Dress in a day

Today, Saturday, I made the Crepe Dress designed by Colette Patterns.

It says "beginner" - I think it's for an advanced beginner!

I love Colette's pockets; they're perfectly shaped.
The fabric was bought in Stoffmarkt in Bielefeld in Germany recently. It's 100% cotton (Baumwolle).

It's a wrap dress. But wraps at the back as opposed to the front.

I liked the pattern but might prefer to make a lining for the top part instead of all the facings. And I think the seam in the front of the dress makes it a bit apron-y so I might use one piece here next time.

I like this dress. Murphy Sheehy stocks Liberty prints which might work well for this dress. I think it's probably nicer with a contrasting fabric for the belt.

Disappointment - pattern drafting class cancelled

I had been so excited about an upcoming intensive week-long course at Róisín Cross Silks in Dún Laoire next week. I have done a few dressmaking courses and I wanted to "up the ante" by undertaking a pattern drafting or pattern making course. I am devastated that it has been cancelled.
It's hard to find a pattern drafting course. Murphy Sheehy will be running one in the Autumn but I don't know that I can commit to trekking back to Dublin in the evenings from Maynooth. I'll see...

Sewaholic Cambie Dress #1

I titled this post "Cambie Dress #1" because I have a feeling I'll be making more of them!
The pattern is another of Tasia's from Sewaholic. According to a fellow online dressmaker, this is the

pattern that's taking the UK blogging community by storm

I purchased it from the online store, The Village Haberdashery. It's the second Sewaholic pattern I've made. I made a Renfrew Top in salmon pink recently. I find Tasia's patterns easy to follow - enjoyable and fun.

The fabric was bought by my aunt in Brussels as a birthday present. It's a viscose rayon. Doesn't feel very pleasant to me but I have lined it in a black cotton voile and that feels gorgeous. I cut the shape of the skirt lining according to "A" style in the pattern - the more worky version of this dress.

I love the back of the dress, how it becomes the sleeves!

Not sure about black shoes with this dress. Looking at these pictures, I think it needs a pair of lilac shoes. To be spotted at a wedding near you soon...!

Wipeable strap covers for Baby Car Seat

My friend came to me with a problem the other day. Her little girl isn't a good traveller and the straps of the car seat are difficult to clean.

Luckily, she had a spare strap to give me so I could use it for measurements while sewing the solution!

Coincidentally, my sister-in-law had bought some pink polka dot fabric in Germany. It has an oil-cloth-like texture.

I cut two rectangles, added velcro, stitched the edges. Hey presto. Mammy's life is made easier ;)

Black Crepe Satin High-Waisted Skirt

Sewaholic Renfrew Top in salmon pink

Tasia has some wonderful patterns on Sewaholic.net. She designs them herself and gets them printed. Really friendly presentation and a basic storage envelope. I bought the Renfrew Top pattern from Sewbox.co.uk but I think there are a few other stockists in Europe and UK (not sure about Ireland, specifically).

I made "C" with the cowl neck...

...but with the long sleeves of "A"...

...and added 2 inches to the length (as I like my tops long). [Pity about the awful leggings, and the slumpy posture.]

The pattern called for a "stable knit" - the jersey I used - bought from Hickey's Henry Street - is quite light and as you can see, a little bit too see-through. The wrist bands have stretched badly out of shape.
Most of the seams are done on an overlocker. I used the machine at my sewing class at the Grafton Design Academy in Dublin. But I've since bought myself an overlocker. Exciting!
Cowl neck...

I'm not sure if I misread the pattern or if there's a mistake in it - my cowl is actually inside out! The seam connecting the two pieces and the seam at the centre back were facing opposite directions which didn't look right. I re-stitched one of them (at my teacher's advice, I hasten to add) but that resulted in the cowl being inside out. All my friends assure me they would never notice... but I know...

Fabric

Viscose Jersey

100% Viscose

Better blogging to come... new camera!

My images thus far on this blog have not been of great quality. Partly due to not having bought myself a new camera for about 10 years. My Sony Ericsson mobile phone had a brilliant camera but I replaced that mobile phone for a smart phone.

I purchased a 14.1mp camera t'other day. Improvements in picture quality await.
Now I just have to find a good background in the apartment in which to stand. And I need to work on my pose too ;)