Triple Davina - Itch To Stitch

Well I think it's safe to say I've found my favourite jersey summer dress sewing pattern this year.

After a failed attempt at the Seamwork Bobby Dress (shoulders too wide and an unflattering elastic on me) I found fairly innocuous pattern in the form of the Davina dress by Itch to Stitch. I'll be honest I did think it was a bit dull at first however I then inspected the lines a little closer and saw the marvelous tester versions and was won over.

It did not disappoint and is far from dull. So much so that I made it three times straight after each other!

Size: The size was perfect and the chart very true to my body measurements. I was a 12 on top grading to 14 at the waist and it turned out ideal size-wise.

Features: A brilliant feature of this dress is how little fabric it takes considering how flared the skirt is! These jerseys were in my stash, all 2m and easily fit the pattern pieces on. Both the front and back bodice pieces do not need to be on the fold so that saves a lot of fabric in itself as you can squeeze them into the gaps around the skirt.

I particularly enjoyed how the dress fit to the curves of my body at the shoulder and at my lower back. The bodice is shaped at the center front and back seams and flows really well onto the contour waist piece and skirt. It feel very flattering to wear.

Another lovely feature is the neckline which is a soft curved v-neck with a small gather at the bust which helps pull the neckline down and prevents gaping. Clever.

Adjustments: The pattern has you line the bodice however it's way too warm for that so I chose to just bind the neck and arms with jersey binding. Worked a treat. On my black tropical version I applied the binding to the edges before joining the front, back and side seams and that gave the cleanest finish.

Fabric: The yellow version is made from the ol' faithful Jelly Fabrics, organic stripe jersey which I have bought by the mile not meter in the past. It's just so soft....

I then went for a tropical fruit print jersey from Lamazi -it is by Danish Designs called 'Sweet Lemons' and has a really luxurious quality about it.

Then last but not least, I went full tropics with this Monochrome Monstera jersey from Flamingo Fabrics. I feel it needs some mad banana earrings or something to go with it.

I think I'm pretty much done with summer dresses now I have this trio to pick from!

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It's a Cashmerette Kind Of Birthday

My first Cashmerette pattern and it's a good one! This is the Turner dress,a soft and elegant style knit dress with loads of variation potential. These dresses were gifts for my sister and friend for their respective birthdays - hopefully they liked them!

The pattern: The patterns are drafted for different cup sizes so that was great to have a whole range of fitting options to choose from. I had one PDF printed, the other I taped together. I would recommend just getting it printed! I made a toile for my friend in some navy jersey and it fit, with a few teaks to the waistline which was a fraction too big. We did notice that nearly everyone on photos wore a belt though so perhaps this waist room was normal. We chose a sleeve length and then picked out some fabulous fabric!

My sister's was slightly easier as we are pretty much the same size so I could just try it on! The bonus of family sewing.

Construction: Oh this was so good to whiz up on the over-locker. The pattern pieces fit together perfectly and it was really and enjoyable make. Then neckline is bound with stretch jersey binding so soft on the skin. The arms and hem were turned and cover-stitched with rainbow thread inside.

The Fabric: Extensive research took place for the perfect fabric (oh what a shame, all that fabric browsing is such a chore! ;-) The pink floral is from Angela at Jellyfabrics. There was just short of the required amount so some serious pattern Tetris went on trying to get everything to fit. I had to cut the back skirt in two pieces and create a seam however you can't really tell because of the print.

This super blue watercolour fabric was from Flamingo Fabrics and fortunately the right quantity was available. In fact I bought a 1/2m more just in case!! (Sewing for someone else is so nerve-wracking isn't it?!)

I think the bright fabrics added to the enjoyment of making these, and doing something for loved ones that is a bit of a treat. Plus - I bloody love jersey so was in my element.

Conclusion: Brilliant pattern, very detailed and the size range was excellent. My sister has worn hers loads and will certainly be receiving more in future now I know it was a success!

Edit: Here is lovely Laura giving it some twirls!

Shortly after this I also whipped up another in some incredible seagull print jersey from Jellyfabrics! Hey if a pattern works, it works.

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Sewing Sorbet - Emmeline Tee

A little palette cleanser of a pattern today.

I made this after a few sewing fails and a friend Sally recommended a quick win pattern in the form of the Emmeline Tee by Little Seamstress.

There are three versions available, a quick PDF to stick together aswell as you don't need all the pages for the different versions. It can be made in stretch or woven so fab for using small pieces up. I went for View A as I do like myself a t-shirt!

Size: The pattern suggests picking the size based on the bust measurement however as the sides are straight up and down I didn't trust this knowing my hips are significantly wider than the bust. I went with an XXL and slightly graded out an inch at the hip.

Fabric: Stash raiding occurred as confidence was low from previous projects and I wasn't sure if it would work. I'd had this crocodile* fabric from Sew Over It a while and there was only a small piece which was perfect to use up. It does send your eyes a bit boggley if you stare too long.

(*Reptile fact: Crocodile - long snout, jaggy toothy fella. Alligator - rounded snout, neater teeth and hides them well. Want to run away? Run in a zigzag, they cant turn very well. ;)

I made a couple of minor tweaks. I added cuffs at the arms as my fabric wasn't wide enough to fit the whole sleeve on. I also sloped the shoulder a bit aswell as the straight T shape was making the sleeves stick out a bit like wings. Other than that - love it!

Needing something comfortable with zero effort factor I also decided to make a dress version in this stripe print from JellyFabrics.

Same alteration to shape the shoulder. Instead of a neckband I just used jersey binding and bound the raw edges to the inside at the neck and sleeves. I also found a use for my leftover glitter stars - 'this is the back' markers!

Simple, basic, but really practical and a great little pattern. The sleeves are roomy enough not to get all hot and bothered and an optional tie belt gives options. (Buffet options). Bit short but that was just down to how much fabric I had left. (Remnants of a failed Seamwork Bobby dress!!)

A refreshing make indeed.

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A Dress Named Reeta

That Bitch Carole Baskin....

Well it may be covered in tigers and its a killer of a dress but this one is no Carole!

Enter the dress by Named Patterns - called  Reeta

The pattern has obviously been around a while but it has taken me until now to try it out. Why did I wait?!

The dress is supposed to be a loose fit midi-dress however I didn't have enough fabric for the full length so it's a little shorter than intended.

This was a lovely slow sew for me and just what my brain needed. I made it over the course of a few weeks, breaking the tasks down into little easy to deal with sections.

Size: I went for a size 16/18 and that worked out quite nicely. Plenty of room at the waist for the drawstring to cinch in and create some shape.

Fabric: This absolutely stunning tiger fabric is an ex-designer crepe from Fabric Godmother picked up last year. I don't think they have it anymore however they do now have their own blue tiger crepe available.

Features: The trickiest part of the make was the lapel collar and yoke construction however with a bit of concentration and a careful look at the diagrams it was doable. I had seen a few people say the collar piece was too small however I managed to make it fit - it did need cut notches and a bit of stretching though to get the curve to fit the markings.

The dress is cinched in the middle with a hidden wait casing sewn to the inside of the dress. The pattern has you do button holes for the drawstring however a friend recommended a bit of hardware so out came the Prym pliers!

I didn't have ribbon for the casing so used a bit of bias binding and that did the job nicely. The cuffs are wide, turned up and stitched down and they feel quite luxurious for that.

Now let's just take a moment to appreciate these EPIC BUTTONS! My sister is a very talented lady and has started a little business making handmade buttons. These are from her 'Baskin Buttons' collection. If you want to see more have a look at @turtlebirduk - and feel free to DM her for any requests!

Results: LOVE.

I would love to make this dress again, with sufficient fabric to make a midi length! Clyde also approves as he shot over to see what all the fuss was in the garden:

 Wishing you all well x

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