Run Like the Wind
15 July 2008, 12:32On Sunday I decided to step up my “July is Knit Month!” activities and finally break into the world of high-performance sports gear. I started running to lose weight a few years ago and, along with sewing, it’s now become my favourite way to both unwind and start the day. I really do get cranky and irritable if I don’t get my regular runs in!! Over the years I’ve amassed a good collection of wicking tops and trousers I wear in rotation until they fall apart, but recently I’ve been having a hard time finding good wicking sports gear under £30 a pop, and especially in the trouser style I prefer – long length and slightly boot cut. Everywhere I look it’s always either skin-tight leggings, capri length, or both! UGH!
So I was very happy to discover that Pennine Outdoor stock wicking sports fabrics, both polyester teeshirting AND Meryl cycling lycra! So in one shop I got supplies for both my tops and my trousers! Now, you may be excused for cringing at the mention of polyester, but in running circles it is well known that polyester is the preferred fabric as it doesn’t hold sweat or chafe like cotton does. If you ever get blisters from a run or long hike, switch to 100% polyester socks and you’ll never get them again. So while I shun polyester in regular sewing, I positively seek it out in running gear, especially when I find the exact same two-sided, slightly waffled weave that is used in all the official race shirts! Bamboo is even better than polyester, though, as it doesn’t hold the stink or microbial nasties either and is softer by a factor of ten, but that’s another discussion entirely…
Anyway, on to the sewing! Since I know my running habits I also know what I definitely do and don’t like in running gear – I need my tops to be close fitting and sleeveless, for starters. Shelf bras never offer enough support for me so I always wear a sports bra underneath even if there’s one built in, so I didn’t bother picking a pattern with an integrated bra. I liked the look of this running top from the February 2007 edition of KnipMode magazine, and for the running trousers I went back to the yoga trousers in Burda WOF 11/2007 (#122) that I’d made in fleece last winter.
I made some stylistic changes to both to suit my running penchants, however. I have a RTW Nike top that has all the seams serged in contrast woolly nylon thread on the outside, and I thought I’d give this a try instead of the piped contrast seams that KnipMode suggest. I also was itching to try out my black lycra FOE (also from Pennine) so I used this to edge the neckline and armscyes. On the trousers, I slimmed down the legs so they weren’t so boot cut, and halved the width of the waistband so I didn’t have to fold it over (and fiddle with it while I’m running!).
I wore both of these out on my favourite 10k river circuit on Monday morning (I really am spoiled – I run past the Mayor’s office, HMS Belfast, Tate Modern, the South Bank, the London Eye, Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, the Victoria Embankment, London Bridge, the Tower of London, and finally cross over Tower Bridge on my usual jaunt out) and I’m really pleased how they held up! I was concerned in the first kilometer that I hadn’t made the waistband tight enough (though I’d stretched it as far as I could) but the “oh god they’re slipping down!” feeling passed after a bit as I got used to the fact that they’re just naturally less constrictive than my RTW pairs and there’s actually no danger of exposure!
The top I’m really happy with, too, though I think my next version will be more scooped under my arm and maybe just clear elastic serged onto instead of the FOE. Neither chafed enough to be a problem, but they just felt slightly close to me. Luckily, the running tops take up so little fabric that I can easily get another one out of the one metre I bought, so I really will be able to make another, though I think I fancy buying more woolly nylon to get a different contrast…
Next up are a dress and top I also made this past weekend (and I still need to photoshoot!), and I’m going to gingerly dip my toes into the swimwear waters, too…
Tags: bwof, knip-mode, knit, top, trousersComment [8]
The quickest pirate coat ever
14 July 2008, 11:29SCENE: Last Sunday night on the boat…
James: So for Simon’s stag night on Saturday we’re going to dress him up like Dick Whittington. I thought he could wear my pirate coat and we’ll get him a tricorn hat and he can carry Bagpuss as his cat…
Me: If anything happens to that coat, I will murder you. I would sooner make a whole new coat than see anything happen to it after I slaved for two years making it.
James: Oh really? You’d make another coat? Would you?
And so begins the tale of how I made a pirate coat in less than a week. Luckily I still had all the pattern pieces traced out from when I made Simplicity 4923 before so I rummaged through my sewing room and unearthed those to reuse, saving myself a substantial amount of time. Monday morning I quickly went online and ordered 7 metres of black cotton drill from Chawla’s, who were absolutely brilliant and delivered said cotton drill the very next day at no extra charge. They really, really came through for me here!
So I spent Tuesday evening cutting everything out and sewing everything up to the godets in the construction steps, and then Wednesday evening and Thursday morning sewing up everything until the sleeve insertion. And then in a marathon session I finished the sleeves and the enormous hem on Thursday night, just in time to tag-team the embellishments with James on Friday night.
There were definitely shortcuts taken here in the interest of time – nothing was interfaced or understitched, the fabric wasn’t prewashed, and the buttons and braid were all (whisper it!) glued on. But seeing as how it’s a costume to be worn on the groom’s very, very drunken night of freedom, no one’s going to notice anyway…
Apparently Simon loved the coat so much that instead of feeling a bit embarrassed, he embraced it and wouldn’t take it off all night – he was even threatening to wear it into the office today! Now I’m starting to wish we’d actually had enough time to attach all the embellishments properly if people are going to see it up close and in the daylight…
And in “July is Knit Month” news, I’ve had an incredibly prolific weekend! I ended up making five garments in total (including this coat) and I’ve already worn three of them today (and it’s only 11am!). Anyone want to venture any guesses? I’ll have photos of them all throughout the week!
Tags: costume, jacket, menswear, simplicityComment [2]
Got my mojo workin'
7 July 2008, 12:28Ooh, I’m back baby! After my last two duds I was in need of some seriously quick fun to start off Knit Month, so I selected Burda WOF 06/08 #109 sewn in a lilac cotton interlock from Pennine Outdoor as my first bit of fun!
I love wearing this so much – it’s like if a sweatshirt and a teeshirt really hit it off and made sweet, sweet love and produced this little lovechild. It’s only 5 pieces (front, back, pockets, sleeve band, and hem band) and it sewed up on my beautiful overlocker in under two hours. Have I mentioned yet how much I adore my Bernina 800DL? Honestly, it’s made sewing knits SO quick, I can tell I’m going to have a very fun month already!
The kangaroo pockets really make this into something more than just the average teeshirt, and the separating zipper turns this into the perfect coverup for a bikini or little vest top (tank top). It’s perfect for the schitzophrenic British summer because it means I can wear a little vest to work and throw this over top when I get chilly without having to go the entire long-sleeves route. And I can see it’d be perfect for covering up shoulders on the beach if you burn a easily as I do!
This was part of my Summer Sewing Plans, and I’ve already started on my next project – the frankendress using the KnipMode gathered top and a BWOF skirt. It’s got a lot of seams, though, and the construction is anything but conventional, so I made my own technical drawing sketch to get the order of construction straight in my head before starting this morning.
I often do this mentally when I start a pattern, even if there’s instructions already included (like with magazine patterns in languages I don’t speak). I like to sit down and go over the order I’m going to sew everything in before I start so I don’t run into a wall further down the line. So there’s a little insight into my head (and handwriting!) for you. It’s a little bit different than constructing with just a sewing machine, as it’s all about trying to sew everything in flat with the overlocker, but it’s a little mental challenge, which I’m really liking…
Tags: bwof, knit, s08, topComment [9]
Like mother like daughter
4 July 2008, 15:52You may remember that a few weeks ago I gave in to my mother’s pleas and made her a her-sized version of my blue KnipMode shirt, in the same fabric as mine, but with shorter sleeves for the hotter Pennsylvania weather…
Well, it arrived and she did me proud with a photoshoot!
I only added an inch or two to a few seams here and there, hoping the stretchy knit would take care of the rest, and it looks great on her, so phew! If anyone’s interested in my exact Plus alterations (which I’m sure aren’t anywhere near textbook perfect), leave a comment and I’ll dig out my pattern pieces on which I scrawled my notes. She said she’s already worn it out and that it’s now destined to become her “lucky shirt”. Mom, I’m not sure I want to know! :)
In other sewing news, I’ve somehow got a backlog of 4-5 posts to come in the next few days, all photographed and ready to go. The rest of the internet may be taking the day off for that American holiday that isn’t celebrated or even acknowledged anywhere else, but you’ve got plenty to read over here!
Oh, and I was contacted by a nice man in Hawaii who found (and bought!) my same Joann Sonata sewing machine in a thrift shop but sadly didn’t come with the manual. I got a bit giddy to have a sewing machine buddy, and I ended up scanning the entire manual for him. If anyone else is interested in seeing what a mid-1980s sewing machine manual looks like, you can download the manual here in pdf format! As far as I know this is out of print and not available anywhere and the company isn’t around any more…. Copyright lawyers, please don’t hurt me.
Tags: knipmode, knit, magazine, topBamboozled!
1 July 2008, 14:15After weeks of patient but persistent requests, I continued my serger high this weekend and finally made my fiance BurdaStyle’s Pete teeshirt in gorgeously soft bamboo knit from Wazoodle we bought back in August (I sewed the brown bamboo into a wrap dress and leg-of-mutton top already).
Since we were over at our friends’ place for a barbecue anyway, I let James have his photoshoot with his two favourite things – cats and beer! Whatta guy…
The shirt was ridiculously easy and only took an hour from cutting to wearing, and the fit is fantastic. No instructions or size chart are included in the free download, but both are instead documented in this How To. I used the general serging order of construction outlined here, though, as I found the How To’s order to be a bit… odd.
The neckband is also omitted so I made myself one that’s 2/3rds the length of the neck opening (for the above shirt in Large, mine measured 25.5cm by 5cm, with 5/8” seam allowances included) and folded it in half and serged it on.
It looks a bit plain (but wrinkled from throwing it in a bag to get to said friends’ place!), but this is what he wanted for this bamboo. If I make any more (perhaps with some of the rainbow of cotton interlock from Pennine Outdoor?), we might have to break out the screenprinting kit and finally have our way with it. Unless anyone knows a UK source of freezer paper that’s less than £8?
Continuing on this summer sewing haul, I finished the last little bit of the BWOF tulip skirt before work this morning, so I should have a photoshoot for you shortly, along with a lovely transatlantic photoshoot of my mom in her blue KnipMode gathered top!
Tags: bamboo, burda-style, menswearComment [2]
Pucci playtime cowl neck top
30 June 2008, 12:56 This weekend I finally got a chance to properly play with my new toy and whip up a few knit tops to see what this baby could do!First up was BurdaStyle's Sadie top (with the added cowl neck) using some lovely Pucci-esque printed knit which you may remember from last Spring's tunic top. I was really just keen to use up the stash fabric on something very quick and easy, and also in case something went horribly wrong on my first serger attempt and the whole thing became a wadder!
Luckily no such thing happened and I got a decent summer top after an hour or two...
I only partially used the instructions included with this free pattern - instead I used the basic order of construction for knit tops in The ABCs of Serging:
- Sew one shoulder seam
- Attach the neckband or collar
- Sew the other shoulder seam
- Finish the sleeve hems
- Attach the sleeves
- Sew the side and underarm seams
- Finish the hem
With this pattern I didn't have any sleeves, but I did have to finish one edge of the collar. BurdaStyle suggest folding under the edge twice and sewing it closed, but I thought I'd try out my rolled hem technique here!
In doing so I learned an important lesson: Even though it's perfectly fine to leave the right needle in my serger when I'm doing 3 thread stuff with the left needle, the reverse is not true:
Kids, that's what happens when you leave the left needle in place when doing a 3 thread rolled hem using the right needle - ugly, ugly loops! So with that finally resolved, everything else went really smoothly. The Bernina 800DL is really easy to thread, really easy to adjust the tension and differential feed and the rolled hem adjustment is just a little switch and you're done! I'm in love!
I carried on and made a teeshirt for James that morning (more on that later, though), but stylistic, if I were making this top again, I'd definitely change a few things! First, I'd eliminate the back collar entirely and just edge finish the neckline back there. The back collar does not stay in the right place and just looks kinda weird and limp IMHO. Second, edge finishing the front collar is pretty stupid, and results in that edge showing ALL THE TIME unless you tack it down with hand stitches in about ten places (ask me how I know!). So if I were doing this again, I'd cut two front collars and sew the curved edge together and sandwich both layers at the neckline to avoid any edges or undersides from showing.
And I'm still a bit annoyed that I broke a double needle sewing the sleeve binding (that's £6 down the drain!), so I'd probably eliminate the sleeve binding and instead overlock the armscye edges and just turn those under instead (I'd keep the neck binding since it flops out a bit, though).
Still, those are quite minor construction issue, and the overall fit is fantastic, and the basic style is very customisable! And for the eagle-eyed amongst you, our photoshoot was actually on dry land this time (in our friends' garden)! More on James's serged shirt in a day or so... Tags: burda-style, knit, machine, s08, top
Comment [3]
Prima linen shift dress
6 June 2008, 13:18The third linen item in this week’s unofficial linen-a-thon is a cute and very casual shift dress from the May 08 issue of Prima magazine. I don’t think I’ve mentioned Prima much here before, but it’s a UK women’s magazine that features one sewing pattern each issue. If you subscribe you get sent them automatically, but if you pick up an occasional copy at the newsagents like I do, then you need to ring a premium rate number to have it posted to you (it usually works out to a pound or two on your phone bill, which is very reasonable).
Their patterns are usually a bit hit-or-miss with me, but when they get it right, I drop everything to buy the issue, even though this is the first one I’ve actually sewn up. Their sizing is pretty close to the Big 4 patterns and they include seam and hem allowances, and the patterns are printed on newsprint like the pattern magazines. One thing I really don’t like, though, is that they print their sewing instructions right on the pattern sheet so you’ve got to unfold this huge sheet just to read what the next step is if you haven’t cut up your patterns and prefer to trace instead.
On this pattern, I really liked the overall easygoing style and fit of the dress, and the gathered back yoke combined with the standing wide collar really appealed to me. This pattern included optional cap sleeves, which I decided to make to shield my poor freckled shoulders from the sun (when it occasionally shows its face here!).
James pointed out that the back of the dress bubbles out a bit due to the gathering (you can see it in the side view above), but that doesn’t really bother me, and I much prefer to wear it unbelted, despite his insistence on seeing my waist! I added in side-seam pockets because I always have keys or my mobile that need stashing if I pop down to the store without my purse. I also took in the side seams by about an inch and a half at the waist to give it a bit more shape. It was definitely veering into sack territory as originally drafted, but I didn’t want to add vertical darts as it’d look all wrong on such a free-flowing style shift dress. I’m pleased with the amount I took it in – it’s enough that I’ve got a bit of shape, but I can still get it on over my head without too much of a dance!
Because I made this in a linen/cotton blend, I knew in advance that I’d have to contain ALL the seam allowances or face the fraying consequences! As I was cutting out the pattern pieces I also cut out a long length of binding and used this to cover the seam allowances in areas I couldn’t french seam, like the back yoke seam and armscyes. The side seams and pockets I just French seamed, which makes for a very nice and neat interior.
All this work making the fraying linen seams impenetrable should be great practice for Burda 7783 and the silver linen/lurex I bought in Dublin, which I’ve now decided I’ll be wearing to a wedding in August (if not before!).
I wore this to work on Monday teamed with my white swing jacket and some white, patterned knit Wolford tights and it just looked fabulous (if I do say so myself!). It was cool and incredibly comfortable, and made a great addition to my summer wardrobe that I can bring out for work, picnics, parties or otherwise and still feel great.
This concludes my unofficial “linen week”, but if I get a break between the bunting and baking this weekend, I’ll have a few more goodies to show off…
Tags: dress, linen, primaComment [5]
Lemon and raspberry La Mia Boutique dress
4 June 2008, 13:19When I bought my first La Mia Boutique magazine a few months ago I was instantly drawn to dress #31 in that April 2008 issue:
I loved the duality of the buttoned, tight, and sleeveless bodice with the pleated A-line skirt, and I wanted to accentuate that with contrasting fabric (and, err, leave out the weird knee-highs!). I happened to have about a half metre of lemon-yellow linen/tencel blend leftover from James’s dress shirt, and it was just too soft to let languish in my scraps box! So I decided to use it for the bodice (and lining) of this day dress and pair it with some raspberry-coloured tablecloths for the bottom. I think I may possibly be channelling Spring colours, or perhaps I’m just craving sorbet!
When I first looked at the technical drawing for this, I assumed that the actual opening stopped at the waist seam (and the buttons on the skirt portion just went through the pleat), but in actuality the opening extends as far as the last button so there’s no need for a wiggle to get into this! I used some fabulous green vintage buttons from my mom’s stash (raided on my last visit), and despite all the wrinkling in the un-styled photo below, this fits really well.
I opted to cut the skirt back on the fold to eliminate the weird back seam, but I kept the front skirt seam since it made the buttoned opening a bit easier to construct. The bodice is entirely lined, so I didn’t have any fraying issues there, but I did take a strip of the linen and bound the entire waist seam on the inside. The tablecloth wasn’t too bad, though, so I just left the pinked seam allowances as is since it’s just a casual dress anyway.
If you’re a standard size in European pattern magazines, beware, because La Mia Boutique’s sizing is really far off the others. I’m a very standard size 42 in Burda World of Fashion and Knipmode, and a pretty good 44 in Patrones, but for this dress I had to cut a 46, and especially in the top (where I measured between a 44 and a 46), there isnn’t a whole lot of ease. So I’d definitely recommend making a muslin for La Mia Boutique patterns, or (like here) using scrap and recycled fabrics you don’t mind losing if it all goes horribly wrong.
I found with a cursory sweep through my wardrobe that I really need casual day dresses and skirts, so it’s good to be able to fill a hole so quickly! And in a few days you’ll see my other recent linen day dress, too!
Tags: dress, la-mia-boutique, linen, recycledComment [1]
I love a man in yellow
2 June 2008, 17:18I started work on this shirt so long ago it almost seems amazing that I finished it at all! I was first held up by buying some machine feet for this project back in the beginning of April, and here it is in June and I’m finally showing it to you (though I did finish it over a week ago so it was technically May!).
I’ve made quite a few button-down shirts for my boyfriend James over the years, but after reading through Shirtmaking: Developing Skills for Fine Sewing by David Page Coffin I had the epiphany that they were all really badly done and I couldn’t possibly ever go back to my old ways after that. Really, I cannot recommend this book highly enough – even if you never sew menswear, it is essential reading for all shirt and blouse construction.
So instead of using the old Simplicity pattern (OOP 5273), I thought I’d break with tradition and make my first long-sleeved shirt for him using BurdaStyle’s Jakob pattern. According to his measurements, I made a size 52 and it fits him perfectly. He also adds that he’s “a textbook 15 1/2” in dress shirts in case that helps anyone at all.
You’ve already read my troubles with the collar and sleeve placket and my surprisingly easy time sewing the sleeve-body seam and flat-felled seams, but overall, I think this would’ve been a much, much happier first proper shirt experience if I’d used cotton shirting instead of the incredibly soft but incredibly fraying linen/tencel blend we bought from Fabric.com back in August.
The black buttons James bought himself from a haberdashery shop in central London because his office is near to a bunch whereas mine is in a fabric and haberdashery hinterland. I was surprised at his choice of black over a neutral ivory or yellow, but he said he wanted it to be an accent as he’d only wear it with black trousers and an Express shirt of his used contrast black buttons and he loves the look of it.
I’m really very pleased about this sleeve placket – I drafted it according to the Shirtmaking book since the pattern just called for a binding. The cuffs have a fantastic clipped corner that look really sharp, and I borrowed a detail from one of his designer shirts and added a second button on the cuff so he can loosen it if he likes (or wears a big blingin’ watch!)
Here’s a detail of the sleeve-body seam that looked so intimidating in the book. Ignore the strained wrinkles – James was pulling on the sleeve to accentuate it while I took the photo but it ended up looking worse!
In retribution, I made him close the top button so you can see how nicely the collar closes! I often get that little space between the collar points all wrong so I’m very chuffed this turned out so nice and symmetrical, even if he never closes it in reality.
And finally, here’s a shot of the chest and pocket. He’s forbidden to ever put a pen in that pocket, even if it means wearing a pocket protector (oh let the IT jokes begin!).
As good as my word, I also finished up my two linen day dresses for myself, which you’ll see later this week. I’m also sewing up some bunting for the open days on our mooring this weekend (if you’re in London and want to visit, leave a comment and I’ll email you details) – I’m currently 12 metres down, another 24 to go! If you’re someone who just can’t throw away scraps, this is the best use ever…
Tags: burda-style, linen, menswearComment [9]
True blue
6 May 2008, 11:16I had a busy weekend of sewing, but it was mostly alterations and some beginning work on James’s linen shirt, and not terribly exciting. I’m finding recently that sewing is a useful bartering tool – in the span of two days last week I managed to trade some alteration work for several technical CAD drawings of our bedroom and lounge renovations, and also for the installation of new tongue & groove wall boards in our captain’s cabin bedroom! But amongst all the DIY work over the long, Bank Holiday weekend, I managed to sneak in a quick knit top I’ve been coveting from the April KnipMode magazine.
I had my eye on this ever since I saw it on the cover of the magazine, but I was recently asked questions about its construction over email, and thinking about it and dissecting the pieces got me REALLY excited to make it and I felt I needed a break (and a boost) from all the technical work on the linen shirt, so I just had to sew it up right away! So thank you, Linda, for inspiring me to make this even sooner!
This was a really quick top – it took less than two hours from start to finish, including cutting time, but it does take quite a lot of thought beforehand to understand exactly how this pieces together. It also doesn’t help that the technical drawing for this is absolutely awful and doesn’t show the correct seam lines or the shoulder gathers. I think the photos are more helpful here so I’ve drawn on the approximate seam lines overtop (pardon my wobbly lines – I was at home without my graphics tablet!):
The real twist in this pattern is how piece 2 curves back on itself and creates a tiny little hole for the central loop to go through. It makes sense when you’re sewing it, but on paper, the pattern pieces really look weird, but they do have a lot of symbols to match up to help out. I laid out how the front pieces fit together on the floor first to show approximately how the front of the shirt fits together (be aware that the pattern piece for the back, #3, is split and needs to be joined with the end of the sleeve before cutting your fabric. KnipMode and Patrones do this sometimes when the pattern pieces won’t fully fit on their sheets).
With all patterns in another language, however, you have to come up with your own order of construction if you don’t want to spend every other word on Google Translate. Some people might ask, well, how do you know which order to sew everything?
After sewing enough patterns, you tend to notice a rhythm to the order in which basic garment types are constructed: piece the front together, piece the back together, attach at the shoulders, finish the neckline, sew and attach the sleeves, sew the side seams, finish the sleeves and hem.
In case anyone else wants to take the plunge and make this top (which I heartily recommend!!), here’s my construction order, in more detail:
KnipMode April 2008 #13
- Join pieces 1 and 2 between the closed circle and the star
- Join piece 1 to the other piece 1 between the open circle and the hem at the centre front
- Gather (“rimple”) along the tops of pieces 1 and 2 between the filled square and the filled circle
- Join the fronts (1 and 2) to the back (piece 3) along the whole shoulder and upper arm seam, matching up those filled squares and circles
- Sew the centre back seam of the neckband, piece 4, and fold that lengthwise and attach it to the neckline of pieces 3 and 1, aligning the open squares to piece 1 and putting 4’s seam at the centre back of 3
- Then form the central gathering on the front of the top, which is mostly just folding piece 2 back onto itself so that the two filled triangle pieces match up, and sew piece 2 to itself between the filled triangle and the “opening” mark
- There are two pieces you have to measure out for yourself – A is the sleeve band that just attaches onto the end of the sleeve, and a tiny B piece which is the bit in the very centre of the top (this looks too small to have seam allowances included so I definitely think you have to add them onto these drawn pieces, too).
- Finish the edges of piece B (I just doubled it and made it a turned loop) and thread that through the openings on the two 2 pieces and fasten on the wrong side.
- Then finally sew the underam and side seams, attach the sleeve bands, and finish the hem.
The only change I made to this pattern was to shorten the sleeves by about two inches so that the band fell just above my elbow. I have a very well loved RTW blue knit top with sleeves this length that I was looking to pay tribute to. I find that elbow length sleeves stay put whereas 3/4 length sleeves tend to bunch up for me. The only other change I might make in the future is to take in the centre front seam a bit in the bottom, as I notice I get a little pouch of fabric there depending on how I’m standing, but that’s a very minor (and very easy to fix!) complaint. Though depending on your figure, a bit of extra room there may not be such a bad thing!
I’m really pleased I got to use this blue ribbed knit I bought in Dublin – it’s so soft and super stretchy and comfortable, and I think this pattern was the perfect match for it. With all the twists and turns, it’s really cool to see the obvious grain lines in the subtle stripes and appreciate how everything’s moving around. I’d love to see this in a stripey fabric, as you could really play up the stripes on the sleeve and neckband to a greater extent than I did here!
Oh, and last of all, I was walking home on Friday night when I noticed a huge throng of paparazzi photographers outside the Design Museum. And then a cloaked woman came out and revealed herself to be Dame Vivienne Westwood!!
She only stayed out for literally 20 seconds but it was enough to me to get this photo with my camerphone! It was very, very exciting to see such a design icon less than 100 metres from my home!
Tags: knipmode, knit, magazine, top, tutorialComment [11]