My desire to be just like Handmade Jane, footloose and muslin-free, has got me in a pickle. When Jane skips the muslin stage she still manages to achieve perfection (Exhibit A and Exhibit B to name but a few), but no such luck for Marie :o( I must learn from this mistake, because precious time and (not-so-precious) fabric has been wasted!

The pretty, yet cruel pattern in question is McCall 7672. I'm over the moon with how the ruffle turned out, but my severe fit issues means there's no saving this baby. I need to shorten the bodice by a good couple of inches, excess fabric from the upper back needs removing and I need to bring the shoulders in by an inch on either side too. Hmphhh! What a shame!


After a good sulk I dusted myself off, deviated from the plan and did the mature thing! I picked an easy pattern for a quick and dirty fix and it sure did the trick! Mwahahaha!

I love how free-flowing this top is, but tune in to my Me-Made-May post tomorrow to see how good it also looks cinched in!

The Scout Woven Tee from grainline studio is a cute casual top with an asymmetric hem that's longer at the back. I made mine with lightweight jersey and made no adjustments. I cut a 4 around the neckline and shoulders, a 6 for the armholes up until the waist and then graded the bottom out to an 8. It could still do with being a bit smaller around the shoulder/neckline area, but I'm really pleased with such a pretty and comfy addition to my wardrobe. There's no doubt in my mind that I'll be making more, more, more!


I love the gathered sleeves! Admittedly, I pleated as I was too lazy to gather, but it worked out!

Ironically, I was originally drawn to grainline studios by the Tiny Pocket Tank so expect that to make an appearance on here soon.

Anyway, I hope you're all having a great weekend and that fellow UK residents have enjoyed our much-deserved sunshine today!
Saturday, May 12, 2012
You guys are awesome! I always knew this of course, but it was re-confirmed when your replies to this desperate post enabled me to fix my own sewing machine without having to send it off anywhere. I know I don’t thank you often enough and because actions speak louder than words, I thought a giveaway might be nice. I actually wanted to do one when I reached 300 followers, which makes this heinously overdue as I have bizarrely / miraculously / overwhelmingly accumulated 360 of you now! WOW!!!

Anyway, before I get overcome with emotion, here’s what’s up for grabs:


FOR MY SEWING BUDDIES

1.5m of a funky floral cotton

A reprinted pattern from 1946 -Vogue 8728 in sizes 16-22. I instantly fell in love with this design when I saw Casey's and Adey's stunning versions!

Cath Kidston's Tips for Vintage Style booklet



FOR MY KNITTING BUDDIES

Claire Montgomerie's Knitting Vintage - filled with such gorgeous patterns including accessories, jumpers and even a gorgeous 1950s-style dress!




This giveaway is open to absolutely anyone on this planet who follows my blog. Please enter by Wednesday 16 May by leaving a comment to let me know which 'gift' you'd like to win - and remember to include your contact details. Two randomly chosen winners will be announced on Friday 18 May.

Happy Wednesday friends!
Wednesday, May 09, 2012
Guess what?!? Making a mini plan seems to have served its purpose so far in keeping my sewing a bit more focussed. Today, I present to you Burda's Sleeveless Blouse... 


I bought this pattern seven whole months ago when I saw Ooobop's retro gingham version and stupidly forgot all about it. But recently seeing Karen's two gorgeous versions (here and here) really got me pumped about it again. I'm not always a huge fan of Burda patterns as they don't include seam allowances, but Karen kindly gifted me a Seam Allowance Guide (read her thorough review here) which made life a whole lot easier. Thanks Karen!

Anyway, this is a pretty simple and neat pattern, which doesn't take very long to make up. I adore the pleated neckline detail which I think you'll agree gives it a vintage vibe. But I really hate the little collar thing...I blindly followed the instructions, but if there's a next time I'll definitely be leaving it out.



I'm not sure how much I'll wear it either. The overall shape is very boxy and not very flattering on my body, but I'm hoping that it will look ok tucked in. Also, using eyelet was a bad idea - this blouse needs a soft cotton with some drape to make the pleats fall nicely.

I'm hoping to give it an airing during Me-Made-May at least, so it's just the dummy pictures for you today!

Monday, May 07, 2012
I'm seriously excited to be taking part in Me-Made-May for the first time ever, but even though we're only a week in, I'm already thinking that I must do better next year. This time round I've challenged myself to wear me-made clothes or accessories for at least 3 days a week, which sounds pathetic even to me. 

The truth is though, it actually is a challenge for me for a number of reasons. I don't end up liking or wearing many of my me-makes as I often either get the fit very wrong or insist on picking pretty patterns that simply don't suit me. This dreary weather is also not helping - most of my me-makes are warm weather appropriate and warm weather we are not experiencing right now!

Anyway, apologies for making excuses, but I needed to get that off my chest and to promise that with a little bit of planning, next year will be much, much better! For now, here's what I got:










Tuesday 1 May

Dress - Topshop
Belt - ASOS
Shoes - Topshop

I can wear whatever I like to work, so this outfit is on the dressy side, but I do love mixing it up a bit. I didn't even bother doing my shoe buckles up properly for the photo as I had no intention of walking to work in them!















Friday 4 May

Me-made - Stripey Renfrew
Trousers - Dorothy Perkins
Shoes - Primark

Technically everyday's casual Friday at my workplace, so I decided to totally embrace it with a vaguely nautical look - you can't see them properly but my shoes have a gold anchor charm on them ;o)






















Sunday 6 May

Me-made - Nautical collar
Dress & Belt - Primark
Shoes - River Island

I decided to run with the nautical theme from Friday. What can I say, I love it! I didn't do my usual 'looking out to sea' pose that my boyfriend finds to amusing though...maybe next time ;o)















I've had a blast tuning into all your outfits posts this week and cannot wait to see what the next one brings!!!

*****

Me-Made-May'12 - Four/Five

Me-Made-May'12 - Week Three

Me-Made-May'12 - Week Two
Sunday, May 06, 2012
As our terribly dreary Spring continues in the UK, instead of dreaming up floaty dresses for warmer weather, I'm still craving warm, snuggly things!

I'm making steady progress with my Panelled Effect Lady's Jumper and hopefully I'll have a front and a sleeve to show you soon. But for now I thought I'd share some of my favourite patterns from A Stitch in Time Vol. 2 - despite the price tag, I naughtily gifted it to myself a couple of months ago!










You can also see some of my favourite patterns from A Stitch in Time Vol. 1 here.

Do you have a favourite pattern from the ones above? If you've knitted anything from either volume, I'd love to see it so please do share a link in the comments below!
Friday, May 04, 2012
**I'm already breaking the rules, but I can't stand to let anyone down! So, although the rules state making something for the first 3 commenters, I will be making something for the 6 lovely people who want to play with me...also meaning that all 6 of them can then Pay It Forward too...whoop! I'll be in touch soon ladies!!!**

When I saw this post on Kat's blog - Petticoats & Peplums - I just knew I had to get involved and for once, I wasn’t too late in commenting! I’m especially excited to be receiving a little handmade something from Kat, as I’ve been following her lovely blog for a while now and even took part in One Pattern, Seven Bloggers with her. 


Here are the all-important details: I will send a surprise gift to the first three commenters on this post - the gift will be a handmade surprise by me and I will send it to you sometime in the next 365 days.  All you need to do is:
Leave me a comment telling me your favourite colours (or the colours you hate) to help me make you a gift you'll hopefully love! Please don’t forget to include your email address so I can get in touch.
To sign up you must play along too by blogging a similar post and pledging to make a surprise for the first three people who comment on it.
So, who’s going to join me and Pay It Forward then? I’m so excited to be playing along! 
Tuesday, May 01, 2012
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