Sewing is good for the soul and this collection of loungewear sewing projects is designed to soothe the soul and lift the spirits. Features full-size, graded patterns for 10 relaxed garments including pyjama pants, a linen T shirt, summer dress and palazzo pants. The silhouette of the clothes is relaxed loungewear for work and at home.

I6 Introduction

8 Tools and Equipment

10 Fabrics and Haberdashery

12 How to Use This Book

14 SPRING

16 Shirt Dress

24 Woven Tee

30 Embroidered Tee

34 Chocolate Orange Cake & Homemade Mocha Latte

38 SUMMER

40 Palazzo Pants

48 Shirred Summer Top

54 Cami and Shorts

60 Lemon Drizzle Cake & Homemade Elderflower Cordial

64 AUTUMN

66 Oversized Shirt

74 Classic T-shirt

80 Reloved Blanket

84 Spiced Sugar Crust Apple Cake & Hot Cider Nog

88 WINTER

90 Winter Coat

98 Drawstring Trousers

104 Christmas Stocking

108 Rich Fruit Cake with Hidden Surprises & Mulled Wine

112 General Sewing Techniques

124 Templates

126 About the Author

126 Acknowledgements

127 Index

The concept for this book had been at the back of my mind for a while, but when I found myself, like others, isolated for a long period recently it highlighted to me just how important it is to take time out for creativity. The physical act of making something, using your hands and mind to connect together to create a ‘thing’, removes you from the mundane and sometimes painful situations of the everyday. More and more, we are seeking the solace of creativity to help us deal with situations we might not want to be in and we are finding the deep and lasting joy of creating. I find this happening in every workshop and retreat that I teach. The satisfaction and achievement that people are able to feel is evident in their faces and it warms my heart to know that I have shared some of what I feel with others. I find that sewing helps me retain my sense of equilibrium. It helps me concentrate and plan, as I have to be aware of what I need for each project I undertake, and focusing on each process in turn increases my patience as I have to wait for the finished item to reveal itself. I have also learnt to control my frustrations, as a quiet mind makes for better sewing, and I’ve made friends with my un-picker. Sewing really does feed my soul. I have structured this book around the seasons, as I am becoming more and more aware of how the way I feel is linked to the world around me and have started to delight in the changes I see throughout the year. Each chapter or season in the book has a ‘slow-sew’ project, something a little bit more meaty that you can get your teeth into, that may take several days to complete; a ‘quick-sew’ project that you should be able to complete in a couple of afternoons and is a good one for getting your sewing mojo up and running; and a re-purposing project. I love the idea of transforming something you love that has seen better days into something new that you can make use of again. There are a couple of recipes for each season that I hope you’ll enjoy, too. We always invite people in for a cuppa and a piece of cake in all our workshops. You can put the world to rights over a coffee and cake and make a whole host of new friends, too. Cake really is soul food. Each season of the year has its own joys and challenges – and if you can relish and overcome those challenges through finding solace in sewing, I will feel I have passed just a bit of my own joy on to you. Happy sewing!

Apple Cake, Spiced Sugar Crust 84–7 appliqué 107 autumn, project ideas for 65–87 belts 23 bias strips 27–8 bias tape, iron-on 77 binding 27–9 Blanket, Reloved 80–3 blanket stitch 83, 122 brocade 104 bulk reduction 116 buttonholes 23, 47, 70, 73, 97, 102, 118 buttons 16, 23, 47, 70, 73, 97, 118 cakes Chocolate Orange 34–7 Lemon Drizzle 60–3 Rich Fruit 108–11 Spiced Sugar Crust Apple 84–7 Cami and Shorts 54–9 Chocolate Orange Cake 34–7 Christmas Stocking 104–7, 124–5 Cider Nog, Hot 85, 87 Coat, Winter 90–7 collars 21–2, 69–70, 93, 95–6 Cordial, Elderflower 61–3 cotton 11, 24, 48, 54, 98, 104 Curd, Orange 36–7 cutting out 8, 114 darts 12, 20, 93, 97, 114, 115 denim 16, 66 Drawstring Trousers 98–103 Dress, Shirt 16–23 ease stitching 117 edge stitching 117 elastic 11, 51, 53, 59, 102 Elderflower Cordial 61–3 embroidery Embroidered Tee 30–3 embroidery hoops 32 stitches 121–2 equipment 8–9 fabrics 11 see also specific types of fabric facings 21–2, 69–72, 93, 95–6 fly zips 43–4 French knots 121 Fruit Cake, Rich 108–11 Ganache, Chocolate 36–7 gathers 117 haberdashery 11 hand sewing 120–2 hems 73, 79 double 119, 120 pin 119 herringbone stitch 120 interfacing 11, 18–19, 42, 68–9, 92–3, 115 ironing 8–9 jersey fabric 74–9 knit fabric 11, 74, 80–3 Latte, Homemade Mocha 34–7 lay plans 13 Lemon Drizzle Cake 60–3 linen 11, 16, 24, 40, 66, 98 linings, coat 97 long stitch 122 machine stitching 117 marking patterns 114 mock overlock 116 Mulled Wine 109, 111 needles 8 twin 119 Nog, Hot Cider 85, 87 Orange Curd 36–7 overlocking (serging) 8, 74, 116 Palazzo Pants 40–7 patterns 12 drafting 26 transferring 114 pins 8 pin marking 114 plackets 69–70 pockets 16, 19, 45, 69–70, 94, 101 ribbon 107 seams bulk reduction 116 neatening 116 side 45, 94 simple 115 sewing machines 8 sewing techniques 113–23 sewing terminology 123 Shirred Summer Top 48–53 shirts Oversized Shirt 66–73 Shirt Dress 16–23 short stitch 122 Shorts and Cami 54–9 silk 54 sizing 12 sleeves 21, 72–3, 78–9, 96 slipstitch 120 spring, project ideas for 15–37 stay stitching 117 stem stitch 121 straps, camisole 57–8 summer, project ideas for 39–63 T-shirt, Classic 74–9 tabs 72–3 tailor’s chalk/tacks 114 Tees Embroidered 30–3 Woven 24–9 thread 11 tools 8–9 top stitching 117 tops Shirred Summer Top 48–53 see also shirts; T-shirt; Tee transferring pattern markings 114 trousers Drawstring Trousers 98–103 Palazzo Pants 40–7 understitching 117 velvet 104 viscose 11, 40, 48 waistbands 46–7, 102–3 Wine, Mulled 109, 111 winter, project ideas for 89–111 wool 11, 90–7 woven fabrics 11, 24–9 yokes 69, 70–2 zips 11, 43–4