Audrey Dress Variation in Stuart Hillard Sewing Bee Fabric

After I made my first dress from the "fabulous frocks the little black dress book" I knew I was going to be making more versions. In particular I wanted to make the Audrey variation because it seemed like a perfect little dress. 

To make the variation you pair it with another one of the skirts from the book and you lower the neckline. I also took two cm's out of the front neckline to stop the gaping issues that I was having last time. 

I decided to make it in this sewing print cotton by Stuart Hillard for the Craft cotton company. I thought the sewing print would make a perfect dress for going to the CHSI stitches show in Birmingham. 

Which also led me to choosing this pattern. You see last year I wore this dress which I love! But at the show I always end up carrying my handbag and at least two bags for life and an extra bag [legit the extra bag just contains snacks because Frankie loves a snack!] Anyway all of these bags left me with one lil problem last year.

They worked together and somehow managed to ruck up the skirt of the dress enough to flash my knickers. Yep that's right, last year I spent ten minutes walking around with a good portion of my bum out. 

I was MORTIFIED! Especially seem as this is the second time this has happened to me in public, the first time was at the Goodwood revival and luckily a woman chased me down and let me know.

Anyway after I showed my pants last year I spent the whole show worrying it would happen again and fiddling with my dress. So this year I decided to cut out the worry and wear a pencil dress so that it couldn't ride up. 

Okay so construction wise the bodice is fully lined in some blue cotton I had lying around. The skirt isn't lined but I did finish my seams with an extra row of stitching. In fact overall I was really careful in my construction of this dress and the finishing of the seams.

I think the front and back seams are really flattering but its a pain trying to find the right bra. You need something that will "fill" the princess seam but that will still give you a natural shape. The other bra issue is that the straps show. I have no idea how to fix that.... I mean I could go for a strapless bra but EURGH strapless bras. 

I hate strapless bras, they are the work of the devil. So if you know how I can fix it let me know!

The bottom of the skirt has a vent. Which I normally avoid because I'm always worried that it will split right up the back seam. 

However I was wearing one of my old, non vented pencil skirts a few weeks ago and my stride was tiny, like I couldn't keep up with Rikki on the walk to school and I ended up doing some sort of waddle, skip, hop sort of walk. Which Rikki thought was hilarious but it made me vow to put vents in all of my future pencil skirts. 

Speaking of the pencil skirt I wish it was a bit more tapered towards the knee as it looks a bit boxy. I think a taper would look a bit more chic and sexy.

I used a pink metal zip in the back because who doesn't love a pop of colour?

I also wish the front of the skirt has two sets of darts rather than just one dart per side. The GBSB pencil skirt that I make has two darts per side and I think it works better with my shape. The back of this dress has double darts and fits really nicely. 

I think because of the busy print it looks much better belted. 

Size wise I cut a size small, which is the size I corresponded with in the chart. The fit is really good straight out of ht bag I just had to take some fabric out of the centre front. 

I do hate the small, medium and large type of sizing though. But I think that's more of a personal thing because I hate it in RTW as well!

All in all I really love this dress and thinking about it I don't have many figure hugging woven dresses in my wardrobe so I think I'll have to make a few more! 

In other news! 

We've got snow , but no snow day! Yep we walked to school this morning and I'm still cold from it!

I've got a few exciting projects coming up that I can;t wait to share! 

I've got about five things to photograph BUT the idea of taking my clothes off right now makes me want to cry. 

I've also got some fun vlogs planned and a lot of sewing I want to do. Sometimes their just aren't enough hours in the day! 

What are you working on?

Frankie 

xxx

Thoughts we all have when we are fitting ourselves.....

Okay so fitting is the bane if every dressmakers life. I mean it's all well and good if you've got a handy second person to help you but what if your alone? Or what if the second person doesn't know what their doing? 

So here's a post about all the thoughts that go through my head when I'm fitting........

It's time to fit.........

• I should have basted the seams.... Why didn't I baste the seams. If I have to unlock them I'll scream.

• am I wearing the right pants for this dress? (I can guarantee that I am not wearing the right pants) 

• changes knickers 

 • how on earth do I pin the back seam? 

• folds self like a pretzel 

• where's the mirror? I need a mirror?

• whys it so loose? Is it meant to be this loose? 

• checks pattern.........HOW MUCH EASE???????? 

• Takes a few inches off the seams

• puts dress back on....

.• can't breathe...... CANNOT BREATHE 

• Maybe it's my pants......

• puts on big scary stomach sucking in pants and bra that makes Pamela Anderson jealous

• are the darts in the right place? Surely my boobs don't look like that?

• dress fits

• why did I choose this fabric? Do I like this fabric? Oh it was on sale.....what a nice fabric!!

• that hems quite long? I'll take off an inch or two

• hems dress...

• oh hello pants! Gosh that's a bit short... Maybe I shouldn't have cut it? I'll have to do a smaller hem..

• finishes dress, shows husband "it's alright" 

• necks a bottle of rose 

Who else hates fitting projects to themselves? 

Much love 

Frankie 

X

Getting Inspired at the CHSI Stitches Show

So this was my second year of attending the CHSI stitches show and it was just as inspiring as the first time!!! 

Basically its a trade show so the majority of people are wondering round making business deals and then there's me looking to see whats new that's coming out taking lots of pictures and making notes!!!  

A few brands were kind enough to give me samples so expect a few posts on those products coming up in the next few weeks! There is some really great stuff out there for crafting at the moment and I'm really excited about it all! 

This is a pretty picture heavy post so make a brew and enjoy!!!

As well as their regular caron cakes they are now making baby cakes!!! How perfect would these be for making little baby blankets? But without the hassle of having the weave in hundreds of ends.

The Cygnet Yarns stand was one of the coolest at the show. It was just like stepping into a fairy tale, they had the three billy goats gruff, the wolf, Rapunzel, and this awesome gingerbread house! It was a wooden wendy house covered in knitted and crocheted panels! I'm currently trying to convince Rikki that we need one at home to play in.....

The wools felt beautiful and I couldn't stop touching things!!! Its also worth a mention that a lot of their patterns are on their website and they are releasing a few books this year as well [I can't remember if they are ebooks or regular books though].

Their newest product is their metallic chunky yarns which are perfect for quick knits with loads of style! 

The dashwood studio stand had its usual beautiful array of fabrics, but best of all they had this cute little David Bowie doll! I am 100% going to copy this! I mean how cute! And a great way to use up those small scraps of our favourite fabrics! 

The amne fabrics are organic jersey cottons with prints that are created with children in mind.... But I would wear every single print! The stand was made up with lots of little adorable baby clothes and left me feeling broody!! All of the designs are very clean and would be perfect for making clothes for little ones especially with how soft they all are! [thinking about it they would also be great for people who are sensitive to the fabrics that are against their skin!] 

The Flo-Jo girls had a lovely collection of sewing patterns and kits. Including a swimming costume that I'm convinced would be flattering on every single woman out there! It has some very clever gathering details and could be the answer to some of our swimming costume woes! They also stock all of the elastics and notions you might need in your ventures into knicker making.

The guys at hoooked had me awwing over their cute crochet kits and patterns and their ethical yarn productions. All of their kits are made using waste products from the fashion industry so they are really great for the environment! Plus they were kind enough to send me away with a kit to crochet up this little unicorn! I can see these being perfect gifts for little ones, I mean can you imagine a nursery full of these little guys? Or ya know my bedroom?

As always prym astounded me with their huge array of knitting and sewing products! 

This year they have their leather soles coming out so you can make up your own pair of snuggly winter slippers! 

And I went crazy over their new needle keepers!! They twist up like a lipstick and a small magnet at the bottom keeps your needles safe even if you hold it upside down!!! My jaw literally hit the floor when I saw it in action!

I also got to meet up with two sewing greats, Claire Louise Hardie and Stuart Hillard! Claire Lousie, is still doing her excellent sewing workshops down in London and Stuart Hillard has a fabric line [I got a preview and spoiler alert but its a gooden!] and another book coming out this year! 

Funnily enough the dress I'm wearing is made from one of the prints from his first fabric line for the craft cotton company! 

More of the line can be seen in this photograph, its all sewing based and those jelly rolls just make me want to make a sewing themed quilt to snuggle up in at night. 

These Embroidery hoops combine beautiful illustrations with the chance to practise lots of stitches. They are by Hawthorn Handmade.

The unicorn was my absolute favourite because well Frankie loves a unicorn!

I had the opportunity to take a good look at all the products Korbond has to offer which was nice because our local tesco only has a small selection! 

New for this year Korbond has their House of textures collection and OMGOSH it is lush to look at! Its all made up in tweeds and suiting fabrics and wouldn't look out of place in a sewing room on saville row! I think I fell in love with everything in the collection and its so nice to see sewing storage that wouldn't look out of place in my house. So hopefully these will be coming to your local tesco and Sainsbury's very soon!

The make arcade stocks various felt and embroidery kits. My personal favourite was this cute little cactus. Finally a plant I can't kill! Everything is included in the kit so it would make a lovely present for the sewer in your life! 

Bags by Mrs H is a bag pattern company and believe me when I say they have a bag pattern for every walk of life! From small cross body to large nappy bags! Plus the patterns are only printed on one side so theirs no need to trace! Woop! Oddly enough my favourite is the Nappy bag but I wouldn't fill it with nappies, I'd just fill it with snacks.........

I got to meet with the lovely Lisa Comfort from sew over it.  Number 1. yes she is just as beautiful in real life as she is in her pictures, 2. she has three new patterns coming out this year, 3. she might be expanding into kids patterns at some point [pdf] and 4! Yes 4! she has a collection of six fabrics coming out this year! You can see some of the prints in the photo above but keep an eye on their instagram for close up images! 

I also spotted these fun ribbings by the brand cuff me for albestoffe! Its so unusual to find ribbing for sweat shirts that's fun and these are definitely fun! 

I loved these embroidery kits from Dizzy and creative, they embraced the old style of embroidery but in a really contemporary way. The backing fabric and threads are included and the backing fabric is a really high quality as are the threads! The instructions for the stitches are also written for both left and right handers which is a nice touch. 

These are the Ashmead Paperless EPP templates! Paperless English paper piecing I hear you say? PAPERLESS? Well folks I have a cheeky sample t make up so all shall be revealed! But needless to say these are going to completely change the way you go about hand piecing patchwork!

Its always lovely to see Elspeth and her mum at the show. Its like talking to old friends! The rag kits are vibrant and beautiful! To the point where I apologised for standing on one! This year they have released a new spring action ragging tool which saves a heap of time and they are going to start doing ragged flower kits! Elspeth originally just did them for valentines day but with a make that cute how can you not make up a kit! Plus flowers that don't die? Always a bonus in my book!

Another person I love to catch up with at the show is the gorgeous Jenni Taylor, Typically we end p chatting towards to end of the day when shes not busy and I sit at the Korbond "Bar" and ask her countless questions! This year shes going to be carrying on with teaching and she also has a new book on the horizon! 

Lastly I had to show you these adorable buttons from a little shop. Its run by the loveliest french couple and everything they stock has a very french vibe to it! A lot of the buttons are sewing themed and are just too cute plus they are machine washable! I have a few samples so expect to see them on the blog very soon!  

So I hope you enjoyed that and that you are feeling as inspired as I am! 

My next post will be about the dress I wore to the show and why I chose that style! Spoiler alert its to do with my knickers!!! 

Much Love 

Frankie 

xx

The Audrey Hepburn Dress - Fabulous Frocks The Little Black Dress Book

I'm really struggling to find time for blogging at the moment. Maybe because I'm still trying to get into the swing of things after Rikki had so much time off?

Anyway this dress was sewn during Rikkis massive stint of time off [Who said collecting your holidays was a bad idea eh?] As much as I love him I had reached the point where I was like "GO TO YOUR MUMS FOR A BIT I'M SICK OF YOUR FACE!!!"

I wasn't actually sick of his face, I actually quite like his face but I was absolutely gagging to get some sewing done. Luckily I had already traced and cut out the pattern for the Audrey Hepburn dress from the Little Black dress book by Dolin Bliss O'shea which I mentioned in a previous post.

The pattern suggests using a taffeta or duchess satin, but even I thought that might be a bit "extra" for the school run. So I opted to use a black linen that I got in the abakhans fill a bag sale. I am so glad I chose to use the linen as the dress is beautifully lightweight and it presses like a dream 

The only issue with the black is that it doesn't photograph very well so you can't see the princess seams or the panels of the skirt. 

Speaking of the skirt its made up of 6 panels. Which means its a full circle skirt but without the whole faff of trying to cut a circle out of a regular sized piece of fabric. The panels mean that you can sort of jig saw everything in and you don't feel like your using or wasting loads of fabric.

I took a lot of care to try and make this dress as perfect as possible. I lined the bodice in a pink cotton [I'd have used black but I didn't have any]. Made sure to trim and grade all of my seams and press everything nicely. 

I also interfaced the seam allowances of the back seam where the zip goes [Its meant to be a side zip but SIDE ZIPS EURGH!] Basically I fused a line of interfacing on both sides of the centre back seam and then I inserted the zip. It just gives the zip some stability and stopped it waving or puckering.

The only issue I had with the fit was this bit of gaping in the front? I'm not sure what it's called? Maybe a hollow chest? Anyway I've altered the pattern piece now so it doesn't happen again and luckily it doesn't affect this version too badly.

The only other thing I did was to leave the skirt to hang over night before I hemmed it. I'm really glad I did because when I looked at it, it didn't look super wonky but when I measured it and trimmed it was! I hemmed the skirt by hand.

All in all I LOVE this dress and can definitely see myself making more! I love the high neckline which is weird for me because I'm more of a cleavage girl! 

Summary! 

Pattern - Audrey dress , little black dress book

Size - small

Fabric - Abakhans 

Sewn on - janome 

In other news! 

My sewing box was in much need of repair so Rikki has fixed the bits that need fixing and I'm currently painting it! 

Much love

Frankie 

Xxx

Coco Funnel Neck Top

I finally took some pictures! Not that the weathers been helping, it tried really hard to give us some proper snow on Sunday, but all we ended up with was a teeny weeny bit that settled. Not even enough for a day off school!

The good weather does mean I've been trying to expand my jumper collection though. This one was made with some left over fabric from a "top secret" Minerva Crafts Project. Its a lovely stretch fabric with a bobble and sequin texture, you can find it here. I was particularly drawn to it because black fits into my wardrobe really well and because the sequins just make it a bit more fun really don't they?

The pattern is the Coco Dress by Tilly and the Buttons. But this is the jumper version with the cuffs and the collar. Its the perfect jumper for lounging around in!

I really like the funnel neck it gives the jumper a sort of french vibe. Or at least I think it does. I definitely needed some more tops in my wardrobe and I'll need a whole set more when summer rolls around!

All in all I love this make. It only took me a little while to run up but it was worth every second. I wear it all the time and I'm hoping that it will be light enough to wear in the spring as well. 

In other news! 

I've taken pictures of two other makes today and I have a whole night of sewing ahead of me tonight. 

I baked cookies today. Because I wanted a cookie. Which seems a bit excessive now I think about it but I do really like cookies! 

I'm working my way up to my next big knit. I have the wool and I've chosen a pattern I just need to find the motivation to start it! 

Much Love

Frankie 

xxx