Floral Print Shirt - Prima Pattern

Excuse me whilst I use the opportunity of lock down to morph from a fun loving human into the bitch from hell. 

I'm joking obviously I'm not the bitch from hell quite yet but I have been in a fairly vile mood recently. Well a vile mood, a sad mood, a laughing hysterically and then crying on the floor mood.......... basically all the moods.

Its starting to get to me now this constant separation from the people I love. I miss having a brew with my mum and dad, I miss charity shops, I miss the girls from work and my knitting and maccies dates with my girl Aly. I miss her fella Paul coming over for a brew just because hes got five minutes, I miss packing lil dude off to my mum and dads so he can have a sleepover with his cousins, I miss dragging John on a trip to the big b and m so I can fill a shopping trolley with useless but pretty crap. I'm missing a lot of things. 

So in an effort to make myself less miserable I've been trying to do more things I love. 

I've been reading, A LOT.

Over the past two weeks Ive read, gone with the wind, dolly parton my life in lyrics, goodnight mister tom and I'm halfway through Peter Pan. which by the way is a lot bloody darker than the Disney cartoon would have you believe. 

I've been playing video games with my nieces and nephew and my big brother. 

I've been doing copious amounts of skincare, done some artwork and even found a few slithers of time for sewing. 

This however is an old project. A very old project. Its my basic prima shirt pattern that I always use when I make shirts and the fabric is a cotton lawn that I was given by the lovely ladies at sewalicious in exchange for writing them a blog post.

Instantly I knew I wanted this fabric to be a shirt becuase I loved the subtle 70's vibes it was giving me. Growing up my brother had a friend called Olly and he always wore 70's floral print shirts [well at least thats all i can remember him wearing!] and I thought he was the absolute height of cool! He was also in a band which added to his cool factor, so I guess this shirt is a homage to Olly, one of those rare teenagers who is kind enough to be nice to his friends little sister.

Construction wise it went together quite simply, as always I jacked up the cuff slit binding but I i wear it sleeves rolled up it doesn't bother me too much.

Actually the main reason it doesn't bother me is because I very rarely wear this shirt. Don't get me wrong, the pattern, fit and fabric are all spot on but it has one fatal flaw. 

IT NEEDS BLOODY IRONING!

yeah this is one of those shirts that comes out of the dryer all twisted round itself and folded in like an accordion. Creases everywhere and I really do hate ironing. 

Recently I purchased something called crease release [apparently you pop the article of clothing on a coat hanger, spray it with this magic stuff and VOILA no more creases] 

So hopefully whatever black magic is in the crease release will give me more opportunity to wear it. 

The buttons were from stash, literally cannot remember the last time I actually brought buttons for a project.

Here's it with the sleeves buttoned up properly and it untucked. I definitely think it looks nicer tucked in with the sleeves rolled up don't you?

Anyway so yeah that's that. Not a lot else I can say really apart from try and have a good week, stay safe and remember if you scream into a pillow the neighbours won't think your being murdered. 

Much love 

Frankie 

 

Japanese Fabric Dress Pattern Hack

God that titles a bit ropey isn't it? But to explain, the dress is a heavily hacked Tilly and the Buttons Lilou bodice, and by heavily hacked I mean heavily!

As you can see I took the bodice and tried to wrangle it into being a tie front. Its not a bad job but I did have visions of me looking a bit more buxom in it. Boobs squished together that sort of thing. 

But I think for maximum boob squish The knot would have to be a bit lower. 

Ideally I would have made a toile but what can I say I'm not that kind of girl so instead it judge that the knot would need to be in the *ahem* nipple region to preserve my modesty best. So I put the knot in line with the bust dart because that points the the *ahem* nipple region anyway. 

Naturally because of the knot I do have to go bra less. Which is a bit of a nightmare. I did buy some of those sticky boob things but they are a bit of a pain to get on and for some reason I always end up with wonky boobs. 

* for those who haven't heard of sticky boob things, it a thing shaped a bit like a rabbit and you stick The bottom bit to your boob and then hoist it up and stick the top bit to your chest. The theory is you can wear strapless and backless and still have perky bosoms BUT I think they are designed for a slightly smaller bust and I wouldn't recoomend them for anyone over a B cup. Plus peeling sticky stuff off your boobs is the next level of hell as far as I'm concerned*

The fabric was a gift from my friend and ex work colleague Lewis. OMG that boy was an absolute babe! He used to really brighten my shifts at work and we always had a good chat. To the point where we ended up having to work on separate ends of the shop. And then he left.........traitor. 

Anyway he went to Japan on holiday and was kind enough to bring this back for me. He thought I'd like the colours and the print and I thought he'd like the bow front because its a bit saucy.

The skirt is a lovely full gathered one and makes me feel a bit like a princess. Its really wrinkled in the picture above because aside from Lil dude school stuff I've sort of given up on ironing. 

All in all I do really like it. And it will be nice for the warmer weather we are having. Even if no one else is going to see it. 

So in other news!

- We are still on lockdown....... So yeah. Again I've been trying to keep busy. Its nice spending so much time with lil dude but he's gone to his Dads for a week now and I'm worried that I'll fall into a pit of despair. God that's a bit dramatic isn't it? But in all seriousness having him here has been keeping me sane and giving me something to focus on.

- But John [my lovely boyfriend] and my Mum have been brain storming ideas on how to keep me busy and I have a pile of sewing projects to be getting on with. Its nice to have people who really care about you. My sister and her husband have also suggested we have a video chat Harry Potter quiz at some point so I'm looking forward to that.

- I'm getting on nicely with my knitted blanket and I've started the decreases.

- Dinnerladies is on netflix and I'm chuffed to bits because I love Victoria Wood. 

So yeah that's about it really. I hope your all keeping safe and I hope my blog posts are giving you a bit of light relief from the news. Even if 80% of this one was me talking about boobs. 

Much Love 

Frankie 

xxx

African Wax Print Dress

Hey hows things?

I've managed to sneak a quick half hours blogging mainly down to some kind people letting us have access to their disney+ account (you guys know who you are and i bloody love you)

Which is a very welcome break, yesterday little man needed to be constantly occupied and was feeling very frustrated with whats going on. Technically its the Easter holidays which would typically mean lots of fun days out and seeing his cousins. But at the minute its just a lot of playing in the garden and trying to find things to keep him happy.

But onto the dress. I'm going to apologise in advance for the fact my feet are in these pictures. As i have previously mentioned my Dad took my most recent set of pictures and opted to tell me I should have worn shoes AFTER we had done every single outfit. And to be honest he didn't look like he had the strength to re shoot all the outfits again.

The fabric is a BEAUTIFUL african wax print cotton that my pen friend Jeanette sent me after me and my ex split up in an effort to cheer me up. Its a beautiful thick cotton that presses nicely and drapes beautifully. 

I actually think its one of the most beautiful cottons I've ever seen.

Being a wax print cotton meant that cutting out was a logistical nightmare, but this girl loves a challenge. I chose simplicity K1418 as the pattern because its a princess seamed bodice and I feel like that gives me a bit more control of where the pattern ends up on my bust. For example I knew I wanted the fan detail front and centre and that I wanted the keep the pattern central on the front of the skirt as well.

The skirt is just gathered which I find works nicely for border prints because you don't have to worry about curves extra. 

Length wise I left it a bit longer than normal because I've been going without tights in the summer. Which is a pretty big deal for me as a I hate my legs. I did worry it might be a bit too long but I wear it constantly so I think it might be just right!!!!

In fact I've worn it that much that I've had to do repair jobs on both of the straps!!! 

The bodice is lined with a plain yellow cotton so the inside is nice and clean and the zip is one of my better attempts. 

I even did my best to mirror the pattern on the back as well. 

As a quick thing, I don't tend to go for traditional pattern matching where the print is seamless through a seam because well who has the time? [apart from well everyone right now......] 

Instead I tend to go for the more laid back, lets how the pattern is mirrored or a least lines up sort of vibe.

In other news......

- well lock down is still happening so that's a thing......

- lil dude is still doing a combination of school work and fun stuff, today he wrote part of his story for school, wrote a song and identified some gemstones I had ordered online.

- I've been re reading the Harry Potter series and I'm currently on the Order of the Phoenix. Something about reading a book I enjoyed so much as a child is making me feel very relaxed during these different times. I had forgotten how wonderful it can be to fall back into the world of Harry Potter. Its like a warm hug or greeting an old friend. 

- I picked some flowers from our garden and have them on the window sill and they are making me smile every time I see them. Fresh flowers are one of my weaknesses.

- Sewing wise I haven't got much done. But lil dude goes to his dads for the second half of the Easter holidays next week so I'm envisioning a lot of free time on my hands and I'm hoping that sewing will save my sanity. And hopefully stop me pining for little dude too much.

- I have been knitting quite a bit though, mainly the mindless kind that I can just pick up and put down without too much bother.

This last photo is one of my dads best, He had asked me if this dress had pockets and I said no and this was the face I pulled which obviously he had to immortalise! FYI I do wish I had put pockets in!!!!!!

Much Love

Stay safe guys!!!

Frankie 

xxxxxx

My New Winter Coat

Well bloody hell, that escalated quickly didn't it? If your anything like me then you went from theirs a virus called corona [not to be mistaken for the beer, although oddly that does seem to be the only thing in stock in the super markets at the minute] to well bogger me they've closed the schools.

So yeah, corona virus........ Well me and lil dude are at home, aside from the days he spends with his dad [and that was a googling nightmare let me tell you, but turns out children from separated homes are okay to stay at both parents homes. My boyfriend is still going to work because his company provides stuff for the railways. 

But more on that later [I'm assuming that most of you have come for some sewing goodness] so heres my winter coat. 

Let me put it on the record now that I don't normally sew my own winter coat, usually i just buy one. But this year I HATED every single coat in the shops. When did puffa coats become a thing again? 

Anyway i had a dig through my sewing patterns and i had this vintage duffel coat pattern that i picked up on ebay a while ago. 

Its simplicity 7235 now as you can see the duffel coat patterns features both a mens and women's duffel coat on the cover art however I was assured that the copy I was buying was the women's pattern. 

The ebay seller lied!!!!!

However being the lazy cow i am I opted not to complain and just made a mens duffel coat in a 40ich chest. *hangs head in shame* I know it was one hell of a gamble BUT!!!!! 

1. I like my coats big! I'm sorry but if I can't fit a hoody underneath it then I'm not interested.

2. I figured I could size down if necessary

3. I'm a 36inch bust [on a perky day] so I guessed it wouldn't be too huge!

As it turns out the sheer size of it is one of my favourite things. Especially when i'm walking home from work. 

This is a bit depressing but I walk through a busy town to get to my car and somehow having my female form shielded by a large coat makes me feel a bit better. [For those worrying I haven't had any trouble yet and I always keep my car keys intertwined with my fingers so if I do have to punch someone in the face it will really hurt. *a little trick my sister taught me*] 

Its lined with my mums old taffeta curtains.... Yeah I know thank god she buys quality curtains that I savage when shes finished with them. I love the burgundy and the slipperiness of the fabric means the coat slides on nice and easy. 

The outer fabric is a fur backed wool from abakhan so that gives an extra layer of cosy as well. 

As far as wool goes it was very well behaved, it presses nicely and it didn't fray too badly either. 

The huge hood is one of my favourite parts of the coat. I did toy with the idea of lining it with the wool but I was worried it would be far to thick to ram under my sewing machine.

The huge patch pockets are another part of the coat I really love. Mainly because I can fit EVERYTHING in them. keys, phone, purse, hand sanitise gel.............

The toggles were an amazon purchase ready made and they were a f*****g nightmare. They are by far the messiest part of the coat despite me masking taping them in place to minimise making holes in them. I did really try and take my time with them but they were just a pain in the butt and nearly made me cry. 

The coat looks pretty rough now to be honest, which isn't surprising considering its become my go to winter coat and its clocked a lot of miles already. In fact my one quibble is that the wool has started to bobble quite a lot. 

My dad took these photos for me [pre lockdown] and he had great fun telling me how daft I looked doing all of the poses. 

In other news:

- We can't go out? Yeah sucks doesn't it. I have no idea how this happened but its quite frankly bizarre. I'd like to say I'm coping well but to be quite honest I'm terrified. I worried Marcus is going to pick it up because hes travelling between two houses and that increases his exposure to people. And I'm feeling low because I miss seeing my mum and dad and my friends. I never appreciated how nice it is to have people round for a brew. 

- Funnily enough having little dude at home all the time has been lovely, we've listened to harry potter audio books, I made us magic wands, we've been doing painting and sewing and had lots of giggles. The schoolwork is getting done but I'm not putting a huge focus on it because things are so strange at the moment and I don't want to overwhelm him. 

- we did the joe wicks P.E I nearly passed out, enough said. 

- Surprisingly I haven't got a lot of sewing done, mainly because I'm slowly sorting out my sewing space. 

- However I have been doing more crochet so far I've added a turtle and a cat to our soft animal collection. 

So yeah weird times guys. 

I'm going to add a list of things at the bottom which might be useful for people who are isolating and really feeling it. 

much love

Frankie 

1. listen to an audio book. easier than reading and you get a 30 day free trial with audible.

2. clear out a room, tidy the living daylights out of it [we did the garage]

3. wear comfy clothes when you need to and get dressed up on the days you fancy it. 

4. Bubble baths, enough said really take the opportunity to have a long relaxing soak.

5. try and set times of the day to go social media free. I find not constantly reading updates are helping.

6. watch your favourite movie series in one go. You in isolation watch every harry potter in order. and pretend your a kid again [bonus points for making a wand and saying the spells with them........ not that I do that.........]

7. do some yoga, it makes me feel very zen. or its your braver than I am do some joe wicks! 

8. write letters to loved ones. When did letter writing go out of fashion? I'm on a one woman mission to bring it back!!!!

9. facetime, What a glorious invention, its saving me every single day! 

10. Cook, made soup from all the leftover stuff in the fridge and pretend your Jamie Oliver.

Stay safe and wash your hands 

Wendy Ward Kinder Cardigan in Stuart Hillard Fabric

 Sometimes you make something and you wear it over and over and over again.

But not this time!  I've worn this cardigan approximately 3 times since I made it. [and I made it a WHILE ago]  

In theory I like it. The pattern is simple.

Its the Kinder cardigan from Wendy Wards "sewing with knitted fabrics" which is a sewing book I would HIGHLY recommend. 

And the fit is surprisingly good to say I made zero alterations. Plus its a super quick sew and I love my black version.

I also love the fabric which is a stretch jersey by the craft cotton company and designed by Stuart Hillard.  Its gorgeous to sew with and It's actually the same fabric that I made my peak tshirt dress from. Also a pattern from Wendys book. 

To be honest I'm not sure why it hasn't entered regular rotation into my wardrobe. Maybe I'm just not that much of a cardigan person anymore? In fact thinking about it the main occasions I can remember wearing it it over the top of some pjs in the hopes it makes me look all cool and bohemian....... If cool and bohemian people ate family sized bars of chocolate whilst binge watching doctor who in their jammies. 

I like it in the pictures though. I actually think maybe I needed to see it in pictures to make me want to wear it more! 

This pictures my favourite though. I don't know if you can tell but the glass is my go to glass at my mums house because its shaped like a skull and well that's how I roll. Don't mind me, just over here drinking the blood of those who have wronged me.

Thinking about it..............I might need a bigger cup!

So yeah.

Heres something I made that I don't actually wear that often, and apparently for no good reason! 

In other news!!!

- I finished a crochet blanket and I'm currently knitting another blanket now. MUST HAVE ALL THE BLANKETS! 

- I've been doing some serious sorting and huge shout out the Momma and poppa Knitwit for helping me out! 

- Lil dude is doing well at school and is getting cheekier by the day! 

- I've still been making and selling unique baby clothes on facebook, and have plans to expand my range as soon as I've got time! [if you could give it a like and a share that would be AMAZING!]

- and the new man???? Well hes still lovely! last night he actually taped a sewing pattern together for me whilst I was on the phone and he MIGHT have done a better job than I ever do! 

Much Love 

Frankie 

xxxxx

Mickey Mouse Raglan Top

Its been a while again huh?

What can I say I've been a busy girl!

Anyway I made this top MONTHS ago!!!

The fabric was from the abakhans fill a bag sale that I went to with my mum, dad, sister and lil man. Its a printed jersey and whilst i it wasn't a huge piece I knew it would be coming home with m because LOL this girl loves her some Disney!!!!!! 

I used my old faithful prima pattern because I know the sizing's good and I do love a raglan. Plus its the sort of thing I can sew in my sleep.

I cut a larger size again because this jersey doesn't have a huge amount of stretch and when it is fully stretched it distorts mickeys face. 

The design wasn't printed on the edge of the fabric for about 4 inches so I used that for the cuffs and the neckband. 

Thinking about it I made this top so long ago that it was before my sewing machine went kaput and decided to stop sewing jersey! And yes I do still need to get it fixed!!!!!!

And that's it really its just a simple top but I've been enjoying wearing it with jeans especially when the weather is cold. 

Much Love Frankie 

Woven Wrap Dress - Possibly the most out there thing I've ever made!!!!!!!

I often describe my fashion sense as out there , but even I did a lil twitch when  I put this dress on and said to myself "Is this a bit much??????"

I mean that is a fabric and a half. I got it from the abakhans fill a bag sale. 

I found it in the bottom of the box held it up and said to my mum "is this hideous or fabulous" and she said she had no idea so I put it in my bag and took it home. 

The background is stripes and the foreground is HUGE flowers in all different colours!!!!!

Its a bit of a go big or go home sort of print. So I opted to make a maxi dress. I was hoping for the sort of thing that I could wear swanning down a beach in the Maldives, not that I'll be swanning off to the Maldives any time soon! 

The pattern started out life as the bodice for a prima dress. I them hacked it half to death to make it into a wrap bodice and added a long skirt with a curved front hem. 

The bodice is fully lined which is good because wrap dresses can sometimes flap open around the ol boob area. 

The waist tie is from a piece of stash fabric. I decided I needed a solid colour for the tie just to make sure that you could see clearly that it was a wrap dress. Plus I think its helpful to have something break up that crazy riot of colour!!!! 

Fit wise , its okay. It did fit better but I've lost some weight recently so its not as good anymore.

Also I did gathers instead of darts because I thought it might give me the blousey look I was going for but now I'm wondering what it might look like darted instead. 

I love the length but I wish the curved front hem was a bit more obvious and it showed more leg when I'm stood still. at the minute this looks fabulous walking but you can't even see my legs if I stand still. 

I do love that I can wear it with my brown wedges though!!!!! 

To be honest whilst the idea of unpicking it all makes me want to cry, I do think its the best thing to do because there's a lot of things I'd like to tweak on it. 

I suppose that's the only downside of hacking a pattern , very often its not quite perfect and you have to keep going until you get it right!!!! 

Construction wise all of the inside seams were done on my over locker and I just used my regular sewing machine for the hems and for top stitching around the neckline.

All in all I really like the dress. Its one of those items that just makes me happy wearing it. I mean how could I not be happy when I'm wearing that many colours!!!!!! 

There's a bit more work to do to it and even if I do get it close to perfect I'm not sure I'll ever have anywhere suitable to wear it...... But HEY HO! I love it so I know I'll end up wearing it at some point. Even if its just for a trip to home and bargains in the summer! 

In other news!!!!! 

I've been busy with work and looking after lil man!

I've been out in the garden and I'm hoping to have it looking respectable soon. At least if this awful weather ever lets up. 

My sketch book arrived!! And I started doing some work in it only to find the paper is more suited to pencils rather than mixed media. Long story short I have a new one on order and yet again I can't wait to get started!!!!

I have been sewing but I seen to be slowing down a bit with my makes recently and only working on things I know I'll love and wear to death!!!

Much Love

Frankie