My first Megan dress...

After my victory of yesterday (still very excited!), I have found time to day to share my first attempt at the Megan dress by Tilly and the Buttons. This dress is from her 'Love at first stitch' book and is a fairly straight forward make. I decided to use some lovely balloon fabric that I bought from modes4u.com to make it, so it has a celebration theme - Hence the photograph with the Christmas tree again! 

The main skills that this dress teaches you is an invisible zip fastening (which I use on most of my makes, so not a learnt skill here), inserting sleeves (quite straight forward on this dress actually) and an open ended dart (a new one on me, but very easy - just don't sew into a point). The open ended dart is designed to give a softer look to the shaping than a traditional dart. Tilly gives great guidance on doing this in her instructions, so no problems there! I decided to add lining to the bodice pieces to avoid using a facing. This worked well and was joined in at the armholes when the sleeve was added.  

In regards to the finished article, it's certainly well made. I'm please with my pattern matching, zip and sleeves - three things that can be dodgy! However, i'm not convinced that this shape of dress suits me. I managed to fit the dress at the back neck as this was gaping, so the size is correct, I think it is just the silhouette that i'm unhappy with. I think my curves are just too prominent! I certainly think that i'm more of a Lilou girl (see here) and should stick with this shape as much as possible. Next task is to do a pattern hack involving the shape of the Lilou and the sleeves of the Megan; wish me luck! 

P.S. Ignore my disgruntled face, It's just an unfortunate photograph!

Second Picnic Blanket Skirt...

Whilst on one of my many recent trips to Sham Shui Po, I picked up this lovely little fabric. It has a woollen quality to it, which i'm guessing is acrylic and it has a random cream printed spot pattern on a lovely rich navy background. 

I made the easy decision to make a second Picnic Blanket Skirt. My first one was a very simple make, with a very effective outcome. This no pattern make by Tilly and the Buttons involves some simple measurements and only a few simple stages of manufacture - seam, placket, gather, waistband, buttonholes, buttons and finally hem. (See instructions here) This time I went with a dark wood button, which compliments the navy very well. 

As you can see, the fabric does crease when it's worn, but I think that this blends in with the overall aesthetic quite well. This skirt sits lower in the waist than the first one, which should suit lots of my existing tops. 

My next question is, do I make another Picnic Blanket Skirt, this time in Christmas fabric? 

A second Lilou dress...

After saying I was taking a break from Tilly and the Buttons makes, I was at a loose end, so I decided to create a second Lilou! The first one turned out ok, however I did need to take it in at the back, so I chose to make a few alterations to the pattern this time. I took 2.5cm off the centre back seam and also took 1cm off the front waist dart to improve the overall shape and fit. I also decided to move the straps over 1cm towards the centre back as it was not sitting perfectly flat. 

Once I had made the changes to the pattern, the cutting and sewing process was quite quick and I managed to finish it in about 4 hours. The fully lined bodice is a delight to do now that I have experience. I chose a white cotton lining as I figured that a self lining might show through. 

Overall, I am really pleased with the final garment. The fit is loads better than Lilou number 1 and the navy and white gingham fabric matches my capsule wardrobe colours! My only issue is that the checks don't match up precisely at the back zip. However, this is just a small detail that can be solved by wearing a cardigan. To be honest I don't think the general public would notice at all, it's just me being picky!

I have several work's in progress now, so i had better pick up the pace with my making and stop getting distracted by quick and simple projects! With Christmas garments and gifts to make, it's going to be a busy few weeks!

Chevron patterned Coco!

So I said in my previous post that I purchased some chevron patterned cotton jersey from Spotlight in Singapore. This is the make I used it for! After the success of my first Coco, I knew that I wanted to make more garments from this wardrobe building pattern. 

Chevron patterned fabric is something I have coveted for a while and have yet to find any for clothing in Hong Kong. I had considered purchasing some Riley Blake chevron fabric from modes4u.com, but it was quite pricey so I decided to wait. I'm very glad because I totally love this red, fine stripe version. It's a challenge to look at, especially with the funnel neck and cuffs! However I do enjoy the pattern it creates at the joining point. It is certainly a statement piece! 

The manufacture went smoothly and substituting a sewn neckline with the funnel neck made it even easier to sew than my first Coco (see here). I used the hemming tape that I also bought from Spotlight to help with the finishing of the hem. This made the process extremely easy and i'm sure that a novice with knitted fabric would find this very straightforward.

I'm now almost looking forward to the weather getting cooler here in Hong Kong so that I can wear all my lovely new wintery clothes! I'm off to Beijing on a course on Wednesday, so this little number might make it into my suitcase. 

Has anyone else made a statement Coco? 

Love at first stitch - My first Lilou dress...

The third item in my Tilly-fest is a Lilou dress from Tilly and the Buttons - Love at first stitch book. It's a cute little dress (the last make in the book, so i'm guess it was the most difficult.)that has a fully lined bodice and gathered skirt (there are instructions to pleat the skirt too). The fastening is an invisible zip in the back (I used a black one and it blended in perfectly).  

I had planned to make my first Lilou in the 50's Jug or not fabric, but as this only comes in a narrow width, the full skirt wouldn't fit. Instead I decided to make it up in this crazy squirrel print that I found in Sham Shui Po. Brown is not a colour that I use frequently, but I just couldn't resist the squirrels! At just $20HKD a yard, it was a total bargain too! On reflection, I really like the colour. I think it is going to make a great autumn crossover dress for when the weather is still warm in Hong Kong, but I feel like wearing wintery colours (November is probably the start of that weather). The dress is quite spacious, so I could even put a long sleeved top underneath and make it into a winter dress! Although the thickness (or should I say thinness?!) of the fabric might prevent this.  

Hats off to Tilly for another brilliant pattern. My only adjustments were to take about 4cm off the back seam to stop the dress from bagging. I think this is a combination of choosing a best fit when selecting the size and also the nature of the lightweight fabric. I think a lightweight invisible zip would have made this process less necessary. I think I would make this pattern again and maybe consider using a heavier fabric to make it more wearable in winter. I imagine a lovely tartan would make up perfectly! 

This is my last Tilly and the Buttons make for a while now, i've got several other garments that are on my WIP pile. This includes an item of menswear! This will be my first adventure into this, so fingers crossed i'm happy enough with the garment to blog about it!  

My first picnic blanket skirt!

So, I have had a bit of a Tilly-fest recently. One of these Tilly makes is a pale, spotty denim picnic blanket skirt. The instructions for making this skirt are on the Tilly and the Buttons website and handily, you don't need a pattern. All you need is a notebook, a tape measure and your brain. With just my waist measurement and a skirt length required, it ended up being a fairly straightforward process. I marked out the rectangles for the front and back skirt pieces and waistband using a fabric pencil. Other than that, I just needed 3 pieces of interfacing - for the waistband and buttonstands. 

I am extremely pleased with the finished article, I have found that I very much enjoy doing manual buttonholes, so this skirt was a really enjoyable garment to make. I found the cute, pale wooden buttons in a shop in Sham Shui Po and the fabric was part of my haul from Shenzhen. 

I would recommend this make if you are comfortable working with numbers. I plan to make a second version of this skirt because I love it so much, but this time in Christmas fabric! Watch this space nearer to December...

My finished Coco...

I've finished my Coco! After cutting and sewing the sleeves in one hour on the first evening, I then spent approximately an hour the next day finishing it off. This is an extremely quick make that I think is suitable for all levels of experience with knitted jersey fabrics. This fabric in particular is a sort of sweatshirt fabric, so it was fairly straight forward to sew. I did choose to add some iron on interfacing to the neckline, just to stabilise and prevent stretching. This technique did work and i'm pleased with the overall finish of the garment. I used my overlocker throughout to sew the seams and I am so pleased that I decided to finish off the sleeves with a cuff. This is such a quick method of finishing and the effect suits my style perfectly. 

I am certainly going to make more Coco's, as it is such a lovely shape. I want to try some different knitted fabrics, because I think that different drapes of fabric will totally change the aesthetics of the top. This makes it a very versatile staple of any wardrobe! Well done Tilly on another lovely pattern. 

My adventure into knitted fabrics begins - featuring the iSew IS-722D Overlocker and Tilly's Coco...

Ok, so I've finally made the leap. At the weekend I bought an overlocker. It has taken a lot of thought and decision making, but i've ended up with an iSew IS-722D. I bought it from the Brother shop in Sham Shui Po after much to-ing and fro-ing between this and the brother overlocker that they stock. Although very similar in appearance and in price I went for the iSew because it had an extra year's warranty. That equals 3 whole years! I think that is certainly a massive plus. I don't usually get my sewing machine serviced and I can generally fix any problems that I have, but an overlocker is very different. They can go wrong at any point and it is really difficult to diagnose problems.

The iSew can do 3 and 4 thread overlocking in different widths including a very neat narrow finish for fine fabrics. (I'm exciting to give that one a go!) The gentlemen in the shop gave a great demonstration and I got to try my machine out in the shop to ensure that it was working correctly. They even gave me advice on how to adjust the tension if the stitch was wrong - very helpful indeed! My new overlocker has found a home on my sewing desk and fits in very well. I have used it on lightweight woven fabrics so far and it stitches like a dream. The only issue I have discovered so far is that it is a bit of a challenge to pull through threads if you want to change colour. However I solved this by taking my time and pulling each of the threads separately. 

Now that I have my machinery in place I'm finally venturing into making some knitted clothing for myself! I downloaded the Coco pattern earlier in the week and put some ideas on paper. I've cut out the top version with 3/4 length sleeves. I've also cut out the cuffs to try out - I'm not 100% sure whether I'm going to include them or not. I'm now all set up to sew this evening. I think this is going to be an incredibly quick process, so I'm looking forward to seeing the final outcome. 

Watch this space for photos of my finished Coco...

Fashionary in action!

After two lovely public holidays and a weekend, it's back to a full week of work. No need to be down though because i'm accompanied by my trusty Fashionary! 

I have just downloaded the ever-so cool 'Coco' pattern by Tilly and the Buttons to expand my me-made wardrobe to include knitted jersey items. Also on Friday in a small fabric shopping spree in Sham Shui Po I picked up 2 yards of cream and navy interlock jersey for $20! A total bargain and perfect for my first Coco.

My job now is to plan which design of the Coco I'm going to make... I like the idea of 3/4 length sleeves as it will be more suitable for the Hong Kong weather and I always tend to roll up my sleeves anyway. Why waste precious fabric on long sleeves?! Turn-up or no turn-up, that is the question! Also, do I go for the straight forward boat neckline, or the sixties classic of the funnel neck? Argh... too many decisions!!! Ok, breathe... maybe i'll start plain and then move forward to a more complicated garment once I've got back into the groove of sewing knitted jersey fabrics. After all, the Coco could make up a significant number of items in a capsule wardrobe. 

There, the plan is formed. It's always better to talk things through before making a decision. Thank you blog! Watch this space for my Coco update. 

My Mathilde is finished!

Ok, so I decided to buy the tiny table from Japan Home Centre... I was so excited to complete my two WIP's it seemed like a good idea. Plus, I can use it to put my Christmas tree on when my desk arrives. 

With my temporary sewing area set up, I began the task of completing my WIP's and namely my Mathilde. The written instructions included in the PDF download are absolutely fine for most stages of manufacture, although if I was a beginner I might have struggled. Thankfully when things got tough (the button stand and facing) I had Tilly's helpful photographic instructions on her website to assist. All in all, this was a thoroughly enjoyable make, I loved the variety of different stages and putting the buttonholes in was really fun! My new Bernina was super reliable and did a great job on the manual buttonhole setting. 

I had decided to do my Mathilde with short sleeves as the full sleeves that feature in the official pattern wouldn't be great in Hong Kong. I thought I would get more wear out of short sleeves. I think that the sleeves look great! They're very full, but that will help with HK weather and makes a really feminine shape. 

I recommend this pattern to anyone that wants something interesting to make. The instructions are very good, especially the photographic tutorials online. I'm certainly considering a second Mathilde to add to my rapidly increasing handmade wardrobe. 

Mathilde - Progress...

I managed to keep to my planning and stuck together my pattern last night. It says in the instructions that this process should take 20 minutes, but I think I must be particularly slow at this because it took me more than 30! Oh well, we've all got our strengths...

I then cut it out to my size. I like that the sizes are number 1-8 and not in sizes because when is a 14 ever the same as another 14! This process was thankfully much quicker (clearly I have strengths in cutting out paper!).

Ok, so next stage is sort out the fabric. I'm going away this weekend, so no sewing for me :( I have a package of fabric from www.modes4u.com waiting at the Post Office, so hopefully i'll be able to collect it tonight and wash my fabric ready for cutting. I've chosen this particular fabric for my Mathilde... 

http://www.modes4u.com/en/kawaii/p20777_coral-red-maritime-sailing-boat-fabric-by-Michael-Miller-.html 

I just need to find the perfect buttons to accompany it. I'm anticipating that my next sewing opportunity will be on Monday at the earliest, so Mathilde will have to wait until then. 

New make - Mathilde by Tilly and the buttons...

After the enjoyable hours that I have spent making dresses over the past few days, I have decided to turn my attentions to a different garment for my next make. It was whilst reading blogs like Tilly's (www.tillyandthebuttons.com) that inspired me to get back to blogging. It has also help to fuel my reignited passion for dressmaking. I've ordered her new book; 'Love at first stitch' which includes some lovely patterns. I am awaiting its delivery from The Book Depository, but I thought I would try one of the downloadable PDF patterns in the mean time. 

The Mathilde is such a gorgeous blouse shape and the maker gallery on Tilly's website shows lots of different ways of interpreting the pattern.I can't wait to start making! 

I've got my 26 pages of pattern printed out, ready for when I get home and can crack out the scotch tape and get sticking! Working full time means that I might get the pattern stuck together and then my size traced off before my bed is calling. 

I'll keep you up to date with my progress and give you my thoughts on the pattern.