Another Mock Jumpsuit

Hello I hope you are all having a good week, I think it has been a rather calm one and the sun has been shining today so that always makes me happy. Last weekend I completed my top and trouser set that looks like a mock jumpsuit, similar to the one I made last year but this time with a slightly different top.  You can see the one I made last year right here.  I actually found the burda top pattern to be a very good fit and shape so that was a decent freebie with the Simply Sewing magazine, and as someone who doesn't part with money for very basic patterns that is high praise!  I will make it again as a dress and also show some ways you can hack it as promised in my last post.

I wasn't sure if the trousers were a little loud when I first finished this, but after an iron and trying them on I realised that they hang really well.  As an added bonus I already had the shoes/ankle boots to match so it was meant to be, I ended up wearing this outfit to go out for tea with friends last Saturday. There is a tie belt, a little tricky to see in the above image and belt loops neither of these are on the pattern I mentioned in my last post, it was just a case of cutting  strips to make them and fitting them into the waist seam.    I will be posting more on this in my Minerva post so watch out for that, I will post a reminder when it is live giving full details.

Here is an image of the top on its own so you can see more clearly the shape of that, it is a very basic make.  You can easily get way with no facing or binding round the neck by just overlocking and doing a very narrow hem, the same with the sleeves.   The fabric used here is John Kaldor if you are wondering and I was gifted it by Minerva.

I have another piece of fabric that I am thinking of making The Liberty spring dress with, this fabric is also for Minerva so I am uncertain if I can use this pattern as it is a magazine edition and not one stocked by them.  I don't know if any of you have any ideas about this?  For example could I use this one and then find and compare one that is stocked by them in the same style?  If you have any ideas please leave a comment with your thoughts.   Failing that I will have to have a rethink as I can make the dress without and do step by step instructions, but not everyone is confident without a pattern so probably a pattern is best for that project with it being a sponsored post. ( Is it still called sponsored if you are paid in fabric??)  Any how this is the dress in question complete with the magazine below...

It is getting steadily brighter as I leave work but this was still the situation at three in the afternoon the other day...

There are signs of daffodils everywhere so I'm looking forward to those, it is a sign that it may be cold and dreary but not for long.

We have binge watched a series this week on Netflicks  called The Stranger, I really enjoyed it and it starred Richard Armitage (always a bonus!)  If you haven't seen it go and find it now and add it to your watch list. It is a British cast and you will see lots of familiar faces including Jennifer Saunders who I don't really associate with drama, but there she is.

Book wise I am reading After Me Comes the Flood (still) and I can't seem to get into to it, I loved the Essex Serpent and Melmoth but this is plodding along.  I am in a 'started so I'll finish' kind of mood so hopefully it will all pull together.

That is all for now, I hope you are having a peaceful week of making and planning.

Art Gallery Fabrics Red Dress

I have been wondering what to spend my birthday money on for a while now and as my birthday was a number of months ago I thought I would treat myself to this lovely fabric.  I am quite bad at buying for myself and I suppose that is not such a bad thing, I usually buy bargain fabric or very rarely anything above the budget range so this was a bit of a treat for me.  I only bought one metre and squashed a dress out of that!   I used an existing dress that I made the pattern my own pattern for and cut around that, it was a quick make and I went out in it last week for a curry with my husband.

I would have got a picture with it on but we were in a hurry to go out when I wore it and I have a faff  with the tripod on my own so here it is on my faithful model complete with dog bowls (keeping it real you see) no photoshop perfection here. Ha ha.

This has got to be the simplest dress to make and I see so many expensive patterns for this very simple style of dress and I have to say I really don't get it.  I must urge you to try it with some cheap jersey and experiment a little .  ( Maybe not the art gallery fabric!) You will learn far more than from an expensive pattern.

I have received my first copy of Simply sewing magazine, it is probably a bit basic for me but at £1 a copy for the trial I am sure there are bits I will use.  I decided to try the pattern for sizing for this Minerva fabric, I'll make the basic top to go with trousers and let you know how the sizing is.  This is another example of a basic top/dress so useful for those of you that want a very simple pattern for tops and dresses.  If any of you are interested in a series on ways to hack that pattern for lots of different looks please let me know in the comments and I will do some posts on that.

I hope to have some time to get on with this tomorrow, although I m not sure we will have the weather to wear it anytime soon.  This pattern on the left I made my blue mock jumpsuit from last year.  I made the trousers narrower and added belt loops I intend to do the same thing with this as it was such a good make. In fact if you are going to buy any patterns this one is really good value as you get three items, really good value for me as a friend gave it to me.

I hope you are all staying well and avoiding the winter colds, back soon.

A Charity Shop Bargain and a Few Makes

We haven't been very far this last few weeks it is that sort of weather that keeps you close to home, walks with the dogs and local but that has been about it.  I am looking forward to spring days but realise that is a way off yet!

Last week we had a look in the local charity shop St Lukes, and I found a pair of men's Levi jeans that are an excellent colour.  They are size 30 waist and 32 leg, my husband said they were nice but the leg was way too narrow for him but at £3.00 they were too good to miss.  I decided to buy them and size them down for myself.  It can be quite tricky to size down jeans due to all the bulk but I went slowly, walked the foot over the really thick parts and hand stitched the back belt loop back on.  There really was no way my domestic  Toyota machine was going over that many layers of denim despite it being the model suitable for denim and heavy weight! ( I sometimes wonder about that description)

Here they are with the sides and back unpicked, I then took a chunk in the shape of  a triangle out of each area.  I tried them first then guessed it but if you have not done this before you should pin, measure how much needs to come out but allow for your seams.  I have done this before so I am quite ok at guessing by just pinching here and there.   I am a size 8 ladies and only 5ft 4 so I also had to take them up a little.

They are low slung so only sit above the hips, I took them in right under to the crotch so they would fit correctly on the bottom.

I am really pleased with them, repurposed for me, it has saved me buying a new pair in future and I enjoyed the process, win, win.   I also found some more 'like new' children's  books that I use for prizes for some of the children I  work with, I like that if we look after things and pass them on they can be enjoyed again and again.  Just today I gave out Hansel and Gretel  as a prize and as we have been reading a version of this only this week the recipient looked very pleased.

Earlier this week I finished  a sweater top which is a Minerva make, I just need to do the write up for that and take some photographs of me in it.  The problem I am having at this time of year as ever is getting good daylight shots as when I get home it is dark, so I am waiting for the weekend and hoping for good light.

This is a bit far away from my usual fitted styles but I thought  I would try something new,   The sleeves are really wide so I will have to see how I get on wearing it day to day as it may be bulky under coats, we will see.    There will be a full write up and pattern details on Minerva at some time in the future.  I am wearing it tomorrow so I will have a better idea of wearability, it will be warm because it is a thick jersey.

At the moment I am toying with the idea of making a matching little tube skirt as there is a piece left and it may just do it.  If I go with it I will share next week.

There were quite a few books returned to the library this week along with 'Melmoth' and I really enjoyed that, so much so that I picked up  'After Me Comes the Flood also by Sarah Perry,   after enjoying the Essex Serpent too I thought I  would give this one a try.  I also ordered Stretch by Tilly Walnes as I have been watching a vlog where she made the whole book in a month (six patterns) I am not sure I want to make all of them as one is maybe not my style but it would be fun to try a few I thought.   I am second in the wait list so it may be a few months yet until I get it.

Of course I have to share a few of my latest bags, the foxy one was a custom order for a colleague and the other just an idea I had for using up oddments.

Just this week I have found a new current favourite song, it is Phil Wickham Secret Place, I love it go on over and have a listen if you have a minute.

I'm off now have a good week and take care.