- £20

Minerva Craft Blogger Network: Grainline Studio - Archer Shirt

I'm super excited to be part of the Minerva Craft Blogger Network! I recently shared my sewing plans for my first 3 months, check it out HERE to see what I'll be getting up to. Thanks so much to Minerva for having me on board, I had so much fun choosing my projects.

Each month when my post goes live on the Blogger Network, I'll be posting a little preview here with my usual sewing summary and an image or two, but all the images and my full pattern review will be in my full Minerva post! Got it? Right....

My land-girl inspired Archer shirt!

For my full pattern review and images, CLICK HERE!

I hope you like my first Minerva make!
Thanks for reading.
xo

Will you be making Cleo?

Sewing Summary:

Vintage Vogue V2930 - Sew Style Vintage Bookazine Pattern Hack Feature!

Something a little extra exciting today, which I've been dying to share for months! My first ever magazine feature! I was contacted to be part of a pattern hacking feature for Sew Style Vintage bookazine. A series of sewing bookazines by Sew Style, other titles include Fashion & Home, Quick & Easy and For Beginners. Each one is £9.99 but the price is totally justifiable as they are designed to keep, love and use over and over again plus there's FREE patterns! Available to buy HERE.

I just wanted to share a little of what I got up to and show you a couple of images that didn't end up in the bookazine. Here's a peek at the vintage pattern hacking feature:

So exciting to see myself! And how gorgeous is Victoria's dress too?

"Welcome to Sew Style Vintage, your keepsake project book celebrating the joys of stitching the styles of bygone eras. Step back in time with us, taking a fashion journey from the 1920s right through to the 1980s, and discover a wealth of inspiration for stitching the glamour of old. Start tonight with one of the gorgeous Vogue® Patterns included in your pack, or turn to our project section for a collection of retro ideas. Add a touch of 1940s and 1950s style to your wardrobe with your two patterns. Within these pages you’ll find tips and tricks for stitching these as well as a whole host of fabric ideas. These are classic looks, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be worn with today’s trends, too, so turn to page 50 for all the styling inspiration you’ll need.

Once you’ve read all about the history of the hat, had your 50s tea party, and consulted vintage bloggers for expert advice, there’s a collection of stitchy projects that embody all things retro – whip up some fifties flair with a Monte Carlo skirt, or wrap up in style with the tartan cape. The accessories you choose can complete your ensemble, so check out an effortlessly elegant fur stole, stylish denim bag and a very retro headband, too.

Whether you’ve got a spare hour or a whole day to indulge your hobby, this handy tome will have you covered. Grab some fabric, raid your stash and get stitching vintage lovelies to wear and wow."

If this doesn't tempt you, I don't know what will!

My finished pattern hacked Vogue 2903 dress!

I'm not going to go into my pattern hack as that's all in the bookazine. But I was given the vintage Vogue 2903 dress pattern from 1957 along with the fabric and asked to hack it into something new!

Here's a peek at the pattern:

There was sooo much fabric in that skirt!

As I say in the magazine I chose to hack my dress using my favourite sewing skills (if you can call them that), shirt collars and button holes! If you've been following my blog, you'll know I love a shirt dress. I'm pleased with the outcome and it will be a lovely addition to my Summer wardrobe.

Pattern: hacked!

A huge 'thank you' to the team at Sew Style Vintage for asking me to be a part of this feature, it was so much fun! I can't wait to pick up a copy of this gorgeous retro sewing publication and get inspired by all the vintage sewing fun!

Thank you for reading, pinups!
xo

Tutorial: How to Sew Heart Pockets - Sweeten up Any Make!

FYI this isn't going to be a pattern review of the 'Coco' pattern, I'll do a bumper post another time as I've made a few versions now and want to show them altogether. I chose to do this tutorial on the 'Coco' pattern as it's my go-to jersey pattern at the moment, but this would work great on the 'Gable' Top I recently made too.

Such a simple and a fun way to add a splash of colour to any make!

Step 1: Draw your heart template:



As a size guide I used the large pocket pattern piece from the 'Coco' pattern. Fold a piece of paper in half and draw one half of a heart. At this point it's a good idea to cut the whole heart out and pin it to your top or dress to give you an idea of the size. You can then re-draw the heart.

Once you're happy with the size of the heart, add a 1cm seam allowance all the way around. Cut out and open out your paper heart template.


Step 2: Cut out your heart pockets:

Use your heart template to cut out your pockets. You need to cut out 2 hearts for each pocket as they are bagged out. To create the 2 pockets for my 'Coco' dress I cut out 4 hearts in total.

Step 3: Bag out your pockets:


Pin two hearts right sides together. Sew you pocket leaving a small gap on one of the straight edges to bag out your heart. Trim down the seam allowances and clip the curves. Turn the pocket inside out and iron. Some people may like to slip stitch the opening closed. But I personally hate slip stitching and find carefully tucking in the seam, ironing and eventually, top stitching is fine.

Adorable pattern weights always help. Check out my review of Oh Sew Quaint's Macaron Pattern Weights HERE

Step 4: Pocket placement:


You'll now have 2 lovely neat hearts ready to turn into pockets. Pin your pockets in place and mark on each pocket how far you want to sew up the hearts to form the opening. I did mine about 1cm from the top of the hearts.

It's always good to try on your garment now while your pockets are pinned on to check the placement.

Step 6: Time to sew!


Neatly and carefully sew your pocket in place with a simple straight stitch. Making sure to secure the stitches at the openings.

Tada! You now have adorable heart pockets that'll sweeten up any make!

Heart pockets? Done!

I'm really happy with the outcome of my pockets. They are simple to make and don't take long, which is certainly my kind of sewing. I'll definitely be doing these again!

Will you be trying out my heart pocket tutorial?

I'd love to know if you try out this tutorial for yourself! Please tag me in any pictures on social media if you do, or comment below. Also if you have any questions regarding this tutorial, ask away...

Want to make this Coco dress for yourself? Here's what I used:

Pattern: 
Fabric: Stripe Print Stretch Ponte Roma Jersey Knit Dress Fabric
+ scraps of red jersey from my stash

I hope you enjoyed my first sewing tutorial, hopefully this is the first of a few as I've got a couple of ideas floating around!

Thanks for reading, pinups.
xo