Moneta Mark 2

So I've made a second Colette Moneta. 

I  fell in love with Caroline's maxi dress,  and I really wanted the fabric, which is Valorie Wells Sea Glass knit.  I couldn't find it in the UK and believe it or not I bought it from the USA.  Crazy!  I'm not sure it is the right fabric for this dress because it is so soft, in fact the only garments I think it really is suited to are pyjamas, but very expensive ones!  It looks OK for now, but I don't think it will wash and wear well.

I wanted to try adding a cream collar, but found it really difficult to find a suitable weight of cream knit, so I tried one collar from a thin knit, it looked floppy and insubstantial and one from ponte which looked like a puritan collar.  So I gave up and decided to just bind the neck (I used the binding pattern from the Lady Skater's pattern just 2" shorter), which seemed to work.

This is a great pattern except for the gathering the skirt method, which is almost impossible to do with only two hands.  You are supposed to stretch clear elastic to gather.  I tried just gathering with a long stitch first, but that wasn't effective so went back to the clear elastic method.  It was OK, but very fiddly.  The bodice is a great fit and very flattering.  I am going to include photos of me in the dress, but apologies the quality is poor, I can't be bothered to crop them and there is a strange posing thing going on!  Still not used to using the remote!

I will get better at self-photos, promise.  Otherwise it's not been a great two weeks, I been feeling unwell for 10 days, just a virus but rather tiring, but much worse my lovely cat Meg has not been home for more than two weeks.  She has never stayed away before so I fear the worst.  We got Meg and her kitten Jess from a rescue home 6 years ago and she is a lovely, loving cat whose strangest habit was coming for walks with us.  She is very missed.

A dotty Moneta and birthday theatre

I'll start with a bit of sewing news.  This is my dotty Collette Monetta. 

I made this as a wearable muslin before cutting my next one from some favourite fabric.  From the photos you probably think the dress looks fine, but the fabric is really cheap knit which I bought from ebay ages ago before I realised that really cheap fabric usually looks like it!   The white shows through when the fabric is stretched.

I really like the fit of the dress.  I cut a medium and it fits well.  I found the waist really fiddly, where you are supposed to stretch clear elastic to gather the waist, and I haven't got it very even.  In my next version I might trim a little off the width so it is a little less gathered.

I made the version with the collar, but as you can see it doesn't lie very flat, and so I won't make this version next time.  I think the collar does give the dress a more vintage vibe though.

I'm wearing the dress at Morecambe Vintage by the Sea where Dan and I had a lovely time.  There were some fantastic outfits.

Gorgeous vintage cars.

 

 

... and I picked up a fantastic bargain with a lovely 1912 portrait of a lady and dog to match my recent purchase from Glasgow Vintage Fair.  I love both these portraits.

 

 

 

 

 August 29th was Dan's 23rd birthday and we had a meal at Wagamama,

followed by a great evening at the Lowry Theatre

 

We saw WarHorse and the staging was fantastic.  The horses are amazing and actually get ridden!  Although some of the acting seemed a little over the top, it is still well worth seeing. 

 



 

So it's been a busy couple of weeks, and lots of fun!  Hope you have had some fun times too.