fabric – Page 4

May 7, 2013June 12, 2015

All is rosy in an Elisalex

Hooray for Elisalex! I want to shout it from the rooftops! I am sooooo happy with this dress. Does it show?!

We had the loveliest day yesterday. Sunshine, park-life and the company of great friends. And the perfect day in fact for an Elisalex showcase!

This is the first independent pattern I have purchased. I’m mostly persuaded by the charm of a vintage pattern but having seen lots of gorgeous examples modelled recently I was totally sold on this dress.

Those girls over at By Hand London have my total respect. Not only does this dress look amazing on everyone who wears it, I kid you not when I say what a joy it is to make. Just one test garment and boom, on to the real one! No faffing, no head scratching and no time-consuming fussiness about it.

I know a few of you have voiced concern over the shape of the tulip skirt – and I have to admit, I did waver myself – but believe me, I am not of minimal hip or butt for sure and although the shape is all about that area, it flatters beyond belief! This is also the most easy to wear dress ever. Not out of place for a picnic but would also go down a treat at a wedding or a party or a shopping trip…

I made this one with a great score of stretch cotton fabric that I shared with Dolly Clacket, whilst on our Goldhawk Road shopping trip organised by House of Pinheiro. It’s totally machine washable and has enough stretch to fit so comfortably without losing shape anywhere at all. It was a dream to sew. Hardly fraying at all. The skirt is nipped in at the hem so that little bit of stretch helps for bigger walking steps too!

The only worry, working with this fabric was how to line the bodice. Given the stretch, I didn’t want an un-stretchy lining. And given the princess seams I wanted as smooth a finish on the inside as there was on the outside. Given that stretch lining doesn’t appear to exist anywhere on the planet I bit the bullet and self-lined. There was a minor moment of panic when I thought this just might make for too much bulk. Its heavier than your usual woven cotton which is great for the structure of the skirt… but it worked a treat!

This pattern is defo a keeper. Any dress that can be rustled up in a couple of evenings and makes me this happy is worth making again, and again… and again!

Thank you, as always to my wonderful though crazy, dog-biscuit munching, talented photographer hubster, Daniel x

April 27, 2013December 23, 2019

How my Elisalex ‘test garment’ happened!

So much has happened over this last week. Starting with last Saturday when Rachel hosted her massive meet up! There have been plenty of fine reports of that wonderful day so I am going to cheat big time and point you in the direction of here and here oh and here!

I will however post a few of the pics. Just because I think they are great and our photographer for the day, Digpal Singh deserves bigging up because he was amaaaazing!

Anyhoos. One of the meet-up missions was to shop till we dropped in the Goldhawk Road. By this time I’d been so excited to meet everyone, I clean forgot my fabric shopping list and got completely distracted by the presence of Elisalex dresses modelled so beautifully in real life by these lovely ladies:

Amy, Roisin (wearing Elisalex) and Nicole

Lovely ladies inc Tara (wearing Elisalex) on right

So I bought this fabric with the Elixalex in mind. Got a great deal by tempting Roisin into sharing 5 metres of hefty, stretch-cotton floral with me. £12.50… bargain!

For those who have yet to discover this fabulous dress pattern (I’ve a feeling I might be one of the few!) It is so brilliantly and readily available from By Hand London. I loved meeting the brains behind this fabulous site on Saturday. Meet Charlotte and Elisalex herself.

Elisalex and Charlotte — Elisalex (left) Charlotte (right) also modelling the Elisalex skirt.

I ordered my pattern as soon as I got home that Saturday evening. A miracle given no of G&Ts that were consumed beforehand! And it arrived PDQ. I’m still so busy with work and there was little hope of me achieving anything else this week but I tell no lies when I say how quick it was to put together. The instructions are very clear and it really is such an adaptable pattern that will tranfsorm with any style skirt or sleeve option. And so here is my first ‘test garment’.

I repeat ‘test garment’ because I had no intention of actually wearing this one out of the house. But Mr O insisted, if I wanted him to take the photos.

Why you ask? Because it’s made out of a Duvet cover! It’s a pretty 100% cotton, Ikea, duvet cover but bedding all the same! LMO insisted on an ice-cream so there was only one thing for it! A trip to the local cafe, that sells what transpires to be the most delicious ice-cream ever!

I’m actually glad I wore it out. It was a good test drive. Whilst I’m completely smitten with this skirt style on everyone else, Mr O’s rendition of You Can’t Touch This, did nothing for my indecision! It does take a lot of getting used to. I kept the length… and it is quite long. But it does mean I have to take ladylike steps with a wiggly walk which I quite like. I also like very much, that despite the blustery weather, the wind could not blow this skirt up if it tried! Unlike my first summer dress of this year! Proper Marylin behaviour in that one! I Love the princess seams.

And I adore the shape of the back… just pretend you didn’t see the bra strap!

And I just can’t wait to make the real one in the fabulous floral! I would now like to remove this song from my head. So please take it and enjoy! [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otCpCn0l4Wo&w=420&h=315]

March 23, 2013

Party skirt for Princess Gabrielle

You may have seen me whinging (and crying) on Twitter about this skirt. And now I’m looking at it I really am bemused by how a tiny skirt for a 3 year old could have given me so much jip!

The skirt is made from 3 layers of the most atrrocious fabric: Purple polyester satin for the underskirt, purple soft netting to add poofiness in the middle, and a top layer of glittery pinky-purple stretch tulle… with an off grain ribbed effect which was already stretched out of shape.

So the first issues began with the cutting. Purple polyester all cool apart from the fuzzy fraying threads that combined when handled to form a faux cobweb mass much like you’d buy for decoration at halloween. I was covered in the stuff and even the cats managed to get it wrapped round their chops and were in a right old pickle till I unwound it from their teeth!

I telephoned my mum to ask for some advice on cutting the netting and tulle and she advised to measure and run a line of pins as markers. Great advice but I can’t tell you just how many pins I picked up from the floor afterwards! You have to weave them in and out or else they just drop out!

And lastly and most annoyingly that glittery stretchy nightmare stuff. Because it had a horizontal ribbing, I thought it would be a doddle to cut but nooooo. It was all wonky and stretched from the outset. I’m not entirely happy with the edge to this layer but hey its going to be on a twirling whirling 3 year old party girl who’ll be boinging on a massive pink inflatable castle for most of the day so I think it might go unnoticed!

Now I wasn’t going to admit to the most stupid mistake I made. Because I still can’t believe I was that stupid but hey. We all learn from them….

When I’d finished… or when I thought I’d finished… I thought the waistband was looking a bit too bulky and however much I trimmed the inside elastic, it still came up bigger than the intended 50cm. A lot of head scratching, a goodnights sleep and a eureka moment revealed that I’d cut the waistband not 2x the waist measurement but 4x the waist measurement. I’d measured the strip with it folded, like a complete dingbat!!! Here’s the evidence:

I did laugh at myself, through the tears. I have been so busy with work this week and I’m amazed I actually got any sewing done. But I’m so glad I did. Gabrielle’s birthday party is tomorrow and I can’t wait to see the photos of her wearing her princess skirt. I’m sure they will make for better viewing than the above! Watch this space 🙂

March 10, 2013

Kiki’s vintage cushion cover

When my good friend Kiki asked me to make a cushion cover from her late mother’s Biba skirt, I kind of refused. Big time! I love my friend Kiki so much and would do anything for her but cut up a Biba skirt?! She was going to have to drug me first!!!

She texted to say she was on her way with said skirt. It didn’t look like I had a choice. In fact she was at mine before I got back myself! Mr O had a cuppa on the go. I went straight for the wine. This was going to be painful.

Luckily for me, Kiki gets things muddled all the time. (I really should write a dictionary of exclusive Kiki words and terms. I’m sure it would be a best-seller!) What she meant was that the skirt was a Biba-esque-style maxi skirt that her mum had hand-made in the 70s. She couldn’t see herself in it and to be honest, neither of us could get it over our thighs!

Well. That was a relief but still didn’t make for easy cutting up. But I warmed to the idea that Kiki would get daily pleasure from it being on her sofa instead of folding it away in the attic forever.

There’s quite a lot of fabric going on in a maxi A-line skirt. Plenty enough for a 50cm cushion pad!

But there was a moth-hole. Typically right in the middle of where I needed to cut.

I’ve not used the darning stitch on my machine before now.

It doesn’t mend totally invisibly but far better than a poke in the eye and a fraying hole!

Nothing complicated about the cushion cover itself. Just two squares. Zipper sewn to top edges first. Seamed all round. And Bob’s yer uncle!

Such a great geometric design on this fabric. It’s great quality cotton furnishing fabric of some kind.

And I have to say – I think it looks great on my sofa! Kiki can take as long as she likes coming to collect it!

January 17, 2013

Fabrics that fashioned a band

For someone who has lived, worked and partied with musicians since a very early age, it’s shocking how little I used to listen to the radio. But, thankfully, my new found obsessionial love of sewing has sparked a renewed love of radio, in particular BBC Radio 6! A great all round, varied, genius playlist even though it does draw attention to my short term memory! Such brilliant company at night when everyone’s in bed and it’s just me and the the hum of the machine. And by day at work when I’ve got my designer head on, but sshhh not too loud though, some people can’t hear themselves think! ;-).

Many a planted seed, conversation, memory, argument and debate has been triggered just from the intro of a song that was from the 70s, 80s, or 90s… or even last week…. have you heard David Bowies new single? ♥

Anyhows, one such seed that got firmly planted was the realization of how many bands were named as types of fabric!

So here you go, in no particular order:

1. The Chiffons (A lovely one to have stuck in your head)
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfxx3scAKS8]

2. Suede (Oh yes!)
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNPA68htGxk]

3. Corduroy (Remember these?)
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ophw7rvZcyc]

4. Black Lace (sorry!)
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqJVR6zz3lk]

5. Velvet Revolver (woken up yet?)
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKz2U4fvA4U]

6. Velvet Underground (Another velvet, sorry cheating a bit!)
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hugY9CwhfzE]

7. Psychedelic Furs (I won cinema tickets to see the movie from a radio phone in!)
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c08vQ-vUhWI]

8. Billy Cotton and His Band (I used to work in the road behind the Lambeth Walk!)
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOMro8HCxgY&w=560&h=315]

9. The Swinging Blue Jeans (Well kind of Denim!)
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k701n6zQpyM&w=420&h=315]

10. Elastica (Forgot how much I like this!)
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilKcXIFi-Rc&w=420&h=315]

I feel sure I’ve missed one or two. Can you think of any I shouldn’t have missed?

Happy Thursday everyone! x