My first challenge makes
Wednesday, January 21st, 2015
So I’ve finally got the first makes of my 2015 ‘not allowed to buy any clothes’ challenge under my belt and I’m quite pleased with them both. The skirt is a Vogue wraparound affair made in lovely purple buttersoft corduroy. You may not be able to tell so well from the pictures but it has a lovely fishtail to one side, which is why I chose to make it to be honest – I just loved the detail. It’s a very easy make suitable for all level of sewer and because it’s a wraparound, there’s no reason to worry too much about fitting and there are no zips or buttonholes to trip you up either – it’s fastened by hook and eye. Easy peasy. The only tiny niggle was that the pieces are all cut out as singles (so you don’t fold the fabric) which means you need quite a bit of space to manage it – but I wouldn’t let that put you off making it as it’s so nice.
The fabric is really fab, but as with all cord types it can creep, resulting in uneven seams, so if you’re using anything like this, remember to put loads of pins in to hold it as you sew (or baste it, which I was too lazy to do!) and to make it really easy, try using a walking foot – although this is not essential by any means. My only whoopsie was the waistband. Even though I cut everything to size carefully and sewed the correct seam allowance, when it came to attaching the waistband it was too small so I had to cut again. By this point I didn’t have enough fabric to cut the piece along the grainline, which meant my new band was cut across the grain and so was a bit stretchy for my liking. So to firm it up a bit, I sewed a piece of green grosgrain ribbon the whole length of it, which worked a treat. I also, as you can see, trimmed the bottom with giant, green ricrac. This was because I thought the purple needed breaking up a bit as it’s such a large amount of fabric – the green just draws your eyes in a little. Overall I think the skirt turned out well.
The blouse is a Sewaholic Belcarra made in a Liberty print (get me!) – the second one I’ve made in lovely Liberty. It’s another easy make that can be made even easier by using bias around the neck and armholes rather than the facings. It’s a pull on garment so no fiddling with fastenings – I made version A which is the simplest of all the options. Once you’ve got the pieces cut out this blouse goes together quickly so great for those impatient types. My only slight issue is the neckline – I find this pattern is a bit wide on me so I just adjust accordingly. I also made it just a tad longer – I have a long body so I often need to do this when making things for my top half. It’s really easy to wear – I highly recommend it.
So onto my next make – a Tilly and the Buttons Mathilde blouse made out of cotton print from Dashwood’s Retro Autumn collection. So far I’m really enjoying this challenge.
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