Hen Party!

Okay so this was going to be a lovely post showing you the dress I made for my hen party, BUT naturally I went to newlook in the morning looking for a swimming costume and came out with a dress! So I wore that instead! Plus as always I'd left it much too late to hem it so that's on my to do list today!!! And its a circle skirt so that'll be fun! 

Anyway much fun was had, we went for a lovely meal at the cotton mill in Newcastle under Lyme and then onto reflex nightclub! Sadly my poor bridesmaid had to leave as she wasn't feeling well [as it goes she has bacterial tonsillitis!]

It was great fun to let my hair down and have a good old giggle and I felt so lovely wearing my cheap newlook find! Even if it was WHITE! and I really don't do colour!!! I really loved it though and I'm desperately trying to find some fabric that's very similar because and brace yourselves for this...... Red wine got spilled on it and wiped off. AND IT WIPED OFF! 

AND THE WINE WAS RED

AND THE DRESS WAS WHITE

I'll give you all a moment to digest that

Honestly I thought my night was done for and then it just came off, we did a minimal amount of blotting with soda water but other than that you couldn't really tell!

As soon as I've worked out what fabric is I'll let you all know, ans then we can swath ourselves in full outfits made of white and not worry about stains!!!!

Much Love

Frankie

xxx

Lace Crop Top

Okay so I think I have a thing for crop tops? Its becoming like an actual thing!!! This one came about because I was going to do fancy dress for my hen party and the theme was going to be 80's but people seemed kinda meh about the idea, and the idea of just me and like two other people turning up in fancy dress filled me with sheer terror!!!! So I cancelled the fancy dress part and just said to dress nice.

Anyway this was based off Madonnas like a virgin outfit, and to say its made from old net curtains and some other scraps of white fabric I think its pretty cute. 

The pattern is from the third GBSB book its the pattern hack from the corset I didn't do a zip from and instead sewed 14 eyes [from hook and eyes] up the front so I could make it corseted. That was completely spur of the moment but ended up being my favourite feature. But it does take quite a bit of "jiggling" to get everything to sit right and to make sure the front isn't ruched p from the ribbon.

The straps are recycled from an old bra and aren't quite long enough so pull it p a bit too much, meaning I have to pull it down. I'm going see how much this annoys me before I unpick them and replace them. The whole thing is lined so It looks super pretty on the inside, I didn't do flat felled seams because flat felled seams with lace seemed like a lot of effort.

Overall I'm pretty pleased with it, I'm really loving crop tops at the moment for layering under tops and wearing with oversized men's shirts!!

Funnily enough I left this on after taking these pictures and a jar of pasta sauce exploded all over me. And I mean all over from my freshly washed hair, to my white lace crop top to my skinny jeans. Could not have been more peeved if I tried! 

I have no idea if the stains going to come out, I have soaked it in vanish but I don't have high hopes!

anyway in other news! I'm getting my hair done today so expect selfies!!!!!!!

and I'm taking part in the #sewphotohop so Ill be doing weekly round ups for those of you who don't have Instagram or don't follow me [although if your not following me WHY NOT!!!! Your missing out on some serious sewing goodness, and also my face!!!] 

Much Love

Frankie

xxx

He plays play station and I sew, we don't speak, we just silently accompany each other....

The title pretty much sums up me and mr Knitwit during lil knitwits nap time! 

It gives me a good chance to embroidery or knit and fully relax, just me and my thoughts! 

This is what I'm working on at the moment. 

I started it just before Christmas, but I have no idea what it's called it's basically white stitches on white fabric with wadding In between, I originally thought it was called white work but I'm pretty sure that's to do with lace? 

It's good fun though and it's nice not to have to think about colour! After all wouldn't life but a lot easier if everything was black and white?! 

I free handed the design using one old my traditional embroidery books as inspiration! 

In other news lil knits transitsion back to nursery went smoothly, and we got Netflix! YAY! I love a good box set! 

I've already started on gossip girl (which gives me major clothing envy! And hair envy! And well everything envy! 

And me and mr Knitwit have started American horror story, we watched episode 1 last night and well it's a bit strange! But it does had Connie Britton, who also gives me hair envy! 

Any other TV series recommendations?

Much love

Frankie 

Xxx

 

White suit refashion

Todays post is a refashion I started off with my mums old white suit. I think she brought this suit when I was about five? so were talking the nineties here! It was a very expensive suit and well loved , but sadly no longer used. Enter : youngest daughter! I quite happily took the suit off her, and although I think I'm going to keep the trousers as is (they are fully lined in a classic cut!) I decided the jacket needed a bit of a revamp!

This is how it started out, its a size 16 but to be honest I'd say its a pretty slim size wise closer to a twelve or a fourteen. it has side splits on each size and the buttons go down to about the waist, there are also four more buttons on the cuff of each sleeve (these are false buttons!)

Right that's enough of the dull stuff lets cut it up! First I took out the shoulder pads (by the way who looked at women's bodies and went "shoulders? they should be bigger? I mean I get boobs and bums but shoulders?) Anyhoo these weren't huge but because the jacket was a little bigger than me anyway they sat funny on my frame, plus they make me think about pillows, which in turn makes me sleepy.

next I very neatly stitched up the front placket of the jacket from underneath the buttons, and unpicked the sleeves and hemmed them.

But it didn't quite seem finished so I whipped out my machine and made a small lapel for each shoulder.

And then hand stitched them in, I found it far easier to hand stitch than use my machine in this item because of all the layers, I wanted to make sure that people could see that it was still a quality item even if it had been altered! after the lapels were sewn on I added one of the spare buttons from the sleeves to each one.

And being that I'm a saucy wench, I didn't sew up the side slits, instead I brought out one of my favourite items my white slip! I decided to leave them open so I would always have the option of using it as a top or dress!

WARNING: here comes the posing! And the awkwardness, and for some strange reason my guitar!

I've had the belt for years and sadly you cant see my cowboy boots, but they are the same ones I used during OWOP

There so pwetty!

here we have a side view, please ignore my serve paleness, I swear I'm not albino. I just don't doo well in sunlight.

I read somewhere that posing is easier of you have props but this one might me the most awkward of the bunch!

By the way I think I could definitely get a country album based solely on this shot right?

Or may be I'll just stick to sewing!

Much Love

Frankie

xxx