Oooops! I Did it Again ...

I couldn't help it! I went to the fabric shop, and came out with considerably more than the contents of my shopping list. What was on my list? Dress snaps .... yes just those little popper things a card of which costs 71p and a couple of metres of the gold fabric down below which was on sale reduced from £10/m to £6/m.

Thing is, I went to the fabric shop last week with my friend Mrs P to buy fabric for her party dress that i'm making. At the time the shop staff were unloading boxes and boxes and BOXES of suiting samples which they planned to sell off at £5.00/m .. Suiting, at £5.00/m! I valiantly fought off the urge to rifle through the boxes and came out of there with just a metre of plain cotton. But all week long, I've been thinking of all that suiting and as I coooed over Mrs P's fabric whilst deciding the best way to cut it, I found myself thinking that I too should have a pretty party dress - it'll soon be the festive season after all. So today, I went back to get some more of that and just to look at the suiting - to make sure that it was really horrible and not suitable at all for some nice dresses to be made from. Unfortunately, during the week, the winter fabric range had also appeared on the shop floor ... I couldn't stop myself! Wool fabrics for under £3./m ...

It's not really fabric, it's my winter wardrobe, because with this little lot, I intend to make at least 4 dresses, 1 skirt, 2 jackets and a corset ... not bad for £42.00 ..... don't you think? And if I make the patterns myself - which I will, then it's cheap at twice the price. All I need to complete my plan, is a few bits of lining which I shall get when I next go to London. Spreading the cost you know.
This is one of the dress styles I plan to make. I've already cut the pattern which I redrafted myself to my own measurements - I find it so much easier to start from scratch than to alter a pattern, especially a vintage pattern. It's a very simple dress, and I've changed the style a little by making it more of a panel dress - the seams will go all the way down the dress instead of stopping at the hip. This means that I will be able to adjust the 'wiggle factor' with more ease. I think I will also make the jacket pictured, but shorter.

Then there's the dress for Mrs P. Here it is pinned to Madge. It's a gorgeous fabric - gold cotton backed satin with a dark brown velvety pattern, like a flock. She is going to wear it to a wedding in October, and this fabric is just the right weight for a wintery frock. It will be lined with dark brown lining with a net underskirt to give it a little flounce. Today I cut out the dress pieces by thread tracing the pattern onto a single layer of the fabric in order to be able to match up the repeat. I'm not sure how well I did - it's not sewn together yet.

Also on my list to make is a skirt for my Sister-in-Law. It will be made from some lovely cream linen/cotton blend fabric, with accents in the Kaffe Fasset fabric pictured. It's bright and cheerful just like she is.

It's all sew around here!