A New Dress!

"Just what she needs....", I hear you grumble to yourself.  I cannot blame you really, I very rarely (about, ahem, twice a year) wear the dresses I make, dresses are just not practical.  I also think that some part of my brain tells me that if I wish to be seen as 'good' as any man, I must dress like one.  However, it does not seem to work!

Anyhow, back to the topic of the new dress, I actually am making this with a particular occasion in mind.  I intend to wear it to an awards ceremony in a week.  There was a large number of potential dress patterns to choose from but for various reasons I managed to narrow it down to this one only: Butterick B5281, picture below:

I am making view B with the capped sleeves and I will not be putting shoulder pads in mine.  After a trip to Spotlight I settled on some lovely red self patterned drapey jacquard.  The lining is a red lawn to give the dress some body.

Today I managed (in between making a batch of grapefruit pickle with some mouldy grapefruits and taking the dog for a walk) to cut the dress out and assemble the bodice, except for the sleeves.  The dress is fully lined which gives a lovely neckline without the frustration of a facing that keeps jumping to the right side.  Below are some random pictures from the construction.

Tucks stitched into the right hand shoulder.

The assembled bodice without the lining.

The assembled bodice with lining, I am happy with it!

Close up of neckline.

I am using my Singer 306 to sew this dress.  So far it is behaving nicely and making a very nice stitch.  I decided to use the straight stitch throat-plate in a fit of inspiration and it seems to be really helping.

On another note, it was the 23rd (!) anniversary of Freddie Mercury's passing yesterday, I was going to listen to my Queen CD but my CD player has finally given up the ghost so that plan went out of the window.

More updates to follow!

An Oldie but a .......Goodie..??

A while ago ( and it was a while ago, when I first started using the 206 as my go-to machine) I made this skirt.

 I liked it, even if it was a little odd because I made it up as I went.......wrong usually!  First time I just stitched the purple broadcloth pieces together and I couldn't get into it so I found some garish quilting material and made pleated side panels and matching waist-band.  I liked it, it was colourful and I love colourful (think Freddie Mercury, Shirley Strachan, Elton John...) but sadly almost everyone else was stuck for something nice to say about it.  I suddenly decided yesterday, what the heck, I was going to wear it out anyway.  So being me, instead of pairing it with plain top and shoes I created this outfit:

Yes I know, just laugh quietly will you?

We are forecast more warm weather this coming week but here are some pictures I took the week before last.

Below are some images of the three 'colourful' mentioned above, in some of their more interesting costumes.

From 'It's A Hard Life', one of my favourite Queen's.

One of Shirl's more interesting, if not better clad, costumes.

And I'm off for another bout of tidying up.....ooohhhh I hate it!

Makings

I apologise for my absence but I'm on holidays and I've been sewing.  When I sew, I only sew, I tend to get totally lost in it and forget everything else.  This week I have started a pinafore dress and a skirt and finished two aprons.  The dress is a 1950's retro Simplicity pattern.

 

 

And in a beautiful rose print.  I will post entire pictures when it is finished but at the moment I will only post parts.  There are gathers under the bust.

 

 

And I tried to match the roses across the centre seams.  Not too badly, even if I say it myself.

 

 

The skirt is a Burda pattern.  I have never sewn with a Burda pattern before, they are very confusing!  It was my first attempt at welt pockets.

 

 

 

The aprons are made from fabric with edibles printed on it.

 



 

I have found pinking shears to be brilliant recently and have been madly pinking everything!

 

 

To top off my pleasure I have been using what has to be one of the loveliest machines ever made, an adorably cute 99K knee control.  I love the control with a knee control and this machine does a lovely stitch.

 

 

 

I'm listening to Queen tonight.  It's World AIDS Day today. 

 

Freddie Mercury