Katherine Jayne

I wanted to try and finish this Making Pipelines trio for ‘Me Made May’ but life has gotten a little bit in the way. However, I am determined to finish off the series!

My previous posts explored what my intentions are with the materials I already have, and how to utilise them to their best so I have wearable garments. This post is all about stuff that doesn't exist yet, apart from in my imagination and illustrations!

As you might notice, some of my scribblings are of garments I mentioned in my previous blog posts as they are still to be made. However, most aren’t. I may have patterns for some, but I have no stash and no intentions of making anything else until I have finally worked through what already exists. No matter how urgently I feel I may need a pair of simple tailored black trousers, with deep pockets. When I originally illustrated my existing garments, it highlighted to me my lack of bottoms in comparison to my tops. So with the help of a few patterns I shall be making those staple black trousers, a pair of comfy culottes, a pair of grey trousers, a grey skirt and a denim button down skirt. Looking at this, I am even contemplating the contemplation of making a pair of jeans. It’s amazing that I don’t own any denim… I’d also like to begin replacing existing garments in my wardrobe with handmade equivalents - this is mostly in reference to my dress collection. I have a pinafore style dress patterns I would like to incorporate as I love the versatility the style offers - stick a shirt under it when it’s colder, wear it alone, shirt, and cardi. I’m one for layers. My most ‘daring’ addition will be the full black dress. It’s from the Freehand Fashion book from GBSB contestant Chinelo Bally. This is the design in the book, which I love but am just not brave enough to wear! 

As I sat knitting in the office the other day, utilising the time of my volunteering between the slow archive scans, I noticed I had gone wrong. Instead of using the smaller needle for the ribbing I had worked with the size up. With a chuckle, I pulled on the circular needle, letting loose the eighty stitches and began to rewind the yarn.

"You're not starting again are you? You must be the most patient person!" Came across the room.

It's funny because I didn't see it as a big deal. In fact that hat got ripped back about 3 times and one of those was after completing it. And It isn't a matter of patience for me, more an issue of wanting to make sure my making time results in the right final product.

This blog is about those items that don't feel quite right. It's not a matter of the lack of design talent behind the objects, or the quality of materials, or even how much I like the designs and enjoyed making them. It all boils down to one simple fact: I don't wear them.

Item one -  Blank Canvas jumper by Ysolda Teague.

When I first saw this design I fell in love. It's that wearable type of garment, that I thought was exactly what I need. The styling on the pattern was something I could see on myself. But the reality is I'm just not really one for a jumper, at least not at this length. Majority of my wardrobe consists of quite high waisted skirts and trousers, and I like that focal point on my waist to give me shape. 

It doesn't help that my gauge ended up so wrong on this- despite swatching and trying to block it smaller. The loose fit just didn't feel flattering on me, and the sleeve length felt awkward with other garments I own. And I made a right dogs ear of it picking up for the neckline. 

To the bottom of the wardrobe it went and that is where it stayed. In the photographs I actually think it doesn't look too bad, but I just don't wear it. Now the time has come to unravel it, wash the yarn and decided my future plans. The yarn is limited - I managed to get this gorgeous navy long wool British yarn in a charity shop of all places. It's a great quality yarn and I want to make sure I utilise it! 

At the moment I have a few ideas about what to transform it into. The most prominent being the Rocquaine Jumper by Christina Danaee. Okay, I know I've just said I am not a jumper gal but this is a much shorter length through the front, and I love the uneven hem. I like the texture on the yoke section and think it adds a bit more interest to a staple design. I may have to go on a search for some more ideas though, as I do find myself drawn more to a cosy cardi.

Item two- Unfold by Yuliya Tkacheva

When I saw this in Pom Pom I knew instantly I wanted to make it. The subtle geometric design, and a pattern that required by to get my hook out was appealing. I wasn't sure which size to make this, and settled for the middle size using a slightly smaller hook. But again, to the bottom of the wardrobe, well knitted accessories drawer, it went. 

The problem is, I'm not sure exactly how to wear this. I tend to favour scarves that you can wrap close to your neck as boy do I feel the cold. This is too loose, and whilst it photographed beautifully in the magazine my personal needs weren't met in the design. The stitch definition looks great but when I pop it around my neck I hate how it droops over itself and you lose the integrity of the geometric texture.

I even made myself a pair of mitts out of the same cotton wool rowan mix to complete them in an attempt to make myself wear the cowl more. Welcome item number 3 - Imitation by Judith Brand

It didn't work. And whilst I have found myself wearing the mitts, I think it's only because they are my only fingerless option, and have become frustrated by the lack of warmth.

Now, I think this is my own fault for not thinking clearly enough about what I needed these gloves to be, and what I needed from the material. Since I have been rethinking about frogging both of these accessories, I have done a little bit more research into the benefits of a cotton blend yarn and what could potentially be useful for me whilst working with the strengths of the fibres. Another helpful tool had been looking on ravelry at how other people have used this!

I think perhaps I may make this yarn into a bag of some descript. I'm still a little unsure...

Finally item number 4- Pentland hills by Clare Devine. 

G got my two gorgeous skeins of Kettle Yarn co colour ways especially for this design. I love lace, and intricate feminine designs. Yet none of that is reflected in my wardrobe. Whilst this shawl integrates brilliantly with the tones in my wardrobe it's more the feel that doesn't fit. My wardrobe isn't very fussy. And I don't mean that negatively. I just tend to wear plainer things, and any detail I do tend to wear is there because textural or tailored design. 

Again this shawl was a pleasure to make, like the other items. But it just sits unloved and unworn admits my accessories. I do love a shawl though, and the chance to wrap yourself up. So I definitely want to use the yarn for that.

I've been looking mainly at striped shawls. And it is hard when you are not the biggest fan of garter stitch. Sorry fellow knitters but I prefer stockingnette as the basis of any design! I was thinking it would perhaps be a good opportunity though to learn how to do brioche - developing my skill set whilst reusing a yarn I love. So far the Making advances shawl is appealing to me, and the brioche design here called Briochette or the all about the brioche shawl. Decisions decisions!

I do now feel very sorry for the two skeins of laceweight yarn I acquired in hopes of making beautifully fine cobweb like shawls. Maybe those will just have to be gifted to someone who will actually wear them.

First on my making to do list is to try and use up my stash.

As I mentioned in a previous post I am not often swayed to buy fabric without having a plan for it. Unlike some past yarn purchases... despite that I seem to be gathering quite a sizeable collection of fabrics - most of which are matched up with a pattern, threads and fastenings.

When G and I visited Edinburgh last year for my birthday, we stumbled into a John Lewis near to the lovely Ginger Twist Studio. After just spending a small fortunate on yarn, I then spent even more on fabric and patterns -  including this beautiful striped seersucker cotton.

My Mum had bought me a pyjama pattern for my birthday. After years of being gifted Pyjamas at Christmas I asked for a pattern to have a go at making my own. Mums did well buying me the traditional button up shirt and trouser set. I knew instantly when I saw the fabric that it had to be made from these. I went to start making up these PJs a few months back and realised my picnicky nature would mean trying to pattern match all of those stripes and with the short day of dressmaking ahead I retired it back to drawer.

Another Edinburgh purchase was this pink chambreuse. I saw the colour of this a fell in love so bought a couple of metres in the hope that someday a pattern with the right yardage would come up.

When I was looking through my stash for these photographs, I realised the quantity of fabric was a perfect match for this shirt pattern (also purchased in Edinburgh.) The shirt has a nice balance between casual/smart for me but will admit I am a little hesitant that the shirt will look a little heavy with the fabric. We shall see!

Last of the Edinburgh purchases for today's post is this gorgeous shirt pattern. When I came across it in the pattern book I instantly knew I needed it. The way the fabric falls and the fit of the garment, especially appealing to me tucked in to those high waist trousers, had me in awe. I've teamed this design with this sheer grey fabric. I originally bought for a different shirt pattern when I was last in Herefordshire. I've not worked with something this fine before so I am intending to do some research on ways of handling a more slippery fabric before I embark.

Another Hereford purchase was this suit pattern. In my final year I decided to make myself a suit for my graduation show. The final result was a low waisted slouchy jacket and unfinished trousers which didn't get worn. I was too nervous to adapt the pattern pieces. 

After this I made a dress which was my first attempt at cutting between pattern lines, taking heed of the finished garment measurements and considering the type of fit I wanted to achieve. It worked out well and gave me a lot of confidence with my dressmaking.   That's why I'd love to go back and make this again, this time with the shorter jacket length. An extra challenge I have put upon myself is using this bold check. An even bigger pattern matching issue than the PJS! I am definitely intending to toile the two pieces - marking where the patterns would need to align through the sleeves to the body, body to the trousers and aligning the side pattern match too... it will be a big undertaking, and although I'm not the most competent dressmaker I will say that I am ambitious (perhaps foolishly.)

On a tailoring note this custom couture jacket has been in pattern pile for years. I'd cut the pattern paper ready and never found the fabric until a few years ago when I visited Guthrie and Ghani in Birmingham. I fell in love with the navy polywool (I do wish I had gone 100% but my budget wasn't the greatest.) Before I start I need to toile this pattern too, and check I cut the pattern paper right. But I'm excited to see what will become of this design. I love the keyhole on the chest and think it'll be a cherished piece in my wardrobe when it's done.

Newest to my pattern haul is this Colette pattern - again a gift from my Mum. I promised myself I would not cut this until I had worked some of my old patterns into cherished garments. But after buying this cotton and cutting it for a dress pattern, hating it, taking the pre cut pieces and adding them to my patchwork quilt scraps I was left with this small remnant. I am hoping the amount left will be enough to make the short sleeved variation of this design.

(I’ve spend the week making this, and there was plenty enough to make the short sleeved variation!)

And that's the bulk of my stash used up! I have a small amount of a lovely navy/red grid to use up which was bought impulsively... and scraps of black fabrics from various patterns in the past waiting to be made into accessories or scraps for the patchwork!

Whilst I wanted to focus my Me Made May on my dressmaking endeavours, my knitting is essential to my wardrobe development. As I mentioned in my first post, most of my crafting time is devoted to knitting, and I am a selfish knitter! I love creating cosy garments and accessories for myself. Plus my yarn stash rivals my fabrics!

One of the biggest projects I have in store is this Aubrietta Cardigan. The yarn was bought from Ginger Twist Studio, before the spend at JL! I had gone there with a lot of patterns I knew I wanted to make - this one was from issue ?? Of Pom Pom magazine. The colour way featured in the design was a bit bold for me - I knew I wanted a grey base with a pop of colour. I decided to go for this pale pink. 

I mentioned in my Wardrobe post that I want to try and make more garments that bought out the colour pink and could be worn with my existing shirt. This lead to a massive yardage calculation in the small GTS shop, and me piling skeins upon skeins on G as he sat in the chair.

Along with that sweater quantity I bought a skein of sock yarn from John Arbon in a beautiful dusty pink that has recently been made in the Hulanicki design by Rachel Cooper from Pom Pom Mag. Which I finished up recently and photographed ready for Ravelry!

And I also got these skeins of yarn from Ginger Twist. I fell in love with the blue and then matched it with the creamy skein from West Yorkshire Spinner. I’m  going to make this gingham double knitting snood from ravelry! It's a new technique for me so I am excited to learn and expand on my knitting techniques.

Garments are more than just fabric and thread. They can tell so much of a person - their styles, their beliefs, their aspirations. I have always admired the way people collate outfits and reflect their personality through their dress - even when it's the total opposite of my own taste.

I have a reserved sense of style. My wardrobe is uniform like - with a limited colour palette and a tendency towards tailoring which stems from a love of menswear. In the mornings dressing is easy - just simply grab a top/bottom, or a dress and you're ready to go.

As you can see most of my wardrobe revolves around a palette of about 4 colours - blues, greys, black and white. There is a splash of green which is a bit of an anomaly, and a touch of pink.

Apart from stripes my wardrobe tends to be a bit pattern void. When I am pining for a new stripey top I do ask myself how many more do I need? (The latest was the black stripe...) But I am also a big fan of woven checks - exemplified by my trusty scarf which I wear all the time - and herringbone fabrics which make the foundation for my grey jacket and handmade blue shirt dress.

Majority of my wardrobe has grown over the years from charity shopping and handcrafting. In fact the only new garments I own, purchased from a retailer, are running gear, walking clothes and my underwear bar two pairs of handmade knickers - none of which feature here.)

Taking the time to sit and illustrate my clothing, whilst enjoyable, highlighted some of my weak spots. I have a strong top selection going on, but am a bit lacking in options to go with it. The pink top in my wardrobe is only often worn with my fair-isle vest which features a similar shade of pink and a high waisted black skirt as the vest is short in the body. Do I need to create more pink garments to tie it all in a little more  nicely? For a knitter, I have a resounding lack of hand knitted cardigans or jumpers. I don't have a staple black smart trouser? And there are quite a few objects here that I notice I never tend to wear...

My good intentions started in the new year when I was resolved to try and blog more frequently and share my crafting stories. It didn’t exactly go to plan…

As May began to approach I felt inspired by ‘Me Made May’ to start talking about my approach to crafting. Whilst other people may use this month as an opportunity to showcase their handmade garments, I want to evaluate my clothing situation. In the quiet moments at work I have found myself scribbling ideas for a series on my pursuit of a handmade wardrobe - what works well, what needs improvement and the sewing projects that might help tie in a few loose ends. 

The spring time often gets me thinking about my clothing, as I tend to be a seasonal crafter. Well, perhaps a seasonal dressmaker is more accurate. I surround myself with yarn all year round. When the sun starts to show I  sacrifice knitting time and reacquaint myself with my sewing machine. (Her name is Sally.)

Since my last sewing adventures I have had a steady pile of stash growing. I tend not to be an impulsive fabric buyer - I have a pattern and chose the fabric accordingly.  Although, some of my purchasing choices below defy that intention as so a few others I have tucked away...

These are the plain fabrics I have in wait... I do have some patterns! As you’ll find out in my next post my wardrobe is pretty pattern void - unless you count a good stripe (of which I have many.)