Jubilee dressed

Today was Andy Murray in the Wimbledon final. I won't mention the result incase you don't know it yet, but the tennis was a good backdrop for my sewing of my red white and blue jubilee dress!

I bought this fabric a while ago to make a dress for the jubilee weekend. I thought the colours were just right without being too obvious and all in all rather festive. I didn't really get it finished in time though, but felt spurred on when i started watching the tennis this afternoon. And am pleased i will have it for when the olympic torch comes to sussex in a couple of weeks.

The fabric is a jersey so this dress is lovely and comfortable - just like a big t-shirt. Perfect for weekends and national events alike. Hurruh!

Yours
Britannia
 xxx

Diamonds are forever

Hello there,

It has been a long break for me from my blog - a whole month at least has passed. I have been up to much though - drawing patterns (for bridesmaids dresses - have i mentioned this? more news on this exciting project to follow!) finishing my dressmaking course (sad about that - but will show my final project as soon as i have finished sewing the buttons on to it) and found a little time for some other bits and bops. I think the main problem has been that i've started lots of things but not really finished anything...

... until today!

My diamond cardigan is complete!

 The front

the back has diamonds too

it is a good fit for me

I am pleased that my design worked out nicely. I used a couple of different lace designs from my knitting stitches book - one you can see for the main panels, and one i used for the cuffs and button bands. Both incorporated diamonds and moss stitch so really went well together.

I am pleased with the wool too. it was peter pan DK which is not at all expensive, but nice and soft, and i have over two balls left over. this is good to know for future projects.

I have a long summer break coming up soon and more time in the evenings now that my evening class has finished so I hope to complete some more things soon to show.

Catch up soon,

Emilia. xxxx

Robe d'été

Now the sun is shining and it is the season of summer dresses! I bought some fabric quite a while ago but just waiting for the right time!

I created this dress pattern based on one of my nighties and really pleased how well it worked out - my first attempt at a yoke design.

At the moment I am seeing if i can create some patterns in standard sizes to maybe be able to make some items to sell in my shop (i am not a very attentive shop keeper i fear!) I was pleased with this one so maybe a good start!

But for now i am mostly focussing my attention on enjoying the weather while it lasts. icecream anyone?

Yours summerly,

Emily. xx

here i am with the tomatoes - an update is due on those - they are massive and with small tomato bobbles now!

Diamond Dream

Now it is nearly june, and nearly six months since i bought something to wear. This challenge is going very well for me i think, but i did have one very hard moment a couple of weeks back when i saw a lovely blue cardigan at the market. that was the closest i came to breaking - but i resisted and my friend Eleanor bought the cardigan so that made it much easier to let it go.

But this encounter was just the inspiration i needed to break my knitters block. I have been suffering from this condition for a few weeks, since finishing the back of my feather and fan recycled cardigan. it was hard to get to the end of that piece and then i couldn't quite bring myself to start the front. 

So i didn't feel bad to buy some blue to make my cardigan dream come true.

I am using some Peter Pan DK for this project. a perfect shade and very soft and economical.

The original cardigan had some lace pattern panels and lace cuffs and a collar. That's all i can really remember which i think is probably good so that it is not exactly the same as the one Eleanor has. 

I started off with a moss stitch border and then I found this wonderful diamond lace and moss stitch pattern in my pattern book (book featured here!) It says it is difficulty level 'experienced' but i have found it quite straightforward really. 

And now it is all coming together nicely and i am really making good progress:

I like diamonds at the moment, with my diamond dress and the diamond jubilee and now my diamond knitting.

I hope to be able to update you with a finished item quite soon!

Much love,

Diamond geezer. xxxx

Mouse stop

My friend debbie (quite) recently crocheted this amazing doorstop. A mouse! I love it so much. 

All of our doors need doorstops, and i really love mice so i thought this would be a good addition to our home too. 

And i wasn't wrong - a lovely face he has: 

Here is my version. he looks quite different from debbie's (even though i copied her blue ear design) and from the one in the pattern. I like all the varieties.

He looks so lovely next to our door, but unfortunately he is not heavy enough to hold it:

Debbie used a kilo of rice in hers. mine just has 500g of pearl barley which i fear is not enough.

You can make a mouse using the pattern - it's a free one from Lion Brand and you can click here for that.

And this was a good project for me as i fear i have knitters block! More on this serious condition in my next installment.

That's all for now from me and mouse,
Dora x

Toosie

Something i do quite miss about not buying clothes at the moment is the pleasing feeling of finding a gem after a good old rummage in the charity shops. 

So imagine my delight when i uncovered a large piece of berry pink flecked fabric whilst on a little charity shop shop (now i just look for plant pots and teaspoons). it was such a lovely shade, and a real steal - i couldn't resist.

Hurruh!

As the fabric was quite a flimsy one i decided an A line skirt would be best, but was delighted to realise that there was enough fabric leftover to make a matching top. A two piece (a toosie?)

I created the pattern for my top from my easy fit block. I think this would be a good basis for an easy fit shift dress in the future.

I really enjoy wearing this outfit. It's so seventies, but i think in a good way.

And speaking of the seventies, this afternoon i purchased this fabric from etsy:

It's coming from america, but i am really hoping it will arrive in time for me to make a jubilee dress. i think it will be ideal - red, white, blue and gold. i really want something with a frill. festive. 

Yours berry nicely,

Emilia. xxx

growing...

Last weekend it was time to repot my tomatoes. They have come a long way in the last few weeks

I only got 3 plants from my 5 seeds, and one is quite small so i've put her in the middle to help a bit. I got this big trough for them so i hope it will be enough space for them. 

Now i just have to wait for some fruits!

the plants are in front - but this does just look like a picture of the houses across the road!

Also i am really pleased because my wax plant has blossomed. i love these little flowers so much. so so pretty:

And this evening my mum gave me a piece of her moth orchid - there are no signs of flower stems yet but i would love to see that bloom.

yours blooming marvellously,
Emilia. xxx

My Dieppe Dress

A couple of weeks ago Rich and I went on a trip to Dieppe. I decided this was a very good occasion for a new dress, and the perfect oppertunity to use my blue linton tweed. 

This fabric sort of reminds me a bit of some of the under the sea inspired items from Chanel's spring/summer show so i thought a very good choice for our sea voyage.

I decided one of the objectives of the trip was to eat a lot of baguette and cheese and so i decided an easy fit style would be best (also for optimum comfort whilst travelling) I used my easy fit block and cut in a V neck and moved the shoulder dart to create a french dart (what else?) 

Here i am in the finished product - with mouse!

I had a bit of a glitch at the neck line when sewing in the facing as the weave of the fabric is quite large and i got one of the warp threads caught up which has created a bit of a distortion. I am a bit worried about making it worse though so hoping it will stretch into place with time. for the time being i can just keep my cardigan on! 

and here i am ready for the voyage

I am really pleased with this one. I love the fabric so much and it really is so comfy.

This morning i have been enjoying catching up on my blogs and found this post and all the comments about the proportion of clothes home-seamstresses aim to make very interesting. My hand making challenge is going well i feel - i am not missing shopping at all and i think not having the shops to fall back on is really helping me be more careful in my sewing and making every piece count.

Yours blue bell,

Emilia. xx

Pin tucks and button holes

Another term of dressmaking has begun tonight so i must show you what i achieved last term with my spring term project - my chiffon blouse.

Let me remind you of my original imagining:

And here is the result:

I am really pleased with all the new things i learnt. Although i have made costume blouses before, it was quite different making this blouse for real life wear.

• Welt seams (probably not the best choice with this fabric, but pleased to incorporate a new technique!)
• Peter pan collars (properly faced and finished)
• Button holes - my sewing machine is capable of automatic buttonholes - this was a real revelation.
• Cuffs and sleeve openings. On the costume blouses the openings were in the sleeve seam, but I learnt how to construct and finish them properly.
• Pin tucks (i did these here before i did the lilac blouse for the show)

A really good term i'd say! And i am really pleased to have a new blouse. And one that fits so well - with shoulder seams on my shoulders and sleeves the perfect length!

I am keen to make a version of this blouse in silk next - now that i am more confident with what is involved, and that my pattern is a goodun. And perhaps a couple of sleeveless cotton versions for the 

summer. Hurruh!

Tonight i went back to evening classes for my final term and started to draw out an easy fit jersey block. i think i want to make a cardigan and have found some lovely jersey fabrics online. but perhaps i should start basic until i am confident.

Yours buttoned up,

Emilia. xxx

If at first you don't succeed

Surely you are wondering by now - what are you knitting?!

Well, after success with my previous reknit, i decided to take on another of the recycling projects in my stash (have a few- op).

I had this colinette jitterbug about 5 years ago. my mum has made a few of a feather and fan design cardigan which i think is just the best design for this blended yarn. After having a close up look at one of hers, i decided that i wanted to try one myself.

I remember i had knitted myself a jumper from a pattern before this, but this was definitely my first encounter with 4 ply, and so the first instruction in the pattern: 'cast on 148 stitches' - was quite overwhelming and instead i made the decision to only cast on 108. I was also quite hesitant to spend my money on wool then so really made quite a scrimped version of the cardigan, and although it did fit, it wasn't the same at all.

So although i did think it was pretty, i never really wore this one. And made the decision quite a long time ago that i would reknit it properly this time!

And so i have started. You can see it is a feather and fan lace pattern which means that although the rows are quite long, there's a bit of variation. And the colours make it quite exciting too.

i'm pleased i have made a start on some more reknitting. I loved the wool when i first bought it, and it is disheartening when projects don't work out first time, but this is lovely to see new things come of those old balls of wool.

Yours feathered and fanned,
Emilia. xx

squares

Although i did find my last quilting project a little bit of a chore, i have decided that i am going to have another go to make some cushion pads for our wooden dining chairs. I just love the finished effect - even if i don't find the production quite so much fun.

I got this beautiful fabric from my friends Marian and Hellen for my birthday last year. Marian is a quilting guru so i am trying my best to make her proud with this project.

I am really pleased with progress so far.

First i cut the fabric into small squares:

And then i layed them out into the four cushion squares. This picture looks like quite a big mess, but hopefully soon you will see some order appear...

I have done really well sewing the squares together - here you can see they are in slightly different stages of development.

I am enjoying this project much more than i expected. I think now i have a good method of production, and i think because the fabric is nice and crisp and the cushions are all quite small, this has been a nice pastime for the evening.

I think soon i'll be finished!

Yours patchily,

Emilia. xx

Diamonds are forever

I am really pleased with this dress i made from some of my new spring fabric.

I love this diamond pattern so much.

standing up straight (the dress doesn't have sleeves - i am just wearing a vest)

I was having a bit of a brain dead day when i decided to embark on this project and cut out my pattern pieces in a very strange way. it meant that my skirt ended up a tiny bit shorter then i would have liked and my diamonds don't really match at all. I was quite annoyed with myself at the time as this fabric is so amazing, ad i wanted the dress to be perfect too, but as ever, time is a healer and I am starting to forget those gripes and really love this now.

I want to make another linton dress in time for easter, but i am running out of time i fear! Perhaps good friday will be a good sewing day. wait and see!

Yours diamond light,
Emilia. xx