Dreaming of Sunshine

 Here at No. 23 I am planning and dreaming of warmer days.  No more obvious that my latest creation.  Gosh this was so quick and easy to make.  You will have to wait for a picture of me in it as today it is bitterly cold and dark and its trying desperately to snow,  Sadly readers I am not venturing out in a sleeveless dress for anyone.

OOh I love this fabric, and I think I am finally beginning to enjoy sewing with jersey.  Its very tropical and so summery and I cannot wait for warmer weather so I can enjoy it.  I made the red sleeveless version but added extra  length  for a dress.  

I even have enough fabric left to make something I have never made before in all my sewing years, my first bra, Kwik Sew 3594

Vogue 2960

At last I have finally finished vogue 2960.  Ive been  dragging my heels with this, then last weekend there was no productivity whatsoever as I came down with a rotten cold and aches,  so I just kept myself warm by the fire and watched  a film.

Remember me showing you the 50p duvet and thinking I could make a dress out of it.  Well I have and here it is. 

Excuse the photos today was the first good day weather wise for ages,  It was bitterly cold (they have forecast snow.)

I love vintage so it was only a matter of time before I tackled a vintage pattern, I particularly liked  the scoop neck and bodice on this pattern.  This dress has been very tricky to fit on my little shoulders, I had to reshape the back making the scoop higher, and also take in excess fabric,  then do a full bust adjustment on the front, I think I lost some of that lovely sweep due to the shape of my shoulders, but the dress does stay in place which I am more happier about.

I really like the feel of the dress, It will be so nice and cool in the summer, it feels very feminine.  I wanted a shrug to go with it, and keep with the 50's feel.   So I scoured the charity shops and came across a long cardigan with a tie belt.  I cut it down turned the hem up towards the right side and then added the belt to the edge, covering the raw edges of the hem, I hand stitched this. 

     

    

Much as I like the dress I dont find it very flattering especially the pleats, so I probably wont be making another, I think I prefer straighter dresses, also I think it just looks like a nice summer dress and not at all  like the glamorous vintage picture at all, partly due to these fabulous  50's illustrations, maybe it needs the petticoat?

Commercial v self drafted patterns

Well readers I have nearly finished the above dress pattern, no pics yet.
to show you, besides its raining and so dark in my little cottage at the moment.

I have to say that I am beginning to have a love hate relationship with commercial patterns.   I find that making  up the garment it relatively easy (as was the case with the above pattern), but when it comes to getting the fit right that is what takes up the time.   Thankfully I have a good friend who lives across the road that sorts out the bits that I cant see, or solves problems for me.  My friend has worked in the fashion industry as a garment technologist and sews for herself now and then.  She has never used a commercial pattern in her life, we  have completely different approaches to sewing. She is a godsend and shares her knowledge freely, a real pearl.

Now I have to do a lot of adjustments to get garments the fit me right, I am abit of a perfectionist.  My friend explains that  with the amount of complex alterations I am doing it would be quicker for me to start from scratch, she explains that I am already doing self drafting, when I move dart positions. Then you get the snowball effect, "If I take that in so it fits,  I gapes here", Im sure you know what I mean.   She does  make sense.

Maybe its the excitement of the pattern falling through the letter box, the  lovely illustrations on the front of the packet, then opening that freshly packed pattern that pulls me towards commercial patterns.   Or maybe it's the fun of rumbling through my pattern box and choosing that next project.

One day when I am not in a rush to make something I shall make my draft pieces and test the water properly.  Readers do you feel the same?  Have you taken the plunge and never returned?
I would love to hear your views.