Toile and Error

I love experimenting with patterns, mainly because I don't buy patterns very often [read at all] because I'd rather spend money on fabric. So I tend to give then a good chop and change every now and again!

This toile is yet another variation of my princess seam bodice from the great british sewing be book.

Alterations wise I added a inch and a half to the bottom of all the bodice pieces and raised the neckline. After years of showing huge amounts of flesh I've now realised that less is more in the sexy stakes!

Which mean the flesh is in the back [again I know it tend to do a lot of back bearing things but I think it might be my favourite part of my body. I'd rather expose my entire back than expose my midriff!]

The back is in a racer back style which I love. Simply put I copied my pattern pieces onto paper [I use this bodice so often that my pattern pieces are card so easy to draw around] And then scooped out the armhole until I had a racer back. Its not perfect but that what the toile was for!   

Although as you can clearly see this toile was a huge fail. I had wanted it to be a wearable toile but the pulling of the back bodice through the straps [Its a fully lined bodice] put too much strain on the seams and it frayed like a [insert naughty word here]. Which really hacked me off because it took an hour to turn them both through and I'd trimmed down most of the bulk.

Anyway it jacked up the whole of the neckline and whilst I considered finishing it with the skirt I'd cut out and stuff it would have been a waste of time and zip, because I just wouldn't have worn it! 

  I'm making mark two tonight and I'm hoping that same thing doesn't happen again, I'm going to use a dainty seam allowance and the fabric is a lot thinner so fingers crossed wont be a problem.

I'm pretty annoyed that I'm going to throw this one out through because my print placement was pretty nice and I'd eased the princess seams really well too [at least in my opinion] and I love the back!

At some point I'll do a series on altering your favourite bodice blocks in simple ways but for the moment I just don't seem to have any time! 

In other news I forced myself to do some more on my miette cardigan last night whilst the boys played video games and I'm hoping to get my first sleeve finished tonight.... hopefully. I don't hate it yet but I'm getting close. I am pleased I've stuck with it for so long though! I never thought I'd be the type to try and hand knit a cardigan!

To be honest my entire crafting games been off again this week and I'm blaming Mother Nature! Not helped by my grumpy son who likes to get up at half six and then be miserable for the whole day!

Much Love

Frankie

xxx

What kind of mother am I? Well let's put it this way, when I play play dough I get all the colours out...

Today's been a bit emotional, for starters lil Knitwit had an hour long session at nursery today as a taster. The idea being that you see how they settle and try and slink off into the foyer if you think they won't notice or mind. I slunk off after about half an hour, (surprisingly I was one of the only ones to give it a go) and I would love to see that lil Knitwit fell to hiss knees when he found out I was missing, started sobbing and proclaimed that he couldn't cope with his wonderful mummy!!!!! 

He didn't.

My son wimpered for two seconds, then decided that his new environment was a good enough substitution for his mothers care and love. 

So yeah I'm really happy about that (lil brat I mean you carry someone for 8 months and spend everyday with them for two and a bit years!!! Is a screaming fit too much to ask??)

But I am grateful, I'm very glad that he's going to enjoy nursery, just as long as he remembers who feeds/baths/cuddles him for the rest of the time! 

The other reason today has been emotional is because of starting/nearly finishing my second OWOP dress, I'm using the same pattern as the first dress I ever made and it's coming along nicely, the reason that it's emotional however is because the fabric was inherited from my grandma, and she brought it with the intention of making my grandad a pair of trousers/jacket. 

Three metres of lovely pinstriped brown wool? I think it's wool? 

The stripes are red and blue but you can't really tell from a distance. 

I even had a spool of brown thread! How's that for fate! 

From the moment I saw this fabric I thought I had to make a dress to honour both of my grandparents. I'm using the same bodice from the first dress I made but I'm not going to gather the skirt, I'm thinking box pleats?

This is about the moment I started to tear up, I'm not sure if it was the thought of my grandma thoughtfully picking out fabric for her husband or the realisation that lil Knitwit is growing up, but let's just say things got a bit emotional! 

I did manage to pull myself together for the pinning stage though! And I actually got the Bodice sewn today, and the skirt panel hemmed so tomorrow it's just the zip, pleats and skirt attachment to worry about!!

one week, one pattern starts on the 6th September over on handmade janes blog! And yeah I'm cutting (no pun intended) it a bit fine aren't i?

What can I say I just love the pressure!

Much love 

Frankie

Xxx

Will I Ever Learn?

As mentioned in my previous blog post, yesterday I started recovering my cushions. It took a little bit longer than I was expected, mainly due to my inability to measure accurately. I don't know how many times I have had parent/teachers/friends tell me to measure twice cut once. But either way I still haven't learnt my lesson, I might have  definitely measured the new covers wrong, luckily after some swearing and stuffing of inserts into the new covers I got them finished! I did them the lazy way and didn't put in any fastenings just slip stitched the openings closed after sewing. This is for practical reasons, Little Knitwit has developed a fondness for zips and for stuffing his toy cars into the covers and reclosing them. I'd just like to say you have not felt pain until you've plonked yourself down with a nice hot brew and found yourself with a matchbox car up your jaxi and hot tea over your lap.

 

 

I only recovered the brown cushions they used to be a mix of grey, white and beige. So know we have three "accent" cushions (Mr.Knitwit laughed at me when I used this term earlier) and the rest are dark brown suede.

 

 

This my little nest, do you like my cushion? Its a vintage sewing machine cushion and was given to me this Christmas by my brother and his family, it reminds me to make something beautiful everyday.

 

In other news I've started the top half of my dress for OWOP, I'm using simplicity 4070, well the bodice at least I always tend to go a bit rouge on skirts depending on how much fabric I have left. I've used this pattern before and loved it but always managed to avoid the zip putting in part. I've never done a zip before, I've read up on it in pretty much every sewing book I have but to be honest its about as clear as mud so I'm envisioning a lot of ripping out in this project.

 

 

And yes that is a pattern envelope with ALL the pieces inside! Anybody who has used a pattern before knows that once you've opened that envelope your chances of getting anything back into it are slim to none! But I used to go walking and spent years folding ordance survey maps! Patterns are nothing!

 

 

This is my start to the bodice, I'm working in a nice white linen, and hoping to add a linen skirt. It has princess seams and it's going to have a zip. My first one ever!!! And as with everything else it needs a good iron!

 

Now I'm off to try and finish my knitting! I keep saying that but other things keep cropping up!

 

Much Love

 

Frankie

 

xxx