Blogger meet up jitters!

On Saturday, I'm going to my first Blogger meet up. I am ridiculously excited about it - even more excited than I am about going on holiday on Sunday - but also more than a little nervous. What if I don't recognise anyone in the flesh? What if I can't think of anything to say?

It's bizarre, but meeting Bloggers feels a little bit like meeting a celebrity (I would imagine). You know their face, you feel like you know them because of what you've read and seen, but actually you don't know them. It's like when you see a famous person on the street and for a minute think it's someone from work.

I have even been dreaming about the meet up. Luckily the meet up has gone well in all the dreams so far! No disasters, other than forgetting my stuff for the swap!

And then of course, what do you wear? It simply has to be handmade, doesn't it? I am in the fortunate (or unfortunate, depending on how you look at it) position of having exactly 2 handmade maternity items to choose from, so at least I won't spend hours on Saturday morning, trying everything on unable to make a decision. I just need to ensure it's clean and ironed and I am good to go!

But wait, handmade maternity clothes? Yes! I finished not one, but 2 things! No photos yet, hence no post, but I plan to remedy this at the weekend. Hopefully. As I've said, we are going on holiday on Sunday. It's a last minute booking to the Scottish Borders (and we are going for 6 nights rather than 7, PURELY so I can spend Saturday in Glasgow with a bunch of strangers! I told you I was excited!). We are staying in a cottage that looks lovely (and has already been road tested by my parents, so I know it's nice) but which has no internet access. So, unless I have the energy and presence of mind to post on Saturday night, after the meet up, it's unlikely I will get to it until we get back!

scottish-cottages.co.uk

 If I don't manage, I will see you all in a week and a bit - apart from those I'll be seeing on Saturday, of course! :)

Belated Blogiversary

On Saturday it was my 1 year blogiversary. I missed it completely. I only remembered this afternoon, at work.

Oh well. It would have been nice to have marked it with a giveaway or a tutorial, but I have nothing organised. Similarly, there is little point in doing a reflections type post, given I did just that quite recently. But I wanted to at least note the occasion with a little post!

Since my last post, I have started working on an Anda variation. This should be the simplest make ever - the basic dress in its natural form is just 4 seams, some bias binding and a casing and a tie at the waist, but so far I seem to have unpicked more than I've sewn. My tension has gone a bit wonky on my sewing machine, and I managed to break 2 threads on my overlocker.  Plus, I spent a good amount of time, just staring at the cut out pieces.

With my first pregnancy, I got my energy back once into the second trimester, but this time, while not as exhausted as I was during the first 12 weeks, I am still shattered in the evenings. I think pregnancy, plus dealing with Small Boy - who has been going through a really bad behaviour phase (God, I hope it's a phase) recently - plus I've been fighting a really bad chesty cough, plus I've been really busy at work (not forgetting I am only 4 months into a new job) are all adding up! Woe is me!

The thing is I am really keen and super-inspired to sew. I just can't quite summon up the energy. I have pushed myself, even just to do a quick half hour here or there, which has helped. But the dress is still not finished. I am modifying the Anda to fit my current shape, and I think that for tired sewing, this isn't a good idea. In this state of mind/physicality, I need to be able to blindly follow instructions, without necessarily having to think about things. However, I am working on Saturday, which means I am off Monday. My plan for then is to put Small Boy into nursery and spend the day at the sewing machine. I desperately need some new clothes, so although I have a few overdue projects, this really needs to be my priority. Selfish sewing having to be a priority? What a nightmare! :)

Anyway, I shall finish my 1 year blogiversary post with a little observation about how much sewing has embedded itself in my conscious this year.

I have realised that I missed off one reflection from my recent Reflections, Inspirations, Goals post; that I have developed a complete obsession with working out how garments are put together. More often than not, I catch myself on buses and in meetings at work, looking at a garment someone is wearing and admiring the pattern placement on the pocket, wondering what the inside of a blouse looks like, or mentally trying to recreate a pleat in my head. However, I think this obsession can be best demonstrated thus:

On Tuesday I had a routine hospital appointment. When I arrived, the nurse advised that they were running really late and that I'd be better off waiting in the cafe. So I took myself off to the cafe, where I sat and drank a (decaff) latte and did some work emails on my Blackberry. When my battery and my coffee ran out, I sat for a while, people watching and thinking. My mind was wandering and I started wondering whether the RTW maternity dress I was wearing had elastic at the empire waistline. I  pulled on the waist and it felt stretchy, but the dress is made of jersey, so would have some stretch anyway. The style of the dress is a fake wrap over (similar to Cake's Tiramisu, but less well designed), quite low - so low in fact that I had to wear a vest (cami/singlet) underneath. As the neckline was low, I pulled it out a bit and glanced down to see if it was elasticated. It was. It actually had clear elastic which had been applied with an overlocker - the elastic being held in a casing created by the stitches. I'd never seen that before, so I pulled the neckline out further with one hand to get a good look, turning and twisting the seam around with the other.

It was at this point that I realised I was sitting alone, in full view, in a busy cafe, looking down my dress, with my hand down there for good measure! I quickly let go of the dress and decided that actually it might be better to go to the shop and buy a magazine to pass the time.

Obsessed much?!

Maternity Sewing Thoughts

In my last post I referred to the fact that I would like to sew as much of my maternity wardrobe as possible. Given that I actually don't usually want to replace my RTW wardrobe, I'm not sure what is driving this, other than... I can! I also haven't actually seen much in the way of exciting maternity RTW around.

I recently took my old maternity wardrobe down from the suitcase on top of the wardrobe, and I also took the opportunity to pack away some of my normal clothes that no longer fit (sniff… goodbye old friends), in a bid to make dressing in the morning a bit simpler. Instead I have been left with a giant hole in my wardrobe. When I was pregnant with Small Boy, I borrowed quite a lot of maternity clothes, so my true maternity wardrobe is somewhat limited, and only features a handful of dresses and a couple of tops. What I do have is 4 years old, and has been worn A LOT. There are now things I have gone off, and some things that are just looking a bit shabby. Plus, I seem to have lost some items.

So, I need dresses, tops, trousers and skirts to cover casual and work wear.

Some thoughts:

I can't make trousers or jeans so these are obvious candidates to buy.

For financial reasons, I don't want to buy a lot of maternity patterns, so I need to try to use patterns that have life beyond maternity, that I have already, or that are free.

I probably need a lot of cake, but will allow myself a bit of frosting.

Dresses

I have considered a few options, but the strongest candidates, I think, are the Made by Rae Washi dress and the Burda Anda dress. I already own the Anda, but have never made it. I'm not convinced I will actually wear the Washi once no longer pregnant, as I generally don't like empire line style, so I am breaking my own rule already but the style seems perfect, plus it already has a shirred back, allowing for comfort and rib cage expansion. Elastic is good when pregnant. 

Washi Dress

Anda Dress

Bottoms

Megan Nielsen Virginia leggings. I am not a huge wearer of leggings normally, but they are comfy. I am thinking possibly in a ponte.

Possibly a standard to maternity jeans refashion. There are a few tutorials on how to do this online.

Gathered elastic skirt a la Shivani. 

Virginia Leggings

Tops

My mum gave me the Megan Nielsen Ruched Maternity Tee pattern for my birthday, so i will definitely make a couple of these. Kathryn, of Kathryn's Busytown, has very kindly offered to lend me her Perfect Nursing Tee pattern. If she is happy to do that, I will be eternally grateful, and will also make a couple of these too. This style is very similar to one of the lost tops I had previously. 

There is one maternity top that I made last time around, which was extremely unflattering, but I made it in lovely Liberty Tana Lawn, so I am hoping to be able to do a bit of refashioning to try to make it more wearable for this time.

The Washi can also be made in tunic length, which would work with the leggings.

Scout tee. My burgundy colour one is still going strong, although is starting to get a little tight. I am considering just sizing up and making this in a drapier fabric. Actually, the Hemlock may work too.

Perfect Nursing Tee

Ruched Maternity Tee

I also have a Pinterest board dedicated to Maternity tutorials and inspiration, which may well deviate me away from some of the above.

One final thing I'd like to make myself, that doesn't fit into any of the above categories, is a dressing gown. A lightweight cotton one. I have a pattern in the Liberty Book of Home Sewing that is designed to be made up in Liberty silk. Gorgeous, but for practicality and cost reasons, I think a cotton lawn would suffice! Something pretty to wear in hospital and for wearing on the days when I don't quite manage to get dressed until 3pm!

If you've been following my blog for a wee while, you will know that now I have documented this, I am unlikely to stick to it. Remember my summer sewing plans for last year? But actually, as long as I keep in mind that I need a limited number of tops, bottoms and dresses, and that I make them in a combination that work together, that doesn't matter. The above are my thoughts just now. If I decide the Anda doesn't work, or I don't actually want to wear leggings, then I just need to come up with something else instead.

Reflections, Inspirations and Goals

In my last post, I mentioned that I wasn't going to bother with continuing the Top 5 thread of reflections, goals and inspirations, but having given it some thought, I thought I might after all. I find these so interesting to read for other people - hopefully you will think the same, although it does all feel rather self-indulgent!

Reflections
1. I might buy less RTW, but I still impulse buy fabric and patterns.
My goal with sewing has never been to replace RTW. It has a place in my life and my wardrobe, and I am comfortable with that. Since I started sewing and reading blogs, however, I have been conscious about the quality of the clothes I buy. I'd love to say I only buy ethically made clothing, and that I know where every garment was produced, but I don't. To offset this, I try to buy quality as then it lasts longer and I buy fewer garments.This is working well, but I seem to have just shifted the impulse buy mentality to sewing stuff instead: tools, patterns, fabrics, haberdashery! I'm not sure this is much of an improvement.

2. I am not realistic about what I am able to achieve.
From a time perspective, I mean. I am often guilty of thinking I can finish a garment sooner than I can, which often leads to frustration and rush sewing (case in point: my Fall for Cotton blouse).

3. I got better at fit.
Actually, I tried! Previously I didn't bother. I still have a LONG way to go on this, but I definitely made some improvements. Starting to make muslins was a step in the right direction. Of course, none of this helps with point 2!

4. I love blogging!
I truly do! I never thought I would stick at this, but in a fortnight's time, it will be my 1 year blogiversary! God knows what I'll now write in my anniversary post! I've covered it all here.

5. I still cannot always make my perfect garment, because I struggle to find the right fabric.
I have written about this before. I don't know if I am just particularly fussy (probably), but I often struggle to find the "perfect" fabric, meaning that ideal garment is still elusive.

Inspiration
1. RTW
2. Bloggers
3. Pinterest
4. People on the street
These are where I get both my buying and my sewing inspiration from. I noticed this year that I started buying magazines a lot less, as I got bored with them telling me what I had to wear, but I have always looked to the shops and to people for inspiration on what to wear. I really miss my London commuting days for that. Pinterest and blogs have added an extra dimension to this. I think what has been interesting for me, is that when I first started reading blogs I was only interested in those that reflected my style, or the style I wanted/wished I had. But now, even if a blogger has a very different sense of style to mine, I can still get inspiration from her (or him) in terms of details, techniques, fabric choice etc. That's been quite an eye opener for me.

Goals
I have many sewing goals that need to be put on hold this year due to the pregnancy (and ensuing baby). In the meantime, I have a few thoughts. I am wary of calling them goals, they are more aspirations. Things I would like to achieve. These are nice-to-haves, not a to-do list.

1. Continue to sew and blog as often as possible.
2. Sew/refashion as much of my maternity wardrobe as possible. Because I am not seeing much maternity RTW that is inspiring me!
3. Clear out fabric and pattern stash. Neither are huge, but neither is my storage space. I need to review what I have, be honest about what I will actually use, use that and get rid of the rest.
4. Gain a better understanding of fabrics and their qualities e.g. handle, drape, correct uses. I am wondering whether I should start to create a little fabric swatch card or book to help with this. This may help with buying fabric online, which would open up the range of fabrics available to me.
5. Be more realistic about my sewing plans! Acknowledge how little time I have, and how long I take. Do not over-commit!
6. Get to know my overlocker! I have bought Beginner Serging on Craftsy, so this will be a help.

I realise I had also promised you my maternity sewing plans, but this post is already long enough. Given my aspiration not to over-commit, I probably need to review these anyway! Next time. I promise!

Top 5 Hits and Misses of 2013

Oh look! What's that? Why, I do believe it's a bandwagon. Wait, while I jump on!

I was trying to hold off doing this, but my Bloglovin blog-roll is bursting at the seams with Top 5 Hits and Misses, and I've been persuaded to join in the fun! I feel a bit cheeky seeing as I've never read the blogger who kicked this off, Gillian from Crafting a Rainbow, but I'm sure she won't mind.

I probably won't do this properly. For obvious reasons (pregnancy) there is little point in doing the goals and inspirations for next year, as I will be unable to fulfil many sewing goals that I currently harbour (sewing trousers for example), and inspiration will mostly be based upon whatever is most comfortable, but I will do a separate post about my maternity sewing plans. But for the time being, here is my roundup of 2013.

The Hits
(Fortunately, I guess), it is really difficult to chose only 5 makes, so instead here are 5 things I am particularly proud of, in no particular order:

1. Grainline Scouts!
By far and away my favourite discovery of 2013. It might be a bit of a cop out, as this is a very easy pattern to make, but I did still need to do some fitting work to get it right. All 3 have been worn loads (well, the sequin one has been worn as often as a sequin top can realistically be worn), and there are definitely more variations in the pipeline. Love it!

2. Me Made May
I enjoyed MMM13 so much. Yes it was challenging, but it was fun, and it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. It became apparent through the month that I need to make more (some) trousers/jeans, for an entirely me made wardrobe to properly work, but as I don't sew to replace RTW, it hasn't concerned me too much that I haven't yet managed that.

3. Small Girl Dress
I was really happy with this make. Making something small was interesting, but fun, and nice to deal with only small bits of fabric! My sister and my niece love it, which is the most important thing. Lessons learnt from this? Don't just save your best sewing for others. You deserve it yourself! Something I have been trying to put into practise since.

4. Floral Charlotte Skirt
This was a great save of a real miss (see details below). The waist is (was) still a little big, but it didn't stop me wearing this to death this summer and early autumn. I love the fabric and I particularly love the fact that I was able to make something that I love from an unwearable mess! Hurrah for saves!

5. Graphic Green Peony
I had this dress in mind for a while and was glad I finally managed to make it. Technically it's a fail because the fit was terrible, but again, I managed to perform a decent save (IMO) on it, making it a really comfortable wearable dress. My only regret is that I didn't make it earlier in the summer to get more wear out of it. Never mind, I'm sure it'll fit in Summer 2015!

The Misses
Let's start with the most obvious (hint: see no. 4 above).

1. Mad Men Elisalotte
The fit on this was just wrong, wrong wrong! To be fair, my head wasn't in the right place when I made it, and I made the dress in a stretch fabric when it's meant to be non-stretch with negative ease, so this was entirely my fault. I never once wore it in it's original form, but at least I was able to turn it around and make it wearable as a skirt!

2. Fall for Cotton blouse
This wasn't a huge miss, but it was a rush job and as a result the finish is pretty poor. Also, since it was a rush job, I didn't bother with a muslin to my cost. It's too short and as a result it is not a length I feel comfortable wearing. I did wear it once or twice, but never felt fully happy with it. Shame because I like the style and I love the fabric.

3. Spring Mathilde
I enjoyed making this. I'm happy with the fit and the fabric, but I just don't really wear it and I think that's because it's not me. I don't know why. I love it on everyone else. Maybe I need to try it in a different fabric, with a short sleeve? I don't know. I'm disappointed that I don't like this more.

That's it! Not too many fails then, which is good news! As ever, there are still things that I think I can improve on, and even when I'm happy with a finished garment, I'm never, truly 100% happy but with perseverance and attention to detail (and forcing myself to unpick something rather than say "it'll do") I feel I am getting better.

So, in summary, I made 14 garments for myself this year, 1 garment for another person (my niece) and made 3 craft items, of which 2 were for others (bunting for Small Boy and nautical craft swap). OK, so nowhere near the 50 or 60 garments of some people, but I am really happy with my output. I was surprised it had been that many when I counted them up. Next year perhaps a bit more selfless sewing? Well, as I said above, my next post will cover my maternity sewing plans, so maybe!

I know I've said this before, but my next post will most definitely be once we are into 2014, so Happy New Year, whatever your plans! X

Last Minute Christmas Crafting

Hi! A just-in-the-nick-of-time pre-Christmas post to share some last minute crafting that's been going on around here. I decided we needed some Christmas tree bunting, as generally our Christmas decorations are the tree and... well, that's it. With a Small Boy in the house, I am trying to branch out more, and bunting seemed just the ticket. This was a quick and relatively easy make across 2 evenings although it could easily have been one, if I hadn't decided to make 2 at once.

I free handed a Christmas tree shape on paper, traced it onto the back of a cereal packet, cut it out and then drew round it onto my fabric. The fabric was all from my stash - well, some of it was purpose bought about 2 or 3 years ago, but because I didn't make the bunting then, it became part of the stash. The rest was scraps and an old RTW blouse that shrank some time ago.

The only the I had to buy was the green thread! I was in town on Saturday to get my hair cut, so popped into John Lewis to get the that, and while there, the little star shaped buttons caught my eye. It was nearly £6 for the pack, but I think they really make the bunting!
I cut the fabric using pinking shears, placed them wrong sides together and sewed around them. The shape was a bit tricky to sew around, as my machine has a tendency to chew up fabric when I sew very close to the edge, and some of the lighter fabrics suffered more from this than the others. As a result the seam allowance is a bit wobbly and inconsistent to say the least! But I say just don't look too closely! I originally cut 9 trees for each string of bunting, as I like odd numbers, but I didn't have enough bias binding, so this was reduced to 8. Luckily I only had 8 different fabrics so was going to repeat one, so no fabric was made to feel left out!

The second strand was a present for my sister and her family. it's exactly the same as this one, but the trees are in a different order. They recently completed an extension to the back of their house, so it was a Christmas themed extension warming present! One which she will probably not want to put up because she won't want pin marks in her freshly plastered and painted walls!

I love ours. It honestly gives me real pleasure every time I see it! Daft, but true! That's Christmas for you!

The fireplace, "dressed" for Christmas. All artwork by Small Boy. The thing that looks like a tissue is actually the reindeer dust (see below). The random jar on the mantelpiece is a home made snow globe. 

So I think we are now all organised for Christmas. The Small Boy has done his shouting up the chimney (a family tradition from our side - you shout up the chimney, rather than write a letter, to ask Santa to bring you what you want), we've sprinkled "reindeer dust" (a nursery invension: oats mixed with glitter) on the fireplace and in the garden, where it will surely have blown away already, and the mince pie and brandy (lucky Santa Claus) and carrot have been left out! All that is left is for me to post this, finish making the truffles that are currently cooling in the fridge, wrap one more present and then chill!

Shouting up the chimney

Snacks for Santa and Rudolf 

This will probably be my last post for a couple of weeks, so I'll take the opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, when it comes! Have a good one! X

Completed: Sequin Scout

Generally this is how Christmas pans out for me. October: “too early for Christmas”. November: “ too early for Christmas”. December: PANIC! I have nothing bought. No cards, no presents, no paper, no advent calendar, no ribbons, no tree, no party outfit… For some reason this year I was quite organised on the paper, cards, advent calendar and even some of the presents. Not so on the party outfit. Particularly given my Xmas nights out this year are early – 5^th and 7^th! And this year was made doubly hard in that I can’t just rely on some old thing to wear, because it will not fit me! I’m now in that hinterland of looking like I’ve eaten a few too many pies. That stage where people are scared to ask, for fear of offending! Not big enough to justify maternity wear, just big enough to have outgrown “normal” clothes. My original plan of a chiffon zinnia went out the window a long time ago.

I have been mildly obsessed with sequin tees (and skirts and even trousers) since last Christmas, when I saw one (I think, in Topshop), didn’t buy it, then couldn’t find it when I decided it might be nice after all. I did a bit of searching around, at the time, but then decided on some other party outfit. But since then I’ve been collecting sequin images on Pinterest. I wasn't going to, and couldn't afford to spend around £70 to £100 plus on one, so making one seemed the obvious solution!

I couldn’t get the fabric I really wanted in a local shop and I didn’t have time to shop around, or to order online (although I did come across this website, which might prove useful in future). What I really wanted was what Danielle just used for her sequin skirt. A fabric well-covered in matt sequins in either a copper colour, or navy. Particular inspiration was these:

Source

Source

The Cloth Shop only had black, which I didn’t want. John Lewis only had the fabric that I bought. It was labelled as gold, but it looks more silver. The sequins themselves are small and quite sparse – they don’t overlap at all. I thought this might work in my favour in terms of ease of sewing, and I was probably right, however in the cold light of day and now made up, it does look quite cheap. Which is annoying considering it cost me £23 for 1.3 metres!  

I didn’t have much to go on for working with this fabric. The lady in John Lewis told me that might break my machine and that I should hand sew it all. And obviously not to go near it with an iron. It wasn’t the normal JL lady that I know and trust, so I chose to ignore her advice and went with machine stitching, very slowly, with a longer stitch (3.5, the default is 2.5) and a very sharp needle. This worked a treat. I got a small amount of puckering on the side seams, but this pressed out OK. Yes, I pressed it! I used my iron’s lowest possible setting, and in lieu of a organza pressing cloth, used an old baby’s muslin. I also only pressed the wrong side, just in case. The sequins are sewn onto a poly chiffon, which gives the fabric a lovely drape, but the sequins themselves add body, making it relatively easy to handle and sew. What was particularly nice was that with right sides together, the sequins provided traction, meaning the 2 layers didn’t slip about at all. Particularly handy since pins refused to stay in place!

I went with the Grainline Studios’ Scout as I know it and like it and it has so few seams. I thought the fewer seams the better. I used a silvery-grey poly lining fabric scrap from my stash, in place of self-bias binding, and at the last minute decided to show the bias, rather than only using it as a facing. This works reasonably well, but if I’d thought about it in advance I would have bought something of better quality, and would have made the bias binding wider. Still, it gives a nice subtle contrast. I had wanted to raise the neckline on this version, but I forgot when cutting it out, so it remains loyal to the pattern. Although bizarrely it seems to sit lower and wider than my previous Scouts. I left the pattern as is - without removing any width - to accommodate the small bump. Again in hindsight, I should have added some length, but it works fine as is. And here it is:

I did read Heather Lou from Closet Case Files’ recent post on sewing with sequins. Her advice was to remove sleeve ease, because gathered sequins look like “disco barf”. Having no great desire to find out what “disco barf” looks like, I followed her advice, and the tutorial she used. This worked well. I am always scared of any pattern alterations as it involves maths and rulers and looks too complicated. But this took me 20 mins tops! Super easy. It was still a little big, but again, I followed her instructions to remove the remaining excess, which also worked fine.

The sleeve and bodice hem are sewn by hand, as was the bias binding. I didn't remove any sequins in the seam allowance, but the seams sit just fine, albeit they are a little bulky. A blessing again of the sparsity of the sequins. The insides were finished by overlocker. Wait? What? Oh, yes, I forgot to tell some of you that Santa has been early to my house, via Lidl, and I am now the proud possessor of a Singer 14SH754 overlocker! It’s good. I like it, but am still getting used to it. It took me an hour to change thread colour to make this blouse! But I will write another post on this at a later date.

Some more photos:

Excuse the background, which is dead herbs against our neighbour's extension wall. My usual garden backdrop wasn't an option because our fence blew down in the gales last week. I hope my poor climbing rose has survived!

The blouse wasn't finished on time for Thursday, but, after frantically handsewing the hem at 6pm on Saturday night, it was for my night out then: dinner at Harvey Nichols with my antenatal group. I wore it with maternity leggings (thick, ponte ones) and gold heels. My friend, Jo, something of a fashion expert and a very classy dresser, proclaimed that my top looked like it was "from French Connection and cost £100". That made me very happy! :) Clearly it does not actually look cheap!

In other news, it was my birthday on Monday. I turned 39! I have been reading with some interest, Roobedoo's "49 before 50" series of posts, as she has recently entered her 50th year. I vaguely toyed with the idea of something similar, before realising that pregnancy, recruiting my mat cover, giving birth, breast feeding, coping with no sleep, juggling a baby and a toddler and finally weaning, was probably enough to be getting on with for next year!  Although to them, I might add: becoming less scared of proficient on my overlocker, continuing to sew as often as possible, and attending my first blogger meet up (February, in Glasgow. Sooo excited!).

I received some lovely gifts including a gift voucher for one of my favourite independent Edinburgh shops, Curiouser & Curiouser from P, The Great British Sewing Bee book from my sister and Megan Nielsen's Ruched Maternity Tee pattern from my mum. The GBSB book has some lovely patterns, and I can see myself making a few of them further down the line. I don't see the point in going crazy for specific maternity patterns - the finished makes have too short a shelf life - but I thought this would be a good basic shape on which to base a few mods. It will also give me good practise on knits and the overlocker!

So that's me for now. Are any of you sewing Christmas party outfits? If so, what are you sewing?