My Beautiful Bettine - A review...

After 5 weeks away from home, I have finally returned to sewing. I certainly missed it a lot! During that time I have been collecting fabric, patterns and inspiration to use on my return home. 

The pattern at the top of my list of 'to make's' was the Bettine by Tilly and the Buttons. This pattern was part of a dual release back in July and was in fact part of a special deal with the Fifi boudoir set. I actually didn't take advantage of this offer because the boudoir set is not something I would wear - more of a comfy casual pyjama kinda gal! I did however decide to buy the printed version of the pattern, not my usual PDF. This was because I was in the UK and postage was reasonable. I teamed it with purchasing the Miette skirt, which is a pattern I have been considering for a while. I took the plunge as I would save on postage or printing at a later date.  

The Bettine is a zip-free, casually worn dress that is suitable to be made up in either woven or knitted fabric. It is pulled over the head and it keeps its shape with a simple piece of elastic around the waist. It is described as a great beginner sew. Because i'm not a beginner, I decided to make it as complicated as possible, by including all the details - Front pockets and tabs on the sleeves. 

I decided to make a toile of this pattern. I don't always do this, but I have found recently that my measurements have changed (they're smaller!) and when matching up with the size chart, I fell right in the middle of the size 5 and 6. I decided to draw a line in the middle of the two pattern lines to trace off. After completing the toile of the shape, there were some issues with the fit and shape of the dress. The bodice seemed much longer at the back, which made the front look two small. Because I wear an E cup, I presumed this was the issue and that there was not enough fabric to go over my curves. I had already lengthened the bodice by 2cm due to the fact that I have a long torso. I decided to add a further 2cm, which would allow the fabric to skim my body better. In addition to this, the hip area looked too severe. The natural silhouette of the skirt is that it curves out at the hips before coming back in towards the hem - a tulip skirt. I decided to smooth hip curve by 1cm and flare it out as a whole by 3cm. This allowed a wider base and more fabric to slide over my bottom. 

The fabric I chose was a cotton lawn that I bought from Guthrie and Ghani's website, also while I was in the UK. I saw a dress that Lauren had made from it and fell in love! (You can buy it here) I'm totally into nautical stuff, so this was perfect for me. It's a really lovely weight, slightly heavier than a Liberty Tana Lawn. I figured it would be perfect for this dress. 

The make itself was really straight forward. There are lots of little details to keep you stimulated, such as the pockets and the sleeve tabs. I decided to alter how I clip into seams thanks to 

Tilly's fabulous colour instructions. Removing a triangle does help with the turning of the fabric and it allows it to sit really flat. Previous to this I cut slits into the fabric only.  

I managed to make the final dress in one afternoon thanks to some super speedy sewing and I wore it today. I love the feel and the fit and it's nice and lightweight, which helps with the humidity we're experiencing at the moment! I styled it with my Tatty Devine lobster necklace and some red Saltwater sandals - Nautical-tastic! 

I love this pattern and know i'll be making another one soon. I've got a few lovely soft viscose fabrics in my stash that have got Bettine written all over them! I also recommend the printed version of Tilly's patterns, they're so nice and definitely worth the money. Now i'll move onto the next garment on the to do list; watch this space! 

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...

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. 

Planning my pattern hacks!

I am now without a sewing table! My dining table has broken and sewing is a no go until my new sewing desk arrives on Tuesday (I know, Tuesday!!!). I'm considering getting a put up table to get me through the next few days, but this depends on whether i can find one. Japan Home Centre is my next stop!

My main focus at the moment is sketching out some pattern hack ideas with some of the patterns I've used recently. Variations on The Mortmain by Gather and the Sorbetto by Colette. I'm filling my tiny little sketchbook with lots of possibilities and ideas for when i have finished my current WIP's.

Still on my table is my nautical top collection. An anchor print Sorbetto and a boat print Mathilde. I can't wait to get going on them, but I suppose i'll have to make do with sketching. There are worse things...

Fabric shopping in Shenzhen

Wow, what a busy weekend! Travelling from Hong Kong to Shenzhen on a Friday evening is so busy! Fortunately by the time I got the opportunity to visit the fabric market on the 5th floor of the Luohu Commercial City building on Sunday, the busyness had subsided and I could browse without being pushed around. 

I only had 30 minutes to explore, but that ended up being plenty of time to look around. I fell lucky and found the Shun Fa Fabric Store (See details above). It was manned by a very helpful lady who showed me all the hundreds of different fabric she had. There was some really lovely quality cottons in lots of different patterns and textures. Each fabric is pre-cut into approximately 1.5m lengths. Each one of the lengths I bought was 45RMB - A total bargain!. She even threw in the last piece (the gingham) for just 30RMB even though it measures 2.5m! In total, a spend of 300RMB and I left extremely pleased with my haul. 

With so many beautiful fabrics to work with now, I'd better get sewing! I have plans to make a nice summery top from the blue floral fabric, which is a beautiful soft silk/cotton mix. I have just downloaded the free (Yes free!) Colette Sorbetto pattern after seeing it on my friend's blog (www.carolinejoynson.blogspot.co.uk) It's a nice, simple vest top that can be customised easily. I'm going to toile it tonight to check the fit before trying the real fabric (I don't want to waste it!). I also need to purchase a bias binding maker so that I can finish the edges in a matching binding - a visit to Tailoring and Alterations in Causeway Bay is necessary. With so much to sew, I barely have time for a day job! 

I'll keep you updated on my progress...