Tiers and Tribulations

Sharing the good, the bad and the downright ugly today!

Starting on a positive note, I made a lovely winter maxi dress back in January which I've only just got round to taking a few snaps of.

It all came about because Saint+Sofia kept spamming me with advertising - and well I just copied their dress. Sorry guys. Don't dress spam a sewist. 

The dress in question was a long sleeved jersey maxi with some asymmetrical tiers. The top was easily achieved with my trusty (and often used) Union Tee pattern. The tiers I just cut some wonky rectangles and pieced it all together! Not much more to say on that one I'm afraid. BUT just after I made this, Sew Essential brought out a Youtube video with instructions to make the same. So if you fancy a go, hop over to her channel. Also Sew Over It then brought out the Nomi dress which I think is also very similar. (The first one is free though 😉).

I looovvvvee the dress though it's warm, flowy, comfortable and completely appealed to my 90's grunge love of teenage years. 

The fabric is glorious. I cannot get over how amazing the fabric feels. Like warm stretchy silk. This is the Mind the Maker viscose jersey called 'Stray Lines' which I bought on Minerva and it really is worth every penny. If I feel spendy again in future I'd definitely pick up some more as this is quality on a roll.

The asymmetry of the dress does however get lost in the print and it's difficult to actually see. None the less I still like it.

Going with the gothy theme I figured this was a suitable label for this dress. It does have very witchy vibes. Especially when Bagel cat comes to inspect the work. 


Now if you're still here I'll show you where this all starts to go a bit wrong!

As it is still cold out, I figured a cropped cardigan would be a good solution to wear over my new found love of winter dresses. I picked out the True Bias Marlo cardigan for it's shape, but this time sized down from a 16 to a 12 as the last couple of versions were unwearable. 

The result was ok on it's own. The fabric unfortunately was synthetic which is not the best quality - I was expecting the nice cotton version I'd used previously but my fault for not reading the description properly. 

I popped it on with the dress and things went from Grunge to Grandma really quick. 

Shirley Manson to Shirley Nanson you might say. Bit of a fail I think. Just not for me.

Things then descended further with a truly awful cobra dress. I'd loved my black tier dress so much I wanted to make another. The Curse of the 2nd make hit though.


 Dress how I dislike you - let me count the ways. 

My main gripe is how utterly thin the fabric is. It's see-through. I usually like Lady McElroy Cobra Corsage (as you can see here and here) but wow this jersey version is terrible quality. 

It's so flimsy that any amount of weight, i.e anything below the waist, just pulls it right down and makes the already not black fabric, even less black. It's supposed to look like this:

The sleeves are baggy, the proportions are all off and basically - it's going back to the drawing board to see if I can salvage some of the fabric

Win some you lose some!

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Myosotis My Love

 Theming and bringing the love today with a fun little project that came out of nowhere. 


 Myosotis (Forget-Me-Not) by Deer & Doe has really done the rounds since its release and it really does seem to suit everyone.

I have already made this pattern here in dress formation but today I present you with a long blouse/tunic version. More wearable for my lifestyle. Especially in February when leg coverage is a must! (See below for experimental tests).

It started with some fabric from Rainbow Fabrics of Kilburn who sell lots of deadstock fabrics from the big retails and designers. This popped up and I jumped at it as I had wanted black and heart print for ages. It is EcoVero viscose and just such great quality for the price. The print runs through the fabric, and so looks the same on both the back and front. 

One evening I just picked it up and decided I fancied....something. Maybe a long shirt? A blouse of some kind. For absolutely no reason whatsoever I found myself cutting out the Myosotis bodice. Lovely simple details but a really nice fit.

Then I just carried on. I made some waist ties and inserted them into the side seams just above the waist as the dress version is very roomy and I wanted the option of nipping it in a bit. Option then to tie it at the front or loose around the back.

A pause came whilst I decided for a few days on whether to continue as a shirt or make the full dress. I pondered where I would actually wear this (it's for a family birthday) and decided it would get more wear as a 'shirt' type garment suitable for all weathers. I'm slowly learning. Dress for your life. 

I added the first tier to see if it would make a nice shorter dress. And well.... you can see how this may not be acceptable for any kind of bending.  Picture for comedy purposes only.

Of course let's not forget my lycra lovers and a reluctance to part with the legging. Plus I'm more like 40 not 14 so this is more likely how it will get worn:

I gathered it in the only way I'm prepared to do gathering - with elastic in the bobbin -  and popped it into the bodice as per the original pattern. I did top-stitch the gathers down to make it all less poofy aswell.

I searched my button stash for something suitable and couldn't find anything that jumped out. Until 3 little buttons literally fell at my feet! My sister had bought these when I started my sewing journey (over 10 years ago now ::gasp:: and I had saved them in the bottom of a jar. PERFECT. They found their destiny. (As all buttons eventually do). 

Bit of puckering on button band but not to worry
 Keeping with the theme I picked a sewing label from my tin - these ones from Sew Anonymous, again perfect for the job and a fun little finishing touch. 

All in all a really enjoyable make, no pressure, just messing about with a fun theme. 


 Sending you all some love... 💗

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Jarrah and the Birds

 Happy Sunday folks

Sliding onto your screens today with a rather short and sweet post. In every sense of the phrase it seems.

Today is a little cropped jumper with cute hummingbirds.

This is the Megan Neilsen - Jarrah Sweater in view C. Despite my fondness for simple sweaters it's a pattern I had not tried before. I think because to me it looked very similar to patterns I already own (Toaster Sweater I'm looking at you).

Apparently Jarrah is a type of massive eucalyptus tree in Australia! Fun facts right here.

Trying to add a little jazz to my simple sweaters I liked the look of the waist tie detail and I'd heard many good things about the fit of this pattern. 

The size chart put me at 14-16-18 however the finished garment measurements suggested there was not much point in grading as the side seams are straight. I gambled on a 16 as it still had 3 inches of ease at the hips (and this version finishes at the waist in any event).

The fit is really nice, it's not as baggy as I would usually wear but I like it. My only annoyance is that it is slightly too short and I should have measured the length. I think if I were to make it again I would lengthen by an inch or so (I'm 5ft 7 for reference). 

The fabric is some great fleece back sweat shirting from Minerva. I would highly recommend this as I've used it for so many projects now (3 hoodies and joggers for the husband and this jumper) and it washes really well. Also - cosy and soft. Also - it comes in 65 colours!!!! (I'm not sponsored by this fabric I just really like it).


My brain decided to do some later night stressing out about the waist tie and how to hem it however I shouldn't have wasted the energy. It was perfectly fine. I just turned it under, snipping the curves and then coverstitched over the whole thing which worked a treat. It had been said you can't turn corners with a coverstitch. Turns out you can if you do it carefully. 

And if your insides are going to show - make them pretty! (Variegated bulky-lock thread in the lower looper)

The tie sits quite high up and is a bit bulky, not sure I'm a fan yet but I'll wear it out and see how it goes. Perhaps the extra body length would have helped that.

Of course because I can't just leave things alone, I picked out a couple of little hummingbird appliques and whipped those on too for a bit of interest. 

This sweater is one of the more 'cuter' things I've made. Different days different moods so there's a place for that. 


A great workhorse of a pattern - definitely a keeper.

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