an exciting delivery

so i should fill you in on the latest of dressmaking activity over the past couple of weeks.

It all began when this enormous parcel arrived for me!
What could it be (i already knew!)

my wedding dress fabric! sent on the rolls. How special is THAT?

And just in good time too. Rich went to Southend-on-sea-on-Saturday and it gave me a really good long run of wedding dress making.

It took me quite a long time to get started (i think perhaps some subconscious fear) but i had a lot of fun unwrapping the fabric and draping it about (i am very pleased with my fabric choices - it took a lot of thought to work out what to choose but my 'less is more' theory paid off)  I had to make a small adjustment to the paper pattern as the toile had highlighted a bit of bagginess in the bodice and this seemed like a real chore to start, but once i got into the swing of it i really managed to get a lot done- much more than i first hoped.

Then i had a panic when i realised Rich would be home soon, so here is headless Harriet with a duvet over her and strict warning:



I don't think Rich will peek though. He is very trustworthy.

I will be very excited to reveal this project. Only 10 more weeks... uh... oh.....

x  x x x

Snow day - knit day

Last week on tuesday we had a lovely surprise


a snow day! (there doesn't look like a lot of snow in this picture, but the sun came out in the afternoon and the sky was blue)

I used my day wisely to catch up on missed episodes of Call the Midwife, and also managed to finish my rowan colourspun cardigan!

I am really happy to have a project done. It felt a little bit like they were piling up a bit!

And now some spring weather please?

Please?

Happy Mothers Day

For my mum this year I made mini simnel cakes from this lovely book.























I am sad that I forgot the marzipan centre though. This taught me a good lesson to read all the instructions before getting carried away! But on the plus i found some lovely dried fruit called 'orchard mix' full of dried apricots and pears and prunes and sour cherries. i hope they are a lovely treat for my lovely mum.

cardi-sock

As you might be able to tell, i am in full wedding mode at the moment and very much enjoying all the opportunities for beautiful projects! Although our wedding will be in June, i really can't ever leave the house without a cardi, especially if i am going to be out into the evening! And so i thought it an essential task to knit myself a woollen for this occassion.

It has been quite a marathon to find a pattern for this project - i think i spent longer on this than even finding my dress pattern! To begin with i saw some beautiful bolero type cardigans,  but I had to think of the dress and what would go best. and also they didn't really look all so warm (this is the good thing about looking for a pattern in february - you are a good judge of what will be snug) so i thought the best thing for style and practicality would be a neat fitting waist length cardigan that i could button up for warmth if needed.

So that narrowed it down a little, but then i decided  I wanted something lacy because that is the prettiest. I knitted so many samples from my knitting stitch book, and scoured the internet for all patterns. I think i was being very fussy!!

Then i came across this pattern. For a sock (this one is called Lingerie and is by Maria Naslund, available on Ravelry) Such a pretty one!  This was the lace i was searching for! just not quite the right garment. Although i was worried i was making life very difficult for myself i decided to have a go at transplanting (right word?) the lace designs in the sock onto a cardigan pattern. It was quite tricky working out the number of stitches i needed but now i have got myself set up it is quite straightforward to use the charts in the sock pattern. I've had to do a couple of alterations to the pattern as the cardigan doesn't have the same shapings as the sock, but I am hopeful!

The wool i am using is quite a plain one. i had always thought i would want to really splurge and use a silk or cashmere, but when it came to it, i felt it would look sweeter to have something simple and a bit woolly and i got some lovely cream merino wool 4ply from blacksheep yarns (i recommend this supplier for some very good prices and some lovely wools)

Here is a glimpse at the beginnings. i don't want to give too much away, but also i am very pleased with how it is going and not very good at being secretive. Rich has seen this much too so i don't need to worry about him stumbling across this picture. As it grows though i know i should try to be a bit more mysterious.

yours laced up (finally!),
emilia. xxx

third time lucky

Last week there was a hint of the spring, but now the chill has struck us again i am pleased i am knitting a lovely and warm cardigan.

I decided to go for another knit up of the supersoft lace yoke cardigan, first created last january (here) in black angora, and then again in december (here) in cream and sparkly for Jess' wedding. Now i am using the beautiful Rowan Colourspun I received for christmas to make my third version. it is really grand to have found a pattern i love and trust to be a gem and i can't wait to be wearing it.

here we are - rowan colour spun in colourway 'semer water' 276 - lovely greys and blues and purples

I am getting there now. i hope that i can finish soon as i think it will be a good one in these cold times. it feels like it's going to be very snug - just what's needed.

yours,
emilia. xx

Wedding Toile

Now I am focusing my dressmaking energy on the ultimate indulgent project - my wedding dress! (YES!)

This weekend Rich went to visit his mum so i was able to make my toile. And i am very excited now. The pattern i've chosen is perfect (except that there were two quite important pieces missing, but I have found a replacement for those so panic is over!)

I can't really show you any pictures yet though. it's a secret! but i will be able to share more come June.

This has been so useful to me too as as really made me think about the fabric i need. I am learning a lot about the qualities of the different silks. And after much poring over my samples i have finally made up my mind regarding the lace! I think that is the hardest part over now - it was quite overwhelming at times, but know i have done my mock-up, i am certain of my choice.

(these are a few of the samples - all so beautiful)

All this has made me so excited.

yours, emilia bride. xx

Glitter Knitter

Using the pattern for my soft yoked cardigan, I got some festive cream wool and knitted this one for my bridesmaid's evening outfit.

Here we are in action! You can see me here with my new camera - Diana Mini!

The wool was called Aria DK by James C Brett. I went for it because of all the sequins.



A lovely special knit for a lovely special occasion.

yours glitter knitter,
Emilia. xxx

9 blue dresses...

...hanging on my door

It is that time of year again ... show time! And I have been chipping in with some costume making. These dresses are part of the schoolgirl's costumes. They are wearing them with little white pinnies and they look so lovely in them (although to the girls themselves this style of dress is just not cool!)

If you can, you should definitely go along to the show, A Cautionary Tale, performed by the Sussex Youth Ballet Company. A guaranteed treat.

In stitches

I enjoyed making my new year's resolutions last year and am pleased that I kept them in mind for the whole year. I am particularly pleased i managed to go a whole year without buying a single item of clothing (just some tights) and also pleased that i managed a recycled project and a half and also a fairisle knit. The only challenge I didn't manage to complete (I know there were only four of them!) was progress with my cross stitch (the short story of this project can be found here). However, I am keen to make this a priority project this year, now that Rich and I have booked our WEDDING and 2013 will be our wedding year (!!!!), I think that this would be a lovely thing to complete in commemoration.

Here is a little update of my progress so far (2010 - present) The space in the middle is for some words, and there is also a place for my name and the date so there is lots of ways to make it a meaningful momento.

And it will be a good chance to develop my patience and commitment. Essential wife skills! 

Yours embroiderly,

Emilia. xxxxx

Snow Jumper

Now i have a few projects to catch up on in my interim, so i will start with a little bit of knitting i did last autumn.

One of my new year's resolutions for 2012 was to do some fairisle knitting, and in the summertime I found the perfect pattern - this black and white beauty in Debbie Bliss magazine 7 fall/winter 2011.

At the time i saw this i had never seen fairisle in just black and white - although i have seen a few examples since. 

To give you an idea, i did quite a lot of this knitting while watching the olympics! That does seem a long time ago indeed. But it was quite a lot later in the year that i finally finished:

Although it does look like a tricky one, it was actually quite easy to knit. Each row was very straightforward and so taking it one at a time and watching the design grow from that was a treat. The hardest part really was keeping my wools from getting too tangled and twisted.It has been a gem this winter - that fairisle adds a bit of warmth - very good for cold weather days. And rather topical at this snowy time.

Yours snug in a rug,

Emily. xx

Bridesmaids made

Hello there, hello then,

Here i am!

I decided to come back - after SUCH a long break from my blog. The last couple of months were quite busy with bridesmaid's dressmaking - too much doing and not enough writing! I feel like this is rather a massive leap since my last post - so much missed. But Jess' wedding was a spectacular event, and the dresses were such a triumph - i was so proud to have been given such a role in the celebrations.

I was a bit silly not to take any photos of them myself, but the pro wedding pictures are back, and here we all are captured beautifully (i like this picutre!):

And doesn't Jess look a beautiful bride!

This was a dressmaking feat and a half for me, but i am so pleased i was able to do it. I was quite nervous the night before the wedding - the responsibility of the task hit me! But once we were all dressed i was much better. And with the stoles and gloves i think the effect was wonderful.

And there will some more exciting projects coming up for me, but for now i am enjoying the completion of this grand project, and a small time of rest for me and my sewing machine (but not for long!)

Happy new year, and nice to see you again. And see you soon (it's a resolution)

Lots of love,
Emilia. x

brides-made

Now i am back to work and it seems like the time is flying away from me! I have completed quite a few projects since my last update though so much to tell.

But for now I am just feeling very proud of my weekend's work - my Bridesmaids dress! It is not quite finished but i am so pleased. 

Last weekend i started to make a serious plan of action. Making the plan is fun, but sticking to it is quite hard. but so far all good. Hopefully there will be more updates like this!

And doesn't Harriet look grand in her pearls!

xxx