, to “dull it down a bit”. I suggested dying the silk with tea, an idea she liked. Then I asked about tie dye or shibori.
“What about if we do it like a tea-dyed egg?”
One of the Chinese restaurants we frequent sells hard boiled eggs with a marbled look, created by hard boiling, cracking the shell without removing it, then steeping the egg in the tea for hours. Nice idea.
I cut out the lining in habotai silk and soaked each piece in hot black tea (bags) for an hour or so. This is the base layer. I left it to drip dry, over the tap in the kitchen, and then pressed it.
The second stage is to give the crackle glaze effect. We coated the silk in hot wax (I used chop sticks to dip it in the hot wax, letting it drain), then when dry we crumpled it up, before soaking overnight in a stronger tea bag solution. I already saw a problem here. The wax I use for silk painting, batik and shibori is a mixture of a hard (paraffin) wax with quite a lot of softer bees wax in it, for pliability and softness. To do a crackle glaze look project properly I would suggest using paraffin wax, mainly or entirely. Then you will get the cracking that will make all the difference. Something to try when I am not rushing to finish this project!
Eventually we pressed out the wax and then finally I put the silk in the washing machine to ensure all the wax residue was removed and to create a nice, soft fabric. Although taking out the wax involves using a hot iron, the tea is not entirely fixed through this method. I would say 20% of the colour came out during washing. However the removal of the wax grease was especially important with this item. It made the silk feel a bit like peachskin silk. I quite like the final colour which just looks “vintage” and aged rather than a particular colour. The crackle is there, but I have to admit it is a bit too subtle. If I did this again I might try coffee for the second layer in order to get a bit of depth to the colour. Or perhaps leave the silk white before waxing it.
All I did this morning was attach the lining. Esme put it on, and took off.
Finishing the yellow Burda coat (Made Up, part two)
On Wednesday I covered the construction of a collarless, open coat (what could be easier?) for my daughter Esme. The post drew lots of positive comments – thank you! It is interesting how yellow seems to be a colour that many home sewers avoid. I think it maybe because many people worry about finding a yellow that suits them. Anyway I met someone very interesting yesterday who made a yellow coat on TV (Great British Sewing Bee, series 2)! Her name is Tamara and here is her yellow coat. Tamara told me that she was given all her Mum’s old 1960s and 1970s patterns and this coat pattern was one her Mum had made and worn in the 60s. What a lovely woman, and what a lovely coat.
Back to my coat which should be a quick job as it doesn’t have buttons or a collar. I am pledged to finish this by Saturday (part of my Made Up pledge) so i need to get on with it.
Second fitting
After checking for size and fit I completed the pockets, stitched up the body pieces (six panels with some shaping in the back seam) and underlined the facings with cotton organdie. I felt this was just the right fabric for giving some body and crispness without overwhelming the coat. I made up the sleeves and basted one of them into the coat, ready for the second fitting.
The good news was that the shoulder was great. This is an area that often needs altering, but so far the fit has been perfect. Phew! The sleeve went in easily (how I love easing in a sleeve) and, other than being about 4″ too long, they were perfect too. However Esme was dismayed by the “stiffness” of the coat and said it should have been made without any interfacing. You can see on the picture (above left) how the lapels curl outwards. Of course they could be pressed flat, but you can see they have quite a lot of body and livliness. Personally this is one of the things I love about a hand made coat. I said:
“Esme, all coats and jackets have interfacing”,
and explained I had chosen something suitably light. She examined the organdie and pronounced it very “crisp”, which is absolutely true. She produced the original Zara coat and we pulled it around and found that, as she had thought, it lacked interfacing. There was seam binding only, plus a little bit of sleeve head roll. That surprised me, but then it is a coat that feels like a cardigan. And there is always so much to learn from RTW. But, in my view, not having any support means the coat will start to look crumpled and droopy after a few wears.
“Please take it out!”,
She said.
So, against my better judgement, but knowing that she knew what she liked about the old coat, I removed the interfacing. Luckily I prefer to sew in my interfacing rather than use an iron on product. The second picture (above right) shows what a difference it makes. At the second fitting I checked the length of the coat. I made the coat as long as I could given the shortage of fabric and the marks on the remnant. The hem now encloses the end of the bolt marks. I could have cut it off but I wanted to hide a little bit of its history in the hem. I did use a strip of bias cut organdie in the hem as I usually do, but left it out of the sleeve hems to give them the softness that Esme requires. In fact I cut 7cms of the hems of the sleeves – they were really long, or perhaps we are short-armed women?
All I have to do now is make a lining and finish it by Saturday. I had considered buying some yellow silk, but this has been vetoed. Esme has other ideas. Here is the inspiration.
To be continued.
Abakhan (Bolton) – Fabric Shop Review
I have been spending a little time lately looking round the fabric shops of Lancashire. So it was inevitable that I would get to Abakhan soon, as recommended by Maria Josephine. The Abakhan name is common in Turkey, although it seems the family that started the chain originated in St Petersburg. Today they have a range of shops throughout Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as in the North of England. Why not London Mr Abakhan?
What a great shop!
There are several of these shops throughout the Noth West, with their biggest shop in North Wales. If you are nearby it is certainly worth a visit. Although the prices are reasonable rather than cheap it is an amazing experience if you like hunting through shelving units stacked with a wide range of remnants. These fabrics are sold by the kilo. Of course you may not want a kilo! You may not even want the piece of fabric as a whole. They will cut meterage from the remnant so long as there is one metre left for the next person. They also have perfectly nice cloth by the metre on traditional rolls.
The other things that were interesting were the bags of assorted haberdashery – cottons, ribbons, etc. And the most lurid fake fur I have ever seen. I imagine this might be fun if you are planning a fancy Yeti party. Or maybe there is something here for Jungle January?
The 20 staff in the shop were universally helpful and engaging. Here is Denise in the black Abakhan uniform. She (and I) discussed the right colour for the ground and batting for a child’s quilt.
They have got a website too. They apparently send A4 samples for £1. Nothing like rooting around though, in my view.
Making a yellow coat for Esme (Made Up, part two)
I approached this project with trepidation. I have already written about the hazards of sewing for those you love.
This project started a year or two ago when I bought Esme a nice yellow summer coat from Zara. It got worn so much it is currently quite disgusting. I agreed to make a copy. I then, recklessly perhaps, offered to make it for Karen’s Made Up pledge (which gives me until Saturday, ahem) to finish it.
Fabric choices
I looked and looked for suitable cloth. The original is a drapey, but not overly lightweight, viscose twill in a relatively subdued shade of yellow – a pastel, muted yellow. I couldn’t find anything close. I did buy a nice soft cashmere remnant in lemon, but Esme turned that down. So I made myself a jacket. Which I love.
Eventually I was lucky enough to find some amazing yellow lightweight wool twill. Here was a textile with an amazing history and providence. It came from the closing down sale of W Bill, a longstanding British suiting fabric supplier. I have a post about them coming up. There was enough to make a coat (although not as much as the pattern required). It was good value. It had some ruination on the bottom of the piece and a thick blue line woven into it. It also had a tab showing how much had been sold, and how much was left. Just my little piece, all on its own. Even if Esme hated it I had to buy it.
The next job was to convince Esme that this was the right colour for her new coat. She didn’t like it much. I gave her grey instead. We also tried a piece of Roland Mouret double crepe wool in a strong, bluish pink. And a piece of deep cobalt blue, again from Roland Mouret. She liked the grey, which is a nice piece of ex-Jaeger cloth, with a touch of stretch. She twirled in all the colours, and Ellie (her friend) and I gave our opinions. In the end I pushed her into yellow because I just thought it looked the best. For Esme however the yellow was different from her original coat and she felt it was a bit full on. I promised to do something in the grey, and maybe some trousers in the pink. And I said if she hated the coat I would keep it for myself (I am a size or two bigger, but it is an unstructured coat). In the end she caved in.
Pattern
I knew Burda would have a suitable pattern, but I couldn’t find it! Then I remembered. For some reason Burda Style UK does not cover the full range. I had to go to the US site to get this pattern for a “collarless open coat”. This was exactly the simple style I wanted, although the pockets are in the side front seams. Also it looks a bit stiff, doesn’t it? I worried about how Esme might react, as her coat is somewhat cardigan-y. However as she had, at one point, asked for the coat to be tapered in at the hem I figured the princess seams might allow this to be achieved in a subtle way.
I like Burda downloads – instant gratification. I don’t mind the sellotaping as it gives me some thinking time. Often the patterns are used for more than one style, so you do have to go carefully through it. Sometimes the instructions don’t make much sense, and may even be incorrect. But it is basically a straightforward job. Based on Esme’s measurements I used the smallest size for the shoulders and bust, the next for the waist, and the next for the hips. One of the great advantages of making your own clothes.
For the first fitting I machine basted the coat together and asked Esme to try it on for fit (but also to try to convince her this was the colour she really wanted).
The fit was good, and as you can see Esme is beginning to like the colour, which looks a bit less “in your face” worn outside.
Now I will make up the coat, ready for the second fitting, where I will baste in the sleeves and pin up the hems. See you soon!
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