Honeymoon round up - Part 3 - DIY wardrobe

Alight, thank you for indulging me with all the honeymoon posts and photos. I promise that this will be the last one, and will also actually contain something sewing-related... 

It's my DIY honeymoon wardrobe - in action photos! I was really pleased to have worn a number of my handmade items on this trip (though I brought a few more, like my daisy dress, for example). 

At the lu'au in my turquoise shift dress (Simplicty 2146) 

In my upcycled shirred dress

By the "dragon teeth" in my Little Lisette Traveler (I have only just realised that the spelling of "traveler" with just the one r on the pattern - how very ignorant of me to have completely looked past this and written an entire blog post spelling "traveller" a hundred times previously!) - it was rather windy!

In my pullover beach cover up top on the beach (Vogue 8278)

On the beach again in my heirloom top 

In San Fran, I also wore my very latest Sew for Victory top but I didn't get any snaps taken as 1) it was completely covered by my jacket and scarf 2) after all that travelling and lack of sleep, I was not feeling particularly photogenic. 

There is also of course the little romper (Mccalls 6331), which you will have seen already earlier this week. 

And finally, there was another beach cover up - a kaftan - let's save that for next time :) 

Vogue 8278 strikes again

Hello my dear readers, do you remember my little pullover dress - Vogue 8278? I am now onto my second version, but this time I made a summer top (albeit with an autumn-feel print):

It was a really quick project, especially as the pattern was already altered for a smaller bust and waist (I know I have said this before, but SBA tutorial on this to follow!). I had this polycotton remnant sitting in my stash for ages, so it felt great to finally put it to good use. 

Truthfully, I was pleasantly surprised by how different this looks to the pullover dress. I think the neckline really helped, and I like the sleeves. 

The only other real design change that I made was adding a button and loop to the neckline so I could wear it both ways:

I am very excited about this new addition to my Hawaii wardrobe - I have teamed it with a halter-neck bikini top on my dress form to make it look more beach-worthy ;) 

Vogue 8278 pullover dress

As the summer is swiftly leaving us for yet another year, I felt the urgency to squeeze in just one more summery project before autumn sets in. So I picked a pattern labelled as very easy, and gave it a go. 

It is something a little different from what I usually make -- it is a loose pullover dress, Vogue 8278. It is indeed very easy! The dress is made of 1 front, and 2 back pieces, plus a few bits of facing and the belt - this was exactly what I hoped for, a very quick project. 

I actually bought this pattern with a particular piece of fabric in mind - a while ago I bought a few metres of lovely printed silk habotai from Walthamstowe (at £5 a metre! and yep, from the stall in front of Sainsburys on a Saturday! Go go go!) but I wanted to test out the fit first with some less precious fabric from my stash instead. 

So I ended up using a super soft viscose, having the plan in mind that if it didn't work out, it would be comfortable enough to be worn as my PJ ;-)  Don't you think it would make a lovely PJ without the belt? 


I didn't make too many alterations - just a SBA (tutorial to follow!), a small waist adjustment and a petite adjustment (I didn't shorten it by the full amount, based on the reviews that I've read, but as I generally prefer the skirt to be finish above my knees, I think I will shorten it more for my next version) . I also ended up shortening the belt by a couple of inches, just so that the bow stays up nicely. 

Do I like it? Hmmmm I am not sure! I certainly love how soft the fabric is, but I am unsure about the loose fit. I think it is a little too blousy on me, and it may not be the most flattering silhouette for my shape. Being a pullover dress, of course there is a lot of excess fabric around the waist, but I suppose the belt does a reasonable job. I also cannot think of when I can wear this - to me, the belt makes is a little less casual, but the shape of the dress is too casual... What do you think, my dear readers?