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

Holiday stitching - pineapple dress and matching camo t-shirts

I've been quiet this month, not through lack of sewing, but because I've been waiting to get pictures of my latest makes. My last couple of projects have been for our annual October half-term Tenerife trip and I thought it would be nice to get some pics while we were away. We got back last night after a lovely week of sun, sand, lidos, new toys, tapas and relaxing. I also got the photos so I can finally blog about my last few makes. 

The first project was another Shannon dress from Love Sewing magazine. I absolutely love this pattern and have worn my black and grey version loads already. My fabric choice this time was a brilliant pineapple print, also from Girl Charlee at the Handmade Fair. I fell in love with this fabric and bought it on impulse, even though it's totally impractical for autumn/ winter. I decided I would use it to make something for my hols and decided on the Shannon dress because it is so comfortable and so quick to sew. There's not much to say about the construction other than it only takes an evening to sew up on the overlocker. I'm still waiting for my coverpro machine to arrive so I had to finish it on the normal machine but I'm still really pleased with the end result - it's just a shame it's going to be put away until next Summer now!

 

I also bought some camo jersey fabric from Girl Charlee to make a t-shirt for Gareth's birthday. It's not for a couple of weeks, but I wanted to finish it before we went away as I knew I wouldn't have much chance afterwards. I used the men's t-shirt pattern from the GBSB Fashion with Fabric book (from the series before last). I used this pattern to make him a t-shirt ages ago and knew it was a good fit. The best thing about sewing with jersey is how quick it is, and this fabric has a really nice feel. This was another project I could finish in an evening.  I decided to give it to Gareth early so he had a new t-shirt for holiday. 

I had miscalculated how much fabric I needed so ended up with over a metre spare. My sister made the Scout Tee from Grainline studios recently and I fancied making it to, so managed to cut the pattern from the leftover fabric. I liked the instructions and enjoyed sewing this top. However, it is huge! I think I will make the next size down next time and will alter this one as it looks like I'm wearing Gareth's!

Thomas took this picture of us wearing them on holiday (please note - we only wore them at the same time for the photo, we didn't actually go out wearing matching t-shirts!):

 

Rather excitingly, I posted this pic on Instagram while we were away and Girl Charlee included it in their October knit-picks on their blog 

here 

I also received an email update from the brilliant 

SoZo which was a round of Anya bags and included mine. 

It's lovely to be recognised for doing what I love!

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!

The 'famous' Joan dress, mark 2

By sheer coincidence, I was two thirds of the way through this latest project when I found out I was one of the winners of the Stitcher of the Year competition with the same pattern - the Joan dress by Sew Over It. I actually bought all the supplies for this months ago directly from their website when they had a flash sale on. I've put off making it for a while, partly because i knew how long it would take and partly because it's harder to get excited about sewing work clothes!  It is a beautiful dress though and I need some new smart clothes for work, so I decided I needed to bite the bullet. 

The fabric I chose was a dark green luxury crepe with a gold lining. I used the Sew Over It colour-match service for thread and zip which was ace as I received a parcel with everything I needed to make the dress. My Mum made this dress using the same luxury crepe in purple earlier in the year which looked gorgeous so I was looking forward to the finished result.

I didn't enjoy sewing with this fabric at all, it was really thick and hard to pin while also really slippery, which was unexpected. On the plus side, I managed to attach the lining to the kick pleat first time - it really flummoxed me last time I made the dress, not sure why!  The kick pleat itself is probably the worst part of this project, I just can't seem to get it to sit properly. 

This is still a big project as the dress is fully lined, but it definitely seemed quicker than last time (despite stopping halfway through to make the Poppy Playsuit). Hopefully that means I'm getting better at sewing. It is really comfortable due to being fully lined and I know I'll wear it loads. I wore it today and I did find that the collar keeps sticking up so will add a few hand stitches to keep it in place. Here is the finished result (please excuse how tired I look, it's the end of a long day and I was up at 5 this morning to go to Edinburgh!):

 

Got my sewjo back - Poppy in 2 nights

I've been dying to get my teeth into a decent project after barely sewing over the Summer and only accessories for presents since then. I also wanted to rectify my recent run of disasters. So I'm pleased to say my latest make was a success. I decided to make the full length version of the Poppy Playsuit by Sew Over It using a black floral crepe I bought from their stall at the Handmade Fair. 

I made the short version of this pattern to wear on holiday, and I loved the fact it was quick and simple to sew. However, I got the sizing wrong with that and felt it looked unflattering because it was too big. I cut it out in the smaller size (8-10) this size and it fitted much better. Because it's a loose style with an elasticated waist, I can wear the smaller size and fit it to my slightly out of proportion shape!  The fabric was quite slippery but I didn't have too many problems sewing with it, except hemming the trousers when I kept getting little tucks and having to unpick and start again. I machine hemmed out of laziness, it would have been better to sew by hand. I actually ended up making the waist too big and having to take the elastic in to get it too fit. The trousers were ridiculously long on me at first, even with heels on, so I took up by an additional 3cm (although I could have taken them up further). 

The playsuit looks really different in the long version made with this type of fabric and it's good to get something new from a pattern I already own. I'm becoming a fan of the pattern and will probably make another short one for next Summer in the right size. The only gripe I have with this pattern is the fabric requirements it states - I bought at least 1.5m more than I needed. On the plus side, it means I have enough to make a blouse with as well. 

Looking forward to wearing this out tomorrow night:

 

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!

A series of sewing disasters...

I've been pretty quiet of late, partly because we have been on holiday twice so not much time for sewing, but mainly because my latest makes haven't exactly been my proudest sewing moments.  Unusually, my latest projects have all been for other people (I'm usually a bit of a selfish sewer!).

It is my Mum's birthday next week and I decided to make her an arrowhead ribbon necklace from Love Sewing magazine. I had to search for ages to find 5cm wide grosgrain ribbon, but managed to source some gunmetal grey ribbon which I thought would go well with her wardrobe. I've never used this kind of fabric manipulation technique before and I enjoyed seeing the arrowhead design come together as I was sewing and ironing. As I was sewing, it was obvious that something wasn't right. The necklace was much wider than the version pictured in the magazine. I even posted a picture on Instagram and the pattern designer confirmed that the width of the ribbon should have been 2.5cm and it should also be longer than stated in the magazine. Sadly, I don't think it's wearable, but I gave it to Mum anyway in the hope she can find some other use for it! I will make this again in the right width at some point as I think it could look great. 

It was also Thomas's birthday recently and his latest obsession is Power Rangers. I managed to find some (extortionately expensive) Power Rangers Dino Charge fabric on etsy to make him some pyjama bottoms. I used the same pattern I have used a couple of times before but decided to make the next size up (age 5). They were enormous!  Luckily I was able to alter them easily so not too much of a disaster and definitely a big hit with the birthday boy. 

Finally, it is my 6th wedding anniversary today. 6 years is either iron or sugar. I found some fabric with jars of sweets printed on it (for sugar) and though I would make Gareth some boxer shorts. Not very original I know, as I've made him several pairs before, but he does need some new pants! I decided to save time when cutting out by folding the fabric in half horizontally. I hadn't considered the design on the fabric and the sweet jars on one piece were upside down. I can't believe I made such a basic mistake - think my brain is still in holiday mode. There wasn't much I could do, so I went ahead and made them anyway. 

Not a good run at all - think I'll stick to selfish sewing for a while!