This weeks Crafty Bloggers Club post is from Gemma, you can find more of her makes on Instagram @sewminigems

Hi, I’m Gemma and I am delighted to be the Crafty Blogger for this week.

Like many sewers, I am planning to one day make myself a pair of jeans. But it feels like a huge mountain to climb, so as part of my preparation (or is it procrastination?) for the great jeans project, I decided to make myself a denim skirt - this gives me practise on the all important zip fly, but also experience working with denim and decorative top stitching.

I am a big fan of Tilly and the Buttons patterns, I find the way the instructions are written to be really clear. Crafty Sew and So stock the full range of patterns, so what better garment to make than a Ness skirt? I chose some mid blue 10oz stretch denim by Lady McElroy from the selection at Crafty Sew and So, the team also provided me with a jeans zip, contrast top stitching thread and a set of jeans machine needles.

The denim was a pleasure to work with, it pressed really well so I have beautiful crisp pockets and waistband. The pattern instructions for the zip fly were good, but there is also a video on the Tilly and the Buttons website which you can follow along step by step to guarantee a successful zip fly. I found this absolutely invaluable. The constituent pieces didn’t make a lot of sense to me while I was doing it, I had to keep referring to a pair of my own jeans to try and work out which bit was which, but it all came together in the end in an “ah-ha” kind of moment. The zip itself is a good quality YKK zip which I am confident will pass the test of time. It was slightly longer than the pattern specified but this was simple enough to deal with using the instructions on Tilly’s website.

The pattern has two lengths, midi with a front slit and mini. I wanted somewhere in between, so I lengthened the mini version a little.

 There is no better feeling than when a complicated make comes together, and I do feel that this one has come together wonderfully. Although there are a lot of stages involved, it is not a difficult garment to make as long as you take it step by step and do what you are told! I really enjoyed the precise sewing that is involved in making sure that everything lines up correctly, and while my top stitching is not perfect, I am pleased with the end result.

My denim Ness skirt is the perfect garment for autumn – on warmer days I shall wear it with a tee and a pair of trainers, on cooler days with a sweater, a pair of warm tights and boots. Because of the little bit of stretch in the fabric, it is a lovely comfortable skirt to wear.

Thanks to Crafty Sew and So for the opportunity to blog for them this week, and you can catch me on Instagram @sewminigems or on my blog www.sewminigems.wordpress.com

Happy sewing!

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“Crafty Bloggers Club Contributors are given products and materials to test from Crafty Sew&So. We hope you enjoy their honest and impartial reviews of the products. All opinions are their own.”