The Cocoon Dress mark two

As promised, I'm catching up on writing up projects from the end of last year. I've got a couple of exciting projects on the go as part of #makenine2018 which I'm hoping to be able to update on in the next few weeks. In the meantime, I am writing up a make from November. 

I last made the Simple Sew Cocoon Dress back in the Summer. I was really unsure about how it looked, but I got some fantastic feedback. The pattern has been a real hit with loads of versions being shared online. I fancied having another go, but using fabric with more of a drape to make an evening version.  I bought some beautiful viscose from Guthrie and Ghani at the Great British Sewing Bee Live which I decided to use for this. 

The dress really is a very simple project and can be completed in a couple of evenings. I was pretty distracted while making this and ended up putting the pockets on inside out. Given that no-one can see them, I opted to leave them that way to save time!  It was slightly trickier working with this fabric, but I think it was a good choice for the style. It definitely feels more of a 'dressed up' dress than my Summer version, and I have worn it loads. The style makes it so comfortable, and it's very forgiving if you have been out for a big meal!

The Birthday Shirt (and my 2018 sewing resolutions)

Happy new year! It's back to reality for me today after all the Christmas celebrating (and eating), and I've got a renewed focus on stitching and blogging for 2018. I was pretty lax with writing about things I had made during the second half of last year. As a result, there are lots of projects that I haven't blogged about yet. I spent November and December in a blur of Christmas present making, and didn't even stop to take photos, so I'm starting this year with a project I made back in late October. 

Gareth had a big birthday back in November (6 weeks after mine) and we bought each other a trip to Berlin to celebrate. I wanted to make him something special and landed on the idea of printing fabric with his DJ logo (His moniker is CheekyDJ).  I had seen other people share pics of fabric they had printed using various websites and found the Prinfab website following an online recommendation. The site was really easy to use and I was delighted with the quality of the fabric when it arrived. 

I opted for a negroni shirt for him as the fit and style is similar to shirts he has bought previously and he still wears the whale print one I made earlier in the year. I'd forgotten quite how much work is involved in making a shirt, but it is really satisfying. As I have now made this a couple of times, I found it easier than before, but there are a lot of steps and techniques so it was still a time-consuming project. 

The birthday boy was very pleased with his shirt and wore it when we went out for a special meal in Berlin. It was pretty much the trendiest restaurant I have ever been to, so I was gobsmacked when the waitress said that she liked Gareth's shirt. When he said I'd made it, she asked me if I was a fashion designer - best compliment EVER!

I've signed up for the #makenine2018 challenge in an attempt to push myself further and also to step out of my comfort zone, both in terms of sewing and style. I will update my progress on here.