The Liberty Pinafore

After a pretty disappointing result from my first, much loved piece of Liberty fabric (the Seamworks Bristol skirt, see here), rescued slightly by the top I just about managed to squeeze out of it, I’ve been putting off using the rest of it… But when the latest issue of Love Sewing (20) popped through my letter box I knew that the very sweet Girl’s Folk Pinafore would be the perfect design for the baby needlecord I purchased for my daughter.

It’s as an easy-fit, simple design which I thought would perfectly showcase the beautiful fabric. I cut the L (age 8-9) which has come out pretty loose on her as you can see in the photos, but this is perfect for getting a couple of years’ wear out of it. I’m sure I’m not the only one who gets upset at the thought of a homemade garment only fitting for a year (or sometimes even shorter) when you make something for children!

The instructions were really clear and despite not being a fan of facings, I was impressed by how this came together, neatly hiding the straps beneath. Normally I’d want to anchor the facings down in a couple of places, but there are no fine threads to catch in this fabric, so I might just have to let it be. Because of the slightly heavier weight they do sit pretty nicely to be honest and it’s not me wearing it 😉

I toyed with the idea of completing the front pocket in a contrasting fabric and found the perfect navy blue (of course) cord in my drawers. But when I experimented with placing it on the front it gave the dress a totally different look, much more modern, which is great sometimes, but I resisted. Both of my children are on the cusp of ‘growing up‘ and I just want to hold on to them being young children for a little longer, so traditional won out! I used the same fabric instead, which kind of becomes invisible, but it’s there should her hands get cold or if she wants to collect conkers or whatever. I also resisted adding various buttons, even though I have loads that matched perfectly. Plain and simple just seems to work with this, and my daughter agrees: she absolutely loves it 🙂

 

Simple Sew Cross-Over Back Blouse #015

This top is a little of a departure for me in terms of style, but it still really appealed. I’ve seen lots of similar styles in the shops and sometimes it’s just nice to try something new isn’t it? I had my reservations about its slightly boxy shape, but because of its lighter-weight fabric, I thought it might just work. I’m not sure if you can purchase Simple Sew patterns independently, but they come free with Love Sewing magazine here in the UK.

I really struggled with ‘going out’ tops during MMMade earlier this year, so this was another good reason to try this style. I was determined to salvage another make out of my beautiful, Liberty material that came up just a little bit short of the mark in my last make, but no matter how hard I tried I just didn’t quite have enough for this. However a good rummage through my fabric drawers produced this lovely crepe, left over from these makes, that seemed both a similar weight and a good colour match. I think it works really well as a contrast fabric, and (almost) looks like a purposeful choice…

The instructions, in the main, were great. It’s labelled as a ‘beginner’ level style, and I think this is pretty accurate. The construction of the facings was a little bit jigsaw-like, but in terms of size, rather than difficulty. I’ve noted here before that I’m not a fan of facings though, so I purposefully used mine as bias binding pieces instead, folding them in on themselves to form a neater finish internally.

Just before I finished the sleeve facings, I tried it on Betty. Sure enough it looked pretty huge and too boxy. I’d cut a size 10 to be on the safe side, but if I sew this up again, I’ll definitely be trimming it down to an 8 and taking a little off the length. I unpicked the hem facings at each side and took the side seams in by an good inch each (from under the sleeves which were actually fine), before reattaching them. I then attempted to ‘pull’ in the back a little, both for security and for stability. I really didn’t want this flapping open whilst wearing it! And I still might wear it with a camisole underneath for extra coverage.

These adjustments did make a difference, as I hope you can make out in the photos. Whilst it’s probably not the most flattering style on me, I’m actually pretty pleased with it just because it’s a little different. I think it’ll probably get more wear in the day (no doubt with a chunky cardigan over the top until Spring) than at night, but I can still see myself getting a fair bit of wear out of this 🙂

RTW Fast, Two Month Treats

Hurrah! I’ve managed to go a whole two months without purchasing anything RTW. To celebrate, I put in another, little order to Guthrie and Ghani. I also purchased the lovely fox and anchor fabrics for my son’s two shirts, see here and here if you haven’t already seen them (still very proud sorry). The above two I purchased originally to have another attempt at Tilly’s Agnes top, after my last attempt didn’t quite go to plan…

However while the inky-spotted fabric would make a perfect Agnes, the black-and-white-striped fabric is much thicker than I’d anticipated, so I’ve changed my plans accordingly. Despite my misgivings about how flattering my Coco dress was around my middle section, I’ve been surprised to find myself reaching for it again and again. I guess comfort won out on this one 🙂 So as this is the perfect weight for another, I’m going to go ahead and make one! One of you was kind enough to send me a link to a blogger who’d added bust darts to her version of the Coco, so I’ll definetly be looking back at this again. I do also think that the solid, black blackground of this fabric will be far more flattering than the off-white of my previous one, despite the horizontal stripes.

Next Friday my school, like many others up and down the country, will be celebrating Children-in-Need day (an annual, televised charity event for those of you outside of the UK) which requires us to wear onesies (errr, never going to happen) or pyjamas to school. Unfortunately I really don’t think I have a pair that are passable for wearing out in public and I promise I have had a good look through. Now, I’ve given this a lot of thought and while I could have purchased some flannel fabric (harder to source than I’d thought) to sew myself a pair of pj trousers to match either my failed Agnes or my Savannah camisole, this kind of seemed almost as frivolous as buying RTW ones as it wasn’t part of my reward pile. So I’ve given myself permission to buy a pair and a matching fleecy gown. In my defence I’ve purchased a pair that I don’t think I could have actually sewn and this is a considered purchase not a rash one. Am I forgiven?

The last rather random shot below (and OK, yes I might be trying to change the subject super fast) is a very cute selection of knitted toys that D (our lovely reprographics lady), who helps with our knitting club at school, bought in on Friday to show us. I thought I’d share them with you too 🙂

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