Regular readers will know that I have been on board with Simply Sewing  since issue 1. My remit back then was firmly in the refashioning camp. Which I was more than chuffed about as you all know my desire to “promote the cause” of refashioning and I was delighted that a mainstream print magazine was getting on board with that. They still are of course but…
This issue saw the editorial reigns pass to a new editor. You may know her as The Savvy Crafter 😉 Charlie and I had a little chat when she took over and the general feeling was there was more that I could contribute and that we needn’t restrict my remit soley to refashioning. So going forward I’ll be contributing a mix of refashioning and “from scratch” sewing tutorials. This is the first of those. A tweed circle cape. I LOVE how it turned out and I LOVE how the team at SS have styled it too. Even better it’s patternless and super simple to make. Boom! (Great scrap busting freebie from Sew Crafty in this months issue too btw)
I think the fabric really makes this cape. It’s this beautiful Edinburgh Check Wool from minervacrafts.com. I’ve just ordered some for myself to make a coat. Ooops! The leather buckle for this piece I purchased on ebay here.
Apart from that there’s oodles of sewing projects and some familiar faces too. Including a classic fascinator tute from Lisa Comfort and an interesting Q&A with Sarai Mitnick…
Also some interesting reading and projects involving the Japanese art of Sashiko embroidery. Â I’ve had a dabble with Sashiko and I love it, although I’ve yet to incorporate it in a finished project. I recently bought the Tamarack pattern from Grainline Studio….and it occured to me that substituting the machine quilting element with some Sashiko would be an interesting take don’t you think?? Time consuming, but cool!
Sometimes it’s the little news snippets in a magazine that catch my eye. This little piece about Lotta Jansdotter and her new book prompted me to investigate further. I’d never heard of her but the simplicity of silhouette and line in these pieces appealed to me…(plus as soon as I read the word “Scandanavian” it’s pretty much a done deal that I will like what I see!) turns out she’s quite a prolific author…
This is the book in question…Everyday Style by Lotta Jansdotter…and I erm…..ordered it right there and then! Ooops again! 
Why? Because this lady’s style looks right up my strata…
And the patterns in the book are simple, unfussy, and versatile shapes ripe for personalisation and look like they would work in a vast array of fabrics. So again…right up my street!
Quite excited for this one to arrive. Will let you know if it’s as yummy as it looks!
Am I the only one with an itchy online trigger finger recently?