Things have quietened down a bit on the sewing front since I came down from my Spring Top frenzy, but the Elna and I have been pottering through a few bits and bobs, so here's a catch up...
Remember all those Danielles? My final Spring Top was a crossed-bodice version and to mock it up, I made a muslin of the bodice...
... and then didn't have enough fabric to go any further with it. But I just happened to be passing Ikea last week and I got some more Bomull. The more I use this fabric, the more I like it. It sews nicely, it dyes very well, and it's lovely and soft to wear. My only complaint would be that it is really difficult to iron smooth, but the day I start worrying about ironing will be the day to get out the nice white jacket with the leather straps. But I digress...
The plan was to make a dress and then dye it, so I added a skirt based on the measurements of my trapezoid Danielle skirt. However, the skirt was so wide that there wasn't enough fabric to get a front and a back out of 150cm width of fabric, so I went with what there was, and just as well, because when I tacked the skirt in and tried it on, I looked like I was wearing a marquee! Not quite sure why my brain let me go with 150cm in the first place! Anyhoo, I narrowed the skirt down, checked I could still sit down in the thing (by miles!), tried it on again and voilà...
If you peer closely, you'll see I did all my stitching with a dark thread, but that's because the dress is destined to be dark blue. And there it is, all ready for the dye bath.
But each sachet of Dylon hand dye is for 250g fabric and the dress is a lot less than that. Cue feeble excuse to do more sewing!
I wanted to make a little peasant top, and I had already had a pattern that I had made one from a couple of years ago. It's Simplicity's 4177. I decided to widen it a bit, because the first top had been a bit on the restrictive side so I added an extra half inch down the centre fold, and an inch and a half down the side seams. I also flared out the bottom of the top a bit - I find this more flatterng than a straight up and down job. That came together very quickly and then I forgot to take a photo of the undyed version. Doh!
I used Dylon's Hand Dye in Navy to dye the dress and the top*, and I threw in a load of white socks as well (which I never wore because they were white, which begs the question, why did I buy them in the first place?), and in the end I had about 470g fabric. I've used this navy dye before and I know the colour comes out really dark, so by adding more fabric I was aiming to get a slightly less-dark blue. In the end the colour came out perfectly - a couple of shades darker than the Jeans Blue I used for one of my Danielles - so I can finally show you the finished Danielle #5...
...(shame about the pasty white legs) and the peasant top...
See what a nice blue they turned out? Even Mr G liked it!
But of course, all is not fine and dandy, and there would be a few things I change for next time.
Firstly, the Danielle dress has no zip, I just pull it over my head, and I realise now that I can pretty much do that will all the Danielle tops too, which means they're too big. Clearly being in a Sprint Top frenzy clouds my judgement. I'm going to leave the dress as it is (although I might think about putting some ties in the side seams), but I have decided to slowly work my way through the tops and take them in. After all, I really don't want to look any wider than I do already!
And secondly, the peasant top worked very well from the front, but I feel the back neck line is too low, so I will have to raise that by a good couple of inches if I make another.
Se what I mean?
So, that was all things blue. And then, following on from my lusting over Make It Perfect's Shearwater Kaftan, I decided to do a quickie muslin version with Burda's tunic/kaftan 8461. And that turned out to be a total nightmare from start to finish.
Despite the price, the muslin I used was pretty cheap quality (but then it was supposed to be a muslin) and frayed rather badly. I kept snagging the fabric as I was sewing it (perhaps I should have used a newer, sharper needle) and then I managed to put the sleeves inside out in the wrong armholes, zigzag the fabric edges and clip the curves, before I realised I had screwed up. Needless to say, tears were shed.
But finally, finally, the thing was made. And I tried it on, and it doesn't flippin' fit! Look...
Hopeless! Way, way, waaaay too small. I made the UK18 and perhaps if I had a UK14 body it might just fit. Far too tight across the bust as you can see, and not enough flare around the hips, even though I had added extra. Thank goodness Mr G was there, because having got the thing on, I found I couldn't get it off by myself without the risk of tearing it apart!
So. Not a good top. And that got me thinking about my lust for the Shearwater Kaftan. Should I spend $15 on another kaftan pattern, and a whole load of money on some fabulous fabric, to end up with another top that might not fit? I looked and asked around to see what other people thought, but it seems that they all have smaller busts than me so had no problems. But really you know, I'm not Hattie Jaques! So I have sent an email to Make It Perfect to see if they have any advice. Let's see what they have to say.
And in the meantime, I have also had two other ideas. It occurred to me that I could use my newly acquired Simplicity 2599 (which has 3 different fronts depending on what bust size you are. How considerate is that!?) to adapt it. This pattern seemed to be a pretty popular choice for Spring Top participants and I think it is a perfect way to show off beautiful fabrics without too much distraction. And if the Shearwater kaftan is a non-starter, I could try this Burda pattern, which is actually billed as a wedding dress (!) but is really just a lengthened tunic with bust darts.
As some of you have been finding out, Make It Perfect's pattern is out of stock practically everywhere, but I had an email from Randi at Fresh-Squeezes Fabrics on Etsy the other day saying she had another load on order so check her shop in a day or so if you are after the Shearwater kaftan.
Oh and one more pattern mention, while we're talking about patterns. I subscribe to updates from Amy Butler's site, and I just got a preview of two new patterns she's about to release. and
Two macs to make out of her laminated fabrics. Aren't they great?! The adult version is called Rainy Days and the child's version is Little Splashes. Of course, you could use anyone's laminated fabrics, and they would be great in an upholstry-weight cotton or light wool. I definitely think the adult version is another item to go on my to-do list. Have a look at Amy's website for more info and stockist details .
And finally, one more little sewing item to report on. A bag. An orange Ikea bag. Kind of.
I based it on the small blue bags that Ikea sell and made it out of Ikea's cotton Gunilla fabric. It's lined with a yellow cotton gingham that I have been lusting over in my LFS (I want to make a top with it and needed an excuse to try it out) and put a little pocket in...
... and a little pleat in each side so it doesn't gape horribly, and I used a neat black metal button and a fabric loop to close it...
And it's a great size for a drink and a book and a cardigan and perhaps a couple of other things too...
... and it's kind of soft and a bit floppy-ish, so you can fold it up and keep it in your handbag or briefcase or whatever for emergencies if you find you've suddenly run out of bag space.
Do you like it? Would you like it to be yours?
You see, the nice people over at Sew, Mama, Sew! are doing a May Giveaway Day. Did you know about that? The idea is that if you have a blog or an on-line shop, you give something away in a little competitiion-type-thingy. Sew, Mama, Sew! compiles a list of everyone participating and blog readers get a chance to win some fabulous home-made things or craft materials, and bloggers get more exposure for their blogs. You can read all about it here . There's even still time to participate if you get your skates on.
And I am joining in with my little orange bag. Oooh! My first give-away! Hope you like it.
If you would like a chance to win this bag, just leave me a comment. The competition closes at the end of this coming Thursday (that's May 20) so any posts with time stamps after that will miss out I'm afraid. And don't forget that's 12 midnight British Summer Time so check any differences with your local time to be sure you're in with a chance.
And an empty bag is a bit of a let down, isn't it, so there will be a few other goodies with it too...
Good luck and Happy Sunday!
Thanks everyone for joining the May Giveaway. This is now closed.
* by the way, the instructions on the dye sachet call for 250g or 4 tbs of salt. These are two completely different amounts, so I've been going with the 250g and am waiting to see what Dylon have to say about it...