Purl and Seam

handmade in Lancashire

Best laid plans and all that!

January 10, 2022

I had an inclination to write a sort of “line in the sand” post with the hope that the coming year would be more….amenable…than the past two. Summer is just starting to study “Of Mice and Men” and the quote which inspired it seems so apposite for the last couple of years:

The best laid plans o’ mice and men

gang aft agley*

and leave us nought but grief and pain

for promised joy!

Robert Burns – “To a Mouse” – 1786. *often go wrong

Never a truer word spoken. It has been such a time of grief, and pain, stress and worry. Many have lost loved ones, and those who haven’t have lost time with their people.

We’re into the second week of January 2022 and ‘plus ça change’!**.

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CATEGORIES // Family Life, Home Dec, Knitting, Sewing, Style

DIY Oversized Shirt – Vogue

August 21, 2021

Hello there! I can’t believe that we’re heading towards the end of August and it’s been nearly 3 months since my last post.

Between the dance lessons (all in Liverpool, which is a 2 hour round trip), the ongoing pandemic, fires, earthquakes and Afghanistan falling to the Taliban again, it’s felt so frivolous to be posting in this space. I’ve been almost as sporadic over on Insta too.

Add into the mix the long school summer vacation and almost interminable rain. It’s meant that not a lot has been happening other than keeping small folk occupied and from fisticuffs!

All this means that creative ennui is a real thing at the moment, but I have finished this blouse and a pair of socks. I’ll share the socks next time. Hopefully not in another 3 months, because they’re lovely!

Anyhoo….this shirt!

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CATEGORIES // Sewing, Style

DIY Alabama Chanin x Blackwood Cardigan

May 25, 2021

I have finally finished the Alabama Chanin School of Making (ACSoM) cardigan.

It’s been a total labour of love. I started it in July 2019 and finished it in March of this year. I’ve been waiting to photograph it because, after all that work, it was a wardrobe orphan. But I’ve now got a Cashmerette Springfield top that works perfectly*, so here we go.

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CATEGORIES // Needlework, Sewing, Style

DIY Men’s Henley T-shirt – Patterns for Pirates review

April 25, 2021

The next of Dave’s Christmas gift garments is a Patterns for Pirates men’s Henley T-shirt. This is actually a selfish sew because I love how good he looks in a Henley. Also, I’ve never sewn one so it seemed a good opportunity to learn a couple of new skills. Knit necklines are a mystery to me, and the placket neckline would, hopefully, be a fun challange.

Patterns for Pirates (P4P) is a new to me pattern company. I had heard of them but never tried them. Men’s patterns are thin on the ground. Men’s patterns to fit these shoulders even more so. I had planned on making Thread Theory’s Strathcona Henley, but it only fits up to a 44″ chest.

So, I did a quick Google search, and found P4P. This was the only men’s Henley I could find that was drafted for larger sizes, but which also had agreeable style proportions. I felt that $9 seemed a reasonable price to pay to explore this new brand.

Grab a beverage. This is a long one!

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CATEGORIES // Reviews, Sewing, Style

DIY Men’s Lounge Pants – McCalls 2586

April 18, 2021

Dave has been dropping not so subtle hints about me making another pair of McCalls 2586 for a shamefully long time. So, for Christmas, I bought him 3 lengths of fabric to make him garments of his choice. I had a good idea what he’d want, but wanted get the fit exactly how he wanted it.

Although I’d made them previously I want to check the fit before sewing. I know I would fit a pattern from 12 years ago!

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CATEGORIES // Sewing, Style

DIY Teen Blackwood Cardigan – Helen’s Closet

April 5, 2021

This is my 7th outing with Helen’s Closet Blackwood Cardigan.

This time though, I made it for Miss 13 for Christmas. I’d heard lots of none too subtle hints for quite some time that she wanted one, but I wasn’t sure if it would fit.

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CATEGORIES // Reviews, Sewing

DIY Dancewear – trousers and a modified Jalie 2803 stretch bodysuit

January 29, 2021

I’ve spoken before about the cost of specialist dancewear and shoes for a tiny dancer, so my drive to perfect my skills in this area is not only creative but financial too.

When we (hopefully) return to dance competitions following the pandemic, Dylan will be in Juniors, which will eventually need a tailsuit for ballroom and a slinky, sparkly top paired with plain black trousers for Latin.

I’ll buy the tailsuit (possibly secondhand….they cost upwards of £500 preloved, considerably more new). But there’s no reason I can’t sew and stone a latin shirt and whip up competition ready trousers for him with a bit of practice.

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CATEGORIES // Sewing

DIY Upcycled Tops

January 9, 2021

Let’s start a new year of sewing with some simple upcycled tops that I completed towards the end of last year.

I had 3 jersey dresses that I had bought probably a year earlier and not worn even once! I don’t know what I was thinking when I bought them. They’re not really my colours. They’re not particularly flattering. Honestly…this is why I don’t go clothes shopping! I’m so very bad at it!

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CATEGORIES // Sewing

DIY Print Sweater – Helen’s Closet Elliot Sweater V3.0

November 10, 2020

Please excuse slightly grainy pictures. Lancashire is gloomy at the moment. We need some crisp bright days, please!

My love affair with the Helen’s Closet Elliot Sweater continues.

My blue and black striped sweaters are in almost constant rotation as the weather is so much cooler here. So when I saw this beautiful printed ponte di roma on the Patterns and Plains website, it was a given that it would be another Elliot Sweater.

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CATEGORIES // Reviews, Sewing, Style

DIY Cocoon T-shirt – Hot Patterns Blouse-Back Tee

November 3, 2020

I’ve had the Blouse-Back Tee from Hot Patterns in my stash for sooooooo long and never got around to making it. When I made the Blackwood Cardigans for Beth and myself, I had some of the lovely jersey left over. It seemed a good idea to use that up to trial this pattern.

I’ve spoken recently about trying new styles, and this definitely falls into that category. I have never in my life worn a cocoon style but the financial investment here was so low, again it felt like nothing to lose.

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CATEGORIES // Sewing, Style

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Recent Posts

  • Best laid plans and all that!
  • DIY Oversized Shirt – Vogue
  • DIY Shell Tops – Cashmerette Springfield Top
  • DIY Alabama Chanin x Blackwood Cardigan
  • DIY Men’s Henley T-shirt – Patterns for Pirates review

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