I'm not one of those secretive types, I've always wished I were more enigmatic and mysterious, but it feels too hard, so I'm pretty much an open book...that means I talk too much and can't keep secrets!
This is the first draft of hopefully my next sewing pattern, I've named her Maude because the inspiration for the pockets came from my favourite  vintage Maudella dress pattern.*

Maude is an A line skirt, divided into panels, with integrated pockets and a centre back zip. This version is finished at the waist with a gross grain ribbon facing, but I may give the option of a waistband.



I used up some plaid fabric scraps to make this version, and it's such a shame I didn't have enough to pattern match, but as a wearable toile it'll do.
I'm hoping to cut out another this evening in some lovely Linton Tweed I have been saving.





*I have been inspired by the pocket design on this pattern, that means I used my own basic skirt block as a starting point and then by cutting and draping worked out how I was going to make this type of pocket work in my design. wish I didn't have to explain that, but guess I do.

Corduroy Weekend Doris and my short hair!

I hate the whole "busy culture", but I am the kind of person who needs to be busy. I don't cope well with boredom or being still. If I'm sitting down I'm generally knitting or making lists in my notebooks.
I often have several projects on the go at once, some work out and some don't. I never think the projects that don't work out are failures, they are just projects that didn't work, and chances are I learned something along the way.
The past few days I have been suffering again with my gall stones, which has meant enforced rest in bed all day yesterday and most of this morning on the sofa. I HATE IT!!!! There are at least a million things running through my head that I should be getting on with. Yesterday I wasn't even well enough to knit, I just lay in bed all day. Today I have at least made it to my desk and can post here.


I thought if I wrote a post about all the work I had managed to do this past week before I got poorly, I might cheer myself up and feel slightly better. So indulge me....please?
I've been playing around with lingerie designs again, which is fun. The knickers are fairly succesful, and I love the lounge pants, but the control body needs a lot more work.


I've also started work on my (hopefully) next pattern. A panelled skirt with integrated pockets.
I usually post most of my ongoing projects on Instagram  I love the atmosphere on there amongst fellow crafts people, I have found encouragment and friendship there, and being a very visual person, it suits me well. Pop along and follow me if you'd like to keep up with all my "busyness"

Oh and something really rather fabulous happened this past week too; I won a sewing machine! Well actually Woody did. He enters loads of competitions and over the years has won several including a dish washer, a sky tv box, and a hamper full of scottish shortbread , but this week he won a sewing machine for me. It's a Janome Atelier 5 and it is bloody lovely! Just wish I hadn't been poorly all weekend and could've played with it. I feel very very lucky and very very grateful.

I'm having a Colette week! I bought the PDF version of this new pattern from Colette earlier this week, and with a little help from Ernest spent the other afternoon piecing it together. I love being able to download patterns, but I hate the piecing together!



I wasn't really convinced this style would suit me, but I fancied a change from my usual fitted bodice full skirt style dresses, telling myself it's good to venture out of my comfort zone. What really made my mind up for me was seeing that I could use a woven for this pattern.

I cut out a straight L (12-14), and figured I'd probably not need a FBA (full bust adjustment ) with such a loose and drapey bodice.

The bodice went together very easily. I used a contrasting satin bias to finish the back neck and back armholes.





I really like the way the front bodice has a self lining that encloses the shoulder and side seams.
Adding the skirt was straight forward, and then I realised I had run out of elastic! A quick call to Woody and he promised to nip into Abakhan on his way home to buy me some. (Love that man!) Unfortunately Abakhan were having issues with their tills and Woody not wanting to miss his train had to leave without the elastic. After a rummage through my habby stocks I found a piece of soft waistband elastic that was just the right size.

I had been trying the dress on throughout and was pleasantly surprised by the way it looked, so imagine my dissapointment when I tried on the completed dress and saw in the mirror what could only be described as "a sack of spuds tied in the middle!"

The elastic casing had pulled the waist too high, and the skirt way too short, plus it was bulky and ugly. I double checked the instructions and the excellent video tutorial on the Colette blog in case I'd mis understood, but no, I had been correct.
I think ideally I should have added some length to the bodice to account for the way my boobs pull up the front bodice, although that wouldn't have dealt with the bulk of the elastic waist.

I even tried the dress on India, thinking at least she could wear it, but it looked equally horrible on her, and she is significantly taller and slimmer than me...everything looks good on her!

After a pout and a moan, I began the unpicking. I took out the elastic and the casing, and decided to add regular thin elastic to the seam allowance using a stretch stitch. I measured the elastic, pinned it equally around the waist seam allowance, and stretching as I went stitched it in place. This gave me back enough length in the bodice and the skirt, and I think I'm left with a wearable dress.



I am still not totally convinced it's me, or even particulary flattering, but it does feel lovely to wear. I used a lightweight viscose that once again my friend Mary picked out for me. (It's good to have a friend who works in a fabric shop and knows what I like!)

My third Simplicity 2444. This time I upcycled a vintage tablecloth for the bodice and used some mustard linen for the skirt.
Again, I moved the pleats to the hips to try and balance my top heavy curves and shortened the darts by 1cm. This version fits better across my shoulders than the last one, but it's still not quite right. My round shouldered narrow back, but large ribcage are not easy to fit.
My sewing buddy Mary and I have similar fit issues and have agreed to spend some time over the summer fitting each other for a basic bodice. A project I am very much looking forward to!



The tablecloth works well as the bodice. It was a vintage linen cloth with a border print, so had to do some careful cutting out, but I'm pleased with the results, and have another I plan to use in a similar way.

After the success of my wearable toile for this pattern, I had high hopes for this dress. The only changes I made to this dress was shortening the bust darts by 1 cm each. Otherwise it is exactly the same. Weirdly though, this version is very loose across my shoulders, especially at the back. I have no idea why.



I wore this dress today, but the loose shoulders were very annoying, and so it's gone back out to my shed to be tinkered with.



I am loving being out in my shed right now, the light warm evenings mean I can be out there until quite late. The chickens keep me company, and a couple of the local cats pop by for a cuddle too.

I have made this dresss before, six years ago. The pattern* came in a bundle from a friend, still in it's original postage envelope with a postmarked date of 1968. I made it to wear to a friend's 40th birthday. The dress code was 1968, so it seemed perfect. I thought at the time I might wear it again, I never did and it went in a charity bag.

The pattern is a size 36 inch bust, so too small for me, my high bust is 38" and full bust 42", so a fair bit of sizing up and full bust adjusting went on. I made a quick toile of my first adjustments, then made extra adjustments on the dress...lots of extra adjustments! This dress was a total pain in the behind!I hadn't kept a record of any of the adjustments I had made first time either, so I was starting again.



There were several times stitching this up that it very nearly got thrown in the dustbin, but I loved the fabric, and it is amazing how determined I can be when I know what I really should have been doing was catching up with childminding paperwork, and not sewing at all!



You can see from this photo that the v neck doesn't lie quite flat, and I actually think this neckline on this dress just doesn't suit me.



Here, you can see that the bust dart is really too high. I had moved the bust dart on the rough toile, but then lengthened the bodice on the dress and somehow, somewhere managed to move the dart.

Sad to say, my mess ups didn't end there either!
I managed to cut the skirt pieces too small and had to add in two extra strips of fabric at the centre back. I also had to take out the back  high waist darts because once the zip was in I could barely zip up past my rib cage! You'll have to just imagine that dogs dinner, because I didn't get any clear photos of the back.

Despite all of that though, I did finish the dress, adding a strip of mustard linen to the empire line to give it some shape. I love the fabric, and the colours, but the dress is not for me. The shape is not very flattering on my top heavy figure and it just feels wrong.
I did wear it one day last week, and it is better than a £5 dress from a bargain high street store, I might even wear it as a weekend "stay at home" dress, but all in all not a success.



Will I try this pattern again? I'm not sure. I'm tempted to play with the bodice again, choose a different neckline, move the darts, and add a different skirt shape, but that might make it a different dress all together. We'll see.

* links to an image of the same pattern, but not my actual pattern, as my envelope is very damaged.

I do love this pattern! This is my third Emery dress, and I don't think for one minute it will be my last. I cut this out several weeks ago, but too busy with other projects and commissions I only got the chance to stitch it up on Saturday. I spent a lovely day in my shed listening to the rain on the roof and stitching away.



Honestly, I'm a little disappointed with my lack of pattern matching, actually it's pretty good on one side, but off on the other. My own fault for cutting out a very slippy light cotton lawn in two layers, I really should have cut it out singly to be sure. I can live with it though.
The fabric is from Abakhan in Manchester. I am very lucky to have my friend Mary working there, she knows my tastes and if she sees something she thinks I will like she gives me a shout. She got this one spot on! Thank you Mary!



PS: yes my roots need doing, job for later today!!

I'm really enjoying Me Made May '14. I do wear me made most days, but there are items in my wardrobe I make and rarely wear, this project is making me look at those items again, and work out why I don't wear them...Lady Skater dresses I'm looking at you!
Weirdly, every time I wear one of my Lady Skater's Woody tells me how nice it looks...OK this morning he said "that dress really slims you down", which for him is a compliment, but what I heard was far from a compliment and we did have a fairly lengthy albeit lighthearted bicker about how he can't give a compliment, and I apparently can't take one!

I think I don't like my Lady skater dresses because of my fabric choices, maybe I need to make one in a more stable knit. The one I wear most is my red one, made from a far too stable vintage knit, but it's the one I feel most comfortable in.


Let's see what next week teaches me about my Me Made wardrobe. If you are taking part this year, what lessons have you learnt so far?

I'm most definately not going to win any prizes for the photos in this post, so apologies in advance. These were taken at 6.30 am this morning, so the light was terrible, I still have tired eyes, but I had to take them before everyone else was up, and before my mindee arrived while I was still nicely ironed, with fresh make up and hair. Trust me, by 9.30 I'd done one school run in the pouring rain with no umbrella and already had bits of Ernest's breakfast down me!



I used some of the fabric I had left over from my Emery dress to make these culottes yesterday. This time I didn't lengthen the culottes. The model wearing them on Megan's site must have very long legs because the culottes are very short on her which is why I lengthened my first pair. Of course it is possible I just have very short legs....

For some bizarre reason this pair have come up slightly smaller than my first pair. I can't fathom why and can only think that it's to do with a slightly firmer weave of fabric.

I am still unhappy with the hem. I think my proportions between waist and hip are the problem. I don't have particularly big hips in relation to the rest of me, but the culottes pull up at the sides, and at the back. (over my bum, which also isn't particularly big I don't think.) If I make another pair I will have to add length just to the back and to the sides of the front pieces, I think only about 5 cms should do it. It's not really obvious, but I notice it each time I look in the mirror, and find I'm pulling the sides down as I wear them.



A great pattern, one I think I will be coming back to in the summer.

I started Art College back in 1989, and the general uniform for surface pattern design students at that time seemed to be flippy floaty skirts or culottes teamed with dms, oversized t shirts (layered.) and granny knitted cardigans, bum bags were optional! I even wore a pair of oriental print culottes to my friends wedding, with the obligatory dm's a crocheted top and a large straw hat. Thankfully I don't have photos!
The Tania Culottes kept popping up in conversation with fellow sewers, and then on Pinterest, and I was intrigued. I liked the idea of a culotte that most definately didn't look like a culotte. I had, when India was a baby experimented with the skort, and shudder I definately didn't want to go back there again!
Reassured that the Tania Culotte looked like a circle skirt when worn, but offered the reassurance and practicality of a short trouser, I thought I'd give them a go. I took advantage of the 20% discount on all PDF patterns over at Megan Nielson, and ordered a copy on Friday evening.

 

Saturday morning I began taping all the pieces together with parcel tape; seems a certain toddler had used up all our sellotape making presents for Larry and Leo, his imaginary friends.



I had a rummage through my fabrics and couldn't decide between these two. The olive and brown cotton lawn is definately more within my comfort zone with the colours, but afraid it wouldn't drape enough I decided (with help from Facebook and Instagram) to use the blue fabric, which is a very drapey lightweight synthetic that I'd picked up at The Vintage Village some time ago.

The culottes stitched together nicely, it's a very straight forward pattern, with good clear instructions. I was a little slapdash lengthening the culottes, which meant I gave myself an absolute nightmare hemming them, and had to unpick my first hem. Honestly the final hem isn't great, but I figure it'll do, still better than anything I might buy from a high street store.



I thought I might get away with this fabric by picking out the black in the design and wearing with tights and a sweater, but it doesn't really work. I think they will look better in Summer with bare legs, ballet pumps and a green t shirt. Of course the ultimate accessory would be a gorgeous ladies Pashley bicycle with basket.

I did discover today that culottes are not public loo friendly, but maybe that's too much information. Also, worn over tights they bunch up, which is not an attractive look in the crotch area.
Despite that though, I am going to make another pair, just so I can prove to myself that I can get an even hem on them!

Ernest says they are beautiful, and seemed very excited when I was trying to get photos.