Venturing in to big puffy sleeves with Judy

Having seen lots of lovely versions of this pattern on Instagram I decided to take the plunge and buy it.  It was a quick and easy sew - I made size S and altered the back of the dress to have the bodice cut in one piece rather than two with button fastening - I didn't want buttons down my back and they weren't necessary for getting the dress on and off, it goes over my head just fine.

The first one took the 2.9m the pattern states is needed for this size - I did move the pieces around a bit to get the colours I wanted where I wanted them.  The fabric is a lovely Lady McElroy lawn which I had in my stash.

The second one is also from stash - 2.65m of yellow chambray.  I cut an XXL skirt to use up the full width of the fabric and cut down on waste, so there was very little fabric left over.

These are lovely dresses for wafting around in on hot days - there just haven't been nearly enough of them this summer unfortunately!

Two green Bardon dresses

This is a quick and easy pattern and it's a great dress for warm days.  The first one I made using some olive green double gauze which I bought in Coupons Merveilles in Montmartre when I visited Paris back in April.  The colour really doesn't show up well in the photo.  It's similar to the double gauze version in this post, although this time I evened out the length of the tiers a bit.

For the second, shorter version I used a triple gauze throw from Ikea (not sure how long the link will work for, it says it's a limited edition).  I can't remember now what I'd actually gone to Ikea to buy, but it wasn't this - I saw it, liked the colour and thought 'I could get a dress out of that', and it ended up in the trolley...  It frayed a lot while I was sewing it, there were dozens of little bits of green thread all over me / the dress / the floor, but I'm hoping that since all the raw edges are either finished with bias binding or overlocked, it won't be shedding any more!  

With hindsight I should have cut the skirt tiers a bit longer to use up all the fabric, instead of now having 30cm of the full width of the fabric left over.  Hey ho 🙂

Tessuti Mattea dress & top

I bought this pattern at the Stitch Festival in London earlier this year and last month I made the top version, to see how the sizing worked.

I cut a size 1 and the fit was fine.  I used some leftover fabric from a Vogue repro vintage dress (V-8728) that I made back in 2013 and it came together pretty quickly.  I followed the pattern instructions as written for this one.

Fast forward a few weeks and I've just finished the dress.  This time I made a few changes - I took out the centre back seam and cut the back bodice in one piece; I didn't use stitch & tear interfacing on the neckline and armholes, I staystitched them instead; I also bound the armholes on the inside rather than the outside and I made pocket bags, not the 'attached to the front bodice' version in the pattern.  I used some linen which I've had in my stash for a while and it took 1.9m.  It would probably have needed more if I'd cut bias binding for the armholes from it, but I used commercial binding instead.

I traced a size 2 skirt, (can't really remember why now... but might have been because it fitted better on the dot and cross paper that I used for tracing).  I haven't top stitched the neckline - I'll see how it wears without it, should be OK because the facing is understitched and also tacked in place on the shoulder seams.  I'm going to make more of these, and if they're in linen I shan't bother to interface the neckline facing - even with using very thin interfacing it feels quite bulky.  The fabric I used for the top was a lot thinner so the interfacing was fine with that.  Now, what shall I make next?

Cinnamon Daisy Willow dresses

 I came across this pattern on Instagram a few weeks ago, I think it just came up in my 'explore' tab, I don't think anyone I follow has made one...  Anyway, I thought it was a very pretty design and decided I'd like to make it.

I made the first version last month and it was a toile really, to see how the sizing and fitting worked.  I used some gingham which I'd had left over from making this dress, cut a size H and it took 2.2m.  It was a straightforward sew and the only thing I changed was to cut the back bodice in one piece.

Fast forward a few weeks and I've finished version no. 2.

For this one I've lowered the centre front neckline by 2" and graded it to the shoulders - the neckline on the brown gingham version was a bit too high for my liking.  I sized down - this is a size G - and it's a better fit, although I think I still need to do some adjustments to the front armholes.  The fabric is a cotton lawn which I bought from Ditto in Brighton several years ago.  I used all of the 2 metres that I had, although if it had been 60" wide rather than 55", it would have needed 1.7m.  Something to keep in mind for future versions.

Still here... a quick catch-up on the last two years

 Well... long time no see.  Two and a bit years since I've written anything here.  Both the knitting and the sewing have slowed down a lot partly because, despite regular wardrobe culls, I've really got enough clothes, and partly because I've been doing other things with my time (and money).

However, last weekend I went to the Stitch Festival at the Business Design Centre in London hoping to kickstart my sewing mojo (it has, I have plans...).  It was a very enjoyable visit, not crowded which was a blessing, even pre-Covid I was not a fan of crowded enclosed spaces.  I bought three lengths of fabric for dresses (left to right Dolores cotton lawn from Fabric Godmother, Saffron Flower Sienna viscose/linen also from Fabric Godmother and Cebolla Garden Liberty Tana lawn, an Althea McNish design, from Sewbox).

a dress pattern from Tessuti

I've made their Felicia and Lisa dresses so am hoping this will be as straightforward.  I also bought some bias binding to go with the Sienna fabric - I'm pretty certain this will become another Anna Allen Demeter dress - and a circular knitting needle which I think I'll probably need for my current knitting project when it gets to the stage of joining the sleeves to the body of the cardigan.

Looking back, since I last wrote I have knitted a couple of things - a cardigan which I started in February 2021 and didn't finish until January 2023

based on this pattern.

I knitted the body in one piece up to the armholes and after using one skein of the yarn, despite having the right tension, it looked much too big so I unravelled it and started again - one of the reasons for the delay in finishing, I was fed up with it.  I also did plain top down sleeves, by the time it got to them I just wanted it finished and couldn't be bothered to knit patterned sleeves, seam them and sew them in.

I've also knitted a jumper which didn't take so long!  I started in August last year and finished in November.  I wanted an easy knit from stash and this was it.  I've knitted four versions of this design (here, here, here and here) over the years and they wash and wear very well.  I've worn this a few times recently - it's definitely a jumper for spring because of the colours - and it's been really miserable weatherwise.

I'm currently knitting a cardigan on 2.5mm needles, so I don't imagine that will be ready until next spring.

On the sewing front I made four dresses in 2022 - two Bardons (the teal one is linen from Merchant & Mills, the yellow check one is cotton from Minerva),

one Demeter (linen from Merchant & Mills)

and a mash up of Simplicity 2886 and 1801 with Liberty Tana lawn.

I also altered two which I love but wasn't wearing because I now prefer a longer length (original versions here and here).  Fortunately I had some leftover fabric for both of them.

There was no sewing at all last year and I find I'm missing it, so with a couple of bank holidays coming up in May, I should be able to make some time to sew.  Probably not this weekend though as the garden is in desperate need of a tidy up!

Review of 2021 knitting and sewing and thoughts for 2022

For reference, I wrote about my knitting and sewing plans for 2021 here - a few of them actually happened!  

I'll start off with last year's knitting - won't take long as I didn't knit much at all - the mojo left me and despite being in the middle of winter it hasn't really returned (although as I write, the sun is shining, the sky is blue and the temperature feels more like March than what I would expect in January).  I'm currently knitting a cardigan which I started in February last year and abandoned probably in March / April, but I'm more than half way through the body and I think I'll wear it when it's finished so I'm going to persevere!

The two things I did finish were a cardigan and a tea cosy.

I was more productive on the sewing front, making a McCalls 7948 in January, but then nothing more  until the Easter weekend.

I sorted out some fabric / pattern matches at the time, and of the nine patterns I've made up six of them, although not all with the initially paired fabrics.  I also cut out and tacked together a seventh (New Look 6352) but abandoned it and turned the fabric into a McCalls 7948 instead because the style turned out to be completely wrong for my body shape.  I could have faffed about and put some long darts in the back to take out all the excess fabric at the waist, but given that it was billed as an 'easy one hour' pattern that was my expectation, and I couldn't be bothered.

So then I made an Anna Allen Demeter top, which I made as a fitting toile before embarking on the dress.  Over the course of the year I then made six sleeveless versions, all in linen. 

I've been on a bit of a linen trip actually, because I also made another five patterns up in it.

Me Made May pushed me to make another McCalls 7969, alter a dress I'd made seven years ago which no longer fitted, and make a Tessuti patterns Lisa and the first of four Peppermint Bardon dresses.

I also made a ByHandLondon Hannah, a Wiksten Shift dress, two more McCalls 7948, a vintage Simplicity 5921 and a Style Arc Montana midi.

For 2022

I've decided to just go with the flow this year - no plans, just knit and sew what I feel like at the time.  I don't intend to buy any yarn or fabric, but make use of what I've already got.  It remains to be seen whether that happens...

Rose pink linen Montana

This is a Style Arc Montana dress, made in rose linen from Fabric Godmother which I started sewing in August and finished in September.

I tried the bodice on before I attached the skirt and it looked OK, but once I'd finished the dress the armholes didn't have much leeway in them, so I cut triangular gussets on the bias, unpicked the side seam and inserted them by hand.  It was a bit of a faff, because I'd completely finished the dress (all seams overlocked), but definitely worth it because it's improved the fit significantly.  I do like this pattern, so I'll modify the armholes before I make it again.

And finally!...Now I'm all caught up with this year's knitting and sewing.