... further adventures with New Look 2373

Round of applause please I have a dress that I made all by myself.  I was able to give over a whole weekend to making this and I am really please with the result, which is a bit of a boost following on from the disappointment of the camisole top,

The familiarity of having already made the pattern gave me quite a bit of confidence and I was much quicker this time round.  I did not spend so much time hanging round in my bedroom looking into the mirror with bits pinned on which probably helped to speed up the process.

I was worried that there is still a bit of gapping at the side and I think I should have made the straps slightly shorter but having worn it these are minor problems that only I was aware of. I am thrilled with the way it has turned out, it is exactly what I envisioned.

The fabric was nice to work with although it was quite difficult to tell which was the right side ( it had a little sticker on it when it came from Abakhan fabrics) but I figured if I had got it wrong anywhere and couldn't tell then no one else is going to notice either.  It washes and irons really nicely and I just need some nice weather so that I can get some wear again now I am back from my holidays. The photos are courtesy of lovely husband taken in Lanzarote.

A quick update on the beleaguered camisole top, I used the colour run rescue pack and it did get rid of the loose dye, however, it also faded the ric-rac colour and the fabric has shrunk slightly making the fit a little snug.  I will wear it around the house and garden  but it just seems that this garment was not fated to be successful.

Are you sewing anything for your holidays?

......Planning a sewing wardrobe

If like me you love a good nose around sewing blogs you will probably be aware of the Me Made May #mmmay15 started by so zo,,,what do you know  you make a pledge and wear clothes and accessories made by yourself through out the month of May.  I have enormous respect for those who are participating and I was very tempted to join in this challenge but as I only have the dress I completed the other week and a skirt I made last summer there was not enough me made to go around. However, this got me thinking that I should start planning now so that next year I can be a full participant.

Having indulged in fabric in the last couple of weeks and having grabbed some cut price patterns in the recent Simplicity promotion I am awash with sewing plans at the moment and have at least 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 things in my head that I am considering making, however, this new train of thought is making me take a more considered approach.

My current plan before considering MMM

• summer dress - New Look 2373
• sleeveless top -possibly 2 - pattern(s) to be decided 
• retro blouse - Simplicity 1692
• tea dress - red with white pin dots - New Look 6183 or 6093
• 40's style fuller than A line but not circle skirt - pattern to be found

Reviewing my clothing needs I work 5 days but we have dress down Friday so I only need enough "work" clothes for 4 days and enough "casual" clothes for Friday at work and for the weekend.   As far as work clothes go I am fortunate that we don't have a very formal dress code, I already have the dress I made in my sewing class so I think another dress and a skirts or maybe 2 would cover that as I can wear the skirts with tops I already have, although my current sewing plans already involve at least two tops.

I think the casual clothing could be more of a challenge, I tend to live in either jeans or ski pants so it will be tops and tunics all the way. I have an unfinish tunic top that I just need to give a bit of time to so two more tops should give me a bear minimum to cover the week.  I also have a nearly finished cardigan that could help matters, maybe I need to explore all my unfinished projects to see what other treasure there might be.

Of my original plan I think the tea dress and the two tops would fit into my "considered" plans, the summer dress I want to make for my holidays in about 4 weeks time so I really need to crack on with that, hopefully I will get sometime this weekend, so all in all I think I am on the right tracks .



What do you think would that be enough to get me through 31 days?  If you are taking part in Me Made May please feel free to leave a link to your blog I would love to take a peek and get some inspiration

...a fabric bargin

Ooops I got a little bit carried away this morning, I have been on the look out for some fabric to make a sundress for my holidays using the pattern  New Look 2373

I was browsing around http://www.abakhan.co.uk, they offer a wide range of very reasonably priced fabric especially when they are offering a 20% discount for today (2nd May) only!  in addition to this if you sign up for their newsletter you are given a one use code for a further 15% discount.  Now you can see why I got a bit carried away!

This was my final choice, it is a cerise pink and looks lovely and fresh, it is 100% cotton making it ideal for this  pattern.

And here are some of the other fabrics I have ordered.

I adore this 50's inspired fabric and ordered 3 meters to ensure I would have enough to make a dress with a nice full skirt.  We are off to the  Goodwood Revival in September and it is my intention to wear at least one homemade outfit over the weekend.

I thought this seersucker would work really well as the camisole top using the New Look 2373 pattern above.  I haven't worked with seersucker before but this fabric is under £3.00 per meter with the discounts applied so I don't feel like I will have wasted loads of money if things don't go well.


So if you have some spare pocket money and are feeling in the mood to treat your sewing self pop over to their website and have a look, the discounts are also applies to interfacing etc so it is a good opportunity to stock up on some of the basics.



*** DISCLAIMER***  This is not a sponsored post and these are just my opinions.

Can you recommend any patterns for my 50's inspired fabric choice?  Have you already made some thing in this fabulous fabric?  Do you have any top tips on working with seersucker?