GBSB Drapey Knit Dress and a mustard Oslo

I think this is a bit of a marmite dress, you love it or hate it .... on the whole I love it!  Not my usual style at all, and my hemlines seem to be going up as I get older.  This is The Great British Sewing Bee Fashion with Fabric Drapey Knit Dress

 

 I had been intrigued by lots of versions, and particularly liked Karen's version which she made in a finer knit fabric than the suggested double knit/ponte. I had seen the rather crazy fabric at Fabric Godmother, with no idea what to make from it, but loved the colours and the 60s feel, and having seen Karen's thinner version thought it might be worth a go.  In fact I think overall the thinner jersey is better.  There is a an overlap (which ends up being 4 layers including the facing) and I think that this just wouldn't lie right if you were using a ponte roma.

I love the sleeves with all their bagginess which then goes into a slim cuff.

The construction is quite strange and rather fantastic.  The one piece back showcases a large pattern.

I cut a size medium and didn't make any adjustments except to leave out the pockets which I felt might spoil the line.

Whilst I was in the mood for knits I made another Seamwork Oslo.  It's not as snuggly as my last one (which I made last Christmas), but this was fairly cheap mustard boucle knit which I bought at the Harrogate Knitting and Stitching show.



 

The colour is great and I've worn it several times already.

 

With no lining, it does only take a few hours to make.

Strangely the stretch on this was vertical and I should have cut it that way, so the cuffs are a little tight, but still wearable.

I hope you all enjoyed Christmas.  I had a lovely time with Dan and Gemma who made a lovely Christmas lunch.

Just to prove I have worn the cardigan (though here with my Coco)!

And of course, lots of stokes with the lovely Monty!

Wishing you all a wonderful 2016, now if I can just get rid of this cold!

The Oslo Christmas Cardigan

I expected to see more Oslo  cardies around the blogasphere.  The pattern is from the new Colette Seamwork e-magazine. The magazine is free, but you can pay extra ($6)  for patterns.  The three patterns this month are the Oslo cardigan, a bag and clutch.   The patterns are advertised as being a 2 hour maximum make.  I think that is possible, it took me a bit longer because I sew using the machine and then overlock after.  I'm not confident that the stitch line is strong enough just on the overlocker (maybe I've not got the tension right?)  The overlocker also decided not to co-operate and it took me about an hour of fiddling to get it working again!  So I think in total I spent about 3 1/2 hours sewing and it was a really enjoyable project.   There are also discount codes (15% off dragonfly fabrics at the moment).

So to the cardigan.  I really wanted a cosy, comfy warm cardie to wear over Christmas.  I really wanted a plain grey boucle knit but there was very little choice in the UK.    In the end I went for this rather pricey striped fabric, but it is absolutely lovely.  The effect is just what I wanted.  It can be casual wrapped around, or with a belt a bit smarter to wear with a skirt.  I didn't bother with a self-belt or the buttons.

Did I mention it's snuggly!

I wore this on Christmas Eve at Dan and Gemma's where we celebrated Christmas early with presents, dinner and a film (The Book Thief).  The dogs were given Santa hats!

Don't worry these were only worn for a few moments! They've both had a hair cut since then!   On Christmas Day Dan was working so I didn't see him for the first time in 23 years!  Rather sad, but had a nice dinner round at my friends and I saw in the New Year at the local pub.



Mostly I've just enjoyed the rest.  Lots of sewing though not all successful.  I tried to make a Colette Zinnia to wear on Christmas day, and I really, really didn't like it.  It was most unflattering, even worse than it looks on the dummy.  Not even good enough to go to a charity shop, and I won't be making another of these.  As you can see it is version 3, with a  chiffon overskirt and satin underskirt.  The idea was good, but it just didn't work.  Oh well, you can't win them all.  Another flop turns out to be the Francoise dress I blogged about last week.  I wore it to work and just couldn't stand the neckline which really irritated me around the neck.  I need to remember I just don't like high necklines.

I had a really nice birthday on the 29th, spending the day with Dan, Gemma arriving after work and watching Dallas Buyers Club (good film) in the evening.

Jess seems a bit happier in the hat (though Dan is holding it on!)

 There has been a lot of rain here in Cumbria, but we have managed a couple of lovely sunny, frosty walks.

 

So that's Christmas 2014.  Hope you all have a really good year, with lots of happy sewing and knitting!