How to sew an A line dress 1 - Pattern making

29 November 2019



Hey peeps,

Long-time no sees, not to worry I'm back with another easy sewing tutorial with some equally straight forward and easy pattern drafting.

I hope you like this tutorial as much as I enjoyed making it, every girl needs an A-line dress in her wardrobe, they're especially handy for food babies LOL LOL LOL LOL

I didn't give specific measurements because I wanted you guys to get comfortable with using your own measurements.

Please, do share how helpful the tutorial has been, I'm still trying to figure out my tutorial style, so anything that would make the process easier for you guys, I'm all in.

Thanks and don't forget to sign up for my email list and join the fam, I send alerts for any new email posts.





The Big Reveal for my #REMAKEYOURRTW2019 sewing challange

27 October 2019



Hey peeps,

This is my report/reveal of my sewing challenge I started in January called #remakeyourRTW2019.

It was supposed to end in June, but I extended it till July, but somehow LOL LOL LOL I'm only just done filming and editing.

I hope you like my makes so far, I still have two partially finished projects in there, then I intend to do a look book.

But let me know what you think of my makes, which is your fav etc

Also pls do signup to be a part of the family as we continue on this sewing journey.

Thanks so much for stopping by and please do come back next time.




#2018makenine + #2018usenine Review

11 August 2019


Hey peeps,

I'm soooooo sorry that i'm posting this so late, it's actually an oversight cos i thought i;d done it already, never mind, better late than never right?

This is a review of my #2018makenine but since i used some of the fabrics from my #2018usenine, i decided to combine the videos.

If you're new here or new to the sewing world and don't have a clue of what i'm talking about then watch my #2018makenine video where i fully explain the concept.

As always, see you on the next one.





     

#MEMADEMAY2019: DAY 23/31

6 July 2019


Hey peeps,
If you didn't know already dresses are some of my favourite things to sew, but, as it turns out I discovered and talked about in my review of my first memeademay I don't have that many.


My favourite type to sew are fit & flare dresses, they fit me well IMHO.

But this dress is a remake of my all-time favourite dress( and here I was thinking I haven't remade anything) which I think I have almost worn threadbare ROFLMAO and I wore to kick off memaemay.


Well, nothing much to say about this, its a dress, fits nice, also made from African wax fabric (Ankara).
Oh, I also tried to spice things up with a little mix & match prints.

I will definitely be making more, and I'll be sure to let you guys know all about it.

See you guys in the next post.



#MEMADEMAY2019: DAY 20/31




Unfortunately, these pictures don't really do this outfit any justice IMHO.

The top/light jacket (if you can call it that) and the skirt are both memade, so you can imagine my joy at wearing more than one memade item in an outfit.

The top is made from African wax print (Ankara) and I did some flat piping on the front yoke and used double fold piping around the neck and front edge.

It was a quick and easy make, just something to throw on over tops. Dolman sleeve sleeves typically are, as I've made one before and blogged about it as well.



The skirt is a whole other story, I made it during the memade challenge itself, which the creators caution that that isn't what the challenge is about.

But, I wore my yellow pencil skirt and was reminded of how easy and quick that was to make, then, also, I wanted more days like this, where I get to wear more that one item of memade in an outfit.


I also really loved the quilted look of the fabric, sadly, all they had left was what I bought and it wasn't much.

I also bought a black and animal print fabric to make more of these midi length pencil skirt, which I'm really enjoying.






#MEMADEMAY2019: DAY 17/31



Oh my oh my, the story of this top is another one where a mistake turns into something good.

This top was part of my #2018makenine items, it's actually a famous MaCalls pattern m7542 which I saw on MiMi G and I decided I'd take a stab at drafting it.



And my woes with sleeves were very evident in my cutting of this pattern, I think I cut the armholes out twice and the sleeves maybe like 3 times, it's still not a PERFECT fit but I can live with it and it's one of my fav tops now.

If you're interested in other things I choose for my make nine or just want to find out what the hell a #makenine challenge is, you can watch them here.



So far I've never repeated any of my makes, well except for me trying to perfect my pencil skirt technique.

But like you can tell from all the posing I'm doing here, LOL, I like this crop top length, so I do intend to make more of this top to go with the high waist pants/trousers I keep dreaming I make.



Hopefully, before the end of this year, the dream turns into reality.

See you guys in the next post.




 
 

Some Awesome Things You Need To Know About Home Sewists

16 June 2019


To start off this topic right, we have to get into the meaning of the word Sewist then home sewist”.

the word sewist doesn't appear in any dictionary, but the Urban Dictionary defines it as

Street slang for a badass seamstress. A mix of hobbyist meets seamstress. It is also a word that is despised by many seamstresses in Free Speech!

Some also define it as a term created to replace the word sewer” which brings to mind & is most often thought to be sewage. 
Well, I love the term Sewist and refer to myself as such because it encompasses both male & female sewer of every skill level.


Now a home sewist  is one who sews mostly for leisure and pleasure, in the comfort of their home.

As we have dispensed with the definitions, allow me to tell you of some many wonderful things about these group of individuals.

1. We are superheroes
The art or act of turning a regular 'ol flat 2D piece of fabric into the different creations you see, is..... nothing.......... short of magic.
Doesn't matter if it's home decor, a quilt or babies clothes, it's MAGIC.
it takes a lot of creative juice, patience, and skill to sew, and for this we applaud ourselves.
Even Edna agrees, LOL.


2. Accept our bodies the way they are
Honestly, for a sewist, this is a no brainer. And I know I sound like a broken record because I say this all the time but, if we are not truthful to ourselves about our body quirks, then we'll never make anything that fits.
So, we accept our bodies and sew around the stuff we don't like so much.

3. We have good coping mechanisms
It is a known fact that sewing is recommended to people suffering from anxiety and depression.
It is believed that the act of focusing one task at a time, which sewing does make you do, helps the brain and mind to wonder less and by extension helps individuals cope with stresses of everyday life.
I talk more about this is my post about the benefits of sewing.

4. Consider sewing & buying fabrics separate hobbies
This is true because the size of our fabric stashes and the amount of time it'd actually take us to cut and sew through them doesn't add up.
Ergo, separate hobbies, NO?????????????

5. Don't want to mend your clothes
I think this speaks for itself loud and clear, and I also don't wanna make stuff for you.



6. For most of us, this is just a hobby 
There is this assumption or expectation by some people who don't sew, that, this sewing skill for you is a stepping stone to being a fashion designer or owning a sewing pattern company, etc.

Yes, sewing can be a big business if you choose to make it that, you can even become an influencer with a blog that gets thousands of views a day, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

But, for most, it's JUST A HOBBY.

7. Are great at starting all over 
Another indispensable skill for a sewist.
You see, sewing = mistakes, whatever your skill level, you'll hate it but it's just one of those facts of life.
So, as a sewist, you need to learn to start afresh when you have accidentally ripped through your seams, cut into your already sewn projects with your rotary cutter or even sewn the wrong pattern pieces together.
The stories I have on this topic alone LOL.



8. Are mostly interested in your garment construction
We have this bad habit of touching people inappropriately because we find the construction of your garment, bag, etc more interesting than what you are telling us about where you got it because as sewists we believe


“I can make that”



                                         
This was supposed to be a fun post, leave a comment if you can relate to anything I wrote.

Please do not forget to join my email list.


      
 

#MEMADEMAY2019: DAY 15/31




It's funny how mistakes work out and look like they were planned from the beginning LOL.

That's what happened to me with this shirt, I was looking to make some plain solid coloured tops, so I unearth this tan/beige fabric from my stash.
Unlike me, I usually buy 3 yards of fabric minimum because I never know what I'm going to make, so with 3 yards, I think I'm covered for most things.

But I had only 1 yard of the tan fabric, I'd bought it a while back so getting more was completely out of the question. I ended up getting the black fabric to save the day.

And as such this top was born. Looking like it was meant to be.

it's my first complete shirt, makes like these are why I upgraded my sewing machine, can someone say AUTOMATIC BUTTONHOLE? LOL LOL


See you guys on my next #memademay offering.

P.S lets not talk about my pose there, let's not...LOL LOL LOL


#MEMADEMAY2019: DAY 12/31

14 June 2019



I remember this dress and my feelings while I was making it and when I finished.

INCREDIBLE is the only thing that comes to mind. I most definitely felt like SUPERWOMAN.

You see, this was the first time I'd ever looked at a magazine, picture, etc and thought


       “I’m going to make that”

                                 
                                                    

I dunno if any of you guys know a certain phenomenal actress by the name of Kerry Washington, she's also a style idol of mine.


Anyways I saw her in this dress and had to, had to, have it. I was feeling myself & my new found sewing skills, LOL.

Of course, I had no real idea of the concept of fabric choices yet, as you can see, her dress looks like its made from a light and flowy fabric, mine is African wax print, with satin for the insides of the inverted pleats. 


Then I made single fold bias binding for the black parts of her dress, imagine making all that bias binding, without the bias binding maker tool..... I burnt myself more times than I care to remember.

But everyone loved it, I felt like the STAR of the show, at someone else's wedding mind you, ROFLMAO.


Now that I know more about fabric choices, I will say I've been tempted to remake this dress.
Maybe.............. Someday.







 
 

#MEMADEMAY2019: DAY 6/31


Hey peeps,

For me, I think this is my best and properly made woven pencil skirt.

I finally got my fit nailed down.

Most people think all there is to sewing, is just, SEWING..... and maybe some pattern drafting thrown in to round things up.

But if you sew, you know how incorrect this is, fabric choice & FITTTTTTTTTTT is so crucial to a complete make.

In this skirt, I figured that my darts need to be longer than the industry standard and I need 4 darts in the front so that my skirt has smoother curves.

Anyway, this is pretty much my office uniform, LOL. What's yours, if you have any?


But catch you guys on my next MEMADEMAY post.




 
 

Latest Instagrams

© Chi9ja . Design by FCD.