Tulips in June

Hey Guys,

Getting pictures of this dress has been a pain in the bum! I made it to wear to the House of Pinheiro hen party (but didn't get any pictures), then I wore it to see some Burlesque, and got some pretty poor pictures on the street. Finally I intended to wear it to the Rockabilly Rave this weekend, and seen as my hair finally submitted I had a couple of minutes to take a few snaps!

Speaking of hair, this was my first attempt at a foam roller wet set (I attempted a pin curl set once before), which I decided to attempt at 12am the night before. Clever. My hair scared the crap out of me when I took out the rollers, but I got somewhere in the end! To be honest, I was glad it ended up being dry enough to work with. 

The bodice is the Betty bodice from Sew Over it. I made a small adjustment this time, and took a wedge out of the centre front, which has helped a lot. I used the all-in-one facing again, which I love, but I didn't find their method of sewing the shoulders very easy last time so I used the method of pulling the back through the shoulder to turn it the right way out.

For the skirt I replicated the pleating of my favourite pink vintage dress. It took almost the full width of the fabric front and back. I just really like how it sits, and how the fullness feels, without being as difficult to wrangle as a circle skirt. As soon as I put it on I was delighted! It felt so comfortable and I was twirling around the living room. ironically the belt from that dress is a perfect match. It's about a 7mm knife pleat, which unfortunately hasn't worked at all with the next fabric I tried it with, which has way too much body.

The fabric is of course from the Hemmingway collection. I, of course, bought it in my John Lewis Post-Christmas binge. You know, to differentiate from my New York binge, my Paris binge, my Cloth House binge.....

I also have it in the yellow & white and pink & green colourways, which is nice! What to do with those? I need to make a few nice simple Summer dresses (you know, for when the weather gets warm, if that ever happens).

I must add, that this fabric was amazing to sew with. It never creased during the sewing of it, at all - and I definitely wasn't being careful!. I can't fault it!

One thing you have to keep an eye on, however, is the concentration of flowers. They are pretty random, but they do have more concentrated areas. The first time I pleated the skirt, they ended up being even more densely populated right beneath the waist seam. It looked ridiculous and I had to trim off the top inch or so and re-attach to the bodice. Careful now!

I pinked all the seams, but beware! Take care with pinking shears, as they can be as dangerous to your garments as an overlocker is. I managed to catch the back bodice in my shears and with one fell 'snip' I had two baby holes. Fantastic.

It was sort of a 'well that was bound to happen' moment. I tried to back it, and satin stitch it initially, but it was too much for the fabric and was art of destroying the holes even further. So I found the exact section on a scrap piece of fabric, cut a bigger hole and patched it from behind, stitching along all the black lines I could.

I also applied fray check and to be honest it's hardly noticeable. The darkness in the picture above was before the fray-check had dried. It's just our little secret now. Now I treat pinking shears with the respect they deserve!

So what's been your worst dressmaking error?

Ever cut a hole in an almost finished dress?

Emmie x

Is Life Under the Sea, Is Better Than Anything They Got Up There?

Hey Dollface,

What have you guys been up to lately? I've been getting caught up in the show 'Bomb Girls', which is based in a WWII bomb factory in Canada. The clothes are amazing, and are giving me loads of inspiration; especially after going to the 'Fashion on the Ration' exhibition with a bunch of Spoolettes a few weeks ago.

Today I bring you one of the latest offerings from Tilly and The Buttons, the Arielle skirt. I tested this pattern for Tilly, so this was made up a while back. There are some cool features in this little skirt, but of course I made some silly mistakes!

The first and most obvious mistake I made was to cut out the front wrong. I gots the overlap the wrong way around. Whoopsie.  

I don't think that matters though! Looks just as good either way to me. I used the remainder of the black cotton twill/drill from my Rigel Bomber. Haven't worn them together yet, haha. It didn't work out too bad, but it crumples like a bitch. Standing room only!

I used some of the awesome anchor buttons I got from the tailor. I think the buttons down the side are a lovely feature.

I was a little worried about using the buttons because they have a deep looped back and I was concerned it may pull on the underlap and possibly rip through the fabric over time, so I faced them with some green cat eye buttons from the stash.

It really worked a treat. They feel super secure now and they sit great. As well as ripping through, I was concerned they might distort how the underlap would sit but no problems now!

I started off making the full length version, but I realised I was a bit short in the wonky piece of fabric I had left. And seeing as I was at sewing club without any other project, I had to make do! I've never been left with such tiny scraps of fabric. So I think this ended up about 7cm shorter than full length. Another mistake by Emmie! But I seem to have this fluke of accidentally hemming things to the right length. So YAY mistake!

CHEESE!!

So all in all, a nice black skirt! Nothing as awesome as Tilly's promo pictures though - I love them! The way the colours pop is so amazing. Nothing bad about a wardrobe staple though.

So plans for the weekend... I am having a wardroble clear out. Like a serious one. I promise I am. 

I'm seriously sick of opening a wardrobe full to bursting and not being interested in anything I see. I've been hoarding clothes for a stupidly long time. You will see me on an episode of 'The Hoarder Next Door' at some point in the future. Sitting, waiting for the avalanche in the middle of a precariously filled room.

And here, as a little outtake treat, is my favourite broken doll photo from the set :) What is going on with my legs? Crackerjack

So, how are you guys feeling about your wardrobes these days? Are you finding they're coming together or falling apart?

Emmie xx

The Tropical that Pushed Through - Annalotte (BHL Pattern Smash)

Hey Guys, 

Back again! And clearly a detour from my 'Demure' year, eh? Well seen as this was started back at the end of last May, so maybe we can give this a free pass??

Pity I ain't going to Viva this year, because this would be perfecT for the Vintage Tropicallyness that Rockabilly can be. The dress is an Anna bodice (with an altered neckline), merged with a Charlotte skirt - my first!

The alteration to the bodice (if some of you have eidetic memories) is the same as the one I did for my sparkly pink sequin dress last June. In fact, this bodice was Muslin #2. Muslin #1 was wider on the shoulder, and kept slipping off. So clearly, that had to be fixed. I may have also adjusted the scoop to be a tad lower.

You may also remember this fabric. It's the piece that never ends. I've made a skirt for my sister and myself already. Granted I bought a 5m length on Goldhawk road (about a million years ago now). I'm coming to the end now, there ain't much left!

And when I sewed it up - HOT DAMN - it fit perfectly.

I decided there and then, that the Muslin must live. I have always loved Roisin's various iterations of the Annalotte frankenpattern so I muslined myself up a Charlotte skirt too. I was a bit worried that it might have been a bit tummy hugging, but actually it was fine.

I did go to the effort of trying to adjust the skirt darts to line up with the bodice ones. I just about got the in the front (luckily there was some decent stretch to get me through the difficult times!) but Dear God I don't know what happened in the back. I thought I had the pieces the right way around, but I can't think of any other explanation!

Thankfully the darts are basically invisible in this print. And this fabric is also awesome for understitching. It was like a perfect example of stitches hugging the facing to the inside. I handpicked a lapped lemon metal zipper in (I know, more lemon zippers). I love handpicking, it's definitely my favourite method now. It may take a little longer but I end up with a much better result. 

Does anyone else love hair flowers? I need to wear more hair flowers. And I wish I could carry my parasol around more often. It makes you feel AWEsome :) Ahhhh Vegas... good times. I also bought these black wedges for the holiday but couldn't decide that they were comfy enough for long periods of time before we left. I held onto them though. Hee hee...

Has anyone noticed the pile of fabric peeking into the frame? That's my special fabric.

My special specials.

The only thing about the dress that I did consider (but not that hard, because I forgot) was the need for a back vent. But I can separate the back seam pretty handy down the line. It'll only take me 5 minutes.

As you can see. Not so much in the climbing over or into things department. I am usually awesome at that. We are having a 'keep the car till it dies' sort of situation. So most days if I'm driving I get out of the passenger side of the car. I swear, I'm out in 2 seconds flat. 

It it does make me feel super wiggly though. I didn't line it either, so it's a no tights zone. Sometimes I'm just not in the mood to line. Plus this stretch cotton is pretty substantial.

I think I'm definitely going to make another Charlotte skirt before long. My favourite all time version is Fiona's green wool beauty. Believe me, it's even better in person. And we all know how much I love a pegged skirt. This is the full length by the way, I think with about a 2cm turn up. I stitched the hemline first of all to help me turn it up nice and even and I pressed it in place with some Steam-a-Seam I got for a bargain (if you haven't encountered it, it's like a mini Wundaweb). I haven't sewn it in yet, I thought it would be a good opportunity to try out a length before committing.

So there we have it. A seasonally inappropriate dress! 

It isn't quite Jungle January in the animal print sense, but I'm still in a Jungle ;)

LYLT,

Emmie x

Dressing Demure - Ultimate Pencil Skirt from Sew Over It

Hey Guys!

I know, I'm back again so soon. I hope you don't mind?? I just took these photos this morning and couldn't wait to share!

Today I bring you the new Ultimate Pencil Skirt from the lovely Ladies at Sew Over It (god I'm really turning into their fangirl aren't I?). But seriously - Isn't she a beauty...

In the interest of full disclosure, I made this skirt while pattern-testing for the girls, and the gorgeous wool blend was a gift from the girls in order to fulfill this duty. As far as I was concerned, I had no negative comments with regard to the pattern pieces. Not surprising, seen as they have been sewed up a million times in their classes.

As mentioned, the fabric was a 'Claret Honeycomb' patterned wool blend. It was a joy to work with, it pressed so beautifully. And there's still some left if anyone else is in as much love as I am.

But seriously, can you even see a dart in this? Cause I can't.

I love where it hits me below the knee. I sewed up the size 12, and sewed up the seams with a 1cm seam allowance instead of 1.5cm for fear of it being too small with my winter weight, but thankfully that was sufficient and the skirt is nice and comfortable to wear.

I really like the vent. I haven't sewn any kind of back vent before - to be honest, I don't know why but it was one of those irrational fears (and of course, I never got to a pattern that had one included). Thankfully the pattern instructions made sense and it was nice and easy.

Another part of the pattern that I really liked was the way the hem was drafted. The skirt clearly pegs in at the bottom, but the hem allowance kicks out, so that when you turn it up it is the same circumference as the section of the skirt you are hemming it into (as opposed to being too narrow). The only thing is that you may need to decide what length you want your skirt beforehand so that you can adjust the pattern piece to have the intended hem hitting at the right point.

I didn't adjust it, and thankfully I was happy with where it fell! I handstitched the hem watching Sunday morning TV, and the stitched just disappear into it.

I made this to fit in as part of my new 'demure elegance' look for 2015. I had the whole outfit gathered up in my head for these photos and I'm glad it came together the way I had imagined. And I even found matching shoes!

I am kind of enjoying the lack of a waistband too. I wouldn't have initially thought I would have, but the faced high waist is really flattering. 

I definitely have another on the cards. I might even peg it a little more. I love extreme hourglass silhouettes! Which of course the back vent will definitely help with! I kind of forgot to put one in my next make (which will soon be rectified as I won't be able to climb any steps over 4 inches).

At the moment, the pattern is available as part of a kit, with everything you might need included. I can vouch that the Blackwatch tartan wool blend included is really really nice. And of course, who doesn't want to be skirt twins with Lisa :) Of course if you need some more hand holding, they're still running it as a class too.
I really love the way the kit is put together, the packaging is lovely. The only thing I would mention is that the pattern and instructions are loose in the kit box and don't come in a storage sleeve, so you'll need to find something else to put them in.

You can't quite see, but I have a lemon invisible zipper in the back. You can just about see the pull in the photo's of my be-hind. I was sewing this up at Tilly Towers back at the end of November, and I only had a lemon zipper on hand to baste in (to make sure I could get into the skirt). But the girls made me use it for real! I had to do a few runs to get it close enough to be invisible, but I finally succeeded. There will be a new Bernina invisible zip foot under the birthday tree in a few weeks hopefully.

A highlighted Bernina accessory list has been distributed to the necessary parties.

Well there you have it. Nice skirt. Happy Days!

What do you guys think - the pattern you never knew you needed?

Oh, and just as a final little treat for Roisin and Heather B - A Bitchy Resting Face outtake.

DON'T MESS WITH THIS

Vintage Guts Part.3

Hey Guys!

I've had a super productive weekend! I finally managed to trace and muslin a By Hand London Charlotte skirt and cut out another  in fabric to add to a dress bodice (which happens to be a wearable muslin of a previous make!). 

My Papercut Patterns Rigel also arrived in the post Saturday morning (perfect timing!) and got traced and cut out in a black twill (and overlocked!). I also cut out my ribbing too. This will probably be my only decent pre-Paris make (oh, did I mention I was going to Paris??), and there's nothing I need more than some more jackets and a decent coat. 

Trying to decide whether to make a coat or buy one. If I manage to see one I like I'll buy but we shall see. I would start putting one together now, but I've realised how much fabric is required for a coat - every one I like in my stash needs between 3 and 5 yards and I don't have that much foresight! Plus, by the time I make one It'll be next Winter.

I also finally I redrafted out some of the excess in my Coppélia pattern and I'm planning on cutting that out too!

Oh and finally I took a bunch of the picture for future destashing on Etsy. I know, I know - shirink my stash by filling yours!

Now, what I'm here to show you today is another Vintage piece. I picked it up in New York, in a little Vintage shop in the East Village shortly before we left. I think I paid about $40. it was slightly more than I wanted to pay, especially because I'm not usually a fan of such a high neckline, but I fell in love with the Bead/Lantern design on the fabric and I couldn't leave it behind!

There's a large all-in-one facing that finishes the neckline and armholes. It looks pretty obvious here, but it's less obvious when it's worn. It opens with a long metal zip down the back.

It has quite a boxy shape, so there's no issue getting the top on and off. It just about tucks into a skirt, but there's somewhat of a risk it can pop out if I bend forward!

The seams are finished with overlocking (apart from the back seam for some reason), but there's nothing else fancy in the production. The neckline and armholes are understitched.

I've tried to find out about the brand, but nothing's coming up in my basic search! The top is a size 16, so ties in with normal vintage sizing.

I love this fabric!! I would buy the bolt if I could! I love embellished fabric like this. As you can see, the neckline is quite high, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be when I wore it.

The hem is blindstitched, and is hardly visible from the outside.

I can't think of much else to say! This one is short and sweet! I'll leave you with a picture of me wearing it that you may have already seen :)

Back soon!

Emmie x