I absolutely love this bicycle print fabric. It’s been in my stash for a couple of years at least one of which it was halfway to becoming a Colette Meringue skirt. That was until yesterday when I made the decision to finally get it finished. There was one problem though. Over the pasy year or so I lost half the pieces I’d cut out so decided to improvise and just make up a nee skirt. I’m glad I did as this skirt is such a great fit and is so wearable I know I’m going to wear it loads.
I’ve managed to get the bulk of my dress together with only fitting the bodice more neatly and hemming to go so I thought I’d share with you my progress so far:
My favourite part so far is the bias binding on the arms and neck. I hand stitched it and I’m so glad I did as I think it just makes it look so much neater.
Hopefully the next time you see this it’ll be finished!
I have finally come in from the lovely weather and made a start of my vintage pattern this month. I was going to pick this one but when I went to look for it in my pattern folder I stumbled across this beauty and decided it would make a great summer frock…
I’m going for option C with the skirt length of option A. I am also going to use bias binding at the neck and arms instead of facings. Mainly because I am in love with my bias binding maker and I want any excuse to use it.
Choosing a fabric wasn’t easy but I settled on this lovely cotton I got in the John Lewis sale.
with that chosen I ironed out my pattern pieces and fabric and got started cutting and marking everything.
June was Indie Pattern Month and I came a bit late to the party (poor scheduling of drafts). I did manage to make a Colette Sorbetto top.
I thought that July would be a great time to do Vintage Pattern month. I love sewing up vintage patterns and have a collection waiting for some attention. I really fancy making some sweet summery dresses so I might get started with this bad boy….
I’ve made this before and worn it to death so I think it might be time to make another.
Would anybody else like to join in? Just comment below and let us know what patterns you’re going to be makign up.
After a very sad family time I was perked up by making my first Etsy sale! I didn’t expect this moment to be quite as exciting as it was but I was over the moon to think that somebody would pay money for something I made! I was beginning to get a bit downheartened that nothing was selling but this has re-energised me and I can’t wait for the next sale. I have a feeling this crafting thing is addictive! It should come with a warning!
So, for Take a Look Tuesday this week I decided to have a wee pre Christmas sale and for one week only, everything in my shop on Etsy will have 15% discount with code TALKT15. Don’t forget that as all of my items have free UK & Ireland postage this means there are some real bargains to be had!
I’ve also got some lovely items left over from the market at the weekend to add tonight.
So I’ve made it to week 2! Here are some of my favourite pinteresting things from last week.
First up this week we have this lovely poster featuring lomography cameras. Cameras are beautiful objects and I love to see them displayed like this.
I’ve tried my hand at embroidery once or twice and it’s always ended up a bit of a mess so I am utterly astounded when I see beautiful pieces like this, when I think of how much effort has gone into it I am in awe.
This is a gorgeous use of embroidery hoops and felt. It’s given me so many great ideas too!
Hmmm…there seems to have been some colour coordination this week, they all look so lovely together!
Take a Look Tuesday
This is a new concept to me. As far as I can tell, it is to promote your own blog/website/shop on Twitter with the hashtag, #TALKT. That’s all very good and I am sure a great promotional tool. However, I want to share what I’ve been looking at too. Some of my favourite blogs, shops, websites, anything really. So, here’s today’s TALKT choices;
Image from Modflowers
A blog I read a lot is Modflowers I love the style of the blog. The photographs are great and it’s written with a lovely mixture of humour and information. Not to mention, the items she showcases (and sells) are beautiful. I am such a sucker for vintage fabric and she finds creative ways to refashion old fabric into new pieces which retain the original vintage charm.
Image from K1 Yarns Knitting Boutique
If you’re ever in Edinburgh, do yourselves a favour and pay a wee visit to K1 Yarns Knitting Boutique on Victoria Street. It’s a very lovely little shop, choc full of the most delicious yarns. They also offer classes, though I’ve yet to attend one (shame on me). If you can’t make it to Edinburgh they do have an online store and when you are in the shop they are super friendly and helpful, I’m sure they would be just the same online.
So there we have it. Two to take a look at this Tuesday.
This week I was pretty short of time to get anything completed so my offering for the craft marathon is a wee flower brooch. I had some scraps of fabric left over from some clothes I’ve made and thought a wee brooch would look great on my plain black coat. I’m pleased with the outcome, mainly because I love the fabrics so much. I’ll put a post up soon with the clothes I made from the fabrics too. In the meantime here is my brooch.
I have a box filled with vintage sewing patterns that I’ve been too scared to use/cut up. I recently decided that this was a silly attitude as they were made to be used and I loved the designs so what was the point in keeping them boxed up and unused. So, with that in mind I embarked upon making this pattern.
I thought that the simplicity of this pattern would help me to ease into using my vintage patterns. I decided to make the short sleeved version, skipping the pockets ( I don’t need any more encouragement to carry more junk around with me!). I also decided on a self coloured collar. My choice of fabric was this great V&A one. I thought the stiffness of the cotton would really lend itself well to this pattern.
So, as an easy pattern I figured I’d get this finished in an afternoon, which I did. However, I ran into problems with the sleeves, which nearly lead to a sleeveless dress. They were unbelievably fiddly and still don’t quite sit as I’d like them, though that’ll be a change for another day. Other than that the pattern was a pleasure to complete and I got a fantastic sense of achievement when I finished. So here is the finished product, I’m a so pleased with it and get the impression I’m going to wear it to death. Now to tackle the rest of the box!
Sarah Quinn Designs 