A pretty take on London transport

When I spotted this liberty fabric a few months ago in Simply fabrics in Brixton, I knew I had to have it.  It combines some of my favourite things in a fabric print; bikes, flowers and stylised London transport, how could I resist?  From the beginning I knew I was going to make another Mathilde blouse with it, it just took me a few months to get round to it.

Like my previous version I made a straight size 4, which fits fine, however maybe next time I make it I will narrow the neckline slightly as my bra straps are often on show with both versions.  I love the huge sleeves and really enjoy how they showcase this fabric.  I've worn this top a few times now and have got so many compliments on it, it's clearly one of my most popular makes.

I used some buttons from my stash which Kristi had sent me as part of a thrift swap we'd been partnered in a few years back.  They are a really unusual colour and they match some of the flowers on the fabric perfectly.

As I was making up this Mathilde, I realised how much progress I've made in my sewing skills in the last couple of years.  I remember struggling with some of the instructions last time and this time it was a doddle.  It also helped that I was making this on my new sewing machine!  The buttonholes, which my old machine struggled with, are a thing of beauty.  Sadly I couldn't get detailed enough shots of them, so you can't see but you can take my word for it.

I took these photos on a trip to Whitstable with my cousin this weekend and there were all these beach huts which made such a great backdrop for the photos.  We went for walks which gave us views like this:

We even managed to sneak in a little sewing related tourism.  I spotted this industrial Singer in a sewing machine shop on the high street:

And I bought these patterns and notions.  The dress came from a charity shop and the lingerie pattern and buttons came from a vintage shop.  The lingerie pattern is one I've been searching for on ebay/etsy etc for a while and it was in my size, it was very exciting! 

I'll leave you with this photo of the cutest houses ever.  I hope you all have a good week!

Lisbon photos and a couple of Anya bags

Last week my sister and I spent a few glorious days in Lisbon and I finally got round to taking some photos of the Anya bags that I'd made us.  Zoe sent me this pattern to review almost a year ago and although I've now made 4 versions, I haven't gotten around to writing up my thoughts about the pattern yet, sorry Zoe.

Since these are my third and fourth versions of this bag, its safe to say that I am a fan of this pattern.  It's a great stash buster and results in a cute bag which holds a surprising amount of stuff.

This photos was taken just before we left for the airport.  At this stage my bag was holding my passport, wallet (which is a beast), phone, bottle of water, kindle, ipad and bunch of house keys.  It's doing pretty well isn't it?

My sister chilling with our drinks in the 31 degree heat, coming back to the UK was a bit of a shock to the system. 

My version is made from a Cath Kidson upholstery weight fabric, with a polycotton lining and my sisters is made from scraps of the tulip stretch cotton left over from my circle skirt and it's lined with the pink waffle fabric I lined my 70s coat with.  While both work fine for summer bags, the upholstery fabric holds the pleats better and makes a greater feature of them.

I made a couple of small changes to to the pattern.  I shortened the straps slightly, the pattern calls for the straps to be 80cm each and I made them about 70cm as I wanted the bag to sit a bit higher so that it would be a bit more securely under my arm and the contents safely away from pickpockets.  Instead of a button for the tab I used some magnetic snap closures for an easier fastening.  With very few pattern pieces, the bag comes together in an hour or two and the instructions are really clear.  I reckon I've got another few of these in me, they'll make good Christmas gifts in some more wintery fabrics.

And now you get a few of my Lisbon photos, so look away now if other peoples holiday snaps bore you!  I would really recommend Lisbon as a city break for anyone who hasn't been, it's so pretty and has great food and wine.

 There are lots of gorgeous views across the river, this was such a perfect lunch spot.

 I spotted this sewing machine at the flea market, it would have made such a good souvenir but sadly I don't think I could have got it through the Ryanair luggage allowance!

 A bit of silliness at the Castle walls.

 There are all these gorgeous tiled building everywhere.  Why don't we have these?

 They have lots of cool graffiti everywhere, this cute fellow caught my eye and we made friends!

Thanks so much to my amazing little sister for helping me to have such a fun holiday and for bearing with all the photography I insisted on! I hope you're all having a great weekend.