Summer Season 2016

Red is in for summer 2016!  And no I don't mean skin-colour after too much sun.   Apparently it is the hot colour for the summer season and not just a splash here and there but head to toe.  And preferably scarlet.

According to the March edition of Elle Magazine that I saw on my most recent visit to the dentist, the Paris catwalks were awash with red.   To break it all up they recommend black footwear but the idea is to be bold and bright.

This is good news for me as I made myself a very bright and bold red dress last summer and have yet to wear it.

I love this dress... it feels very girly and easy to wear but boy was it difficult to make!!   I had  seen a similar pattern on Great British Sewing Bee for a vintage 1950s dress called the Walkaway.   A wrap-type dress that could be made in morning to be worn the same day... yeah right.   The wrap works the other way on this dress (the front layer wrapping round to the back to fasten).  Simple yet elegant.

What I hadn't counted on though was the fact that 1950s women were shaped quite differently (or at least their underwear made them a different shape).  I'm not particularly small breasted (32DD) but I really had to fiddle with the bust area to stop it gaping horribly at the sides.    In the end I decided to fasten it with buttons, instead of a tie, just to make sure it held in place.

I'm still not entirely happy with the way it falls at the waist so have unpicked the lining (I added this as it was unlined but my fabric was quite thin so needed something).   I will also probably move the button loops slightly as it gapes too much between them.

As soon as this is done,  I shall look forward to having an opportunity to wear the "in" colour this summer.   I haven't got any black shoes that would go but I think my baby pink Swedish Hasbeens work perfectly.

Grainline Studio Scout Tee

I covet fabric and patterns like other people covet shoes and handbags. I'm not saying I don't like shoes and handbags but I don't lie awake at night wondering what to do with them.   Which is not the case with fabrics and patterns!   Sometimes I see the pattern first and then find the right fabric to go with it, sometimes I already have the fabric stashed away waiting for the right pattern.

The Grainline Studio Scout Tee is one of those patterns.   

It's a very simple looking woven top, aimed at the novice seamstress.  But that is the beauty of it.   Simple to make and simple yet stylish to wear.   Plus, by my reckoning very easy to modify slightly to make a completely different looking top.

So, with pattern duly purchased from my favourite on-line fabric shop, Fabricgodmother (www.fabricgodmother.co.uk), I set about to make one with some fabric from my stash.

Years ago I used to work near Liberty and often spent my lunch break rummaging in the off-cut bins.   I had this piece of silver (!) silky fabric since those days and I thought it would be perfect.  However, I wanted to use as much of the fabric as possible so decided to lengthen the sleeves.  

Making the sleeves longer was quite easy... sewing the neck band with slippery fabric wasn't!  It took me three goes to get it just right.  The finished top will definitely get some wear as it will look great with a pair of skinny black jeans and heels.

I really wanted to see how quickly I could make the Scout Tee in an easier fabric. So this time I used a remnant floral cotton purchased from Fabricgodmother.   But, I just had to modify the pattern again so added some pleats to the neckline.

I'm really pleased with this version too so I think there will be many more variations on the Scout Tee in the not too distant future.