Tuesday 12 June 2018

Crazy about Kitty

The Kitty dress by Maven patterns first came to my attention when my Mum and Sister went to Sewing for Pleasure at the NEC (without me - how very dare they!!) and sent me a picture saying they thought this pattern would suit me. They were right - it pretty much ticks all the boxes - retro 60s style, Peter Pan collar, puffed sleeves and pockets. However, I had so many other projects lined up at the time, it was only this week that I actually got round to making it, inspired by all this fabulous weather we have been having (hope I haven't tempted fate by actually mentioning it...).

I bought some green denim from Sew Over It especially for this project and it has been sitting on my 'to-sew' pile for a few weeks.  I cut the size 10 based on my measurements. The garment is only semi-fitted. I found sewing with the denim fine using a denim needle and had to make very few adjustments to fit. The central bust dart and centre front seam are both unusual features. I love how the bust darts change the grain of the denim at the top of the bodice. I chose to topstitch in co-ordinating thread rather than contrast thread due to the bright colour of the fabric. Contrast top stitching would look amazing with blue or black denim and I'm tempted to make another version doing this. 

I was really pleased with the collars when I turned them out until I noticed a tiny hole on one at the seam. In the past, I'd have been tempted to just leave it and hope for the best, but I've learned the hard way that things like that always get worse after washing so I re-did the whole collar piece. 

I'm really pleased with this dress, it's a perfect daytime Summer dress and I feel like it's closely aligned with my personal style. The colour is really bright, but who wants to be dull, hey?  I also made another Blackwood Cardigan by Helen's Closet in cable knit jersey from Higgs and Higgs, this time using a raspberry colour in the shorter length. All in all, I'm super pleased with this outfit and I can see it going into heavy rotation.