Fetch my golfing knickers!

I'm still studying my 1945 tailoring book, though it's seriously hard going! When a friend asked me if I could make him some plus fours for a fancy dress do I jumped at the chance. As it's for fancy dress I don't have to be too worried if it's not perfect, so a great opportunity for me to try with not too much pressure.

The pattern was one that I'd bought over a year ago now, and the instructions consisted of nothing more than a badly scanned envelope from the 1920s! It didn't have any pictures, just 2 paragraphs of badly punctuated text. Needless to say, this was actually quite a challenge for my first pair of men's trousers and the fly is something I'm still not too sure I understand, let alone the crotch guard!

However, they were lined, and had fully working side- and back-pockets, as well as a watch pocket on the front right. I did have to leave the pattern behind towards the end and start improvising, but both I and my friend were really happy with the results - a pair of genuine 1920s plus-fours!

Wedding season is upon us.

A regular client of mine wanted something special for the social whirlwind of summer weddings that is racing towards us all this season.

Having decided on a scarlet pencil dress with halter-neck tie and gathered sweetheart neckline I toddled off to the shops and bought some thick, rich duchesse satin. The weight means that the finished dress has such smooth lines when worn, and suited the fitted style very well.

For the bodice I used plastic boning over the princess seams on the bustier part, and at the back, just to keep everything in place. Metal boning would have been too stiff, and as the boning ends just above the waistline, we should be safe from the 'lampshade' effect that plastic boned corsets sadly encounter.

The finished dress was very beautiful, and after some very last-minute adjustments looked both elegant and glam.

Her favourite dress...

A lady came to me recently asking if I could make a twin sister of her favourite dress. The original was a monochrome polka dot number made entirely of stretch knit. Being as in love with my Brother overlocker as I am, I felt pretty ready for the task :-)

After spending a while studying her dress, tracing it and calculating, I had a pattern drafted and ready to go. My customer chose her own fabric of a sheer black lining (powernet) and a pretty purple floral pattern for the outer layer.

The fabric took some very careful pinning and cutting but stitched together beautifully with a 3-thread overlock. I was a bit worried about ruffling something that sheer and stretchy but it really didn't cause much extra pain at all. I did the hem on my overlocker too, with a roll-hem stitch which left a very neat and pleasing finish.

The wrap over style and all the gathering on the bodice section are both really flattering, I can see why it's her favourite!

Steampunking it up in Whitby

Recently I went to Whitby with some die-hard steampunk friends for the steampunk social. It's a beautiful place and there were some really outstanding outfits on show.

At first I didn't think I'd have anything to wear, but then I recalled my old Victorian pieces I made for Halloween a couple of years ago. Combined with an underbust corset from one of my burlesque outfits that's made from burgundy taffeta with black beading on the upper trim and my red satin bolero style jacket I really started to look the part.

The underskirt is a wine coloured satin with corded gathering behind the knee and a small train, and the overskirt is made from brocade with a layer of dance net at the back to form a bustle effect with the ties inside giving it shape.

I also had a black furry shrug that I'd lined with red satin and had a red satin tie for when it got colder and a matching burgundy facinator made by a friend of mine (Chapeau Carmine on Etsy). The whole look was finished with a necklace made of keys and a brown leather satchel.

Ice Cream Sundae

I managed to finish my latest 1950s style dress in time for my birthday celebrations! It's the same dress I mentioned in my previous 'Drafty' post. I was really pleased with the cute little cap sleeves - the printed polycotton was just the right stiffness for it and although I was right about the pattern matching being a bit of a nightmare (horizontal bands of pattern), it was just about possible.

The drafting process wasn't too hard, though it took a while to get the sections to be gathered just right, I was really pleased with the fit of the final piece.

I really didn't have a great deal of fabric to work with, and I used every spare inch that I could while keeping the stripes level.

The sweetheart neckline was created with a centre front gathering, and the whole of the upper front panel was faced with the same fabric. The back was faced with an interfaced crescent. I decided to insert a side zip rather than a centre back one in order to keep smooth lines.

Sadly for the blog photos my friends decided to cover me with tacky birthday badges and a sash at the very start of the evening! (Bless 'em!)

Drafty....

Once all the festivities of Yuletide had calmed down I sat down to some long evenings of drafting. There's a few things on the pad at the moment, including my everlasting pursuit of the 'perfect' french knicker pattern. I'm getting close, but lots of Christmas cheer has made for a bit of a fluctuating waistline which is slowing things down a bit!

I'm also working on yet another 50's style dress, this one with small cap sleeves and a gathered sweetheart neckline. I've got some fabric in mind for this which is a bit on the pink side and might turn into a bit of a pattern-matching nightmare, but will look super cut if it all goes well.

I've also done a pattern for a friend who wanted a yoked blouse with bishops sleeves with a capped top which I can't wait to see. I was so annoyed with myself when I found out I'd drafted it to the waist and not the hip, but it's (hopefully!) easily fixed and I won't make that mistake again!

I'm still working on my tailoring skills too, though it's a slow process! I'm still ploughing through the 1945 tailoring book I found, though I'm having to stop and google every 5 minutes as the language is occasionally foreign to me! I've made some 1940's trousers for me though which I'll get some pictures up of soon.

Happy belated New Year! xxx