Hello! I made a new pair of bathers for myself… and I’m chuckling to myself that I’ve gone kinda Bay Watch this year. Is Bay Watch even a part of the collective consciousness any more? hmmm I could be aging myself a bit with that reference?!
it’s only a year since I made my last pair of bathers but the fabric didn’t last as long as I was hoping. Oh well. I swim every day nowadays so maybe it’s not so surprising that they’ve worn out. And I have to admit that I don’t think this fabric is going to last l0nger than a year either. It already has that very stretchy quality that doesn’t bode well for future stability.
I used my old favourite “vintage” pattern – oh and it hurts to use that word since I bought it when it was new! of course McCalls 2772, that I’ve been using practically every time I make bathers. I just really like the style of this pattern, and when you’re happy with a thing then it’s ok to stick with it. The stretchy red polyester is from Fabulous Fabrics.
As usual, I made a skirt that I’ve stitched to the underneath of the bikini top to make a tankini version of the pattern. The whole back “skirt” is cut in one piece just using the upper curve of the bikini back as a guide and with the regular length of elastic attached to the top of it.
The first beach swim in the new bathers! and here’s to many more. When I was browsing fabrics I really wanted to find a cool print like palm leaves, or beach balls, or something with a mix of beautiful colours, or pretty florals, or wide stripes or something nautical. I found nothing at all that I liked in the print selection, this plain red was the only thing I even vaguely liked in the end. It’s ok, because I do love red, and it feels both cheerful and timelessly fashionable.
hello! Recently my lovely niece J married her long-time man and so of course I had to make a new dress for myself for the occasion… I was vaguely toying with the idea of shopping for fabric before I remembered two things: 1. as everyone in our family knows, J’s favourite colour is famously yellow, and 2. I have a piece of very yellow, and happily wedding worthy fabric in my stash already!
I cut the pockets and neckline facings from a natural cotton linen that I’ve had in the stash for years, saved specifically for this same sort of purpose.
I’m including a picture of the happy couple because, although I did not make the dress, I did alter it to fit her and also did some minor repairs. This took three separate fittings and I took precisely zero photos of the process or anything. My only excuse is that I was also working on my own dress and stressing a little bit that I wasn’t going to get it all done on time.
Hello! I’ve made a new hoodie for myself, and think it’s rather beautiful if I say so myself. Many years ago, when I started this blog, I would sometimes berate myself for being scared of wearing colourful clothing. I tried to break away from making too many white things. I think I’ve succeeded in training myself to wear more colourful clothing, but actually my love for plain white things, or really, ivory things, hasn’t gone away. I still have quite a lot of cream, white or ivory fabrics in the stash! When the new Fibremood Dyron hoodie pattern landed in my inbox I got out some of my hoodie-weight fabrics and found I had enough of this lovely winter-white corduroy to cut out the hoodie. I’ve been hoarding this corduroy for a looooooooooong time so it feels really good to enjoy it, at last!
I made a size small, haha. Yes, it’s huge.
hello! I made a few new skirts, using a new pattern, the Acacia skirt. The pattern is a Peppermint magazine and Warp and Weft collaboration… available in the magazine for free, or as a pdf pattern from their website. It’s a cute little A-line miniskirt with deep deep pockets and a central back zip closure. Of course I’m always going to be interested in a winter miniskirt pattern with pockets! I couldn’t wait to try it out!
The wide wale corduroy I used for the “real” skirt is is 
My mother gave me a length of bottle green, sparkly stretch velvet for my birthday last year… and I wanted to make something nice with it before my next birthday rolled around. This is fast approaching so I needed to get cracking!
I had a little leftover velvet, just enough to cut a new set of underwear, my usual combination of one bra plus two sets of undies
hello! I’ve made a new/old blouse for myself… I’ve always enjoyed the challenge of using old textiles PLUS I’ve also always loved patchwork and mixed-prints in clothing so obviously this new blouse is certain to become a favourite! why? because the fabric is salvaged from three well-loved old shirts of my husband’s… I really liked each of these shirts when he was wearing them, so when he decided they were too worn to be worn any more (hehe) I packed them away to be refashioned one day.
I’m wearing my new shirt in the above pictures with 
hello!
This one is a little different from the previous pink one, as well as being different from the pattern… I cut the front so as to have a straight edge and to have the front facing integral with the front. I also left off the collar and made a hood instead. I love hoodies and don’t have enough in my wardrobe! Honestly if I’d had enough fabric I definitely would have made my pink Sienna to have a hood too.
for the hood, I turned under a seam and lined the hood completely with a black, sorta silky but not-silk stuff that is thin but nice and soft. I cut the back neckline facing from the same fabric. The hood edging is turned over the edge of the hood lining and simply topstitched in place. After stitching, I trimmed the hood edging inside close to the stitching.
Similarly, the pocket flaps were made by laying the two flap pieces wrong sides together, and stitching together as normal; then trimming the seam allowances off neatly close to the stitching.
I fully expect by September it will be just too hot for it… really I should have made it at the beginning of winter! In any case, it feels great to have taken the fabric from out of the stash, and into the wardrobe!
