Little Bird Black Dress

It seems to me that I may have a bit of a thing for fabric with birds on it, I don't know why I have only just realised this.  I pulled out a piece of fabric from the drawer yesterday that I will be working on next and that has birds on too.  Anyway as for this latest dress it has turned out well, nice and floaty but I did spend longer on a liner that I didn't use than I did on the dress itself.  The trouble was the black lining was too stiff for the fabric and I did intend to secure it at the waist but it just affected the  drape of the dress.  I chose to do a separate black jersey strappy top/underdress? This just goes on separate  and the dress can hang freely. I have another store bought dress like that so I know it is not unusual, well I say store bought I mean charity shop:)
Here is the finished item, it was too windy this morning for an outdoor shot.

I am not wearing a belt here but I might in future, it doesn't really need it as the folds I stitched in place at the front give it some shape.

It has a zipper at the side but I did find that although I can get it on and off with ease it would not go back on the mannequin once the side seams were stitched due to the fact that she doesn't pull her shoulders in the way we do when we dress. 

The dress is getting it's first wear today even though I not really going anywhere other than the supermarket later.  I just feel sometimes I enjoy making these clothes and then feel like Oh I'll just put jeans on because I am home, I am mostly home when I'm not at work so why not just wear everything. 

Over the last couple of days I read the Monk Who Sold his Ferrari, I have read a book in that series before and didn't think much of it but I thought I would give this one a go.  Motivational style of material that it is it still felt a bit insincere like the other one, there were some little bits of wisdom in there but nothing new.

I also watched a number of programmes on the reformation on BB4 I really enjoyed   those and even though I studied it in the past with the OU, I always felt like I was rushing to the next thing I needed to learn so it was good to be able to just watch these documentaries at leisure. 

A New Dress Started

I started another dress yesterday tea time, chiffon this time and the reason I was so late starting it is that I had already made a white tunic dress for  colleague's Greek day at school earlier in the day.  I didn't photograph that one as it is just a basic white tunic, she will draped in the rest of the fabric on the day.  It was quite amusing because I quickly cut out the pieces on the dining table and then we took the dogs for a walk.  When we got back I placed it on the mannequin  and pinned it in place trying to make up my mind how to proceed.  My husband came through and said hang on when did you sew that?  Well I would look well going out in it as it is, it would be a bit draughty!

I suppose it does look almost ready from this angle.

Here you can see not a stitch sewn, just one front piece and one sleeve hanging on.

I was thinking that I may put an elasticated waist in this one but now it is pinned like this I like the effect of where it is pinned at the front just as a fold on each side.  I may do a side zip and just secure those folds with belt loops and do the same at the back, it will need a liner for the skirt as it is see through but the top can have something worn with it.

There wasn't anymore sewing to be done last night as the Sunday evening ironing beckoned, I know I don't have to do it then but I have got into a good habit now of getting it all done then, with the music blasting upstairs so I'm sticking with it.  I was down in time to watch Victoria which I have been enjoying and there is a new drama coming Gunpowder plot so I have started on this non fiction book I bought myself a while ago 'The Gunpowder Plot'  as a warm up before that begins.

This past weekend I also made two dishes using tofu, this was perhaps a mistake as I have felt that it doesn't entirely agree with me but as I made Chinese last week and was fine I ate it on Saturday with stir fry then yesterday I did scrambled tofu from my Aine Carlin vegan book.   It was quite good but I spent the rest of the day regretting it as my stomach was not right, same all evening too.  Has anyone got similar issues with it?  Or maybe just eating it two days running is too much for me.

Maybe eating beans with it is a no no, but if you are vegan and looking for an alternative to scrambled egg this could be for you.  

Teal Dress, a Quick One Hour Make

My latest make is not what it was originally intended to be and I am so pleased with how it turned out.  After reading one of Jo's posts at Three Stories High where she made a fabulous dress for her friend and a T shirt with some grey fabric I fancied some of that fabric for myself.  If you follow the link above you may have to just scroll down one post to see her creations as I had to search back to find the link (she makes so much stuff!).  Anyway I love the grey but I got distracted on the Minerva site and ended up buying teal jersey!    So this arrived and I thought yes another top for autumn, sticking with my resolve to make more wearable tops.  The thing is once it was here I could not picture it as a top and I somehow thought it would not do it justice.

I decided it would be a dress based on one that I own which has a nice simple shape, the original dress has no sleeves but I have put some short ones in the new one with a little detail.  Here is the finished dress below and I am so glad I went with this style.

I have taken a few pictures inside and out as I can never decide which is giving a better representation of the colour.  I already had this little hardly used belt and I think it really sets it off.

Actually this is probably a more true colour, but don't you get fed up with photographing things in the same spot?  This area always has such good light though.

I made a small slit in the sleeves, hemmed them around and then I found these little beads in my sewing box that go lovely with the belt.  I was looking for small buttons but these do a much better job, it was a simple thing that gave an interesting effect.

Here is where I lay the original dress on top, no taking things apart here, just cut around it carefully.

Here are the pieces ready to go, the fabric didn't fray or curl so it was really easy to work with, just a little stretch but not much.

So due to the nature of the fabric I didn't feel the need for any edging on the inside seams, it is for me after all.  It was just a case of stitching all the pieces together, a quick try on which gave me the idea to shorten then snip the sleeves and also take a little off the front and back hem as it was dipping a little in those areas.  That said it was ready in an hour, I ordered the matching bias tape and thread when I bought the fabric and these were a perfect match so I was really pleased with that too.  You just  have to love the projects that go so smoothly and turn out well.  What's more I found this colour chart showing the colour trends for Autumn and my dress colour is on there albeit with a different name, ( Shaded Spruce) I didn't know the colour was in fashion, good to know!