I made a top!

Yay! I made a garment!

And I like it and will actually wear it!

Do you remember I was so inspired by all the lovely ladies wearing their beautifully constructed dresses at the Minerva Meet-up weekend?

I made a pledge to myself to jump on the handmade revolution and came away with this simple pattern and some cotton lawn. It was marked ‘easy’. Perfect.

The fabric

The pattern C

I’d read my new Colette Sewing Handbook from cover to cover. I’d read soooooo many dressmaking blogs. I was ready.

Not wanting to dive into my fabric without having a test drive, I even made a toile.

I was so pleased I did. I had to let the seams on the shoulders out by 1cm due to the arm holes being tight and the neck feeling too high. I also curved the side seams to make it less boxy for my chosen fabric and took the neck line down at the back by half an inch. This was so worthwhile. I would have been so disappointed to have made up the whole garment and it not even fit.  Reading all those blogs had not been a waste. They had given me the confidence to alter things, even on my first go. I also learnt a valuable lesson. However simple the garment, make a toile first. So now I just need to pull those old bed sheets out of the garage where they have been put aside for dust sheets.

I have a confession. I’m not one to take up something new half heartedly and I had been promising myself one of these post wedding. On Friday my new Beast, the Brother over-locker, was delivered.

It came ready threaded so I had the briefest watch of the first 10 minutes of the accompanying DVD and had a go.

I was quite giddy. Professional looking seams!

A few more details to show you.

Yes, it was fairly simple but I spent time over everything and even Mr Jones commented that it didn’t look like I’d made it.

I’m going to make it again, this time in something that drapes a little more and then onto the next challenge – sleeves!

Meanwhile, I am actually wearing this at work!!!!

Love, Lucie xx