Experiments in jersey No. 2: The Mod Bandeau Top (Simplicity 1613)

Following on from my first experiment in jersey, I've been busy again, with potentially my favourite ever make! This time the fabric has come from Spoonflower - their Modern Jersey... Yes it's expensive, but it has four way stretch! And doesn't need overlocking!

The pattern is Simplicity 1613 (I made E), and was very straightforward. I can imagine I'll try it again at some point, perhaps making up the versions on the right (A, B, C).

I just love this fabric design, the colours and style feel a bit like Orla Kiely... Spoonflower is such a brilliant resource! Hopefully it works with the pattern too...
It's hard to see the ruched detailing in the front centre there, but I'm pretty happy with it - all lines up pretty well...

... Unlike the side seams! I'm going to keep trying pattern matching, hopefully it'll improve one day! Or I'll find a course to help me to learn :)

As ever I ordered the minimum amount of fabric, and then regretted it (how many times must I learn this lesson?) Anyway, it explains this weird square of white at the back...

Overall I'm pretty happy with it, a good learning experience, and I love the outcome - will be perfect for summer days and avoiding strap marks! Next time though I will buy enough fabric!!

The Jersey dress: Simplicity 1651

Summer: The season of weddings, and parties. A time for celebrating with friends and loved ones, and looking good while doing it! At the start of the summer I found the most beautiful dress at Warehouse and decided to do a copy, for some of the events of the coming year.

The original dress was duck egg blue, medium weight crepe with an interesting cut out at the back. I loved the classic simplicity, and the shape of the skirt, so elegant.

Despite my intention to copy this, my version is pretty different in the end! Made using a light weight crepe, and lined, both fabrics bought from Abakhan's in Mostyn. The pattern, Simplicity 1651, has a a sweetheart neckline, which I just love. The only thing similar to the original is that there's a cut out at the back and a fairly similar skirt! Nonetheless, I'm really happy with it, and learnt lots about lining a dress. It was a real challenge, especially when putting the zip in!

I used two types of bias binding to finish hems on the skirt, each bias matching the tone but not precisely the colour of the lining or crepe - I wanted to have a small contrast for some detail. I think you might be able to see that in this photo. What you can't see is the stiffness of the bias, and how it added to the flutes of the skirt. 

What do you think? A good dress for wedding season? These photos were taken at a lovely couple's wedding in Jersey, it was so beautiful there, and a really special day. I'm pretty sure I'll be using this pattern again in the future!

Pretty clothes for a pretty girl

These days whenever there's something to celebrate I can feel my stitching fingers twitching! A very good friend of mine (and one of my bridesmaids-to-be) recently gave birth to her second child, a beautiful little girl... A great excuse to get sewing!

I've got two baby patterns in my arsenal - Simplicity 1889, which I used in my Stonersaurus and the Monkey shorts, and Simplicity 1921, a new one to me.

So, with the help of some fabric stolen from my Mum, and from my stash, a mix and match project was planned, using the top from 1889, and the pants and hat from 1921. I used the softest cotton and bias binding I had, picking up some perfectly matching gingham ribbon for the hat (Thank you John Lewis!)

And the final verdict... Well the clothes are still a little large for the little one, but unfortunately the hat is TINY - I don't understand where it went wrong!

I think the hat is destined for a premature baby charity - going to start a little campaign via my Twitter account today to rally us craftivists! In the meantime, I'll get stitching a larger hat, once my machine is back from a service...

The 'try again' dress

Back way in February I received a gift of some lovely Joel Dewberry fabric from the John Lewis sale, and it was all lined up for making a perfect 1950s 'housedress'. But then it turned out (mid cutting!) that I had far, far too little - note to self: planning is a good idea...

After a few months of gathering dust I finally got some inspiration from one of the patterns that came free with Sew Magazine, Project Runway 2588. Lots of people have made this one up, with some really exceptional results.

It turned out to be very straightforward (though that's not prevented some significant making faults - damn you zipper!). I misjudged the bodice size too, so it's got a little tendency to gape at the sides - though with some adjustments to the seam allowance I no longer look like the hunchback of Notre Dame...

I just love the neckline of this dress, it feels so elegant, and classy - I think I'll be making this one over and over again. The length should be considerably shorter according to the instructions, but this fabric is a bit sedate for that I think!

I'm planning to wear this to a charity karaoke event this Friday, but I can't decide if it's more work or play dress. Like the Joanie dress as I get more used to it (and trust my judgement a bit more) I'll wear it more often.What do you guys think? Any thoughts on fabrics you'd use to make it up?