My Dress Disaster!

This week I have been working on a new dress which took a turn for the worst. The pattern I used was from the1980's and I knew that the dress could be a little dated. I carried on and everything was going really well. I found some awesome fabric which I thought would give the dress a new identity. My sewing was perfect and I followed the patterns instructions carefully, but once the dress was done it looked rather odd. The cut of the dress isn't flattering in the slightest and I was extremely disappointed.

I have decided to take the dress apart, fix the pattern myself and make the dress flattering to the female form. I am going to take the skirt up, take in the back panels and shorten the waist. I hope these steps will save my dress from the scrap fabric bin! I will not fail!

Ok, so far my dress hasn't gone to plan but if at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

Vintage Apron

A few months ago I purchased a vintage apron pattern from eBay. I though it would be an exciting project for me to take on in my spare time. I had different fabrics running through my head with vintage flourishes to add individuality.

The first fabric that came to mind was gingham because it's classic and its very much 'in' these days. I took a trip to my favourite fabric shop in Brighton. The Fabric Shop is the cheapest shop I have found in Brighton, everyone is extremely friendly and it's great value for money. I managed to get my gingham a few pennies cheaper than C&H. I had a look around and took a fancy to some red gingham. I wanted a different fabric for contrast and I was looking around for ages before I spotted a lovely denim fabric. The combination of the gingham and the denim fabric is so Americana that I couldn't resist! I purchased my fabric and I was off to create my vintage apron.

I sketched out a few ideas and my favourite design was a classic heart theme so that's what I went with. I had a few challenges when making my apron. Firstly I couldn't afford bias tape so I had to make my own. I cut out strips of fabric and ironed it to form the folds. I was really proud of what I had achieved because I didn't take the lazy option ;-)  I am extremely happy with my apron and I can't take it off! I love it!

New Corsages!

Doll Doll Dolly Projects

Doll Doll Dolly Bunting! 

I spend an awful amount of time making corsages and I felt like I needed a break from the norm. I decided to make some bunting for my stall for the Cally festival. http://thecallyfestival.com/thecallyfestival/about

I went into the fabric shop not really knowing what fabrics I wanted, but when I saw these matching polka dot fabrics I was sold. My stalls always have a girlie vibe with a vintage flair.  I think its important to display your  product well and make it clear what you're all about

I begun by making a stencil so all the triangles would be the same size. I made letter stencils and pinned them to the fabric for cutting. I was ready to go! I really liked the idea of creating texture, so I added lots of crazy rough stitching using my sewing machine. The colours looked really pretty and I was really excited to see the finished product. I sewed the bunting together, attached the bias tape and then ironed out the creases. Ta Da! The bunting went down really well at the Cally Festival which made my day.