Garments and gifts: little girl’s shirred summer dress

Posted on 20 June, 2014 by Crafty Getaways

This is a really easy and gorgeous summer dress that is available as a free pattern from www.favecrafts.com.

Note: the instructions didn’t come with any measurements but by reading the comments section of the website you will be directed to the sizing guide below:

I chose a fresh pink polka dot print for my eight year old niece. I took her measurements beforehand and cut out the fabric according to the online instructions and the sizing guide.

The dress is made up of six oblong fabric pieces: two straps; top and bottom front panels; top and bottom back panels. The two top pieces require shirring which is relatively straight forward so long as you wind the shirring elastic nice and tight around the bobbin (but not too tight!).The dress is secured at the back through a ribbon loop and a tied bow.

If you would like to make the dress yourself in a fun and inspiring workshop we will be covering it in our Garments and Gifts workshops at Le Manoir Saint Gervais. SCH.

Here is the finished garment – it took around a day to complete. SCH.

The Great British Sewing Bee is back

Posted on 18 February, 2014 by Crafty Getaways

I was really happy to see The Great British Sewing Bee back on our screens this week having recently completed a ten week dressmaking course, and now being in the middle of another term. The programme didn’t disappoint; ten new contestants of varying personalities, sewing experience and creative styles; three different sewing tasks; three types of common fabric: cotton, wool and silk.

Task one: a simple sleeveless, round-neck top in cotton / Task two: repurposing an ankle-length woollen skirt / Task three: making a made-to-measure silk nightie.

It’s amazing how many skills and techniques were covered by those three tasks in week one. Here are just a few that I jotted down:

– Choosing the right fabric for the type of garment
– Understanding how to treat / work with different fabrics
– Measuring models and transferring measurements to patterns
– Accurately marking, pinning and cutting out patterns
– Matching fabric patterns (especially where it meets in the middle of a garment)
– Adding darts / understanding body contours
– Hand stitching (ladder stitch, etc.)
– Understitching (e.g. necklines)
– Rolling hems
– Applying trims (e.g. lace)
– Adding drama/impact
– Following instructions and mManaging your time!

What have I missed out? Next week I’m sure the BBC will up the difficulty level. SCH

We’re changing names!

Posted on 11 February, 2014 by Crafty Getaways

From today, ‘The Little Grange’ is simply to be known as Le Manoir Saint Gervais.

Initial feedback suggests The Little Grange doesn’t bear any relationship to the offering… a boutique B&B that also runs vintage craft courses… and was perhaps a tad confusing? I really value feedback and have taken on board these comments. We now have a new URL for the website (www.lemanoirsaintgervais.com) and will run the B&B business and courses together under that name. I must say it is starting to make life a whole lot easier!

With the name changed we now have a Pinterest account set up (www.pinterest.com/manoirstgervais) as well as a Facebook account (www.facebook.com/lemanoirsaintgervais).

I was very fond of The Little Grange as a flexible concept (The Little Barn; La Petite Grange, etc.), but recognise it came about very early in the development of the business when a UK property was still a distinct possibility. Who knows, maybe we will get to use the name one day in another part of the business?! SCH

Upholstery course: day two

Posted on 1 February, 2014 by Crafty Getaways

This is a progress update on the small stool I began re-upholstering last year (well, dismantling more like)!

I realised quite quickly that we had stapled the webbing to the wrong side of the chair last time round (fine if you are planning to build the seat up without springs – not so good if you have old springs to replace). So I began by taking off the webbing, cleaning up the woodwork and reapplying the webbing to the correct (under)side.

Next it was time to hand sew the springs to the webbing and create a sprung unit from the five springs by coercing them together with string. Then I nailed a layer of hessian to the frame – over the top of the springs – and hand sewed the springs under the fabric by ‘feel’.

That took most of the morning which meant the afternoon was spent hand sewing little cord pockets for the synthetic filling which would be tucked in to create part of the seat padding. The final step was to add another piece of hessian and secure with temporary tacks.

This is as far as I got in seven hours. I am hoping that one more course day may bring me closer to the actual fabric cover! SCH

An amazing find: Singer sewing machine

Posted on 9 January, 2014 by Crafty Getaways

I found a vintage Singer sewing machine in this week’s auction which is in lovely condition and even has the original Singer service label on the handle. It is a manual machine so will only really be practical to use when doing small projects or when you don’t really want to use electricity (e.g. sewing over pins when gathering sleeves, etc.) but I think it will look great in the craft workshop on a shelf. I’ve since discovered that my Mum has two additional machines which are gathering dust so they may also find their way to The Little Grange. SCH

The Little Grange at Le Manoir Saint Gervais is (officially) born!

Posted on 10 December, 2013 by Crafty Getaways

The house purchase is complete! The Little Grange is soon to be a living, breathing reality that was barely a dream a year ago.

I signed the deeds in France on very sunny yet frosty afternoon – a glimpse of what’s in store this time next year! It was lovely to be back and also to see the house and area in winter; certainly a huge contrast to summer. The previous owners have permission to stay in the house for the next four months so that they can renovate the barn across the road. So for now it’s a case of taking lots of photos, measuring up, getting quotes for the work that needs to be done and finalising those spreadsheets.

The major renovation work will be to the top floor (attic). It is currently an open roof space with stud walls for two rooms already in place – but it is going to need additional rooms and bathrooms as well as insulation for the roof.

Below are a few pictures of the house before we start work in April next year to turn it into a boutique B&B with vintage crafts workshop. What do you think? SCH

Busy sewing bee

Posted on 27 October, 2013 by Crafty Getaways

I joined a dressmaking course last month to help me tackle some of the sewing and upholstery projects I have lined up. I will generally have a go at most things but sometimes feel I am missing the basics and would like some formal instruction. By joining the class I hope to perfect different types of seams, get a better understanding of what my sewing machine can do, learn new techniques for making projects look more professional and generally learn the tips of the trade.

Sample course work: concealed zip

Each week we are covering different seams and basic sewing skills. So far we have sewn a straight seam, French seam, jean seam, corner seam, facing, round and pointed collars, and put in a dart using tailor’s tacks. We have also looked at general machine use, measuring and cutting out fabric, seam allowances, pressing out seams and troubleshooting. During this week’s class we went through the process of adding a zip to a skirt – using both machine and hand tacking, a close top stitch and a ‘quick unpicker’ to reveal the concealed zip.

I have already taken on board this zip technique because over the weekend I needed to make my nine year old nephew a maths-inspired cushion for his bedroom. Before assembling the zip-linked panels I cut out a series of number templates based on images I found on the internet and used a wide zig-zag stitch to fix them to the front panel using the same colour cotton thread.

Attaching numbers

A cushion, it seems, is no more tricky than a skirt; you just have to remember to open the zip before you sew the remaining three sides!

Now that’s done it’s time to tackle the padded cushions for the outside wooden chair – I keep putting this project off because I need to find an implement to cut through foam. Apparently an electric carving knife (used for cutting the Christmas turkey) works well. I will report back soon on that particular success (or failure)! SCH

Upholstery course: day one

Posted on 21 October, 2013 by Crafty Getaways

Given my penchant for auction bargains, I have been really keen to learn the skills involved in furniture upholstery. I often see tired looking sofas, chairs, stools, etc. that have lovely forms but have seen better days; wishing I had the confidence to buy them and transform them into something incredible.

On Saturday I was given that chance at a local one day workshop. I was asked to take along a small project so chose a small stool with Queen Anne legs and a sprung seat. The fabric was long gone and the stool looked a sorry state so most of the day was spent removing tacks, mending the woodwork and bandaging the wood so it was ready to take more staples and tacks. Here are some photos from the day… there’s still a lot to do including seven more layers until the stool resembles the original. The final fabric seems to be incidental!

I now hope to attend a multi-week course so I can finish the stool and move onto other projects that may benefit The Little Grange. SCH

Apron making

Posted on 29 May, 2013 by Crafty Getaways

On Monday, given the bank holiday weekend, I went along to our local market to buy some off-cuts of fabric. I wasn’t quite sure what I was looking for or what I was going to make but soon found a variety of lightweight, pretty prints. I chose three colours of gingham, a beige polka dot print, pink floral and a nautical boat print.

By chance, the next day I was looking through the kitchen drawers for a tea towel and found a number of old aprons (long and short) from around the 60s which got me thinking… would the floral print work as a short apron? It would need to be lined as the material was so flimsy, but it would be a relatively straight forward and personalised project for would-be crafters.

So here is the result: a few hours of measuring, cutting, pinning, ironing, sewing and finishing:

The materials and skills required to make this apron will be covered in the very practical Sewing (garments and gifts) course. SCH

Auction finds

Posted on 18 May, 2013 by Crafty Getaways

It hasn’t quite been a week yet since I left Dubai and already I’m feeling the excitement of having thrown away comfort and stability to start my dream project! I feel impatient to find the right property and start putting together a schedule of courses. My first £65 investment has bought me The Little Grange URL which means I can start to give the project an identity… take a look at the About section in this blog for what I have planned.

So over the past few days I have been back to tending my little seedlings which have done rather well over the May bank holiday weekend so we might have a good crop of fresh herbs this summer. The tomatoes are coming on too as are the spring onions, summer bulbs and a little Chestnut sapling I’m determined to grow into a rather large tree! I may even place it centre stage in the new garden as a symbol of these first few steps to a more fulfilling way of life.

Fab find: two stone planters

On Thursday I went to a local auction which sells household items as well as fruit and veg and outdoor furniture/tools/equipment, etc. Outside, I spotted two old oblong stone planters and just had to have them; I have since transferred my herbs to them. Inside the auction house, I fell upon a huge wardrobe made of pine and covered in satinwood/walnut veneer that seemed so versatile in its function I thought it would make a great statement piece in the future barn/workshop: a chest of drawers on the bottom; slide-out linen shelves hidden by two doors on top; both flanked by thin wardrobes (one of which contained the lidded box of an old chamber pot!). All four pieces sit on a plinth and are finished off by a decorative top panel. Individually easy enough to transport: together a whacking piece of furniture! Again, I just knew I had to have it! It will need a very good clean and some work on the veneer which is peeling off, as well as a bit of woodworm treatment… just to be sure!

The linen press on its way home

Bidding on each started at a reasonable £5 and before long I was walking away with three new prize possessions for very little money at all: x2 stone planters = £34 / x1 four-door pine satin walnut linen press = £130 (bargain). I’ve since been online to learn more about the linen press and can’t seem to find many four-door varieties so I may have something of an original; complete with spiders and an inch of dust!

I loved the whole atmosphere and experience and will be heading to another auction soon. Next time I will be looking for old paintings with carved and gilded frames as well as board games, catering equipment, mix and match vintage china and garden tools/pots, etc. SCH

Le Manoir Saint Gervais

Boutique bed & breakfast in west-central France * sewing & crafty getaways

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