Marilla Walker Evan Skirt #1

This is my third attempt to blog regularly!

I'm thinking if I opt for a more minimalist approch to the words I might actually post more!

So today I'm going to talk about the Evan Skirt from Marilla Walker.

I loved making this skirt.

I used leftover stretch denim from failed Ginger Jeans and my denim Cressida Skirt 

Work in progress...

Love the pocket shape

 Now I love wearing this skirt

 It goes with everything

I went for the view with plain pockets and omitted the belt loops, but kept the front slit which I love

You can't see it here but I omitted the button and went for a hook and eye closure instead

I already have another cut out in teal (bengaline I think) non stretch fabric - just need to sew it up now.

Green and White Lady Skater Dress... with a twist

This post is to introduce my 1st lady skater dress by Kitchykoo patterns.

I made it on a whim because I wanted something new and fun to wear to a Franz Ferdinand gig I went to in Nancy. I used some nice green and white abstract patterned cotton jersey from Abakhan picked up in a trip back home.

It certainly fitted the bill of being fun and was also very comfortable to wear for the the long trip there and back, waiting outside the venue early to ensure being in the first row, and lots of jumping and arm waving!

This was not the first time I'd seen the band, before moving to France I'd seen them 3 times in Manchester over the years.

Before the concert we went into Nancy town centre which is very beautiful and interesting. It also feels like a huge city compared to anywhere in Alsace!

Here's the twist: although I refer to it as a dress, it is in fact a top and a skirt combo! For this first wear it behaved itself mostly, but the t shirt would ride up above my belt and the skirt would ride down to leave a little strip of bare skin!

Nowadays I only wear them separately, but I still like them!

The necklace in the photos was also made for the event (I have a thing about dressing for days like this!) using some lovely brass hexagon beads I got on Etsy and some cream cord from the Bead Shop in Brighton.

A pretty dress for a lovely day! We waited after the gig and got to meet some of the band (again) :D.

A Minimalist Black Moneta

Today I want to show you my second version of Colette's Moneta dress.

I made my first version in a lovely but cheap purple ponte which I got at the Stoff Spektakel in Strasboug last year. This is an event where Dutch sellers tour around France, Germany Switzerland and Holland and maybe Lichtenstein? with their wares of fabric and haberdashery goodies. Find out more here: http://www.stoffenspektakel.nl/.

So my first version was lovely but I messed up joining the skirt to the bodice. I blame my clear elastic for not stretching enough. I tried to stretch it enough but it was under so much pressure that when I tried to sew my sewing machine actually moved, Iwas pulling so hard. But it looks fine belted, anyway.

For my second version I made the size S since I was sure there was enough stretch in this fabric - black ponte from Minerva Crafts who had (and still have I think) £2.99 international shipping no matter how much you buy!

I felt very minimalist when I wore this dress for the first time to teach in. My style is usually a bit more colourful and quirky, but sometimes it's nice to wear something that doesn't attract looks all the time. People really dress quite plainly in Haguenau, a town in Alsace. Where I work in Strasbourg, there are lots of tourists and more colourful dressing, so I feel a bit more at home with full skirts and high waisted tops there!

My necklace is  a King George VI schilling that I've had for a while with a jump ring attached, but no nice chain to put it on. While dissecting another necklace the other day I thought they would make perfect partners. I have just found out also that my boyfriend (engineer) can drill holes in coins at work. Now all I have to do is choose some prized specimens from my coin collections (preferably ones I have multiples of) and I can have lots of coin jewellery.

Living away from your home county can by tough at times and it;s just a nice symbol to wear coins from your native county.

The neckline on my first Moneta was soo low at the back so I raised the back neckline on this version and lowered the front neckline a little. As you can see I should have raised the back more because it's still quite deep. Although I like the look, I can't stand having a cold upper back/neck!

So all in all, am I happy with this Moneta?

Yes!!!

My arms look unusually long in this picture. Which is strange because I have to shorten all pattern sleeves by several inches!

I'd love to hear your experiences with Moneta, especially the neckline.

Do you hate to have a cold neck too?!

Back with a Bronte Top

I'm back! This time I hope to make my blog a little more focused on sewing and less rambling.

I have made lots of garments since my last post in April, so I may write about some of them but I'd like to start with my latest make, my third Bronte top from Jennifer Lauren Vintage (also available as part of Perfect Pattern Parcel no. 6).

I decided to add a contract neck binding in a green 100% cotton jersey

Please excuse the mad face

You might be able to tell that these photos are pre-hemming... I was just so pleased with how it turned out that I wanted to take pictures while the man of the house was around to help me.

The fabric was a green and white striped cotton/lycra that I bought in Abakhan Stoke on Trent when I was last home visiting my parents in August. Oh how I wish that Abakhan had shops in France...

So, as a final thought... I absolutely love reading all the wonderful sewing blogs out there and have been thinking about getting back into blogging for a while. I'm hoping to become more active in the world of sewing-blogging and hopefully talk to some of you lovely people!

Anthroplogie Knock-off Bow Bag

Anthroplogie Knock-off Bow Bag

Yesterday the sewing urge was too strong to resist and I spent a very pleasant afternoon watching sitcoms and sewing this bag from a tutorial by The Little Appleseed! I found it via Pinterest and while I haven't copied the colours in the original (so I could use up fabric from my stash) I loved the shape and design. 

This is her version - very classy!

And a mother and daughter variation!

I had a pink cotton table cloth from a charity shop that was great for the bow and lining because it was really sturdy, meaning the bag would be robust and the bow nice and crisp.

I used a grey thin patterned cotton (could be lawn print?) for the body, and I think the two go well together.

This is my version!

Rear view!

A bit of a close up

Bow and little flowers

It is a biiig bow - but I think it looks good!

A few other bloggers have made this bag:

Anzouya from www.anzouya.com

One from The Few, The Proud, The Wife

And one from Cut out and Keep.net by Modesty Fashions

The last one actually has a tutorial that goes with it too.

So now that you have two tutorials to show you how to sew this bag, what are you waiting for?! I'd love to see your versions, leave me a link to your blog in the comments and I'll come and have a look.

Thanks for reading, 

Anna x.

Self-made Undies, Knit Dress from Dixie DIY Pattern

This is my second attempt at making knickers from So-Zo's pattern and tutorial as blogged about previously.

These are made from a tank top which had a pretty flower motif - I think it works well on the undies!

I trimmed them with lace elastic from pairs that no longer fit me, unfortunately this makes them a little too snug around the legs, but you live and learn!

Rear view!

Anyway they are comfy enough and I'm pleased with the result! Need to make a few more pairs now!

The second item I'm blogging about today is a knit dress which I made in August. The pattern is Dixie DIY's t-shirt dress pattern (free) and the fabric is a black and cream spotty knit. It is very comfy and I wear this dress a lot.

 Not sure whether it was me or the photographer who kept making the pictures blur...

... but blur they did!

Not sure if the flash helped!

Anna x

Allsorts of Fun -Office Chair to Sewing Chair with Style! Plus Kasia Burda Skirt Picture Update

The chair I bought from the charity warehouse near me cost 3 Euros and looked a bit like this without the rips:

It was perfectly fine structurally, but a bit grungy looking since it had been left out in the rain.

All it needed was a bit of TLC!

I bought some foam and fabric... took the old bits off and duct taped the new bits on... et voila:

I love how it looks now; it's also the first swivel chair I've ever actually owned! It's much better than my old standard chair i used when I sewed because I can adjust the height and spin around to reach things on the table behind me!

The fabric is from ebay.co.uk if you're interested, I saw a dress on Burdastyle made from it and it made me want some too!

I plan to buy a staple gun to make it more permanent and fore future refashions, but I'm very happy with how it turned out!

p.s. I have finally taken decent pictures of my Burdastyle Kasia Skirt from a previous post. Here they are:

Front

Back

Front Flap - hiding a multitude of errors!

I love the pockets in this skirt and while the are bits of it that I'm not happy with it was my first proper skirt and can be seen as a very wearable muslin!