Solitude for Sewing

Hello, and welcome to the first installment of the Stitching Students series! Today I am presenting the lovely and talented Lauren of Lady Sewalot. Lauren was actually the first student blogger I ever found, and is the one who (unknowingly) inspired me to start my blog! Lauren's makes are always fresh and fun to read about, and sometimes use unconventional materials! Without further ado, let's get to the interview.


Where are you from?
England

At what level of schooling are you?
University

What are you studying?
I’m going to start my third and final year of a Costume Production degree at drama school in September.

Why did you choose this?
I decided that this was the skill I wanted to put my 10,000 hours into, to become a master of. 

How do your studies affect your sewing, or vice versa? How do you balance and manage time effectively? (Ugh, I sound like an adult. Wait, I am one. Technically.)
My studies are essentially sewing. I work in the costume room at uni from 10-6 Monday to…

Hello! I'm back unusually soon. But I finally got pictures of something I've had done since March...
Presenting: comfy but fashionable elastic-waist pants! They're pretty versatile, as far as casual occasions go.

Pattern: Named Clothing Ninni Culottes


Size: I'm pretty sure I made a size 0. Technically, I would be a size 2 or 4, but there's so much design ease I sized down.


Materials Used: Modal rayon from JoAnn's, from the denim section.


Directions/Construction: It would have been a lot easier if I didn't choose rayon, haha, but I think we know by now I love rayon. I DID use the instructions (gasp, what?!) and they are nice and clear. I messed up one of my pockets-I think it's upside down--but the rest of construction went smoothly, aside from hanging these up to try and hem them evenly.



Alterations: I took an inch off the waist, since I am short. Like I've mentioned before, Named Patterns drafts for a tall girl, which I am not. I think I adjusted the po…

Hello everyone, it's certainly been a while! I have been sewing, but I kind of need a beach setting for photos of my latest creation . . .

Anyway, so in the past half-year or so, I have noticed how there are a lot of specialized communities in the sewing blogosphere. Take the Curvy Sewing Collective, for example. It caters to a very specific community. And while I've found other communities as well, I've never found one meant for students. For me, it's always interesting to see what others around my age are doing, what trends they follow, why they live the life they do. . .though none of this information is necessary, it certainly livens up my blog and Instagram feed and makes me happy. And, surprisingly, it's hard to find other students who have sewing blogs! Usually I find them through chance and a bit of luck, not through a community or network.
I'm excited to say that I am going to remedy that ! At least a little bit. Introducing . . .


Stitching Students! V…

Hello! I'm back, after another week of research (sitting in front of a computer, running calculations and code). And I have something else to show! I don't think this will ever be my favorite dress due to various issues, but it's nice and I love the fabric.


Pattern: Very Easy Vogue V8870

Size: XS (4-6). This dress is almost too big and it's the smallest size. What?!? Normally I would have made a size small (8-10) but I did some research prior to cutting the muslin, since I have never made Vogue patterns before. The research suggested that I use my high bust as my bust measurement for sizing and then adjust accordingly. I'm glad I followed this advice since the size small would have been way too big. I can't believe the extra small is almost too big!


Materials Used: Some gorgeous black floral rayon from the Cotton+Steel Wonderland collection. This stuff is dreamy. Unlike other rayons, it doesn't fray the minute you touch it and it doesn't wrinkle nearly as…

So I'm definitely making assumptions in the title...and I don't know about you, but I think I look cute in my newest creation. It's a crop top, and it's spring colored, and adorable.


Pattern: heavily modified from Madalynne's Mallory Lane bralette pattern. It would be much easier to just make her Noelle pattern, but my summer house doesn't have a printer and the library is closed on Sundays. So I made do.


Materials: scuba knit from JoAnn's, fold over elastic from a fabric outlet hours away.


Construction: I finished all edges of the garment with FOE and used it for the straps. The seams are just serged, and there is no underbust support aside from the seam there.


Alterations: Okay, so there are a bevy of those...I added width to the sides since scuba doesn't have a ton of stretch. Obviously I raised the neckline and remade the back to have a racer back ish style and a cut out. And I used a wide bottom band.


Fit: It's good. It could be better, but then I&#…

Hello! So I didn't have a round-up post last Friday; I've been pretty busy working my summer job and cooking dinner for myself. And I've mostly been wearing me-made undergarments, so I'm not showing those. But the end of the month is approaching, so let's talk about what I learned. (Hint: it's not much.)

First of all, I learned that May is far too stressful to focus on clothing. May is full of studying and exams, and it takes too much energy to think about clothing. It might seem like it only takes about two minutes to pick out clothes for the day, but those choices resonate all day. I spent at way too much time thinking about what I was wearing this month.

Other than that, it was reinforced that generally May is too cold for dresses. Yeah, I think I wore about three. I love sewing dresses but May is never warm enough for bare legs. Also, the computer lab I work in is frigid; long pants and a sweater are a must.

I learned my clothing is pretty spot on with my s…