tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84008263472456708152024-03-27T23:54:58.590+00:00Sewing and SlapdasheryJenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115213563003924174noreply@blogger.comBlogger327125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400826347245670815.post-79993850893687821802023-06-13T18:00:00.012+01:002023-06-13T18:00:00.161+01:00sewing plan: summer 2023<div>Guess who forgot to actually schedule this post last week and didn't notice until today? I'm good at this. </div><div><br /></div><div>As I said in my last post, my spring plan ended up being almost entirely failures. I got pretty demoralised for a while and was struggling to get my head round planning for summer at all. Eventually in a burst of motivation (read: procrastinating something else I didn't want to do) I cleared out my sewing supplies cupboard, reorganised all the fabric, recategorised my patterns and threw out or donated the ones that were just taking up space, worked through half my alterations pile to give me a bit more space, and then reevaluated. I feel a bit better about things now, and here's what I've come up with: </div><div><br /></div><div><u>Trouser Blitz</u></div><div><br /></div><div>The Trouser Blitz is going to be my main summer project. I've been saying for almost a full year that I need trousers, I still do not have trousers (not entirely through lack of trying, but still). I've got about ten pieces of fabric that could be used for such a purpose, and I've gone through my entire pattern stash to separate out all the trouser patterns I currently own, both tested and untested. I want to pair everything up and work my way through them all. There are a few potential additions to what I already have: some nice black ponte to make another pair of Audrey cigarette pants, some stretch denim to try out a jeans pattern, and some viscose for floaty trousers of some kind if it turns out to be a really hot summer. </div><div><br /></div><div>Here is a picture of all my fabric options. I already cut two of them out, hence them being represented by piles of scraps. Sorry about that. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Uu5selhViuzXWQHHwleTIg3sSuzmf3_oQc-Titw77a1PyqZCWjSAhWjKk759MVbC75NDW9GJA6O04tqLPQynnLbbYyD6cKb6coFzj4peQvv9Zr79VyYjC3Vxb6kHOvjkNdYGakCKbYwWeO32o1caJB5TGMzuCPxEdLnoYwvtOBBxczLW-TV2Mmt74A/s4032/image1%20(2).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2299" data-original-width="4032" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Uu5selhViuzXWQHHwleTIg3sSuzmf3_oQc-Titw77a1PyqZCWjSAhWjKk759MVbC75NDW9GJA6O04tqLPQynnLbbYyD6cKb6coFzj4peQvv9Zr79VyYjC3Vxb6kHOvjkNdYGakCKbYwWeO32o1caJB5TGMzuCPxEdLnoYwvtOBBxczLW-TV2Mmt74A/w400-h228/image1%20(2).jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>The three fabrics on the left are the wools I've been avoiding cutting into because a) expensive and b) less of them, so I can't make the more fabric-hungry patterns I know will work. These will probably be the last ones to get made up, but I will do at least one if not all three by the end of the summer. Yes, I'm planning to make wool trousers in summer. What of it? I haven't paired any of these to patterns yet. </div><div><br /></div><div>The next four are the nice but not desperately precious fabrics. There's some green needlecord, some really lovely navy crepe (I wasn't at all sure about making a second pair of navy trousers, but my trusted dude at Walthamstow led me straight to it without even knowing I was there looking for trouser fabric, so it's happening), some leopard print viscose and the white linen from my friend's mum's stash. The latter two are cut out - the viscose will be a pair of summer weight Lucille trousers and the linen my first attempt at Vogue 8191. I'm dubious about being a white linen trousers person, but we're going to try it. I've made no decisions about the other two yet. </div><div><br /></div><div>The two on the right are testers. One is a green stretch crepe that's been languishing in my stash for years and years, and honestly I still don't know what to do with it. Because it's stretch and none of the other fabrics are, I worry it's not going to be very useful as a test run for any of the other projects. But also I want it out of my stash. I might use it for a closer-fitting pair. The other is an old duvet cover, which I'm hoping I can get multiple tests out of. The only thing I'm certain I want to do with it is make a couple of mock-ups of my trouser block and see if I can adjust the pattern for my current size. </div><div><br /></div><div>Other projects</div><div><br /></div><div>A Sallie jumpsuit. I'm going to make what I was originally planning my second-ever Sallie to be back in 2016, with a black trouser portion and a bodice made from this particular Art Gallery print:</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-HCJPGEspYEOuQtRkwAjIBALmnfEfQZ3r5FXGwEgNYGTR3OtiB7rxRa7WY3hnmKJH1K2rE1y-L9dOR4SD3QjotCRaJFEf9hOmFbBaxRLN5E0DyJuTr7ty68HPSPCtbSFdw9uLxwuXWaQ2dE0Rc3A2bsgSEJGeuOZOYLIntSyeSq8prw_LpJJEHFyjg/s4032/image0%20(4).jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC-HCJPGEspYEOuQtRkwAjIBALmnfEfQZ3r5FXGwEgNYGTR3OtiB7rxRa7WY3hnmKJH1K2rE1y-L9dOR4SD3QjotCRaJFEf9hOmFbBaxRLN5E0DyJuTr7ty68HPSPCtbSFdw9uLxwuXWaQ2dE0Rc3A2bsgSEJGeuOZOYLIntSyeSq8prw_LpJJEHFyjg/s320/image0%20(4).jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>(which seemed to be sold out everywhere at the time but is freely available now). In an ideal world I would get hold of some plain black Art Gallery for the bottoms, but so far I've not been successful in finding any. If I haven't found any by July I'll get something else instead. </div><div><br /></div><div>A summer maxi dress or two. I can hear you saying <i>Jen, you cannot possibly need summer maxi dresses </i>but I do, thanks to size changes and wearing some of them literally to death. What I really want is to straight-up remake my green Kielo, which I miss dearly, but I have yet to find a suitable bright green jersey. I actually don't have any summer dress fabric currently, but without wanting to tempt fate that's one thing I don't tend to struggle to find. </div><div><br /></div><div>A couple of basic tops. This one is a bit nebulous at the moment because I won't quite know what I want until I have a couple of successful pairs of trousers. I will almost certainly end up with at least one more black top, but my real focus is being able to make slightly more interesting colour combinations. I'm very used to making and wearing 'statement' trousers and almost none of my planned projects are that, and I've spotted that when I wear a plain black top with a subdued pair of trousers my brain assumes I'm feeling a bit depressed today. So variety in colour and silhouette is what I'm going for. </div><div><br /></div><div>A light summer cover-up. It's been sunny and beautiful in London lately, and I've realised that all my warmer weather jackets are still quite heavy. It's too warm to actually need a jacket, but if I'm sitting outside I don't want my skin exposed to the sun all day. What I want is something casual, cropped, unlined, breathable fabric, light or bright colour. I bought a pashmina in a Galician market in like 2006 or something which I continue to use as a cover-up to this day and is a bright ice blue, and in my head I'm looking for fabric that colour (I don't know why it goes with literally everything and makes me look like some kind of colour story wizard, but it absolutely does). I am almost certainly not going to find a fabric that colour, so it's going to be 'whatever grabs me'. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>You might notice that unlike previous plans, I've been much less strict with myself about having the fabric already this time. This may or may not work, and I'm prepared for the possibility that it doesn't, but I want to experiment with this for a couple of different reasons. First, after my last very frustrating plan I'd like to have a way to change things up if things start going wrong again. I think being able to put aside a run of unsuccessful projects and say "right, I'm going shopping and I'm going to find a piece of fabric that inspires me to make a dress" would be really good for me, and if it's already on the plan it will still feel like I'm working towards the goals I originally set for myself. Second, I would like to know if I have the option to do things this way now. I don't think I'll ever make a plan that's entirely or even mostly fabric I don't already have, but now that I'm medicated for my ADHD I'm hoping I might have a little bit more freedom. I'm a little bit more able to organise and schedule projects now (most of my spring plan failed but almost all of it got <i>done, </i>except the slip dress where the pattern turned out not to have the one specific thing I'd bought it for), and I think I'm a little more able to shop with a purpose now. </div><div><br /></div><div>Technically I have a couple of finished things to photograph and post about, but I've given myself a bit of a mental block after trying to photograph multiple failed projects at once and then (obviously) not liking any of the photos. I'm hoping to get my head round that this week before life starts getting mega-busy again, though at this point I know better than to make promises. But soon! Actual finished projects that I'm happy with! </div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115213563003924174noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400826347245670815.post-24659738742518720742023-05-15T10:00:00.002+01:002023-05-15T10:00:00.168+01:00spring sewing: a red velvet Society dressSo, I'm very aware that I posted a spring sewing plan and then just didn't update here for basically the whole of spring. It's not that I haven't been sewing; I've either completed or attempted the majority of my plans. It's just that almost all of them involved new-to-me patterns and my success rate has been very sadly low. I hate the maxi skirt, the trousers are unwearable, I can't get the bodysuit to sit right for photos, the zip broke on the shorts the second time I put them on. It's been really discouraging. (Also I've discovered that despite what it says on the envelope, the slip dress that comes with M6696 does not, in fact, have cup sizes, so I don't know if it's worth bothering with now.) I am in active need of things to wear and nothing is working, and motivation is now in short supply. <div><br /></div><div>But amongst all this, there has been one single success story. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm5cgie6jN3rTRK0xd2fHKrXLjnstnf3Y3aa2_o-Zh1JPLMpZ513IGui3ljMaNrp0dCFL-ehBYRBJIacqIaIbrNHzlgjZMfUGJMrGire3gckLJbDxp9KZ8IkFqVhF-wkcUku9lMToZK4SS2KocttshTBaBbh0eT6ef2AkDTYIaua26MITAL8e52NLW1g/s1975/DSC_0425.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1975" data-original-width="1178" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm5cgie6jN3rTRK0xd2fHKrXLjnstnf3Y3aa2_o-Zh1JPLMpZ513IGui3ljMaNrp0dCFL-ehBYRBJIacqIaIbrNHzlgjZMfUGJMrGire3gckLJbDxp9KZ8IkFqVhF-wkcUku9lMToZK4SS2KocttshTBaBbh0eT6ef2AkDTYIaua26MITAL8e52NLW1g/w382-h640/DSC_0425.JPG" width="382" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And of course it's one of the impractical things. Saying that, I have actually worn this one out already, within 24 hours of finishing it, and while it's obviously very fancy I also didn't feel uncomfortably overdressed in it. Even though it has a massive cowl hood. I think more overtly vintage-looking things like this give me a bit of leeway in this area; the style is specific enough to convey "this is just what I look like" versus "I have seriously misjudged the dress code". Which is not to say I'll be returning to overtly vintage styles generally, but it is useful when you want to go out for dinner on a Thursday night wearing a red velvet dress with a giant hood. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3t2M32-z7_wADiwlIQM8AOu6uejC2QRmzGuB7ZzZ7lH1M-IMFVmItlI7JvVKegVNEDbwi4UZJgPYQEr2Bh_mwMLex5_Rm5KZ06Xqy4tqQFG_el1guLbKZx3XN5AMw4QKL3g1wHGy3OxXXaoCzhQPXVU_wMNQFvUSU6RDm2ByyxHBlGw2cMiz5j_0Pfg/s1989/DSC_0432.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1989" data-original-width="1084" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3t2M32-z7_wADiwlIQM8AOu6uejC2QRmzGuB7ZzZ7lH1M-IMFVmItlI7JvVKegVNEDbwi4UZJgPYQEr2Bh_mwMLex5_Rm5KZ06Xqy4tqQFG_el1guLbKZx3XN5AMw4QKL3g1wHGy3OxXXaoCzhQPXVU_wMNQFvUSU6RDm2ByyxHBlGw2cMiz5j_0Pfg/w348-h640/DSC_0432.JPG" width="348" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is the Society dress from Gertie's Patreon, and it has a view different options: shorter A-line skirt or floor length skirt with godets; short puff sleeves or long bishop sleeves; massive hood or no massive hood. Obviously what I immediately wanted was the most dramatic version possible, but that's a lot of fabric and I didn't know if I was going to like it. So to test it out, I made the A-line skirt and short sleeves. I was not prepared to give up the hood, even for a test (plus I wanted to know how it would sit on me). </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRvCXbgLuqzttuyMkR7_lj-NsJJsZYuywbh3spP8IWc0BsLhBU4hk8c5Wet87MTqCes2CJFSNq4JcekMiPNUDKnbC1EL_UTPJIGYNlECpKfl_-0H0rIcM3gTRS1j_XGyQf3ottATqHvnlR2Hg_xWVXAHdTSjg2mbNkjTzPd4HRDQ0-FxbHZfs1jSi6iQ/s2119/DSC_0428.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2119" data-original-width="1185" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRvCXbgLuqzttuyMkR7_lj-NsJJsZYuywbh3spP8IWc0BsLhBU4hk8c5Wet87MTqCes2CJFSNq4JcekMiPNUDKnbC1EL_UTPJIGYNlECpKfl_-0H0rIcM3gTRS1j_XGyQf3ottATqHvnlR2Hg_xWVXAHdTSjg2mbNkjTzPd4HRDQ0-FxbHZfs1jSi6iQ/w358-h640/DSC_0428.JPG" width="358" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmBhfkLzwv2bci5OfmwwAVjbSqqBckydFkYOzC2EeHSRHKlqNnaLuBhcXVkz5DC8Un5VadneBnP4Eu2uzDDkRCoZuZKa3kwdu_Xk2-CbEpdnYTz8cscjHgu9UhmmSuUOvJjJD26qcsJuVeDuNw2A2pyzWu7wCfnH5_ZAal7T4Ky-Y7-bNK-vMrxX4dJA/s2082/DSC_0429.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2082" data-original-width="1333" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmBhfkLzwv2bci5OfmwwAVjbSqqBckydFkYOzC2EeHSRHKlqNnaLuBhcXVkz5DC8Un5VadneBnP4Eu2uzDDkRCoZuZKa3kwdu_Xk2-CbEpdnYTz8cscjHgu9UhmmSuUOvJjJD26qcsJuVeDuNw2A2pyzWu7wCfnH5_ZAal7T4Ky-Y7-bNK-vMrxX4dJA/w410-h640/DSC_0429.JPG" width="410" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I made a straight size 8, H cup. By shortening the skirt a couple of inches and taking about an inch of width out of the hood, I managed to fit it onto three metres of fabric. Incidentally, I still ended up putting quite a wide hem on this one to get it to sit above the knee and I'm 5'8'' with long thighs, so I think "knee-length skirt" might be a bit of a misnomer. For the most part it fits me very well, though it doesn't quite sit under my bust the way I think it should. I would add a small amount of length to the bodice for any future versions.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirAC8AH_xHweecJsEUsOjbnscR7s1AYETX7DX74fOa14eo6jhifEskq6ru6DzKBKi3izqFRatgnzpAmgnRXyHywELHJuIfhaspIi0shnxMf3QW1pdLVvQz1Ns-EXFXs8c1jw4lPrmDTlw_qbRCbwQLA2DT7x2kRCt0LzhBlJ-IsR2CEdo9rcb8SfFhDA/s2041/DSC_0430.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2041" data-original-width="1161" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirAC8AH_xHweecJsEUsOjbnscR7s1AYETX7DX74fOa14eo6jhifEskq6ru6DzKBKi3izqFRatgnzpAmgnRXyHywELHJuIfhaspIi0shnxMf3QW1pdLVvQz1Ns-EXFXs8c1jw4lPrmDTlw_qbRCbwQLA2DT7x2kRCt0LzhBlJ-IsR2CEdo9rcb8SfFhDA/w364-h640/DSC_0430.JPG" width="364" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I found this to be a fairly simple project in terms of construction, and I did most of it in one afternoon. The instructions as written for almost all of Gertie's knit patterns seem to preclude the use of an overlocker (all seam allowances are directed to be pressed open) but I ignored that because I refuse to return to the tedious days of the zig-zag stitch and did almost all of it on the overlocker except the neck facing. I hemmed the skirt and sleeves and secured the neck facing by hand, and that bit took many hours and was not completed in the same afternoon. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzKOuRGav7IfaP5rDEYOslHdZnNWl3w61imRDPoZSGK12rOSjIHKdoYAmBMESW7X1j5poHqQxTHNv8GPnUinkHw9rUGDRG86_tpRSMLxjgvRYhkxSbGcP8UdBt2l72H_lOCl4a2gYd-D2uZzuuSM0gK1lWKYhj_PLxIvX_Q2ddXvdbMazhIjK_zBm40Q/s2000/DSC_0427.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1208" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzKOuRGav7IfaP5rDEYOslHdZnNWl3w61imRDPoZSGK12rOSjIHKdoYAmBMESW7X1j5poHqQxTHNv8GPnUinkHw9rUGDRG86_tpRSMLxjgvRYhkxSbGcP8UdBt2l72H_lOCl4a2gYd-D2uZzuuSM0gK1lWKYhj_PLxIvX_Q2ddXvdbMazhIjK_zBm40Q/w386-h640/DSC_0427.JPG" width="386" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Something that surprised me was that I didn't end up shortening the sleeves. I almost always do when they come out boob length like this, but when I pinned them up they just looked weird (I think because of the puff at the shoulder) and I ended up doing a very narrow hem to keep as much of the length as possible. The style of the bodice seems to be enough to prevent the Massive Boob Shelf look I usually get. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6b-D--W3JzSCImExEOZOUcWNiLHsUHKeDZfqUG7KM4vNEX_HdaH7jLXdO3ESlEQvdhE_OVJiXDEtvT9G6mi81WDLQyabt0lVSNHXP-gqEhBckxwIILyFQ9usYkVWb-xkQoSTFgCaNZjSNx4n_hjWB6zrnFRgN7L30y6I8CbAlVLN59HkTmP7iV3mNew/s2050/DSC_0433.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2050" data-original-width="1095" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6b-D--W3JzSCImExEOZOUcWNiLHsUHKeDZfqUG7KM4vNEX_HdaH7jLXdO3ESlEQvdhE_OVJiXDEtvT9G6mi81WDLQyabt0lVSNHXP-gqEhBckxwIILyFQ9usYkVWb-xkQoSTFgCaNZjSNx4n_hjWB6zrnFRgN7L30y6I8CbAlVLN59HkTmP7iV3mNew/w342-h640/DSC_0433.JPG" width="342" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm really pleased with this dress and hope I can find ways to wear it semi-regularly. I do intend to try the full ridiculous version at some point, and if I were more of a vintage person in general the base dress would be amazing for everyday wear. I keep thinking about trying it, but I know it wouldn't work for me - this dress is me because it's wine-coloured shiny velvet with a massive hood, super glamorous and unnecessary, and a version meant for daywear would just make me feel kind of dowdy. Shame, really, because it's so comfy. But at least now I'm ready for any future parties that require me to come dressed as Vintage Red Riding Hood. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCvl7FlSeM6gPY2gwP5kJ5_K9v2nDneq23qUk7xOm_aLizu5BOPDH25oszWdXiE0rJ1Hlw4jIvJ8HQduFbgzJxZZbG75cJfMtqPA3G7C-sPqsKoueHRJZIsBlxi0H5L2pqEbZnPHCioAQX8Rk8KVkfVLA6rh5FkR0FSFd6Kg70v9pNNEwrYAe35tHkDQ/s2024/DSC_0436.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2024" data-original-width="1299" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCvl7FlSeM6gPY2gwP5kJ5_K9v2nDneq23qUk7xOm_aLizu5BOPDH25oszWdXiE0rJ1Hlw4jIvJ8HQduFbgzJxZZbG75cJfMtqPA3G7C-sPqsKoueHRJZIsBlxi0H5L2pqEbZnPHCioAQX8Rk8KVkfVLA6rh5FkR0FSFd6Kg70v9pNNEwrYAe35tHkDQ/w410-h640/DSC_0436.JPG" width="410" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm not sure yet what's happening when it comes to posting the rest of my spring projects. Ideally I would still put them up here in some form because reviews of patterns you didn't entirely get on with are often the most useful ones for other people (and for Future Jen who comes across one of the patterns in two years and wonders why she hasn't made another), but we do run into the age old dilemma known as Putting Pictures of Myself I Don't Like on the Internet, and I'm just not sure I'm in a place for that right now. But we'll see. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6WQzwe5wJ81Ysq938qBv8TfvkwG2XMflUslbKutXEx2LL2GMxO_PcwXZGBAhmqXNYTIidJj7mInR6lV5ci0QPts3351FgsCpH3e4xGGIWuDwoMvVtJVuUYHsZmHXcbQ4V_GPOGOAY7BhxKqf_TEf2zi_psMWjoJNHpmihmUPSaKHxzfUikYi4EHGd6w/s2022/DSC_0441.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2022" data-original-width="1318" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6WQzwe5wJ81Ysq938qBv8TfvkwG2XMflUslbKutXEx2LL2GMxO_PcwXZGBAhmqXNYTIidJj7mInR6lV5ci0QPts3351FgsCpH3e4xGGIWuDwoMvVtJVuUYHsZmHXcbQ4V_GPOGOAY7BhxKqf_TEf2zi_psMWjoJNHpmihmUPSaKHxzfUikYi4EHGd6w/w418-h640/DSC_0441.JPG" width="418" /></a></div><br /><div>My busy February and March spilled over into April as well, so it's only this past week that I've finally had a bit of breathing time. Next week is also chill and I'm hoping to use it to pair patterns to fabric and find the motivation to try out another pair of trousers. I cannot possibly stress enough how much I need another pair of trousers. What I need to do is bribe myself to properly refit and redraft my trouser block, but I just so fundamentally don't want to do it that the usual bribes (ie fabric, cookies, nail varnish) don't work. To the point that I end up convincing myself I don't even like the bribe thing that much. Sigh. But somehow, some way, there needs to be trousers, and hopefully that will be my next post. Fingers crossed for next week! </div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115213563003924174noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400826347245670815.post-67382043855095185222023-03-13T10:00:00.056+00:002023-03-13T10:00:00.185+00:00sewing plan: spring 2023<div>Hello! Life got away from me! You could probably have predicted! You probably couldn't have predicted that I would end up enjoying the improv course so much that I signed up for another one, but that is what's happened. It turns out I really like being able to say random shit in a scenario where everyone else just has to go with it. </div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway. Spring. If you've been here a while you're probably sick of me saying that spring is the hardest season for me sewing-wise, but it's still true. Spring is essentially meaningless here in terms of type of garment - winter coats and tights are equally as likely as sleeveless dresses - so historically where I've got tripped up is thinking that I ought to have a 'spring palette' in terms of colour and print. Even though I dislike the way spring colours and prints look on me. </div><div><br /></div><div>What I'm going to try this time is a small plan, using fabric and patterns I already own as far as possible. As you will see, it's surprisingly purple. I'm not sure why this is. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><u>Practical things</u></div><div><br /></div><div>A maxi skirt</div><div><br /></div><div>I currently own three maxi skirts, all of which are the same pattern (the Deer&Doe Fumeterre, one actual version and two of my modified versions), and I'd quite like to try something else. I have the Sew Over It Haxby pattern from when I signed up to their Stitch School for a month and harvested all the patterns, and some extremely busy purple viscose, and we're going to see how it goes.</div><div><br /></div><div>A pair of trousers</div><div><br /></div><div>I have been sitting on 2m of lavender wool crepe forever, knowing it needs to be a pair of trousers but never finding the right pattern. I have two patterns I want to try out: the Sew Over It cigarette pants and Vogue 9181 Custom Fit bootcut trousers. I'm going to make trial versions of both before I risk cutting into the lavender. The trial fabric for the cigarette pants is also purple. </div><div><br /></div><div>Shorts to wear over tights</div><div><br /></div><div>I mentioned in this post that I was planning on making some Chataigne shorts for colder weather, and I'm considering two different fabrics. My mother-in-law sent me 3m of bright mustard suede for my birthday and I am thinking about using half of it for the shorts and half for an as yet unidentified skirt (see below). I also have 3m of this black check 100% wool that I got from Walthamstow; I bought it to make trousers but it was the end of the bolt so I have more than I need, and I have to decide if I'm making one wider leg pair of trousers or narrower leg trousers and a pair of these shorts. </div><div><br /></div><div>A shorter skirt</div><div><br /></div><div>This is the one item on the list I don't have a pattern in mind for, but it is something I've recently found a need for. Partly because I now have a knee-length winter coat and the maxi skirts look silly under it, but also because I've really been feeling the need to switch things up. I've been scratching the itch with one of my old mini-length tulip skirts, but I'd like something a bit more tailored to my current preferences. I'm after something reasonably fitted that doesn't look like office wear, preferably with some kind of interesting design detail, and if I've not found such a thing by next month I'll go with my backup option of a Cashmerette Ellis skirt. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><u>Impractical things</u></div><div><br /></div><div>A hooded velvet dress</div><div><br /></div><div>The January pattern on Gertie's Patreon was this insane velvet witch dress and I love it. I'm not going full witch for my first attempt (though you know I will eventually if I like the result), but it is still very silly to make a wine-coloured velvet dress with a hood for spring and that will not stop me. I'm going to make the knee-length version, probably with short sleeves, so I can get a sense of how the bodice and the hood will look. </div><div><br /></div><div>A slip dress</div><div><br /></div><div>This isn't necessarily impractical, but it's not quite practical either, so I'm putting it here. About a month ago I made a trial run of a silk cami top, the now-unavailable free Pauline Alice Bailen, and while I don't like it very much because I think it sits weirdly on me, it did get me to a place of feeling a bit more confident with the bias cut silk. I started looking for a simple bias-cut slip dress pattern with cup sizes and found almost nothing (apparently pattern companies would rather just all offer the exact same things and not try to fill gaps in the market?), but when I asked for suggestions on my Instagram stories someone told me that the ubiquitous M6696 shirtdress pattern also includes a slip with cup sizes. So I have bought a shirtdress pattern, much to my amazement, and I will be trying out the slip. Not the shirtdress. Never the shirtdress. </div><div><br /></div><div>A velvet bodysuit</div><div><br /></div><div>When I decided to make the Murder Dress, I convinced myself it was okay to make something spectacular and very impractical because I would still have half the fabric left and I could make something a tiny bit more wearable with it. I am not doing that. Instead I am making Vogue 1923, which is another fancy off-the-shoulder garment. I'm now working on convincing myself that it totally is practical because I can wear it with trousers and that will somehow dress it down several notches. Because we're nearly halfway through March I'm already almost done with this one (of course I started with one of the impractical projects) and I'm really pleased with how it's looking. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>This is as much as I'm going to plan this time. I have several other things in my head, but either they don't have a fabric/pattern match or they're quite involved, and I don't want to commit to things like that when I've been struggling for time and motivation. It's a seven-item list, and with the need to make trial versions and a potential second pair of shorts it's almost a regular length of plan for me. I've also decided that I don't have enough to say about the rest of my unposted projects to give them their own posts, so expect a random assortment of stuff in one scattergun post within the next couple of weeks! </div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115213563003924174noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400826347245670815.post-23595798663936005482023-02-13T10:00:00.002+00:002023-02-13T10:00:00.158+00:00the fabric found its pattern: a circee maxi skirt <p>So, we have entered Busy Times. It's usually Busy Times at this time of year anyway - it's my birthday this week, and and once we get through the various things we have planned we start doing things for Patrick's birthday - but now I'm currently on two evening classes per week plus my singing lessons, we've booked a couple of city breaks, and also a bunch of one-off events happened to get scheduled between now and the end of March. And I really need to find time to sew because it turns out you can't safely do improv classes in skirts, which I hadn't anticipated so all the things I made this winter were absolutely not geared to my current needs.</p><p>Case in point: </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh67MzfJ1nSUj3dgzEVDAJN95p0vRhq16Nj2V42AprN9XVnhjVtDjhJeQvBKfWICB_zghtC3y4K-vORgJZQAGVD4Phyokw8-hPEHhc5eIbt7WTJ5eHWJtoy0ChjvgocNrMLbXdbGwBuRgb1B6toZ7nDLQxj2IchaseZRuF_rVBYBUmGEk8bhN7llzMW_Q/s2079/DSC_0893.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2079" data-original-width="1300" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh67MzfJ1nSUj3dgzEVDAJN95p0vRhq16Nj2V42AprN9XVnhjVtDjhJeQvBKfWICB_zghtC3y4K-vORgJZQAGVD4Phyokw8-hPEHhc5eIbt7WTJ5eHWJtoy0ChjvgocNrMLbXdbGwBuRgb1B6toZ7nDLQxj2IchaseZRuF_rVBYBUmGEk8bhN7llzMW_Q/w400-h640/DSC_0893.JPG" width="400" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;">This is the Deer&Doe Circee, maxi skirt version. My original intention was to make the dress version as well before posting about it, but I ran into a slight mishap where I cut out my trial version and then promptly lost half the pieces. I don't seem to be able to get that fabric again, either. I will still have a go at it at some point, but it's going to take me a bit longer. In the meantime: extremely dramatic maxi skirt. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAFXnSh7QfdGNFG5Us1RnTaG7cAAazAoElB4PZKXQiJCCiUSuAB7fEla6vGuCmp1oYsFESxNyoi3JKx-WaorDpRWTm4cVnjJAgJudbkkmDhJjTlt4G2hU65DjQCg-30-oWN-bXrTgrhp__8RW-YpmGCmdX_ompfCmrJi_GmdhZljzQgvarkI9nBegHvw/s2136/DSC_0901.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2136" data-original-width="1323" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAFXnSh7QfdGNFG5Us1RnTaG7cAAazAoElB4PZKXQiJCCiUSuAB7fEla6vGuCmp1oYsFESxNyoi3JKx-WaorDpRWTm4cVnjJAgJudbkkmDhJjTlt4G2hU65DjQCg-30-oWN-bXrTgrhp__8RW-YpmGCmdX_ompfCmrJi_GmdhZljzQgvarkI9nBegHvw/w396-h640/DSC_0901.JPG" width="396" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;">I've had this fabric for a while (<a href="https://sewingandslapdashery.blogspot.com/2021/09/sewing-plan-autumn-2021.html" target="_blank">you may remember it</a>) and could never work out what to do with it. It's a super-large border print, each panel is two feet long, and there's barely a sliver of a gap between each one. I really didn't want to chop up the print too much, and my original thought was a wrap dress where the bodice is made of the plain black section and the skirt has the border print. In retrospect I'm glad I didn't - I would only have had enough fabric to make a knee-length dress and the print is so large-scale that I would have had to cut it down to get a length I was happy to wear. A maxi length wrap skirt with no back seam is the perfect thing. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvJlvD665nTJOG54Wr4doFonIfSWVNawigL2euov9HWMd5AgAFFOz8UvrH2E73YiTb6JPoLcDU-Z06MyKVQmZaPTLGkno3HfjO3Amztn2u_zWB0UogP9v8u32Jzv_7CO0zp9OER8xRQSUul3WBuC3_pWkuYGuk2H6-A3_feNoblgGuK0rftP0RFNjCwQ/s2179/DSC_0915.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2179" data-original-width="1379" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvJlvD665nTJOG54Wr4doFonIfSWVNawigL2euov9HWMd5AgAFFOz8UvrH2E73YiTb6JPoLcDU-Z06MyKVQmZaPTLGkno3HfjO3Amztn2u_zWB0UogP9v8u32Jzv_7CO0zp9OER8xRQSUul3WBuC3_pWkuYGuk2H6-A3_feNoblgGuK0rftP0RFNjCwQ/w406-h640/DSC_0915.JPG" width="406" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOy1_lKNNdu-LDqmvzsH5QIBviTY07uRY_dW7RDI2Wwoqh69MOLJLJzPrO8hFXVIoDo1yWilCtvjv89rPFLkPZJwDDW1tiKffFQ1eXK5eHJc2r75qKJ89O3NMz4jDisS_C-Y21knPM4jB3mIB77I7YeVeWK3v7idKnH5r9NNUktVaLvegwH5qWavkKYg/s2301/DSC_0900.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2301" data-original-width="1415" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOy1_lKNNdu-LDqmvzsH5QIBviTY07uRY_dW7RDI2Wwoqh69MOLJLJzPrO8hFXVIoDo1yWilCtvjv89rPFLkPZJwDDW1tiKffFQ1eXK5eHJc2r75qKJ89O3NMz4jDisS_C-Y21knPM4jB3mIB77I7YeVeWK3v7idKnH5r9NNUktVaLvegwH5qWavkKYg/w394-h640/DSC_0900.JPG" width="394" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Construction was very simple and I didn't run into anything awkward or confusing. The skirt is designed to close with two visible buttons at the waistband, but I switched them out for press studs because I am weird and dislike buttons on my clothing. Immediately after making this version Patrick gave me a proper hardware press for Christmas, which I'm delighted with and I hope this is the last thing I ever make with sew-on press studs. It does mean I'll have to fit things properly before I sew down any waistbands, but I haaaaate hand-sewing fastenings onto my projects and I think slightly less convenient fitting is a very small price to pay to dispense with that for good. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It also has enormous slash pockets, which is much appreciated. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL6utmr_xWQ74OcJsV8qP8rXxa-vW7EffqYe8RMJUL1r7dd_x55PICR6Z2UfRlbgBVYNGFBwqXxWu008wfumEWN7yeCeV7a3URnMXMn5aJpd7T9A2snvx7RwED5ufnke9qI52sTgtQYzz5Eh5gyZdnmC1G2ZFd-If1hFggVmg2-Vq0JnaIhhvGmo0tvQ/s2183/DSC_0905.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2183" data-original-width="1529" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL6utmr_xWQ74OcJsV8qP8rXxa-vW7EffqYe8RMJUL1r7dd_x55PICR6Z2UfRlbgBVYNGFBwqXxWu008wfumEWN7yeCeV7a3URnMXMn5aJpd7T9A2snvx7RwED5ufnke9qI52sTgtQYzz5Eh5gyZdnmC1G2ZFd-If1hFggVmg2-Vq0JnaIhhvGmo0tvQ/w448-h640/DSC_0905.JPG" width="448" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am pretty pleased with this and would make it again. What I will say is that I used a very stiff fabric here that isn't super inclined to blow about in the wind, so I can't say for certain what level of wardrobe malfunction might result from, say, a more lightweight viscose. Chances are I will give it a try at some point, and when I do I'll report back. This version is obviously not for everyday wear and I'd quite like one that's a little more versatile, but this was absolutely the correct thing to do with this fabric. I'm delighted it's finally in my wardrobe and I will more than likely be wearing it for my birthday dinner on Friday. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdxjQ4PrtncGzhrwGRI736HAxlk_iENhTtgVRWmAVW9vgV0MOuHVrwVV5pem-zUG0_F4Wzc2A5dTAQ6-8hlSy5hmSkbmUwWgHeI1Gja1CgubB5sgc3rFPi4_JCHKkaxO1-HAdefmoJWYP_2CicQj0Y5I6hAXpau0HymbguKHDd97RaY3xWt6xMWf9jBg/s2119/DSC_0895.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2119" data-original-width="1279" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdxjQ4PrtncGzhrwGRI736HAxlk_iENhTtgVRWmAVW9vgV0MOuHVrwVV5pem-zUG0_F4Wzc2A5dTAQ6-8hlSy5hmSkbmUwWgHeI1Gja1CgubB5sgc3rFPi4_JCHKkaxO1-HAdefmoJWYP_2CicQj0Y5I6hAXpau0HymbguKHDd97RaY3xWt6xMWf9jBg/w386-h640/DSC_0895.JPG" width="386" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have two more winter projects photographed to post about, both of which use patterns I've already tried. I've made but not yet photographed the Murder Dress - I wanted to do a proper photoshoot for it, but there's a decent chance that I will just never get around to that, so I'm going to try to at least take placeholder photos sometime soon. I don't know how much I have to say about any of them, but they will be posted over the course of the next few weeks, by which time I will hopefully have got my head around my spring plan. Too many ideas, not enough time!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u>Deer&Doe Circee (review of skirt only)</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u><br /></u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Fabric: </b>Heavyweight satin viscose from Walthamstow</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Cost: </b>£30</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Pattern details: </b>Wrap skirt in two lengths with large slash pockets and button closure at waistband (also a wrap dress with dramatic split sleeves)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Size: </b>44</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Alterations: </b>Buttons swapped out for press studs, two inches of length added to hem</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Would make again/would recommend: </b>Yes/Yes</div><p></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115213563003924174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400826347245670815.post-90278324196072173922023-01-31T12:00:00.000+00:002023-01-31T12:40:00.368+00:00orage and chataigne<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Guess who forgot to schedule this post for yesterday? January has somehow lasted a million years and I'm really not on top of the little stuff right now. It's not all bad, though - for Christmas my in-laws got us a voucher for a really nice Andalusian restaurant so we had a lovely dinner last week, improv week two was way less nightmarish than improv week one and I actually quite enjoyed myself, and my singing teacher made the rash decision to let me pick a Skunk Anansie song to learn. So I'm having a lot of fun when life isn't being a dreadful slog. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Anyway, I'd like to introduce you to my new favourite top:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW0PgTt8Ca1C3P4Y98l7hJvIqaGP_DrJymPzPUbGk6SnXlbe8OOctCvU4uJkOdnoljEQbz_uftGApsr50I2G2BQMN-M4K0O6-2LCIHuWJ5qPfdAIdZfUC_04Oo_rtClTSoLfUa2aTpOPajAp5x1l3sadm2ogdz63KYSnEh_fU3gpJtVtH0kLtY0oWuRQ/s2089/DSC_0859.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2089" data-original-width="1171" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW0PgTt8Ca1C3P4Y98l7hJvIqaGP_DrJymPzPUbGk6SnXlbe8OOctCvU4uJkOdnoljEQbz_uftGApsr50I2G2BQMN-M4K0O6-2LCIHuWJ5qPfdAIdZfUC_04Oo_rtClTSoLfUa2aTpOPajAp5x1l3sadm2ogdz63KYSnEh_fU3gpJtVtH0kLtY0oWuRQ/w358-h640/DSC_0859.JPG" width="358" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is the Deer & Doe Orage. I bought both of their most recent releases, and you'll be seeing the other one next week (or on Instagram a couple of weeks ago). I wasn't sure about the Orage as a dress - the skirt is midi length and dips lower at the front and back, which seems like the worst possible style and shape for me - but I thought the top part looked cool and if it didn't work for me, there were two other top variations that almost certainly would. So I tried all three of the tops, of which you will be seeing two because I used the wrong fabric for the third and it looked like ass. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7kjTWUMcxw6sIQy5qFuFEiJ_68qlXEBDG-koQZ14QufHogwVSdQ-JHqQbd_RjgbPCBFXxiuNIuze1zwfcewHogtHpvp72oQzrDJBk_xe60AbrfEHD2YerqyhS0sVgcZty7rW2L1VowqKR7f3zwbrUGRp_x6vGxHWWu11NnAD74x4zfiyk00GsDz6-LA/s2096/DSC_0852.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2096" data-original-width="1166" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7kjTWUMcxw6sIQy5qFuFEiJ_68qlXEBDG-koQZ14QufHogwVSdQ-JHqQbd_RjgbPCBFXxiuNIuze1zwfcewHogtHpvp72oQzrDJBk_xe60AbrfEHD2YerqyhS0sVgcZty7rW2L1VowqKR7f3zwbrUGRp_x6vGxHWWu11NnAD74x4zfiyk00GsDz6-LA/w356-h640/DSC_0852.JPG" width="356" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I got this fabric in the Abakhan remnant bins in September. It's a lightweight textured jersey with a lot of stretch, and I bought it entirely for the colour with zero idea what I was going to do with it. It didn't feel at all like a sacrifice to use it as a toile, even though I was pretty convinced it wasn't going to work. I was absolutely delighted to be wrong. I <i>love </i>this. I don't normally like high necks, but somehow this one really suits me and doesn't itch. The boob window sits nice and flat in exactly the right place and doesn't gape when I bend forward. I'm thrilled with the way the colour looks on me. I'm constantly searching for comfortable jersey tops for daywear with some level of interest to them, and this one ticks every single box for me.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Within the pattern this view is only intended to be the bodice for a dress, so it's quite cropped. I like crop lengths as I'm quite short-waisted and tend to prefer high-waisted trousers, but this was still a tiny bit short so I put a wide hem band on. I will mostly likely do this for future versions too, because I like the symmetry with the wide neck band. I also put cuffs on it, after trying to hem the sleeves and discovering that the fabric really did not want to do that. Again, this is something I will probably repeat in future. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUymrlpHYcqp_GW3pU-B5S61JOvR7KWZL5UTd7QgyPqmZ7tVKEXo_uF74V3gc0slQyMuwPYuIIFuX2xq8poQtQ6qtyXgDQaigmsBZP8-HMLivYCoc22alZ8ha-04LkyygPV_2zspKMIooXQ9ivcVQ38LMmsXVlj8wZoKP3APLV8zIdTgnruv6hCciefQ/s2142/DSC_0855.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2142" data-original-width="1145" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUymrlpHYcqp_GW3pU-B5S61JOvR7KWZL5UTd7QgyPqmZ7tVKEXo_uF74V3gc0slQyMuwPYuIIFuX2xq8poQtQ6qtyXgDQaigmsBZP8-HMLivYCoc22alZ8ha-04LkyygPV_2zspKMIooXQ9ivcVQ38LMmsXVlj8wZoKP3APLV8zIdTgnruv6hCciefQ/w342-h640/DSC_0855.JPG" width="342" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigReVa_aPT2TL-xF9qsMABWROZZUlESD2Zua8EWg0pNnTo8jdlkzhVEpKhnkrPmnzto0JQbysD68RDae2vfYBVdzejSyB48EAGYBea2Tb45LBvGCO8PLJsroNzDAqGuHA9QtoUxebogGYoKJQUEDqsEdm2L_N-N4sCP0CHhqa4KANwJUOTSLwmaqIXbg/s2140/DSC_0857.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2140" data-original-width="1399" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigReVa_aPT2TL-xF9qsMABWROZZUlESD2Zua8EWg0pNnTo8jdlkzhVEpKhnkrPmnzto0JQbysD68RDae2vfYBVdzejSyB48EAGYBea2Tb45LBvGCO8PLJsroNzDAqGuHA9QtoUxebogGYoKJQUEDqsEdm2L_N-N4sCP0CHhqa4KANwJUOTSLwmaqIXbg/w418-h640/DSC_0857.JPG" width="418" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The trousers are the Victory Patterns Esther Pants, which I think I showed in passing in a post about something else. I made them about three years ago and they didn't fit me then, but I had spent so long getting every single thing right and sewing them as well as I could that I refused to get rid of them. They even survived the house-moving cull, despite me being no closer to fitting into them at the time. I'm now delighted I stubbornly held onto them, as they've been my best-fitting pair of trousers for the past eight months and I wear the shit out of them. This outfit is my current favourite and I wear it constantly. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCyepLgY2zgmHfy6oJrdoDCRY8i7KaUh0t-day_AcQqFHRjYW3JCVN8ZPoWBbvRWhAGNVIStq7vxnqiFXUOkgBeDbB7AJE3lHfvoAbJApZoRDgrqj-O_DQ1FDjJt4oT8XfQ3NafElGtLcbwwpJ2zU1JH7-FjFehDladT3pOi1Sfw4vmpXzAfhlKDEiVg/s2105/DSC_0862.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2105" data-original-width="1212" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCyepLgY2zgmHfy6oJrdoDCRY8i7KaUh0t-day_AcQqFHRjYW3JCVN8ZPoWBbvRWhAGNVIStq7vxnqiFXUOkgBeDbB7AJE3lHfvoAbJApZoRDgrqj-O_DQ1FDjJt4oT8XfQ3NafElGtLcbwwpJ2zU1JH7-FjFehDladT3pOi1Sfw4vmpXzAfhlKDEiVg/w368-h640/DSC_0862.JPG" width="368" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In standard fashion, I immediately wanted to make another version of this top and bought some quite pricey bamboo jersey to do so. This turned out to be a mistake. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt7mQvIxiCUwpqxDWaWO0Oe9GNgGCH9o4fBJ33PapINPjTtP6c9CiO-5gCkNrBAHiWEyU3XFf3dwyfDntfLVVVTGYHdrM2sFK_HfGZopMT2dOTCpcc8wyrVpkpYXR2Z8UVfT5x27qCvRdkSKFhflmQBnLZRdhVlVNBMTTtSPss1U-yGclcIieIwyJHQw/s1913/DSC_0778.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1913" data-original-width="1201" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt7mQvIxiCUwpqxDWaWO0Oe9GNgGCH9o4fBJ33PapINPjTtP6c9CiO-5gCkNrBAHiWEyU3XFf3dwyfDntfLVVVTGYHdrM2sFK_HfGZopMT2dOTCpcc8wyrVpkpYXR2Z8UVfT5x27qCvRdkSKFhflmQBnLZRdhVlVNBMTTtSPss1U-yGclcIieIwyJHQw/w402-h640/DSC_0778.JPG" width="402" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Other than the obvious Much Smaller Boob Window, which I don't fully understand and don't like (I think the lower part of the bodice is cut too high), version two looks basically okay in these photos. Let me assure you that it is not. The mock neck is not fitted enough to be made in this kind of jersey, and it looks like shit. Also if I move around too much it gets all distorted and weird-looking around the shoulders. I have thrown this version out, and am on the lookout for a jersey that's less... floppy? I'm not sure what the correct fabric word is here. But I will be making another, as soon as humanly possible.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdFGqIQzxy-8C8fle4p7kvmYWyiDBv6H8L6TZsBNRL5WQ98oXXjYDzaOc-p5n9CeSnq_hJ299mXIo5xSekEBzFd2BAho1u49DT1zW1kwLwKo9NdCj5mDyoGw7DhV1D-jwnUEaxI9wy25rxqgwBIhF5HGQv7itygFh6w_UhKUihsvUjtyQ3OkQxjpxkiQ/s2125/DSC_0792.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2125" data-original-width="1142" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdFGqIQzxy-8C8fle4p7kvmYWyiDBv6H8L6TZsBNRL5WQ98oXXjYDzaOc-p5n9CeSnq_hJ299mXIo5xSekEBzFd2BAho1u49DT1zW1kwLwKo9NdCj5mDyoGw7DhV1D-jwnUEaxI9wy25rxqgwBIhF5HGQv7itygFh6w_UhKUihsvUjtyQ3OkQxjpxkiQ/w344-h640/DSC_0792.JPG" width="344" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Before I get on to the shorts, I will quickly mention the scoop neck view, which doesn't really merit much analysis. It's a nice top, it fits me well because Deer & Doe's knit block always fits me well, I will make it again, I have very little to say about it. Here it is:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx0py_cT95VhpC9Zs4oQSKXA3f4kXMXw08V9Ca5brshmqRDsIB6aPTjWtTPmxbxczqRuz9n9rl_KNzR0J3FsZH7Fo9aImWl5f639ebfts7kwf98EVJDYFxpXlc6XAaDv3CnTfF5AWDc_WMtMs9mpj8h8UJZF9WDWM7e1bujs-wAa-YsM7Ru3v0w73mjQ/s1915/DSC_0796.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1915" data-original-width="1173" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx0py_cT95VhpC9Zs4oQSKXA3f4kXMXw08V9Ca5brshmqRDsIB6aPTjWtTPmxbxczqRuz9n9rl_KNzR0J3FsZH7Fo9aImWl5f639ebfts7kwf98EVJDYFxpXlc6XAaDv3CnTfF5AWDc_WMtMs9mpj8h8UJZF9WDWM7e1bujs-wAa-YsM7Ru3v0w73mjQ/w392-h640/DSC_0796.JPG" width="392" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">(Fabric is a remnant from a sweater knit Kielo I made back in the autumn and never got around to posting because I absolutely cannot justify any more standalone posts about the Kielo. There's probably an incoming post of "stuff I have literally nothing more to say about" that's almost entirely pictures, or another story post broken up with pictures of random shit I made.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The shorts are the Deer & Doe Chataigne. I bought the pattern in 2016, made it once, immediately sized out of the extremely limited range. But I kept the pattern because I liked it, and now I'm within that size range again I thought I'd have another go and see how it was fitting me these days. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwWm1fpC7cTyeIDNHaDAimE5ZkRk7MLtJg3guCtY66op5qzMbtZw-1xKGKayh8Sz3VZLmEjqdc5723ioO7VXRChkj1xADpJ5NPAAku9ghd7W3oLKLUg-LIq0SO6YtkQO7nIRdZ_tUb0UTng1rE60eBU7inKlp7XuiNT-fPs2JGriCJZ35oVHGy3tXf-g/s2080/DSC_0809.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2080" data-original-width="1244" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwWm1fpC7cTyeIDNHaDAimE5ZkRk7MLtJg3guCtY66op5qzMbtZw-1xKGKayh8Sz3VZLmEjqdc5723ioO7VXRChkj1xADpJ5NPAAku9ghd7W3oLKLUg-LIq0SO6YtkQO7nIRdZ_tUb0UTng1rE60eBU7inKlp7XuiNT-fPs2JGriCJZ35oVHGy3tXf-g/w382-h640/DSC_0809.JPG" width="382" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7DJBuYJ_VwDMcosDzJapVPd3UNxfCSlXHxP0EujqZID9a66NTCocS_S5roAW-h6A8UZLT-QlWp-DoEvT6ogwZyDA7DD1uzPjGk14UqVc02cSPYfsQAALcgbw1H7ZuCJXY9J5DpLntqArBSV1YUTiFsshezGJfdXpj0ZnR05dGbIrYMWhFH_Lnnws2iA/s2102/DSC_0816.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2102" data-original-width="1329" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7DJBuYJ_VwDMcosDzJapVPd3UNxfCSlXHxP0EujqZID9a66NTCocS_S5roAW-h6A8UZLT-QlWp-DoEvT6ogwZyDA7DD1uzPjGk14UqVc02cSPYfsQAALcgbw1H7ZuCJXY9J5DpLntqArBSV1YUTiFsshezGJfdXpj0ZnR05dGbIrYMWhFH_Lnnws2iA/w404-h640/DSC_0816.JPG" width="404" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You may recognise the fabric as a leftover from <a href="https://sewingandslapdashery.blogspot.com/2022/08/summer-sewing-vogue-8814.html" target="_blank">this dress</a>. You also may remember that the fabric is stretchy, so I didn't bother putting a zip in either the dress or these shorts. For the actual pair I eventually make (in a nice wool, to wear over tights) I will put the zip in, but this was only intended as a quick toile. I'm surprised by how much I like them, actually. Under normal circumstances bright blue shorts would never have occurred to me. I made size 46, which is what was already cut out and in retrospect absolutely did not fit me at all at the time. For my current size it works pretty well, though I will probably go down a size in the waist for my real pair. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm also thinking about making another version, in a low-stretch black ponte, to be my new pair of shorts for burlesque classes. The pattern has a second view with a high waist and scalloped hem, which seems like exactly what I want, but I will definitely want to practice the scalloped hem a few times first. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsW0olTQXhPkKUZLWrrSBxZnKiwKReTeJHItMVM2Q4jBJChp1IMUVjoE7jVN1sxsTimj74G_lzQLeaQOzHPLrWUqGrsIBGWg1vnwm74yRupqCZbF96904auDPhDZCkyef_l8QcDXozrTsC6xgkkvtfHPfDIP8rVrsueSOcmqkl9qp3PbpMQzH52uDkrQ/s1990/DSC_0797.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1990" data-original-width="1268" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsW0olTQXhPkKUZLWrrSBxZnKiwKReTeJHItMVM2Q4jBJChp1IMUVjoE7jVN1sxsTimj74G_lzQLeaQOzHPLrWUqGrsIBGWg1vnwm74yRupqCZbF96904auDPhDZCkyef_l8QcDXozrTsC6xgkkvtfHPfDIP8rVrsueSOcmqkl9qp3PbpMQzH52uDkrQ/w408-h640/DSC_0797.JPG" width="408" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm making the most of a couple of fairly quiet weeks. Once we hit mid-February my schedule is nuts for about two months straight, and I'm both excited about it and dreading it. On the one hand, Things are good. On the other, Things are exhausting. But I'm hoping to still carve out time to sew, and ideally make a proper plan for spring. Not promising anything, of course. But I hope so. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Up next: a DRAMA SKIRT</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u>Deer&Doe Orage (review of top versions only)</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u><br /></u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Fabric: </b>Green textured jersey from Abakhan // black bamboo jersey from Fabrics Galore // black and white sweater knit from Fabric Land</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Cost: </b>can only meaningfully cost the bamboo jersey, which was £24</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Pattern details: </b>tops, dress and skirt. Tops are: long sleeves, mock neck, cutout bodice; squared scoop neck and 3/4 sleeves; short sleeved crop top. Skirt is midi length with curved hem</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Size: </b>44</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Alterations: </b> Cropped the cutout bodice version, added cuffs and hem band</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Would make again/would recommend: </b>Yes/Yes</div><p></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115213563003924174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400826347245670815.post-9524542434831491222023-01-23T10:00:00.001+00:002023-01-23T10:09:41.583+00:00very complicated random sewing: style arc ormond designer coat<p>Over the past month or two, I've been doing quite a lot of sewing. I've not been especially good at sticking to my plans, but I have made a bunch of things from fabric I already had in my stash, and the majority of them turned out surprisingly well. Then they all sat around in my wardrobe because I couldn't be bothered to photograph them. Last week, on the day I finished the project you're about to see, I was suddenly hit with a bolt of motivation and photographed half a dozen things. It was below freezing outside at the time, which was fine for this specific garment but not so much for everything else. But the upshot is, I now have several posts scheduled and will be a slightly more reliable blogging presence for at least the next couple of months. </p><p>With that said, here's a surprisingly complicated project to have made at random:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVacNvPTpCHNRSpTphK_dIiYFW0a4ezxpsgugMlfhYFqr8LOeXLCbx35C5D1UcRVaVaeEOIRsFu4x_F0n6eknrYbK8m5ZBQX4KF2en_VgqHrt3lTJtj5_SCgiFAbg7ueeY1j6zIk_1vIfd_z7hiPFJsYAwsWW5ODpPr1VxgEnA4mwnNdhuHBSoJuJ9oA/s2194/DSC_0941.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2194" data-original-width="1355" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVacNvPTpCHNRSpTphK_dIiYFW0a4ezxpsgugMlfhYFqr8LOeXLCbx35C5D1UcRVaVaeEOIRsFu4x_F0n6eknrYbK8m5ZBQX4KF2en_VgqHrt3lTJtj5_SCgiFAbg7ueeY1j6zIk_1vIfd_z7hiPFJsYAwsWW5ODpPr1VxgEnA4mwnNdhuHBSoJuJ9oA/w396-h640/DSC_0941.JPG" width="396" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I made a coat! Which, also unusually for random sewing, is a thing I actually needed. My Rumana coat is now five years old and not holding up as well as I'd like, and though it still functions as a coat it's beginning to feel a bit shapeless and sloppy. In the December round of sub-zero temperatures I became deeply irritated with the fact that I had to hold my winter coat closed and was spurred on to finally make a new one. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyl9KkzZ4z37RrF6ZuC5X_MVgI5wIZGrOzTn5GyJsOloGWiXryopD5-fMFPkGOCYh99cHMRwfUucVNfRD83HMeK6DiGKwZ_NUwM5mB3xMfhD6pVgcJEdfuuYRgBGrULFHZCPGrx0AvsvUkkxy-DlDBFbXYEGRaF6dQjcLj9OOcVpMavHnp63ebvFOEDg/s2124/DSC_0940.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2124" data-original-width="1313" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyl9KkzZ4z37RrF6ZuC5X_MVgI5wIZGrOzTn5GyJsOloGWiXryopD5-fMFPkGOCYh99cHMRwfUucVNfRD83HMeK6DiGKwZ_NUwM5mB3xMfhD6pVgcJEdfuuYRgBGrULFHZCPGrx0AvsvUkkxy-DlDBFbXYEGRaF6dQjcLj9OOcVpMavHnp63ebvFOEDg/w396-h640/DSC_0940.JPG" width="396" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The fabric is a cashmere-effect wool mix that I bought from Fabric Godmother at the end of 2021. I've always wanted a green coat and snapped up the last 3m they had, and then spent months trying to find a pattern. I knew that it had to be at least knee-length (hip-length coats don't suit me and a jacket made in fabric this thick would be functionally useless), and for ages the only pattern I could find that would give me that much length out of 3m or less was the aforementioned Rumana, which I'm pretty sure I'm done with. Eventually I found and bought the Style Arc Ormond Designer Coat, which seemed to tick all the boxes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'd never used Style Arc before, and my first impressions were not the strongest. It's mostly silly stuff - the pattern is fine - but there were several things I wasn't a fan of. The layout of the PDF, for a start. The instructions were part of the pattern sheet, meaning that they had to be printed with the A0 file, and also that they come up on the screen sideways. One of the pattern pieces is split into two on the layout and has to be taped together. I don't know enough about things to know if this was unavoidable, but it just irritates me when I pay to have an A0 pattern printed and am then forced to tape shit anyway. The instructions seemed to have not been proofread, which bothers me more than it should. They were fairly minimal, which is not a problem for me personally, but the bits I found most confusing were the bits where they attempted to explain a step in more detail, and that absolutely is a problem for me personally. But as I say, the pattern itself is fine, so overall I would neither gravitate towards nor specifically reject another Style Arc pattern in future. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg93tK8QhaN9YgYZoyEiMCWLUjyuD1rylxi0r4qcsZC5x5Yp7x89xY8FM2AicP0H3_T-pfokwk2IPhwtnMIZ1wKgpNSyDFj6anQa-iz6FfRfV9tJUjCEfeNCwE_8AqSrApkp7CFubCz3pmjIT5s6ZD4-wSha8tj4GoAHYJlvwu4-DHu122kMG4L2p7VaA/s2056/DSC_0930.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2056" data-original-width="1320" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg93tK8QhaN9YgYZoyEiMCWLUjyuD1rylxi0r4qcsZC5x5Yp7x89xY8FM2AicP0H3_T-pfokwk2IPhwtnMIZ1wKgpNSyDFj6anQa-iz6FfRfV9tJUjCEfeNCwE_8AqSrApkp7CFubCz3pmjIT5s6ZD4-wSha8tj4GoAHYJlvwu4-DHu122kMG4L2p7VaA/w410-h640/DSC_0930.JPG" width="410" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">(Here's the lining fabric, which is a silky viscose from Walthamstow. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to put a plain lining in a coat, unless the outer fabric is crazy.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The coat is a raglan, and has a front panel, a side panel, and a back made up of three pieces including a waist insert. The ties are sandwiched in between the waist insert and the side panel, which I strongly prefer to a loose belt, but it does mean that the waist is in a very definite place, and on me that place is the wrong place. I have a very high waist and am much wider immediately below it, so in order to get the coat to stay comfortably closed I have to hitch the whole thing up. Were I to make this again I would take an inch off the upper back bodice and add an inch to the lower back, keeping the length but moving the waist to the right place for my body. It also has in-seam pockets. The pockets are between the front and side panels rather than attached to the back panel, so they are in a practical place for a coat, but having worn this coat for a week I still don't like them and would have been better off switching them out for welts. Honestly I still like the Rumana pockets the best and since this coat has a side panel, it might have been worth making a mock-up out of an old duvet cover to see if I could get a similar thing going here. But this was random sewing, and if I'd tried to do something like that I don't believe I would have made anything at all. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyOeQMZn9CWiAzj681J4wB0RrTsibO26SnCCvOI3eZucSsZ373DN2pBtFZg7z2HE1dm0cmw2qEKgzh7jRvgPY2uFhdGb0t0zco6ag1ZV1HoMvX5Dgp8Jwvxe3ezPY7YvCoT8Npxm0ogZFuf11it9Lg1xo45IxElv3X0atK0S5TPQtGL_3SXXi3mogdbg/s2116/DSC_0938.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2116" data-original-width="1369" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyOeQMZn9CWiAzj681J4wB0RrTsibO26SnCCvOI3eZucSsZ373DN2pBtFZg7z2HE1dm0cmw2qEKgzh7jRvgPY2uFhdGb0t0zco6ag1ZV1HoMvX5Dgp8Jwvxe3ezPY7YvCoT8Npxm0ogZFuf11it9Lg1xo45IxElv3X0atK0S5TPQtGL_3SXXi3mogdbg/w414-h640/DSC_0938.JPG" width="414" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvq8fGOIOXFXK4LYVz91wkqy0HXtfUTH4K4Z_oaWQ2sXJNrrVCSwYk0RCzypFMVXFNFajFyu2Ch1SIxdJt2TT-aDYj2o0dpp_4k8d3t49lQDqPYrjvUEToZpsgtiNsWmiueaEI2Gh7tNzq3Qic6ijkCDsNudIUOAOGxshOPZPeWW0SU3i_wu4-w-VdAA/s2205/DSC_0926.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2205" data-original-width="1316" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvq8fGOIOXFXK4LYVz91wkqy0HXtfUTH4K4Z_oaWQ2sXJNrrVCSwYk0RCzypFMVXFNFajFyu2Ch1SIxdJt2TT-aDYj2o0dpp_4k8d3t49lQDqPYrjvUEToZpsgtiNsWmiueaEI2Gh7tNzq3Qic6ijkCDsNudIUOAOGxshOPZPeWW0SU3i_wu4-w-VdAA/w382-h640/DSC_0926.JPG" width="382" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The upper back has a pleated detail into the waist, which I like in theory, but in practice (and certainly with this very thick fabric) it creates a lot of bulk that I'm not here for. The side silhouette especially is quite Notre-Dame. Were I to make this again, which is unlikely, I would definitely want to take some of that volume out. While I'm quibbling, the coat is hand-hemmed (though the sleeves are done by machine, thankfully) and I object to that on principle. Having only made a couple of coats I wasn't sure how to alter things for a machine hem, so I have hemmed it by hand, but a coat is a hard-wearing item and I don't think you should have to do large amounts of hand sewing. I'm also surprised at how little topstitching there was on this pattern - it's basically only the back of the collar, which you don't see. On a hypothetical second coat I would do a lot more, if only because I feel that a pattern specifically called "designer coat" should have a bit more in the way of details. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikkFIW5jqpZQ5hBhWj5GY1lXVR0xRL0LAFA1Ger8aIV6XFOQ_ddY4Xs-lpSrFj3JdwTzV6gVcJ-Bhti8McrhHjndPGL_8v5jUsWjSNdXllrkxyEoBS5kaf7OMi6b61c_KULmTTNwE6r5hN9SERASBZXCzCfRLuBFKOGbGAK_RGrbnSeHE5PJP2gfeL9Q/s2146/DSC_0916.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2146" data-original-width="1345" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikkFIW5jqpZQ5hBhWj5GY1lXVR0xRL0LAFA1Ger8aIV6XFOQ_ddY4Xs-lpSrFj3JdwTzV6gVcJ-Bhti8McrhHjndPGL_8v5jUsWjSNdXllrkxyEoBS5kaf7OMi6b61c_KULmTTNwE6r5hN9SERASBZXCzCfRLuBFKOGbGAK_RGrbnSeHE5PJP2gfeL9Q/w402-h640/DSC_0916.JPG" width="402" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">In terms of construction, my biggest issue was the sheer amount of bulk my machine had to sew through. Sewing the facing to the coat at the collar area - especially where I'd put in a hanging loop because I don't understand why sewing patterns don't have those - was a proper chore and my machine did not like it at all. Obviously this was exacerbated by my fabric choice, but if your machine isn't a workhorse it's probably going to be a bit of a struggle with any kind of wool. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">My second biggest issue was the lining. Once I'd sewn the lining to the facing I realised there was too much lining, and when trying to cut it down I made a major miscalculation and ended up with not enough lining. So I had to sew about two thirds of the piece I cut off back on again, and as a result there's a horizontal seam line running all the way across the lining. Which is not a big deal, but it is a thing. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The third issue was that whatever percentage of not-wool there is in this fabric made pressing much more difficult than I'd anticipated. I'm aware that it looks a little off in places and would like to assure everyone that I am regularly going back in with the iron and trying to make it behave itself. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggHiO88-Z1L5EX85uhaEFoKKYjb_pPB6cXmbKhsordcEwjxpVB5laJANpf71WESu-FWDjRnvoHzhx2kvt6gIufZcTjnlaaZUsVUpItm3duc2Y_bu0QxjAFmzNt0oGhmYlL2BqVpyWRZsoTd5H9XW7s1uPXCgXb5IQjoiDarr8ZU6tkuah3AgIozk1PJw/s2167/DSC_0933.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2167" data-original-width="1837" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggHiO88-Z1L5EX85uhaEFoKKYjb_pPB6cXmbKhsordcEwjxpVB5laJANpf71WESu-FWDjRnvoHzhx2kvt6gIufZcTjnlaaZUsVUpItm3duc2Y_bu0QxjAFmzNt0oGhmYlL2BqVpyWRZsoTd5H9XW7s1uPXCgXb5IQjoiDarr8ZU6tkuah3AgIozk1PJw/w339-h400/DSC_0933.JPG" width="339" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">On the whole, I'm pleased with this coat. I started sewing it just after the first cold snap and mocked myself for my poor timing, but it ended up being ready just in time for the second cold snap, and it is WARM. Once the temperatures go back up at the end of this week I suspect I won't actually be able to wear it closed without overheating (but I can tie the ties behind me and it'll be fine). Is it my favourite thing I've ever done? No. Will I use this pattern next time I want to make a coat? No. Will I wear my new green coat constantly? Absolutely. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In terms of whether I'd recommend this pattern, I would say that if you're in the situation I was in - need a knee-length coat, only have 3m of fabric and can't get any more of it - this is a decent shout. If you're in a position to be pickier, you can probably do better. There is nothing wrong with this pattern, and it's entirely possible that I was expecting a little too much of it because it's specifically named "designer", but my final impression is definitely "it worked for my specific circumstances" and not "you must all get yourselves one of these". But if it's already in your plans, I certainly wouldn't discourage you. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlKC8A7SliGM3sq6gu-xuSEFPMQhPd2i0A6y9iAXTPpXpmV1METmq7fh_hp5OLfDVt2ei8zlJJQqxOM4ge0P_RZeM4EZIMy2sSGbA5rcg_jClTg8m4ptxZI3yed1NCVkYxoKfGkV7eEJAEJMCy3pOV354sQ9lgKCjE_XrvafcjOU20P0Xi1LhNcyLADg/s2187/DSC_0936.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2187" data-original-width="1367" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlKC8A7SliGM3sq6gu-xuSEFPMQhPd2i0A6y9iAXTPpXpmV1METmq7fh_hp5OLfDVt2ei8zlJJQqxOM4ge0P_RZeM4EZIMy2sSGbA5rcg_jClTg8m4ptxZI3yed1NCVkYxoKfGkV7eEJAEJMCy3pOV354sQ9lgKCjE_XrvafcjOU20P0Xi1LhNcyLADg/w400-h640/DSC_0936.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As a brief life update, things are still pretty up and down and there doesn't seem to be any logic as to what's making me better or worse. Sewing is happening but not consistently, writing is happening but not consistently. Last week I started an improv course, which is basically my worst nightmare and I signed up for it precisely because it was my worst nightmare, and then went all shocked Pikachu face when I took the first class and found myself in my worst nightmare. I'm determined to continue, though. It will not defeat me. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Up next: my new favourite top, and a bonus toile or two! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u>Style Arc Ormond Designer Coat</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u><br /></u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Fabric: </b>Cashmere effect wool mix coating from Fabric Godmother // silky viscose from Walthamstow</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Cost: </b>£60 for everything</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Pattern details: </b>Raglan sleeve lined coat in two lengths, with one-piece front and side panels and waist insert in the back, four pleats in the upper back and inverted pleat in the skirt. In-seam pockets and sewn-in ties</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Size: </b>14</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Alterations: </b>Added a hanging loop</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Would make again/would recommend: </b>No/Maybe</div><p></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115213563003924174noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400826347245670815.post-68868632867803345222022-11-14T12:00:00.022+00:002022-11-14T12:00:00.150+00:00unnecessary versions of necessary things: Audrey cigarette pants<p>So once again, my health has not been great, and I need to stop coming here and making pronouncements that I'm totally fine now, guys. I am not totally fine, I still don't know exactly what's wrong, and I can't really commit to regular posting at the moment. But I did take some photos the other week, so I'm going to jump on the okay day I'm having to share something.</p><p>I've said on my last couple of planning posts that I need more trousers, and that becomes truer with every passing day. My waist is now eight inches smaller than it was this time last year and there comes a point where you can't feasibly take a pair of trousers in any more and have them still look okay. The trousers in this post are none of the things I suggested I might make and I'm honestly not sure how much wear they'll get, but they are trousers nevertheless, so let's review. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVEuz5ONxSSgRCpgjw8SJgPfaOgsJfSQ_spczgzbW-nnh6ZUckllc86rQyUTdn5kOBJFN2JwuIXInD_ZGiHTaBdJ9g54RJ4EjjTdOocQIC4_RFl0aPmCJpTec86mNoGXHwaepCtdkJHV1cbrV29UQvGxk33nRsqNgg-UnKH1xK8nId4CpPEzvs_pTO3A/s1933/DSC_0563.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1933" data-original-width="1326" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVEuz5ONxSSgRCpgjw8SJgPfaOgsJfSQ_spczgzbW-nnh6ZUckllc86rQyUTdn5kOBJFN2JwuIXInD_ZGiHTaBdJ9g54RJ4EjjTdOocQIC4_RFl0aPmCJpTec86mNoGXHwaepCtdkJHV1cbrV29UQvGxk33nRsqNgg-UnKH1xK8nId4CpPEzvs_pTO3A/w440-h640/DSC_0563.JPG" width="440" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;">(Also I dyed my hair black, which so far almost nobody has noticed. I'm thinking I might keep it for a while, though.)</p><p>This is another pattern I got from Gertie's Patreon, the Audrey cigarette pants. I hadn't had any immediate plans to make these, but then I was in a fabric shop after having a really shitty day, saw some fuchsia ponte, message Patrick asking if I wanted a pair of stretchy fuchsia trousers. And if the answer you want to that question is "no" then Patrick is not your man to go to for advice. So I bought it. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsBWNSJ1-wOM0UpgxmZjjvSQsrlw_LOilk7ngXyuOstlzezzR3V339O_OClzceavx70iHWjWmTcd7rmwqMaJgWbigFjb2jWwnd1TiI3g68GBsjWtVJZLI6v4aRHKhkSbFkGbaah8q4gnw3g16xZaYScEdCM5i0ckKaw7KyV6BduGot8tCt_qvwEr1L7A/s2081/DSC_0594.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2081" data-original-width="1135" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsBWNSJ1-wOM0UpgxmZjjvSQsrlw_LOilk7ngXyuOstlzezzR3V339O_OClzceavx70iHWjWmTcd7rmwqMaJgWbigFjb2jWwnd1TiI3g68GBsjWtVJZLI6v4aRHKhkSbFkGbaah8q4gnw3g16xZaYScEdCM5i0ckKaw7KyV6BduGot8tCt_qvwEr1L7A/w350-h640/DSC_0594.JPG" width="350" /></a></p><p>This was a quick enough sew that I managed it on a day of 32 degree heat (with a break in the middle to stand by a fan). Elastic waistband, pockets, pocket stay made of power mesh. I like all these details, though I will say that anything put into these pockets is extremely and immediately visible so I would probably only use them for holding my phone as I wander round the house. This particular waistband is one of those where the elastic is the same length as the fabric so there's no gathering, and I strongly prefer that. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIP-allyG9B3I6T2rgxJIkU1LIm1WKdiNd-dNl-eswUQECm6uw2MXDVqQWAgExYcVn8nRJ-uvcq0rNR8rx7RH4qnkJHqUznz2orHpn5Bklqmrp65_FjWXb79j9ZV5BharNDQFD4E5koG6Hea8BWOBWk5zvU_iknOhlRI2RPW0dQKTWnsyoAAcsYLUDwQ/s2154/DSC_0592.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2154" data-original-width="1234" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIP-allyG9B3I6T2rgxJIkU1LIm1WKdiNd-dNl-eswUQECm6uw2MXDVqQWAgExYcVn8nRJ-uvcq0rNR8rx7RH4qnkJHqUznz2orHpn5Bklqmrp65_FjWXb79j9ZV5BharNDQFD4E5koG6Hea8BWOBWk5zvU_iknOhlRI2RPW0dQKTWnsyoAAcsYLUDwQ/w366-h640/DSC_0592.JPG" width="366" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcP5ft6wmZKim4HLiumij07r_YVLkSDtwQu9PJrIk0C5CN3oBjhHnkKjs8cP5Wo1cQdx-8RhkWhiH3Kz3_fhjcWOBc3owoQi1O1DgVcGbGZmDEYubGzhQmSErdLRO1-2vwmQ_8jb-MrSJ-qN-zUNUlRJ_AdKvuKfJ9IKBmby1rpaqG5qmXMhj4T6hikw/s2125/DSC_0566.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2125" data-original-width="1242" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcP5ft6wmZKim4HLiumij07r_YVLkSDtwQu9PJrIk0C5CN3oBjhHnkKjs8cP5Wo1cQdx-8RhkWhiH3Kz3_fhjcWOBc3owoQi1O1DgVcGbGZmDEYubGzhQmSErdLRO1-2vwmQ_8jb-MrSJ-qN-zUNUlRJ_AdKvuKfJ9IKBmby1rpaqG5qmXMhj4T6hikw/w374-h640/DSC_0566.JPG" width="374" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;">(Also, check me out having visible muscles! This photo is the first time I've really seen it.)</p><p>The main problem I have with these trousers is the fit. I have the problem I always have with more fitted trouser legs, which is that they look too big and wrinkly when I make them in my usual size, but taking any fabric out makes them too skintight for me to want to wear in public. I also clearly need some sort of alteration in the front crotch but I'm not exactly sure what. Any advice on what I might need to do there would be very welcome! </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcdh6Ph0ZIZA35KrDeyoCOUZy1ZqyCQTPbwZWQXD5CtRfB3qsMSLffKyFRiBx48rmiV9NnBdcZeObb4YCl6r8cUonwmNyc2IrxNsmYg7CKbtX5b6tW6RqItmvbx0ie6XvB6PVlzwDkkDwKPcRK2RZoFLj-uDx7mxQGRlOJT4VI_Zb8bdzhXc-uDOKpWQ/s2072/DSC_0590.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2072" data-original-width="1324" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcdh6Ph0ZIZA35KrDeyoCOUZy1ZqyCQTPbwZWQXD5CtRfB3qsMSLffKyFRiBx48rmiV9NnBdcZeObb4YCl6r8cUonwmNyc2IrxNsmYg7CKbtX5b6tW6RqItmvbx0ie6XvB6PVlzwDkkDwKPcRK2RZoFLj-uDx7mxQGRlOJT4VI_Zb8bdzhXc-uDOKpWQ/w408-h640/DSC_0590.JPG" width="408" /></a></p><p>I'm interested to see whether I'll feel able to wear these. So far I've only found this one way to style them that I like, and given that this is just a literal bra there aren't going to be many occasions for dressing like this. Which is a shame, really, because this is some amazing 80s trash right here. I can't really tuck things into them because you can see the lines, though I might get away with a bodysuit, and I just can't see myself becoming a tunics person. I'm definitely down to try things out (as long as they're not tunics, or really anything where the goal is to cover up most of the trousers). </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5HS_GGQI5blopnMTE3iv_MZsKdP6lOLbv1vhCUuOcGA77N82mBw8rMMBXU7FeKTeE_swxtKfS3eDVkPvefu70VdzEHy16yZlABrgeFyK2fm243MRRwcylixZU_S_ChKrvgr5JQw006k6r9wIsQzq_wcF9sH7GQ3BD99O2IEGIOUAOhtC7i-jHftDjw/s2018/DSC_0581.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2018" data-original-width="1285" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5HS_GGQI5blopnMTE3iv_MZsKdP6lOLbv1vhCUuOcGA77N82mBw8rMMBXU7FeKTeE_swxtKfS3eDVkPvefu70VdzEHy16yZlABrgeFyK2fm243MRRwcylixZU_S_ChKrvgr5JQw006k6r9wIsQzq_wcF9sH7GQ3BD99O2IEGIOUAOhtC7i-jHftDjw/w408-h640/DSC_0581.JPG" width="408" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am planning to have another go at this pattern. In September I got to go back to Abakhan for the first time in ages (I used to go with my mother-in-law when we visited Patrick's family, but they've moved several hours further away so it's very rarely an option anymore) and I picked up some green ponte which is much thicker, and thus maybe more forgiving, than this pink stuff. I really like the idea of the silhouette and would like to find a way to make a pair that feel a little more wearable for everyday. It's definitely the fit not the colour that's giving me pause, obviously - I never met an obnoxious trouser I didn't like. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjktwz624K-a9a7svVBDLUERSOsfMw-T_TkSRwyDaw8XR9B2sf6V-RTZzz9NRUgsEvMWVkI5tZqSl1niat0uv06mC5HfqmfyBkloh_cNXPCQcIufs43mbINuEjJwUB7dzCgZv_Q9edyOeUeblc8UK6ZLg2SOS6JaDhZn4SxCcVZcL1tAqB0MKpG6h2s1Q/s2238/DSC_0569.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2238" data-original-width="1277" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjktwz624K-a9a7svVBDLUERSOsfMw-T_TkSRwyDaw8XR9B2sf6V-RTZzz9NRUgsEvMWVkI5tZqSl1niat0uv06mC5HfqmfyBkloh_cNXPCQcIufs43mbINuEjJwUB7dzCgZv_Q9edyOeUeblc8UK6ZLg2SOS6JaDhZn4SxCcVZcL1tAqB0MKpG6h2s1Q/w366-h640/DSC_0569.JPG" width="366" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I do have another couple of sets of pictures taken, so hopefully I can get my head round another write-up or two this week. If not, I'll be back when I can. Sewing is still happening on and off, though not quite to the degree I might have liked, and I have made some stuff I'm genuinely pleased with. Fingers crossed I'll post again very soon! </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAuAgbLpmqmeTFeCpHsXmmnFQmeYuxXtEjKyA7rH2VA587ruYMsh18f0oIZs5mckWoS0nxve-tZiO7B6CcP_-Sqcf_pTcP0xyhqzo51ToaNzksDrQYfykzjMCTNnB5qHFu9saD-TGtuAaCH0tJA2bArS4WEFX-Q40QyLPLZYDMpLt2VkOKddNIUQbmJA/s2192/DSC_0612.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2192" data-original-width="1312" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAuAgbLpmqmeTFeCpHsXmmnFQmeYuxXtEjKyA7rH2VA587ruYMsh18f0oIZs5mckWoS0nxve-tZiO7B6CcP_-Sqcf_pTcP0xyhqzo51ToaNzksDrQYfykzjMCTNnB5qHFu9saD-TGtuAaCH0tJA2bArS4WEFX-Q40QyLPLZYDMpLt2VkOKddNIUQbmJA/w384-h640/DSC_0612.JPG" width="384" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u>Charm Patterns Audrey cigarette pants</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u><br /></u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Fabric: </b>Fuchsia ponte from Fabrics Galore</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Cost: </b>£24</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Pattern details: </b>Cigarette pants in two lengths with slash pockets, mesh pocket stay and wide elastic waistband. Capri length comes with optional grommets and lacing</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Size: </b>10 waist, 12 hips</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Alterations: </b>None</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Would make again/would recommend: </b>Maybe/Maybe</div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115213563003924174noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400826347245670815.post-49685526585825956812022-09-19T14:00:00.001+01:002022-09-19T14:00:00.156+01:00sewing plan: autumn 2022<p>Hi! It's been kind of a rough month. We've been incredibly busy, my health crashed again because of course it did, and I also got the worst haircut of my entire life so I really didn't want to take any photos. (It's been fixed now.) We're off on holiday in two days so I won't have the time to try and back into the groove until October. I'd wanted to have this plan properly thought out, all fabrics acquired and photographed, but I haven't got round to it and if I don't post it now I will probably end up not doing it at all, so here, have some half-formed ideas! </p><p>This is another super-short plan, and it's actually even shorter than it looks since I'm only planning to do one of my two challenges, but hopefully that will enable me to get everything done in the time I have. In addition to this stuff I want to make a couple of basic tops - we went back to North Wales for a bit earlier this month and I was able to raid the Abakhan remnant bins again - but I don't think it's worth making them an item on the plan when I won't have a single useful word to say about them beyond "they exist now". </p><p>Here's the abridged project list: </p><p><u><b>Challenges</b></u></p><p>I had decided originally to set myself two challenges for autumn, but given how September has gone so far I think it's not too likely I'll manage both. I'm going to put them both here anyway, with the expectation that I'll do one out of two. If both happen, that's a nice bonus. </p><p><u>A corset</u></p><p>I started this literally a year ago and it stalled, first because of my mental health and then because I was changing size too rapidly, but things seem to be sufficiently stable now that I could get on with it. I have a semi-completed mock-up that I'm going to continue with, though I'm expecting to need to do a second one given size changes. </p><p><u>A pair of jeans</u></p><p>I mentioned this as a possibility in my summer plan, and I do think I'd like to try it. I'm still thinking of the Charm Patterns Marilyn jeans - I'm just not a jeans-and-a-T-shirt kind of woman and if I'm going to have jeans they need to be a bit more... something. So vintage style jeans might be the way to go. Mostly this will be a skill and confidence building exercise rather than a means to an end of owning a pair of jeans. I'm quite certain I can make a pair of jeans but because it's something I've never done it's been filed under "Scary Thing" in my brain. I'm sure it doesn't belong there, so I'm going to make some jeans. </p><p><b><u>Easy wardrobe fillers</u></b></p><p>The rest of the plan is intentionally fairly straightforward. I don't want to have to think too hard about these projects, I don't want to have to learn any other new skills, and I want to be able to use these projects as palate cleansers for the more difficult stuff, or as a way to get my motivation back if (when?) the more complicated things prove too frustrating. Two of them are things I need, and the other is joyful nonsense that I'm very much looking forward to. </p><p><u>A trans-seasonal jumpsuit</u></p><p>I love wearing jumpsuits, and I have more than half a dozen I love, but they're all either strictly for summer or evening wear. I would love to have one or two that would work for cooler weather. Honestly I'm still chasing the high of the blue M7626 in <a href="https://sewingandslapdashery.blogspot.com/2017/11/autumn-sewing-mccalls-m7626-jumpsuit.html" target="_blank">this post</a> - I loved it so much but I never got it to fit me properly. I also ran into problems with the more wearable olive version, ie. the layers of corduroy made everything super bulky and there wasn't really enough room in the crotch area for me to sit down comfortably in it. Nevertheless, option one is still to just try that exact same thing again. Option two is a Deer&Doe Sirocco in something a little more casual than black velvet. I may do both. </p><p><u>A pair of trousers</u></p><p>I'm at the point now where very few of my old faithful pairs of trousers fit, and as we go into autumn (and I get more interested in trying to pair separates together) I'm going to need to start replacing them. Having already given myself one difficult trouser project, I don't want to reinvent the wheel here. I want something pretty simple, wide leg but not too wide leg, hits my natural waist, has decent pockets. What I do not have right now is a go-to pattern for this, so this is probably my most complicated "easy" project because it will involve me trying some stuff out. I'm going to see if I can size down my block before I go buying any new patterns or anything. </p><p><u>The Murder Dress</u></p><p>I'm going to do it. Raspberry leopard print velvet off-the-shoulder wiggle dress. I am not going to make it floor length (though I'm not promising I won't make a floor length one the next time I see some exciting-looking velvet), I may or may not make the skirt a little more fitted, and in order to actually wear it I will probably have to find some sort of performance opportunity. It is going to be one of the least wearable things I've ever made, but I have concluded that anything else would be kind of a disappointment next to the vision of the Murder Dress. </p><p><br /></p><p>That's as much as I'm prepared to commit to for now. We're away for a week so I won't be posting next Monday, but I hope to be in a better place for photography when we come back so that I can get on with posting the rest of my summer projects! </p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115213563003924174noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400826347245670815.post-64794733950702661382022-08-15T10:00:00.020+01:002022-08-15T10:00:00.183+01:00a deeply unseasonal sweater knit dress (and bonus top)<p> In surprising New Silhouette news, I'm considering becoming a shoulders person. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfC43O3VMU1g8pLcZXy3bsRP9zABxW456ir_m6tx0OeKGxUvEmlx-8KHR0pprWLrgVwRVPgN9_NPT2diefN_wB5QoQTbdC5XZhfwBKgi_uyl1gEEUJlupYAkXX1t0ZAx6ta6B3LdGWg_QB1UWlmzqKnQFTT7Vlks3_WW_Q7kcMl5_UJbsHT-sj9Rm6Sg/s2290/DSC_0149.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2290" data-original-width="1414" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfC43O3VMU1g8pLcZXy3bsRP9zABxW456ir_m6tx0OeKGxUvEmlx-8KHR0pprWLrgVwRVPgN9_NPT2diefN_wB5QoQTbdC5XZhfwBKgi_uyl1gEEUJlupYAkXX1t0ZAx6ta6B3LdGWg_QB1UWlmzqKnQFTT7Vlks3_WW_Q7kcMl5_UJbsHT-sj9Rm6Sg/w396-h640/DSC_0149.JPG" width="396" /></a></p><p>I've been in and out of Gertie's Patreon a few times now. I don't love all the patterns she puts out there - I'm not particularly into vintage cosplay these days and I was never into the cutesy stuff - but they usually have interesting details, and a good chunk of it is stuff that I can make up in a not-so-vintage style. This one is the Joan wiggle dress, and this version is a trial I made to see if I a) liked the style in general and b) wanted to use my raspberry leopard print velvet on this pattern. (answers: a) yes and b) jury's still out.) I always loved the idea of this kind of dress but shied away because of potential stomach clinginess. And, as you may be getting bored of hearing me say, my concern about that sort of shit has been rapidly on the decrease. It was time. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYzy7JLytKYoFQKmzJJdo0Rha6J_e9AsVAjPDaHjDjaiG9bFohOmQDf9p58gR8_e3V80AckmXjPjuwRfFSxAERtGsisW-cZuSzaEksJtt-EB5s0jTfdfQG1ucD2Y2yO5NrB7tF10waNHqvt4VYRc60uoMSjvaK0vFdLNQD3f2DUTT_RvRjRiwE7K_Wcg/s2249/DSC_0115.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2249" data-original-width="1278" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYzy7JLytKYoFQKmzJJdo0Rha6J_e9AsVAjPDaHjDjaiG9bFohOmQDf9p58gR8_e3V80AckmXjPjuwRfFSxAERtGsisW-cZuSzaEksJtt-EB5s0jTfdfQG1ucD2Y2yO5NrB7tF10waNHqvt4VYRc60uoMSjvaK0vFdLNQD3f2DUTT_RvRjRiwE7K_Wcg/w364-h640/DSC_0115.JPG" width="364" /></a></p><p>The fabric is a purple and black marl sweater knit from Fabric Land, which I bought three metres of initially and then found myself with more than half of it left after deciding to make another version of my <a href="https://sewingandslapdashery.blogspot.com/2019/10/autumn-sewing-hoodie-dress.html" target="_blank">Named Ruska hoodie hack</a> with it. I never bothered posting it, I don't think, but I made it in January and it gets a decent amount of wear when it's colder. I'd assumed that the leftover fabric would have to be a top or jumper of some kind and was originally only going to make the top version of the Joan rather than the dress, but this is not a fabric-hungry pattern and I thought, fuck it, sexy sweater dress in the middle of summer, why not. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJOxHwAZa6DIfggYkStEZJFVY_IS5mIU44QCoIyACewQHGg9ov2IrskYKNDrrplUlGHviwjsOlSJCRsQmFW0x_FptfoEDoLSIpylgrF9xPTX5KefuE9KSKXbubR7U1tNWDdTL6cUhG27jMgCFKDcEtNnk-FNkve_kRc4FxCyWByERdPWJUS6hCjJ4OnQ/s2218/DSC_0118.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2218" data-original-width="1321" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJOxHwAZa6DIfggYkStEZJFVY_IS5mIU44QCoIyACewQHGg9ov2IrskYKNDrrplUlGHviwjsOlSJCRsQmFW0x_FptfoEDoLSIpylgrF9xPTX5KefuE9KSKXbubR7U1tNWDdTL6cUhG27jMgCFKDcEtNnk-FNkve_kRc4FxCyWByERdPWJUS6hCjJ4OnQ/w382-h640/DSC_0118.JPG" width="382" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaeJv0msZsF4HwIVj5mhKFLi52EyAySe_mBwkrv2_b3NO4PL7QyOgYIRB7Xe-6mBBBxpL0-XC4VrYd8PIHqPjg7b0jLMJwi0I67s8uGruay32I0HvlppQYTn_7UVNS1nJsG1nBU5AKYkPUUYBTtU9ow2By34LztSJB0WnVI6EdJWrqIPQ01tmJuT-HrQ/s2339/DSC_0121.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2339" data-original-width="1201" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaeJv0msZsF4HwIVj5mhKFLi52EyAySe_mBwkrv2_b3NO4PL7QyOgYIRB7Xe-6mBBBxpL0-XC4VrYd8PIHqPjg7b0jLMJwi0I67s8uGruay32I0HvlppQYTn_7UVNS1nJsG1nBU5AKYkPUUYBTtU9ow2By34LztSJB0WnVI6EdJWrqIPQ01tmJuT-HrQ/w328-h640/DSC_0121.JPG" width="328" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;">Construction-wise this is pretty straightforward; the biggest problem I had was that the fabric kept breaking my overlocker (inexplicably, it instantly unthreaded one of the loopers every time I tried to put this fabric under it) so I had to sew it all on the regular machine. I used a scrap of black viscose jersey to line the bodice and sleeves and get a nice finish. It's meant to be longer than this, but I didn't quite have enough fabric for the full thing. And, if we're honest, I would have ended up cutting it above the knee anyway. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFG813BZz-u0lb9efVx1EFAnD6ZvJXPyQ8i7uJWdwywESKQkUArvT0Ohq2mciubX4ljYi8ko0bijfcUAsqO2Rh_nVGRDN11z1FmaDWQ9lXf6jSsSUF-I3mUM2uqTX9Tz3H4-dSzf5c3nadbnex_R1tdBEEeSiZRCPfhQlfWQ3pWCyEcApALTkZ0zoN7A/s2152/DSC_0141.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2152" data-original-width="1156" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFG813BZz-u0lb9efVx1EFAnD6ZvJXPyQ8i7uJWdwywESKQkUArvT0Ohq2mciubX4ljYi8ko0bijfcUAsqO2Rh_nVGRDN11z1FmaDWQ9lXf6jSsSUF-I3mUM2uqTX9Tz3H4-dSzf5c3nadbnex_R1tdBEEeSiZRCPfhQlfWQ3pWCyEcApALTkZ0zoN7A/w344-h640/DSC_0141.JPG" width="344" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuwLaavQXQOLQ27RtWPcee9v9X6rspktUmb2rVe_n9vSb97Y00KRKefB6VTv5qbWqo2__3QfRz39FVy_IdFKMK_D7X0LSzJc3h8JwNJX05jXJN9MGI7k0EOBvAjrIeCzDSmxN_00nNDSdGcMA5Rw7SLfSsFNsPoXSpEc-uo4yeoqzTN832KLOGQPm89g/s2152/DSC_0144.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2152" data-original-width="1341" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuwLaavQXQOLQ27RtWPcee9v9X6rspktUmb2rVe_n9vSb97Y00KRKefB6VTv5qbWqo2__3QfRz39FVy_IdFKMK_D7X0LSzJc3h8JwNJX05jXJN9MGI7k0EOBvAjrIeCzDSmxN_00nNDSdGcMA5Rw7SLfSsFNsPoXSpEc-uo4yeoqzTN832KLOGQPm89g/w398-h640/DSC_0144.JPG" width="398" /></a></p><p>Visually, I'm super into this. I think it looks great. Both the silhouette and the neckline are pretty new to me, so it's cool to see myself in something so different. Obviously it's extremely off-the-shoulder and there's no way to cheat wearing a regular bra with it (I mean, in these photos I am wearing a regular bra with the straps pulled down, but I wouldn't want to spend an entire evening like that). So the amount of wear this gets depends on whether I can find a longline strapless bra that comes in a G cup, which I honestly didn't think would be that difficult. I was wrong. I am actively on the hunt as we speak. I think it says a lot about how much I like this exposed-shoulders thing that I'm willing to entirely throw out my longstanding rule about clothes you have to wear special bras for.</p><p>I also don't really have shoes that go with this. I picked these because I'm six foot one in them and I feel like this is a dress that one takes up more space in, but for real life I probably need something else. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPPFl1BusmnDAQtaPT3EKZeVAgtlpuzSdSbIddE6KObD3FiRzlqGCLu3zeHifLvb3aLig4DTOm68KOmeMplVd0zEtUh_14aAhE_ccdMO2UVbWiAgKRlFinacKeYFbk_HGb6kPpTNrN3vaQ0a5HZhTKw_ALBYEnI32FDzGR8N2gHTYc5HXJ8_BUM1vFyQ/s2187/DSC_0125.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2187" data-original-width="1235" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPPFl1BusmnDAQtaPT3EKZeVAgtlpuzSdSbIddE6KObD3FiRzlqGCLu3zeHifLvb3aLig4DTOm68KOmeMplVd0zEtUh_14aAhE_ccdMO2UVbWiAgKRlFinacKeYFbk_HGb6kPpTNrN3vaQ0a5HZhTKw_ALBYEnI32FDzGR8N2gHTYc5HXJ8_BUM1vFyQ/w362-h640/DSC_0125.JPG" width="362" /></a></p><p>(I took all these photos while listening to burlesque music. This may or may not be apparent.)</p><p>I also had about 50% of the tiger print fabric left over from my Nettie (which is done and photographed and I will post at some point, but I have zero things to say about it so I'm waiting until I have a post I can tack it on the end of), so I decided to use it to make a top:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmtlDsxFpu4E2Wb-WTGCDpk-uoe8KZwI6A8fm6cT_lilM90fkQXQZmDjakkkXHqtuvL14KbHYVsNjTk35wQcBbErTWl6VJf9n6G9GRaSQ4PJKjqLfKRrBtXj7mUFbxJbu27No8suYozfiFMKs86gTUpPFX-PP4wF1Nq_8tL33RCJ8VDCcB3cZNle8gA/s2295/DSC_0172.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2295" data-original-width="1202" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmtlDsxFpu4E2Wb-WTGCDpk-uoe8KZwI6A8fm6cT_lilM90fkQXQZmDjakkkXHqtuvL14KbHYVsNjTk35wQcBbErTWl6VJf9n6G9GRaSQ4PJKjqLfKRrBtXj7mUFbxJbu27No8suYozfiFMKs86gTUpPFX-PP4wF1Nq_8tL33RCJ8VDCcB3cZNle8gA/w336-h640/DSC_0172.JPG" width="336" /></a></div><p>Which I'm also kind of into. Is it a bit much for everyday? Sure. Do I often enjoy being a bit much? I mean... you've all seen the stuff I make. It's going to have to be a really comfortable strapless bra, though. For the dress version I lined the bodice, but I decided that was an extra layer I didn't need in a top, so I just cut an extra strip of jersey to use as a facing and topstitched it down. It could probably do with some elastic in the neckline, so I will probably go back and put that in before it stretches out much more. </p><p>(The trousers are Victory Patterns Esther. I made them in 2020, they didn't fit me at all until a few months ago. I'm glad I was pleased enough with the construction to stubbornly hold onto them because they're currently my best-fitting pair of trousers.)</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86a8J9w0SqDBCTh8WGZ09nAo8VUnx5RNB3C7e4V03B4-X-g1KVE60byxxTjAZSYFZZ8mNxbestFRVzNIHGwLMN5PaG_Wubv-y-D__K40FEegUWUCDNo85v7aPIU5GmcDJboED8l3ftFxUL1QEFXneUSxJ8-QA4SBO8zX5QUJJS5MCHun-nS3CW9v4Qw/s2170/DSC_0112.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2170" data-original-width="1217" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86a8J9w0SqDBCTh8WGZ09nAo8VUnx5RNB3C7e4V03B4-X-g1KVE60byxxTjAZSYFZZ8mNxbestFRVzNIHGwLMN5PaG_Wubv-y-D__K40FEegUWUCDNo85v7aPIU5GmcDJboED8l3ftFxUL1QEFXneUSxJ8-QA4SBO8zX5QUJJS5MCHun-nS3CW9v4Qw/w358-h640/DSC_0112.JPG" width="358" /></a></p><p>I would absolutely make this again, after I have acquired this mythical strapless bra. I've rarely done exposed shoulders at any point in my life and I'm extremely here for the way it looks on me. I'm still undecided about the raspberry velvet, though. I really wanted to make something that I might be able to wear semi-regularly, which this absolutely wouldn't be, but maybe there's something to be said for making a very occasional dress to just straight up murder people with. Technically this pattern would only use about half the amount of velvet I have, so I would have the option to also make something a little less... specific, shall we say, with the rest of it. But I don't know what that something would be, and the temptation to just make this dress but floor length might be too great to resist. I'm really not sure. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKM4gQMIbahlRwzfIXAPfUNDINACpWhk1XBkyYrMHclbddmY_JvJy5dyY05AAe3RGooNJYHfaL-xOQ1lBPzTvTScM1UgDm2zTiBwOES6TfeXwK2bWlI_wEYpr0XFGQmOvjWs8cICbqwcFzrbfX8A_udZI-x7Q1ejKJ8sCH8K7CZodiAMdSKzyTFeHLbQ/s2228/DSC_0127.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2228" data-original-width="1245" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKM4gQMIbahlRwzfIXAPfUNDINACpWhk1XBkyYrMHclbddmY_JvJy5dyY05AAe3RGooNJYHfaL-xOQ1lBPzTvTScM1UgDm2zTiBwOES6TfeXwK2bWlI_wEYpr0XFGQmOvjWs8cICbqwcFzrbfX8A_udZI-x7Q1ejKJ8sCH8K7CZodiAMdSKzyTFeHLbQ/w358-h640/DSC_0127.JPG" width="358" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Up next: either a pair of trousers, or several things I can't stretch out to their own individual posts, depending on which one I finish writing first! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u>Charm Patterns Joan wiggle dress (Patreon)</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u><br /></u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Fabric: </b>sweater knit from Fabric Land<br /><b>Cost: </b>approx. £7.50<br /><b>Pattern details: </b>Close-fitting knit dress (and top) with either a high slash neck or off-the-shoulder sweetheart neckline<br /><b>Size: </b>10 H cup<br /><b>Alterations: </b>Skirt shortened by several inches<br /><b>Would make again/would recommend: </b>Yes/Yes</div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115213563003924174noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400826347245670815.post-45782861752527870952022-08-08T10:00:00.004+01:002022-08-08T10:00:00.176+01:00summer sewing: vogue 8814<p>Alright, we're a fair way into August, better post the first one of my summer sewing projects! I'm actually not progressing too badly with them, but the finishing and photographing has been a real pain. I got four things off my WIP pile on Saturday and photographed a bunch of stuff yesterday, when it was way too hot and sunny for such things. First up, one of my experiments. The one I was 95% sure was going to fail miserably.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu2rr7oekDih69mDMpsh0QO_BOiynqb8xtJdv1ASnnPDnEmqfxXvAPgHhy81weWKiotiKsIaYA6Nwf4N1LhWJuPjWvcxLGoC37wIThkHPdpwd7M54BOT9IxIVeD5H9pupYus5wPX9E_Nq1mS2GW80Y9-gEcsladcmBY0Tg2XQTzGth8nZsxOHXq0waOQ/s2154/DSC_0059.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2154" data-original-width="1351" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu2rr7oekDih69mDMpsh0QO_BOiynqb8xtJdv1ASnnPDnEmqfxXvAPgHhy81weWKiotiKsIaYA6Nwf4N1LhWJuPjWvcxLGoC37wIThkHPdpwd7M54BOT9IxIVeD5H9pupYus5wPX9E_Nq1mS2GW80Y9-gEcsladcmBY0Tg2XQTzGth8nZsxOHXq0waOQ/w402-h640/DSC_0059.JPG" width="402" /></a></p><p>I will freely admit that I had to put this on in front of the mirror a fair few times before I adjusted to what I was seeing, but now that I have? I'm actually quite pleased. I think this sort of works. It certainly isn't the number one most flattering thing I've ever put on my body in my life, but it's substantially better than I expected. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3wjB6ikj9nPbJq5_bDjiwJbB38B_6EM3xRIgk87Yi-IT3B3ODMIzk8OPPwSRSyAPUN0S2R6zG09-JZ1jhg7RRWejNRygLnVLeNyvZ7A9pJTk80T37TdAVEIlLw5eIgI3FQS0xiJYVGrZTZq5ew8bTGdViT4ucxoRTa8R4EaJhlpGOxGJeoXnlU1HQPA/s2263/DSC_0054.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2263" data-original-width="1270" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3wjB6ikj9nPbJq5_bDjiwJbB38B_6EM3xRIgk87Yi-IT3B3ODMIzk8OPPwSRSyAPUN0S2R6zG09-JZ1jhg7RRWejNRygLnVLeNyvZ7A9pJTk80T37TdAVEIlLw5eIgI3FQS0xiJYVGrZTZq5ew8bTGdViT4ucxoRTa8R4EaJhlpGOxGJeoXnlU1HQPA/w360-h640/DSC_0054.JPG" width="360" /></a></p><p>I've had this fabric for well over a year now. You may recall it from <a href="https://sewingandslapdashery.blogspot.com/2021/04/a-fabric-haul.html" target="_blank">this post</a>, which is now finally almost done with except that static-conducting microfibre crepe. I bought it without a plan assuming it would have a million uses, but I got completely stuck trying to pair it with a pattern. There's something very bridesmaid about the sheen, and I couldn't shake the idea that if I made one of my go-to dresses from it, I would just look like I got lost on the way to my best friend's wedding. I really wanted it to be something good because the colour is incredible, but nothing seemed right. Eventually I got fed up with it, decided it was going to be used for toiles instead, and cut this out fully expecting it to be hideous.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjofDPTDtDZn2ub1utSB7J40jCWVPG96I1bp_15AYXax-hsYErnhMk7C3js2KuDPc0REew2imoMcmqqApPl6Sm9n9QpQjw6PmZr8T3NMTtLGIl1jl51w3magr4CkdbD_n2AxDzjl4noYEOKjgAxVRoZ2kLOgYbgT-pOUBiPKnKjQ4ztNiepEe7XXCK21Q/s2159/DSC_0047.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2159" data-original-width="1403" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjofDPTDtDZn2ub1utSB7J40jCWVPG96I1bp_15AYXax-hsYErnhMk7C3js2KuDPc0REew2imoMcmqqApPl6Sm9n9QpQjw6PmZr8T3NMTtLGIl1jl51w3magr4CkdbD_n2AxDzjl4noYEOKjgAxVRoZ2kLOgYbgT-pOUBiPKnKjQ4ztNiepEe7XXCK21Q/w416-h640/DSC_0047.JPG" width="416" /></a></p><p>It's true that if I was suddenly urgently required for bridesmaid duties this weekend, this would not look out of place. But I do think it's different enough to allow me to wear it as just a dress, too. I haven't yet fully decided if I will (mostly because I'm not sure what level of formality and versatility it's at), but I am pleasantly surprised by how this looks on me. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEM8CUXFIBTk_EALkuY1RWp5EwBfDdrwvbG7XAPoXE4peo2bLUnfC2gAj6cY9E1RwhWNHAtzKUG-6-pRZFz0UA-WbQqG43RiETkvssjhgF1RFX3Im9zzL7isGG1bERYcREYDpuVchtFqWb5Qyf1YrAqXXqdLoaJB4XqP7ToZZfxPXGWXSozwzeiMdbRg/s2121/DSC_0048.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2121" data-original-width="1265" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEM8CUXFIBTk_EALkuY1RWp5EwBfDdrwvbG7XAPoXE4peo2bLUnfC2gAj6cY9E1RwhWNHAtzKUG-6-pRZFz0UA-WbQqG43RiETkvssjhgF1RFX3Im9zzL7isGG1bERYcREYDpuVchtFqWb5Qyf1YrAqXXqdLoaJB4XqP7ToZZfxPXGWXSozwzeiMdbRg/w382-h640/DSC_0048.JPG" width="382" /></a></p><p>This pattern - Vogue 8814 - has been in my stash for years and years. I've picked it up and put it down again many times. I love 20s and 30s style but have never really felt comfortable in the silhouettes because I don't have that body type, so my insistence on keeping a quasi-flapper haircut is the only way you'd really know. As I've said several times this year, I've been getting more confident generally recently, which has led to a desire for variety greater than my desire to style myself in conventionally flattering ways at all times, and it seemed wise to jump on that to finally try this pattern.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1H5esPYTwh_ZbDRVneUJiCcC0pnevnS1huu37oXqWijL9hub7gySFxuHsm1aJQMTnpbM5FNUgFIUbRhAF9OwxvdIKZ_Om5zAKG1oN5dYP8CiAql5N7LeRLAmJcXggoAQIcCwtRpaGhDnkQYHn_i33AH0SEEA_wsYeo7WYeViHw_p863AQvTTwolPnHg/s2158/DSC_0049.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2158" data-original-width="1314" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1H5esPYTwh_ZbDRVneUJiCcC0pnevnS1huu37oXqWijL9hub7gySFxuHsm1aJQMTnpbM5FNUgFIUbRhAF9OwxvdIKZ_Om5zAKG1oN5dYP8CiAql5N7LeRLAmJcXggoAQIcCwtRpaGhDnkQYHn_i33AH0SEEA_wsYeo7WYeViHw_p863AQvTTwolPnHg/w390-h640/DSC_0049.JPG" width="390" /></a></p><p>I did make a couple of changes. This fabric has enough stretch to let me just pull it on, so I dispensed with the zip and made the bodice lining in a stretch fabric as well. The pattern comes with cup sizes but I found that I still had a fair bit of excess fabric at the armhole, so I put a dart in to get rid of it. It's also intended for much lighter fabrics than this one. For me personally, starting off with a heavier and thus slightly more visually forgiving fabric was the correct thing to do. It certainly does lose something in the way of movement and delicacy and general slinkiness, and maybe that will come another time, but for my very first fabric arrow pointing directly at my stomach, something with a bit of a smoothing effect did not go amiss. I also shortened it a couple of inches from the knee-length version, as I usually do. I keep trying below the knee styles, and the consensus is always "that looks odd". </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3898IDeQUuhgTbFYndQSqmraTiLRMJJf3riJdd_v2kp73cl0-zs9BcNPd4NgEqzQCRDVFpNsKXP_3-358AgUmpDsdFLc6OyCfdTE01ASdG8BITengAAYA484hsG6B676lcRwvTzBtQQImrAhU--i9LeBSxSjox9YybAl4G_g5r8_88nl1WI2PsI5Dg/s2251/DSC_0066.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2251" data-original-width="1343" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3898IDeQUuhgTbFYndQSqmraTiLRMJJf3riJdd_v2kp73cl0-zs9BcNPd4NgEqzQCRDVFpNsKXP_3-358AgUmpDsdFLc6OyCfdTE01ASdG8BITengAAYA484hsG6B676lcRwvTzBtQQImrAhU--i9LeBSxSjox9YybAl4G_g5r8_88nl1WI2PsI5Dg/w382-h640/DSC_0066.JPG" width="382" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAqchVycmzHBbv4jWMB6k8npj3VTbk-Y5cg4wkXX86Psnj4Ydjk3DHksCiO_fIEO7vBDNTL1nXsD6fx7qLSq5v3n_HDoayi9eefB6wmaDyXGQ7s6iEOkRecrpGjRhomuc2qkUNSUlgm05TJpFMy_QlEdTUiUjbpwEJEDue6do6pTGeAQcCjW5Xkx759Q/s2209/DSC_0064.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2209" data-original-width="1265" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAqchVycmzHBbv4jWMB6k8npj3VTbk-Y5cg4wkXX86Psnj4Ydjk3DHksCiO_fIEO7vBDNTL1nXsD6fx7qLSq5v3n_HDoayi9eefB6wmaDyXGQ7s6iEOkRecrpGjRhomuc2qkUNSUlgm05TJpFMy_QlEdTUiUjbpwEJEDue6do6pTGeAQcCjW5Xkx759Q/w366-h640/DSC_0064.JPG" width="366" /></a></p><p>Construction was pretty easy, though I had moved myself down a few difficulty levels by not picking something super shifty that would have been deeply annoying to sew in bias-cut pieces. I will say this fabric didn't exactly cover itself in glory - it was functionally impossible to press and thus incredibly difficult to sew a decent circular hem. For any future versions of this dress, I would want to do a swayback adjustment and add in a bit more space at the bust. The pattern comes with cup sizes up to D, and I could have done with one or two more. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyGUeYY7TCUJ1ZOdgyI6V2MFed6ONa6NuoryBGAu_PupDdDiBzrtXOaifoW7bb0_AEVzIt44XTpb-Qf99ZHRZqvzJUTnPXq1HPWz9zLuQQoK9FqL9hi3jXwTcxZl0tjya0gVU-0rpWjf0GIp2re-1GQeZrhPi-33U2wAZxPT45nDN3zaGnsSpPJkWpNw/s2170/DSC_0050.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2170" data-original-width="1324" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyGUeYY7TCUJ1ZOdgyI6V2MFed6ONa6NuoryBGAu_PupDdDiBzrtXOaifoW7bb0_AEVzIt44XTpb-Qf99ZHRZqvzJUTnPXq1HPWz9zLuQQoK9FqL9hi3jXwTcxZl0tjya0gVU-0rpWjf0GIp2re-1GQeZrhPi-33U2wAZxPT45nDN3zaGnsSpPJkWpNw/w390-h640/DSC_0050.JPG" width="390" /></a></p><p>This dress and I have a deal that I will, at least once, wear it out of the house. I'm not yet sure where. I'm also not yet sure about the styling - I went full Art Deco for the photos but it's possible I'd find it more wearable if I modernised the shoes. I do think, though, that I actually kind of like this, and I'm quite looking forward to an opportunity to go out in it. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdkW3baqQmgEqkhSuMC7LxG5hl_zSkMne1K_WAYEVasy27ousI6N4y5488k9imTBY3tnFZ8N9llwTNwsdEUtaw_A_uuHz4KM9cc_P09hYWSV0bXFbuNHBHA2IG3Z8ZQlWWIXGUt8b1Cgat5yl-txA3625rAiKcl-CkHy5GUbclEncEAvoPFyonxneG2g/s2365/DSC_0068.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2365" data-original-width="1336" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdkW3baqQmgEqkhSuMC7LxG5hl_zSkMne1K_WAYEVasy27ousI6N4y5488k9imTBY3tnFZ8N9llwTNwsdEUtaw_A_uuHz4KM9cc_P09hYWSV0bXFbuNHBHA2IG3Z8ZQlWWIXGUt8b1Cgat5yl-txA3625rAiKcl-CkHy5GUbclEncEAvoPFyonxneG2g/w362-h640/DSC_0068.JPG" width="362" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, overall, an excellent start to my silhouette experiments. I'm genuinely surprised by how this turned out and I think it'll spur me on to try more new stuff. I don't know if I'll make this exact thing again - I don't think my wardrobe needs two of these - but I'm open to the idea somewhere down the line. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And now, a few pictures of me trying to remember how to do the Charleston:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizuIAGNfZCtvl5drgdRUeqro7sG1yzjVbzDMrPl1IDw8x43qUyR8rBFUpitZL5HzQtuQbxUsbVCbe_JmgHJew3MB6UBDNwkY4B908tbxnXjmfHTzO4tJHqiN4t_RB5l2qbG7Xl6HSUkqaoNFd8MH3fIWqNFfFrn55ZDquI4YwyTxArkZFK-IywG47E5g/s2284/DSC_0046.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2284" data-original-width="1449" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizuIAGNfZCtvl5drgdRUeqro7sG1yzjVbzDMrPl1IDw8x43qUyR8rBFUpitZL5HzQtuQbxUsbVCbe_JmgHJew3MB6UBDNwkY4B908tbxnXjmfHTzO4tJHqiN4t_RB5l2qbG7Xl6HSUkqaoNFd8MH3fIWqNFfFrn55ZDquI4YwyTxArkZFK-IywG47E5g/w406-h640/DSC_0046.JPG" width="406" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFjU1u0LPT9HuDiZvpjQVbIFuUNnnIMF2pRmLzGtJLWOXijDZXsF-MhddxE47mtpCP9oppRAFieloDwAxpBGGi0Qk7Fh_2LIWwPP1ED5VRzKPNHgdfwH2hB1KIJ1MfEeH_tROLkLOEgioi0Mkr8jiwe4xdytnv-FG-i02Toxzv2wPK7sdNhHrAhEanyw/s2387/DSC_0061.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2387" data-original-width="1601" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFjU1u0LPT9HuDiZvpjQVbIFuUNnnIMF2pRmLzGtJLWOXijDZXsF-MhddxE47mtpCP9oppRAFieloDwAxpBGGi0Qk7Fh_2LIWwPP1ED5VRzKPNHgdfwH2hB1KIJ1MfEeH_tROLkLOEgioi0Mkr8jiwe4xdytnv-FG-i02Toxzv2wPK7sdNhHrAhEanyw/w430-h640/DSC_0061.JPG" width="430" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5B5zhPHZcp-JcyPgVYSisbZ7Ntdlre-RiLqyRxG9URnzhZ_a4Ws9oG0OIFnXe_n3dZAvm4MQSAgAQoVcsHyQdzzYYlPYZZ982HsWEiVIg8_rf4n4MOh3yaAdU-bsjc39Enbts-0qtb5YXB8u4pM3zS9zUjiccoacmG-Naof83sTkpgyXQVXqiyau0YA/s2254/DSC_0072.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2254" data-original-width="1619" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5B5zhPHZcp-JcyPgVYSisbZ7Ntdlre-RiLqyRxG9URnzhZ_a4Ws9oG0OIFnXe_n3dZAvm4MQSAgAQoVcsHyQdzzYYlPYZZ982HsWEiVIg8_rf4n4MOh3yaAdU-bsjc39Enbts-0qtb5YXB8u4pM3zS9zUjiccoacmG-Naof83sTkpgyXQVXqiyau0YA/w460-h640/DSC_0072.JPG" width="460" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Up next will either be something else from my plans or something deeply unseasonal, depending on which post I finish writing first. But the photos are taken, so there will be one! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u>Vogue 8814</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u><br /></u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Fabric: </b>medium weight stretch crepe from Walthamstow</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Cost:</b> £10 (I paid £20 for 4m and have about half of it left)<br /><b>Pattern details: </b>Bias cut 1930s dress with dropped waist, full skirt, and back zip. Alternate view with a lower cut front, cross-back straps, and longer skirt<br /><b>Size: </b>16 D cup<br /><b>Alterations: </b>Zip omitted due to stretch fabric, skirt shortened, extra dart added at the bust<br /><b>Would make again/would recommend: </b>Maybe/Yes</div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115213563003924174noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400826347245670815.post-47606210896835747162022-07-25T14:00:00.004+01:002022-07-25T14:00:00.179+01:00story time: my first terrible dressmaking class<p>(There has not been sewing or photos this week. Have a story instead.)</p><p>I've been thinking lately about the perils of writing reviews as a beginner (and as a non-expert in the subject matter in general). I started writing reviews and posting finished garment photos from the very beginning, with my first ever project, and I have not the smallest regret about doing so - my learning experience was so much better because I could see everything I made and read my own notes on each project so easily. It was inspiring to see clear evidence of the progress I was making, and most importantly (for me), I could see my own struggles and style ruts and traps I was prone to fall into, which enabled me to course correct away from them without getting bogged down in self-criticism. I also know that my personal experiences and photos of patterns on my specific body type have been useful for people. Sharing the experiences of a beginner has a lot of value. </p><p>But it is difficult, when you don't know a lot. You blame yourself for things, gloss right over mistakes because you don't even realise they are mistakes, and you don't direct criticism towards the people you've paid for the fabric or the pattern or the class because you don't know how much it's warranted. I knew at the time that I'd had a bad experience with my first dressmaking class, but I was so overwhelmed with all the new stuff (and also <i>very </i>ill at the time) that I never made a complaint about it. </p><p>(Small note: I'm not going to mention the company in this post. Since I wrote about it at the time it's extremely easy to find out who I'm talking about, but I really don't want this to be a call-out or a bad review or something they have to answer for. These classes don't even run anymore, and the teacher I'm about to talk about had been completely erased from their website the very next time I went to look for a class there. This is just an anecdote, not a drama post.)</p><p>The story unfolds like this:</p><p>It was 2015. I (not far off a complete mental breakdown) had signed up to a beginner dressmaking class with my friend Anna. We'd been talking about it for a while, with the intention of someday actually being able to own trousers that fit, and we were excited to finally get started. I was also extremely insecure about my size at the time, and was very nervous about getting measured and picking a size in front of other people, which will become relevant very shortly. </p><p>We bought our fabric in their shop before the class. I didn't really like any of their regular cottons, which were all very pretty florals or novelty prints and thus not me at all, and asked if the much thicker stretch cotton they were also selling would make the project more difficult for me. The woman on the register told me to go for it in a way that, in retrospect, meant "this is not a good idea but I don't want to say no to a customer". So I bought that, and I should not have. </p><p>The teacher introduced herself. I legitimately cannot remember her name now, so for the purposes of this story I'm going to call her Kara. Kara told us that we were making a circle skirt over the course of two evenings, and that circle skirts were the best beginner project because you only needed your waist measurement. She measured her own waist to demonstrate, and read her measurement out loud multiple times. She read it out in centimetres, and I don't think she or anyone else in the room had any real concept of what size that was (one of the stupidest things about being British is that for any given type of measurement we've picked metric or imperial at random, and the other is complete gibberish to us). There was a size chart on the table; as she was speaking I looked down at it to see that said waist measurement was towards the very top end of the pattern's (very small) range. In a room full of otherwise extremely thin women, I felt temporarily reassured. </p><p>"So," said Kara to the class, "that waist measurement would put me in a size..." <br /></p><p>She looked down at the size chart to complete her sentence, and I could see her balk at it. She took the size chart away from view, and started talking about something else. Several minutes later she came back to the topic at hand, and said "so for my waist measurement, which is... you know, I'm going to be kind to myself and say [number literally <i>seven centimetres smaller</i>] which puts me in a size 12!" </p><p>Side note: I hate that I remember so vividly that it was seven centimetres smaller. But my relationship with my body at the time was so bad, and the experience of thinking I might have an ally and then finding out that she just was not prepared to be that size was such a slap that it has been seared into my brain ever since. There are a lot of stupid things like this seared into my brain. It takes up all the space that's supposed to be for things like "where did I put my headphones". </p><p>Kara did not give us back the size chart. What she did instead was send us away to our individual cutting tables and had us hold the tape measure up to the waistband piece. I can see that this is a thing that technically works, but I have never seen it since and don't see any reason to do that when you have a size chart. She then came around to all of us individually, asked us to show her where the tape measure landed, and told everyone they needed to go up two sizes "for wearing ease". Having literally never used a sewing pattern before in my life I assumed she must be right about how this worked, but because she'd made it so clear that she found it shameful to be a "big" size (lol) I lied about my waist measurement when she got to me. And that's how I got the best fitting - but still too big - skirt in the class. </p><p>I still don't know why she told us to do this. It could be that she was insecure about most of the women being so small like I was, but I think the most likely explanation is that when she made things for herself she preferred the mental gymnastics of "I'm really a size 12 but I make an 18 for wearing ease" to the more straightforward "my waist measurement corresponds with a size 18 for this pattern so that's what I'm making" and it just didn't occur to her that everyone else didn't operate this way. </p><p>We cut out our skirts and started sewing them. It was all completely uneventful until we had to put the zips in. Kara had all sorts of "techniques" that often made whatever we were trying to do more difficult, and if you chose not to use them she would stand over you and glare. I was using four different "techniques" to get this regular-ass zip into a skirt - back seam basted shut, zip both pinned and hand-basted in, pins marking the bottom of the zip, stitching line drawn on the fabric in disappearing pen even though both the pen and my skirt were the exact same shade of purple - and I could not do it. I couldn't get it started. I spent an hour doing this. Kara kept coming over but could provide no assistance except to keep suggesting I draw the purple line on the purple skirt as though that were the real problem. </p><p>I took the skirt home. I spent the entire week trying to get that zip in with no success. I came in super early the following week (super early even by sewing class standards - is it just in London where you can walk in fifteen minutes early to a full room and have the teacher say in a put-upon voice, "well, now that everyone is <i>finally </i>here we can make a start"?) to work on it. I was in a bit of a panic at this point, wondering how I could be this bad at sewing that I couldn't even make a basic skirt in the most beginner class. I'd been trying this for a few minutes when another teacher noticed there were people here for the class inconceivably early, and shouted through from another room.</p><p>Second teacher: Are you alright in there?<br />Me: Yeah, sorry, I came in early to try and get this zip in. I've been trying all week.<br />Second teacher: What's the problem?<br />Me: I can't get started.<br />Second teacher: Oh, that's probably because your fabric's thicker. Just start sewing a bit further down the zip and backstitch to get it sewn up at the edge. <br />Me: Oh. [does exactly this and gets the zip sewn in one go in twenty seconds] Thanks, I've done it now.<br /></p><p>I spent a week on that goddamn thing because Techniques Kara didn't think to mention that the fabric should be far enough under the presser foot that the needle can actually sew rather than just bumping into the edge. Graaahhh. </p><p>(My friend Anna, by this point, had given up and insisted that Kara insert the zip for her. On our way out of the class she said thoughtfully, "I would have expected that getting the teacher to do it for me would give me a perfect zip. And, you know, it really isn't.")</p><p>Then came hemming. I'm glad the era of Circle Skirts for Beginners seems to be over because it really is a stupid idea. Nine thousand miles of curved hem is a skill that takes time to get the hang of, and also when you're in a class you don't have time to let the bias drop so your skirt ends up looking wonky even if you somehow managed to sew the hem perfectly. My fabric did not want to press, and Kara had a full zero techniques for dealing with this. I spent about two hours pinning the shit out of it, and my final hem, even to my complete beginner eyes, was atrocious. I am not even close to a perfectionist when it comes to my sewing, but I barely wore that skirt because I was embarrassed by it. The skirt I keep as my "sentimental first project" skirt is the second one I made by myself. </p><p>With all the skirts finished, everyone tried them on. And surprise, none of the skirts fitted. Mine fit the best, because I lied to her. I had yet another mild self-esteem crisis watching a roomful of tiny women pull their waistbands far, far away from themselves and say things like "I'm so relieved, I went home <i>crying </i>to my boyfriend about being a size 12". Kara attempted to fix one person's skirt by just... overlocking a random amount off the side, waistband and all. She offered the same to Anna, who said very politely that she'd much rather take the waistband off and cut fabric from both side seams, so that said seams would be in the right place and there wouldn't be giant overlock lumps in the waistband. Kara nodded, turned away, and gave up on her. </p><p>Nearly seven years later Anna has not finished that skirt, so nice work there, Kara. In fact it was only last month, after years and years of my offering, that Anna came to my sewing room and made her second ever garment. The pattern she picked happened to be the first jersey top pattern that I ever made, and it was quite a trip going through the instructions now and thinking, "wait, but <i>why </i>are you doing it like that?" over and over again. </p><p>In retrospect, I find the whole thing hilarious (in a sad sort of way, because there's all sorts of insidious societal stuff represented here). A sewing teacher who could not instruct a beginner to put in a zip, insisted the entire class make the wrong size, <i>confiscated the size chart, </i>and tried to fix her mistakes by making the skirts lopsided. It's very funny to me, now, that it didn't occur to her not to measure herself in front of everyone and to just say something like, "If you have, for example, a 30 inch waist, you'd be size X. If you have a 31 inch waist we recommend you size up to size Y." It's not like she was making a skirt along with us! We would never have known! </p><p>I wonder sometimes if anyone else who was there still sews, or even made anything else at all after the class finished. I'm still going, but if I hadn't been ill and stuck at home instead of going out dancing four or five nights a week as I had been, I can't imagine I'd have bothered. I had to get a lot better at sewing to realise just how bad Kara was at teaching, and if I hadn't bothered to continue I would never have known just how little of the whole experience was down to me fucking up. I would have thought the size thing was stupid, but I also would have thought I was just bad at sewing, and it wasn't for me. </p><p>Here is the skirt in question, by the way, on 2015 Jen (who hadn't worked out how to frame her project photos yet) in her back garden in Tottenham. It doesn't look like the worst thing in the world in photographs, but oh the pain it put me through:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiuiLhX8amzcIV7nBkvGsEA2VmfCmBSTfTAW5Owq4_DEYNkn2MbtHn98TiYlLLbdfcr8AtHvs9wN1AO1TkJVKSKfBqjpAYCAQ7gtr6UMU4Pw3JfERlNW_yQNbAm9BZY_PmEUhK8Hk7oo130ieZ0gBB2S5_c4pvOGpaRn18e9al8F-2OG0T3azrXkM1faA=s1600" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="2015 Jen in her unfortunate purple circle skirt" border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1074" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiuiLhX8amzcIV7nBkvGsEA2VmfCmBSTfTAW5Owq4_DEYNkn2MbtHn98TiYlLLbdfcr8AtHvs9wN1AO1TkJVKSKfBqjpAYCAQ7gtr6UMU4Pw3JfERlNW_yQNbAm9BZY_PmEUhK8Hk7oo130ieZ0gBB2S5_c4pvOGpaRn18e9al8F-2OG0T3azrXkM1faA=w430-h640" width="430" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sometimes I even wonder what became of Kara. As I said at the beginning, the next time I went to the website her name was nowhere to be seen on the list of teachers. I wonder if someone else complained. I wonder if she's still trying to teach sewing. I wonder if she moved on to a different subject and is out there somewhere giving piano lessons by staying, Marge Simpson-style, one lesson ahead of the kid. </div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115213563003924174noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400826347245670815.post-80738950207266866552022-07-11T10:00:00.176+01:002022-07-11T10:00:00.164+01:00fail: Vogue 8825<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So I've not yet got round to taking pictures of my newer projects yet, but I did remember that last time I did a mass photoshoot I did document a failure that might be useful to share. I made this dress back in February and it's already gone - I tried wearing it and it just did not work for me at all. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFKmXmYRnmTGkbpg4wMu7YwsHMKAGDZutcnzQudQeSektA_gOC4tI8iOZHvfKyGlkAd7INDpGl9svnsHdIQTLtPxkIruQf-2_j3_yeHz-KiACV9qOvKs5QMc0_gnAA-iupWE8yu08wyqqlDUFDQdtIzGNP9ZnRX1n0LUiy3nJe7Wo86tDed7HHqyUC1A/s1935/DSC_0610.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1935" data-original-width="1100" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFKmXmYRnmTGkbpg4wMu7YwsHMKAGDZutcnzQudQeSektA_gOC4tI8iOZHvfKyGlkAd7INDpGl9svnsHdIQTLtPxkIruQf-2_j3_yeHz-KiACV9qOvKs5QMc0_gnAA-iupWE8yu08wyqqlDUFDQdtIzGNP9ZnRX1n0LUiy3nJe7Wo86tDed7HHqyUC1A/w364-h640/DSC_0610.JPG" width="364" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This pattern is Vogue 8825, and I've owned it for years. I went through a phase of buying big 4 patterns on sale thinking it would help get me out of a sewing rut and losing all drive to experiment by the time they arrived. I've given away a chunk of those patterns and it's been a low-key goal of mine to eventually try out all the ones I liked enough to hold onto. I do think a big chunk of the reason I held onto this one is because there's a green version on the pattern envelope and I am obsessed with green stuff to a degree I probably shouldn't be. But it also seemed like it wouldn't be the most taxing or time-consuming to try out, so I gave it a go. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim5RxXXEgd9hQ2vzOUIZFh1W9-r2yDvwACOQUOLay9L5N8oVlOct489AhnVjDJMOTx-YOS1-LGqCFhOucs2KuwW95CIqnyO-xkQRrNdiHj8Rkj__dTAP5CXaTB99IBecC4CJ5_Pco_qyx7lOAGdmZLbEnE8kZ4goOWf-hEVwVRNz4jFpjFckCMZeKTcg/s2005/DSC_0611.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2005" data-original-width="1196" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim5RxXXEgd9hQ2vzOUIZFh1W9-r2yDvwACOQUOLay9L5N8oVlOct489AhnVjDJMOTx-YOS1-LGqCFhOucs2KuwW95CIqnyO-xkQRrNdiHj8Rkj__dTAP5CXaTB99IBecC4CJ5_Pco_qyx7lOAGdmZLbEnE8kZ4goOWf-hEVwVRNz4jFpjFckCMZeKTcg/w382-h640/DSC_0611.JPG" width="382" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The problem I was expecting to have with this dress was that it would look too secretarial. I've only seen a couple of people review the pattern and I remember one of them in particular saying "it's nice enough, but I look like I'm going to an office job I don't have". As I also do not have an office job (though I'm hoping that may change soon), I was discouraged from trying it out myself. When I bought this sweater knit from Fabric Land I had the idea that the dress might look less corporate made in a more casual fabric... and yep. That worked much too well and I just look like I'm wearing a giant cardigan. For a while I considered keeping this as a house dress, but the neckline isn't secure enough to slob around in. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4kkwfYTdY09kEuWsUK8icIoEi9uf6lCa-uL9-G2tWK4u_47ZFW53whEsmleh5UbYlcKRNZT5gVanzgcP1sgsfYA0jollv_oejJUVJcddpC-BTQShs5KwOaCtzwgQ7PEeYS5_GjvfxKByLurEAmm9cfShyw3Yqy8388Eda3rrnmDpKwuChwBC2GhFung/s1887/DSC_0614.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1887" data-original-width="1190" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4kkwfYTdY09kEuWsUK8icIoEi9uf6lCa-uL9-G2tWK4u_47ZFW53whEsmleh5UbYlcKRNZT5gVanzgcP1sgsfYA0jollv_oejJUVJcddpC-BTQShs5KwOaCtzwgQ7PEeYS5_GjvfxKByLurEAmm9cfShyw3Yqy8388Eda3rrnmDpKwuChwBC2GhFung/w404-h640/DSC_0614.JPG" width="404" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnt1hHm296q-2NS59CzcBe5nWyvHSVtdcoyKFJK01DrKbm89wVmRgqLYuABg5t-8J_X7ZHptmprrpV9Gj5x6SVqJJ33tDC5LFaskaRZNnbRHv8q3p7_y_ifeKvnww9j8HQyAT3kETye1aYHDSarR-0XNcrgIl53sfIEN27fTAScJ7uwJfru3S5V1h2kQ/s2098/DSC_0615.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2098" data-original-width="1273" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnt1hHm296q-2NS59CzcBe5nWyvHSVtdcoyKFJK01DrKbm89wVmRgqLYuABg5t-8J_X7ZHptmprrpV9Gj5x6SVqJJ33tDC5LFaskaRZNnbRHv8q3p7_y_ifeKvnww9j8HQyAT3kETye1aYHDSarR-0XNcrgIl53sfIEN27fTAScJ7uwJfru3S5V1h2kQ/w388-h640/DSC_0615.JPG" width="388" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I cut between a 16-18 and that was too big. Without the ties this thing is enormous and too hideous for me to put on the internet. That's certainly at least in part down to my choice of fabric and my playing it safe with the skirt size because I really didn't want it to cling. I cut it slightly shorter than directed so it would hit just above my knee. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The pattern has wide cuffs to gather the sleeve into, but when I first tried it on I didn't like that at all so I took them out again. I like the idea but it looked super weird on this particular dress. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWkks60ZiKLy0A59WXJdIH17hCBcTvxr6siwQ-R0t3e6YTBtrvkrHq54bM0JtW3Btb4k-mwBj-MtJ2U8jtmzoFlMAxkoXtWNF4kUP21ffERw42Jv6dJPCIjJVvmJ3N_YtNSvoUFCyFA_LreynrAXezW6sVLMHiB_c68iTGoWmqiFxmx-ZBsnOEjYjdHQ/s2019/DSC_0618.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2019" data-original-width="1207" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWkks60ZiKLy0A59WXJdIH17hCBcTvxr6siwQ-R0t3e6YTBtrvkrHq54bM0JtW3Btb4k-mwBj-MtJ2U8jtmzoFlMAxkoXtWNF4kUP21ffERw42Jv6dJPCIjJVvmJ3N_YtNSvoUFCyFA_LreynrAXezW6sVLMHiB_c68iTGoWmqiFxmx-ZBsnOEjYjdHQ/w382-h640/DSC_0618.JPG" width="382" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My biggest problem with this dress is the top, which looks fine in these pictures but that's because I spent some time carefully arranging it for decency's sake. It's a mock-wrap with a grown on facing and if I were ever to make this again I would need to go in and re-engineer the whole thing. Undeniably I needed a smaller size, but if there's one thing I have learned again and again it's that a wrap bodice needs a finishing method that makes it sit right. Because the front extends into the back collar I wouldn't just be able to swap the facing out for jersey bands, but some elastic at least is needed to stop this just flopping open every which way. Honestly if I did want a dress that looked like this I would probably Frankenstein it together from other patterns rather than try to make this one work. This isn't wearable and I don't like it enough to pour a bunch of effort into retroactive fitting. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">(also the hem looks like shit, but I was past caring by that point)</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWKsLuw0ppxRJhe7KN5Ni1c_4YdywX2sGl2QcdHpktOm8JQ8wq5NqQDun6o3qXUxbjUlVMdKbHBQAepkvWU6pfzdFe40f0IRxqTtQ0aVtGaB_wGD2v1Kg0sRjQgGOE_6Ri89pho__eqek1v188QahmlRuxzJGvexeNZ8RY123sAl-8WAGieUN5rdZl-w/s2017/DSC_0619.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2017" data-original-width="1186" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWKsLuw0ppxRJhe7KN5Ni1c_4YdywX2sGl2QcdHpktOm8JQ8wq5NqQDun6o3qXUxbjUlVMdKbHBQAepkvWU6pfzdFe40f0IRxqTtQ0aVtGaB_wGD2v1Kg0sRjQgGOE_6Ri89pho__eqek1v188QahmlRuxzJGvexeNZ8RY123sAl-8WAGieUN5rdZl-w/w376-h640/DSC_0619.JPG" width="376" /></a></div><br />So this dress is gone, never to be seen again. As is the pattern. The fact that it's still available implies to me that it must be popular, but I don't recommend it, especially if you have a lot of bust. If you have the skills to get this to fit then you have the skills to bodge together something very similar from patterns you already have. I just did not get on with this at all and didn't find either the sewing or the wearing experiences to be enjoyable. I knew this would be an experiment, and it turned out to be a failed experiment, but I am pleased nevertheless that I'm starting to get into my ancient stash of patterns and try some new stuff out. <div><br /></div><div>I did have a ton of this fabric (it was the end of the bolt so I just took the entire thing) and had enough to make yet another Named Kielo, which you don't need me to say a single word more about ever but here is a six-month-old picture of it:<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIBcHmJ5QN42taLutxuMs5mWFrH5r50pBK1fZ-dUaQrlCgKH3kYQtastaWX9jomDLl9c2_EvlJrwJMH5Yo-aBGOTIs7CU9XE1qmhMIPF47benHfiSAiQrk8dyEuVRsYJ8yzY_FZMdnKnz02CuRK0x1ZIXu1ZkzWsDSGWiYrRtJCGABGRUR6R46F-_qdg/s2467/DSC_0274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2467" data-original-width="1944" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIBcHmJ5QN42taLutxuMs5mWFrH5r50pBK1fZ-dUaQrlCgKH3kYQtastaWX9jomDLl9c2_EvlJrwJMH5Yo-aBGOTIs7CU9XE1qmhMIPF47benHfiSAiQrk8dyEuVRsYJ8yzY_FZMdnKnz02CuRK0x1ZIXu1ZkzWsDSGWiYrRtJCGABGRUR6R46F-_qdg/w504-h640/DSC_0274.JPG" width="504" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I wore this constantly for four months until it got too hot. I love the colour of this fabric and am really glad I've been able to get some of it into my wardrobe. Also when I have my glasses on I look like Velma from Scooby Doo and that brings me joy. </div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I continue to hope that I'll be in a place for photoshoots this week, though temperatures of 30+ don't usually bode well for productivity. It is 31 degrees Celsius today and I am going to a gig. Assuming I manage not to die there I will be back again with something or another next week!</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u>Vogue 8825 dress</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u><br /></u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Fabric: </b>Lightweight mustard sweater knit from Fabric Land<br /><b>Cost: </b>about £10<br /><b>Pattern details: </b>Mock-wrap dress with grown-on facing extending into back collar, cuffed sleeves and wide waist ties. Pattern also includes tunic version and elastic-waist trousers<br /><b>Size: </b>16 out to 18 at the hips<br /><b>Alterations: </b>Cut shorter length, no cuffs used<br /><b>Would make again/would recommend: </b>No/No</div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115213563003924174noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400826347245670815.post-34585896489834597612022-07-04T10:00:00.064+01:002022-07-04T10:00:00.155+01:00you picked a fine time to leave me (Lucille trousers)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Updated State of the Jen: everything is still not sorted, but possibly in a completely different way now? I don't even know what's going on anymore. I'm very tired at the moment, but I do have a new doctor and some social plans and a couple of low-key creative challenges for the month, so I'm hopeful things will start to look up soon. It's our anniversary today (eight years!) which is a decent excuse to a) not worry about stuff for 24 hours and b) go out to dinner twice in one week. Casual today, fancy on Saturday, which is how I live my life if you ignore the 'casual' bit. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Let's get on to the trousers, shall we? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've mentioned a couple of times that I've lost weight recently. My weight and measurements have always fluctuated and usually it doesn't warrant more than a passing mention, but things are a little different this time. For many years now there has been a very specific upper and lower threshold that my measurements fluctuate between, but now I'm underneath that lower threshold and some of my clothes are noticeably not fitting anymore. For example, here's the pair of <a href="https://sewingandslapdashery.blogspot.com/2021/08/some-lucille-trousers-and-bonus-hepburn.html" rel="nofollow">Lucille trousers</a> I made last year:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL7yA6N-TwBP-YFZrmFZGFEsV6ifuxH7ySgboFemmJvjTzXdr7XCnBm1CFI-BX9ceCVPTsZICz4RcBw7GhnGGZGrCvOTNarODvs9e6GS-QwaTIwp1Sds1q5rvEm4VvjhQgP8O4E7kkSC5q2YykAObiby-VYdw2W8J0lBSS_jejAGSA3IQVelrVNFvtiQ/s2063/DSC_0657.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2063" data-original-width="1286" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL7yA6N-TwBP-YFZrmFZGFEsV6ifuxH7ySgboFemmJvjTzXdr7XCnBm1CFI-BX9ceCVPTsZICz4RcBw7GhnGGZGrCvOTNarODvs9e6GS-QwaTIwp1Sds1q5rvEm4VvjhQgP8O4E7kkSC5q2YykAObiby-VYdw2W8J0lBSS_jejAGSA3IQVelrVNFvtiQ/w398-h640/DSC_0657.JPG" width="398" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This was the first of my regularly-worn items that I noticed a problem with. I wore these trousers more or less constantly throughout last autumn and winter, and when I made them they fit like this:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXGD3rfikSf5A2n9pwXvH-JA2UwBRlz5VcNU_wWL41SBsHMZ9m_lk4sP-ztfkChDYq7vgzCEqIoXXpLaT48nqEwdUDLWwrAhOiz8lJPZr7AM4n1Gmw4WkxIHwxA35Rm7jpzuynllkbsY7opuMb9rlpC20_vx0Jcb0_F0-Pt1g5zq_mXzof5ktnGzRgaA/s2018/DSC_0009.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2018" data-original-width="1267" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXGD3rfikSf5A2n9pwXvH-JA2UwBRlz5VcNU_wWL41SBsHMZ9m_lk4sP-ztfkChDYq7vgzCEqIoXXpLaT48nqEwdUDLWwrAhOiz8lJPZr7AM4n1Gmw4WkxIHwxA35Rm7jpzuynllkbsY7opuMb9rlpC20_vx0Jcb0_F0-Pt1g5zq_mXzof5ktnGzRgaA/w402-h640/DSC_0009.JPG" width="402" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You will observe that the waistband used to provide some sort of definition and didn't just... hang there. I was increasingly often putting the trousers on in the morning, looking at myself in the mirror and taking them straight back off again because they felt so schlumpy. I started wondering how annoying it would be to alter them when I remembered I actually already had a pair of almost-finished Lucilles in a smaller size, sitting at the back of my fabric cupboard. I'd written about my incompetent first attempt, but hadn't specified that I had managed to work around most of my mistakes and get the trousers to the point where they just needed the waistband attaching. And then found out they were way too small. For whatever reason I hadn't thrown them out, so I went back to them and put the waistband on. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVBSP8Ucg1Yv-09nks79UEfz6c4atwgYMqlfYdvUvWskaYxmJho_ptzVBte3yEp10VtCQ2paqpCTpKcP4SY7XHqReXs0j8jN_rlN44BvckV2eSLixGRh2xFKwaSIYUm5Qouc6CdKB5uc2lVchT9U_KluqH3EjyyhiY6eY77jVxDg3GsKXp1A-xjAjvBg/s2312/DSC_0645.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2312" data-original-width="1298" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVBSP8Ucg1Yv-09nks79UEfz6c4atwgYMqlfYdvUvWskaYxmJho_ptzVBte3yEp10VtCQ2paqpCTpKcP4SY7XHqReXs0j8jN_rlN44BvckV2eSLixGRh2xFKwaSIYUm5Qouc6CdKB5uc2lVchT9U_KluqH3EjyyhiY6eY77jVxDg3GsKXp1A-xjAjvBg/w360-h640/DSC_0645.JPG" width="360" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When I first tried these on last year and they didn't fit, I had assumed I'd put more weight on and I made the second pair one size up. When I was finishing them a couple of months ago I compared the waistband to the pattern piece and realised it was two sizes smaller than I thought I'd cut (so three sizes smaller than the second pair). Even though I've lost more than 20lb since I first tried this pair on, I still couldn't eat a big dinner while wearing them. They do, however, look a million times better and I'm assuming some more weight will come off. I don't have a goal in mind or anything and I'm not even tracking outside my hospital appointments, but my habits are so fundamentally different now that it would be a surprise if things stopped here. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp2u-wyX452RxN1RkGw50sRtcoKaqTrNLemAUoWE2EdIlV2QbKkf_FfIhdOGvHTffsPh1pibz9IbzSoBn0wSWg0qnAu-eceTNBIdDMysCRc25YjoEAu8UXz2VTG1ZPNny7M6m5CwOM9T9FSLBjkJIjN61ZdLBy0McsDhzmYOxG9ShvJouUNY56GfEeCA/s2132/DSC_0647.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2132" data-original-width="1271" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp2u-wyX452RxN1RkGw50sRtcoKaqTrNLemAUoWE2EdIlV2QbKkf_FfIhdOGvHTffsPh1pibz9IbzSoBn0wSWg0qnAu-eceTNBIdDMysCRc25YjoEAu8UXz2VTG1ZPNny7M6m5CwOM9T9FSLBjkJIjN61ZdLBy0McsDhzmYOxG9ShvJouUNY56GfEeCA/w382-h640/DSC_0647.JPG" width="382" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I may still need to do some work on these. I put in a zip of unknown origin that I found in my stash, and it does not function like any zip I have ever known. The pull has a mind of its own and will often not stay up, sometimes the teeth pop open but not in a way that stops the zip functioning, and I just do not understand anything about it. When I get to the point of wearing these regularly, I will probably go back in and switch it out for one that doesn't do any of this stuff. This truly was one of my most incompetent projects, I'm amazed it resulted in something I could even photograph. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7qQ0mgWdAC2bon3DqtWM-ztvfWzbf2oq139x37uIkzS2_aOxBJcY7EkITcKa7xtjOI0xL9too-TxdIN9wlFJDAJeGNIFFBaUHaE8_lVlKqfKz1mVZbuyvcM29H0xeQOBa2ejs2GFw-8hv7C71SF0I_Voh0D0NHuYodKbzz6qfuRkVsH4azjkLMPUfiA/s2236/DSC_0650.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2236" data-original-width="1254" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7qQ0mgWdAC2bon3DqtWM-ztvfWzbf2oq139x37uIkzS2_aOxBJcY7EkITcKa7xtjOI0xL9too-TxdIN9wlFJDAJeGNIFFBaUHaE8_lVlKqfKz1mVZbuyvcM29H0xeQOBa2ejs2GFw-8hv7C71SF0I_Voh0D0NHuYodKbzz6qfuRkVsH4azjkLMPUfiA/w358-h640/DSC_0650.JPG" width="358" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Because this pair is still a little tight to just generally exist in, I decided to make some more:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijv4vgD4Mbz2ZkJfVuW31jXvdQ-a7i6qlua1azwRD80EKiOblvTlPR_2KMooCEEPNZq0WydeJlOw_LIftY5FXeulLYodAXXcmblP0opEI1Q0VHfDEuEgA5-xsIRVR5QX6dCe1oAsYoivxXoI7b_eHr6ngEhv5mWj2qAhh84T-m1-SgC6ovTScXUudbRw/s1856/DSC_0725.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1856" data-original-width="1653" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijv4vgD4Mbz2ZkJfVuW31jXvdQ-a7i6qlua1azwRD80EKiOblvTlPR_2KMooCEEPNZq0WydeJlOw_LIftY5FXeulLYodAXXcmblP0opEI1Q0VHfDEuEgA5-xsIRVR5QX6dCe1oAsYoivxXoI7b_eHr6ngEhv5mWj2qAhh84T-m1-SgC6ovTScXUudbRw/w356-h400/DSC_0725.JPG" width="356" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>(Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage Glasses Jen, whom you almost never see because I don't wear them most of the time and thus have no idea how to photograph myself in them without getting weird reflection stuff.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Size-wise, the larger pair of purple trousers were somewhere between a 14 and 16, and the smaller pair very wonkily between 8 and 10. Based on current fit of both I decided to cut between 10 and 12 for this pair, which has worked very well. They're super comfortable for just splatting in without sacrificing any waist definition. </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu3VZ-y5tVeaPFgsZ2EYaL-kC4a6SU9RQL3_eMCXImbYPALR3QlhMpePsQAUIxgYT7FVxVp6BkIM-trwVwgtJK_f2M13on666pLVPtQOPXuWmxMJOZBGy-HbmudI5AcOYTv1CjbxldIvds4TL7pyTxBkLX7KD2wKlzwPZGmxurtf9-YBwwvdNZ0pARtg/s2028/DSC_0737.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2028" data-original-width="1204" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu3VZ-y5tVeaPFgsZ2EYaL-kC4a6SU9RQL3_eMCXImbYPALR3QlhMpePsQAUIxgYT7FVxVp6BkIM-trwVwgtJK_f2M13on666pLVPtQOPXuWmxMJOZBGy-HbmudI5AcOYTv1CjbxldIvds4TL7pyTxBkLX7KD2wKlzwPZGmxurtf9-YBwwvdNZ0pARtg/w380-h640/DSC_0737.JPG" width="380" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The fabric is a viscose twill with a bit of stretch that I got from Fabrics Galore, and I will be honest and say that this choice was a bit of a whiff. Don't get me wrong, I wear them all the time and I like them, but I would not make the same decision again. In close-up the fabric is dark pink and two different shades of bright teal, and I was excited about having a pair of very loud trousers, but it just doesn't read from a distance. The teal is barely noticeable, and they're just not the statement piece I pictured (I am aware there will be many people out there who would laugh pretty hard at the idea of this garment being not enough of a statement, but I am a very specific person). And yet although, in my opinion, they are not that loud visually, they are literally, sonically, really quite loud. They make an astonishing amount of noise as I walk, and I'm not even sure why. It is odd. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiugeQnsTCjPBsrawHOofOmcAaoEulsn9YmnoXvcf-xxWdFiaawWHkeFgJ54JRfgP-74ml2U2FmDE1c9Xd-I3CuG7rTGxCUKgnHwREl_ALWbePhwB4aFf17YcZsfO-2InbsjdRfRw5uaDGkppil6vKzJPnkgotJSTYzzmbnmA0gdNjYfTq1HRBHySolA/s2052/DSC_0739.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2052" data-original-width="1324" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiugeQnsTCjPBsrawHOofOmcAaoEulsn9YmnoXvcf-xxWdFiaawWHkeFgJ54JRfgP-74ml2U2FmDE1c9Xd-I3CuG7rTGxCUKgnHwREl_ALWbePhwB4aFf17YcZsfO-2InbsjdRfRw5uaDGkppil6vKzJPnkgotJSTYzzmbnmA0gdNjYfTq1HRBHySolA/w412-h640/DSC_0739.JPG" width="412" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ5S0VPSymI2R2V-TtR_8nzQjYLzEY3l3XxXFM4yOZotsk2b_dHjLYEIbAYOh07GIP0pO2QyXbb69b_fklWzURRIX-Z1f_XmL5U9bo7zQSVU2tOzfFaQucvF2m8K9Y4pKUjWKNitgqW2R7fEBtHmv68Af5j8hvw-MW9a9hv7_5cVb5WXjSe11Ek6Y7JQ/s1942/DSC_0744.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1942" data-original-width="1135" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ5S0VPSymI2R2V-TtR_8nzQjYLzEY3l3XxXFM4yOZotsk2b_dHjLYEIbAYOh07GIP0pO2QyXbb69b_fklWzURRIX-Z1f_XmL5U9bo7zQSVU2tOzfFaQucvF2m8K9Y4pKUjWKNitgqW2R7fEBtHmv68Af5j8hvw-MW9a9hv7_5cVb5WXjSe11Ek6Y7JQ/w374-h640/DSC_0744.JPG" width="374" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">With that said, I am happy enough with them to wear them, and they are currently my go-to trousers. I am wearing them as I write this. They are comfy and at least a little interesting and appropriate for most non-rainy weather we're likely to get in this country. I will now probably put this pattern away for a little while; they're comfy and fun to wear but I cannot convince myself that I need more than two pairs at any given time. I'm really keen to have a few slightly different silhouettes in my wardrobe, and this one is so specific. I will probably return here eventually though (most likely when I find some actually decent soft crepe, which I swear used to be abundant and is more or less non-existent these days. What gives?).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Up next will either be something I've made very recently (if I get round to taking photos this week) or a couple of slightly older garments that don't warrant an individual post each (if I don't get round to taking photos). I'm working on a lot of experiments at the moment and some of them are definitely turning out better than others, but I'm quite enjoying that. I get to learn and discover things! Some of those things are going to result in my having to resume my search for a strapless bra that isn't utterly bog useless, but we all have our trials in life. </div></div><p></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115213563003924174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400826347245670815.post-9020315048698724562022-06-27T10:00:00.079+01:002022-06-27T10:00:00.184+01:00spring sewing: a wedding guest dress (and bonus very similar dress)<p>I said in my last post that I'd had a pretty heavy week, and the week following was somehow even worse. I have a massive amount of shit to sort out and I feel incredibly lucky that I happen to be in a place where I'm healthy enough to advocate for myself right now. I don't want to think about what might have happened to Past Jen in this situation. (I'm being vague on purpose, but please be assured that I'm going to be OK, my partner and family are supporting me, nobody else has died since last Friday.) Things are pretty tough, there's a lot of work to do, the news from the US is utterly horrifying, and I just have not had the mental space for sewing. Fortunately I'd already written the rest of this post, so here it is. </p><p>This dress was made for the wedding of a relative of mine (I think the technical term is first cousin once removed, but we've always spent a lot of time with them). They are not well off at all and were determined to only invite people who were a genuine presence in their lives regardless of what etiquette would normally dictate about inviting person X and not person Y. I honestly didn't expect to be invited at first and wanted to show that I appreciated the significance of it. When I put the project into my plans, I had no fabric and no real idea of what I was looking for. I don't normally allow myself to do that because it usually leads to never finding anything and not even getting started, but the fact of having an occasion and a deadline, I thought, would add enough pressure to make sure things actually happened. For once, I was correct.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4exwmI5uWrjeQtKHxA8Mc7LCBF5tnOp4miSorAw4xjx-HIs5OIzg6T7T3a3yOGOT6KPDC_epxQL78FeXHhEGMcVn8-RuPkPzVR3wWIUgjGqcPrvANfrzSonCKGY2aHDC1Qm1g6Sqhj1gjTEE2y0geA_4Lx2xegHqJ2fBGoOJVy-59ZJk1vSZisom-0g/s2072/DSC_0949.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2072" data-original-width="1355" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4exwmI5uWrjeQtKHxA8Mc7LCBF5tnOp4miSorAw4xjx-HIs5OIzg6T7T3a3yOGOT6KPDC_epxQL78FeXHhEGMcVn8-RuPkPzVR3wWIUgjGqcPrvANfrzSonCKGY2aHDC1Qm1g6Sqhj1gjTEE2y0geA_4Lx2xegHqJ2fBGoOJVy-59ZJk1vSZisom-0g/w418-h640/DSC_0949.JPG" width="418" /></a></p><p>As soon as I saw this fabric in one of the Walthamstow shops I knew it was right. It's not something I would have otherwise bought (this is extremely not my usual style of print) but it has the exact vibe I had in mind for this wedding and is also vibrant enough to still feel somewhat like me. The substrate is viscose, light enough for a summer wedding but not so light as to be see-through. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4_DGMgtk63R_BAC32sZrCoUqXCR5LjO-ZyJZM7sFXnztUbbdDQJkGF_sKQujOI0XADZF4rTuoyOBcP5umEBosS_WEsyH-C5u1x4H32_fD9YB8XFGm-55kzHjHWvfFPQIQIf6GcbNc9ijxIfkmlrVqJYxHmC_eCcz_xgcfiT2gnxGgeKrvgj9DTWgoqA/s2118/DSC_0951.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2118" data-original-width="1270" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4_DGMgtk63R_BAC32sZrCoUqXCR5LjO-ZyJZM7sFXnztUbbdDQJkGF_sKQujOI0XADZF4rTuoyOBcP5umEBosS_WEsyH-C5u1x4H32_fD9YB8XFGm-55kzHjHWvfFPQIQIf6GcbNc9ijxIfkmlrVqJYxHmC_eCcz_xgcfiT2gnxGgeKrvgj9DTWgoqA/w384-h640/DSC_0951.JPG" width="384" /></a></p><p>I also knew as soon as I saw the fabric that it called for something a little... swooshier than I'm used to making. I haven't made a skirt fuller than an A-line in five years and had fully assumed I never would again. If a quick scroll back through my blog post list is to be believed, I've only made one woven dress that wasn't either a maxi or a wrap (or both) in the last four years and I didn't even like that one. I think my assumption when I wrote my plan was that I would use the knee-length version of the Anna skirt, but I was extremely uninspired by the idea of an Anna dress in this fabric. So I went trawling through my pattern boxes and found the Sew Over It Doris dress, which I made exactly once in my first year of sewing and never wore. The skirt pattern has more exaggerated gores than any other I've owned, so it's quite fitted over the hips but provides a decent amount of swish at the hem. I ran up a quick toile (which you will see shortly) to make sure I didn't hate it, and decided to pair it with the Cashmerette Upton bodice. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaNTjRgFh4PcB2ydy0UU1Y4ehfazkgqdKpyQpaqMn471kh8drVvJ-Sc200cQDQgQqFBTWpjkFfLttbqdY6R73lK_2BRjT_zSE6hGf-d25ca5y_LO-zacLoBPEkkp8_F7sDYVvFkUHcJvm8lhmEfB3eyF8OmYlEyhEYDWF6LGeNPMPrUqIfxNEZ4NNFRQ/s2066/DSC_0943.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2066" data-original-width="1281" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaNTjRgFh4PcB2ydy0UU1Y4ehfazkgqdKpyQpaqMn471kh8drVvJ-Sc200cQDQgQqFBTWpjkFfLttbqdY6R73lK_2BRjT_zSE6hGf-d25ca5y_LO-zacLoBPEkkp8_F7sDYVvFkUHcJvm8lhmEfB3eyF8OmYlEyhEYDWF6LGeNPMPrUqIfxNEZ4NNFRQ/w396-h640/DSC_0943.JPG" width="396" /></a></p><p>Originally I had intended the sleeves to be flutter sleeves, and that's what I cut, but I ended up chopping them right back when I tried the dress on. Every now and then I have another go at flutter sleeves and I always end up cutting them back because they look really matronly on me. I went somewhere in between the two skirt lengths the pattern provides to get it to hit just above my knees (I'm just over 5'8", for reference). I put in my standard side seam pockets and they worked amazingly well. My phone stayed securely in my pocket all night despite many hours of overly enthusiastic wedding disco dancing. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJoxlQ0RDWqRYWcdSl7elNCBVVSxWNgqkIHLMSmkHGoRuyFYblZ7kwmVGY2k-ZyCM15jk6LXVXQBslIDhwTtYDIv3xZt52i11zO3jJi6MxNQlF3eFUfUUZq2vbYjZixB2UQjqUk6dQeOpAZ9Z_502IO3LQfNO2jkDN-HphvnJJuqzapKsva3wFIS-4LQ/s2186/DSC_0948.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2186" data-original-width="1286" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJoxlQ0RDWqRYWcdSl7elNCBVVSxWNgqkIHLMSmkHGoRuyFYblZ7kwmVGY2k-ZyCM15jk6LXVXQBslIDhwTtYDIv3xZt52i11zO3jJi6MxNQlF3eFUfUUZq2vbYjZixB2UQjqUk6dQeOpAZ9Z_502IO3LQfNO2jkDN-HphvnJJuqzapKsva3wFIS-4LQ/w376-h640/DSC_0948.JPG" width="376" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXEd1u7Iq0SlMS4WIb-mAMX8RIZBc3D7w2EhossSX8BQE6lkz-9llJm-_Qgp3W3DN-F2xvMr5LBiQOZwhNo6ZDvEb8I4A7OxCXI6oEf3ZTrD_FKibEKa4Db-xbO8UHnbkfYEhyE0i7N7VmyjkhHcKm_JLxTbOHoaQcekhvNnAsnkppxhHTjdsZ0c3Wtg/s2222/DSC_0955.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2222" data-original-width="1320" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXEd1u7Iq0SlMS4WIb-mAMX8RIZBc3D7w2EhossSX8BQE6lkz-9llJm-_Qgp3W3DN-F2xvMr5LBiQOZwhNo6ZDvEb8I4A7OxCXI6oEf3ZTrD_FKibEKa4Db-xbO8UHnbkfYEhyE0i7N7VmyjkhHcKm_JLxTbOHoaQcekhvNnAsnkppxhHTjdsZ0c3Wtg/w380-h640/DSC_0955.JPG" width="380" /></a></p><p>There is one problem, and it's the back. It was fine when I finished it, but it's now bagged out of shape around the zip. I'm not fully sure why this is or how I would fix it, but the biggest obstacle to my keeping this dress for future family events is that it now looks quite unsightly from this angle and I would need some kind of cover-up for it. If I had any leftover fabric I would just recut the back panels, but because of the fuller skirt I had to do some quite complicated pattern Tetris to get this dress out of 3m of fabric and there are only the tiniest scraps left. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRMVmfpuGz8qn6QJwAcl1JG4PqmDSe71vclpqdiAMbyD9kL0X4ymFyaYINW4SWq2cOj0kNXLbqk9FcSgZPkQvkfOATLzNUceS_7iarhlVSk6moTnjRJSgkrNiO90Q6CxSZxR-FOvng8Ogh7a1GM_YXJvoNIKfkxhRx_q1m53Kn32DQTEYAwJ3MHKoXrg/s2075/DSC_0941.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2075" data-original-width="1318" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRMVmfpuGz8qn6QJwAcl1JG4PqmDSe71vclpqdiAMbyD9kL0X4ymFyaYINW4SWq2cOj0kNXLbqk9FcSgZPkQvkfOATLzNUceS_7iarhlVSk6moTnjRJSgkrNiO90Q6CxSZxR-FOvng8Ogh7a1GM_YXJvoNIKfkxhRx_q1m53Kn32DQTEYAwJ3MHKoXrg/w406-h640/DSC_0941.JPG" width="406" /></a></p><p>Having not made or worn this type of skirt since 2016 I wanted to make sure that it would work first, so I decided to make a wearable toile out of another piece of viscose I bought at the same time. I ran out of time to get it completely finished before needing to start work on the real one, so I got it to the stage where the skirt was attached to the bodice and I could pin it onto myself and make sure I liked the style enough and then put it aside to be finished after the wedding. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia43688i98_pAtaBtJOSqFUQzVyWW-6RfLY4my7JqZNlbUQkSDj0Oz1rD9UPHaHBuMOg1vTLZoN0pKkeBWjTFU8DkLSGJKg-ykfyEYk9eFcxia_jlylDNm2JPxRq4z8nZLo5949nO0GUqpVPJGv882CtixJPzl0sU34GoW6srYvG9mAV2L_Am3LB7_Pg/s2225/DSC_0975.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2225" data-original-width="1319" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia43688i98_pAtaBtJOSqFUQzVyWW-6RfLY4my7JqZNlbUQkSDj0Oz1rD9UPHaHBuMOg1vTLZoN0pKkeBWjTFU8DkLSGJKg-ykfyEYk9eFcxia_jlylDNm2JPxRq4z8nZLo5949nO0GUqpVPJGv882CtixJPzl0sU34GoW6srYvG9mAV2L_Am3LB7_Pg/w380-h640/DSC_0975.JPG" width="380" /></a></p><p>This one is the darted Upton bodice rather than the princess seam one I ended up using for the blue dress, and there's not much reasoning behind that other than that I'd decided I wanted sleeves on the actual dress and couldn't be bothered printing out the darted bodice with sleeved armscye when I had the princess seam one ready to go already. Other than that it's the same - same skirt, same pockets, same neckline. I did topstitch the neckline here to try and make it feel a little more casual. The way that I want to wear this dress is as an everyday no-thought-required sundress and not as something that needs an occasion. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCWLBntO6pOl5Fs1uF8sefmd966FKyCTC5NwfPBBmF9dQnGVwip1cA6kR_0mrNLzCmpZIzYq4jol9zQ8nxZ1_z6MJvtmLmuRnMFBQ-nADxk__TR_BLgebhRNHVY1chRpFFymg6uSak5tfIMRtj5nXrjVKXN8vq01fopqYWwjWlLYTbKFPOVhFFuXbmew/s2170/DSC_0987.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2170" data-original-width="1324" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCWLBntO6pOl5Fs1uF8sefmd966FKyCTC5NwfPBBmF9dQnGVwip1cA6kR_0mrNLzCmpZIzYq4jol9zQ8nxZ1_z6MJvtmLmuRnMFBQ-nADxk__TR_BLgebhRNHVY1chRpFFymg6uSak5tfIMRtj5nXrjVKXN8vq01fopqYWwjWlLYTbKFPOVhFFuXbmew/w390-h640/DSC_0987.JPG" width="390" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;">This quite standard summer dress is way out of my comfort zone these days. Almost all of my skirts are maxi length and the few outliers are all autumn/winter dresses designed to be worn with thick tights. I never pick sleeveless if there's an option for a short sleeve and I tend to prefer a higher neckline for summer. I just don't own anything remotely like this and up until now hadn't missed its absence. But to my pleasant surprise, I've been really enjoying wearing this one over the past couple of weeks. It's easy to wear, the skirt length works perfectly, I don't feel particularly dressed-up in it even though it's bright red. I feel comfortable. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8q7rr6bK86h13KILQ5CeNaEW1IetXMmU8EGJHvqlkb952dqd8wICIKMjLeYHOR8PWGZGwAc9SrRnTYl5h8JqasCRkG01OoJsXBfv7DfNOUascsAgdN-WyRtmZHI5fuEZ15iv8XaDqdq3WbWSpKzdEubXiLloAgK44fkgHNsUyhoGfjCKqZq7LQFF8Xw/s2319/DSC_0969.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2319" data-original-width="1634" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8q7rr6bK86h13KILQ5CeNaEW1IetXMmU8EGJHvqlkb952dqd8wICIKMjLeYHOR8PWGZGwAc9SrRnTYl5h8JqasCRkG01OoJsXBfv7DfNOUascsAgdN-WyRtmZHI5fuEZ15iv8XaDqdq3WbWSpKzdEubXiLloAgK44fkgHNsUyhoGfjCKqZq7LQFF8Xw/w450-h640/DSC_0969.JPG" width="450" /></a></p><p>On both dresses I took the time to do the hems properly, and on the red one I did a narrow hem, which I'm honestly not sure I've ever done before. The skirts I make rarely have much of a curve to the hem so I've never really thought it necessary, but I gave it a go here and I'm pleased with how it came out. I would certainly do it again on any curved-hem skirts I make in the future, and time will tell how often that might be. At present, I'm really not sure. As I've said many times recently, I'm a bit bored with my current limited range of silhouettes, and I've been surprised by how much I like these two dresses. I think I'll want to spend a bit more time reflecting on whether it's the garments themselves or simply the fact that they're different before I go making any more, but it's not out of the question that this could become a more prominent style in my wardrobe. Hemming remains my very least favourite sewing task, so there will probably always be a bit of reluctance towards massive skirts that take large amounts of time and effort to achieve a nice finish for, but I do now know that I <i>can </i>and it's not a guaranteed waste of said time and effort. And that might help. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-U9uD2LTZJEz_xjZsPISmEQro2tVkUKJL86qKI6qOMmCPGN2_NrN4JlrW9F_Yex9W5K__F7NbwtNHuRL2oyG1TN7xjQ4z3zej5uPLk-bF5Z865TCnozpiOGe1HUW9EPMLzwbcn-eT3kdCu77Sbw5oI5N2wIMOWuDJWGtHAO4PSLhgtetKZX6KTXEZQ/s2224/DSC_0978.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2224" data-original-width="1335" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-U9uD2LTZJEz_xjZsPISmEQro2tVkUKJL86qKI6qOMmCPGN2_NrN4JlrW9F_Yex9W5K__F7NbwtNHuRL2oyG1TN7xjQ4z3zej5uPLk-bF5Z865TCnozpiOGe1HUW9EPMLzwbcn-eT3kdCu77Sbw5oI5N2wIMOWuDJWGtHAO4PSLhgtetKZX6KTXEZQ/w384-h640/DSC_0978.JPG" width="384" /></a></p><p>(The back has not bagged out on this one.)</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRrNp3Cm7yGenGsJ_OFRiTXcBwauzA0vk98LlSWvTa2xm63IK2m4Ds1dyM7QkXrQEw0_6AY1efXkbKJ2_yM_Emqoup7OKUA0Kh4lnPPUwy85eTjdZi2UkL8HKMUo449BHO4D-0vslGuqTspdltFn_lNdnba89AHOwRxLTB3sdSLBnqzEm2Migu9HWcsw/s2186/DSC_0983.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2186" data-original-width="1232" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRrNp3Cm7yGenGsJ_OFRiTXcBwauzA0vk98LlSWvTa2xm63IK2m4Ds1dyM7QkXrQEw0_6AY1efXkbKJ2_yM_Emqoup7OKUA0Kh4lnPPUwy85eTjdZi2UkL8HKMUo449BHO4D-0vslGuqTspdltFn_lNdnba89AHOwRxLTB3sdSLBnqzEm2Migu9HWcsw/w360-h640/DSC_0983.JPG" width="360" /></a></p><p>That's everything from my spring plans posted! I've made a start on my summer projects already, though nothing is actually finished yet, and I've also cut out several quite unseasonal experiments in an attempt to get some remnants out of my stash. So those may or may not be coming your way depending on how they turn out. I'm obviously expecting that my sewing will slow down until I can get all my life shit sorted, but I am hoping that I won't need to stop entirely and that I can continue to blog regularly. I quite like having this Monday morning anchor point and I would like to keep it up if I can. </p><p>Up next: trousers! For real this time. </p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115213563003924174noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400826347245670815.post-18328698782508017222022-06-20T13:00:00.024+01:002022-06-20T13:00:00.154+01:00spring sewing: that modified Fumeterre again<p>So I lied last week when I said this would be a trousers post. I do have a trousers post waiting but I've decided to get all of my spring projects posted first (I know my spring plan was much shorter than usual but I'm not sure I've ever fully completed one before, and I'm trying to celebrate my productivity and new-found ability to make my brain do stuff). This one is number four of five, and finally, finally, I have used all of that damn blue linen. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7CgX4N1PDAgmTN5nMOy854SHq57fklLD8kXhncvB1WmSPXyCN3veZ0G0iEEncNnKdtaI6iDfeN7NBSi-MOMVwDDHy2_1Q5g0ZmoClwQJVEOV7EWdc5RJU1sl9Qk5HGVav2pz-dy_M29Vqeus1rHsL59BKQYKQcDvhj0LcX3U_p8RlydLfxwLfpktE9Q/s2321/DSC_0825.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2321" data-original-width="1269" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7CgX4N1PDAgmTN5nMOy854SHq57fklLD8kXhncvB1WmSPXyCN3veZ0G0iEEncNnKdtaI6iDfeN7NBSi-MOMVwDDHy2_1Q5g0ZmoClwQJVEOV7EWdc5RJU1sl9Qk5HGVav2pz-dy_M29Vqeus1rHsL59BKQYKQcDvhj0LcX3U_p8RlydLfxwLfpktE9Q/w350-h640/DSC_0825.JPG" width="350" /></a></p><p>I think this was a much better way to use it all than one giant maxi dress. I can't imagine when or how I would have worn it. Though the last time I went to Walthamstow he still had some of this in stock and there was a horrible part of me that wanted to buy another metre to make a matching crop top. I know it's a bad idea because either it would have to be big and boxy or have a zip in it and I doubt I'd like either of those things, but the vision persists. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIMzOHEVjdy9TxgDz4b1GhLGYd_9maAMdXwv7-AHz2fgytTTe27LBEpDOY_tvTSJ1N8Cr-fkAlimsXOp-wBPdRg3WRz8XErTiEx8z5w5DyXLa3jsAxv3M3Y8v12KIeb37StH-AabOBtL2H-cbSQuXxEEyyySOL6GZgmwVZljQ20fTz1xFpqmIBDETtsw/s2383/DSC_0816.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2383" data-original-width="1310" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIMzOHEVjdy9TxgDz4b1GhLGYd_9maAMdXwv7-AHz2fgytTTe27LBEpDOY_tvTSJ1N8Cr-fkAlimsXOp-wBPdRg3WRz8XErTiEx8z5w5DyXLa3jsAxv3M3Y8v12KIeb37StH-AabOBtL2H-cbSQuXxEEyyySOL6GZgmwVZljQ20fTz1xFpqmIBDETtsw/w352-h640/DSC_0816.JPG" width="352" /></a></p><p>Construction was the same as last time. When I put this project on my spring plan I said I'd need to change up the waistband because my yellow one was too tight to eat dinner in, but that is not at all the case anymore. In fact the other version of this (as yet unphotographed) which I mentioned at the time as looking worse but being much more comfortable is totally unwearable now. It's currently waiting for me to take the waistband off and cut several inches off it. </p><p>(I wrote the above paragraph over a month ago, and as things stand now I actually need to take in every single one of my maxi skirts, including this one and the yellow one. That's going to be a very boring and annoying day, and I'm trying to work out the best way to bribe myself to do it that isn't another fabric shopping trip already.)</p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyfRilnGosD9Jo0LBnGyMHfAdw2h4SI4gwNw3X_ma7u1vgtijf2sl2gjb5ocOfLMGfsQKPtmTv-AYNUNf6ytMKNSd3SH__1rF1sbdZUYOktcItRuIarjoEk1vOIDAERVXYhHdvnpMwmBQIzSeFjzyPiBuKYTl7wuOgNv0syDRAwrEoJ3gKQetwGPuCRw/s2418/DSC_0813.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2418" data-original-width="1272" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyfRilnGosD9Jo0LBnGyMHfAdw2h4SI4gwNw3X_ma7u1vgtijf2sl2gjb5ocOfLMGfsQKPtmTv-AYNUNf6ytMKNSd3SH__1rF1sbdZUYOktcItRuIarjoEk1vOIDAERVXYhHdvnpMwmBQIzSeFjzyPiBuKYTl7wuOgNv0syDRAwrEoJ3gKQetwGPuCRw/w336-h640/DSC_0813.JPG" width="336" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFbvENr-JF4rVpLXItCoPlq8fNvFgRi4leG1p-c4KansseK_HMM1hgXMVEscf3sZ1RKqFoyWC11o2uuY7n0x__ih4i-Efiy2lZUv8rRYcccFnUZmN5emmpec6WVZrpDEDTbmbUAlytMj0glROiGnDALDGn9Td5ABrjXHIO-R4GPBGFDWGFBz9E4nZSmw/s2327/DSC_0814.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2327" data-original-width="1219" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFbvENr-JF4rVpLXItCoPlq8fNvFgRi4leG1p-c4KansseK_HMM1hgXMVEscf3sZ1RKqFoyWC11o2uuY7n0x__ih4i-Efiy2lZUv8rRYcccFnUZmN5emmpec6WVZrpDEDTbmbUAlytMj0glROiGnDALDGn9Td5ABrjXHIO-R4GPBGFDWGFBz9E4nZSmw/w336-h640/DSC_0814.JPG" width="336" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Having shown you the pictures I honestly don't have much else to say about this one - I've talked about this exact mish-mash of patterns and this exact fabric recently, and combining the two didn't really give me anything to add. I like to give the projects from my seasonal plans their own respective posts (just in case I ever decide to go in and link all the finished posts in the original plans for ease of reference, like I keep telling myself I'm going to do), but this one probably didn't need it. I do think I might be able to get some interesting colour combinations going when I wear this skirt, since it's a slightly unusual shade of blue but still basically a neutral. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHDZk5PUIJGHg6kc8zIvi2GIrHIsoKUpitPaR5dDxAN2750OG5FasWTOEvJ7qqGWp_DQI7IVSZN0Nh9TBmupiXb3Jz9gXQTbkvZU1r11Y9qhh0z-4j5dtrf0PcU2FojyHR-xvfaW59hEfRjTXsHJKlz-VRZeqqtUgAxA6cOLZq5NtJSX-lw68y9tS7sg/s2371/DSC_0820.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2371" data-original-width="1403" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHDZk5PUIJGHg6kc8zIvi2GIrHIsoKUpitPaR5dDxAN2750OG5FasWTOEvJ7qqGWp_DQI7IVSZN0Nh9TBmupiXb3Jz9gXQTbkvZU1r11Y9qhh0z-4j5dtrf0PcU2FojyHR-xvfaW59hEfRjTXsHJKlz-VRZeqqtUgAxA6cOLZq5NtJSX-lw68y9tS7sg/w378-h640/DSC_0820.JPG" width="378" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's been a pretty heavy week. My GP is being actively negligent as regards my meds (a doctor at the practice who has never met me and has not spoken to me once through any of this is putting all sorts of vague obstructions in the way that I then have to actively chase up, while emails and letters mysteriously go missing and I have to walk physical copies into their office) and my aunt, who has been in and out of remission for years, finally passed away on Friday night. So I'm not at my shiniest. But I have been sewing, and one of my summer projects is almost finished. I also got distracted and cut out a bunch of extremely unseasonal remnant-busting random shit, so look forward to surprise posts of things I won't be able to wear for months!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Up next: my final spring project! The dress I made for the wedding, plus a bonus sort-of toile. </div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115213563003924174noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400826347245670815.post-44644120378706174612022-06-13T10:00:00.001+01:002022-06-13T10:00:00.163+01:00spring sewing: a giant green bathrobe<p> Well, this turned out even less seasonally appropriate than I expected. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrvKglbJXnT9Jvyv0KdZC3shjyZWCi0FmZ9S8YPqxIZl-X9bTrfJ2MYwQ3JqKINea5IgA_t8cut-iI_933YumAmECQsq8xeXKztXqzsrkPC-QQYPk2hFD2O1TO7t1qM7JljCrtqonlaar7RDtGwIdVTWewrdSHUPCw2auDCP8FxiT2bnubqE0MJF44SQ/s2021/DSC_0895.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2021" data-original-width="1193" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrvKglbJXnT9Jvyv0KdZC3shjyZWCi0FmZ9S8YPqxIZl-X9bTrfJ2MYwQ3JqKINea5IgA_t8cut-iI_933YumAmECQsq8xeXKztXqzsrkPC-QQYPk2hFD2O1TO7t1qM7JljCrtqonlaar7RDtGwIdVTWewrdSHUPCw2auDCP8FxiT2bnubqE0MJF44SQ/w378-h640/DSC_0895.JPG" width="378" /></a></p><p>As I said in my plan, I've been thinking for a while about replacing the dressing gown I made in 2018. There is so much wrong with it. My review of it was mixed even at the time, but the garment has aged really badly on all fronts. The fabric had zero recovery and looked like shit after six months. The shoulder seams are halfway down my arms now. The pockets are especially unsightly even though I stopped using them years ago. I mentioned in my review that the "facing" was actually just the entire front piece cut again, but I left out the bit where you were supposed to hand sew the entire thing to the side seams, and 2018 Jen's hand sewing has not held up well. I also went on a weird journey with the fabric combination where I started off unsure, made my peace with it the first few times I wore it, and then took violently against it. So when I started looking to replace it, I wanted something very different. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisLRTnwGo-zPRVsSl4bTojaXG1F56eloqMZ-2BCwAbe90gZkJiGrN6LBmaSAYU_PWIdS4aH82bZW4sQizAnw05GYoDP3l_2fgIWNvqUtZIh2eMRSIn_wE8cbHnQqDahm2z-8H0a304Qc3dH_nYwoLAtx9E4mELQEIWykZEkEUabpAv2pLITHKqu9ty5Q/s2058/DSC_0883.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2058" data-original-width="1112" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisLRTnwGo-zPRVsSl4bTojaXG1F56eloqMZ-2BCwAbe90gZkJiGrN6LBmaSAYU_PWIdS4aH82bZW4sQizAnw05GYoDP3l_2fgIWNvqUtZIh2eMRSIn_wE8cbHnQqDahm2z-8H0a304Qc3dH_nYwoLAtx9E4mELQEIWykZEkEUabpAv2pLITHKqu9ty5Q/w346-h640/DSC_0883.JPG" width="346" /></a></p><p>I purchased the fabric from Fabric Godmother, and it's listed as "velvet bamboo towelling". It's extremely uncommon, almost unheard of, for me to spend £70 on one piece of fabric, but I couldn't get the vision of a giant full-length hooded bathrobe in pale sage green out of my mind. I thought about it for a month, and the vision did not lessen its appeal, so I went for it. The fabric is lovely - the right side feels and behaves like velvet and the wrong side is regular towelling, so it's both super soft and fine to put on directly out of the bath. The one thing I will say is that the shedding while cutting and working with it is something else. By the time I was done making it I was entirely covered in fluff and thanking Past Jen profusely for not bothering to change out of her pyjamas yet. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmMUuK0R0l0HzuXuNpC5EgbbZx4Nri8I0OonNELjmLZJ12wyS8bGPwUn9eZoJF2_qG-Ozg45IFiN73aAFRgSpUCwR9oLrCn5yz_ssHHvZBuZtPGSwRONxJiQSaKjllEU121xMm6yD4I-Xy0pt0P2nyJwmFNVf2x_OqL2lSRWV3OH_PFHRQKVcfYbKBBw/s2153/DSC_0889.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2153" data-original-width="1435" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmMUuK0R0l0HzuXuNpC5EgbbZx4Nri8I0OonNELjmLZJ12wyS8bGPwUn9eZoJF2_qG-Ozg45IFiN73aAFRgSpUCwR9oLrCn5yz_ssHHvZBuZtPGSwRONxJiQSaKjllEU121xMm6yD4I-Xy0pt0P2nyJwmFNVf2x_OqL2lSRWV3OH_PFHRQKVcfYbKBBw/w426-h640/DSC_0889.JPG" width="426" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjygAZ-kB2hYb9mBJTFtn6ALt5oQXxDW68pF1aOrCkFu9nApEVlrie6A4_knXwr0wowRyAySFgSI6D_e__VAi0wrUfBvW0wU4AlH_gyh4Lv469Kl0tQMyqRaC4_nSAFN9Ur9-ID0hFfxRMlvwQgYzwmB_brlm7aqxZk2hi44wHLJ4r9maA1Nqdv24tbTw/s2104/DSC_0891.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2104" data-original-width="1362" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjygAZ-kB2hYb9mBJTFtn6ALt5oQXxDW68pF1aOrCkFu9nApEVlrie6A4_knXwr0wowRyAySFgSI6D_e__VAi0wrUfBvW0wU4AlH_gyh4Lv469Kl0tQMyqRaC4_nSAFN9Ur9-ID0hFfxRMlvwQgYzwmB_brlm7aqxZk2hi44wHLJ4r9maA1Nqdv24tbTw/w414-h640/DSC_0891.JPG" width="414" /></a></p><p>The pattern I used is Burda 6740, which was the only one I could find designed for a regular towelling bathrobe rather than floaty silky things. It's fine. It worked well enough. Would neither warn against nor actively recommend. I added about four inches to the longer length to get it to hit my ankles like I wanted. If I were to make it again I would draft myself an extra pattern piece for the facing; the facing as designed just stops at the shoulder seams and you have to hand sew it to the seam allowance there, and I would have much preferred to have an additional piece to cover the back neckline as well. I think it looks weird as is. I added a hanging loop and belt loops as the pattern does not include these. The instructions direct you to make a thread chain to serve as belt loops but this never works for me. I don't know if it's my substandard thread chain making skills or just our overly aggressive washing machine, but they're always gone by the third wear. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxLmwjDrfxjcf3lVvnES_fd0pZ6dVkGrdUSHM-MXQQ56C7zIbCC93nOKN1ZAE3Uyh2WtyuPogcriZNhtcZVHlPQaLrLxItOGtOmabaQs9fzDl6WYeo2rnNNSP5J_K2TdnoN1yx-zGX54x4nuucixBQ-OssDOde2Jt28lErF1VHD2wSYwdwa4jVR6pLDQ/s1964/DSC_0885.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1964" data-original-width="1201" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxLmwjDrfxjcf3lVvnES_fd0pZ6dVkGrdUSHM-MXQQ56C7zIbCC93nOKN1ZAE3Uyh2WtyuPogcriZNhtcZVHlPQaLrLxItOGtOmabaQs9fzDl6WYeo2rnNNSP5J_K2TdnoN1yx-zGX54x4nuucixBQ-OssDOde2Jt28lErF1VHD2wSYwdwa4jVR6pLDQ/w392-h640/DSC_0885.JPG" width="392" /></a></p><p>You may notice the facing in some of these pictures. I haven't anchored it down at the free edge yet because I can't decide how to do it. The pattern instructs to topstitch it down, and I would have been happy to do that on regular towelling but I don't think it would look good on this velvet stuff. Stitching on the right side for the pockets and hem was a fucking task, I tell you. But I also really don't want to have hand sewing on my dressing gown again. So it's still flapping free right now until I work out the best way to make it behave itself. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGGk-eOCiGxQkKcx6B4dFYxX1upayLYZOKlr3yT0Qsw3OPhxSoOuyY7XnUOqgLTxR-_k6cGclIJvv-yR9qvhToYjQm473tO1FKb1Ie1WDNFPQ-S2gjOKsxidwMZJwrKDCZ9PfTZtFWOs65T1AXnq7UUxPWin9Zi6yfrI4bF8NSG03ac-CZar7Go-OKZw/s1950/DSC_0887.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1950" data-original-width="1149" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGGk-eOCiGxQkKcx6B4dFYxX1upayLYZOKlr3yT0Qsw3OPhxSoOuyY7XnUOqgLTxR-_k6cGclIJvv-yR9qvhToYjQm473tO1FKb1Ie1WDNFPQ-S2gjOKsxidwMZJwrKDCZ9PfTZtFWOs65T1AXnq7UUxPWin9Zi6yfrI4bF8NSG03ac-CZar7Go-OKZw/w378-h640/DSC_0887.JPG" width="378" /></a></p><p>Minor quibbles aside, this is exactly what I wanted and I'm very pleased with it. It's probably too warm and snuggly to get much use during the summer months, though rest assured that if it's another crap summer I will be wearing this as much as possible. I will be soft but furious. I don't have need for more than one bathrobe so I suspect it's unlikely I'll use this pattern again unless a close family member asks for one for Christmas (I'm not going to offer, they'll have to ask unprompted), but I will be keeping it just in case. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7p9XU3Lnen0RAeWzcjI4jUMcO9cJ38LYsKkqjx0na3L6ryL217LsO39VULbY_1epCT0ifr8YGTc1eJDdsdBsDd7c_IJEF6mvLi6OM8LV9LiL8RC3q3PuNUj3znq5P941MPxot3CAIB7vZ1UBG-7AM4hFxE7azIkWD7DW76-0hCExqQGqqGu7dHE457Q/s1984/DSC_0884.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1984" data-original-width="1235" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7p9XU3Lnen0RAeWzcjI4jUMcO9cJ38LYsKkqjx0na3L6ryL217LsO39VULbY_1epCT0ifr8YGTc1eJDdsdBsDd7c_IJEF6mvLi6OM8LV9LiL8RC3q3PuNUj3znq5P941MPxot3CAIB7vZ1UBG-7AM4hFxE7azIkWD7DW76-0hCExqQGqqGu7dHE457Q/w398-h640/DSC_0884.JPG" width="398" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Up next: more trousers, most likely!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u>Burda 6740 dressing gown</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u><br /></u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Fabric: </b>Velvet bamboo towelling from Fabric Godmother</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Cost: </b>£70</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Pattern details: </b>Unisex bathrobe in three lengths, with either hood or shawl collar, tie belt, and patch pockets</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Size: </b>L at the shoulders blended out to XL in the hips</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Alterations: </b>Several inches of length added to View B</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Would make again/would recommend: </b>No/Eh</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115213563003924174noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400826347245670815.post-76086223509168602032022-06-06T10:00:00.311+01:002022-06-06T10:00:00.160+01:00sewing plan: summer 2022<p>Hello! Things are a little bit tough at the moment. The current phase of the clinical trial I'm in has me taking something with a side effect of extreme fatigue (and an added bonus of needing the loo more frequently so not being able to sleep through the night), so it's a much harder slog to do things than it has been for the past few months. I have an appointment tomorrow and I'm hoping they might cut this phase short. My spring projects are all finished bar evening out and hemming the skirt on my dress for the wedding, but boy am I glad I only committed to five.</p><p>My plan for summer is slightly longer, though still not the dozen projects I used to come up with. It's based largely on things I discovered during Me Made May (which I ended up really enjoying this year, despite the change in the Instagram algorithm), which were as follows:</p><p>1. I need more tops in a greater variety of colours and styles<br />2. I would like to try some different silhouettes for my clothes<br />3. I get extremely grumpy when the weather won't let me dress in a way I consider seasonally appropriate</p><p>I've grouped my planned projects into these categories, and I'm also hoping to bear them in mind when it comes to my impulse projects too. If there's any season my wardrobe is already well-equipped for it's summer, so I can afford to have a little more fun and think a bit more out of the box this time. </p><p>This is what I'm thinking:</p><p><u><b>Tops</b></u></p><p>For years now I have chosen to make almost exclusively brightly-coloured skirts and trousers, and my preference has always been to style them with very simple close-fitting jersey tops in black or grey. I still enjoy this combination, but I'm also getting increasingly bored with the fact that I'm not able to switch it up when I have an impulse to do so. What I would like to do is to make a couple of tops that will each work with at least two bottoms I already have, are not black or grey, and in at least one case is a pattern I'm not currently wearing regularly. </p><p><u>A cami top</u></p><p>I've never made a woven cami before but all the 1m cuts of silk in my sewing room are suggesting to me that this might be the time. I'm not sure which pattern to use - I definitely want thinner straps and the Ogden cami is the closest I've seen so far, but I don't quite like the shape of the front. </p><p><u>A bodysuit</u></p><p>A couple of weeks ago I bought some bright yellow tiger print jersey and I would like to make a short-sleeved Nettie bodysuit with it. I fully intended to start off the non-neutral tops thing with, like, a tasteful shell pink or something, but nope. Yellow tiger print. </p><p><u>A wrap top</u></p><p>I'm going back and forth on this one. I really like the Named Sisko top - I prefer my tops close-fitting and it's very rare to see something genuinely interesting and different in that category - but I've not yet worked out whether I'm likely to actually wear it. I have a bunch of wrap cardigans that were my favourite things five years but barely get worn at all now. I would like to give it a try if I can find the right kind of toile-price jersey. I will not be trying the dress version, which I fully understand as maternity wear but looks really strange on the non-pregnant model. </p><p><br /></p><p><u><b>Experiments</b></u></p><p>Technically about 50% of my planned projects could fit into this category, so these are just the ones that aren't also a top or a Not Summer Summer outfit. I'm particularly interested in changing up my dress silhouettes a little - almost everything I make is fitted but not tight-fitting, nipped in at the waist, skirts neither full nor bodycon, with a very limited range of different necklines and sleeves. I'm fully expecting to find that's still what I like best and want to wear most of the time, but the opportunity to change things up occasionally would be very welcome and I want to know what that would look like. </p><p><u>A slip dress</u></p><p>I've been talking about this for ages and I'm really going to do it this time. I've bought the Closet Core Simone pattern, I'm going to do a test run with the lilac silk (if there's enough of it, I'll use the blue if not) before I move on to the green I really want to use. I have a full plan now and it is going to happen. </p><p><u>A vaguely 1920s dress</u></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRDPsCxgEoi4jCkAZibpGbjPBkWdrXDZZHmfxRCacpINfs9Out1D9pTaOzLK6oGwPRCjVU3AWyI0X2EcxcoPMFgdTAZdGACfmsAQZZQD6BSL6uoZ1YBl6Ir_X6NW1Sc15xew57NCvdZV-Q68sjxSpE42At2DCyeBYnueCEQGOF_WJ00LAjPMKZVVj3lw/s800/v8814_front_1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRDPsCxgEoi4jCkAZibpGbjPBkWdrXDZZHmfxRCacpINfs9Out1D9pTaOzLK6oGwPRCjVU3AWyI0X2EcxcoPMFgdTAZdGACfmsAQZZQD6BSL6uoZ1YBl6Ir_X6NW1Sc15xew57NCvdZV-Q68sjxSpE42At2DCyeBYnueCEQGOF_WJ00LAjPMKZVVj3lw/s320/v8814_front_1.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Several years ago I bought Vogue 8814 and I've never touched it, probably because it has a very high chance of not suiting me. I estimate there's a 95% chance I won't like the silhouette on me. But there's also a 5% chance that it works, and I would like to know for sure, so I've decided to go for it and use up some weird blue fabric I can't work out what to do with. </p><p><br /></p><p><u><b>Clothes for a potential Rubbish Summer</b></u></p><p>As I write this it's grey and about to rain. For over a month now my weather app has been predicting summer weather in a week's time and revising it down to "cloudy and damp" as the days approach. Last summer was terrible and it really got to me - there was the odd nice day but you couldn't make plans for outdoor events in advance, it was rarely warm enough to wear my actual summer clothes, and I spent most of the time wearing winter clothes and being grumpy. So this year I'd like to prepare for the worst and make a couple of things that feel like summer but aren't super impractical for the cloudy and damp times I'm expecting. </p><p><u>A pair of summer trousers</u></p><p>I have a couple of different options in mind here, and I'm not sure if I'll pick one or try both. The easier option is wide leg floaty trousers in a viscose-type fabric, either a lighter solid colour or a pattern that's vibrant but not explicitly summer themed (ie no tropical island prints). The harder option is a pair of more fitted trousers in a bright stretch denim, probably bright blue or bright yellow. If I can manage that, it'll count for the experimental category too. I'm considering having a go at the Charm Patterns Marilyn jeans if I get into the right kind of groove. </p><p><u>A more subdued maxi dress</u></p><p>Last year I made a <a href="https://sewingandslapdashery.blogspot.com/2021/09/two-easy-kielo-dresses.html" target="_blank">short-sleeved maxi</a> for this exact situation, and I wear it a lot despite my utter loathing for the fabric because I simply don't have anything else that works as well for days which are grey but not actively cold. So I would like to make a similar thing in a fabric I hate less. I haven't completely decided on the fabric yet but my local shop has some navy William Morris print that I'm tempted by. </p><p><br /></p><p>That's seven or eight projects depending on what I decide about the trousers. I do have a couple more projects vaguely in mind; there are a few pieces of fabric that I really want to get out of my stash and into my wardrobe, but I'm not prepared to put them on a plan until I have ideas firmer than "some sort of dress". I do hope I can get at least some of these vague extra projects done, because my stash is currently much bigger than I'd like. I'm a small-stash person and my preference is to have one shelf in my sewing cupboard for fabric and one for overspill, but my overspill shelf is currently also full and that stresses me out. I will need to buy fabric for my Rubbish Summer projects, so ideally I'd like to institute a "two out, one in" rule until autumn. Which may or may not work. </p><p>We're off to the wedding this weekend, and when I'm back I'll start posting the rest of my spring projects!</p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115213563003924174noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400826347245670815.post-58939758492306198812022-05-30T10:00:00.084+01:002022-05-30T12:30:55.451+01:00spring sewing: a lemon dress<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I did not get this dress finished in time for our holiday, but I did get it done before the time came to make a new seasonal plan, so that's something. Honestly it wasn't summery enough for this dress when we were away anyway. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXZAzkek57_-c7pOEgWfcNHfCfdt_pkwjBUQXZ9EGAP51eh8-rZcqgeVE_m7RZuaRcg5G5qbIQaUQEyjpLr3ZgTpVLx-tYIOHWGuG4QzNEaadQ_WlfiFP7y7-6X__CMzjIEAMOVbxhtPDLLj5mi6sq7YKDUEdoYplJBY6gFczBR2taxQ672y8P4P-OvQ/s1920/DSC_0578.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="1171" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXZAzkek57_-c7pOEgWfcNHfCfdt_pkwjBUQXZ9EGAP51eh8-rZcqgeVE_m7RZuaRcg5G5qbIQaUQEyjpLr3ZgTpVLx-tYIOHWGuG4QzNEaadQ_WlfiFP7y7-6X__CMzjIEAMOVbxhtPDLLj5mi6sq7YKDUEdoYplJBY6gFczBR2taxQ672y8P4P-OvQ/w390-h640/DSC_0578.JPG" width="390" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is a Cashmerette Upton/Sew Over It tulip skirt, as I originally planned. I bought two metres of the fabric (which is a stretch cotton sateen) and ended up with more left over than I expected. Do I pretend I'm going to make a skirt out of it even though I absolutely would not wear a lemon skirt? Do I continue with the pleasant fiction that I'm definitely going to take up bag-making at some point? Who can say. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkidxjduEZL14BpNb5aq67Y83arKgD5uEKaSVMCOfrMNrt5PPKpmKfsRmKjYIwnDWyAROv5ZIIW_LTLZKtaUP569axTCNKrEaqCzuCcGus0VkHN9tiarCYWDfiXnxm2PefmPEByXKWktlAPSwJb6VRbyPCvVcki83iHO9Zavd9JwxfLB3R7PTh54Uttw/s1917/DSC_0580.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1917" data-original-width="1161" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkidxjduEZL14BpNb5aq67Y83arKgD5uEKaSVMCOfrMNrt5PPKpmKfsRmKjYIwnDWyAROv5ZIIW_LTLZKtaUP569axTCNKrEaqCzuCcGus0VkHN9tiarCYWDfiXnxm2PefmPEByXKWktlAPSwJb6VRbyPCvVcki83iHO9Zavd9JwxfLB3R7PTh54Uttw/w388-h640/DSC_0580.JPG" width="388" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I didn't run into any issues during construction and the dress came out looking more or less the way I expected. I like the way it looks on me but I'm not certain yet if it's right for me, or if I'll wear it. I thought my biggest hurdle would be the novelty print, but it's not (though I'm not a hundred per cent sold on it, honestly); it's the cotton sateen itself. I'm so unused to wearing fabric like this and it's <i>weird. </i>I wear cotton so rarely anyway, and I was mistaken in my belief that this fabric was similar to the fabric I used the first time I used this combination of patterns. That fabric is cotton, and it's not as light as lawn, but it's much lighter than this. I may get used to it, but at the moment it feels quite odd to wear. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFFjfLVpk5pOlMVKpNTsdeyzEyNz4Taf0lT1hnedaWtC4sm41v3QqqveK5rFXVUeDz9XPlKWOhQ0FCGwcWEBn-9xwhCZeytGdnAzt79aYbYc8j_IzwPocmwuqlnrdsPrvIbOuEo2sydnh3uPfSHn3Oyxzk35P6xPKPG4QDhBQvVrkaNOlHTYddQvIbzw/s1931/DSC_0581.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1931" data-original-width="1106" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFFjfLVpk5pOlMVKpNTsdeyzEyNz4Taf0lT1hnedaWtC4sm41v3QqqveK5rFXVUeDz9XPlKWOhQ0FCGwcWEBn-9xwhCZeytGdnAzt79aYbYc8j_IzwPocmwuqlnrdsPrvIbOuEo2sydnh3uPfSHn3Oyxzk35P6xPKPG4QDhBQvVrkaNOlHTYddQvIbzw/w366-h640/DSC_0581.JPG" width="366" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I did end up topstitching the dress neckline as the lining would occasionally peek out if I moved too vigorously (and it's white so it was very noticeable to me). I generally prefer not to do that but it doesn't bother me at all here. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Something that does bother me is that the pockets aren't sitting right. I'm not sure why; it's not a problem I normally have with this skirt. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxOhjC_i2rtW1NqKV02kCGvjd2aNa-PzzJ7ZshPPbKkDb3v06Sk-gAVxsBHbXrwqdZNBAGMPTHNecPQ_VEUfZFRlGHIGmrdGNoYowtEC_Yt9Ja3Bx2tKYgbsm5LxfrV5hhDvcRqRzMssZBOVg3vvhWlvvx3I-U-EECZmR3JwDdhrCORFEVPRJFK58OBw/s2032/DSC_0583.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2032" data-original-width="1201" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxOhjC_i2rtW1NqKV02kCGvjd2aNa-PzzJ7ZshPPbKkDb3v06Sk-gAVxsBHbXrwqdZNBAGMPTHNecPQ_VEUfZFRlGHIGmrdGNoYowtEC_Yt9Ja3Bx2tKYgbsm5LxfrV5hhDvcRqRzMssZBOVg3vvhWlvvx3I-U-EECZmR3JwDdhrCORFEVPRJFK58OBw/w378-h640/DSC_0583.JPG" width="378" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8HAqKGnPa-ACz41LsShyuieMwcjGcJTY8P2rcAbJDubVqd9sSEmRehFsAqJ5SAaTO__ckt-7kcWvDji6T1Y2ZHgLfNKrKqbTerrl7BmB_VQ8kbDYExj6Tm7HKshyAM2u3h91aDOowlr67xEjn_ZmCYDJoTbApQELqMNvS2Vxgm6TKUAZS4FOrfSkjPw/s1980/DSC_0588.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1980" data-original-width="1272" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8HAqKGnPa-ACz41LsShyuieMwcjGcJTY8P2rcAbJDubVqd9sSEmRehFsAqJ5SAaTO__ckt-7kcWvDji6T1Y2ZHgLfNKrKqbTerrl7BmB_VQ8kbDYExj6Tm7HKshyAM2u3h91aDOowlr67xEjn_ZmCYDJoTbApQELqMNvS2Vxgm6TKUAZS4FOrfSkjPw/w412-h640/DSC_0588.JPG" width="412" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm going to reserve judgement and see how much wear this dress gets over the summer. I do suspect it might not be much. I was prepared for the possibility that I wouldn't want to wear a lemon dress unless it was really high summer, not a cloud in the sky, twenty-eight degrees plus, but I hadn't factored in the heaviness of the fabric itself. On super-hot days (super-hot to me, a pasty Brit, anyway), I tend to favour floaty trousers and long skirts in light fabrics, which allows for breathability while also minimising the amount of exposed skin I have to reapply sunscreen to. I'm not sure that I'm going to reach for something this stiff with this many different areas of bare skin to keep track of when my feelings towards the garment are generally positive but not overwhelmingly so. On the other hand, I do think this style was the best way for me to go in terms of trying the print out. Anything with more coverage than a sleeveless scoop neck fitted minidress would just be... way too many lemons. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJCZ0OuBYSi0K9T1779uieWskujBeOwpH278UkJkRPbh5TJcB0qRQuXQU-LLsFXhhOc-ebQNGkH0oowXmTCBt1FTsO5wuXLExzUSvHjgJtqgRZ1TU0jK9laQ5bbx3F1Ff2Lerfis1LNGGOE3nRQoc8jTsVOY2KM82wa82405LC7jAM6lawYLMnn17i3w/s1954/DSC_0598.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1954" data-original-width="1271" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJCZ0OuBYSi0K9T1779uieWskujBeOwpH278UkJkRPbh5TJcB0qRQuXQU-LLsFXhhOc-ebQNGkH0oowXmTCBt1FTsO5wuXLExzUSvHjgJtqgRZ1TU0jK9laQ5bbx3F1Ff2Lerfis1LNGGOE3nRQoc8jTsVOY2KM82wa82405LC7jAM6lawYLMnn17i3w/w416-h640/DSC_0598.JPG" width="416" /></a></div><br />Up next will be my summer sewing plans, followed by the rest of my projects from spring. Having struggled so hard to sew and write and take pictures, I now have about six weeks' worth of posts queued up and I'm starting to get concerned about my blogging being way out of step with the seasons. But I'll work something out!<p></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115213563003924174noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400826347245670815.post-12825608984838978712022-05-23T10:00:00.099+01:002022-05-23T10:00:00.153+01:00two trouser block experiments (and failures)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My shortened spring plan is going very well. Four out of five are done, and I've decided to make the fifth (the dress for the wedding) way more complicated by trying several different things out first. There's not much time left to go, so we'll see whether that pans out for me or whether I panic-sew yet another Anna dress the week before. Here's the first of the completed projects, which is a fail but a useful fail. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">About a month before the pandemic first hit, I went to a "make your own blocks" weekender at Ray Stitch. I was really excited for it, but in the end not super enthused by the results I got. The bodice toile fit worse than most standard bodices plus FBA I've used (when I asked how to adjust it so there wasn't a large diagonal indent between the boobs, the instructor told me that bodices would just always look like that on me), the sleeve block was literally useless, and she rushed through a knit block with us, telling me I would never be able to have one that fit properly because of my waist-hip ratio. She used a particular system that she claimed would work for any set of measurements, but either it didn't or she didn't want to bother. Every time I was outside of an expected measurement ratio she would say "oh, just use the closest one, it'll look better" and she was absolutely wrong every time. (Also there was a woman there who kept loudly saying "wow, I thought I was going to be the one with the largest hips" every time I had to say a measurement out loud and also kept looking at my thirty-five-year-old ass and talking about the young people with no work ethic, but that bit isn't the class's fault.) I came away with four blocks, and the only one I thought might be OK was the trouser block, so that was the one I committed to trying out properly. And then didn't for two years. But now I have!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIMdYonhy9XsZnAtGhxzY1E7ppF-29KBxzzhF6cYa5J8HUldEXCEqB30TYiObqhoV2Xu-ZVf8pHNTbb9yaTEhzLuPRbeU7Q4490t4i6M7S0ruQyaA6zlbNBwQ3bkZKvlcMLEotRo2nHwx6H678i0E0steNvp7kdhA-9JWTIPQM5tyHu4L4Kzsq5AEV8g/s2058/DSC_0641.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2058" data-original-width="1141" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIMdYonhy9XsZnAtGhxzY1E7ppF-29KBxzzhF6cYa5J8HUldEXCEqB30TYiObqhoV2Xu-ZVf8pHNTbb9yaTEhzLuPRbeU7Q4490t4i6M7S0ruQyaA6zlbNBwQ3bkZKvlcMLEotRo2nHwx6H678i0E0steNvp7kdhA-9JWTIPQM5tyHu4L4Kzsq5AEV8g/w354-h640/DSC_0641.JPG" width="354" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is attempt number one, made out of a paisley viscose I knew I wasn't actually going to wear. I sewed them up pretty quickly, looked in the mirror, and thought "oh great, I've made a pair of great-fitting trousers and they're paisley with no pockets". My main desire for the trousers was for them to not sit in under my belly and create the impression I was wearing a nappy, and attempt number one had a perfectly smooth front. I was both pleased and annoyed. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNXsX6VncspqubpoRuEkYGImSfcDAKbD9TLkiiMS55vi-yGcFwDDSoS24-6j7Q0np6w6NC1AOOo_fFHyo2qPTX4CQv4qY9XjvrFGDKy6ecYgsUStZ4u9DD6hxa0EBZjF0TtQZpV2AdT-W7MLfJMgLWL-OAHnsgEIr09Hzu4_vYlR2L6mKnxX0Uc4LKYQ/s2158/DSC_0636.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2158" data-original-width="1359" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNXsX6VncspqubpoRuEkYGImSfcDAKbD9TLkiiMS55vi-yGcFwDDSoS24-6j7Q0np6w6NC1AOOo_fFHyo2qPTX4CQv4qY9XjvrFGDKy6ecYgsUStZ4u9DD6hxa0EBZjF0TtQZpV2AdT-W7MLfJMgLWL-OAHnsgEIr09Hzu4_vYlR2L6mKnxX0Uc4LKYQ/w404-h640/DSC_0636.JPG" width="404" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The fit at the back was also great, if we ignore the fact that I cut a waistband using a form of logic I'd then completely forgotten about by the time I came to sew it, so it's a bit weird at the overlap. They're too short to wear with heels, but that was never going to matter. I was happy enough to move on to the corduroy version, which you will see in a moment. I was happy with the fit when I made them, but I then put them aside because I didn't want to wear them before I'd photographed them and couldn't get my head around photography for several months. And when I did get round to it, things had changed. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I tried the cords on a couple of weeks ago and was much less happy with the fit. I thought to myself "these trousers have grown. That's weird. Corduroy shouldn't do that." A few days later I went to the next appointment for the clinical trial I'm doing, where they weighed me as they usually do. And that's when I found out I'd lost 17lb since making these trousers. It's been so long since I lost any weight - and I haven't been working on it - that it just didn't occur to me, which now feels deeply stupid. "Ooh, maybe the corduroy grew" indeed. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeee9nDcXtvH_9wbOLuikRGdse90AprYPNhZEZiUN6CO8E3cm9qWrdD_Ja_IlrsrH0ol2x6dTi7ybrplqkJo1zRP0kmod56ZJyDwnyJQbMjsldguOuLWa0gnOW46eQJOdoZ945D8OSxlO7ye9LgZ9acRFILpm04orwFJUfRUsDg0ky1FiisaNbjassaw/s2032/DSC_0622.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2032" data-original-width="1223" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeee9nDcXtvH_9wbOLuikRGdse90AprYPNhZEZiUN6CO8E3cm9qWrdD_Ja_IlrsrH0ol2x6dTi7ybrplqkJo1zRP0kmod56ZJyDwnyJQbMjsldguOuLWa0gnOW46eQJOdoZ945D8OSxlO7ye9LgZ9acRFILpm04orwFJUfRUsDg0ky1FiisaNbjassaw/w386-h640/DSC_0622.JPG" width="386" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So here they are as they fit now, and as you see, it's not great. Not only are there four surplus inches in the waistband, but it's also weirdly bagged out across the abdomen. I don't really know why this is because I'm certain I haven't lost that much belly, and the viscose version isn't doing this (which may be attributable to relative drape in the fabric, I suppose). Regardless, it is incredibly unattractive and renders these trousers unwearable even if I could alter the size of the waist to fit again. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh00hg_aQVm08JwoKhSgg_rFPkDiLX63Ses_E7jU8L2RR6ag2s3UNeaDEAeEgcz9-oaRdOP3vuZds1fwWp91T9fiFQipIcn2xMwZBgsKsSwhAh4B6IXDfZXZFXOyf8CdoPDEpU04CRxVWRO8wi1E1aezytxK-5_sO2OCvr3wdG9BNPu1L7hrk85Jhot9g/s2213/DSC_0624.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2213" data-original-width="1322" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh00hg_aQVm08JwoKhSgg_rFPkDiLX63Ses_E7jU8L2RR6ag2s3UNeaDEAeEgcz9-oaRdOP3vuZds1fwWp91T9fiFQipIcn2xMwZBgsKsSwhAh4B6IXDfZXZFXOyf8CdoPDEpU04CRxVWRO8wi1E1aezytxK-5_sO2OCvr3wdG9BNPu1L7hrk85Jhot9g/w382-h640/DSC_0624.JPG" width="382" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The back still looks like it fits OK, if you ignore the fact that standing this way created enough of a gap in the front waistband for me to be able to look down the front of my trousers and see my bare thighs. I think if I were to try this same block again I would need to alter the front much more than the back. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Pa0w5ve5h7Hf9P5OwoduGOja3plWeoqE9uk6cuvF_Ot44xicb6w7fy3s5bvSsny4eKwX_96sgb3UZbbWLwx98_YN7ieMAT6yCi39Vn1Tbglm8aZ3ny-wp-3Q54F6JhwzQXKcEE5T8avj44woNmV2oXxghsqjArABuotx7Y09KTcqm6uv15Q5lorNdw/s2076/DSC_0629.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2076" data-original-width="1326" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Pa0w5ve5h7Hf9P5OwoduGOja3plWeoqE9uk6cuvF_Ot44xicb6w7fy3s5bvSsny4eKwX_96sgb3UZbbWLwx98_YN7ieMAT6yCi39Vn1Tbglm8aZ3ny-wp-3Q54F6JhwzQXKcEE5T8avj44woNmV2oXxghsqjArABuotx7Y09KTcqm6uv15Q5lorNdw/w408-h640/DSC_0629.JPG" width="408" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAfLnCyfPhsx39aO2zl4W7tW_E4T5UYJxobutulXHUDRF0S7m3pWv1tU9vqik0q46v0I9qGj_28J0sOPpSlZS69njyqIzWOPHLfODvF4upFrVz2EggAkG_wmvLp5iCySDvnh7c4I0RGYx8Rb3Zl8DgnY_WfK3pADwCfL7UabjHcHBZhGG19i8E9qkpZQ/s2028/DSC_0639.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2028" data-original-width="1158" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAfLnCyfPhsx39aO2zl4W7tW_E4T5UYJxobutulXHUDRF0S7m3pWv1tU9vqik0q46v0I9qGj_28J0sOPpSlZS69njyqIzWOPHLfODvF4upFrVz2EggAkG_wmvLp5iCySDvnh7c4I0RGYx8Rb3Zl8DgnY_WfK3pADwCfL7UabjHcHBZhGG19i8E9qkpZQ/w366-h640/DSC_0639.JPG" width="366" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've not yet decided whether to alter the block and give it another go, or to go through my stash and try a different pre-made pattern. Since I don't know what's going to happen to my weight over the next year or so, I don't want to put huge amounts of effort into getting a perfectly-fitting anything yet. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Something that I really would like to figure out is trouser leg width. I have always had very large thighs that spread a lot when I sat down, but I'm certain that back in my trouser-buying days I was always able to find ones that looked more fitted without straining over the thighs when I sat down. I have attempted a few times when making trousers to alter the legs to get this, and it has never worked. (It's the reason I stopped making Pietra pants - I could never get the legs to look exactly the way I wanted without compromising thigh room, and for some reason even trying stretch fabric didn't seem to help.) Apparently bootcut is coming back, so I might give that a try. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifKWfEcpJ1vbuFLKF87dhxNfmYcGVbtF8eb8cp6ZCJij8IWet7JXDZcTjBfTw_4kjKKNav09iTX0EBc4pAHK8c6gIwr22UHyG9wgORmc_wvtRG7VfKV0Ku8Cxv2LPO0Yxs8x9SVJL_x9OZdRYy7cZmoedIFaRX1_VJeu3XEuoZo7MjatmxQ-BsoWuRlA/s2072/DSC_0640.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2072" data-original-width="1201" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifKWfEcpJ1vbuFLKF87dhxNfmYcGVbtF8eb8cp6ZCJij8IWet7JXDZcTjBfTw_4kjKKNav09iTX0EBc4pAHK8c6gIwr22UHyG9wgORmc_wvtRG7VfKV0Ku8Cxv2LPO0Yxs8x9SVJL_x9OZdRYy7cZmoedIFaRX1_VJeu3XEuoZo7MjatmxQ-BsoWuRlA/w370-h640/DSC_0640.JPG" width="370" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">While I'm glad I did this, it hasn't left me with any more trousers to wear. Though I have discovered I can now fit into the navy Esther trousers from my <a href="https://sewingandslapdashery.blogspot.com/2020/08/sewing-plan-autumn-2020.html" target="_blank">autumn 2020 sewing plan</a>, which you have never seen because they really, really didn't fit. I held onto them stubbornly because I thought I'd done a really nice job on the construction and I'm now very glad I did. I am going to be wanting more trousers, and I'm also going to be wanting a greater range of tops. My number one takeaway from this year's Me Made May is that I am extremely bored of my array of plain black short-sleeved tops and I'm dying for a bit more variety. But more on that when I post my summer plan! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Up next: the lemon dress! Apologies in advance that I'm not currently replying to comments - for some reason Google is insisting I'm not signed in, but also won't let me sign in, so I can't actually comment on my own blog at the moment. Deeply stupid. But I'm still reading and appreciating every single one! </div><p></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115213563003924174noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400826347245670815.post-38977176101510568012022-05-16T10:00:00.024+01:002022-05-16T10:00:00.159+01:00a mash-up dress: when you just feel cute<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm back! We had a really nice but quite strange holiday in Córdoba, which is beautiful and unusually introverted for a Spanish town, and we found it almost impossible to get our hands on any of the stuff the place is famous for. Pastries? Nope. Pottery and tiling? Barely. Leatherwork? Nope. Russian salad out the wazoo, though, for some reason. But there was sunshine and balmy temperatures and amazing food (if you don't order the Russian salad) and a really great spa in our hotel, so we returned relaxed but confused. Glad we went, would recommend going to Seville instead. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's taken me a long time to get my head around photo-taking for a variety of reasons, but I did a whole bunch this weekend and have about half a dozen new things to share with you over the next month or two (by which point, hopefully, I will have made and photographed more stuff! We'll see how momentum goes). Let's start with the one that's been waiting the longest. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4NLYRwFf_OXxX4eO8sKdcf7aCd7jXh1-LBlvIeMqb4OYzuND-eUFlKrO6UKWsXN1kR_cIzBVQ8O2QNJw9uSbf2eYxs3gBpfWZ7acHYVr4fLcPwC-l0brN9IQckuIFBsFXfkISnLY-4wdKsuNMb9PYKgdd0HS2sE7AfSpm-UK4VeIOiMDAyTgKG80T9A/s1971/DSC_0551.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1971" data-original-width="1309" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4NLYRwFf_OXxX4eO8sKdcf7aCd7jXh1-LBlvIeMqb4OYzuND-eUFlKrO6UKWsXN1kR_cIzBVQ8O2QNJw9uSbf2eYxs3gBpfWZ7acHYVr4fLcPwC-l0brN9IQckuIFBsFXfkISnLY-4wdKsuNMb9PYKgdd0HS2sE7AfSpm-UK4VeIOiMDAyTgKG80T9A/w426-h640/DSC_0551.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You know sometimes you just feel cute? I just felt cute in these pictures. Which I actually wasn't expecting, because I wasn't at all sure about the dress when I finished it. This is what I managed to squeeze out of the 1.2m of fabric I had left over from my <a href="https://sewingandslapdashery.blogspot.com/2022/02/a-birthday-dress-vogue-8724.html" target="_blank">birthday dress</a> and it's a Vanessa Pouzet Wanted top and Sew Over It tulip skirt mashed together. Given how often I mix and match both of these patterns with other bodices and skirts, I was surprised by how different this particular finished result felt. "Cute" is the first word that comes to mind, and that's very rarely true for me. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiWogzJWExbzvxSlrgaAOa2kjTYzbZbqHqDnQZ2TutapiklHM7clhBG3k7lLz8pmQ89ToC5936n0PJc--VzVWyI87TDijtoyTQheHni8-ZIy5txEL2GxwLIsaV5LNwr-F3THwWdxNuAZDSGQ06mvvt4Ky6fU38OTpiKZUfXBj-T_sfaqkqWxCHfVuqdQ/s1898/DSC_0550.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1898" data-original-width="1030" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiWogzJWExbzvxSlrgaAOa2kjTYzbZbqHqDnQZ2TutapiklHM7clhBG3k7lLz8pmQ89ToC5936n0PJc--VzVWyI87TDijtoyTQheHni8-ZIy5txEL2GxwLIsaV5LNwr-F3THwWdxNuAZDSGQ06mvvt4Ky6fU38OTpiKZUfXBj-T_sfaqkqWxCHfVuqdQ/w348-h640/DSC_0550.JPG" width="348" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I don't have a huge amount to say about the construction of this - you've seen me make Wanted tops and tulip skirts dozens of times. If I hadn't been so surprised by how much I liked the photos I probably wouldn't have bothered making a standalone post for it. But there's a bit of a disconnect in my feelings about this dress that I think it's worth going a bit deeper into. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ZSLNyz5rc6SuqyjJIuV4aBH0O61lqRvC0ymhW4qSkrQe_sN2xAHHjDfsvsaF9l0-lDHTNmk8RubJEAGS5BesSCQNvI0fqHpU_hRH3rYQlBuTyAfYW9E-DqRrvW8jab2UMAnDu4SMX-zYNSDCi_K2ch4b5XG8x_oFZLmP9EVt-tAZ1egxfGPcW910-w/s2068/DSC_0558.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2068" data-original-width="1391" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ZSLNyz5rc6SuqyjJIuV4aBH0O61lqRvC0ymhW4qSkrQe_sN2xAHHjDfsvsaF9l0-lDHTNmk8RubJEAGS5BesSCQNvI0fqHpU_hRH3rYQlBuTyAfYW9E-DqRrvW8jab2UMAnDu4SMX-zYNSDCi_K2ch4b5XG8x_oFZLmP9EVt-tAZ1egxfGPcW910-w/w430-h640/DSC_0558.JPG" width="430" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0T4OgT3kWsEGJ-TlGOkT5_f5mWmRSj2-GRqAIIndNGAqIdH4UYG-aStJOEaHJj8rNm7bXl5KkIBnUgslUu4p1m2we6ggDuVRZGBUS0rtTLfL5RROwbdGOdQnvUZ8TCdfYW_CviI0-P53OEJgQiVcAP8ZNlMX9AzHhQAggx0p5S8p8w760MNcwYgWi3Q/s2016/DSC_0546.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2016" data-original-width="1312" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0T4OgT3kWsEGJ-TlGOkT5_f5mWmRSj2-GRqAIIndNGAqIdH4UYG-aStJOEaHJj8rNm7bXl5KkIBnUgslUu4p1m2we6ggDuVRZGBUS0rtTLfL5RROwbdGOdQnvUZ8TCdfYW_CviI0-P53OEJgQiVcAP8ZNlMX9AzHhQAggx0p5S8p8w760MNcwYgWi3Q/w416-h640/DSC_0546.JPG" width="416" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The first issue I had when I tried it on is that it's ended up as an empire waist. This is partly because of fabric constraints and partly because I didn't take into account the kind of fabric I was using. Every other time I've turned the Wanted top into a dress it's been a viscose jersey maxi dress, and I've needed to make the bodice very short so that it sits at my actual waist when it's pulled down by the maxi skirt. So when I saw how much fabric I had to cut the bodice from I thought it would be fine, without realising that a thicker double jersey and a shorter skirt wouldn't create the same level of pull. I think the empire waist is what's giving the "cute" vibe and in photos I don't hate it (it's on the same spectrum as the Selkie dress thing, which I have occasionally wished I could pull off), but in real life people seem to be trained to think that empire waist = maternity dress. Especially when the skirt has big front pleats to create space in that area. So I worry I wouldn't actually wear it anywhere for fear of giving the wrong impression (particularly given the extremely gossipy nature of a subset of my wider social acquaintance). There's also the back view:</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiscXnELylqQeaI6w-1j5Rbq8ibpYeNrkKsGAE7j7rymce2i5H5Q1Jb9o2EYtS1cUPDvMkH_V8RmuqSVBcY5Ak28462s8qv1tKLqsxsb5_g4ksVM8ZccoYEdzARH7xwhPXUoQuBHF0ab5fa1Nxpl_ztYota_ZJTmU5KrrUuum6I70DJJZAEZ0uXEDA2oA/s2015/DSC_0545.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2015" data-original-width="1156" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiscXnELylqQeaI6w-1j5Rbq8ibpYeNrkKsGAE7j7rymce2i5H5Q1Jb9o2EYtS1cUPDvMkH_V8RmuqSVBcY5Ak28462s8qv1tKLqsxsb5_g4ksVM8ZccoYEdzARH7xwhPXUoQuBHF0ab5fa1Nxpl_ztYota_ZJTmU5KrrUuum6I70DJJZAEZ0uXEDA2oA/w368-h640/DSC_0545.JPG" width="368" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">To me, this feels like a completely different dress and I honestly find it a little jarring. So cute from the front, but almost... office-y? from the back. Just in shape, not in colour or print, but I do find it weird. Obviously this one is easier to ignore because I almost never see myself from the back. I am aware of it nevertheless. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5BWGb70slgkCUvctIMZ6Ua9LXd0tzuKYGp0YarlfT88rgRhPhBqziBr00cN0ktBAIZiYkVWTlTNbdJpo71ZoAfydLeTF5QUkDA6h1qEpoDHTcJ78zkdZnsw94N5okUQQyrhSadXA5Lss1XgcLF0nqVpLmSeMpMx4N7ljP7hWsp6HhmMUsbhtJKJC-jA/s1922/DSC_0552.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1922" data-original-width="1116" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5BWGb70slgkCUvctIMZ6Ua9LXd0tzuKYGp0YarlfT88rgRhPhBqziBr00cN0ktBAIZiYkVWTlTNbdJpo71ZoAfydLeTF5QUkDA6h1qEpoDHTcJ78zkdZnsw94N5okUQQyrhSadXA5Lss1XgcLF0nqVpLmSeMpMx4N7ljP7hWsp6HhmMUsbhtJKJC-jA/w372-h640/DSC_0552.JPG" width="372" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On the other hand, now that I'm starting to feel better I am really craving things that are even a little bit different in my wardrobe. I still love my sleeved Kielo dresses, Hepburn tops and wide leg trousers, but it is literally all I wore all winter and I'm bored. I'm not quite ready to to start making earth-toned skinny jeans or anything like that, and I'm not sure I ever will be; I still like my style overall and am looking to expand rather than change. So if I could persuade myself to wear this kind of thing outside, I think it would be very good for me. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH2k-UFu4300Xb17PyRYjcfDekliXfXf9wszrCILsc1bI9yMYXd1AY2mJi7T0MM7osEt-ytRAVqhzkMGRcribU8FgsGkRSnpxdSmSlaQ8rQ44UAhEYWfMSjJD5rR-3Gv_F2RqfOylh1TZ5_Js7Dka0meczq58CZvUcwi9lWRwOFp1usToMdvAeq5hXGA/s2014/DSC_0561.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2014" data-original-width="1115" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH2k-UFu4300Xb17PyRYjcfDekliXfXf9wszrCILsc1bI9yMYXd1AY2mJi7T0MM7osEt-ytRAVqhzkMGRcribU8FgsGkRSnpxdSmSlaQ8rQ44UAhEYWfMSjJD5rR-3Gv_F2RqfOylh1TZ5_Js7Dka0meczq58CZvUcwi9lWRwOFp1usToMdvAeq5hXGA/w354-h640/DSC_0561.JPG" width="354" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So as yet, I'm undecided and will be interested to see how my relationship with this dress progresses. I'll definitely be trying it on regularly. If nothing else I hope it spurs me on to take some more small risks with the styles and silhouettes I choose for my projects. It's been such a year of change for me so far and it would be good to include my sewing in that to some extent. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">(I've been doing Me Made May again to try and work on said variety thing, and it feels so strange now that Instagram is trying to discourage posting photos. I know "I'm getting very little engagement" sounds like such a stupid thing to say, but it's so different from the way I'm used to MMM going that it's bound to feel a little discouraging. I'm going to carry on because this is for me and not the algorithm, but I thought I'd share my irrational feelings with you anyway.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Up next: I think I'll be posting my first two attempts at making trousers from my block, which were unsuccessful for reasons I hadn't anticipated at all! </div><p></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115213563003924174noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400826347245670815.post-28108611647652210532022-04-11T10:00:00.065+01:002022-04-11T10:00:00.156+01:00a special inherited fabric haul<p>Look! Free fabric!</p><p>I think I might have mentioned once or twice that a few years ago I came into an unexpected fabric bonanza courtesy of my friend Emily's late mother. She made couture wedding dresses as a profession, and when going through her things after she died, my friend offered to let me pick through any bits of fabric that might be left over. I think we were both expecting some bits of white lace and maybe the remainder of a bolt of ivory satin. What I ended up with was a giant box (I could comfortably sit in it and pull it closed over my head) full of mostly silks, some linen and wool, and a few other miscellaneous bits, a combination of leftovers from bridesmaid/groomsman outfits and things Emily's mum had bought to make clothes for herself. It was a little treasure trove. </p><p>I took a couple of pieces back with me at the time, distributed some of it to other people, and the rest stayed at my parents' house where Emily had dropped it off. The box went missing for a while, as things tend to do when you put them in the attic, and was found again a month or so ago during a clear-out. I've now brought most of it back with me (though there's still another trip or two to go, including some more dupioni remnants and some sequinned Art Deco nonsense), and I thought it might be nice to share with you. Small disclaimer: all of this came up in two trips, and only the stuff from the first trip has been ironed as of yet. I promise the rest of it will get done before I put it away. </p><p>Here, then, are 25 pieces of fabric, divided up into vague categories: </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7XxmljBGtb0VueDHHSVI0TCH9iXRdRAM7zuMw0uWp1MarNliJm2fV4sPn2pZrBUoMN52W167iaIQEQYktlSAxVB0K277mquJq30oRE9OgizthlRzBtGQ3wmnDkW8ws3D1KnXnLsk_70VuEJO39Wgj97FSy7hNIduuNhF93A2uULZ2SGfFf0SSbOhL2g/s4032/IMG_2982.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="seven pieces of silk satin in cream, two pinks, ivory, lilac, lemon, baby blue" border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7XxmljBGtb0VueDHHSVI0TCH9iXRdRAM7zuMw0uWp1MarNliJm2fV4sPn2pZrBUoMN52W167iaIQEQYktlSAxVB0K277mquJq30oRE9OgizthlRzBtGQ3wmnDkW8ws3D1KnXnLsk_70VuEJO39Wgj97FSy7hNIduuNhF93A2uULZ2SGfFf0SSbOhL2g/w300-h400/IMG_2982.jpg" width="300" /></a></p><p>Here we have seven pieces of silk satin. I've arranged them here based on how much I have of each, going from least (the white rose-print silk, 1m) to most (the baby blue, 2.3m). I will freely admit that these pieces are, in general, not my colour, and I'm also a bit nervous about the super shiny stuff because it seems to be impossible to work with. If A list celebrities are turning up to the Oscars in custom designer gowns made of satin that's more wrinkles than fabric and hems that look like ass, what chance do I have? I imagine that at least half of these will end up as lining fabric, which is fine. <br /><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9nnmC5IZr2BXD2ad6f6mtrzo_2u2tDbKK4IddlLPVnFvKRQmJ7PxnQp1B7KMszJCKLkTG98A4lDBHaEtLwpaNVITq1Ob09g14czLnUOdbj3wZtXF67Fbz7StxCYt-mOBETiGZHA_sELRJHx2d2xjlo4IvdVvccJlPvSIVzTEy_JBxiGcNtS0IHwxvLA/s4032/IMG_2980.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="four pieces of silk in red, yellow, green, and navy floral print" border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9nnmC5IZr2BXD2ad6f6mtrzo_2u2tDbKK4IddlLPVnFvKRQmJ7PxnQp1B7KMszJCKLkTG98A4lDBHaEtLwpaNVITq1Ob09g14czLnUOdbj3wZtXF67Fbz7StxCYt-mOBETiGZHA_sELRJHx2d2xjlo4IvdVvccJlPvSIVzTEy_JBxiGcNtS0IHwxvLA/w300-h400/IMG_2980.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p></p><p>Here we have the non-satin silks, the category I'm most hopeful to be able to make into wearable things. So far I've established that the green is going to be a slip and the red, if there's enough of it, will be a party dress. I have 2m but it's quite narrow. The floral isn't really me at all, but I'm going to try to find a pattern that will let me do a 90s baby Goth Winona Ryder thing in the hopes that might vaguely coincide with my style wheelhouse. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhonPAazHuFaoKwiSE5wLcFathLhfNcEJWCaltmnyost_cMlxFveIh9cjGcxbTpg9pWJRxDWuo1WXSNWQc8_CEhjfgxhOpBKyWuKb-ckRio95aafKG1jVa7jBsnjJ2rXRlSg9t-gzqJB3SPdMpfu9Ol1proL-rxApb7NeUMA6ZJNSZ_uSiEA6nXQR9pOw/s4032/IMG_3032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="two pieces of silk dupioni in baby blue and green with burgundy shift" border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhonPAazHuFaoKwiSE5wLcFathLhfNcEJWCaltmnyost_cMlxFveIh9cjGcxbTpg9pWJRxDWuo1WXSNWQc8_CEhjfgxhOpBKyWuKb-ckRio95aafKG1jVa7jBsnjJ2rXRlSg9t-gzqJB3SPdMpfu9Ol1proL-rxApb7NeUMA6ZJNSZ_uSiEA6nXQR9pOw/w300-h400/IMG_3032.jpg" width="300" /></a></p><p>Two 1m remnants of silk dupioni. I also have a piece in lilac that's nearly 2m that will come to me in the next trip. I have no idea what to do with these and I really wish there was more of the green one with the burgundy shift. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMb4gdtoF9icjkMab_ezkGVY5YUfu4k4A3gDLEAz7tcCJkc_m-AWYlI-pR4dRzluLQhWp64XrCWuKtM89l7yaXVsOaBczFlRysN7VLv1Ik9jhXs5xCXDD77bgpaUphqX8yH6c086mprzzn6q0_ayTc_45erODmx2up9hi2RzyLH5oOL1dRUhnwEXuh9g/s4032/IMG_2975.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="a piece of grey georgette and a piece of grey habotai" border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMb4gdtoF9icjkMab_ezkGVY5YUfu4k4A3gDLEAz7tcCJkc_m-AWYlI-pR4dRzluLQhWp64XrCWuKtM89l7yaXVsOaBczFlRysN7VLv1Ik9jhXs5xCXDD77bgpaUphqX8yH6c086mprzzn6q0_ayTc_45erODmx2up9hi2RzyLH5oOL1dRUhnwEXuh9g/w300-h400/IMG_2975.jpg" width="300" /></a></p><p>Chiffon and silk habotai. These two are both labelled "slate" and both from the same place, so I'm assuming they were bought to go together. My plan is to stick with that. I don't have enough for a dress (there's around a metre of each), so it'll have to be a top, and I'm honestly not sure I own any woven top patterns. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBQMSrI6saL7UclFILZ_q5zblO34IvhY1reDR_2bry_16l6QqF-pxV7Sk1H3r1pm7IEEIDdCTaUnJyogmSoMUogmh05Yw8Ty2zQx8L7ahPyl1Aa7wnRSoVKNhjkycAHcnZbA0mA3vSfAGA3TKmS7HqNfcAWKHof6afmipbiexDosaAYXU0wacxOpDWAA/s4032/IMG_2978.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="two pieces of chiffon, one plain black and one colourful patterns on a black base" border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBQMSrI6saL7UclFILZ_q5zblO34IvhY1reDR_2bry_16l6QqF-pxV7Sk1H3r1pm7IEEIDdCTaUnJyogmSoMUogmh05Yw8Ty2zQx8L7ahPyl1Aa7wnRSoVKNhjkycAHcnZbA0mA3vSfAGA3TKmS7HqNfcAWKHof6afmipbiexDosaAYXU0wacxOpDWAA/w300-h400/IMG_2978.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><p>Two chiffons. The black (underneath) is basically going to be used as a practice piece before I use either the printed one or the grey above. The other is one I'm really excited about - according to the selvedge it's Liberty, and I have three and a half metres of it (the final half metre is a separate length). What I want, obviously, is a maxi dress, but that's fully contingent on my being able to semi-competently insert a zip into chiffon. We'll see. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Joa4Z90pNUJVicKLph85BuHA4HVUz9NOfB-ZxW6U_PRl5jYItKWbKgUGSOyrEmSNg7ys34FHEgD_zlUGzEQHmcgveUcuow6qKSCgFyHo96girgLWxm9FExDAWTswVyEWHuFkTttkpRRWX7EH5u7Ut9lmFujHA6ejWAlw-wOaxiJXcIkTLLg8LOFsCQ/s4032/IMG_2979.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="two pieces of black lace with a piece of black silk on top" border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Joa4Z90pNUJVicKLph85BuHA4HVUz9NOfB-ZxW6U_PRl5jYItKWbKgUGSOyrEmSNg7ys34FHEgD_zlUGzEQHmcgveUcuow6qKSCgFyHo96girgLWxm9FExDAWTswVyEWHuFkTttkpRRWX7EH5u7Ut9lmFujHA6ejWAlw-wOaxiJXcIkTLLg8LOFsCQ/w300-h400/IMG_2979.jpg" width="300" /></a></p><p>Two pieces of lace and a remnant of black silk. I'm assuming the black silk will be used in conjunction with one of these pieces, though it might turn out to be too short. On the left we have a piece of quite thick lace that I'm hoping to be able to cobble into a maxi skirt, and on the right an absolutely stunning piece of silk lace that might be one of the most beautiful things I've ever touched. I'm dying for it to be a dress, but I'm not sure there's enough (there's 2.5m but it's not an even width as something has been cut from one side). If I can't make a dress, I think I'll most likely try an oversized cropped sweater. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEeV_OBoa6LRE_4wrtvEtoVVB-bOleRwnN0WPXi-DI48c8Yb_CX75TAs3oiXTAwh4xQkjUHG36mgDLblSGVrcgH9h76ije97emzrhpEjCbvvD8nSl-YUja2GnA4qBXet5PUMv8gSO8qTO5r9XnpKadeOKOrGO3tjeJPcPbwlLOEy9KwxgRzGTHA7xcJw/s4032/IMG_2976.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="two pieces of linen in mint and white" border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEeV_OBoa6LRE_4wrtvEtoVVB-bOleRwnN0WPXi-DI48c8Yb_CX75TAs3oiXTAwh4xQkjUHG36mgDLblSGVrcgH9h76ije97emzrhpEjCbvvD8nSl-YUja2GnA4qBXet5PUMv8gSO8qTO5r9XnpKadeOKOrGO3tjeJPcPbwlLOEy9KwxgRzGTHA7xcJw/w300-h400/IMG_2976.jpg" width="300" /></a></p><p>Two pieces of linen. The mint piece is just over a metre, and when I first got hold of it I was sure it would be a tulip skirt, but I've not been wearing those so much these past couple of years. I have two metres of the white and if it didn't feel so lovely I honestly would have left it behind. I don't wear white ever and also absolutely cannot be trusted with dye of any kind. I might end up using both pieces in the same garment if I can think of any mint-and-white outfit I might conceivably wear. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQSDKZ_GMOhKYJv-zwGlLxyB0a7EU9uPJrJx-yy2SuYoF9HP635n1HozPyAKrLAiqqxvmt2cpnzenYcTiPF3SVKR_7WDRIQm2Q-druDsSSwgkRIi2hj8Oj7py_O5-A1EDs8gNMzkjkQWVzAWjq2Hwew3ScvAoYEg0oZITDYp5XGubdEVB-Y4RrtZKVg/s4032/IMG_3031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="a piece of faux fur and a piece of coral wool" border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAQSDKZ_GMOhKYJv-zwGlLxyB0a7EU9uPJrJx-yy2SuYoF9HP635n1HozPyAKrLAiqqxvmt2cpnzenYcTiPF3SVKR_7WDRIQm2Q-druDsSSwgkRIi2hj8Oj7py_O5-A1EDs8gNMzkjkQWVzAWjq2Hwew3ScvAoYEg0oZITDYp5XGubdEVB-Y4RrtZKVg/w300-h400/IMG_3031.jpg" width="300" /></a></p><p>One remnant of coral wool and one remnant of amazing faux fur (there's no reason for these two to be grouped together other than they didn't fit with anything else and didn't seem to deserve a separate picture each). I'm hoping to use the fur to trim a winter coat at some point, but I don't have any ideas for the 1m of wool, given the "maybe I'm not going to wear a bunch of tulip skirts anymore" caveat above. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkZnw31dwaBlazXIu47HpvR0WU7b9SJRBA1-nhdqvfjYdAyzApTZnrL3UEZ3i2_sDJu7IQwid-WCckSj1gg3dxlmrxmcSlVqCHto1H_HZkbMA7ceiUQpRX4uBr5FP6lZ9a1bJQuo-MBirSbtrb8yTwERliJ9Qq5e4c0xdGzmX-EA43a9O96HaCd3IC2w/s4032/IMG_3033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkZnw31dwaBlazXIu47HpvR0WU7b9SJRBA1-nhdqvfjYdAyzApTZnrL3UEZ3i2_sDJu7IQwid-WCckSj1gg3dxlmrxmcSlVqCHto1H_HZkbMA7ceiUQpRX4uBr5FP6lZ9a1bJQuo-MBirSbtrb8yTwERliJ9Qq5e4c0xdGzmX-EA43a9O96HaCd3IC2w/s320/IMG_3033.jpg" width="240" /></a></p><p>Finally, this deckchair-looking monstrosity, which of course I have more of than anything else in the haul (nearly 4m). It's quite a heavy cotton twill, though not heavy enough to actually use for a deckchair. I asked people about this on my Instagram stories because I was stumped, and the responses I got were overwhelmingly either dungarees or a jumpsuit. I can absolutely see the dungaree thing but would also absolutely never wear stripy orange ones, so a jumpsuit seems like the most likely bet. I don't even know if I'd wear that, to be honest. I'm going to ponder on this one a little longer. </p><p>I think it's going to take me a while to get started on this lot. Apart from the need to come up with actual project ideas and potential patterns, the sentimental and irreplaceable nature of it means I'm more reticent than I would normally be. I also know that it does no good to anyone just sitting in my cupboard, so I fully intend to get through all of it in good time. I would love any recommendations for what to do with any of the 1m cuts, or suggestions of dress patterns I might be able to fit on two metres of narrow silk or lace. </p><p>I'm still sewing pretty consistently, but also still having difficulty with the whole picture-taking thing. I have about half a dozen finished projects waiting for me to get it together. Hopefully I can manage it before we go on holiday - if not, I'll come up with something else to post! </p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115213563003924174noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400826347245670815.post-47113039698220813382022-03-28T10:00:00.053+01:002022-03-28T10:00:00.169+01:00very late posting of autumn sewing: an elodie dress<p>Today I have for you a dress I made from my autumn plan, back in the season I was supposed to make it, and then never posted because everything went to shit. But here it is now!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEim2ockaj2WOttbCf3rpG-k_5WBb_7HmBvszxL4fa25ALoADWs2B5TN0ieYEcZ3G9hY5YjaOtrfRTpX7txlTVFHaNkflsRlqtdDUkcNmbPb7FEiWOZOJoSJmQGuebP5KdOgYY-0ZCTO77AbdJ2Aion5YCQSr6FuOQrEap0wQwDpf-rsSrHCIWKV2RrzNA=s2490" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2490" data-original-width="1944" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEim2ockaj2WOttbCf3rpG-k_5WBb_7HmBvszxL4fa25ALoADWs2B5TN0ieYEcZ3G9hY5YjaOtrfRTpX7txlTVFHaNkflsRlqtdDUkcNmbPb7FEiWOZOJoSJmQGuebP5KdOgYY-0ZCTO77AbdJ2Aion5YCQSr6FuOQrEap0wQwDpf-rsSrHCIWKV2RrzNA=w500-h640" width="500" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is the shorter version of the Closet Core Elodie dress, in the blue linen you've now seen me post about multiple times. I could never find the right pattern for the maxi dress I originally intended this fabric to be, and having decided that the full-length Elodie would just be too heavy in this I went ahead and made a shorter version. I think this was the correct decision - I've worn this several times and on none of those occasions would I have been able to wear the giant one instead. And now I have a spare 2+ metres to make a maxi skirt that will let me have the idea of the original dress while also being a bit more versatile.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiws4N0huwFESntz0MdZp9NjOmsIyvuDRxWn19aSN4qjvH-OjLnWwUxKvHCnMM3axYp9a7AjwNRyPROzYh3E0D2ARz7VMPSRop8epeGHGbFsCXbZPOKxvM5T135WXbhUq9w779kxXkesQ1ah2JLn9uDYlhN99BV6lwn0S7C5e3LTPsYFZ5x8y5GDCtAcg=s2297" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2297" data-original-width="1944" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiws4N0huwFESntz0MdZp9NjOmsIyvuDRxWn19aSN4qjvH-OjLnWwUxKvHCnMM3axYp9a7AjwNRyPROzYh3E0D2ARz7VMPSRop8epeGHGbFsCXbZPOKxvM5T135WXbhUq9w779kxXkesQ1ah2JLn9uDYlhN99BV6lwn0S7C5e3LTPsYFZ5x8y5GDCtAcg=w542-h640" width="542" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I said when I made my first version of this that I didn't like the neckline facing at all and would be swapping out for a bound edge on any future versions. I did that here, using the Victory Patterns Trina method, and while it's certainly better it does still gape when I sit down. I think I need to take a substantial amount of length out of the neckline. I'm actually considering taking the binding off this one, shortening it, and sticking some darts in to give the bodice piece a bit more of a shape. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgoFbPev5D4L0Lnt9q_tYANmuhS2FQvt11oym4WKGmgeFDBSfOku4-E3yEnQEDG7SMK0Glh2PPsZ6282fYNlF4Su8LGDj-fthNujGKoJ4OvCagkxyMS15aXheJoA0HdTddGTK6_PjiO632yRZJJ_XPd-A1Sx9YOz22UXJ74FeHZbXqJPGEWrm-vTUk3KA=s2449" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2449" data-original-width="1944" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgoFbPev5D4L0Lnt9q_tYANmuhS2FQvt11oym4WKGmgeFDBSfOku4-E3yEnQEDG7SMK0Glh2PPsZ6282fYNlF4Su8LGDj-fthNujGKoJ4OvCagkxyMS15aXheJoA0HdTddGTK6_PjiO632yRZJJ_XPd-A1Sx9YOz22UXJ74FeHZbXqJPGEWrm-vTUk3KA=w508-h640" width="508" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiBGoMerKg9UnZmkYvXPQpu6Qy6G7jCBpEqJ4Po3grps3neWlNUcamawfhR1t4zJGQu86vrhmX7pPLI9AOvvQOeuz4f8r-Ooyid3TBvznF-d77iNgHKURxtsyUYhvh7f1zn88EM-kzsGqXpFOQu7LCYJT67BJO-LE9B4ie3SfT9OCHJZUXL2RNpEZyboQ=s2243" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2243" data-original-width="1823" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiBGoMerKg9UnZmkYvXPQpu6Qy6G7jCBpEqJ4Po3grps3neWlNUcamawfhR1t4zJGQu86vrhmX7pPLI9AOvvQOeuz4f8r-Ooyid3TBvznF-d77iNgHKURxtsyUYhvh7f1zn88EM-kzsGqXpFOQu7LCYJT67BJO-LE9B4ie3SfT9OCHJZUXL2RNpEZyboQ=w520-h640" width="520" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This fabric has enough structure to take a patch pocket, so I did put one on and I'm glad I did, it's come in very handy. I'm never going to be fully Team Patch Pocket, but it does work here. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am a little surprised at just how casual this dress turned out looking. I didn't expect it to be fancy and in fact actively didn't want that, but I did expect it to be something I changed into to go for a nice pub dinner rather than a wear-whenever day dress. We all know I'm always a little bit fancier than the occasion requires and I did actually put this on and decide against it one evening because I felt too casual. Overall it's probably a good thing to have more clothes I can just wear; I've definitely got into a rut these past few months and have been wearing the same few things on heavy rotation. To begin with I just didn't have the mental space for outfit planning and was just trying my best to be functionally clothed, and now the rut has set in so fully that it's really hard to shift. My intention for April is to do some work on that. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtEiMzgUz_FmW_4Oq8vXTTah_KRYNCd3o7xApK-UbyOWKVh-Ob7OLD_VauJBoLQybLj_QRR95bKrw6uBeWdh2VliKqx3AteBFJhfZOXCKIrna1McRVji69PKfbtAZJh6YELrYaWCx3keM6-lonc6rYwsYII4su0VRd9XLCYt0Aw1z4s0_ZnpC-JD3w3Q=s2150" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2150" data-original-width="1944" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtEiMzgUz_FmW_4Oq8vXTTah_KRYNCd3o7xApK-UbyOWKVh-Ob7OLD_VauJBoLQybLj_QRR95bKrw6uBeWdh2VliKqx3AteBFJhfZOXCKIrna1McRVji69PKfbtAZJh6YELrYaWCx3keM6-lonc6rYwsYII4su0VRd9XLCYt0Aw1z4s0_ZnpC-JD3w3Q=w578-h640" width="578" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm not sure if I'll make this dress a third time. I might - I'm interested in experimenting with adjustments to the neckline to get the fit the way I want it, and I do think it produces a pretty dress. But this is not going to be a Kielo-type pattern that I make again and again. If I find fabric that demands it, I will do it. Back in autumn I suggested I might use my green and orange floral satin-look viscose to make this, and I've now concluded that would be a mismatch. I think that fabric demands a pattern with a little more shape. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXDuvgLZvnG0PZR_djDxn5jWtNrARRbiAqFXqtex3aavSSXdwBhucZTtnLWHq-7gYFvhUHaDc0VJLneNWFAVOIKakZWluNaCRe8dQtsGvfxZtcREk3oeyRCY0SnA0v9dbREyiUiIzf1HqrpyNeSKDE_gV2DR38IfZ8I5EL_RfgXDm7YaHQT7NV8TNTGw=s2128" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2128" data-original-width="1739" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiXDuvgLZvnG0PZR_djDxn5jWtNrARRbiAqFXqtex3aavSSXdwBhucZTtnLWHq-7gYFvhUHaDc0VJLneNWFAVOIKakZWluNaCRe8dQtsGvfxZtcREk3oeyRCY0SnA0v9dbREyiUiIzf1HqrpyNeSKDE_gV2DR38IfZ8I5EL_RfgXDm7YaHQT7NV8TNTGw=w524-h640" width="524" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Life on meds means that I've been working in smaller but more consistent chunks, and I have a few more things finished and waiting to be photographed. The weather has been better recently so progress has been made on the giant piles of detritus in our garden, and I'm hoping that within the next week or so I can regain access to the very back section and take photos there. I love this garden so much more than our last one, but there is no easy palm tree focal point here and it's been a real pain trying to get photos with an OK background and vaguely consistent lighting (the current bane of my project-recording existence. You may have spotted). I think the back wall is going to be a much better shout for now. I will be back, probably mid-month before we go on holiday. Hopefully with photos of something. </div><p></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115213563003924174noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400826347245670815.post-23061632214200484802022-03-14T10:00:00.022+00:002022-03-14T10:00:00.159+00:00sewing plan: spring 2022<p>I've decided I want a spring sewing plan. I wasn't going to make one this time, to give myself a bit more freedom and flexibility, but I'm now thinking the structure might be helpful. This plan is shorter than usual, because I don't want to overwhelm myself, and I'm writing it with the full expectation that some of this stuff won't get done and some other random stuff will. I've divided it into two categories: the first is projects I have all the supplies for but maybe not as much driving motivation, and the second is projects I'm really excited and inspired to make but haven't got all the stuff for yet. <br /><br /></p><p><b>Section A: Things I have fabric, pattern and notions for</b></p><p>A lemon dress</p><p>I know, I'm years behind on the whole lemons thing. Most sewing people got lemons out of their system three years ago. When it was everywhere I went back and forth on it - in some ways I liked the idea, but I worried I might find it sat on the wrong side of the novelty print line when it was actually on me. Also everyone was making these whimsical dresses and I, a decidedly not-whimsical person, couldn't see past it. (I thought all the dresses I saw were lovely, this is not shade. They just weren't me at all.) But last time I was in my local fabric shop I ended up buying a couple of metres of navy lemon-print cotton, and I'm going to make this dress again and hopefully stamp around Spain in it like a tourist:<br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhW4hW_hnnr0IiRmJDdWjW8uE1OFm8phr6Ub9ElUw0YMOdwmC1s-zndkouWjPhq55aTxYwZbjf-AJa0zoODc2wHEmGR39W8eDmL73-Vw6jkZ8m4Z0byy2iyaV8FezryURUbwYFS8y_C9R_H_2X_c7dcW8Vj_0moOJnvBGoODDZ1Ah4QMo0BORfGJeKRXg=s1712" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1712" data-original-width="1056" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhW4hW_hnnr0IiRmJDdWjW8uE1OFm8phr6Ub9ElUw0YMOdwmC1s-zndkouWjPhq55aTxYwZbjf-AJa0zoODc2wHEmGR39W8eDmL73-Vw6jkZ8m4Z0byy2iyaV8FezryURUbwYFS8y_C9R_H_2X_c7dcW8Vj_0moOJnvBGoODDZ1Ah4QMo0BORfGJeKRXg=w246-h400" width="246" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p>A pair of cords</p><p>I keep saying this, and it keeps not working. So what I have done is slowly accumulated enough cheap cord I don't really care about to make four pairs, so that I can experiment and do large-scale fitting adjustments and hopefully, eventually, come up with something that works. I'm starting with the trouser block I made a couple of years ago, and a couple of different waistband options. </p><p>A maxi skirt</p><p>I made a dress out of half of that blue linen I've been trying to use up for years (it's finished and photographed and I'm in the process of writing up the post), and I think the other half is going to become a Fumeterre skirt, with the modifications I made <a href="https://sewingandslapdashery.blogspot.com/2021/09/autumn-sewing-fumeterre-ish-maxi-skirt.html" target="_blank">last time</a>. The only thing I need to do before I start this is work out whether or not I make any changes to the waistband to provide a bit of flexibility. I love that yellow skirt but I've been having a lot of issues with bloating since starting my meds and can't wear it out to dinner anymore. I made a second version with a bit of elastic in that gets a lot more wear but also undeniably looks worse. Decisions, decisions. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Section B: Things I would really like to make but don't have the stuff for yet</b><br /><br /></p><p>A wedding guest dress</p><p>I have a family wedding coming up in June and I'd like to make something new for it. I think it will mean a lot to the couple in question that I put thought and time and effort into celebrating with them. I'm assuming I'll use a pattern I already know well, but this particular project is very much going to be led by the fabric. I'm looking for something very traditionally "summer wedding guest", no white or black, that I like, and that generally conveys joy. It's very much a "know it when I see it" sort of thing and the pattern is going to have to bend to whatever I find. </p><p><br />A massive fluffy bathrobe</p><p>I made <a href="https://sewingandslapdashery.blogspot.com/2018/11/autumn-sewing-m7516-robe.html" target="_blank">this bathrobe</a> in 2018 and though I do still wear it occasionally, the main fabric really hasn't held up at all. They called it French terry and it absolutely is not. If that fabric arrived on my doorstep now I'd consider it basically a write-off and probably make some oversized sleeping T-shirts so it didn't go completely to waste. The robe now looks horribly schlumpy and I only wear it for fifteen or so minutes between shower and pyjamas on the very coldest days of the year. I would like a nicer bathrobe. A great big fancy fluffy one that I could do pedicures in and shit. I don't yet have fabric or pattern for this - the pattern I used last time was M7516 and I will never use it again. I've seen what I think is perfect fabric on Fabric Godmother but I don't have the money to buy it immediately, so I'm gambling on it still being there next month. </p><p><br /></p><p>I'm going to leave it at five things, rather than straining to reach a longer plan. There's still a bunch of stuff from my autumn plan that I'd like to get done, but I don't want to officially carry it over because I don't want to feel like I'm trying to "catch up" (which has happened in the past and stresses me out to the point that I don't sew anything at all). The most difficult thing to do, I think, will be the cords - I have had many failures there and I don't have any particular faith in this block - but I'm hoping that preparing for multiple versions will help set my expectations and allow me to treat it as an ongoing fitting challenge rather than a failure if (when) the first one doesn't work. </p><p>As I mentioned, my blue linen dress is done and photographed, so that post will be coming at some point in the next couple of weeks depending on how difficult it is to write. I'll see you when I see you!</p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115213563003924174noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400826347245670815.post-35007128463648476082022-02-28T10:00:00.009+00:002022-02-28T10:00:00.156+00:00a birthday dress (Vogue 8724)<p>First I'd like to say thank you to everyone who commented on my last post, and to the couple of you who emailed me. I was struggling and not in a space to reply but I really appreciated it, and it really helped me to get my head back in a sewing space again. </p><p>Life update: this past month has been <i>weird. </i>I can't remember how much I've talked about this, but I was diagnosed ADHD at the beginning of last year. I was so hopeful that things were going to fundamentally change - it's why none of the anxiety and depression medications worked for me, it's why I wasn't getting anywhere with therapy despite having an excellent therapist - and then spent a full year going through an increasingly ridiculous comedy of errors trying to get some basic medical information to the psychiatrist, meaning that I didn't actually get any kind of prescription until a few weeks ago. Taking medication has made things so, so different and I'm both excited for what I might be able to do and having to confront the concurrent reality; ie. that I am having side effects, some of which exacerbate other health conditions I have, there are things about my life that will need to change in order for this to work, and the full extent of the medical care I am getting is Zoom appointments at 9pm with a man who completes a tick-box sheet while yawning his head off and then charges me quite a lot of money to write a prescription for which the pharmacy then charges me quite a lot of money. So there's a lot on my plate right now. But on the upside, we've booked our first holiday since September 2019 and I am very much looking forward to that.</p><p>Also, it was my birthday this month, and I made a dress! And took some actual photos!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZ3U4UknkbDbstHXdGHWEtgN8s6a6wsPo5DNqZpVhOilduT8KNFjjuRtCYkpfb0a7eQHpqRghU3hM9ONXPgaaVySEVq4A63xL0XAaOIhjjCrDCgRmR-P_eIysSSpBLSj3MTF5wlsuICux43iZA2Bm1ngIQtoCcUjdJ13VuVGJtJcsNg_BELHvvAYzuBg=s2365" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2365" data-original-width="1944" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZ3U4UknkbDbstHXdGHWEtgN8s6a6wsPo5DNqZpVhOilduT8KNFjjuRtCYkpfb0a7eQHpqRghU3hM9ONXPgaaVySEVq4A63xL0XAaOIhjjCrDCgRmR-P_eIysSSpBLSj3MTF5wlsuICux43iZA2Bm1ngIQtoCcUjdJ13VuVGJtJcsNg_BELHvvAYzuBg=w526-h640" width="526" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I tried to make a birthday dress during lockdown last year and failed spectacularly (I ordered some fabric online and it was basically unworkable). That was sufficiently discouraging that I hadn't even thought about trying again this year, despite the fact that Patrick had booked us into a nice restaurant. But a week before my birthday, after one full week on medication, I decided to take a walk to my new local fabric shop (it's less than a ten minute walk, possibly dangerous) and if they had anything that inspired me, I would make a birthday dress. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnKNyN7gqcKCEE6zXAXrSoPINBhOTgG4VWiCyM-gT5ITUz3PJhQ_ODLI7QuSjihQz8sp3SGExBIQ6MW1YKBqGumBCVFKxjm_R-FCnrq-Vqij4W3hbJcgxNzs5DQpGzzYjnIS0zUDpO96opgl23Du7P7DetCztxMSwaA18u78XChBXYqKBcMaAS23hOxg=s2628" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2628" data-original-width="1367" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnKNyN7gqcKCEE6zXAXrSoPINBhOTgG4VWiCyM-gT5ITUz3PJhQ_ODLI7QuSjihQz8sp3SGExBIQ6MW1YKBqGumBCVFKxjm_R-FCnrq-Vqij4W3hbJcgxNzs5DQpGzzYjnIS0zUDpO96opgl23Du7P7DetCztxMSwaA18u78XChBXYqKBcMaAS23hOxg=w332-h640" width="332" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was drawn to this fabric as soon as I saw it. It's a super soft and comfortable double jersey, in a colour I like but don't have any of in my wardrobe. I bought it without really knowing what pattern would work best, but I was fairly sure I'd have something. After going through my pattern boxes, I settled on Vogue 8724, which I made once <a href="https://sewingandslapdashery.blogspot.com/2017/05/spring-sewing-vaguely-spring-like-dress.html" target="_blank">five years ago</a>. I still have and like that dress, but my main concern at the time about the versatility of a white dress were well-founded, and so I don't wear it much (I also don't really like wearing it with tights, which takes it out of potential rotation ten months of the year). In my head I'd conflated not really having occasions to wear the dress with not really liking the pattern, so I didn't make it again. Until now. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhx6gFj2iLb-NmNJ_blRMGZjNYmf8kXDbrkkmOlRbQkFaZJVAmrM2lIl6xNWeDxVyBl1gN4uLMQEsQikIMWt0lv0sE3TRn-fw9V0O6_GaAnpygRQ4ZH1XJ_iWci1zm2Bzad1cR2ohJ9K03tQun7Yn0wj6MLSu7HLdoYRNumRYd1ULFWMhsN9p5Lz5kQVw=s2405" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2405" data-original-width="1393" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhx6gFj2iLb-NmNJ_blRMGZjNYmf8kXDbrkkmOlRbQkFaZJVAmrM2lIl6xNWeDxVyBl1gN4uLMQEsQikIMWt0lv0sE3TRn-fw9V0O6_GaAnpygRQ4ZH1XJ_iWci1zm2Bzad1cR2ohJ9K03tQun7Yn0wj6MLSu7HLdoYRNumRYd1ULFWMhsN9p5Lz5kQVw=w370-h640" width="370" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is a really great "easy win" pattern. It's barely 1.5m of fabric - I actually had enough to cut out a second dress from what I bought - and it's such a quick sew. There's nothing complicated to do, and because the pattern has princess seams at the back and cup sizes for the front wrap, it's also a cinch to fit. It looks fitted but also looks and feels completely non-restrictive. The only thing I would point out is that the neckline is just turned and stitched as per the instructions, but that's very easily remedied with an extra strip of jersey. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgwUK3E4sVjXPEAJ3rKS9tKy_3M-8XfZjjG11Xr5hB1Xwry5BuBPHS1plYQUj3D5ZGPW7jqULJxokH9bumdQnsCzdM-3wQ4ALjMgRQteGfl4LzU5b4O4-Nkmnt9mM4X-A-b7GEuEU29X0xi-BPYO07tIQZXaF1aCoKNOyvMsB62somm9cE3x5E8TlU1Hw=s2490" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2490" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgwUK3E4sVjXPEAJ3rKS9tKy_3M-8XfZjjG11Xr5hB1Xwry5BuBPHS1plYQUj3D5ZGPW7jqULJxokH9bumdQnsCzdM-3wQ4ALjMgRQteGfl4LzU5b4O4-Nkmnt9mM4X-A-b7GEuEU29X0xi-BPYO07tIQZXaF1aCoKNOyvMsB62somm9cE3x5E8TlU1Hw=w394-h640" width="394" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">When cutting this out I did remember feeling, the last time I put my original dress on, that it felt a hair too short. Instead of thinking "oh, that must be because I hacked several inches off the hem after I finished it, because that's what I do with literally every dress ever", I instead added several inches of length and ended up with a weird mid-calf length that I really dislike on me. Fortunately I was able to repurpose the subsequent offcuts into the neckband for the second dress, which I haven't started yet. I will say that this particular mistake made me realise that this pattern would make an amazing maxi dress, and as soon as I find a fabric with the right kind of weight to support it, I will be trying that out. Don't tell me I don't need more maxi dresses. It will never be true. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgkKD6GsAfOipfb8UF3lnqKMGY6w3jae1DRnZEpdFWDmajGV34El5d225xQIQLR2TRHy2tck14o3XNFk1DiZMEjtsQTgzLxnPuGBxhKuMj6znW6aPNfF2ShmxGWXMczqLkgt3t0usszliuFp63FTzC1a_JNpa3N_-LuH_S8jh8aaPSEvpd9ECCzD4jhDQ=s2460" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2460" data-original-width="1545" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgkKD6GsAfOipfb8UF3lnqKMGY6w3jae1DRnZEpdFWDmajGV34El5d225xQIQLR2TRHy2tck14o3XNFk1DiZMEjtsQTgzLxnPuGBxhKuMj6znW6aPNfF2ShmxGWXMczqLkgt3t0usszliuFp63FTzC1a_JNpa3N_-LuH_S8jh8aaPSEvpd9ECCzD4jhDQ=w402-h640" width="402" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am really delighted with the final garment. It's fun and comfortable and I love this shape on me. It feels celebratory but not massively outside the realms of normal restaurant wear, which is exactly what I want out of a dress like this. It's going to get a lot of wear for date nights (this is the perfect pattern for a dinner dress) at all points of the year, and I also think it's going to be a really nice general summer dress. Assuming we get an actual summer this year, of course. I'm pleased to have rediscovered this pattern and am on the lookout for more double jersey or light ponte to make another one or two. Also it got me over the "cannot take photos of myself" hump, which gives it many bonus points. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjockXtYRUSYynRQyaczzRKqjlcmspya583Q_BkssAvxxlm1YMEhAn-s-82mnXdJbiaSm-i0BZlUiSfKviB6VANMeGLZ5SmLekC44tRzb9f83txe2hPhasS6P77NdRNQRzfPsV0hqWbTkX6yM1maFgVSLeRVlKNJS1pLg99Do_atJ_Eh8bbNKRyOdRnqw=s2628" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2628" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjockXtYRUSYynRQyaczzRKqjlcmspya583Q_BkssAvxxlm1YMEhAn-s-82mnXdJbiaSm-i0BZlUiSfKviB6VANMeGLZ5SmLekC44tRzb9f83txe2hPhasS6P77NdRNQRzfPsV0hqWbTkX6yM1maFgVSLeRVlKNJS1pLg99Do_atJ_Eh8bbNKRyOdRnqw=w374-h640" width="374" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm not going to move back to a weekly schedule yet - I've learned my lesson there - but I do have some more photos taken and several projects cut out and waiting for me, which I may make into a short planning post. I'm trying to take the newly budding optimism and motivation and move it slowly through some simpler projects until I feel properly confident and inspired again, rather than diving straight back in to the various fitting challenges I eventually want to tackle. But there is more to come in March, and thank you for sticking with me!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u>Vogue 8724 dress</u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><u><br /></u></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b>Fabric: </b>Double jersey from Fabrics Galore<br /><b>Cost: </b>£15 (I paid £30 for twice as much as I used)<br /><b>Pattern details: </b>Mock wrap dress with pleating under bust, princess seamed back panels and choice of cup sizes<br /><b>Size: </b>16 at the shoulders, 18 everywhere else, D cup pattern piece<br /><b>Alterations: </b>Neckline changed to bias facing, back princess seams taken in slightly<br /><b>Would make again/would recommend: </b>Yes/Yes</div><p></p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115213563003924174noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8400826347245670815.post-44226177398646902162022-01-15T10:06:00.002+00:002022-01-15T10:06:49.155+00:00blog and life update<p>Hello and happy new year, this blog is still not dead! I'd just got back into a sewing rhythm when stuff went wrong again, except this time it was different stuff. I don't want to go too far into it, but suffice to say I have seen quite enough of my local hospital except I will have to keep seeing it since I'm now in a clinical drugs trial. The whole thing made me pretty depressed and I didn't touch my sewing machine for two months. I have now managed to finish something, which has lifted my spirits enough to return and post an update. </p><p>What I'm not going to do this time is make any commitments to my previous regular schedule. Eventually that's the goal, because under normal circumstances that works really well for me. But the normal circumstances will have to come before the regular posting. I don't know when my next garment post will be, either. Honestly I think a large part of it will depend on how good the new hairdresser I'm seeing this afternoon is. I have a few finished items to post - I had several made and ready to photograph before everything went wrong again - but taking proper project photos feels like a bit of a leap from where I am now. </p><p>On the other hand, I do want to keep posting even if non-project posts get zero engagement. One of the most helpful things I've done to get myself moving again was actively surround myself with sewing stuff. Looking at fabric online, going through my stash, watching YouTube videos of people just getting on with whatever they're making (not the big ambitious stuff, just the actual process of making, like, bog-standard skirts). I'm planning to take myself to Walthamstow next week which will hopefully result in a fabric haul, and I've also been working on a post about my utterly disastrous first dressmaking class. It won't be every Monday like clockwork, but I am planning to keep in touch and do what I can. </p><p>Thank you to everyone who still swings by here occasionally. May your 2022 be a bit less shit than the previous two years! </p>Jenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04115213563003924174noreply@blogger.com11