Showing posts with label stripes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label stripes. Show all posts

Sunday, 11 June 2017

Striped Pencil Skirt

Its Sunday, and what can I say I'm already facing the Monday blues. I've just eaten a huge pizza and I'm trying to convince Rikki to pop to McDonalds and get me a Mcflurry. It's not going well, apparently he wants to watch the F1 and he's just asked me if I've done the ironing and if he has work shirts and Lil man has school tops.......FYI they don't .

Mainly I'm just feeling a bit meh? Which seems ridiculous but its true, I've cleaned the house today so I'm hoping some sewing tomorrow evening will chirp me up. 


But here's a thing I made recently! [i.e possibly the start of may?] I got this striped fabric from the lady at the carboot, It's some sort of waffle fabric with no stretch. First of all I wanted to make a box pleat skirt but opening up the fabric revealed that it was just a very thin strip. So I had to skip my plan and make a pencil skirt instead. I also had to give p any idea of matching the stripes across the side seams.


I did however managed to squeeze out enough to try and make a "bow back" Which actually turned out pretty awful, I should have realised that this fabric was to still to make a beautiful draped bow. So far I've been wearing it tucked into the skirt so you can't see it. I also cut the waistband/bow on the other grain so these stripes are vertical.

But if you do want to make your own bow tie all you do is cut your waistband longer than you need and then whip stitch the edges closed, I also recommend using a fabric with a give of drape.
  

Here you can see the awful pattern matching, the annoying thing is whilst one side is pretty much matched the other side is a hot mess. The perils of working with less fabric than you need eh?


I;m trying to remember if its horizontal or vertical stripes that are meant to be flattering? 

The pattern is the pencil skirt from the 2nd great British sewing bee book.


Here's how it ties at the top, its actually a cut variation on having a button tab. I am wondering if maybe it would work better if the waistband were wider? so the bow would be bigger? Kind of like the "Jojo bows" all the lil girls at school are wearing? If you don't know what the "Jojo bow" trend is just picture a small girl [under the age of 13] with a MAHOOSIVE bow on her head, these bows are typically a bright colour and are cover in glitter or diamante. Yes they are hugely tacky, and yes I am trying to work out if I'm too old to wear one......... 


Apart from the bow the skirt also closes with a bad ass lapped zip. I mean this thing is beautiful, its definitely one of my neatest lapped zips and it went in first time! Any I think I've finally worked out how to make sure the actual zip is concealed under the lap as well.

In other news!

We are fast approaching the summer holidays! I'm looking forward to spend time with lil man but I know my sewing and "me time" is going to take a pretty big hit! On the plus side we also have a wedding coming up in August and I'm really looking forward to that.

 Rikki also won a Hoverboard this week! 

Image may contain: 2 people, people smiling, people standing

We popped to our local Holdcroft Renault so Lil man could see a F1 car they had displayed there and they had a racing simulator and said that you got to do two laps and your fastest time went p on the board and the fastest overall won a prize. Anyway because Rikki is Mr videogame he was gagging to have a go! I decided not to because simulators tend to make me feel a bit queasy at best. In fact watching Rikki made me feel a bit woozy!

But long story short he had the fastest time of the day and won!

He's already pretty good on the over hoverboard [which is kind of like a segway but without anything to hang onto] I on the other hand have no sense of balance and it took me agggesssss to get it and even now I'm not brilliant!!!!

Much Love 

Frankie

xxx


Friday, 15 July 2016

Worlds Softest Coco Dress

So after making my first coco dress by Tilly and the Buttons I just had to make another! 


This one is made from a poly knit from Abakhans. I had no idea what I wanted to make from this when I brought it home, But Its insanely soft and fluffy so I knew it was going to come home with me even if it was just so I could wrap myself up in it whilst binge watching desperate housewives!


I tried my very hardest to pattern match the sides which with stripes can be a bit of a killer! But I managed pretty well I think!


This is still in the size four, and now I'm definitely sure I need to go a size down.


Because its a bit loose so I've been wearing it with a belt. I had also cut the longer sleeves but I can't them for the 3/4 length because I didn't think the length suited me. 


Its a really great comfy casual dress and its so warm! Honestly its like being cuddled by a giant teddy bear! So I'm looking forward to wearing it in the winter when the weather turns colder [or ya know some point this week, hey British summer how you doing? fancy coming over to play?]

I think it'll be pretty good for the school run especially if I can get some thick tights or leggings.


Here's another shot of my pattern matching! I cut the sleeves on the cross grain though so I wouldn't have to deal with trying to match those. The effect ended up working out pretty well! 


I did ignore some of the pattern instructions for this version. Nothing major I just didn't hem the neckband until the end when I was doing the rest of my top stitching. Basically I'm too lazy to switch between my ball point needle and my twin needle so I just saved it all till the end.


In other news:

-the weather sucks, I honestly nearly did a cry walking to and from nursery today, I just felt so down in the dumps.

-and I started knitting a baby blanket last night during the football, at first I kinda hated it but now I think its really cute! I just don't think I'm going to have enough wool to make it big enough which means I'll have to do some sort of border which is a bit soul destroying!

Much Love

Frankie

xxxx



Wednesday, 9 December 2015

Okay then....

I freaked out my neighbour last week, and I mean freaked out! he caught me dragging bin bags out of our black bin, with rubber gloves on muttering to myself. Naturally he thought I'd put something in the bin with personal information on, like a bank statement or my passport.

Oh No! I lost a knitting pattern, yerp I went through three bin bags searching for a knitting pattern and I still didn't find it! Which means its still in the house somewhere lost.

Let me explain the knitting pattern wasn't mine, I had borrowed it from Mr Knitwits Nan, now if it had been my pattern id have just said screw it but because it was hers I was really upset!

Anyway the worst part was I actually need the pattern so I could finish the hat I was knitting! I'd finished the striping and now I needed to know the decreases.

And because I had to make it up myself it didn't turn out as cute as I would like.


I mean it's still cute but it's just not quite as cute as I would like, I think the only reason I get away with it, is because it's baby sized, and everything looks good baby sized.


It matches the baby booties I made a while ago, It still makes a nice set the hat is just a lil more bunched than I would like.  Plus the hat seems really big? Which got me wondering how big babies heads are? I dunno I just finished the pattern instructions [well apart from at the end!]


I knitted it I the smallest size in case any tiny babies turn up! You know just in case! 


In other news ; Christmas = Tiring 

Much Love 

Frankie

xxx