A leafy Salme flounce

OK, so I'm two months late in blogging about this dress and even though Mel gave you a taster, I still didn't get the post written. Sorry, not sorry. Life is life and sometimes it just takes you by surprise.

And so, for Indie Pattern Month, The Monthly Stitch did a pattern swap/round robin. Another member of The Monthly Stitch Collective was given my details and they would buy me a pattern from an Indie Pattern company I'd never used before, I in turn would buy patterns for someone else. I received both a PDF and packaged pattern. This is the PDF pattern. It's the flounced dress from Salme, something I'd never ever thought of buying. It's obvious that others see more in patterns than I do!

I made up the muslin of the bodice quite quickly, but it needed some alterations and by the time I'd fixed it, and made those alterations, it was way past New To Me week of IPM. I did actually finish the dress in time for the catch up week at the end of July, but getting around to writing the blog post - yeah well. I've made far to many excuses and I really don't need to.

The fabric I bought from the Fabric Warehouse here in Wellington some time ago. It was bought with the intention of making a Pauline Alice Alameda dress, but when I received this pattern, this fabric was just perfect. The Alameda will need to wait and can be made in something else. :-) 

So the muslin, the bust darts were too high (this is usual) and the hips were too tight. So I moved the darts down, about an inch and a quarter. Seriously they were really high up. For the hips I think I initially added about two and a half inches, but took this in once I'd made up the bodice and tried it on.

This is where I deviated from the instructions. The skirt is a circle skirt and the instructions say to attach the front skirt to the front bodice and the same to the back. Then to sew up the side seams. I made up the bodice, took in the side seams around the hip, then cut the skirt pieces after. So I stitched the side seams on the skirt and attached the skirt to the bodice that way.

The skirt hem is actually finished on the machine. I love deep hand-stitched hems, but on a short circle skirt they just don't work. It was easier to add a short hem and machine sew it. All other seams have been finished on my overlocker.

So this is my first Salme pattern and although I had a couple of fitting issues (to be expected) I really enjoyed the make. The pattern and instructions were clear and easy to follow. There were pictures to keep me happy. Admittedly it's not really a difficult make, but even so, I felt it was clear and easy to follow.

The details

Fabric:  Linen with orange leaves from Fabric Warehouse, I think bought at the end of January 2015. I used a fine white cotton for the facings.

Notions:  Thread and an invisible zip.

 

Pattern:  Salme Flounced Hem dress # 156

Changes made:  The bust darts were shifted own by about an inch an a half and the hips graded out by about half inch each side altogether.

First worn:  For afternoon tea with a view at One80 (a hotel restaurant) with Mel, Kat and Jenna ( as a possibly unimpressed young Fox!) Photos here after across the road at the boat sheds.

Another one/recommendations:  I certainly recommend the pattern. The dress is a great make and really easy to wear. I don't know if I'll make another - too many other fab patterns to make up. But I am certainly happy with the dress. I feels really girlie, but it's great for wearing out to dinner, there's room to eat! :-) 

 

As usual when a friend takes your photos there are always some which wouldn't normally make it to a bog post :-)

Autumnal La Sylphide - in Spring!

I've joined the Papercut fan club...

And this won't be the last Papercut pattern I make either! Papercut are based just across the Cook Strait from us here in Wellington, and it feels great to be supporting something local.

I didn't make up a muslin, which I've taken to doing recently, but I kinda wish I had. The fit isn't awful, but it could be better. The waist measurement was smaller than mine, but only by the smallest amount, so the waist on the bodice has about an extra 3/4 inch applied to it.

The skirt pieces were far too wide for my fabric, so the skirt is not as full as on the pattern. I ended up cutting the skirt pieces less curved so that they didn't look odd. Even so the waist on the side seams has gone a bit baggy somehow - it's not obvious with a belt. I also lengthened the skirt, I certainly don't have the legs for the Papercut length! There's about 8 inches extra on the length.

The pattern was really clear and easy to follow. The instructions are great. They are thorough with clear illustrations. I've seen on some blogs that the sleeves are quite tight and narrow, but I decided to cut the sleeves as per the pattern and they are perfect for me and I certainly don't have tiny arms.

The fabric is a quilting cotton I got from Arthur Toye before they closed. It was originally just going to be a blouse, but somehow the La Sylphide pattern just won over. Cutting out the fabric I noticed that it certainly frayed, it was awful with bits of burnt orange cotton everywhere, so I ended up finishing all seams using French seams.

In some ways the fabric was not the best choice, it's obviously quite thick and stiff and so the neck tie sits a bit proud, but if I tie it well...

The details

Fabric:  Quilting cotton in a burnt orange with star flowers from Arthur Toye closing down sale, Jan 2014.

Notions:   Thread, interfacing for the tie band and button placket, plain matt black buttons from Wellington Sewing Services in Kilbirnie.

Pattern:   Papercut Patterns La Sylphide dress
First worn:  For work just over a week ago. Worn here at Fabric-a-Brac in Newtown today, photos taken by Kat. Where I just happened to be joined by Jo wearing her La Sylphide!

Changes made:  The waist made about 3/4" bigger, the skirt less full and lengthened by about 8 inches.

Recommend?  A great pattern, it feels fab to wear, and I get loads of compliments wearing it. I'm already contemplating number 2 from some viscose fabric I have. So I think that means I recommend it ;-)

Oh and cos it's October, or should I say Frocktober, I'll be joining in the party over at The Monthly Stitch.

Blue Bleuet for Blue February

Yes, I know it's March, but this was made, worn and photographed in February.

A blue Bleuet from Deer and Doe, made for Blue February. How's that for a bit of alliteration? Not bad I thought :-)

Now I love this dress, yes I know I said that about my Daisy Anna and it possibly seems fickle, but I do, I love this dress.

I didn't have masses of fabric for this pattern, the fabric was originally bought for a blouse! I did however manage to be careful how I placed the pieces and actually the pattern does line up all the way round. I was even careful over the collar and bow. The sleeves were not quite so successful, I initally cut them both the same way! I ended up using what was left to cut out the sleeve again - the right way! The under collar is in two pieces! You can't see it!

This is called creative cutting - the sleeves aren't even in this image!

The remains of my cutting out!

As you can see there was very little left! I have to say, there's not really much to say which hasn't already been said by other numerous bloggers. I lengthened the waist length by about half an inch (a regular adjustment of mine), I also added a couple of inches to the hem. The cuffs on the sleeves are the right size for once. Often I find they are too tight for my arms. I didn't make these cuffs/bands any bigger and they fit perfectly.

I did find that the princess seam was not perfectly placed so had to adjust it so the main bust was slightly lower. This is a regular adjustment for me too.

One thing I didn't do was all the top stitching. I decided my fabric spoke for itself and so left off top stitching on the collar and cuffs. I actually did the cuffs differently. I attached the cuff on the flat, then stitched up the side seam on the sleeve before folding over and hand stitching the cuff in place on the underside.

I'd read in a couple of places that the placket wasn't the widest, so I also changed the way the placket was created. Since my fabric is quite bulky I just turned under about a quarter of an inch, then folded another inch and quarter. This actually gave me a winder placket to deal with and sew the buttonholes.

Parp, parp!

The details...

Fabric:  A stretch cotton from Arthur Toye in Palmerston North, bought July 2013 for about $40. There was 2m of 1.4m wide. It's navy blue with a kind of pale blue embossed pattern.

Notions:  Thread and buttons which came from Made on Marion here in Wellington.

Pattern:  Deer and Doe Bleuet
First worn:  At Staglands in the middle of February. I've worn it for work plenty of times since and get so many compliments!

Changes:  Lengthened the waist length by about half an inch, lengthened the dress length by about 2 inches. Slightly lowered the full bust in the princess seams. Stitched the sleeve cuffs and placket differently to the pattern.

Another one?  Mm, not sure really why I ask myself this question. I love this first bleuet I've made, but another one just may not work out as well.

Oh, you want to know where the photos were taken? Well with a pattern company called Deer and Doe, where else should we go, but Staglands! This wildlife park is in the north of the region and has birds, pigs, fish and of course deer. :-) The plan was for the WSBN to wear a Deer and Doe pattern. In the end only four of us turned up in a Deer and Doe pattern and all of us...

...made the same pattern. Yep, Jen, Kat, me and Mel, all turned up in the bleuet! We had a good day, there were five WSBN members with husbands and children in tow. We had a picnic and then toured the park. It was great fun, as well as being a hot sunny day!

We actually had one lady ask us about the pattern, she'd noticed that the dresses were all the same.

This photo taken by Mel's husband

It gave us a great place for group shots and it's always fun having photos with others, even giving us the chance to bomb individual pics...