Sassy red Vogue 8949

Sometimes, it all falls to pieces. You buy the beautiful fabric in London, drag it all the way home to Melbourne with you, let it sit in the stash for 2 years, then when you cut out the dress you have decided on, you balls it up and forget to cut 4 pieces, and instead cut 2.

Yep! I can be THAT stupid sometimes!

Thankfully, I have a golden rule: Never fart on Mum. I also have a good rule for sewing: Never throw away your scraps until the project is completed. So when I found I only cut 2 of the side skirt sections, instead of 4, I was able to find the scraps, locate a long skinny piece and then cut a thinner version of the pattern piece out. Admittedly, my skirt isn't as full as it should be, but I think it worked out just fine (and thank goodness for scraps!)

Apart from that daft mishap, I'm pretty chuffed with how this dress turned out! And I am beyond grateful to those scraps forever, because (a) I'm pretty sure the store wouldn't have any left and (b) can you imagine the shipping charges to Australia? *shudders*

Once I got over Skirt-Mishap-Gate, and got to the try on stage, I was met with a rude shock. This dress looked frumpy. Normally I wouldn't choose a pattern with such a high waist for a reason - it does NOTHING for my figure, and that was becoming painfully true and I stared aghast in the mirror, and the minutes ticked by. So I did what any sensible sewist would do in my place: I grabbed my pins and pulled the hem up hugely! So now, rather than being Frump Central, the dress has a cool groovy Mod Style look with it's super short skirt! I find when confronted with frump, short skirts are usually the way to go! And to be completely honest with you, I like the dress much better this way!

So apart from cutting the skirt out wrong then giving it the haircut of a lifetime, I didn't make any other adjustments to this pattern. The fabric is a beautiful textured wool, and whilst it feels heavy when you initially put it on, it makes up for it by being deliciously warm! It's perfect for work, and I had loads of compliments when I wore it, from both fellow staff members and patients! As I'm a complete sucker for a compliment on my hand made wardrobe, you can just imagine how that made my day.

So all in all I call this dress a win, although it was a near thing at one stage!

Project Details:
Pattern - Vogue 8949, view D
Fabric - Wool from Misan Fabrics
Notions - Lining, interfacing, invisible zip

Burda Style 6252 Corduroy Skirt

I always get terribly excited when Tyger comes up to me and says "Mum, can you sew me something?"

Here it is!, I think - my chance to fashion her into my own image, so I readily agree.

"What's it to be, kiddo?" I enquire in a casual tone, lest I betray the excitement making my heart beat so.

"A skirt, I think", she says.

Vision of skirt-based extravaganzas fill my mind. "Rightio! Shall we do ruffles? Or tulips? Maybe a tiered tulle number, perchance?"

This is where she shoots me down. Gently, but her aim is perfect. "No Mum - just a simple A-line skirt."

"Okey dokey", I reply, trying not to be deflated. "Let's talk colour! Bright yellow? Or maybe a textured emerald green? How about hot pink? I know I've got some somewhere!"

Once again she holds me off at the pass. "Just black, Mum", she says, beginning to look at me pityingly.

"Plain black? Right, can do. Shall we do some fancy tabs? Or maybe some statement pockets?" I reply, trying to keep the note of desperation from my voice. After all, who is this person? Is she no daughter of mine? Me, who loves bright colours, and crazy textures, and all the crazy things... how can this plain loving girl be the fruit of my loins?

"Mum, you know what I like - plain black, no pockets, simple corduroy with buttons. That's it!" she says, giving me her sternest look.

This, friends, is the point where I fall apart, I'm ashamed to say. "Not even a pocket? Or some piping? Oh for the love of the sewing gods, give me something exciting to sew!" I moan at her, piteously, I'm afraid.

She comes towards me, arms outstretched. "Oh goody!", I think. "Í'm getting a hug!" No such luck - instead she gives me a firm shoulder shake, and says "C'mon Mum - keep it together, man!" Stopping only to give me a last, slightly condescending pat on the shoulder, she says "Black, Mum. Plain. You can do this!"

And as always, my beautiful girl was right. I could do it, and I did. Presenting one plain black A-line skirt, as requested:

Project details:
Pattern - Burda Style #6252 skirt, view A
Fabric - 1.1 metres fine cotton corduroy from Fabric Deluxe
Notions - 5 buttons from stash

Vogue 9076

There is so much I love about this dress! Where do I even begin?

Let's start with the 1940s shirt dress vibe. I'm totally crushing into this style - you should see how many 1940s vintage shirt dresses I have pinned on Pinterest! This pattern captures that style perfectly - feminine, sweet, yet practical enough to do a days work in it and then look fancy for cocktails afterwards. That's my kinda dress! I'm a busy lady - my dresses need to keep up!

I was a little trepidatious when it came to the gathered sections on the bust. Would they pouf out and make me suddenly look like a size 36DD instead of my usual minuscule bust size? Fears were allayed - the fit on this is perfection! Phew! Likewise with the gathers on the back - they sit out perfectly, giving texture without adding any inches.






Also, this project taught me a new skill - making my own covered buttons. It was so much fun... I almost began to cover everything I owned in buttons, but managed to restrain my buttony impulses. But seriously, they look perfect on this dress, so I'm really glad I did them. Plus I used up cord left over from my Frocktails 2017 dress for the button loops - recycle for the win!




My only quibble with this dress is that my machine did NOT like the embroidered dots on the fabric. It quietly groaned at me every time I sewed over one, and it did make it a bit tricky to get perfect square corners with the swiss dots in the way. My overlocker, however, threw an absolute hissy fit over going over those dots, and in the end I gave it up as a bad job and zig zagged my edges instead. Total princesses, both my machines! That aside, the cotton is lovely. And the perfect fit for this style of dress.

So my friends, I LOVE LOVE LOVE this dress so much! It was a lot of work, but totally worth it in the end. I feel so sophisticated and elegant in it, and feel it work perfectly not only as a work dress, but also as a wedding guest outfit, or as an extra in a fancy post war movie (HINT HINT MOVIE PRODUCERS! I COME WITH MY OWN WARDROBE!)

Pattern: Vogue 9076, View C
Fabric: Cotton Swiss dot from The Cloth Shop, about 2 years ago
Notions: Interfacing, 13 covered buttons, cord for button loops.