cotton top (sewn)

pattern: New Look 6483 

fabric: recycled sheeting

A couple of weeks ago, I took another scrap of old sheet, a pattern borrowed from my Ma and started sewing a simple cotton top. 

It was my first time "going solo" on a dressmaking project, as neither of my two regular sewing gurus were on hand to help me when I got stuck. Which did happen rather a lot. 

There were lots of new processes to discover (stay-stitching, interfacing, layering seams...) as well as exciting new elements in the construction of the garment itself (shoulder seams, side slits, bust darts). Even a little hand sewing (sewing a button loop). All in all, I think things turned out rather well, even if I didn't fully understand how to tackle the shoulder seam until after. At least I'll know for the next one, and I'm sure there will be one very soon! 

Perhaps the trickiest part to deal with on my own was the little matter of fitting the garment, a fundamental element which I hadn't really dealt with before. Thankfully by the time I was ready to sew the side seams, we had arrived up here in Brittany and my mother in law was on hand to give me a little master-class to ensure that it didn't gape around the arm-pits.

Location: Port Bara beach, Quibéron (Morbihan)

ps: Ma, if you're reading this (which I'm sure you are!) rest assured, I did press the top properly before I put it on...it just got a little crinkled in the car on the way to the beach...

slow skirt

Way back when the winter was still lingering, I took an old sheet, a borrowed pattern and started sewing a skirt.

It was almost finished before I came back to England. After two days travelling in my suitcase, I pulled it out, creased and crumpled, to show it proudly to my Mum.

"Look Ma, look at that waistband and invisible zip!", I proclaimed proudly.  "Box pleats, gathers AND French seams." 

She cast her critical eye over it, as I knew she would. And of course, she spied the botched job I had made of the zip, the uneven gathers et al. 

"Did you pin and tack before you machined it?" she enquired, knowingly. I didn't even need to reply.

And so my first rainy Sunday afternoon in Dorset, out came the seam ripper off came my beautiful French seam...hem...waistband, and that unruly zip.

One step forward, two steps back. 

Out came the pins and the tacking thread.

One step forward, two steps back. 

In and out went the needle as I tacked it all back together. And in went (an almost) perfect zip, under Mum's watchful eye.

This skirt was the perfect place to start dressmaking. Whilst probably a little on the ambitious side, it's my perfect style of skirt (hippy 1950's librarian!): billowing pieces of fabric gathered and pleated at a waistband, closing with an invisible (ahem!) zip on the side.

Tackling it under the patient eye of my dear sewing friend Jessie, I've learnt a heck of a lot of processes with this skirt: sewing side seams, waistbands and hems. Creating gathers and pleats and French seams. How to put in zips (ahem).

But perhaps the biggest lesson of all was the importance of proper preparation; it's better to go slow in the early stages, rather than rushing forward, to ensure that you don't end up having to go back and fix your mistakes...

Pattern: Mcalls 5631 , made here by Tilly (apparently she found it a bit tricky too!)

Location: Mudeford Quay (Dorset). Fish and chips (gluten-free!) at a favourite spot with my Ma and Pa was the perfect occasion to wear my skirt for the first time...