Roses United - Best Kit challenge

Each year the Towersey Tournoi takes place in an Oxfordshire field. My brother and his mates are always involved. As far as I can tell, the whole thing is one massive in joke, with a LOT of Strongbow thrown in.  This year, Paul was determined to win 'Best Kit' for his team Roses United (formed from northern Leeds and Manchester uni friends). For this, he enlisted my sewing machine - and my help. Apparently last years winners had one shirt with the number on the front and the logo on the back - a last minute hungover ironing mishap. Stiff competition then. 

He bought a bunch of cheap shirts online. I told him to go for blue for the goalie, but he decided salmon would clash 'better' with the red stripe. We went down Brick Lane for 3 metres of slightly silky red fabric.



To fit the stripe into the seams, we had to cut open the shirts on one side, and cut into the seam on the other sleeve.

Paul made cardboard templates for the numbers while I was adding the stripes. He then cut them out of cloth and I appliqued them on to the backs.

Al got sent out for more red thread from SewAmazing on Roman Road  - sewing shops are almost worse than chippies for badly punned names.

While I was going through the final massive sewing slog (six shirts!), Paul and Al updated the logo on Photoshop and printed it onto transfer paper which Paul ironed on.

Roses United logo

Almost finished fronts

Numbered backs (looks better at this distance than close up!)

Paul bought some fake roses to pin on the front. And here's the team, ready for action;

Paul's haircut is also a tournament special..

Dream team

In action... shirts holding up...

No victory on the pitch, but the (much more coveted I'm sure) Best Kit award!

Accepting his dues..

Who needs ball skills when you can win this beauty with a sewing machine, some photoshop and an ironing board...

Towersey Best Kit trophy

A DIYcouture swirly skirt at Fabrications

Today I was back in Fabrications, for a workshop with Rosie from DIYcouture. We were learning how to make a swirly skirt - the finished item modelled here (try to focus on the skirt and not my white runners legs!).

Rosie creates books with pictures and diagrams to talk you through making clothes without using complicated patterns.

Waist height skirt

The skirt is a circle style, hanging in lots of folds and flaring out when you spin round. It would look good with a petticoat too. The bird fabric is from Fabric Rehab.

Below you can see how the skirt starts - with two semi circles of material to be joined together. You then add a waistband and a zip and a bias binding along the bottom. There were six of us in the workshop and Rosie dotted between us all, showing us what to do, helping us out and giving us tips on good fabric shops in London (like me, Rosie considers buying fabric, like buying books - 'not really spending money' - so it's good to hear her tips as to where you can get fabric for a pound a metre). Check out the Fabrications calendar for more workshops with her too - I recommend them.

Cutting out the pattern

In Fabrications Imaginarium

The final fiddly bit, adding the bias binding.

More modelling, this time it's sitting on the hips how I made it. After pinning it up, I actually quite like the on-the-waist style (which I think is more how it is meant to be) so I might do another one like that in future now I know how :)

Customisation & screenprinting

Clothes making and customisation feels a bit hard at the moment, but I tried a couple of small things.

Buttons added to a vest top - told you it was simple stuff!

Screen printing is a bit more complex, but Ben, screen printer extraordinaire showed me how to do it and we made matching tops for me and Alex's niece Ivy (well, she was excited about it!).

Make a template online using a black and white picture, print it out and use a craft knife to cut out the picture. Use acrylics to paint the template onto the screen. For the screen you can use thin synthetic material from a charity shop and an old photo frame, secured with a staple gun and duct tape. When it's dry, the acrylic acts as a waterproof barrier to prevent the printing paint getting through when you use it to print.

Yes, my top is matching one for a three year old...