Make Of The Month; Kirsty
It’s always such a pleasure to see what get’s made using the fabrics in your boxes, last month Kirsty emailed to show me her make using the broderie anglaise from April’s “Bloom and Grow” Luxury Box. She made a New Look 6341 dress, and it’s a stunner.
I bloomin love a subscription box and the SewHayleyJane box seemed like an ideal gift to myself. I signed up for the Luxury one and was really excited when it arrived and contained this fab fabric. I wouldn’t normally buy white fabric and have never worked with broderie anglaise but actually it was really easy to sew.
The fabric seemed so special that a summer dress seemed like an obvious choice and I found this pattern from New Look 6341; the fact that it had pockets sold it to me from the outset (love a dress with pockets!) I made a toile of the top part only then had a bit of a nightmare trying to get the right fit – I never find it easy fitting it to myself but went to the tried and tested method of drawing all over the toile then adjusting the paper pattern. After this it actually went together really quickly and the only other difference I made was adding the side ties and lining the skirt as well as the top. I cut the full length version as I wasn’t sure how long I wanted it to be then had to lop about 2 foot off the bottom so I think the hem may be a little bit wonky still.
The lining is actually a very pale pink cotton with tiny white dots on it from a local fabric shop in Reading.
I can’t make up my mind whether I have made a bridesmaid dress for an ageing maid of honour or a garden party dress – either way at the moment there is not much scope to actually wear it out but I am hopeful!
Like many other sewers I have come back to sewing during lockdown after completing a diploma in dressmaking a few years ago and then after having to sew to get the qualification I sort of lost my sewing mojo. What I found after not having sewn for so long is that there are far more modern sewing pattern houses out there now and I fell in love with Tilly and The Buttons and did a lot of sewing with stretch fabrics which I had previously avoided.
I haven’t made anything with the pattern that came with the April Luxury box but again it is the sort of dress I would wear so maybe I will make it with this month’s material – I have a few projects backed up though so it may have to wait!