The Knitting & Stitching Show & my first Emery dress

I ummed and ahhed about whether to attend the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace as it was so busy last year (we went on the Saturday) so we decided to take the Friday off work and arrived at the show at about 10:30ish. First part of the morning was fairly quiet, it got busy over lunchtime then mid-afternoon all the school and coach groups left and it was blissfully quiet!

I did have a list of possible fabrics to look for but, as always, it got thrown out of the window when I spotted gorgeous fabrics which I just had to buy.

First up we stopped at Fabrics Galore. As we arrived quite early the stand was pretty quiet and we were able to have a good look through all the fabrics.

I’d already decided that I wanted to buy some of the Hemingway vintage range so I had good rummage through and decided on the rust coloured stripes and dashes. It was £10 a metre which is was £3 cheaper than my local fabric shop. I bought 3 metres with the intention of making an Autumnal dress.

We continued to have a wander around and bumped into Tilly and her new colleague Laura. By chance my Hemingway fabric was in my Tilly bag so we had a chat about what I was planning to make. We did a reccie of the main hall and each bought some cute fat quarters. I’d been eyeing up the sewing notions fabric by Makower but when I saw it on the bolt I wondered if the print was too small so instead just bought a fat quarter to make a little bag to look after zips.

Before we knew it it was time for the Sewing with Knits workshop run by Celia Banks. I was a great introduction to using knit fabrics. I got an overlocker and the Moneta pattern for my birthday and have been desperate to make it up but I didn't have any experience of sewing with knits so thought it wise to take a course. Celia did a great job of showing about 12 of us different types of seams, how to finish necklines and inserting ribbed cuffs into a fleece sleeve. It was really brilliant value at only £15 for about 1hr 45mins. I’d recommend booking yourself onto a workshop not just to learn new skills but for the chance to chat to fellow sewists somewhere quiet with a chair!   

So after my success with the knits we headed to the Eternal Maker stand to see what knit fabrics they had. Their stand never fails to disappoint. All the fabric is displayed so well making it easy to see and pull it out to take a closer look. The staff are also super friendly and helpful.

I found this gorgeous mustard knit fabric which I thought would be perfect for the Moneta dress. I’d made a note that I’d need 2.6m and when we measured there was 2.58m left – talk about meant to be! While there we also bought 1.5m of the cute bike print knit which I’m going to make into a t-shirt for my fiancé. 

Other purchases of the day included this lovely purple floral cotton from Lady Sew and Sew. They had it on display made into cushions but I loved the colour and thought it would make a lovely dress.

I also bought this stunning deep red floral fabric from a Japanese stand. It feels like a type of crepe and I’m going to look through my patterns to decide what style of dress this would suit.

We also found these cute knitted animals – how great is that bear? He was lifesize!

I’ve made a couple of new dresses since I last blogged. I finished the square neck Mortmain which I’m wearing today – the fabric is such soft cotton it feels really silky.

I also finally resolved my fit issues with the Emery dress. I’d made a toile, traced and altered the pattern and sewn up a wearable muslin which was a total disaster. I’d decided that maybe the Emery wasn’t the dress for it. However my mum gave me some vouchers for the The White Room which is a local sewing school and I booked myself a session on dressmaking where the tutor had said she’d help me alter the pattern to fit. In the end the alterations were manageable, I made a smaller size and we took out some of the excess fabric from the upper chest area and moved the shoulder seam in towards my neck. The muslin I made there was perfect which left me full of confidence for my fashion fabric. I made the Emery in a black floral cotton which I bought on the Goldhawk Rd on my birthday. I’m so happy with the result. The dress is a really good fit and I’ve received more compliments than any dress I’ve made! I swapped the gathered skirt for a pleated one – gathers and I are not friends…

I’ve just started sewing my Christmas dress and have cut another Emery – I’m planning to wear this to my work Christmas party.

I now seem to have a long list of Christmas sewing to get done in the next few weeks – lots of presents to make!