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

Can you believe it's been a week since the Dressmakers ball? It was such a push to finish my outfit I've had a rest this week but it has flown by!

This blog is about the amazing sequin fabric from Crafty Sew and Sew that I used to make my jacket for the ball. I made the By Hand London Victoria blazer, but I did the shortened version. I've made a couple of this pattern each very different in how they turn out depending on the fabric which is exactly what I love in a pattern or it can look a bit samey. This is the first short one I have done, and the first on where I have lined the whole jacket including sleeves.

People say sequin fabric is hard to sew with and it even seems like it once it’s all cut out and is all slippery, but this fabric was surprisingly easy! I think this is because the sequins are not all over the fabric, they are sort of sporadic in places allowing the sewing to go without a hitch on most of the seams as it’s just the mesh you are sewing. I put a question out on Instagram before I started with the fabric and the tips I was given were:

• Wear goggles
• Use a leather or denim needle
• Don’t use your good scissors
• Unpick the sequins on your seam allowance

These were pretty good advice! I used my paper scissors to cut the fabric and although it took a little longer than it normally would, I didn’t blunt my nice fabric scissors and NO-ONE wants blunt fabric scissors! However, I didn’t change my needle because I did a lot of this on my overlocker so I just winged it in standard Rudy fashion!

I even made life harder for myself as I lost my pattern in the abyss of my sewing room somewhere, all sewing rooms are messy right?! I managed to find the three main pieces, back front and sleeves, but not the instructions or the collar and cuff pieces. I ended up tracing my current blazer to make these pieces and I had to keep checking it to see how it was put together. It was a real test of my brain! The hardest part is hemming it as it’s impossible to pin the hem of a jacket whilst wearing it and my husband is less than helpful in this area. I ended up folding the lining under and just zigzagging the end of the sequins as it didn’t seem to be fraying much and it then allow it to be the lining that bagged if it wasn’t quite right

I used the leftover parts of mum’s curtains from my dress to line my jacket and I used it for contrasting collars and cuff which I think gave it a lovely not too OTT finish. It could quite easily ended up a bit Butlins jacket but I think by having it shorter with the contrasting collar and cuffs it toned it down a little, and I’m totally going to be able to wear it with jeans for a night out of other things.

The fabric has a slight stretch to it, though I’m not sure if it’s intended, so I would be perfect for a dress or something more fitted for a fancy affair. The rose gold colour is so on trend as well it’s perfect for wedding season coming up! I don’t think these pictures even do the colours justice it is a lovely rose gold colour in real life. My favourite part about wearing this jacket was on my way home from Leicester I stopped at Tesco for standard road trip snacks (chocolate and fizzy drinks!) and a man stopped me to ask if I was a runaway bride! I mean if I was running away from my wedding first thought would be, but first I need snacks! Ha ha!

All in all, if you are thinking about trying sewing with sequin fabric I’d recommend this for your first foray. It stays where it is supposed to but also the sequins aren’t all over the fabric so you don’t have unpick your seam allowance. Though be prepared to be finding sequins round your house for the foreseeable future, they are so small they get everywhere… ask my dogs.. ha ha!