The Knitting & Stitching Show & my first Emery dress

I ummed and ahhed about whether to attend the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace as it was so busy last year (we went on the Saturday) so we decided to take the Friday off work and arrived at the show at about 10:30ish. First part of the morning was fairly quiet, it got busy over lunchtime then mid-afternoon all the school and coach groups left and it was blissfully quiet!

I did have a list of possible fabrics to look for but, as always, it got thrown out of the window when I spotted gorgeous fabrics which I just had to buy.

First up we stopped at Fabrics Galore. As we arrived quite early the stand was pretty quiet and we were able to have a good look through all the fabrics.

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Simplicity 1880 Shirtdress

Hooray – I've got my sewing mojo back! I went in for what should have been the simple first part of my dental implant surgery 2 weeks ago. However my dentist encountered some complications and I ended up having a bone graft in my jaw. Not too traumatic as I was sedated and don’t remember a thing about it but it did mean stitches, a swollen face, a soft food diet and 5 days on the sofa. I didn't sew a stitch for about 10 days which is very unlike me as I like to try and do a little everyday – even if it’s only sewing one sleeve on!

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Goldhawk Road Fabric Shopping

It was my birthday last weekend and my amazing fiancée gave me a handful of cash and off we went to the Goldhawk Rd. I have to confess that, even though I live in London, I hadn't ventured over to West London to pay Goldhawk Rd a visit. My local fabric shop, Rolls & Rems, isn't even 5 minutes’ walk from my house and I've tended to stock up on fabric at The Knitting and Stitching Show. However it’s always good to explore new places so off we went.

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The Mortmain Bike Dress

Last weekend I decided it was high time to try a new dress pattern (my wardrobe is overflowing with Simplicity 2444's!). Step forward the Mortmain Dress by indie pattern company Gather. The dress is described as being for the ambitious beginner. It features a 'fitted bodice and waistband, box pleated skirt and exposed zip'. You can opt for sleeveless or 3/4 sleeves with a cuff and button fastening. This really had the potential to be a dream dress especially after seeing gorgeous versions from Mary @ Idle Fancy and Ruth @ Nightingale and Dolittle plus the variety on the Pinterest board.

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Baby Romper

Hello!
Hope you've all had a lovely weekend. Mine was very relaxed and involved playing with the kittens and making several toiles of the Mortmain dress... but more on that later in the week!

Today I'd like to show you the baby romper which I made for my (nearly) 6 month old niece Winnie. I used Simplicity 1447 for this romper as there are so many variations in the one pattern. My sister had said that rompers are easier than dresses at the moment as they won't ride up!

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The Very Hungry Caterpillar Quilt

This quilt has been epic and I think it’s probably going to hold the title of my first and last quilt… 

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A Quick Chambray Skirt

You may have noticed that there’s a sale on at Boden at the moment. It seems like every item of clothing is included! I bought myself a couple of their short sleeved Breton striped t-shirts (yellow and blue) and realised, when they arrived, that I didn't have any plain summer skirts to wear them with. I've got lots of patterned skirts but I’m not really a pattern clash kind of person so decided to raid my fabric stash to see if I had anything suitable for a quick make.

Luckily I found I had 1.3m of chambray left from a previous dress so on World Cup Final night I sat down to make myself a skirt. I decided on a pleated dirndl as the fabric was nice a wide and cute it in half length ways.

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Catch up!

Gosh – where does the time go! It’s been an age since my last blog post and, as such, I have quite a few completed projects to share with you.

First up my Blue China dress so named as it reminds me of the blue Chinese Willow pattern plates. This fabric actually has tiny green birds in amongst the flowers purchased at Rolls & Rems in Lewisham for around £5.50 a metre. Not much to add on construction as it’s another outing of Simplicity 2444 – a pattern which is my go to at the moment! It’s fully lined in white poplin so is perfect for hot days in London. I’ve managed to resolve most of my baggy neckline issues by grading down to a 14 around the shoulders/neck then back out for the bust/waist. I should probably learn how to do a full bust adjustment at some point. 

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That's Sew Dolly Clackett

Anyone who reads sewing blogs will have come across Dolly Clackett's blogspot aka Roisin who has the most amazing handmade wardrobe of fabulous dresses (prepare to drool). She's getting married in May and Sarah from Rhinestones and Telephones has set up a competition as a wedding gift to Roisin. Rules are pretty simple - sew a dress in the style of Dolly Clackett. Really the perfect excuse to buy the Alexander Henry cowgirl fabric I'd had my eye on for ages from Fabrics Galore. I've already made a skirt from his Aloha girls fabric so know it's good quality stuff.

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Fashion and Textile Museum - Artist Textiles Picasso to Warhol

Last week some members of my Crafternoon group visited the Fashion and Textile Museum  in Bermondsey to see the Artist Textile exhibition which looks at the history of art and textiles in the 20^th century. The dresses on display are stunning including 4 Horrockses dresses and a couple made from fabric designed by Picasso. I had no idea that Picasso and Warhol had designed fabric so to see the dresses made up was a real treat. On display are some beautiful fabrics from Leger, Hepworth, Matisse and Dali among others.

This gorgeous dress is the first to greet you. A copy of a 1950's Dior dress (small photo just seen) - layers and layers of netting under there! 

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The Spring Knitting and Stitching Show - London Olympia.

The Spring Knitting and Stitching Show was held at Olympia a couple of weeks ago. It took me a little while to decide whether to attend. I've only been to one show before, the autumn event held at Alexandra Palace, which was a bit intense! It was crowded with a huge queue to get in, hot with very little seating and, although I bought some gorgeous fabric, the highlight of the day was definitely the afternoon tea! However some members of the craft group I belong to, Crafternoon, decided to go so I bought my ticket.

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The dress Everyone has made - Simplicity 2444

Sometimes a pattern comes out that seems to be featured on everyone’s blogs. I kept seeing Simplicity 2444 everywhere and I could see why: well fitted bodice, cute diagonal darts and pleated skirt with pockets. This sounded like a dream dress. I did a fair amount of image searching before I took the plunge and ordered the pattern but I’m so glad I did! It’s such a quick sew although it took me about a month to get there…

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