Ma deuxieme Robe Sureau: The Dragonfly Dress

And I don't even like creepy crawlies!

But I fell in love with this fabric and had been eyeing it up for a while. Then I had lunch with my friend a few weeks ago - and  I screamed at her, "Anika, you're wearing the dress I want to make!" She'd only gone and turned up in a dress with a very similar pattern but larger (and green) dragonflies and my mind was made up, I had to have it!

I knew straightaway that it was to be another Sureau. But no sleeves this time. Initially I thought I would leave it sleeveless altogether but in the end, I preferred it with cap sleeves, yet again using the Washi dress pattern. That reminds me, this is part of Indie Pattern Month, celebrating all the  wonderful independent companies out there. Go and have a look at what everyone has been sewing up.

Oh yeah, I lengthened the ends of the sleeves to make them fit the armscye better - and ended up with Stormtrooper shoulders!! As I couldn't be bothered to unpick everything and make them smaller (lazybones like you wouldn't believe, me), I just put a little pleat in each sleeve and hand-tacked it down. I don't think you can tell tho so that's another trick up my sleeve for future reference (pun well and truly intended!)

The second boo boo was adding an extra 2-3cm to the centre back of the bodice to accommodate the zip and realising too late that the neck was a bit gapey. Again, laziness took too string a hold so I added a couple of pleats to the back neckline which seems to have righted the problem. Phew!

Basking in the sun...

The only(!) changes were:

1. Pockets again

2. Zip in the back, not the side

3. Cap sleeves

4. Lengthening the bodice by an inch and adding an inch or two to the skirt (so I can wear it to work without feeling too leggy)
5. Omitting the front buttons - altho I may still add them later, not sure yet

The pockets are an homage to my first Sureau, using up the last of the leftover fabric.

The fabric, actually a quilting cotton, is not at all stiff or rough (I was a bit worried seeing as I bought it online and hadn't had the chance to feel it up) and the dragonflies are really cute and not too big and scary.

I love, love, love the finished result! Great to wear as a summer dress (the photos are taken at RHS Rosemoor on a glorious day when I wore it for the first time) but warm enough in the winter with tights, boots and a cardi. Perfect!

I heart the Sureau!

Chasing butterflies

My very first attempt at PJs as part of the Pyjama Party sewalong over at Did You Make That!

The fabric I found at the rag market in Brum priced at a bargain £1.50 a metre is a supersoft cotton jersey.

Mini loved the butterflies...

This was only my second time sewing with jersey. This time, instead of using the stretch stitch on my machine, I decided to just use normal straight stitching but with jersey needles. I played around with the tension and the stitch length and made sure I stretched the fabric as I was sewing and it turned out fine - much better than the stretch stitch on my first jersey top.

I didn't use the Tofino pattern recommended by Karen. It looks great but I didn't get my arse in gear in time so I opted to draft my own pattern for the bottoms using an old pair of PJs and following an online tutorial at noodlehead. I really wanted to do the shirring at the back but my machine and the jersey had a major fall out so in the end, I used normal 1.5" wide elastic and followed this tutorial. Oh and I French seamed the life out of the whole thing to make it look and feel nice on the inside.

For the top, I used the Burdastyle Lydia T shirt pattern again. I really like it, it's a good fit  and very easy to assemble. As before I didn't use facings but put a  binding around the neck. And French seamed the entire top as well - the jersey was definitely thin enough to accommodate it without being too bulky.

So there it is, my first PJ mission complete and, as my friend Katie pointed out, my first pair of trousers! I know they're not go-out-in-the-street trousers, but still!

I'm excited to see what others have made. Hop over to Karen's blog tomorrow morning to find out... Did you make any?!

The best meetup ever!

Yesterday, I went to my first ever sewing bloggers' meetup. As it was local (Brum) I went into town on the bus, something I haven't done in ages.

I was gobsmacked at the number of girls that turned up - there was about 25 to 30 of us altogether! I was a bit nervous about it to be honest, I'd never done anything like this before where I met up with random strangers to go on a shopping spree. It didn't help that my hubby said to me as I walked out the door, "you're really brave to do this"....

But I needn't have worried! Everyone was so lovely. It was so weird knowing some of the girls from following their blogs but not really knowing them, you know what I mean?

We started off at Barry's - I was fairly restrained, spending a total of under £20:

Clockwise from top left: dark teal ponte knit (copying Jo), mystery chiffon-y print for a top, maroon heavyweight polyester (I think) for a work dress and grey suiting for my next sewing class project. The reason it was all so cheap was that that the print was £2 for 1m and the maroon fabric was £2 for 2m!

Then, after a thorough soaking, we made it to Cafe Soya for a delicious lunch, followed by an awesome mega swap!

I could only get half of the group in!

Here are my spoils from the swap:

I couldn't decide between the two green fabrics on the left so in the end I took both (sorry, Hannah!). I think there might be just enough to make (short) summer dresses (if the UK weather plays that is)...

After scoffing our faces, we roamed around the Rag Market (I only bought zips and knicker elastic here) and then everyone headed off home. But there was a little treat on departure - Claire had baked some amazing biscuits and brownies for the journey home, how thoughtful is that?

By the time I got home I was knackered so I just crashed on the sofa. I did, however, spend a little bit more money - Amy wore her lovely green aeroplane dress and had brought along a remnant for the swap. I didn't take it but did have a little feel and it was oh-so-soft. I couldn't resist looking it up online, seeing that it also came in a dark orange and, well, click click.... oops!

So thank you thank you thank you to Kat, Marie and Claire for organising. I had the most amazing day, it was fantastic to meet so many people who share a passion for sewing and fabrics. Oh and can I just say, the handmade outfits were fabulous!

How comfy is viscose?

So far in my dressmaking adventures, I have mainly stuck to cottons and other "safe" or beginner-friendly fabrics. But I've heard an awful lot about viscose (rayon to US/Canadian sewcialists). So when I spotted some suitable stuff at Barry's in "my" sorts of colours, I quickly snapped up a metre to try out.

And omg it's so soft to wear!

But a bugger to cut out! I took me ages to line up the selvedges and even when I thought I got everything spot on and cut, I realised that the front and back pieces of my top were not quite the same shape or size so the viscose must have moved!

I made a variation of the Sorbetto (again!) - this time with no pleat, looser and longer, and cap sleeves using the Washi pattern pieces. I love the way these tops are so easy to make - it took me only one afternoon from start to finish. And I think it's turned out pretty well!  ('Scuse the wrinkled photos, I'd been wearing it all day)

I'm not sure if you can see in the photo above, but the only slight problem with the neck is that I stupidly used a cotton bias binding (it was all that I had and I wanted to wear the top the following day) so the neckline does get pulled forward a bit more that I'd like. I should have made my own from the leftover fabric. Oh well.

And hey, because of my wonky cutting, I've actually ended up with a subtle high-lo hem!

I'm a Cambie copycat

Oh dear, I totally ripped off Rochelle from Lucky Lucille's idea of a neutral coloured Cambie skirt. I told her, though, so that doesn't totally count as stealing, right?

My original idea was to make a straight skirt (based on my tried and tested NL6843 with pockets) out of fabric that was left over from when I made my Wasp bag all those millennia ago. Remember? It's a gorgeously soft brushed cotton that I bought from (where else?) the Brum rag market. But when I saw Rochelle's version, I was smitten so I decided to pinch her idea emulate her.

Matchy matchy with my Wasp bag

I left it a bit longer initially (image above) but I didn't think it worked so I made it an inch or two shorter and I like it a lot more.

The Cambie skirt was a doddle to sew, I think I completed it in a few hours spread over two or three evenings. All the seams bar the hem have been finished with the same bias binding that I used on my olive button back blouse.

My buttonholing went horribly wrong due to the thick layers of cotton and waistband stiffener I used (have you ever used stiffener? It's amazeballs!) so it was time for my trusty press-stud-plus-fake-button trick again. If you look closely in the photo below, you can even see it looks like there's an actual buttonhole there because I couldn't get all of the damned stitches out!! Oh and I put in a pink zip because it matched the bias binding. Yes, I know you can't see the bias binding on the outside to figure out that the zip matches but tough sh*t, I know and that's all that matters.

I got to photograph it on a gorgeously sunny day with my lo-lo top. I think this skirt may well be a staple - a light colour for the summer but thick enough to wear with tights in the winter. Win!

Lo-lo top

I'm calling this my lo-lo top. It was supposed to be a hi-lo top. They seem to be all the rage at the moment and I thought I'd be trendy but in the end I was too lazy.

It's based on the Sorbetto, just lengthened and with a curved hem. All French seamed as the fabric (leftover from my turquoise Washi dress) is just that bit too sheer to leave unsightly seams on show. The neck and arm holes are finished with bias binding but I did my first proper rolled hem. Ooh, get me!

Well, when I say "proper" what I really mean is "wonky"

Lazy because I cut the back and front pieces the same size with the curved hem and then couldn't be bothered to recut the front piece shorter.

Hmm, does my bum look big in this?
Why, YES!

M to the power of 4: Week 3

Me Made May Mondays weekly roundup

Day 14: Maroon NL6808 top
and black cord NL6843 skirt

Day 15: Fake dotty day dress aka
Sorbetto top and S2215 skirt

Day 15: sun on my evening run

Day 16: Olive button back blouse
and denim Kelly skirt

Day 17: Maroon NL6808 top and
black cord pinafore dress

Day 18: Sleeved Sorbetto and
Cambie skirt (not yet blogged) 

Hmm, I think it's a tad long

Day 19: Washi

Day 20: Oh dear, it's
the Lydia top again

On Saturday I took my friend Katie (over from France for the weekend) on a fabric frenzy shopping spree. We went to the Cotton Patch, Guthrie & Ghani, the Birmingham rag market, Fancy Silk Fabrics and, of course, Barry's. Here are my spoils, bought just from the market and Barry's:

Clockwise from top left: a really soft, drapey, floral cotton (the bolt said "lib fabric" - does that mean Liberty do you think? - but it's not expensive enough!) £7.95 for 1m to make a blouse; another soft, drapey viscose with tiny blue/orange/black flowers at £3.95 for 1m again for a top; turquoise butterfly cotton jersey (to make pjs) £1.50/m, I bought 3m and lastly my favourite: a soft, flowy navy mystery fabric with white/pink/orange flowers  destined for a maxi dress (and a bargain at £8 for 4m!).

They have all been washed and dried and ready to rock!