The Cuddliest Trousers - Thurlows the Second

After such a success with my first pair of Thurlows from Sewaholic I definitely wanted to make more of this fabulous pattern.

Slight Goober Face

I also wanted to try a newly discovered fabric spot at Ferriers Fashion Fabric in Adelaide. After being exposed to so many gorgeous fabric stores in Sydney and Melbourne I really wanted to look for smaller stores here in Adelaide that retail different/better quality fabrics. Ferriers came up on this search and since it was only round the corner from work I decided to check it out. If you've read my last post you'll know this was a successful visit since I've been back 3 times since!

On my first visit I really fell in love with this soft grey herringbone pure wool flannel - I saw a brown version of this fabric at The Fabric Store in Sydney but I wear more grey than brown  so I am glad I waited and purchased the grey version instead.

Let me say first off - This Fabric ROCKS my world!! It looks very tailored but due to the soft brushed insides it feels like I'm wearing my PJ's :-D

What's that? You like my pants???

The combination of excellent pattern and beautiful fabric was an almost guaranteed success and I am certain that these are going to become a favourite pair of trousers! I top-stitched the back welt pockets this time and I love the finish so will do this again from now on.

Welt Topstitch Detail - Oooooh!

I lined these pants using the left over cotton lawn lining I cut out for my last pair of Thurlows but couldn't use due to the sheerness of the fabric I was using. Having fun linings and funky buttons always make me happy and isn't that the point of sewing for yourself?

Crazy Fun Linings of Joy

One word of warning - I cut my usual size 4 and sewed a normal back seam allowance which actually produced a pair of pants slightly too big for me. However, I'm extreeeeeemely slack about pre-washing fabric and after the first cold-water wash I found these shrank up quite a lot so they are now the perfect fit. Just something to keep in mind since I've rarely worked with 100% wool fabric in the past but I will certainly continue to use it in the future.

I was really excited to find an actual 4" metal teeth 'trouser zip'

I once again used the Lladybird tutorial and these came together in just over a day. I think this pattern is fast moving to become my TNT pants design - they are constructed beautifully and are easy to fit and wear so wins all around!!
And yes - I do have more fabric to make another pair, this time in pin stripe velveteen once again from Ferriers so more Thurlows shall grace my future blog!

Gifted Distractions: Quilting with Elephants

Phew!

After the conclusion of the Me Made May Madness I feel as though I have a pile of projects I just want to dive into but I have once again been distracted! 

 

This time it's by a quilting project - not for me but as a little gift for a lovely collegue about to go on maternity leave. I should also mention I decided to make this quilt only 2 weeks before I wanted to give it... Hmmm time for speedy sewing, so I picked a design that doesn't have to be perfect (at least compared to normal extra-precise quilting designs) I've always wanted to try my hand at rag quilts in flannel fabric ever since I saw one at a craft fair years ago. The flannel is so cuddley soft and the fluffy quilt edges give this type of quilt a more casual, almost shabby-chic appeal.

How cute is this fabric??!! Bright Coloured Elephants!

I used this tutorial and bought my fabric at Tricia's Discount Fabric here in Adelaide. Tricia has a wonderful selection of quilters flannel and I was instantly drawn to these cute elephants! I picked out 2 supporting prints and bought some wool/poly batting as I like how puffy it looks when quilted plus I know it's warm having used it in our bed quilt a few years ago. The staff at Tricia's are fantastic and really know their stuff, if you're in Adelaide it is a great place to shop.

After cutting the seams, before the final wash and dry

I actually was a good girl and pre-washed these fabrics on a cold machine wash so the finished quilt will be machine washable for all those baby messes! The final thing to do after trimming the seams is wash and dry the quilt in a dryer so the seams fluff-up into the rag finish.

The finished quilt after washing and drying

The actual construction went pretty quick - thanks mainly to Mum's invaluable help folding and cutting the squares at the start. I finally learned to chain piece which helped speed things up. In the end this baby was done in about 10 hours! While the finish is not perfect - proper quilters would weep most likely - I really enjoyed this technique and would definitely consider making more of these quilts in the future.

It's quite big for a cot quilt, particularly compared to the normal cot panel size so it will be nice as a top layer in really cold weather or even as a play rug on the floor.

You may also have noticed I have revamped the blog look a little - I'm still playing around with how I want it to look/feel so any feedback on what you like or don't like will be welcomed!

I really wanted to post this last weekend but I didn't want to blow the surprise of this gift so I held off until now. I will be internet free for the next 2 weeks so sadly there will be no blog action until July now.

See you next month!

OXOX

Stacey