So I have a new make to show! After making the pussy bow blouse from the GBSB book fashion with fabric I immediately decided to make the hacked collared version. So I quickly added lightweight drapey material to my shopping list ready and waiting for when I actually go fabric shopping.
Then something wonderful happened, A lovely lady who reads my blog got in touch and asked if I'd like some of her patterns as she was having a clear out? Obviously I said yes! Then the same lovely lady sent me some fabric that she wasn't going to use...... all I can say is WELCOME TO THE FAMILY!!! I'm officially adopting her.
So there was three different fabrics in the parcel [shout out to her husband who was lovely enough to take them to the post office] but the one that immediately caught my eye was a drapey, spotty, soft fabric thing..... I'm not sure what the technical term is?
Okay so I'm wearing it open [Its styled buttoned up in the book], I have this weird thing where I like my neck and chest to be free, its weird I don't know why, but I do. I also have boobs [they used to be bigger] so I still tend to dress for my old bigger boob that couldn't really be contained. Now they are more manageable but I still fell the need to flaunt some cleavage.
Sewing wise its a pretty easy make you just have to pay close attention to cutting and pinning your pattern pieces, no seriously this is the type of fabric that moves faster than Severus Snape confronted with a bar of soap.
I'm really going for the tucked in style at the moment I seem to be tucking everything in, not sure why? Maybe its because its getting colder and my mum always tucked me in when it was cold so I wouldn't get a cold tummy?
I really should have ironed this at some point but I was so terrified so burning a massive hole in my work that I decided not to, I think air drying it on a hanger might help with some of the wrinkles.
All in all I really love it, I think its flattering and I like the collar, although I might attach it differently if I make it again.
The only variations I really make was marking my own buttonholes [I used the sweetest tiny mother of pearl buttons on this] and backing my collar in a lightweight cotton. I did this for two reasons , one I ran out of the spotty stuff and substitutions had to be made and secondly because I had a brainwave, you see with a cotton on the underside of the collar I can safely iron it! Without the heat having to touch the spotty fabric! GENIUS!
Not quite sure what happened with this picture? But I like it because I look creepy and stuff.
I've shown it buttoned up/down and tucked and untucked, I'm not 100% on which style I prefer to be honest.
Wow I look grumpy and tired in these pictures. Lil knitwit is still being delightfully stubborn and naughty which is tiring to say the least, there's nothing quite like getting up at seven in the morning to wake up a child, who then screams at you, because you put his sock on wrong. because I love getting up early, and walking in the cold so you can sing humpty dumpty at nursery........ alternatively maybe I should just learn the art of properly applying socks to feet.
I'm also grouchy because it became apparent that we have something else living in our shed apart from our bunny rabbit "Ronnie". I've had my suspicions but I put the scuttled noises down to things falling over or the wind. The bag of rabbit food nibbled open and the un rabbit shaped poop on the floor was slightly harder to avoid. So I spent yesterday cleaning out the shed, putting all food into sealed tins and putting down rat poison. Yes I think its a rat, they are pretty hefty poops to be a mouse. I suppose it could be a squirrel? God I hope its a squirrel, I hate rats.
Anyway our rodent suspicions were confirmed today when we saw next doors cat sat staring at our shed. all I can say is "faster kitty cat, kill, kill kill!".
I'm calling this picture "was that a rat?"
Much Love
Frankie
x
Showing posts with label blouse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blouse. Show all posts
Friday, 9 October 2015
Friday, 28 August 2015
Bow tie blouse!
Does anyone remember this blouse from the great British sewing bee book, fashion with fabric?
Well I've had it cut out for months ! And I mean months , it was one of those projects I cut out and then instantly couldn't be bothered with!
Anyway after giving myself a good talking to I finished it off, including hand sewing the hems and facings.
No I see why I avoided it in the first place! Boy was I peeved! I mean look at those shoulders I look like an extra from a period drama!
I have no idea if it was the fabric, or my sewing, or if I traced the pattern wrong, but I was not a happy bunny!
In fact I was so unhappy I hacked the bloody sleeves off!
And voila! Much better and no work lost!
I love the tie neck and the loose fit.
And I love that I managed to salvage all that work! Including my 7 buttonholes that went in no bother!!!
Got to say I'm pretty pleased with myself to say I nearly threw it in the bin twice!
Anyway I'm off to work on a refashion!
Much love
Frankie
Xxx
Wednesday, 5 August 2015
Unselfish sewing
Momma knitwit liked my Mimi blouses, in fact she liked them so much that she asked me to make one for her to wear to a vintage festival (the goodwood revival) they go to every year.
Anyway we started by looking at fabric and she finally settled on a red gingham check in cotton. When I went to abakhans to buy it, it looked a bit more sheer than I was expecting, so I took the executive decision to buy a similar check in the same colour but this is a polycotton blend!
It doesn't look quite right on my mannequin (because of the size) I'm hoping the fit on my mum will be good though. It does need a good press ,But my iron is currently soaking following an incident with the interfacing!
It's a tilly and the buttons, Mimi blouse, and I cut a straight size 8, I could have graded down at the waist, but it's going to be worn with high waisted trousers so I didn't see the point. Plus because momma has some fairly hefty bosoms I want to make sure there was some wiggle room.... So to speak!
Construction wise it's the same as the others I made, but I did add a couple of inches to the bottom of the blouse pattern pieces because both me and my mum are both quite long waisted. I also ignored the buttonholes on the pattern and placed my own closer together. As I said before momma is rather bosomy so I wanted to minimise gaping as much as I could. These buttons are roughly one short side of a credit card apart. Yes I used a credit card to measure button holes! It worked didn't it? And actually it wasn't a credit card, it was a build a bear factory card! STOP JUDGING ME! I like teddies okay! The buttons are from my stash, I have no idea if they are vintage but I think they are pretty cute!
Sleeve wise I decided to omit the pleated sleeve and just gather the bottom. I love the pleated sleeve on the original blouse, but it's a pain in the bum bum to iron and me and my mum are both pretty low maintenance ironers! I also left the sleeve facing down and top stitched it in place. The instructions call for you to turn it under so everything's neat but I like it down!
My pattern matching is a bit hit and miss, but I think I get away with it because it's such a busy print! I was really tempted to cut the yoke on the bias, but I thought it might be a bit risky! Next time eh?
I used French seams in the yoke and bodice seams, and regular seams with a finishing stitch on the sleeves.
All in all I'm very pleased with this make! I love the fabric and now I just hope it fits! Prepare yourself for pictures of momma modelling it herself!
Much love
Frankie
Xxx
P.s would it be really sad if I made one of my own?
X
Saturday, 1 August 2015
Summer holiday reality....
My blog posts have been fairly sporadic recently. And I'm blaming the summer holidays! Although lil knitwit only goes to nursery 3 mornings and one full day a week, it's still quite a lot of free time! And as an added bonus nursery wears him out so he has a nice nap after.
But now? No nursery = no nap! Which means everything is having to be done whilst he's awake. Cleaning with a child is not fun!
Anyway I have been getting some crafty bits done! For starters I've made lots of stuff for mine and Mr knitwits wedding! Yes we are finally going to tie the knot next year! It's still a way off so I won't be posting any pictures of what I've made till afterwards so I don't spoil the surprise.
I did go and pick up some fabric last week to make my mum a mimi blouse! That's on the cards for next week! (How fabulous is that check? I might have to make one for myself! )
And I've started knitting my second project using the wool from littlelambwool, so far it's lovely to knit with and I have a front and part of a back of a bear!
I'm liking the pattern the wool is making although it reminds me a bit of Christmas!
I've also finished knitting another minion so all I have to do with that is stitch it up and send him on his way! (Fun fact: did you know that all minions are boys? Apparently the creator couldn't imagine women doing the stupid things the minions do!)
Me wise, I don't really have anything to make at the moment? I'm feeling a little bit uninspired by what fabrics I do have! So I'm hoping she. My birthday rolls around in September I might be spoiled with some abakhan vouchers! (Well a girl can dream!)
Much love
Frankie
Xxx
Wednesday, 13 May 2015
Out with the increase, in with the decrease!
The YAY! I've reached the halfway point in my diagonal rainbow knit project! YAY! No more adding stitches to my needles! Now I get to get rid of them!
But I'm still in two minds as to whether it's the best thing ever or just a lil bit hideous?
The colours are less blah in real life and I used l different types of wool to make it to sensory? But I dunno? I think it's pretty fun, but it might not be to everyone's taste!
In other news I cut out the pieces for making a silky vintage blouse from the second gbsb book, but couldn't find any motivation to sew it today so I decided to leave it. It features a few new techniques so I need to be on my sewing game before I make a start!
Other than that I've just been knitting , and adding more to my window sill garden! But more on that another day!
No I do like it, it's a happy hippy rainbow blanket!
Much love
Frankie
Xxx
P.s I'm pretty sure I've been blogging for over a year now, so thank you if your reading or have just started reading, or even if your just here to laugh at my shining wit, or even just to look at the pretty pictures! Xx
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