Kwik Sew K4111 - for the office this time

I feel like I never have anything to wear to work, and what what I do have is never quite warm enough or cool enough so I've always got my eye out for fabrics that I can use to fill this gap. At the Spring Knitting and Stitching Show I came across just that fabric, then had to wait for a while until inspiration hit, in the form of a previously used pattern that just needed a bit of tweaking. As it happens this dress also survived a major overlocker disaster too!

Most Worn: Nina Lee Mayfair Dress

Ready for sun!!! Last summer, I wore my Nina Lee Mayfair dress so often in the hot weather - even for work. I find patterns that feature waist ties to be my preferred option in summer because they are just that bit more comfortable than elasticated waists or fitted waistbands, yet still give you some shaping. I had hoped to create an even more work appropriate dress with this monochrome John Kaldor slinky jersey fabric. but as you can see, it turned out a little short for that, but it's just as well as I wear it all the time at home now - I can't wait to take it on holiday!

Sew your own knitter's project bag: free tutorial

Now that I've been knitting for a while, I've come to realise that I could really do with a proper project bag so that I have everything I need to hand. There are plenty of good quality ones available to buy, but as someone who has been sewing for a while it seemed more appropriate to put these skills to use and make my own one. This bag is designed to be large enough to hold a sweater project and an A4 pattern. It closes with a drawstring and features an internal pocket to hold notions and tools. There's also a snap open yarn guide inside to prevent tangling. It's a simple and enjoyable project that is perfect for using up remnant fabrics leftover from other projects. If you fancy having a go at making your own, here's a free tutorial for you to follow.

Sew Over It Lottie Dress - Heatwave saviour!

This pattern could already move into my Most Worn pile. Last week during the hot weather that we had I didn't want to wear anything else...so I made a second one! My versions are made in viscose fabrics so are very lightweight and breathable. I find I don't like things too fitted when it's very hot but I do need things drawn in around the waist to suit my frame and the fact that this dress uses waist ties rather than elastic makes it all the more comfortable. I even like the gathering at the top of the dress which gives a small amount of pretty shaping to a fairly simple make. So long as you can manage bias binding and buttonholes, you can whip this up in less than a day.

DIY pleated skirt

Skirts don't feature heavily in my summer wardrobe - I strongly tend towards dresses (in case you hadn't noticed). However, I was thinking that it would be quite handy to have a skirt that you can pair with a few different tops and vests, given the changeability of the weather here in the UK. On my Pinterest board, quite a few of the looks I've been into featured pleated skirts, so I decided to have a go at making one without a pattern.

Most worn: Ginger Jeans

Given that my black Ginger Jeans are one of my favourite and most worn items, I gave the pattern a second go for a pair of spring/summer jeans. I'd say the results are mixed on these for a few reasons, and I actually made these last summer but haven't blogged about them because of that. However, I found a way around what I wasn't happy with and now I've ended up wearing them a lot since the spring.