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Sew Grateful Week: Give away - Pattern of your Choice at Sew Direct

Tuesday, February 7

My Sew Grateful Week is well and truly on the roll.

Today, I am Sew Grateful to my mom, who pushed me to learn how to sew. 

When I was younger, I lived with my dad and my step-mom, and only started spending regular holidays with my mom when I was about 11. I went to an all girls boarding school so I had to share my holidays between my mom, my Dad, and my aunts and uncles (I was a popular kid in the family you see). So that meant in a year, I'd only see my mom for about 2 weeks, maximum a month. All that changed when I went to University because she lived in the same town.




My Momma!!

Staying at my mother's house came with the unenviable task of tracing all her burda patterns for her. I swear my knees still hurt when I think of that. She also used to make curtains and bedsheets as a hobby and soon started selling them to her colleagues. Since I could not use the sewing machine, my role was to unpick the stitches when she made mistakes...not amusing I tell you. I deliberately did not want to learn how to use the machine because I did not want to end up like my aunt. My aunt knew how to sew, and her reward? Ha, she spent all the time sewing. Her social life became non-existent when my mom started having regular orders from her friends.

I finally learned how to use the machine when I had to go to Uni, and my mom refused to make my curtains and bedsheets. So I had to make them myself. She instructed me on how to cut the fabric, and how to sew. The end result? I made a reversible quilted bed cover, and matching curtains, table cloth, oven gloves, and glued a 10cm wide strip of the remaining fabric round my room as wall paper. Overkill? You betcha!!

After that day, I started making handmade gifts for my friends. Things like bedsheets and matching pillow cases and oven gloves. If my mom had not put her foot down,  I would not be writing this post now. So thank you Mom!!
I learned to sew on one of these.

So, today's task from Debi was either to offer a tutorial or a pattern. I can't offer a tutorial...no inspiration...so, I am offering someone the chance to win a pattern of their choice from Sew Direct. They only do patterns from Vogue, Butterick and McCalls. So I'm afraid you are limited to any one pattern from those three. 

What you have to do, is 

  1. Go to the Sew Direct website.
  2. Browse the patterns and decide which one you want ( do not be modest pls. Choose what you really want. Yes, even that Vogue designer pattern you've been coveting for the past century)
  3. Leave a comment here stating which pattern you will like should you win.
Some of  you were asking if the Lobster fabric giveaway was open to international bloggers as well. Yes it is, and so is this one. Be careful though, I said International, not Inter-Galatic, so like the Couture Sewing Techniques book give away, this is open only to humans.

The giveaway will end on Sunday 12th February at midnight, London time, and I will announce a winner on Monday 13th .

Good luck!!

48 comments:

  1. oh you momma looks great and Im glad she force feed you into sewing ! Hurray. I live the choice if I win.. you know I change my mind so quickly !

    Ps. comment on my book giveaway too. x

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  2. What a love blog post dedicated to your lovely mum! A great giveaway too thanks for the opportunity

    If I won, I'd choose the vogue 8645 x

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  3. This is such a lovely post. :-)

    Thanks for the chance to win a pattern - I'm continuously in love with the vintage Vogue ones so if I'm super lucky enough to win I'd love vintage Vogue 8767.

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  4. Wow Dibs you lovely lady!
    I'd love to do a coat like Karen's So I'd really like Vogue 8548!
    (If you search its easier to find!)
    Thankyou for this fabulous giveaway! I hope your feeling a bit better! x

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  5. I really want to try Butterick 5674. It's really different to the kind of thing I would usually make and it's been on my possibly maybe list for a while now.

    Thanks for all these giveaways, you do spoil us! ;-)

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  6. Vogue 8280 please Dibs! Ubiquitous maybe, but still a darn fine dress! Thank you for these extremely generous giveaways, you're a star!

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  7. 5214 Butterick is lovely but it was hard to choose! Thanks for a great give away!

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  8. That is such a sweet story about learning how to sew! My mom didn't have the patience so she sent me to take a class. I'm very thankful for that! My favorite pattern is the new Vintage Vogue 8788. So cute!!

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  9. I've followed your blog for about 1 year; however, this is the first time I've ever commented. I really enjoy reading your blog and thank you for sharing the story regarding how your mother "encouraged" you to begin sewing. If chosen in the drawing, I really like Vogue 1224. Thanks again.

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  10. Thanks for the giveaway! It's so hard to choose just one, but I'm going with Vogue 8425, I think.

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  11. I have been coveting Vogue - 2787 for quite awhile!

    Amy - amym710[at]gmail[dot]com

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  12. Oh Dibs, I am imagining you at uni with your matching bed cover and oven gloves - so funny! It's so nice that your mum made you sew, and good that you still wanted too after only doing the rubbish jobs like pattern tracing and ripping stitches!

    Anyway, thank you for your lovely giveaway. My choice is McCalls - 6506 as it is very similar to a high street dress I love, and should really try and recreate.

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  13. I am always a bit envious of people who had Moms who would teach them to sew. My mom got as far and us cutting out the fabric for a shirt, and never taught me past that for some reason. Maybe I was a difficult child?!?!?
    Thank you for the pattern giveaway - I would love to try Vogue 8150, Vogue has been my greatest challenge sew wise, and I don't feel I've successfully managed to finish a single Vogue item to date - I think with an 18 month lead time I might be able to figure that one out in time for a friends wedding!
    I do want to say too, that your version of the Roland Mouret galaxy dress is what prompted me to put a V pattern on my shopping list after promising myself to stop setting my sights so high, you just look FABULOUS in it!

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  14. Hiya Miss Dibs, I must say reading about learning to sew with your Mum was wonderful - I really enjoyed it & remembered you saying previously how you'd sewn your own bedsheets for uni, this puts it in the bigger context. This Sew Grateful prize is wonderful - how to waste an hour and a half browsing patterns!! If I were to win I'd like Vogue 1247, having seen Karen's version. I'd make it up for my friends as I know they'd love it :-)

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  15. Your mom is so lovely! Good genes must run in your family!

    Please sign me up for this. Picking one was really, really, REALLY (reallyreallyreallyreally) hard. I had about 10 I'd like. So I'm picking one that'll give me the most bang for my buck. I'd like to toss my hat in the ring for Vogue 8766.

    tina_crossgrove(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  16. Hooray for Moms! If I were lucky enough to win, I'd choose the out-of-print Vogue 8449: http://sewdirect.com/acatalog/Vogue___8449.html Thanks!

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  17. I've been coveting the vintage Vogue 2787... Just love the shape of the bodice!

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  18. Oh I love the Vogue 8767, very 1940's, great giveaway :)

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  19. Hehe, seems mums always know best... :D I'd love to enter for Vogue 2960!

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  20. Your mum is so beautiful. It's so hard to decide! but finally I settled on the Butterick 3475. It's hard to find nice boys patterns and I think this one will get a lot of use from me.
    cutekipepeo(at)gmail.com

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  21. What a generous giveaway! I'd pick Vogue 7464. I don't have any hat patterns and this one is so beautiful. My grandmother was a milliner in the 1950s and I'd love to think some of her talent may have somehow been passed down to me!

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  22. What a beautiful Momma you have, Dibs, and a wise one too for teaching you to sew.

    Really awesome giveaway - thank you! If I win I think I'd pick Vogue 1194 as I need to make more stuff like this that I'd wear everyday. Looks like a really useful pattern to have.

    Ooh noo, now I've been through the whole website I've got loads of new patterns on my wish list! Bad Dibs!

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  23. That was SO HARD! And while I was all up on the screen, breathing heavily, and sweaty-palmed, moaning about 3-piece sleeves & ironing nightmares, browsing through page after orgasmic page, I realized what I must look like ;) I think I might be WAY too into patterns.

    After careful consideration, I picked Vogue 1174, the Cynthia Steffe vintage-look strapless floral creation because I would be most likely to make this for the coming summer. Maybe in a Hawaiian print, adding a sarong-type front skirt panel. Ahhhhh. Now I only need a trip to Hawaii to go with it. Thanks!

    hstorm799{at}gmail{dot}com

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  24. I chose Vogue 8413, classic chic.

    Thanks so much for this! great giveaway!

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  25. Hmmmm, maybe Vogue 1044?? It's so hard to choose!!

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  26. Your ma is a legend. Often it is better to learn the hard way, those lessons are never forgotten ! :-) And what a great give away (again !) Please enter me for Vogue - 1287, I LOVE that dress ! thanks again xx

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  27. I love Vogue 8789, I have a thing for Retro patterns.

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  28. Sometimes we hate hate what our mum's intentions but they know what is best for us! I love your story.

    Thank you for the giveaway I would love McCall m6460. Thank you!

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  29. I love the neckline on your Mom's outfit! So beautiful... I learned the basics of sewing by watching my mom, although I had no idea I was learning at the time. I didn't have any interest in sewing until about 3 years ago. I was so torn about which pattern I would choose, but I have to admit, Vogue 1031 is just screaming my name. I keep going back to that glam dress, and thinking about how gorgeous it would be at a fancy New Year's Eve party. Glam without the glitter. Love.

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  30. Hi, I love this pattern Vogue - 2934 - nice little cropped jacket - very retro, and so so classy. Reminds me of all those beautiful actresses in old black and white films - entering a room with a figure hugging dress, a jacket like this and gloves. So sophisticated! sharonx

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  31. I really like Vogue 8346, I would love to sew my own coat for next winter.

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  32. oh man, I'd love a Vogue 2787!
    Seeing your first machine puts me in mind of my own mother's insistence that I make my own bedsheet-by hand. I think she was less successful at getting me to be a good sewing citizen than yours was!

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  33. Thank you for such a lovely giveaway. I believe that your mother was wise to get you into sewing (even though you resisted at first).

    I would go with vintage vogue 2859, the blouse is amazing just by itself , then you add two more pieces to it, definately a winner

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  34. What an amazing sewing machine! I'm guessing it wasn't as easy to learn on as most modern machines, but so much "sewing cred" in retrospect. Apparently Singer just released a fully computerised machine that kind of looks like one of these early 20th century machines.


    I would have picked Vintage Vogue 8767. I've been admiring it for a long time. I would make it up in a saturated jeweltone linen, like aubergine or royal blue and wear it to summer evening parties.

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  35. Hello from Brazil and thank you so much for the giveaway... I've been drooling over Vogue - 1161 for quite sometime now..., will keep my fingers crossed... My email is cbottion@gmail.com and thanks again...

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  36. Ooh, thank you so much for this giveaway. For my birthday in Decemeber my mother gave me some beautiful blue lace and blue crepe to make a dress. And now I've found the perfect pattern...Vogue 8766. It would be absolutely wonderful if I win your giveaway. I've never sewn with lace so this is a new project for me.
    By the way, the Singer you learned to sew on is absolutely beautiful. My first sewing machine - a Kenmore from Sears!

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  37. What a wonderful giveaway! I would like Vintage Vogue - 8768.

    ~Ashley
    bramblewoodfashion {at} hotmail {dot} com

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  38. Whew, that was hard to do! So many great patterns, but the one I've really been wanting is the Vogue 8280 (yours was lovely, btw)!

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  39. Thank you. Wow. Anything from the website? So many options. Vogue 8613 or McCalls 6503 are the ones I would most wear.
    egon3528[at]yahoo[dot]com

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  40. Thank you for the giveaway.
    I've been admiring this one for some time now:
    http://sewdirect.com/acatalog/Vogue___1043.html

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  41. Thank you for this giveaway! I've had my eye on Vogue 8728 for a while (in the larger size range, of course).

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  42. I've been wanting Vintage Vogue 1084 forever!

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  43. I would love to own Vogue 1174. I've seen so many great versions of it.

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  44. I'd love the new Vogue 8778, ever since I saw it on gerties blog I have been lusting after it.

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  45. Hi from Australia! :) I'm just starting out sewing, and I want something to aim for down the track once I've mastered the basics (it might be a long track but I'll get there eventually).

    This was my absolute favourite pattern: http://sewdirect.com/acatalog/Vogue_-_8732.html

    I looked for ages, so I'm pretty confident I'll love it :D

    kate1485 at hotmail.com

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  46. ohhh I just got lost on that site for a while, so much to look at!
    I have narrowed it down to Vogue - 1094, Vogue - 2903 or Vogue - 8766. If I win I will determine one, but for now, it is impossible.
    thanks so much for pointing me to that site and for the giveaway =]

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  47. That's your mum? I thought that was you (granted this is my first visit to your blog but still)-so if that's your mum... what are you 15 or something? Never mind that was a rhetoric question-thanks for hosting this giveaway-I've found another cool sewing blog to read now. If I win the giveaway I would like Vogue 1296 please.

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  48. I would love Vogue 8615 in the F5 size :) Thanks so much for the giveaway!

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