Secret Life of a Seamstress

Secret Life of a Seamstress

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    Fabric haul | Sewing and knitting plans and a catch up…

    May 16, 2021 /

    Hi everyone – welcome to another fabric haul and sewing plans blog and vlog. This blog accompanies my YouTube ‘fabric haul’ video and includes links to everything I talk about within the video. You can watch this video by clicking below. In the video I’m wearing an Ogden Cami by True Bias – you can find this pattern here. I used a cream crepe fabric and I’ve linked similar here. My Sewing Plans I was gifted this beautiful Art Gallery cotton fabric from Minerva for my next Brand Ambassador project for them. You can find this fabric here. I’m planning to make a short sleeved Darling Ranges Dress by Megan…

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    Thoughts on 2020 and what I’ve learned in my crafting journey this past year…

    January 13, 2021 /

    Well, 2020 was quite a year wasn’t it!  For us (like many others) it meant a new home schooling routine and working and staying at home for pretty much most of the year.  Luckily I’m quite a happy home bird anyway so the staying at home wasn’t too hard but of course we missed seeing all of our family and friends so much. Again, like a lot of us I’m sure, the pandemic caused me a lot of anxiety and when anxious my mind is always calmed by crafting, and thoughts of crafting and planning more crafting so it’s fair to say that a LOT of sewing and making happened…

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    VLOG – Sharing my 10 favourite makes of 2020…

    January 11, 2021 /

    Hello everyone welcome to another vlog, today I’m showing and talking all about my favourite makes of 2020. Everything I mention should be linked in the description of the YouTube video but don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions I hope you like my favourites! Sally xx

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    VLOG – What I’ve been sewing in November and December…

    December 21, 2020 /

    Join me as I chat all about what I’ve been sewing during November and December. Including the Sew Over It Heather Dress, the Tilly and the Buttons Agnes Top, the Deer and Doe Myosotis Dress, the Tilly and the Buttons Billie Sweatshirt, a Friday Pattern Company Sagebrush Top hack and a Cassiopee Mini Dress by I Am Patterns for my daughter. I hope you enjoy it! Sally x

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    VLOG – Unboxing my new overlocker and sewing up my first make…

    November 24, 2020 /

    Hello everyone – I hope you’ll enjoy this unboxing video showing you my new Janome My Lock 644D overlocker and how I got on making my first garment with it. I’ve listed everything you might find interesting in the description below the video but do feel free to ask any questions as always. Thanks for watching! Sally xx

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    Sally Gauntlett 2 Comments





Sally Gauntlett | Sewing & Knitting

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•Ramona Skirt• Here’s a little snap of my r •Ramona Skirt• Here’s a little snap of my recently sewn Ramona Skirt by @tillybuttons. I am so pleased with how this turned out! If you watch my YouTube videos you’ll know that I had a whole sizing conundrum about this, cut out a size, panicked it was too small, tried to make adjustments it was all a bit nail biting in the end (for me anyway). Anyway, I’m happy to report all turned out well in the end. I thoroughly enjoyed the process of sewing this skirt, it took me right back to the early days of my sewing as I feel a good old A line skirt can be one of those patterns were taught to sew as beginners. There are lots of very useful sewing techniques to learn in this simple style skirt such as darts, waistbands, zips, hems and in this case lining too - I’ve never lined a skirt before so this was new to me and I loved seeing how it came together. Such a neat finish 💕 I hope you like the finished result! Short skirts are a different style for me but I’m kind of liking them this season xx Fabric: Bubble cord from @higgsandhiggs
Here are a few snaps of the hacked Ilford Jacket I Here are a few snaps of the hacked Ilford Jacket I shared as a flat-lay a few days ago. I absolutely loved sewing this. Sewing pattern hacking is one of my favourite things to do and this whole process was just so much fun. Swipe to the end to see the high street jacket this handmade jacket was inspired by. To create something similar I removed the collar, adapted the button bands, rounded the corners, fully lined, bound and finished with snaps. This is such a lovely lightweight but cosy jacket, perfect for when you’re just popping out in the car or going ‘inside shopping’ 😂 This jacket will always be special to me because I filmed the process as a sew along for my first monthly Patreon membership video and by the way if you have joined over there thank you SO much I’m loving being able to share more with you!! There’s a link to the membership in my bio if you fancy finding out more 😊 I have fabric staring at me urging me to get on with my next jacket - just need to find some time now haha!! Are you planning to sew any outerwear this season? x #ilfordjacket #ilfordjackethack
🍂I finished knitting my Ludham Sweater🍂 I’m not joking when I say that I think this might be the warmest, cosiest hand knit jumpers I now own! It’s knit from @modeatrowan softest alpaca yarn which is just the fluffiest and lightest yarn I’ve ever used I think. The Ludham Sweater is a great pattern for beginner knitters as it’s knit flat, has minimal shaping and even the sleeves are knit as a flat rectangle giving these lovely wide cuffs. I actually knit my sleeves around 3cm longer than the pattern suggested by accident but I’m glad I did as I like the extra length. Since the yarn is so chunky and the needles are large I found it knit up super quickly too! There’s a lovely forest green colour way in the softest alpaca collection which I have my eye on. I think this pattern would work really well slightly more cropped to wear with wide leg jeans and trousers - what do you think? I love knitting a nice easy pattern like this. I’ve moved onto something more complicated now and it’s taking all my brain power to concentrate so I can’t watch the telly at the same time - not good 🤣 Pattern: Ludham Sweater by @modeatrowan Yarn: Softest Alpaca in shade Linen I’ll link in my stories and highlights 💕 Ad| Gifted pattern and yarn
How has it taken me this long to realise that the How has it taken me this long to realise that the solution to all of my cold girl problems was simply to sew lots of layering tops!! The Agnes Top is a great one for layering (it’s the striped top peeking out here btw if that wasn’t obvious 😆). For me it can feel a little bit clingy to wear on its own but layered under knits and jackets it’s a dream. The scoop neckline means it sits comfortably and there’s no risk of that annoying poking out at the neck that crew necklines can sometimes give. Another comfy, cosy, casual outfit to add to my autumn/winter wardrobe 🍁 Agnes Top handmade by me pattern by @tillybuttons Jumper @hm Trousers handmade by me, pattern by @ploenpatterns Trench coat @newlook #sewistsofinstagram #isewmyownclothes #sewing #memadeeveryday #beginnersewing #autumnoutfit #sewingreel #outfitreel #beginnersewing #beginnersewingpatterns
It was requested that I share the finer details of It was requested that I share the finer details of my wool Ilford Jacket so of course I jumped on that 😆 I absolutely love how this turned out and I can’t wait to wear it more this winter time. This is the first time I’ve lined the Ilford and I love the finish I think I’ll definitely be lining my future versions more. Since this wool was quite heavy weight I chose to bias bind the seams rather than double turning the button band and hem. I was trying to be frugal by using the binding I already had in my stash but you’ve no idea how much I wish I’d bound the hem in the same black as the sides - ah well! 🙈 For buttons I went with metal snaps rather than attempting to sew buttonholes and they work well and I love the finish of these. Onto my next Ilford hack - I have fabric arriving in the post soon 🙈 #howmanyjacketsaretoomanyjackets Pattern: Ilford Jacket by @fridaypatterncompany Fabric: Heavy wool blend from Lily Fabrics bought from the Knitting & Stitching Show Lining: @hobbycrafthq #ilfordjacket #fridaypatterncompany #sewistsofinstagram #isew #isewmyownclothes #sewinginspiration #sewingreel #sewingreels #memadeeveryday #memadewardrobe #beginnersewing
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Recent Posts

  • Vlog | A week of handmade Autumn outfits… November 11, 2024
  • Vlog | Everything I’ve been sewing & making recently… November 4, 2024
  • Vlog | Fabric haul & sewing plans for autumn makes October 21, 2024
  • Exciting News – My ‘Behind the Seams’ Sewing Patreon is Here! October 14, 2024
  • Vlog | Sew with me, new Marnie Blouse and Cute Fabric Pumpkins… October 14, 2024
  • Vlog | Ten things I want to sew for autumn (plus a few knitting plans too)… October 7, 2024
  • Vlog | Declutter, sort and organise my handmade wardrobe with me… September 30, 2024
  • Vlog | Sew a vintage style Autumn dress with me September 23, 2024
  • Vlog | TEN of my favourite QUICK & EASY sewing patterns (perfect for beginners)… September 16, 2024
  • New video | I had a colour analysis done to help with my handmade wardrobe… September 9, 2024

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