The Kawaii Crop Top

 Oh hi friends! It's been a while! But I'm back, and with a cute knitted top to boot!

Meet the Kawaii Crop Top! This pattern, by Sachi.Ko, was the most quick and fun knit I've done in ages!

It took 3.7 balls of Gossypium Cotton Tweed 8 ply to make, and I am loving the adorable ruffle feature.

Pretty happy with how this top turned out! I did, however, make a few modifications:

 - I didn't like how loose the knitted fabric looked, even though I was meeting gauge, so I after the ruffle I changed from a 5mm needle to a 4mm needle. The fabric looked much tighter, and stretches perfectly over my body. If I make this top again I'll try it with a 10 ply cotton (not an 8 ply) using the 5mm needle.

- Increased ruffle length to 7.5cm instead of 5cm.

- Increased body length to 20cm (total length from cast on edge = 27.5cm, rather than 21cm) to accommodate my lovely long torso!

Would love to knit this again, thinking maybe a mohair blend to make it extra fun!

Project notes:

Pattern - Kawaii Crop Top by Sachi.Ko

Yarn - Gossypium Cotton Tweed 8 ply x 4 balls from Maker Maker

Needles - 4mm and 5mm

You can also see the project on Ravelry :)

Cute new summer pjs!

 Did somebody say super cute summer pjs? Cos I've got a pair right here for ya!

These were made using the Gia bias cut camisole pattern, and shorts from Butterick 6882. You can read all about them over at my post on Minerva.com!

My Vogue 8766 LBD!

I'm not usually a fan of black, but when this divine black beaded and sequinned lace from Minerva whispered my name and said "You know you wanna... let's make this LBD happen, lady!", then who was I to resist?

Read all the deets over at Minerva.com!

 

My first socks!

I always thought socks were hard. You know, like the Mount Everest of knitting - only for that secret club of super talented knitters. Turns out I was wrong, wrong, wrong - if you have a handful of basic techniques mastered, like Magic Loop and Judy's Magic Cast On, then knitting socks is a breeze!

These were such a fun and easy knit that I am already casting about for my next sock project. Perfect TV knitting, these ones were. And being able to make socks in whatever colour combo I want - I'll never again need complain that socks are only available in boring colours!

Project Notes:

Yarn: Wren & Ollie sock in Smitten Kitten for main colour, Jawoll sock in #119 for contrast.

Needles: 2.25mm (I went a size down from the pattern for a snugger fit on my narrow foot)

Pattern: Simple Socks by Emily Bolduan

All the other details can be found on Raverly!

Gia bias cut silk slip

I made myself a silk slip and I love it!

Read all the details over on Minerva.com - I reckon I might need to make the cami version of this soon!

Pattern is by the Gia slip dress by Capsule Patterns.

McCalls 7833

 Pssst! Want to know more about this super glam and cool dress? Then pop on over to Minerva.com to read all about it! 

Simplicity 8803 PJs

Hi folks! I made some supercute pjs, and just wanted to share a few pics! You can read all about them on my post over at Minerva - they are the most fun jimmie jams I think I've ever had in my life!

McCalls 7834 shirtdress

Hey guys! As part of the Minerva Brand Ambassador program I was gifted this glorious Liberty Wiltshire linen/cotton blend, so I made it up into a McCalls 7834 shirtdress. Read all about it here! xx

 

McCalls's 7351 Shirtdress

 

It was the hem that got me in the end. I tried and tried to resist, but seriously - who could say no to a fitted shirtdress with an incredible handkerchief hem? Not this sewist, that's for sure!

And also: tabbed rolled up sleeves. I am an inveterate sleeve roller-upperer, and  am never going to change, so this feature wasn't so much calling my name as screaming it nonstop in my ear!

So really, in the end there was only one thing for it: I had to put aside any misjudgements I had regarding the yardage that would be chewed up by the skirt, and just go for it. So I did!

This is a great pattern. My only regret was not putting in pockets (hand on heart, I love a pocket in a dress!), but I had purchased this fabric on a whim and didn't quite have enough to squeeze pockets out when I was cutting it out, although goodness knows I tried. But apart from that lack, it's one pretty awesome dress. It gives me total Carolina Herrera vibes, but in the best way! I'm considering another in a bright broderie anglais... stay tuned!

The fabric is the most deluxe shirting I have ever seen! Officially a jacquard, it almost behaves like a shot silk, changing colour as it moves and the light hits it. It practically glows! So lovely - I'm really glad I splurged on it!

Project Details:

Pattern: McCalls 7351 

Fabric: Maroon and Navy Diamond Spotted Jacquard Cotton Shirting from Mood Fabrics

Notions: Fusible interfacing, buttons

StyleArc Hattie Woven Dress

Up until now, I have never had the pleasure of making a StyleArc pattern up, and for the life of me I cannot figure out why. But now the cherry has been popped I shall be coming back and making more and more and more, because this pattern was brilliant!

I will be honest - StyleArc patterns don't have a nice little technical drawing showing you exactly what you need to do every step of the way, so I would urge beginner sewists to proceed with a degree of caution. However, for an experienced sewist the instructions provided should be clear and simple enough, as was the case with this dress. 

I made it in a quasi-animal print rayon from Spotlight, which was a great fabric choice for this pattern. I love the front twist detail, and the fit is beautiful - flattering whilst still allowing freedom of movement.

I'm so impressed with the skilled drafting of this pattern that I'll be making another for sure, although probably altering the sleeves to make them full length, rather than 7/8ths.  

So if you are looking for a perfect day dress that can take you from work to dinner, look no further - the sweet Hattie is the one you should make!

Project Details:

Pattern - Hattie Woven Dress by StyleArc Patterns

Fabric - Rayon from Spotlight

Notions - Invisible zipper, interfacing

Pink and Red Gingham Dress

 Toot toot! Look who has finally boarded the gingham dress train! 😀

And seriously, how could I resist? Pink and red, in different sized checks? I'M BUYING A TICKET!

The fabric for this dress was pretty awesome - it comes in panels of large checks then small checks. I took advantage of this to make the bodice in the smaller checks and the skirt in the larger ones, to create a vivid graphic effect, and am very pleased with how it turned out. It is a cotton sateen by Nerida Hansen, and was lovely to work with. 

I used Vogue 8184 for the bodice, and Simplicity 1876 for the skirt. I am a big fan of this skirt - not only do the gathers on the sides of the waist add interest to a plain pencil skirt, but they also allow room for you to eat all the burritos! What is not to like, eh?

The only downside to this dress was trying to match the checks. Some are pretty good, others... not so much. However, you can't win them all and I'm pretty happy with my check matching success rate here.

All in all, I am very pleased with my contribution to the Gingham Fashion Canon. Traditional gingham, with it's white base, does nothing but wash me out, so this pink and red version is perfect for a pasty specimen such as myself!

Project Details

Patterns: Bodice - Vogue 8184,
Skirt - Simplicity 1876

Fabric: Nerida Hansen pink and red cotton sateen gingham check

Notions: 35cm invisible zip