A New Take on an Old Pattern

This dress I am sharing today is from a pattern that I have had for years, I originally made for a work Christmas party about eleven years ago.  I remember this well as my youngest had started school and I was back working in the day out of the home (I worked form home for a few years before that) so a night out was a bit exciting.  I made it back then in red satin, which thinking about it now seems a bit over the top but oh well I was happy with it at the time.

I used more of my lucky dip fabric bag  fabric for this, this time a lightweight cotton but I chose to line the skirt and do the bodice double. I also added a twist by using a contrasting centre panel in a print. If you have read this blog before you will have seen this cherry fabric pop up in all  sorts of things, and it still keeps going, it is becoming a bit like 'where's Wally' lurking in every project!

I had to add a couple of darts to the front of the wrap pieces as well as little gathers, this style on me just does not stay put otherwise, I also pulled the straps quite snug also to save it gaping.

This is the pattern I used I wonder if anyone else has this pattern?

So yes I finished that yesterday and today it rained so it could be my fault, but we did need it after all.
Today I also bought two zips so I can continue making up the rest of the fabric but I also bought a remnant that was sitting on the counter just waiting for me.  The girl was just about to staple a price to it when I asked how much and how long it was, '£4 for two metres' so I came away with that too. Why not?

Another bit of good news today I manged to get my over locker blades in the correct position , they had not been cutting correctly since I changed them.  After watching a youtube video it is working perfectly  so I am  quite pleased about that, another job completed without having to pay someone else is always a bonus.

Striped Pencil Skirt

I've been getting on with more fabric from my Minerva Crafts lucky dip bag today, this time a blue and white stripe.  I knew what to do with this as soon as I saw it as I pictured it in my head. It was a combination of a pattern and one of my own as I know the fit of mine better.  People do like to see a pattern to work from though, I will link more on that for the Minerva post.

This feels like it will be a nice versatile skirt, and as it is relatively plain I'm hoping it will go with lots of tops.  The fabric is a bit stretchy but I still did a little walking split.

It is funny really as I probably would not have put this fabric in my basket but I love the result, as I've said before I get carried away with  colourful prints and neglect the wardrobe staples.

To make the pattern accurate I used some old wrapping paper that was in my cupboard and transferred my markings to that.  This kind of cheap paper is really good to use for that purpose as it has a little grid marked on the back of it, it is also a little sturdier than tissue paper.

After that was complete I had a dig around in what few patterns I have and found a nice summer dress for the black cotton.  It is going to have a twist as I'm putting a patterned piece in the middle of the dress (there I go again!) I hope to get that all done tomorrow so I can wear it for a night out with family.

We have just had a bit of rain here, it didn't last long but it has saved me one job. I also filled a little container with the golden cherry tomatoes from the greenhouse, very satisfying and  they didn't last long either.

Baby Outfit, Shirt and Hat

Just recently I received a lucky dip bag from Minerva Crafts this has a selection of fabrics chosen for you six metres in total.  I will share more on this later as I am putting together a post for them but for now I will share a few of the bits I am making with it.  One of the fabrics was a children's print with little frogs, I showed it to my friend who has a little boy and as she loved it I decided to make a little something for him.

I didn't have a pattern but she sent me a t-shirt and hat so I am hoping it will fit!  It was also a squeeze to get the two items out of this piece so we will have to see.  It has been  a fun make this morning so everything is crossed.

I love this print and it was a colourful addition to the bundle, I need to get my thinking cap on now to see what I can make with the other pieces of fabric from the package.

The hat is the same on the inside so reversible, if I had thought on I should have done it in a contrasting fabric then the shirt wouldn't have been such a squeeze, but I dived in so there you go!

The underside of the collar is plain blue and it is just in one piece top and bottom.

In the garden my kale plants are being attacked by the white butterfly, it seems every time I go outside they are laying on them then I have to inspect them all.  I know next time I will have to net the plants to  keep them off  Also the constant watering in this heat! We complain about rain but we really could do with a bit around now, my water metre would be grateful for a few full water butts.

On a positive note it is lovely to nip out and get some chili, kale (the undamaged ones) or chili for a dish. The peas are finished and the few that were left were pulled down by the dog who discovered he liked them.  I have put a few more in the greenhouse but it may be too late, worth a try though.  

We would like to put a few fruit trees in and some beds on the ground, we are thinking this may involve a little mesh fence just high enough to keep the dogs out on one section, but still transparent so as to not block it off completely.