Stripey Summer Top (with boats and bunnies!)

Project: Stripey Criss-Cross Top

Pattern: This 1950s top pattern from Etsy

Stash Buster? yup :)

Items From Stash: both the fabric and the pattern have been in my stash for a while

Date Started: March 2012

Date Finished: April 2012

New Techniques Used: lace used for decorative hem

Wear Again? As soon as it's warm enough, yes!

Now you may have noticed from this blog that I love wearing dresses. I wear them most of the time because I love the fact that with a dress you basically have a complete outfit without any real effort :) However, I thought it was about time to get some more separates into my wardrobe and I have been wanting to give this top a try for a long time. You can probably see why, it's so cute!

This top is made from a 1950s pattern that had all kinds of different variations, but this one was by far the collect and most fun. The construction was a little bit challenging but also fascinating, can you believe that the whole front section (both the front panel and the crossing straps) is cut in one piece which is folded and sewn to give the crisscross effect? It truly is a brilliant pattern :) I'm also completely in love with the fabric which was a Birthday present to me last year, but I know it originally came from Ray Stitch, one of the best fabric shops I know. don't you think a whole dress in this fabric would just be too cute?! 

I paired the top with my new-to-me 1950s novelty print skirt, which I recently purchased from the Clerkenwell Vintage Fair (aren't the boats sweet?) together with one of my favourite Cassie Stephens belts (it is Easter-time so I thought the bunny was appropriate!). I just wish the weather was warm enough for me to wear this out properly, but alas I have to settle for prancing around my digs in it for now (hence the slightly dreary indoor photos, sorry!).

I hope you've all had a marvellous Easter weekend, do let me know what you think of this top :)

Katie xxx

Colette Fall Palette Challenge 2011 - 1960s top and tunic

You may or may not remember that way back when in September I vowed to take part in the Colette Fall Palette Challenge. I got as far as making a mood board and selecting my colours (see the post here), but then there was a slight problem with my sharing my finished projects with you. Because there weren't any! For various reasons, including the theft of my sewing machine, I found myself unable to complete any of my planned items for my Palette Challenge, however this all changed a few weeks ago! I have finally completed two of those projects and I can finally share them with you now...

So take a look at my new 1960s style top and tunic!

Usually I'm draw to the looks of the 40s and 50s but I found the pattern for this ensemble tucked away at the back of a vintage shop near my home and brought is home for next to nothing with a whole bunch of others. It did feel very strange to wear such a short skirt after so long in never wearing anything above the knee, but as soon as I got used to it I must admit I enjoyed it! 

This outfit uses three of the colours from my Fall Palette Mood Board, grey, cream and red (although I had the red items already!) and I love how they all work together. I'm totally in love with this dress fabric, which is covered in black and white pictures which have their names underneath them in french, I bought it at Ray Stitch and I cannot get enough of it! I also made a bow belt, once again using Tilly's tutorial, and I think it really sets off the whole look.

The top is my first ever attempt at using a stretch knit fabric! It's made with a beautifully soft t-shirt fabric that I picked up in Manchester months ago and it's so snuggly and comfortable. It was surprisingly easy to work with and the finished top is something that I know I will wear again and again and again, in fact several of my friends have expressed an interest in having one for themselves, so who knows, you may be seeing more of this top in the future! The original pattern had a high necked pussy bow look which I altered to add the peter pan collar - a favourite look of mine! - and I also added some fabric covered buttons to the cuffs and collar for a nice extra detail.

And yes, the observant readers amongst you may notice that the boots I'm wearing are the very boots that I featured on my mood board for colour inspiration! I love my Miss L Fire boots, they are heavenly to prance about in :) Although this isn't my usual look I really enjoy it and I'm sure I will be taking this outfit out on the town again soon!

Top - Handmade by me

Dress - Handmade by me

Belt - Handmade by me using this tutorial

Hat - Knitted by me using this pattern

Gloves - a gift from my Sweetheart

Bag - won in a competition by the wonderful Emma of Lady Jardin

Boots - Miss L Fire

All photos taken by my Sweetheart

Pendrell Blouse - Completed!

I have completed my first handmade garment of the year! The Pendrell Blouse is finished and to celebrate I took it out for a stroll :)

Being a tad OCD I can see quite a few imperfections in my finished blouse, but I'm trying very hard to ignore them and focus on the positives! I love this pattern for one, it came together beautifully and I will definitely be trying it again, maybe then I'll get it just perfect! :) I also love the colour and do feel very girly pretty in it. It's nice that something so simple can make you feel so elegant.

I'm happy with the finished product, and I feel that I learnt a lot during it's construction. Tasia put a great amount of detail into every step so I felt like I was going back to basics and really making sure that everything was done properly. It was a great sew-along, I enjoyed it throughly, and I'm looking forward to taking the blouse out on the town soon!

Hat - Vintage (gift)

Top - Pendrell Blouse, made by me

Skirt - Urban Outfitters

Pearls - Frock Me Vintage Fair

Belt and Tights - Topshop

Shoes - New Look

All pictures taken by my Sweetheart :)

Vintage Revamp #1 - Red Blouse

This is the first of my vintage revamp projects! I found this red blouse at the Vintage Kilo Sale in London, and I fell in love with the cute pattern of the fabric. However it hung off the hanger like a deflated balloon, so I knew that it would need a good going over before I would wear it!

The blouse pre-tart-up

It fits perfectly in the shoulders and the length is just right too, but the side seams need to come in a couple of inches on each side, and the sleeves need some work too. I also really need to do something about those awful white plastic buttons...

I started by taking in the side seams to give the blouse a more fitted look, and at once you can see it looks heaps better!

So there was a figure under there!

I also took up the sleeves a good couple of inches, making cute little cap sleeves as opposed to the strange not-quite-sure-what-length-we-want-to-be things that the blouse had before. And for a final flourish I used some excess red fabric from a previous project of mine and made up a big bow which I sewed around the neck line to give a pussy-bow look. And voila! 

The finished article!

I still need to replace those awful tacky buttons, but other than that I can say that I'm satisfied with my day's work. As soon as the weather picks up I'll get outside and get some pictures of me in this new little number, but until then happy Friday!