Tasha Sews

Pattern Review: Butterick 5432 Can you believe that I have never made pajamas! Other than my failed nightgown here  this is the only other time that I have tried nightwear. It's pretty shocking considering pajamas are such a beginner pattern. Butterick 5432 is a great value pattern as it contains so many different options.  These pajamas are a part of the  #makeyourstash  legacy. This fabric has been in my stash for at least 5 years! It is a soft cotton t-shirt fabric. I can't even remember where I purchased this, but it was easy to sew and the softness made it perfect for a pajama pattern! In regards to the pattern I cut a size medium for the top and shorts. For the shorts I added on an inch to the length as I suspected that they may be a bit scandalous without it. I also graded in an inch to the top of the back pieces to account for my larger derriere.  For the top I sewed this straight out to the envelope with no alterations and it does...

Pattern Review: Vogue 9251 As the #makeyourstash challenge has been happening this May, I cut out a couple of long time stash fabrics to try some new patterns. The first one was Vogue 9251 . This dress ticks 2 boxes as not only is it a  #makeyourstash  dress, but also my 5th  #2018MakeNine  garment. The fabric was purchased at The Great British Sewing Bee Live, which took place in September at the Excel in London.  I was pretty restrained, and only picked up one piece of fabric - this floral polycotton priced at £5 for the whole lot. I was drawn to the floral print, but I hesitated when deciding what to make with it as the flowers are very directional. Whilst snooping my stash I thought that it would be perfect for a muslin for this woven wrap dress! Despite some niggles with the bodice (listed below), I really love the style of this garment. It is flattering for my pear shape, is easy to dress up and down and fits with so many of my other wardrob...

Pattern Review: McCall's 7084  This dress has been a slow burner and feels like it has taken me ages to finish. McCall's 7084  is my 4th #2018MakeNine garment.    One of the reasons this took so long to finish is that is that it has around 20 pieces and to top it off I decided to underline this dress. This lovely floral linen was a post-Christmas bargain from John Lewis in Oxford Street, London. It was initially priced around £18 per metre and I managed to snap up 2.5 metres reduced to £5.50 per metre. I underlined the dress with cotton lining from my stash. I didn't have enough blue lining so some patches are purple!  The linen was only 110cm wide and I didn't have enough fabric for the undercollar and placket facing. So there are some contrast blue parts on the dress. At first I wasn't convinced it would work but I had spent so long cutting out the pieces that I persevered and I quite like it now.  I knew that the princess...

Pattern Review: New Look 6346 This is my 3rd #2018MakeNine  garment! I made this New Look skirt before  and absolutely loved it. However, I feel that I'm not able to make the most of the skirt as the UK Summer is not always warm and dry. I knew that I would want a version that I could wear in colder weather.   I used this floral polyester viscose print purchased from  Fabricland . I picked it up in-store when visiting family in Bristol quite a while ago. I think it was around £3.99-£4.50 per metre. It was easy to work with and sew, but I wonder how it will hold up as it has been washed a few times and I have noticed that it is fading slightly.  The buttons were picked out by my partner in Simply Fabrics . I had been struggling to find a navy button that I liked, but Alex said why not go for a mustard colour button? They were a bargin at 5p each and blend in so well with the print. I cut a size 18 - a size up from last time as I wante...

Pattern Review: Simplicity 8216 Hello, I am back with my 2nd of my #2018MakeNine challenge! I have a ready to wear shirt in my wardrobe with a neck tie and it is one of my most worn items. I have been on the lookout for sewing patterns to replicate it and decided to try Simplicity 8216 .  For this top I chose view D, but with the neck tie and minus the pocket. I cut a size 14 and made no changes except to add an inch onto the length. As mentioned in other reviews there is a pattern drafting error in the neck facing. It is annoying, but you can work round it. It is a shame as it is could easily stump beginner sewers, which is why I wouldn't class this as an 100% easy pattern.  I bought this floral crepe fabric in the January sales in John Lewis for around £5-7 per metre (I can't remember the exact price). I snapped up a whole bunch of fabrics (12 metres in total!) that were on their 3rd price reduction.It was a dream to sew with and has a lovely drape that i...

Pattern Review: New Look 6456 This pattern was inspired by the  #makeyourstash challenge ! The aim is to promote sustainable sewing by using fabric that has been in your stash for at least 6 months and is an item that you will enjoy wearing! I have had this lovely piece of cotton in my stash for around 3 years and this challenge finally made me put it to use as a wrap skirt.  I decided to go with New Look 6456  which has also been in my stash for a number of years. I think it cost around $8 CAN at the time and I bought 2 yards. It is quite a light cotton so I lined it with some polyester lining from my stash. Despite having sewed a number of wrap dresses this was my first wrap skirt. I cut the knee length skirt and a size 14. I sewed it up straight out of the envelope. This is a super simple skirt and would suit a beginner and be a great way to try out sewing a buttonhole.  When I first finished this skirt I was slightly unsure about th...

Pattern Review: New Look 6301 Welcome to the first make from my  #2018MakeNine challenge!  I wear a wrap dress at least once per week as part of my work wardrobe and knew that I wanted another one in the rotation.  I sewed this one up exactly the same as my previous version  here . A size 14 overall, with size 18 on the top of the bodice for modesty and I took 1" out of the centre back. I took 2" off the skirt length so it hit above the knee.  The fabric is an ITY knit that I bought in NYC, Brooklyn in Belmont Avenue during my holiday laast year. The fabric was $4 per yard and I bought 2! I knew as soon as I saw this print that it would be  a perfect work dress and version of  New Look 6301.  It washed and sewed up beautifully. I really don't have anything to add that I haven't covered in my previous reviews. However I will say that the #2018MakeNine challenge has really made me more reflective about my wardrobe needs. As someone...