Thursday 28 August 2014

Bring Me Sunshine Dress




John Lewis have a whole range of products for their 150th anniversary, including the use of some special prints, and the anniversary fabric has been lovely. I got some on sale as well (and I still need to photograph the result) but fell in love with this summery floral cotton and decided to treat myself to a metre. As I wanted to keep costs down and not use any more than the 1m, a Laurel was my fail-safe option, with little cap sleeves, and lemon ribbon-bias rim for the neckline.

Since I made this dress, it has been a chilly and wet August (yay British summer!), so every chance I got to put it on I have- but finally photographed it after putting it on this morning. I know I have lots of Laurels and Laurel-related items, but I'm not too sorry :( There are some more different patterns coming up though...

Wednesday 27 August 2014

A Feeling Genki Kimono



I enjoy making my own clothes so that I wear or style things exactly how I want, but it's also handy to copy something I've seen-and-liked in a shop. Cue trying on a lovely floaty kimono in *Popular British High-Street Shop*,  thinking it was so pretty and then double-taking at the near-£50 price-tag. I thought surely I can make that!

Pinterest throws up so many kimono tutorials- I used my own variation of this one. Then last week I found this market bargain fabric- Liberty cotton jersey! Dreamy in pattern and ease-of-sewing. I wish I had bought all of it.

£6 and cotton- vs a poly-mix £49.99? Winning!

Lady Mary | Deer & Doe 'Airelle'


My first Deer & Doe pattern sewed up- and I enjoyed making this Airelle top. The instructions are clear but quite brief (which I think perhaps earns it the 'intermediate' ranking on the packet), and I found this a quick and simple make. This would have been much better photographed on, but the fit is really nice- comfortable and loose but cinched in with darts front and back.
There are some lovely little details- the gathered cuffs on the sleeve (which the pattern tells you to interface but I didn't as I thought it would be too bulky and I don't miss it) ...


...and the lovely front gathers on the yoke...


A special note for my Downton Abbey fabric (yes, really!) in Lady Mary, hurrah! Yes I am going to make myself a label using the selvedge.... 

        

I really want to make some more Deer & Doe clothes now. The thick pattern paper is a little bit unwieldy, so it will need tracing for future makes, but once I have done that, I will be making lots of Airelles!

Tuesday 5 August 2014

Garden Party Dress | and not giving up





There are 2 patch pockets, they are just well-camoflaged....!

Zip neatness :)
This is a new-old dress. So I actually made this dress a while ago, from an old Simplicity pattern and this floral print cotton, which reminded me of Liberty print but was cheap as chips. The original pattern is a 60's shift dress with an interfaced neckline detail and optional 3/4 sleeves, which I've not described terribly well but is a nice-fitting pattern I have used before.

I had made the sleeved version, tried it on again earlier this summer and thought what in the name of.... I looked like I was wrapped in a nanna's tablecoth and it was as frumpy as all out- I actually stuck it in my fabric box. However, I went back to it and realised my neckline and my zip were pretty nice and it would be a shame to undo all that effort, so over a period of time, I unpicked the sleeves, finished the sleeveless armholes off and took the hem up. I used the sleeves to make some little patch pockets, which are actually almost invisible on the photo but I so like them. I have worn it alot in the recent hot weather so it's made me realise I don't always have to start from scratch to make something 'new' to wear....

Capturing The Castle Dress | Gather Patterns 'Mortmain'


A return to this ol' blog. I have been rather slack at photographing my efforts but this is my new dress, finished yesterday and worn today, hence the creases {as I am as impatient as they come}. 

It is a Gather 'Mortmain' and it was nice to try a new designer and pattern. I was rather swayed by the name {I love 'I Capture The Castle'}, but luckily I also like the dress!

I love this Anna Maria Horner fabric:



The pattern is pretty straightforward and simple and I quite like the hardier pattern paper they use. The exposed zip also makes it a bit different I think- but I don't see why you couldn't substitute.


I didn't make a toile- and I really need to start doing this. I think I will get onto that, to get the fit better as I had to take the skirt in and the bodice gaps quite a bit. I could probably move the darts to improve that- it's a nice summer dress so you would want it looser, but a better fit might be better.

I'll also own up to the fact that the pattern on the waistband is upside down. I was so determined to get the dress out of just under 2 metres (as that's how much of this I had!), that the waistband and facings were cut with some artfulness let's say- then I had no fabric at all left when I realised! But I'm going to maintain from here on that it's a contrasting waistband ;)

The Gather website is here....