Marion, the Polka Dot Emery

Hello! I'm so excited to show you my newest dress. I love it so much (possibly too much). 

Here's Marion:

Marion in all her glory (Christine Haynes Emery dress with pleated skirt)

Eeeee this dress brings me so much joy. You may be able to tell by my goofy grin in all these pictures! I can't help but grin - it's the polka dots!

I'm finally at the point with the Emery pattern that I can just cut out and sew up - which is such a great feeling, and is so speedy that I definitely will be making more Emerys. It's also so great to know the finished dress is going to fit well as you sew it up! I'm really chuffed with the fit on this dress actually, and I love wearing it. 

No need for any more fit fixing chat since I talked about my alterations in my previous versions of the Emery.

This time I pleated the skirt (by eye, no pleat maths this time!), avoiding pleating the central tummy area, which I think makes for a lovely, flattering shape and nice lines. I omitted the pockets, again for nice clean lines and also because I'm lazy. The pleat arrangement is my favourite pleating I have done, and it kind of makes the dress if you ask me.

I sewed this all up on a Sunday about a month ago, and watched Raiders of the Lost Ark for the very first time (I know, how have I never seen it before?!). And I bloody loved it. So my dress is named after Marion. I wanted to name it after my favourite character, but sadly the monkey appears not to have a name (or did I just miss it while I was sewing my invisible zip?). My favourite moment in the film is where Marion is running away from all the baddies, wearing those fabulous red trousers, and clearly wishing she had worn flats. Wedges ain't gonna cut it really are they? 

This fabric is by hillberg fabrics, and is lovely quality. It presses well and feels lovely to wear. I got this from B&M in Leeds aaaages ago when I was up at home and I only bought two metres - wah! I wish I had more as the lack of pattern matching down the centre back bothers me a little bit. But hey Ho. This time the waist seam matched up when I put me zip in so I'm clinging on to that little triumph. I lined the bodice with white cotton lawn, lovely and soft. 

Oh, hi, matching waist seam! (let's gloss over the un-matched pattern)

Insides

So, that's my new favourite dress. It may look a little bit Minnie Mouse, but as a good friend pointed out: "Marie, you ARE a little bit Minnie Mouse, so it's perfect." I think that's a good thing. 

Over and out!

The Poet's Corner dress (viscose BHL Anna)

I love my Lady Luck dress, and just adore the shape and the lines of it every time I put it on, so I have long planned making another By Hand London Anna dress.

The Poet's Corner dress (By Hand London's Anna pattern). Not sure why I look so creepy here!

I fell in love with this print - I just love the colour combination and the floral motif - when I saw it on B & M in Leeds kirkgate market when I was visiting my dad. I've never sewn with viscose before. The floaty, soft qualities attracted me to it.

I made this back in July, and it was especially great for the VERY hot and muggy weather we were having at that point. In this floaty viscose I love how Anna's kimono sleeves drape. However I'm not too keen on the skirt portion. I love the original panelled skirt, but it definitely works better for me in a heavier fabric. Perhaps in this fabric I should have opted for a fuller skirt? For this casual day dress I wanted a shorter length, so I lopped 4 inches off the bottom. That may have been a bit excessive in retrospect, but again, I direct your attention to the very hot and muggy weather.

My pale legs are evidence of how long it's been since I had a sunshine holiday!

This fabric must have stretched out a bit while I sewed it, as the waistline has ended up a bit wiggly. OOPS! Also the seam lines on bodice and skirt didn't match up for some unknown reason. With this busy pattern you can't really tell though so I'm not going to lose any sleep over it.

Wiggly waist!

I don't have a rotary cutter (yet) and found it a bit difficult to cut without the viscose stretching and slipping, and whether it was that or bias stretch, I ended up with quite a big levelling job to do on the hem, which contributed to it being even shorter still! I just overlocked the hem and pressed it up half an inch before machine sewing it down (I didn't want to use up too much length on hemming).

Teensy little hem

I used some light interfacing along the seam lines at centre back for when I sewed the zip in, which really helped.

I wish I'd have done sewn some kind of stabiliser in at the waist seam too. Next time, next time.

So all in all, this dress is much nicer than my old shop bought ones, although to be honest, initially I was a bit underwhelmed by it. HOWEVER, I have really enjoyed wearing it, have got loads of compliments on it and I do keep reaching for it time after time. So let's call this one a success! I've loads of this lovely fabric left so I'm currently planning a top and perhaps a wrap skirt. It's all a viscose learning curve! Any tips?

Say Your Prayers, Ice Cream (Frozen Sorbetto top)

Say Your Prayers, Ice Cream top (Colette Sorbetto)

Well, I have been meaning to make Colette's free Sorbetto top for ages, and I finally got round to it this week. There are technically a few other makes ahead of it it in the queue to be blogged but they can wait a little longer!!

As lots and lots of sewing bloggers have already documented; this is indeed a very nice,  well drafted pattern with great instructions. It's one of those basics that is so useful and adaptable!

I made this out of some lovely white cotton lawn I bought mainly for lining dresses. I bought 3m and so far it had lined 3 dress bodices and made this top, and there is loads left!

This Sorbetto was intended as a wearable muslin, but I took care over the finish and am really proud of it! My reasoning was that if it didn't end up wearable it would become my loveliest pajama top.

I made a size 10 based on my measurements and allowing a little bit of ease. It fits well but is quite short!! I turned up the skinniest hem possible. I'm planning to add 3" of length to my next version, and try the size down as there is quite a bit of room in this size.

Perhaps if it were longer it wouldn't look quite so boxy? Or perhaps it's just my shape that makes it look boxier? I'm definitely going to try the longer version, and probably wear this white one mostly tucked in to skirts or shorts. 

I am so pleased with the finish on this. Because this cotton lawn is so gloriously comfortable and soft, I French seamed the whole thing so I didn’t spoil the softness with any scratchy overlocking. It’s one of those makes which I almost want to wear inside out to show off my neat work!

French seam and bound edges

Inside out (with chalk lines still there. Oops.)

I made self-fabric bias binding, using Sarai’s continuous bias binding tutorial on Coletterie. My mind is BLOWN. This is so clever. It was a bit fiddly, being my first go at this method, but I definitely prefer it to cutting ALL THE TINY STRIPS. Now I want to make bias binding out of everything.

I sewed this top in the evenings last week, when by day I was teaching a children’s musical theatre workshop inspired by Frozen. It was good fun, and my highlight was indeed Prince Hans holding his sword aloft and shouting: “Say your prayers, ice cream!” . Yes, little one, Elsa is an ice cream. So I named my top after that little boy’s wonderful mistake.

I think I shall try a floatier Sorbetto next, to see whether it’d be less boxy. But for now, I’m really pleased with my “ice cream” Sorbetto, although I’m feeling the need to sew a pair of shorts to go with it. I know I’m running out of summer, but I’m also sewing up my honeymoon wardrobe for next summer! Exciting!

Over and out x

Jinx jacket

This was one of those makes that was almost ALMOST how I imagined it, but not quite. This is partly due to me compromising on fabric choice and on pattern choice, so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised!! 

the Jinx jacket worn wrapped over, fastened with a broach that was my mum's

I needed a slightly finer jersey than this. This one's weight is good for a summer jacket, but when doubled for the front collar is too heavy to drape properly. A lighter weight jersey would definitely have draped more pleasingly.

Also I had never made this pattern before (Simplicity 2150) - it's intended for woven fabrics or even suede. My interlock jersey only had a teeny bit of stretch, so it didn't matter much. I just made up a straight size 14 based on measurements, and it does fit ok, but the sleeves are a bit wide for my liking, and this is after taking them in a good 3 inches below the elbow. 

This pattern needs some serious modification in the sleeve area to get it to fit how I want it to, which makes me think I'm better off looking for a cardigan pattern instead. 

This blog is all about documenting my triumphs and challenges alike, and to be honest this is both. I'm really pleased with the finish on this, and the stripe matching across most of the seams. It went pretty much to plan, sewing-wise, it's just that I don't think it's particularly flattering on my body shape. Actually, it doesn't look that bad in these pictures but I do think it accentuates my least favourite areas!! 

Stripe matching almost perfect

One of the biggest lessons I keep teaching myself through sewing garments like this is:

Just because you've sewn it yourself doesn't mean it is going to look amazing. 

Also:

Styles that have never suited you will still not suit you. Sorry.

Oh big sleeves! You're so big!

True true. I need to make another TNT dress to pick my spirits up! 

Scrap Happy: Bluegingerdoll headscarves

Ree-Sewn: Blue polka dot headscarf

Ree-Sewn: Red floral headscarf

This was the fastest make ever. I made one headscarf up in this pretty blue polka dot remnant, and one in this floral print fabric left over from a duvet cover. That double duvet has also made:

The Rome dress (pre-blog)

Holiday beach bag

The Flowers for Jane dress

An apron for my Aunty Sandra's birthday three or four years ago

And there's still more left. I love this print.

The pattern is bluegingerdoll's free headscarf pattern. It's great and as I said, SO QUICK. I actually made these scarves aaaaages ago but just hadn't got around to photographing them on my head yet - oops! I'm enjoying them in this hot weather!

The blue one I made first, and it is a little bit short, so I can only tie one knot in it. Luckily it feels pretty secure. Unless I whip my head around a lot, which I will endeavour not to do, it stays put quite happily.

I don't know why I didn't think to measure my head first. I do have quite a large head. Memories come flooding back of a dance show when I was a kid. The tears because there were no hats that would fit my head. Miss Wilkinson saying quite matter-of-factly, "It must fit you. This is the same size the eighteen year olds are wearing." Painful. I can't remember what we did about the hat actually. Perhaps we jammed it on, perhaps it perched on top. Perhaps we cut it at the back. I don't know. The point is, I've always had a larger than average head and I still don't think to measure it before making a headscarf. Ha! 

Anyway I added a bit of length to my second attempt, and it's great and all, but I still can't double knot this lovely floral number. It's the curse of the big head (and the larger curse of not learning from my mistake and actually measuring). 

If you want a lightning fast project, get yourself this pattern and away you go. If you too are blessed with a big head, do measure first!

These little loves are a great way of hiding slightly greasy hair, or making a jeans and t shirt outfit look "done". 

I love this as a scrap using project, too. I'm trying to think of more ways to use up my scraps. What do you do with yours? 

Over and out!

The Late Dress

Hello! Long time no post, eh? I finally finished this, my latest version of the Emery dress, last night.

The Late dress (Christine Haynes Emery)

It sat for weeks waiting to be hemmed and for the sleeves to be hemmed. And before that it sat for weeks waiting for the sleeves to be set in. It's silly, but the reason I kept putting off finishing it because I was petulant. I was practically sulking about the dress like a kid. Told you it was silly.

You see, in my quest for perfect fit, I did yet more alterations following the Queue dress. Mainly in that I reversed my huge scoop out of the armscyes, and took some excess out of the centre front, plus took the centre back in slightly. Turns out I over adjusted and it's a bit tight across the bust. I was so grumpy when I discovered this. I had measured and measured again, done ANOTHER muslin... and somehow it still didn't fit how it should. I went with it though, because sometimes I'm a lazy seamstress and can't be bothered to start again.

The consolation is that this is super cheap polycotton, not an expensive or precious fabric.

The collar

What with the fabric and colour choice, plus my decision to make the collared version, and the skirt with little box pleats, I started to get the feeling that I looked like I worked in a 1950s Laundromat. Or was wearing a school uniform or something. It felt a little utilitarian. Nothing wrong with that, it just didn't look as glam or effortlessly cool as I had imagined it would. Ah well.

Me pleats

But then something strange happened. I finished it, put it on, and liked it! Really, really liked it! I wore it today to do lovely Sunday today things like go to the library, cook a nice lunch, play with the cat, do a bit of sewing and go to the pub in the evening. Oh, and we booked our wedding reception! Eep!

All day I loved wearing my dress. To start with I was a bit paranoid about the school-uniformy-ness and kept surprising myself by catching my reflection and thinking "ah, nice dress!.

I'm glad I fell in love with it in the end, and even gladder that I finished it rather than binned it before it was done (I have a "no UFO" rule, and I'm determined never to go back to having a massive box full of unfinished stuff!).

I'm already out of my sewing slump though, and I'm onto the next project. Watch this space!

Final Me-Made May Post & Round-up

Thursday 29th May

Dress: me-made, the Queue dress
Leggings: H&M
Belt: vintage
Cardigan: TK Maxx

The last me-made outfit of May. I enjoyed wearing this and got lots of compliments on the fit. Hooray!

I'm so glad I took part in Me-Made May. Despite having a very small handmade wardrobe (for the moment), it really gave me an insight into which of my me-made clothes work best, and what I need more of. Here are my reflections.

Best in Show

The most worn, and in fact my favourite me-made garment to date was (fanfare):

The Rock Around the Clock dress! I wore it three times, and loved wearing it. 

Worst in Show

The now-binned Ancient Mariner dress was brutally culled from my wardrobe, and I'd like to thank Me-Made May for making me so ruthless. Since I made it I have worn it simply because I made it, and although I like elements of it, I always feel horrible in it. So it has gone! 

Selfie Reflections

I think I'm in the minority here but I really didn't mind taking a picture of my outfit on my four me-made days a week. It made me style outfits more consciously, because somehow looking at a picture of your reflection is different to just looking at your reflection. I don't know why, it's odd, but for me it definitely helped.

What to Make Now?

I made sure that on my non me-made days I took note of what I wore. The RTW items that I would really like to replace in my wardrobe are:

- jersey skater dress 

- jersey cardigans of lots of varieties

- leggings

- stretch cotton summery cut-off pants in a fun print

One of my favourite outfits in terms of styling was this one right at the beginning of May:

I love this blouse, and really have been meaning to make more. This one is not much longer for this world! I can only wear it tucked in to high waisted skirts because there is a big hole in one of the seams! It was pre-overlocker and my seam allowance finishing wasn't up to the amount of love, wearing and washing this top has had. I need to make more of these.

This outfit leads me on to one of my other goals: make more separates. They're very practical and somehow more casual than dresses. I love being able to mix and match so I hope to be whipping up some separates in the near future!

And finally...

It seems I really like polka dots. More polka dot stuff coming soon!