Burda Jamie Shift Dress in leafy blue

Hello, I hope you are all enjoying a lovely weekend. Today I have a simple summer dress to share with you, and it's my first make from the Burdastyle Vintage Modern book, which, shamefully, I have had since Christmas 2012. Don't get me wrong, I really do like the book, as well as the patterns that came with it, it's just I've never quite had the patience with tracing from overlapping lines and adding seam allowances with the patterns in the Burda Style magazine, and the same goes with the book. 

But finally, after looking through my stash for a 1960s simple shift dress with only diagonal darts with no luck, I suddenly remembered the Jamie dress, with its neat lines and square ish neckline. And as it's a straightforward construction, I decided to roll my sleeves up, and get on with it. Guess what? It wasn't all that bad, and it was worth the effort. 

Some of you might remember my Experiment Dress a while ago, and how the whole 60s look and I didn't see eye to eye (though I will have you known that I wore that dress on a recent trip to Dubai, and it worked quite well), so I took extra care this time to make the loose fitting style work for me this time, without having to add a thousand darts to define the waist and completely change the look.  

I first graded the size down to a 30, for a less baggy fit overall, and chopped the length by 3cm, as I think shift dresses look more fun, and less grandma like on me when they sit well above the knee. Then after about 20 minutes of tracing and adding seam allowances, I was ready to go. 

I used a lovely summery viscose (how I love the material) in a leafy blue print for its drape qualities. And overall I think it worked well. Unlike my last attempt with the 60s look, I am definitely getting the vibe from this little number. Although the fit is a loose one, after I took in 0.5cm on each side seam, I don't feel like I'm wearing a big potato sack, so that's something! 

Speaking of the fabric, I did have a tale to tell. I bought 2 metres at a market in Reading off a roll for a cheerful £1.50 per metre, but the condition for the purchase was that I must buy a "matching" fabric of the same quantity. WHAT?! It was confusing to know what "matching" meant, until I saw just the perfect fabric for it -  a viscose in exactly the lighter shade of blue, the colour of those leaves! So I ended up buying 2 metres of that as well. Whilst I am completely over the moon with getting 2 lovely pieces of viscose, 4 metres in total, for a mere £6, to this date I am still perplexed about why I had to buy both. But I have to ask, has anyone else had the same experience before?!  

But you probably see where I'm going with this... As I have the perfect "matching" (or contrasting) fabric in my stash, I have been fighting hard against the urge to make a belt to go with it. The "let's just embrace the 60s vibe" side of me is currently winning, so I haven't bothered with a belt as yet. But what do you think? Should I make one as an optional accessory? 

This dress also have another great quality - although it has a zipper at the centre back, I'm able to get in and out of it without bothering with the zipper. It may not seem like a significant benefit to you, but as my plan is to use this pattern again with some lovely Indian silk charmeuse that I bought in Dubai (for about £3.50 per metre - are you jealous?), the fewer seams the better. But let me caveat this before you try it at home -- it will all depend on how flexible your arms are! Whilst it might just about work for me, it may be a struggle for someone else so do make sure you measure it all out before taking my words for it that this can work as a pullover dress. 

That's all I have to say about this dress. It's simple, easy to sew and wear. I've got an upcoming work trip to Houston (followed by a 2 night stop in NYC -- the garment district, here I come!!) very soon, and I'm sure this will be in the suitcase with me ;)

As usually, I am always pleased to hear from you, so any views please share! And more importantly, if you have had a similar experience as me above, I NEED to know! 

GIVEAWAY by Alex Swift Designs!!

Hello my dears, I hope you are all keeping well wherever you are. Here in the UK, we are having a rainy few days, and sadly there's not yet any real sign of summer. 

So how about a rainy day giveaway? I have got something truly special for you today. One of my dearest friends, Katy, with her just as super talented boyfriend, have recently started a new venture in their spare time (this is in addition to their full-time jobs!). This creative pair in London haven fallen in love with screen printing, and have designed and handmade some beautiful products. They have recently launched their first range, Hector, which features a sophisticated and handsome chocolate Labrador. 

Here's just a few products from this wonderful range: 

Aren't these fabulous? And remember, Hector is the first range by Alex Swift Designs, and with your support, this great independent shop will feel encouraged to design more and more diverse ranges, in addition to adding to the existing one. 

What's more, the designers behind Hector are not only creative, but also very generous! They would like to give away the following to some lucky readers:

• a tote bag of your choosing; and
• a greeting card of your choosing. And if we get more than 30 entries, another winner will be chosen for a second greeting card. That's 3 winners altogether!

To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment here indicating which design is your favourite (eg Odd Hector Out, Striped Hector, Flying Hector etc), before midnight BST on Sunday 15th June. 

Want to boost your chances? By liking the shop on Facebook, and/or admiring the shop on Etsy, your "name in the hat" will be counted twice (or three times if you are super keen and do both!) 

The even better news is, this giveaway is open to everyone ANYWHERE in the WORLD!  

When the giveaway closes, 2 or 3 winners will be chosen at random, and Katy and Alex will be in touch with you to arrange shipping. So don't be shy, my dear readers, enjoy the giveaway!

So how about that for a rainy day cheering up? I for one could certainly do with some sun, as I have a bit of a backlog of projects to share with you - just waiting for some daylight to arrive for decent photos! But for now, do take advantage of this giveaway and have a good week! 

Paris dress -- Sew Dolly Clackett

Voila! Here's my (last minute) contribution to the Sew Dolly Clackett challenge, where all us stalkers of Roisin's (aka Dolly Clackett) wonderful sewing blog are making our own little item inspired by the amazing girl herself as a wedding gift to her and her husband to be, Nic from the online sewing community. This brilliant challenge was organised by Sarah, who I can only imagine is one of the most thoughtful friends that anyone can hope for! 

Having met Roisin in person (yep, I know!) at the Birmingham rag market meet-up, I had to take part. As you know I have recently moved house, so my life is currently filled with wonderful (cough) DIY tasks as soon as I get a spare minute, and fitting this project in under timing constraint has been a real challenge. That said, I am so pleased to have managed it before the deadline tomorrow, and being able to contribute to this wedding pressie. 

Without further ado, here is it!

Why is it Sew Dolly Clackett, I hear you ask? Isn't it obvious? But let me list it out for you anyway:

1. I made it in a novelty print fabric (need I say more?), called O La La Paris (more on that shortly). I picked this as Roisin and Nic's honeymoon is in Paris, not to mention her obsession with Eiffel Tower prints! 
2. For the bodice, I used the Elisalex Pattern from By Hand London, which is again one of Roisin's favourite. I must admit that I'm in love with the elegant back, and can completely see why Roisin loves the pattern so much;
3. For the skirt, I made a very full gathered skirt (I used 2 full widths of the fabric), in the true Roisin style ;)
4. I made the skirt finish just beneath my knees --  although I understand Roisin has recently started to experiment with shorter lengths, I believe this will still be her choice of skirt length;
5. I teamed it with dusty pink fabulous high heels (from Kurt Geiger) -- by this point (fabric, skirt length and high heels...) I don't think I need to tell you how far I am out of my comfort zone! 
6. Finally, I couldn't resist but posed in front of a door. Okay, I live on a busy road now and the newly planted hedges are growing really slowly, so I had to resort to the back patio doors. I managed to drag myself out of bed this morning and the weather was miserable, and naturally light was barely there! So sadly I only managed one reasonable overall photo, and had to take the back views this evening with artificial lighting. 

Now a bit more on the fabric. I can just imagine this question being asked - what are the first things that come into your head when I say Paris? Eiffel Tower, croissant, baguette, wine, tennis... then we are onto random French words.... and then non-French randomness... I think! If you know what "di si no di qui/oui" means, in any language, please get in touch!  

Finally, an inside out shot of the neckline binding facing, my favourite facing method:

 
 So that's it, my very own Dolly Clackett inspired garment! Now I'm going to spare some time checking out the other entries - it's going to be a blast!   

Mad Men challenge 2014 - my entry

Hello all, I hope you’ve been enjoying the sunny weather this weekend! It’s been lovely here in the UK! And if it hasn’t been very sunny where you are, I hope spring will come soon for you, too (unless you are on the other side of the planet, in which case I hope you hold on to the summer a little longer!).

Speaking of the other side of the planet, the lovely JuliaBobbin from down under has once again organised the fabulous Mad MenChallenge, and here’s my little entry this year.

So I made Betty’s super girlie floral blouse, in a ditsy floral cotton in more of a pink/red tone compared to the green/blue/red fabric that made Betty’s blouse. This is more of an “inspired by” as opposed to “copycat” attempt.

I used the vintage Simplicity 3092 once again, and following my last attempt, I made quite a few changes to the pattern for a closer match to Betty’s blouse and a better fit:

•  I lowered the neckline to accommodate a collar with an “integrated” collar stand;
•  I made the plackets more narrow to match the smaller buttons;
•  I increased the SBA for a better fit (and played around with the side seams and darts until I was happy with the ease); and
• I made the shoulders more narrow.

Here’s what the whole blouse looks like, without the map in the way:

Betty teamed her blouse up with a cute coral cardigan, so I couldn’t resist the temptation:

I am in love with this little number. Naturally I have a soft spot for pretty florals, and this fabric simply bursts with prettiness and happiness – looking at the blouse puts a smile on my face every time. I know I’ll get lots of wear out of this cutie this spring/summer! I can see it teamed up with a smart work skirt, casual skirt, jeans, or even shorts, and with or without a plain cardie. What’s not to like?

In addition to this, I also entered my picnic dress which I made a good few months ago into the challenge, as who else, it was Betty that inspired me. Maybe the obsession will calm down soon and I’ll make a garment inspired by another character next year (perhaps Megan? As I do adore her modern style)…  

For now, I’m just so excited for the big reveal, and can’t wait to see what you’ve all made! 

Feature in Love Crafting magazine

Happy Friday everyone!

I rarely ask for this, but could you indulge me a little just this once? My wedding dress and I (okay, and the hubby -- yes, Barry, I hear you) have been featured in Love Crafting, issue 3 of 2014! Here’s the little article:

I'm going to be famous!!! 

Joking aside, though, my chat with the journalist really brought back fond memories of the whole process. Whilst it's only been 20 months since the wedding, making the dress feels like a long time ago. 

This issue of the magazine is a sewing special, and if you are in the mood for making something for the home (not necessarily dressmaking), this is the one for you. Here's the cover in case you are interested:

I'm going to keep my copy FOREVER! 

Have a lovely weekend, everyone! I will be back on Sunday to reveal my Mad Men blouse ;)