Since the beginning of the year, I have been working on making the dresses for the flower girls for my son’s wedding to Kathryn. Tom and Kathryn have been together for 7 years and we are delighted that they have got married. Kathryn has some wonderfully creative ideas and I knew that when I agreed to make the dresses, she would want something stunning but not too fussy. The four girls ranged in age from 5 to 18 months and my problems were compounded by them living in Derbyshire, Essex and Hampshire!

I chose the pattern from Oliver and S. Their patterns are beautifully drafted and their instructions are brilliantly clear.  Having looked around the internet, I decided on The Fairytale Dress. Which little girl doesn’t want one of those?

After talking to Kathryn we decided on ivory silk dupion with a contrasting sash to tone with the adult bridesmaids. But how to get the fittings and sizing done without marathon trips around the country? I asked the mums to send me the measurements and to photograph how they took them. Fortunately everyone took them appropriately and I cut out the calico bodices and marked on them the centre front and backs showing the overlap at the back and the waist line. I then sent them to the mums and asked them to photograph them on the children. The two in Derbyshire had a sewing granny who helped by holding a tape measure showing the gap where the bodice didn’t meet. So by various methods we got there!

Making the dresses was a joy. They were fully lined with tulle underskirts and I learnt so much from making them. The tulip sleeves were delightful and beautifully drafted so they went together like clockwork.

The final challenge was finding the fabric for the sashes. I tried everything I could to find fabric which toned with the bridesmaids’ dresses but nothing really looked good. Eventually I contacted the manufacturer of the bridesmaids’ dresses and they sent me the chiffon. It was expensive but I could at least rest assured that they matched! But the sashes proved a mission. Chiffon is too floppy so they had to be stiffened with interfacing. I tried a variety before settling on woven fairly structured interfacing so that the sashes would have some body.

So, the final outcome? Here you are, some shots of the flower girls in their finery. They had a blast and looked scrumptious.

So much is different when you make a Chanel-type jacket following couture methods. The first thing that is strange is that once you have made a fitted a toile, you must then remove the seam allowances from your pattern(😱😱😱) and then pin the pieces to your fabric. Now comes the important part: you have to trace tack all the stitching lines around each piece. All the balance marks and notches have to be transferred too. It takes a while.

Interestingly the lining in one of these jackets is quilted onto the fabric. But as you can see below, large amounts of seam allowance are left to allow for fitting.

The jacket outer is assembled using machine stitches and the lining is all joined using hand stitches. I have loved the hand stitching. The fronts of the jacket are underlined with silk organza with the front edges stabilised by a stip of silk organza selvage. All of which are hand sewn onto the jacket.

I have also made samples of different types of buttonholes. The rule with Chanel jackets is: never a button without a buttonhole. Even the decorative ones on the sleeve.

So progress is being made. I am now making the fringe for the trim. More photos to follow. The amount of work is such that sewing takes priority over blogging!

I have been busy as you can see.  Partly because of our forthcoming trip to South Africa but also because I shall be doing my Portfolio Course Level 3 with Claire Tyler in April.  It involves making a Moulage following the Kenneth D King method and from there producing a range of advanced level work.  We are required to pattern cut one outfit and to attend 10 workshops on top of our tutorials and create a range of work to be shown at a fashion show in June.

I have a number of events coming up which provide me with opportunities to make so exciting things but I need to up my game and work to couture finishes. I have tried to be very particular in my sewing recently but this will take things to a new level.  The trick with all of this is to use the techniques appropriate to the items being created.  I am hardly going to bring a couture finish to a T shirt but I might to a jacket.

The things I intend to make include:

• A Classic Blazer
• Fitted LBD with a devoré and silk evening coat
• A Marfy pattern dress – more of which later
• A dress and coat for a wedding
• A Chanel style jacket for wearing with trousers. (This will probably be made after the course has finished)

It is fair to say that I shall be working very hard as I need to produce a file of samples of different techniques along side the completed work I shall be showing.

I started off this weekend by making a very simple boiled wool swing jacket.  The pattern is by The Makers Atelier and is one which has enormous potential for translating into different types of jackets depending on fabric and interpretation.

I decided to Hong Kong bind all the seams with very pretty Liberty Lawn binding. I was careful not to bind the sleeve seam though as I didn’t want little flowery material to be showing on the outside of the jacket. As the fabric is boiled wool there was no need to hem it.

As you can see it is very simple but the neckline is very attractive and it looks good over a dress as well as trousers. The fabric is very warm as it is 100% wool from Bloomsbury Square Fabrics

I re-shaped the facings so that they would sit better with the jacket given the weight of the wool fabric.

A lovely make which I am itching to make again.  Several more on the to-do list then!!

Although we are only 10 days into 2018, so much has been going on in my life with sewing and planning that it feels like I am way behind with the blog.  But not so!

I decided to take on Sarah Welch Gunn’s challenge called RTW Fast 2018.  The concept is easy.  No buying Ready To Wear (RTW) clothes during 2018.  Fabric, patterns etc may be bought but only underwear, accessories, shoes etc may be bought.  That is a real challenge!  I signed up, having assessed what the pinch points in my wardrobe are and having noticed(!) that I have a wedding to attend in July so something will need to be created for that. Sarah has run a previous RTW Fast in 2016 which I followed on her blog Goodbye Valentino.

It has been fascinating seeing how the group of over 1,000 participants have responded.  Some have worked flat out, some have tidied their sewing rooms, some have dabbled a little and I have made a dress for our upcoming holiday.

I wanted to try to create something that was fairly unstructured and easy to wear.  It will be quite warm in South Africa and I always find dresses much cooler than trousers etc. I bought the Makers Atelier pattern called The V-necked Shift Dress.  I used a crepe viscose which I bought from Bloomsbury Square Fabrics and started to make it.

The pattern was not difficult and the sizing was great for me.  I am carrying a lot of weight at the moment and I wanted something flattering.  Despite the great cut and the lovely fabric I still needed to insert a godet under the sleeve to allow for extra movement.  I also hope that if I lose some weight, that the dress will still work for me.

Although I love the shape and it was easy to make, I find it hard to justify paying the amount of money that the Makers Atelier charge for their patterns.  Yes, they are beautifully drafted, yes, the presentation is excellent and yes, you do get a cute little label to put in the back of the dress BUT similar patterns are available from Stylearc at a fraction of the price even if you buy them ready printed as opposed to a pdf.

So………onto my next make.  This is not for me but instead is a man’s shirt for Chris. It is the Thread Theory Fairfield Men’s shirt.  I have never made a man’s shirt before and am already rehearsing my run and fell seams!  I am making it in a pink linen  with a Liberty Fabric used inside the collar stand and cuffs. Wish me luck!  I suspect it may prove a challenge!

Although I started this a few months ago, my sewing has not been continuous.  How come when we have ideas and thoughts, life seems to conspire against us so that we are taken off course?  Not everything is negative because most of the interruptions have been pleasurable and joyous but nevertheless, taken off course is what I have been!

So it was a real pleasure to spend 2 days at the Midhurst Sewing Rooms with Claire Tyler.  I thought it completely decadent to spend two days enjoying myself when Christmas is looming and especially when I am expecting the whole family to descend for our annual pre-Christmas party only 36 hours later.  Strangely I think I was able to re-charge my batteries through it all.

But it was nearly not so!

I decided to make this dress: Vogue 1401

It wad designed by Koos Van Den Aaker. I was completely drawn in to the detail on the front, the pretty sleeve and the fact that it seemed to hide a multitude of sins!

Before I make anything, I read a lot about the patterns and styles on www.sewing.patternreview.com and on any blogs I can find.  The general consensus seemed to be that the dress was enormous when it was cut.  So I did what I always do……….. I ignored the sizing and worked to my measurements.  This meant that my size was actually 3 sizes smaller than the one I usual work to.  I still suspect that I might be removing more from the side seams!

What I did not reckon on, was that the pieces needed to be cut from single unfolded fabric.  As I was using 150cm wide linen and 150 cm wide georgette for the sleeves, I was exhausted before I had cut it out with trying to anchor the wretched fabric to the table when actually it wanted to fall off at any moment. Thank goodness for Claire who cut the linen out on the floor while I battled with the georgette.  It took all day to cut it out.

I am using a medium weight red linen and cotton mix by John Kaldor.  I bought it from Minerva Crafts but the pretty georgette I am using for the sleeves came from Marcy Tilton.

I decided to use a glazed cotton from Bloomsbury Square Fabrics  for the appliqué bias strips.  Although there is a small difference in the photos here, the top red (the glazed cotton) is more of a tomato hue whereas the linen is a blue red.

The appliqué is what this dress is about so I set about assembling it.  I have made a good start although I seem to have yards and yards of hand-cut bias binding!!

Let’s see how it all works out!