A Few Holiday Snaps!

Hello Everyone!

So, we are just over halfway through our American Adventures! We are currently on the Pacific Coast and having a fantastic time. I just wanted to take some time to share with you some of my favourite holiday snaps so far. Keep an eye out for some me-makes...they are getting a lot of wear :)

View of Manhattan from Liberty Island

New York City from Central Park

In Vegas just after my friend's Wedding

Sun setting over the Grand Canyon

Getting to know Micky in Hollywood

Silliness on the beach

Another good sunset, this time on the West Coast

Harbour at Santa Barbara

That's it for now....I'm off to explore! I think i saw some zebra earlier in the fields nearby so i need to go and check if they are real or if I'm actually going crazy...!!

K xx

Holiday Wardrobe Challenge Update plus odds and ends

So back in June, i set myself the challenge to make three items for my trip to America. Since then i have made two dresses and two tops....so i actually made four! Here is a reminder of these makes....

One Sorbetto

Two Sorbetto

New Look 6557 Dress

Lonsdale Dress

They are all packed and ready to go! I can't wait to wear my me made clothes on holiday - I'm sure there will be plenty of pictures! I'm really pleased that i managed to meet my challenge, as i was a bit concerned i was being too ambitious. But it just goes to show that it never hurts to set yourself a deadline.

In other news, Ted and Bobble have left for the next stage of their travels...

They are now staying with Jessica...check out her blog to keep up to date with Ted's adventures.

Also, i finished my second baby cardigan in time to deliver it at the weekend...

This one took me 3 weeks to make, compared to 6 months for my first attempt, so I'm definitely getting quicker!! I love the colour of the wool, it's a gorgeous deep blue, darker than it looks here. My favourite part is the black and grey polka dot buttons, which i think you can just about see in the picture. 

One more thing...a few weeks ago the lovely Ashley was kind enough to give me the Leibster Blog award

Apparently,

"The Liebster is a award for those who have less than 300 Google followers but deserves a lot more recognition and following than what they currently get. They are the unsung heroes of the blogsphere, plugging away in their little corner, churning out fantastic work and we need to do something to help them get some publicity."

So thanks Ashley! You should definitely check out her blog, she has had some beautiful finished makes recently. So i now have to pass this award on to three other deserving bloggers who deserve more attention. My blog picks are:

- The Cupcake Architect

- Pink Lemonade

- Invisible Flower

I love these blogs and hope you do too!

Right, i think that's me all caught up! I'm off on my holiday very soon so i am likely to be sporadic/absent for a few weeks, and any posts will be sadly devoid of sewing. However, i will be back in the middle of September, hopefully ready to get cracking on some new makes! I hope you all enjoy what's left of the summer :)

K xx

Lonsdale Dress - Finished!

So i have finally finished my Lonsdale Dress! I say finally because i feel like it has been in the pipeline for a long time, although i actually only cut the fabric last week, and sewed the first stitch yesterday, so i suppose really it was a pretty speedy make! So, here it is...finished just in time to wear to my friend's wedding next week :) I love how summery it looks!

I made only a couple of adjustments from the muslin...the main one was to take in the side seams slightly under the arms. This seemed to solve the problem of gaping along the top of the dress, and i am very pleased with the fit of the finished product! I was slightly paranoid that it would still be too big though so i tried it on several times at different stages, and i did increase the size of the seam along the zipper as the bodice was initially too big, which did the trick.

I was too busy to follow along with the Sew-Along as it was happening, but i did follow Tasia's posts as i made the dress. She adds lots of little details which make the finished dress look more polished and are just fantastic. See how the inside of the dress is almost as pretty as the outside...

I'm already thinking of Lonsdale #2....perhaps in a dark fabric this time! 

K xx

...Three Sorbetto, Four....

Yep that's right, yet more Sorbetto Tops!

These two are for my mum. I hope she likes them! The eagle-eyed of you may have spotted that one of these is made of the same fabric as my version 2...my mum liked it so much she asked for a replicate!

So what else have i been up to recently? And more importantly, what has Ted been up to? Let's have a look!

Learning how to play Angry Birds on my boyfriend's iPad

Helping me with my knitting

Enjoying a curry...got to to be done when in Leicester,
the curry capital of the UK!

  

Helping me cut out for my Lonsdale Dress

Yep that's right, I've finally got onto cutting out for the Lonsdale Dress! I am running a little behind with the Sew-Along but am hoping to catch up this week. So far I'm on track to finish everything before my holiday...i best get knitting!

K xx

The (Sewing) Plan of Attack

So, it is just under two weeks now until i go on holiday! Exciting! However, before i go i have several UFOs and WIPs to finish. I am perhaps slightly optimistic about the amount of sewing that i will be able to get done beforehand, but we shall see. I figure that if i commit to the plan in public then i might have more chance of sticking to it...maybe! So what are my plans? Well, i would like to complete the following:

#1) My Lonsdale Dress! The muslin is complete (see below) and i am now following the Sew-Along to finish the dress in time for my holiday.

Here is a reminder of my fashion fabric:

I am so excited to make this dress, and i intend to wear the finished product to the Wedding in Vegas, so fingers crossed i get it finished in time!

#2) A baby cardigan like this one. Last week it looked like this:

I now have 1 and a half arms complete as well as the back, so to go are two front panels and half an arm....and then i have to sew it together. I am seeing the intended recipient in a week's time, so i best get knitting...!

#3) The last time i saw my mum she asked me to make her a Sorbetto top. So I'm going to make her two! Here are the intended fabrics:

Yep, the observant of you may have noticed that the first fabric is the same as one of my Sorbettos! The second fabric is a gorgeous green cotton with a flower embroidery on...lovely! 

#4) A iPad case for my boyfriend. The tale of this iPad case started months ago, and is a bit of a disaster story. Basically i found a pattern and started it, however it was a comedy of errors partly due to the fabric he chose, which frays like anything, and partly because i got a bit confused with the zip insertion method. So the finished product was a bit of a disaster, and being the perfectionist i am i was so un-proud of it i decided to take it apart and start again! Rob has been very good about this, only asking me a few times how it is progressing, but i feel so bad as it is the first thing i have made for him. However, I have now found another pattern from flossie teacakes of which i have high hopes. So we shall see, version 2 will commence soon!

Phew, what a lot of sewing! It's a good job i have Ted to help me...

Watch this space to see how i get on!

K xx

Lonsdale Dress: Muslin

So yesterday i finished my muslin for the Lonsdale Dress! Although i will be taking part in the Sew-Along for this dress, Tasia decided not to include the stage of making a muslin in order to save time, as many people (myself included!) were keen to get the dress finished in time for their holidays. However, i am terrified of cutting out my precious fashion fabric without first trying a muslin to check the fit/style, so i decided to go ahead with a muslin. As always, Tasia's instructions were clear and easy to follow. After all the tracing and cutting was out of the way, i reckon it must have taken me 2-3 hours to get the dress sewn up. I did skip a number of the beautifying steps e.g. finishing seams and understiching, which i will include in the finished dress but thought were not worth it for a muslin, however even with these bits in i think the dress will still be pretty quick to make.

I know i could have just made a bodice muslin, however i like to get an idea of how the finished dress will look, and i think you get a much better idea if you add the skirt on as well. Also it gives me a chance to practice every step of the pattern before i do it on the real thing! 

I'm really pleased with how my muslin turned out, and i love the style of the faux-halterneck. There are no darts or any real fitting in the bodice, so i was a bit concerned that the effect would be unflattering, but in fact because of the waistband it does actually appear quite fitted. I was very pleased to not have to carry out an FBA (Full Bust Adjustment). In fact the only adjustment that i did make here was to take in a bit at the top of the side seams, just under the arms, as there was a bit of gaping there. I seem to always have to make this adjustment, not sure why! I also shortened the skirt by about 5 inches, as i prefer my dresses to hit just below the knees. This was quite a drastic cut, and actually in the actual dress i think i will leave it a bit longer, so when i adjust the pattern i will probably take off about 3 1/2 inches. I can always take the hem up a bit extra but i can't add it back once it's been chopped off!

So, here are some pictures! The bow at the back is a little bit untidy as i didn't have anyone to help me tie it so i had to do the job as best i could - when i actually wear this dress the back will be much tidier! Yet again i am sporting chopped-off head pictures....i just can't seem to take them any other way!

My zip insertions just keep getting neater :)

Is anyone else taking part in the Lonsdale Sew-Along? Are you making a muslin or are you brave enough to jump straight in with your fashion fabric? I can't wait to see everyones finished dresses :)

K xx

I Want To Ride My Bicycle...

Yesterday it was a glorious day and Ted, Bobble and i took advantage of the nice weather and went on a little bike ride. Here are a few pictures of our day! (None of me as i was quite hot and sweaty - not attractive! Somehow Ted managed to keep his cool...)

Ted prepares to leave - i persuaded him it would be safest if he
travelled in my backpack

Chilling out in the park

Ted was a little worried by this sign but i told him
this was unlikely to be a problem at this time of year!

What did everyone else get up to at the weekend? Aside from the bike ride i made a start on my Lonsdale dress muslin. I'm hoping to get it finished tonight so keep an eye out for a blog post on it coming soon :)

K xx