Lottie Blouse and a bit of a bargain!

This was a bargain make.  The pattern is the Lottie blouse which came free with Simple Sew magazine (this is a new mag which I am enjoying).   Sorry I did mean to blog about this blouse while the magazine was still available but I think it disappeared last week!




I liked the look of the blouse and then at the Minerva meet-up Lisa (the designer) was demonstrating making the blouse.  Lisa's red version was gorgeous and it looked really easy.

So I bought the fabric at the Minerva craft meet-up.  It is 100% viscose but it has a lovely drape for this blouse and feels really comfy.  At £5.95 a metre I needed 1.2 metres, so again a bargain (you can buy it on-line here) .  It definitely has a 60s vibe in the bright paisley pattern and the jade colour goes really well with other items in my wardrobe. I'm getting a bit fonder of 60s fashions (the problem is I was there for the first time - and I'm enjoying This Old Thing on a Wed evening which is looking at Vintage (mostly 60s) clothes.  I really like the finished blouse, not my usual style as it is not really fitted, but I do like a bow-neck!

The neck was the fiddly bit.  You have to cover the key hole shape with bias binding (I made my own; first time for this, and with this really soft fabric it was a bit difficult). 

So the bias round the neck was a bit tricky but otherwise construction was straightforward.  You fit the sleeves in flat and then just sew right from the cuff to the hem. 

We are having a lovely heatwave here in Cumbria and I'm enjoying the sunshine as well as lovely bunches of stocks and roses!  Thanks so much for your comments which I love reading.  Enjoy the rest of the wekk.

Butterick 6018 and happy July

Things got pretty much out of kilter in June.  It is the worst month of the year for me, Dan and Gemma moved out and I am getting reused to living alone, my hard drive packed up etc. etc., so that's why the posts have been few and far between.  However, things are getting back to normal.  A new 50s style dress is finished; Butterick 6018.

This has a definite 50s feel with its high, fitted bodice and wide skirt made from 8 panels.

There is a sweetheart neckline which was a little challenging to make it sit nicely, but I just about managed.   You can imagine how difficult it was to turn all that thickness of material into a neat little point.

The pattern had facings, but I decided to do a full lining (love the mint colour!).

 

The fabric was incredibly cheap, enough for two dresses and it only cost £15, and because of this it was a bit rough, it is a type of crepe but with a high synthetic content, and it was difficult to cut and sew, shifting everywhere, weighs a ton, but I just love this colour, duck egg blue is my absolute favourite.  I think this pattern would make a lovely evening dress, perhaps in a black silk, so I do hope to make it again. maybe a little more fitted around the waist.

I am working on lots of other projects; another dress, a slip, another dress cut out,  two sweaters to block and sew up and a new cardi on the go.  Actually I don't think I like having so many on the go, I really prefer having one sewing and one knitting project on the go until they are finished.  Why so many then?  Its the result of lots of sew and knit-alongs which I wanted to join in and then have found tricky to keep up with!  In future I won't do more than one at once.

The best part of June was an enjoyable day at the Minerva meet-up.  Starting with some bucks fizz it was heaving.  It was odd seeing people whose blogs I follow and feeling a bit like a stalker as you stared and thought that's "Scruffy Badger!"

I did pluck up the nerve to actually speak to Karen of "Did you Make That"  who gave a great talk.  I'm wearing my Cambie dress which could do with some adjustments since I've lost a bit of weight.  The rather oddly placed circles on my chest are where people were voting for my dress!  Very flattering, it was definitely the bright pink flamingos.

My favourite dress of the day was this one, doesn't she look lovely, it's the Betty dress, which I rather fancy in some caramel polkadot fabric.

So I had a great day, and of course didn't manage to leave without spending rather a lot of money!  As you can see there is a definitely duck egg and teal thing going on here.

 

Other good bits have been a working lunch at Lakeside Hotel!  How lovely is this, and how lucky am I to live in such a beautiful part of the world?

Last night I went to the annual village dance and I had a great time; danced for ages and did not feel my age at all ... I was back in the 70s and I won the raffle, a bottle of Glenfiddich.  The band included some amazing facial hair and a great guest appearance by a very young drummer.

 

... today was glorious and what a gorgeous sight this old railway signal covered with roses was.

Finally I leave you with this very cute pic of my lovely cats, being very sweet with each other, that's certainly not always the case.