Date Night Dress - Butterick B5488

Last week I went on an actual date with my lovely husband, one that didn't just involve drinking wine at home in our pjs. This was all thanks to my Mum and Dad who took the kids for a week during the Easter holidays. As going out (especially together) is such a rare occurrence these days, I felt like I should make a new dress for the occasion! 

I bought some fantastic navy blue georgette with birds printed on it from Abakhan in Manchester the other week (fabric buying ban failed!). I fell in love with the design and justified it as I am making an evening dress in georgette in a few weeks' time and wanted to practice. The pattern I had in mind was Butterick B5488 which came free with issue 38 of Love Sewing Magazine. I really like the loose tunic style and semi-structured neckband on this dress. 

The pattern is relatively straightforward to follow, but I always find that the instructions and diagrams from the big pattern houses aren't as clear as those with indie patterns. Although I managed to make the neckband without any issues, I somehow managed to forget to insert the sleeves before attaching the band to the dress. The soft pleats work really well with this kind of drapey fabric. I was initially concerned that the fabric was a bit see through, but the volume of fabric used and the colour prevent me from flashing inappropriately!!

The neckband doesn't sit 100% straight, even after ironing. But it's not really noticeable and doesn't spoil the garment at all. I do like how loose this dress is, perfect for going out for a big meal!

 

We went to Chilli Banana Thai restaurant - would definitely recommend!

A Star Sweatshirt for my little star

The latest issue of Love Sewing Magazine arrived last week and I was really impressed with the free pattern and the projects in the mag. I'll definitely be making the dress soon - I have some fabric that will be perfect for it. As I had loads of sweatshirt fabric left after making the Linden Sweatshirt, I decided to start off with the boy's star sweatshirt to use up some of the offcuts. 

They have started making the patterns (except the free gift) available as downloads only. I don't really mind, but it does mean that everything takes longer, as you have to print, cut and stick before you can get going. Annoyingly, there was a mistake in the PDF and I had to draft one of the pieces myself, based on the layplan and surrounding pieces. I didn't have enough plain fabric to do the star on the back, so I only cut one of each of the star pieces and self-drafted a back body piece using the back neckline pattern piece and the constructed front piece as a guide. 

 Attaching the front pieces together to make the star design was the most challenging part of the project. I used my overlocker to attach everything together, then topstitched with my coverstitch machine. I'm still getting used to using the coverstitch machine, and ended up having to unpick sections and re-thread the machine a few times. I'm still pleased with the finish it gives and will be practising lots over the next few months. 

The rest of the project was straightforward and the end result met with Thomas's approval (although he wanted me to finish in one evening and it took longer!). I like the star being plain and the rest of the sweatshirt being striped. I'd like to claim it was a deliberate design decision, but the truth is that I was dictated to by the amount of each type of fabric I had. The pattern goes up to age 11-12, so I imagine I will be making versions again for both kids as it is a good stash buster. 

Here is the finished result, and Thomas modelling it below:

 

 

Long-haul comfort - Hudson Pants

My January plans now rather unexpectedly include a trip to Manila in the Philippines for work. I'm quite excited and also a bit nervous about such a long business trip. It also presents an opportunity for sewing, of course!  The average temperature there at the moment is 30 degrees in the day, going down to 23 degrees at night, so I'll be digging out all those Summer dresses I made last year.   First though, I wanted to make something comfortable to wear on the (very) long journey there. 

I decided to hunt out a pattern for comfortable trousers/ trackies to wear on the journey. The Hudson Pant pattern from True Bias seemed to fit the bill perfectly - it is a casual, urban style trouser made from knit fabric with wide ankle cuffs. I ordered some super soft french terry from Girl Charlee in a monochrome Aztec pattern, plus some ribbed black jersey for the cuffs, waistband and pocket detail. 

As the waistband is gathered, I cut according to the rest of my measurements because I knew I could cut the elastic for the waist myself and I wanted the bottom of the legs to be tight as intended. The pattern states that is was made for someone who is 5'5", so I knew the leg length would be OK (I'm 5'3"). 

The french terry was much softer with more of a drape than other french terry I've worked with. However, it handled well without being too slippery.  I used the overlocker for most of this project so it was super quick. The only thing I missed out was the cord because I didn't have one and didn't have time to buy one. I have put in the button holes and channel for it though, so will add in. The waist is less gathered than the pattern states, but this allowed me to achieve a good fit. 

 

I'm not sure why I look so glen in the picture! I had quite a lot of the cotton jersey left, so I made a quick Shannon t-shirt to match. I've made the dress version a few times, but this was the first time I had made the t-shirt. I would add a few centimetres to the length next time. For some reason, the neckline stretched a bit when I was topstitching the seam allowance but it isn't too  obvious  being plain black. 

So now my secret pyjamas are complete, I can head off on my adventure in comfort!

Wedding guest outfit - the Loretta dress

When a wedding invite landed on our doormat a while ago, (unsurprisingly) my first thoughts were of what I could make to wear. The Loretta jewel neckline dress came with issue 20 of Love Sewing magazine last November. I loved the pattern, but I had already planned my Christmas party dress at that point. I've been waiting for an occasion to make it for ever since. 

I decided on the pattern before my trip to the handmade fair and was on the lookout for fabric. I struggled to find something until just before we were due to go home and I found the perfect fabric at the Eternal Maker stall. It is a very thick black cotton with amazing gold design. From a distance it has the look of a traditional brocade style, but close up you can see skulls, rhinos, insects and other creatures in the intricate gold pattern. The thickness of the fabric is perfect for this dress as it needs something with a good structure. 

I cut out the size 10 and decided to decrease the size of the darts and also reduce the seam allowance at the waist to accommodate my tum. I went for the version with 3/4 length sleeves so I didn't have to wear a jacket as well. The pattern only gives sizing measurements, not the finished garment measurements. I should have measured the pattern but I went ahead and made the adjustments based on my experience of other patterns. It was far too big, especially over the hips. I ended up taking it in by at least 4cm on each side over the hips, re-stitching the darts as originally intended, increasing the seam allowance to about 2.5cm for most the the bodice and skirt and taking it up quite a bit at the shoulders so it wasn't too low-cut. I made more alterations to this to get a good fit than I have had to make on any other project. 

The fabric really makes this project and I was delighted to get a few compliments when I wore it:

 

Here is another pic

What a fabulous wedding it was! Congratulations Harry and Emma and thank you for inviting us to be part of your special day x

Sunday style: T-Shirt dresses

One of the stalls I was most excited about visiting at the Handmade Fair was Girl Charlee fabric. I've read lots of sewing blogs about their beautiful jersey fabric and I had a few projects in mind. One was the Shannon t-shirt dress from the latest issue of Love Sewing magazine. The simplicity of this pattern really appealed - both in terms of the style and ease of sewing!

I wasn't disappointed when I visited the stall - I bought more fabric than I needed and could have bought more than that. The fabric I chose for this project was a black and grey chevron jersey. Although a t-shirt dress could be quite Summery, the darker colours work well with tights and boots for this time of year. 

There are only two main pattern pieces plus bands for the neck and armholes. I used the overlocker for most of the seams. I finished the neck and armholes with a narrow zig zag stitch. This was an optional step, but I found from the Agnes pattern by Tilly and the buttons that it helps the neck band sit better. The best thing about this project was how quick it was - only just over an hour, including the cutting out. 

I had quite a bit of fabric left so decided to make a matching dress for Polly. I looked for a baby t-shirt dress pattern but couldn't find what I wanted anywhere, so ended up drafting my own using one of her tops as a basis for the top and basing the design and shape on the Shannon dress. Apart from the time spent looking for a pattern and then drafting one, this was even quicker than my dress. I used exactly the same techniques to attach the bands at the neck and armholes. 

I'm really pleased with these, especially drafting my own pattern for Polly's. I love using jersey for kids clothing as it's so comfortable and moves well with them, which is great as she's not far off starting to walk. My dress is super comfortable - perfect for going out for Sunday lunch!

Here we are together:

 

And here's my dress:

I've got lots more jersey so will definitely be sewing up several of these!

Fabric shopping and very early Christmas

On Friday I made my annual trip/ pilgrimage to the Handmade Fair at Hampton Court. This was the third time I'd been and it was as fabulous as ever (at least it was for sewing geeks like me). We also held a ridiculously early Christmas celebration as a family which involved homemade presents all round. 

First, the Handmade Fair AKA fabric shopping heaven. In anticipation of how much fabric I was going to buy, my Mum and my Aunt (who came with me, along with my sister) both gave me early birthday presents of money to spend at the fair. And what a brilliant present it was. Each year, there have been more fabric stalls and this was the best yet, with Sew Over It, Fabrics Galore, Maud's Fabric Finds, Girl Charlee and the Eternal Maker to name but a few. I ended up buying fabric for 15 projects (and heavily supplementing that birthday money) and two new patterns (including the new Rosa shirt pattern from Tilly and the Buttons. My problem now is that I can shop faster than I can sew!

It wasn't just about the shopping - we went to a couple of workshops which were great fun (although our makes left something to be desired) and went to a talk with Patrick Grant (this was a bit of a disappointment as we wanted to hear more about the Sewing Ber than we did. Throw some prosecco, lots of free sewing-themed badges, free Florentines and g&ts into the mix and it was a great day all round. Already planning our trip for next year - need to get saving!

The next day, we had a Christmas breakfast in Knowle - My aunt and uncle are off to Crete for Christmas so this was the last chance we could all get together to exchange presents with them. As ever, the brief was homemade gifts made from materials costing less than £10.

For Glenda, I made the Ruffle Bag from issue 26 of Love Sewing magazine. I used red stretch cotton for the bag and red Liberty Tana Lawn for the lining, both leftover from the Lilou Dress I made back at the start of the year. The bag was relatively straightforward to sew, with the ruffles themselves taking to most time. I already ad a red zip in the right size, so this actually cost nothing - bonus! I left out the inside pocket because I didn't have a small enough zip but I still think it's really useable. The only thing I struggled with was attaching the straps as the instructions weren't very clear - I will go with my instincts next time I make it and will attach it the way I would normally. Hopefully she will be able to wear it for all those nights out in Paleochora!

For Brian, I made the tweed patchwork scarf from issue 21 of Love Sewing magazine. If this looks familiar, it's because I made the same scarf for Dad last Christmas. I used the remaining tweed trousers and skirts bought from charity shops and soft needlecord for the back of the scarf. It's a simple project but looks really professional thanks to all the topstitching - this won't be the last time I make it. Yet again, this was a stash-busting project so effectively cost me nothing!

Final bit of news this time is that I found out that I was one of the winners of the Stitcher of the Year competition in Love Sewing magazine and I have won a Janome Coverpro machine. I'm over the moon and a bit overwhelmed as I've only been sewing properly for 3.5 years.  Can't wait to try out my new machine- just need to find space for it!

Matching outfits (again!)

It's cheesy, but I've got a bit of a thing for matching parent and child outfits. I'm making the most of dressing the kids in outfits to match ours before they start refusing to wear them! I've previously made Polly a pair of Summer trousers and a Christmas party dress to match my own trousers and dress, and the boys had matching pyjamas for Christmas last year. For Polly's first birthday last week, I wanted to make an extra special dress for her, with a matching top for myself. I chose New Look 6217 for my top and the Flo Dress from Love Sewing magazine for her dress. I had been looking for a project to use some butterfly print grey cotton bought from Fabrics Galore at the Handmade Fair last September, and I thought it would be perfect for both of these. 

The top was a super-quick sew - only two pattern pieces. I used a button from my stash for the back neck fastening and some leftover bias binding for the neckline.  I made it a size larger than usual as the measurements indicated I should. I will make it in my usual size next time as it does feel a bit big. The neck is also far too wide for me, so I will need to adjust that too. I really like the length and the curved hem, plus it's a great versatile top that goes with jeans or tucked into a pencil skirt. 

The Flo Dress for Polly used quite a lot of fabric as the skirt is very gathered - I like this as it makes it feel like a special occasion dress. The bodice is fully lined, which is great as it is designed to be worn without a vest underneath. It was pretty quick to make (because baby clothes always are!), and I absolutely love this pattern. I finished it with a royal blue ribbon to tie in with my Ultimate Pencil Skirt (I had planned to wear this as the butterflies have the same colour blue in them, but it ended up being too cold and I wore jeans instead). The pattern has lots of sizes and I will definitely be making it again in future. 

Here we are on her first birthday:

My Mum had also made Polly a couple of dresses for her birthday and made me a Susie blouse to match one of them, so we got to be matching girls again:

Here we are at Christmas in our matching party outfits:

And those matching Summer trousers:

She'll be so embarrassed when she's older.....