Hello and I am so excited for this post I don’t know if my fingers can type quickly enough to calm my enthusiasm. I am rather a hesitant dressmaker and often things don’t work out, but this one… oh me oh my, it’s a triumph and I am so proud of it.
Read MoreMaking the Merchant and Mills ‘Mary White Sailor Top’ has been quite a challenge, but I am over the moon it. See how it went…..
Read MoreI am absolutely thrilled to see that waistcoats are making a bit of an impression on the fashion scene this autumn - not that an I am avid follower of fashion you understand - but seeing one of my favourite items given a new look in the shops is just the inspiration I needed to get going with this project.
Read MoreFor the next item in Ruby’s wardrobe of extraordinarily pretty things, I wanted to make a dressing gown. I’m thinking sort of country house weekend …. you know, the sort of thing you could take to wear whilst staying at some rather grand house in the rolling hills of …. wherever. Well, a girl’s gotta dream! Anyhow, generally, I think a lightweight, easy to pack robe is a useful thing to have and with the PJ’s also in mind to make, I set about planning the project.
Read MoreFor the next item in Ruby’s capsule wardrobe of extraordinarily pretty things, I was decisive about what I wanted to make. For ages I have had a beautiful Japanese embroidery book that has the most elegant embroidered camisole I have ever seen. If ever a vintage girl wanted a cam - this was it! From time to time, I’d look at this photo and think about making one and it also seemed like it wouldn’t be too difficult for an early stages project in my dressmaking adventures. It has lots of scope for embroidery and if it worked, I knew it would be a staple garment that can be worn with almost anything.
Read MoreSo as I mentioned in my previous post, the first thing on my list is going to be an apron. Not the sort that gets mucky in the kitchen, but the sort that you can wear over your day clothes almost as if it is part of them. The girls in Little Women would almost certainly have worn these on a daily basis as would any self respecting victorian young lady, so let’s see how a more modern version might look.
Read MoreSo this is the first dress making pattern I have ever downloaded. It’s clever, the way it works - the software somehow enables you to find the layer for your size and just print that. It took me a little while to suss it out, but once I had it all printed I fixed it together like a jigsaw puzzle. At this point, I was already thinking that I should probably use some of my Swedish pattern paper to make a copy … if it turns out well.
Read MoreI scattered and layered my stars in little constellations on the fabric, a bit strategically placed for effect, but quite relaxed. I mixed and matched grey and white and used several different sizes of templates. As I started to hand appliqué them on, I had so much fun, making each one different. Using a variety of stitches, beads and sequins, I soon had a stellar array before me.
Read MoreI am not a dressmaker and these projects are massive learning curves and really just a beginning. What is amazing to me, is that so far, both projects have turned out to be wearable and perhaps a little bit more even... amazing. I put this down to the fact that the garments are made in 100% soft cotton jersey. It is more forgiving and yields to your body shape however many curves you have and I do have curves.....
Read MoreSo excited to write about this one - really, I cannot tell you how much.......Where to begin....at the very beginning, I suppose. Last year, when I was finishing up my City & Guilds course, I was doing some research on 'reverse appliqué' and confess I was rather unenthusiastic about this part of the module. That was, until I came across 'Alabama Chanin'. It opened up a whole new world to me and oh boy...it is just totally fabulous.
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