Being rubbish at blogging!

So, it has been a while... The frequency of my blogging as taken a nose dive! This unfortunately is not due to a lack of seeing. I'm still working my way through an ever increasing 'to make' list and just haven't gotten around to the photography part. Apologies, I'm rubbish! I have so many lovely makes to blog about, so watch this space. 

I have also been taking part in Me Made May '15, but have been so unorganized in my photography of outfits. My pledge was to wear at least 1 handmade item during the week and at least 1 at the weekend. I've actually been sticking to it. My Alder's make such a lovely work or casual outfit choice, they've seen a lot of wear. I've also worn my rose printed chambray Emery to work. 

I'm also trying to make some of my me-mades more wearable. I have quite a few dresses in particular that just aren't 100% right, so I'm not wearing them. My Emery was part of that group, because the lining at the front was sewn in too tight making the front bodice bag in the middle. It was a really quick fix of unpicking the front lining and resewing it. Other garments that need my attention are my 50's Mortmain (it's too big around the waistband), I made adjustments to my festive one, so this should be quick and easy. Also, my two (yes two! One is unblogged at the moment) Anna dresses that just need a bit of facing attention. This may or may not be a pressing issue. I hope to sort these issues out before the end of May.

My current 'to make' list is as follows:- 

1. Adapt a trial Colette Moneta that i've made to allow it to be wearable. (It currently has a peach top and stripey bottom that looks terrible together). I need to remove the skirt and attempt either a different style skirt (maybe circular) or a different fabric (plain to avoid dodgy looking stripes). 
2. Cut out the pattern and fabric for my first pair of Sew Over It Ultimate Trousers. I have already stuck the print out together and washed the fabric, so i'm all ready to start making. I'm going to risk using a nice fabric because they look quite easy to fit if incorrect. (You will love the fabric!)
3. Make a 2nd True Bias Southport Dress (I know you've not even seen the 1st one). I liked the first one, but there are some changes I would like to make to the pattern in order to make the second one different and suit my figure a bit better. I've chosen some lovely linen fabric, so i'm looking forward to the outcome. 
4. Something in a stunning little pineapple fabric I found on Etsy(Check it out here - however I bought a black on natural version - Kinda wish I'd bought the vermilion too!). Suggestions of pattern would be gratefully received.

So, all in all, I apologize for my rubbish blogging skills and endeavor to be better and more frequent. This weekend is my aim to photograph some of my unblogged garments.   

See you soon!

My prize haul...Thank you Gather!

I've gradually been gathering up my prize haul from my festive competition win. Before the Christmas break I was sent voucher codes for The Village Haberdashery (25 GBP) and Guthrie and Ghani (30 GBP). I was eager to start shopping! Knowing that I was visiting the UK over Christmas meant that I saved a bit of money on delivery, so I got plenty for my money. I decided to buy the fabric below from The Village Haberdashery. The fabric on the left is an Alison Glass handcrafted cotton fabric (available here in graphite). The fabric on the right is a hand painted effect viscose. Both fabrics are really lovely and I made sure that I got 3 metres of each so that I can make a dress from each if I so choose. I'm sure you'll agree that they are stunning?!

From Ghani and Guthrie I decided to buy patterns (see here for their extensive range). I have coveted both the Sew over it! Betty dress - a stunning little 50's style number and the By hand Anna dress - a very versatile dress that can be made short or long for a while. I love the packaging of both and it is such a treat to have a physical pattern, instead of printing a PDF. 

After picking up my lovely fabric and patterns from the UK, I returned to Hong Kong anticipating the arrival of my other prizes. After a long, jet lagged day at work, I managed to make it to the Post Office. I was super excited to open the package and reveal these beautiful Gather patterns (thank you ladies!) and also a surprise prize, which was The secrets of sewing lingerie book! I wasn't expecting this, so I was very happy. I have never approached underwear as a me made item, but now it's certainly an option. It's a beautifully put together book, with great photographs and clear instruction. I'm looking forward to getting stuck into it!

I now have a massive 'to sew' list and can't wait to get started!

My Fifties Mortmain by Gather...

After two lovely public holidays here in Hong Kong, it isn't surprising that I've done a little bit of sewing! I've had the Michael Miller - Jug or not? fabric sitting their looking at me, so I decided to make my third Mortmain by Gather. The previous ones turned out pretty well, however I decided to make some small adjustments to the pattern. 

The bust darts on the front were about 2cm too high in the spot and stripe version of this dress. I decided to split the pattern and lengthen it above the dart (I remembered to do the front and back!). I hoped that this would improve the overall fit because I do have a long body. I also decided to alter the skirt from the box pleats of the original to a gather. Because the fabric is so bold, I was worried about lining up the pleats correctly. I think that the finished garment proves that I made some good decisions. The silhouette with the gathered skirt is really flattering for my figure and I am now very happy with the dart position. 

I really love making this pattern up and would certainly recommend it to anyone who is confident at lining up seams. This is very important with this dress in particular due to the waist panel.

This dress is going to be a great addition to both my summer and winter wardrobe. With Hong Kong winters not being the coldest i've experienced, it will certainly be warm enough and could be teamed with tights and boots if I get chilly!