Tah-dah! My first yoyo dress is finished!And I’m sure it’ll be the first of many. Continue reading
Tag: seamstress
Striped Sigma
This is not the first or the last Sigma dress that I will make, but it is the first with long sleeves and an invisible zip!
Inari Tee Dress
This is the Inari Tee Dress by Named Clothing made in a scuba fabric from Remnant Kings.
So Sigma, So Bright
Styling up my newly finished Sigma Dress for a night out. The bright and bold print calls for minimal accessories, so I’ve gone with some of my favourite New Look black heels and a silver statement necklace I picked up at a London market.
I love the shape of this dress, but it’s a bit short for casual-wear I think! This will be added to the going-out section of the wardrobe, perfect to take me through spring into summer.
Cynthia Rowley for Simplicity 1371
I used this pattern to make my first ever pair of shorts and I love them!
I used grid print crepe fabric from Remnant Kings to make the high waisted shorts in view D, inspired by a pair I saw in Topshop. I got two metres of the stuff and managed to get a shift dress and these shorts out of it – well impressed!
I’ve always avoided trousers and shorts, thinking they’d never fit right or be too difficult, but these were pretty easy to make and are a great fit.
I’d definitely recommend this pattern for anyone who, like me, wants to just have a go at making shorts. The high-waisted shape with the pleats at the front and darts at the back is really flattering, I think anyway! Just a warning though, they are really high waisted. I love that about them as I have a fair few cropped tops that will go great with them and my quite a long torso!
The instructions for this pattern are so clear and detailed, which I was so grateful for because I could not work out which pieces went together how to make them! I didn’t need to alter it at all either – although to be fair I wouldn’t know how yet!
I’m really pleased with how these turned out. I’d definitely make them again.
Next I’m going to have a go at making the cropped top, view A, minus the ruffles! It’s so similar to tops I’ve seen in Topshop and River Island, but I’m going to make my own unique version.
A Shorts Story
It’s more of a photo story – check out my new shorts!
I used the last of my grid print fabric to make these shorts, which turned out pretty great! Using Simplcity Cythia Rowley 1371 and Topshop inspiration I had a go at my first pair of shorts!
Top – H&M
Shorts – made by me
Necklace – Accessorize
Boots – New Look
Sigma Dress
The Sigma Dress from Papercut Patterns – finished!
I’m a total convert to this New Zealand based pattern maker! The patterns have so far been so easy to follow and make beautiful dresses, plus they come in the most beautiful packaging. I mean they do take a couple of weeks to arrive and are at the top end of my budget, but still great as a wee treat.
The Sigma Dress was a Christmas present from my brother, so I thought it was about time I made it! I bought the fabric aaaages ago from Fabrix in Lancaster, my favourite fabric shop of all time. It’s quite thick with a one-way stretch and actually very similar to a lot of the prints on the High Street at the moment.
These are from River Island (and I’m still so tempted to buy both) and have a similar smudged pattern.
Here are my work in progress shots, as modelled by my mannequin below!
It’s not obvious from this photo but I went for the version with gathers either side of the waist, which I thought would be most flattering. I cut out the medium size without bothering to measure because I made the Clover dress in a medium, but this one was massive! I had to unpick the waist to take in the side seams and then still had loads of excess material at the back. I’ll definitely be measuring properly and cutting a smaller size next time! It’s also quite a short pattern, which was fine for this dress but worth noting for the future.
I was a bit stuck with this dress for a while though because I couldn’t decide on what to do for the sleeves. I think the versions with the long sleeves look great, but I wasn’t sure about it for this thick material. I like the short sleeves too, but there have been so many times I’ve added sleeves to dresses and then wished I hadn’t… but I went with the sod it, let’s do short sleeves attitude!
I’m really pleased with how this one turned out. Love this pattern and its definitely one I’ll be using again. Next time though I will measure up properly and cut out the size that will actually fit properly! And probably add a few inches to the length too; ah tall people issues.
Burda 6847
My first finished coat!
Made using Burda Young pattern 6847 and a gorgeous fluffy fabric with one-way stretch that I bought at the Knitting and Stitching Show.
I won’t lie, this coat is very similar to one I already own, bought from Primark at the start of the season… I just thought I could make a better version!
This is the first Burda pattern I’ve used and it was brilliantly straight forward. I went for view B but didn’t bother with the collar. There aren’t many pattern pieces and the jacket doesn’t require lining so I think this was a perfect choice for one of my first coats.
I think I started this jacket in December, but the reason it has taken me so long to finish was actually just the wait for the bronze coloured zip to arrive! I’m pleased with how this jacket turned out, although looking at the photos I think it is a little big so I might take all the seams in a bit. The problem is that although this is a beautiful, soft, fluffy fabric, it’s bloody hard to work with! The hems are nowhere near as neat as I’d like them to be because of that, but luckily you can’t really tell because it’s so fluffy (I hope).
Grid-Print Decisions
I recently bought this crepe fabric as part of my first ever online fabric order!
I got this and three other fabrics from Remnant Kings, and I’ll definitely be shopping on their website again. I’ve always been wary of buying fabrics online because you don’t get the opportunity to physically see and feel the fabric before you buy it, so you don’t know exactly what you’re getting. That wasn’t a problem at all though and I was really pleased with all the fabrics in my delivery. The materials were all true to their description online, both texture and colour-wise. It’s almost a bit dangerous though, knowing how easy it is now to buy fabric just whenever I fancy…
So this grid-print fabric is everywhere at the moment and I now have two metres of the stuff – so what to make?! These are my options:
1.
This top from Topshop has a sheer back, which I can replicate using the boxy top pattern of Simplicity 1366.
2.
These shorts are also part of the Topshop set. I could use Simplicity 1371 to make a similar pair with a higher waist.
3.
Or, back to my old favourite, the shift dress!
Would it be bad if I made them all? Possibly grid-print overkill…
Simplicity Lisette 1419
Isn’t this such a cute dress?!
I made it using Simplicity Lisette pattern 1419 and some blue polka-dot material a very kind friend bought me for my birthday.
I love the details of this dress – the pleats, Peter Pan collar and keyhole front.
It’s not a difficult pattern though, despite all those details. There’s a facing plus interfacing to create the keyhole front, and the instructions are really clear.
I used leftover polyester panama material for the collar but it was a bit heavy really and made it harder to achieve the really rounded shape. When I make this one again I’ll use a lighter material for the collar, and probably keep it sleeveless. I prefer the in-progress photos without sleeves and kind of wish I’d not bothered with them! What do you think?
The SeamSmith 