Gertie Wraps Up!

A new favourite!  I am in love with this dress!  So in love, I’m already planning my second 😀

I had bought the cotton madras a while ago with this project in mind.  I actually wanted to make it for the TMS’s July ‘Check It Out’ challenge but despite my plans, I didn’t make it until August!  The fabric is so light and is just lovely.

The instructions were fairly straight forward and the dress came quickly.  The collar and neckline was a bit a teeny bit fiddly but believe me, it’s worth it! I’m really impressed with the finish of the collar.  I did have to tack the facings down a little but that’s my personal preference; it makes for easier wearing. 🙂  I chose to make it sleeveless and just faced the armholes with a bias tape that was in my stash.  I do think that I need to take them in a little more, maybe hem them another 1/2 inch.  They seem to be a little big around the arms and flap too much in the wind. 🙂

The only puzzle I had with this was with the seam on the neckline – I knew I needed to finish the seam and I knew I needed to clim the seam but finishing was not included in the instructions.  I wasn’t sure what to do so decided to clip and then finish, which turned out to be tricky.  Should I have left the finishing & not overlocked?  I thought about that but then worried that it might fray once washed?! Any alternatives would be appreciated!

So here’s the finished dress, on an outing to a local park.  It was so comfortable to wear!  I was trying to spot an alligator but didn’t find any. 😦  Maybe next time!

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Jumping In July!

This may be one of those posts that I meant to write 2 weeks ago and then forgot about it completely!  Whoops!  This Butterick pattern was one of the ones I bought in a recent sale where all Butterick patterns were $3.  I’ve never really worn a jumpsuit before so I was quite looking forward to making this one.  I chose view B, the version with the shorts.

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An Unsure 2215 with a few adjustments

Another Cynthia Rowley pattern! This collarless shirt dress can be plain but also has an option for fringing. I chose to go with the plain; view A.

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This dress was constructed in the wrong order completely! I ran out of interfacing & didn’t have the zip I needed :-0 So I started with pleating the skirt & finishing the raw edges with an overlock stitch. I would have liked to use French seams but the side zip got in the way so I gave up!  Once I had interfacing, I carried on with the rest of the construction.

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Vintage Pledge 2015: Number 3 – McCall’s 5597

I am slowly working my way through my stash of vintage patterns; I haven’t got many but I have enough to be able to pick one to sew every now and again.  I chose this McCall’s 5597 pattern as I liked the look of view F – a simple blouse to wear with shorts or skirts during the Summer.  As this pattern was printed in 1977, it also counts as my third make for the 2015 Vintage Pattern Pledge.

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Shifting Along with Gertie

I received the Gertie Sews Vintage Casual book for Christmas last year.  I’ve often picked it up and browsed the pages, but I’ve always put it back down again.  I think I was a little scared as I originally thought the instructions were a little vague and the instructional pictures didn’t show ‘real’ fabric!  I had talked myself into getting a little more sewing experience before making anything out of the book.

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Cynthia Rowley 1873

The Cynthia Rowley 1873 was one of my target makes for June.  I set up a little Facebook group for a few other bloggers who also wanted to sew this garment and it was great to sew along with them.  Sharing fabric ideas, progress and sewing tips was lovely to do and it was nice to be able to share certain things before actually writing the proper blog post.

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