Trouser Inspo

It won't have escaped your notice that I've been sewing trousers recently (here and here), and I have just finished another pair of Emerson/Alexandria mash ups which have yet to be posted. I've talked and thought a lot about sewing trousers in the past, but never really managed to actually do the sewing. Suddenly I can't get enough!

I think there are a few reasons for this. Firstly, I'm just wearing trousers more. Generally casually, I live in skinny jeans and at work wear more dresses and skirts, but this winter I've definitely been wearing my RTW black skinnies to death. I'm not sure what's prompted this change and I suspect that come summer (IF summer ever cometh) that my skirts my come back out to play, but for now I want to wear trouser.

Secondly, I tried on quite a few RTW trousers and didn't like them. The fit was OK, but not good enough, and I figured I could at least attempt to do better myself.

Thirdly, the more you make trousers, the less scary they seem. Actually trousers are not difficult at all to make. Just hard to fit.

Lastly, there seems to have been an explosion of Indie trouser patterns in the past few years, which makes the whole thing easier still, albeit with some limitations (see below).

What I will say though, is that I am fussy about the shapes and styles that I wear, and none more so than trousers. I can't always put my finger on what I don't like about things, I just know they aren't right for me, and sadly from the sewing point of view, often I can't identify this until I've actually tried them on. Case in point the Alexandria pants and more recently the Calyers, which I muslined and then rejected (same problem with fabric volume as the Alexandria). This quickly becomes an expensive hobby (the Calyer pdf cost £10), so I am trying to come up with some ways to identify whether a pattern is likely to be a winner or not, BEFORE I make the purchase. This still needs some work, but in the meantime, I thought I'd share some lovely trouser inspiration with you. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it's some of the patterns I have my eye on currently, in that "my eyes are bigger than my sewing ability" way we all know.

Wide Legs

I love the cropped wide leg look, and am keen to recreate a pair I tried on in Jigsaw a couple of months ago but didn't buy because they were dry-clean only and itchy wool. This is a selection of patterns I've been considering. I have previously made and do like the True Bias Emerson pants (not pictured), but would like to move away from an elasticated waistband. I think I like the Anna Allen Persephone and RDC Gaston's best, due to the covered fly and the slightly wider leg, but the others, the True Bias Lander Pants and the Papercut Nagoya Pants are strong contenders. I prefer that the Lander has back pockets, but they are easy things to add to a different pattern. I'd like to make a black pair for work (fabric tbc, but maybe a canvas?) and also a pair in denim. I LOVE Novita's version of the Persephones. So gorgeous.

Aside: I mentioned above about elastic waists. I actually never thought I'd write this, but I have nothing against elastic waists per se, however there are a lot of Indie trouser patterns out there with elastic waists, whether full or back only, and I'm wondering why. They are definitely easier to sew, so perhaps easier to tempt trouser-making newbies in (plus since elastic waists go with baggier trousers, less potential fitting to be scared of?), but given it's more than likely that most people will make skirts or dresses before they make the jump to trousers, they will have sewn darts and a zip or 2, making trousers with a side zip not insurmountable. Personally, with well written and illustrated instructions to follow, I don't find a fly that difficult either. Do pattern designers themselves dislike fly front or side/back zip trousers and assume their customers feel the same? Or do they actually want to avoid writing the instructions, which I can imagine are probably difficult to describe for a fly zip, and while there are some very good tutorials out there, you can't really produce a pattern and then direct your customer to someone else's tutorial. Or, actually, is it just that elastic waists are trendier/have become more socially acceptable in recent years? I have no idea, and I have no strong feelings about it. It's just something that I've been thinking about since I've been looking for some patterns without an elastic waist.

Peg Legs and Pleats

Obviously I've made a few peg leg and pleated trousers with some mixed results. I REALLY love teh look of them, but I struggle with the wearing of them. My successes have all been with the pleats of the Emerson, which are pretty shallow and short. This combination doesn't seem to give me the excess at the front crotch and thigh area, which I find problematic. This is why I think the Orangeuse Patterns Bruges Trousers might work for me. I'm not convinced by the side stripe on the legs, but that's optional, and I really like the rest of the pattern. No back pockets again, but I'm sure I could add welt pockets (she said, never having sewn welt pockets in her life). The RDC Claude Trousers interest me, but they look quite different depending on the version you see. I do like the versions that Christine has made here and here. I even dreamed about them (true story)! Finally the Papercut Patterns Guise Pants. I really wish these weren't elasticated at the back, but I suspect the pleats are probably going to be a problem anyway, so it's highly unlikely I'd make these. But they look nice, don't they?

Skinnies and Jeans

Dead easy to wear, there will be room in my wardrobe for skinnies for a while yet. I've been meaning to make the Closet Case Ginger jeans for a while, I have the pattern and one of my RTW pairs has just gone through at the knee, so it's inevitable they wiill happen. If I like them, I might also try the Sashas which are made from the same block. I chucked the Papercut Patterns Starboard jeans on there too as it has some interesting details.

Finally

I've been a bit obsessed with the Elizabeth Suzann Clyde Pants for a while. They have an elasticated waist, so I might not actually like them on me, but I love the drafting. No side seam with a capacious scoop shape pocket and a tapered leg. I even like this weird khaki colour. Unfortunately they are RTW, sold in the US and out of my price range. I recently came across the Sew Liberated Arenite Pants on Instagram and while I wouldn't wear this slouchy, relaxed shape, it has a lot in common with the Clyde pants. So much so, that I am considering buying the pattern to hack. I'm not sure how easy it would be to do with no side seams, but if I could reduce the ease enough, it could work. It's not a priority, but it would be an interesting experiment.

So, there you go. That's the round up of what's going on in my head at the moment. I wonder what, if any I will actually make?! :)

Completed: Denim Pleated (Faux) Wrap Skirt

I bought this fabric at the Edinburgh Knitting and Stitching show a while back to make Ginger jeans. I recently bought the pattern, cut it out and even made a pre-emptive flat pattern adjustment for my humungous calves,when I realised the fabric just wasn't right. It didn't have enough stretch, and I just wasn't convinced at all. Heather Lou does say on her sewalong that you can use lower stretch fabric but might need to size up, but I didn't want to waste the fabric and I have enough pairs of not-great fitting jeans already!

Luckily, I had a plan B. I just had to figure out how to execute it...

So, last year, I think, I found this image on Pinterest and it was love at first sight!

Isn't this just fab?

I think I pulled it off!

Obviously a fair bit of hacking was going to need to be done, but I figured that most of it would be relatively straightforward. First though, I had to find a base pattern. I considered a few options: Seamwork Osaka, which I actually own or Sew DIY Nita wrap skirt, but I don't generally like wrap skirts and I wasn't overly taken with either of those options. Eventually I found a pattern on ebay for £2 (incl postage), which is actually from Prima magazine of all places. 

I thought view 2 had potential (second from left), but I think I actually ended up making the one to the far left. It's actually a fixed wrap skirt, i.e. a pencil skirt with a wrap over the top, which I actually liked. Edinburgh is a windy place! :)

First step was to muslin. I cut the second smallest size based on my measurements but ended taking it in considerably, particularly around the hips because I don't really have any. That done, I moved on to the hacking. I did one step at a time, checking each worked before I moved onto the next. And can I say, I loved the process? It was good fun trying to work out how to make things work, particularly on the pockets and the waistband. I'm not going to do a step by step on this, but if anyone is interested in any particular aspect, please let me know. I will caveat that by saying that I have no idea if I did things the "right" way. I just went with what seemed instinctive and practical at the time. So, what did I do?

Firstly, I added the pleats to the wrap overlay. I used this tutorial, which is for trousers but it's exactly the same principal. I find it hard to visualise the change from 2D to 3D, so I used a spare bit of fabric and manipulated it to what I wanted visually, and from that I worked out how large to make the pleats and where to place them. I made 3 pleats which slightly overlap each other. The plan was to have the first pleat slightly overlapping the pocket opening, but that never really happened. The pleats were each approx 2cm wide. I love how the pleats look at the top, but as always with pleats, I have a bit too much volume at the bottom. You can see it in the photo below. I suspect here it's because the fabric has zero drape.

That done, I turned my attention to the pockets. I used the Kelly Skirt pattern for the pockets as I really like the shape. What was tricky was that the wrap overlay also has a pocket, but since there are 2 layers of fabric on that side, I couldn't work out how best to make it work without adding lots of bulk. In the end, I did away with the pocket lining and instead sewed the pocket facing directly onto the underlayer of the skirt. I probably overthought this, TBH, but it works OK and I kind of like the idea of having the wrap overlay cut away to expose the layer underneath, albeit that they are made of the same fabric, so you can't really tell...

Finally, we have the waistband. The original pattern doesn't have a waistband, but I love the detail on the inspiration post where the wrap appears to wrap over the top of the waistband at the front. Can you see it?

I really wanted to replicate that, and I spent quite a bit of time thinking about how best to execute it. In the end, I figured I'd do a faced waistband, would extend the wrap overlay at the top and then would sandwich the overlay in between the waistband and the facing. It seems simple, but I couldn't figure out in my head how to actually sew that. Oh, and I had to draft a waistband first. I remember reading somewhere (no idea where, sorry) that someone had flipped a facing up to make a curved waistband, so I gave that a try. It took a bit of finangling, but I was able to make it work well enough. I wasn't sure how to go about drafting a curved waistband from scratch, so this seemed like a reasonable compromise.

There was a bit of a struggle top stitching the waistband, given the overlay, so I just stitched as far as I could from either side. This has left a bit of a gap, which I still need to handstitch, which you can see below.



Other amendments were to reduce the hem allowance from 2.5cm to a far narrower 1cm, which mirrors the inspiration photo and feels right on denim, and to add the side split, which I wasn't going to bother with, but I kind of need due to the pencil skirt and you know, mobility.

The skirt fastens with an invisible zip at the back. I hadn't done one for a while, but this went in perfectly.

I'm really pleased with the final skirt. It's not quite perfect. I wasn't too sure why, but Paul nailed it when he said it was like new jeans. I think the denim just needs broken in a bit. Hopefully a couple of washes will rough it up a bit, but I might take a bit of sandpaper to the hems and pocket edges too. I don't really like my denim too clean, if you know what I mean?

Baby Boy's verdict? "I like it better" "Better than what?" I asked. "Than a cow" he responded. On that note, I'll leave you with a few more photos.

Autumn/Winter 15

It's feeling like ages since I last posted, but it's really only been a couple of weeks. It's been a busy time though, as we were away 2 weekends in a row and then I was working last weekend. All this has really impacted on my sewing time. I don't generally tend to sew at the weekend, but if we're away that impacts on all the other stuff that we do, which then ends up taking priority during the week. I'm all for sewing over housework, but if the boys are coming out the bath dirtier than they went in, then I need to address my priorities!

Being away has also impacted on my general social media interaction, as I've just been too busy. But it's good to take a break now and again to spend time with people I actually know.

So, I have no sewing related stuff to show you today. I am slowly working on one of my Vintage Pledge items - a chambray shirtdress. I'm not convinced it's going to turn out well though, which really doesn't do well to motivate me to finish it. When I tried it on early in construction, my husband commented that I should be wearing it to work in a sewing factory. And now I can't see past the fact that it does look a bit "uniformy".

I have a lovely afternoon of sewing planned on Sunday at The Stitchery, with Jen. Although I'm not finished the shirtdress, I don't want to take that with me. I did plan to take the Named Alexandria trousers to sew, but now I'm swithering over sewing something else entirely. I might print and cut out a couple of options and then I can decide on Sunday morning.

And so to Autumn sewing plans, which seems to be the theme of most of September's blog posts. I have opted to split my list into "need" and "want" in a bid to narrow my focus and allow me to prioritise a bit. I'm never great at sewing plans. Actually, I'm great at airy fairy ideas of the billions of things I want to make. But coming up with a concrete, deliverable plan is something else entirely. So let's call this a list of things I could do with and/or patterns that I <3. :)

Need
Before I returned to work I decided not to buy or make anything specifically because I didn't think I needed anything. I have just spent the past 3 months wondering what the hell I used to wear to work every day. So, I need work clothes.

1 / 2 / 3 

Trousers: I have all 3 of these patterns already, so I just need to decide what to make them in. And then how to wear them. Can the baggy/flowy trouser translate to winter wear? Maybe with an ankle boots? If not, I guess it'll be a couple of more pairs of Ultimate Trousers (#3).

1 / 2 / 3 / 4

Tops: to go with the trousers. I don't yet own any of these patterns. No specific thoughts on fabrics yet, but I do fancy either the Inari (#3) or the Lexi (#1) in scuba.

1 / 2 / 3

Dresses: I like wearing dresses but I'm not sure what kind I want right now. So, I'm detailing my vintage pledge dress in the hope it will turn out alright after all (#2 above). Plus the Inari dress (#1), which I really want to make in a black and white Cotton and Steel rayon in the stash. It's probably not that autumnal, but our office tends to be pretty warm. I also love this RTW by Hush (#3 above) and reckon it would be pretty easy to knock off.

Want
I don't need much in the way of casual wear, other than a new pair of jeans which I will probably buy. In addition...

1 / 2 / 3 / 4

#1. A shirt, in either chambray or black/white gingham or both! #2. Culottes - although I'm not convinced by how I will look in them. Possibly with a matching cropped top for Christmas nights out?! #3. All the stripey tees, most probably using the new Lark pattern. #4. A line skirt, in denim, naturally. I love the pocket detail on this pattern.

What are your plans for Autumn? And how "deliverable" are they?

On feeling overwhelmed

Last night I had a sewing evening planned. P is working away, I had the kids in bed, the dinner dishes cleared and the toys tidied by 7.45. Perfect. But... I couldn't decide what I wanted to sew.

Ever feel overwhelmed with inspiration? That's how I've been feeling. Being off on Mat leave is giving me a lot of time to spend reading blogs, on Instagram and browsing online fabric shops. Which is great. Except my head is full to bursting with ideas. I really want to buy ALL THE FABRIC and MAKE ALL THE PATTERNS!! I've fallen in love with double gauze, Cotton and Steel (both double gauze and the rayon), I want to make Ginger jeans, so I'm browsing denim. I want to make more Lindens and so am browsing sweatshirt fabrics (and struggling there, tbh), looking for inspiration for them. I have purchased the Ultimate Trousers and so need to muslin them and then look for and buy fabric. Add to that, I want to work through my stash, and finish up all promised makes and WIPs, and you can probably see why I just don't know where to start. My goal for 2015 was to clear out my cupboard and see what's what. I have yet to do that.

In the end, I spent the evening, for want of a better word, fannying about. I looked at Liberty fleece online and tried to justify the cost - while taking part in an IG conversation with George, who was enabling as best as she could. I looked in my sewing cupboard and despaired at the mess. I took some fabric out, draped it over me and tried to come up with ideas. I virtually stroked (i.e. gazed longingly), for the millionth time, at this fabric. I chatted briefly on IG with Hazel. I considered starting on some cushions for my mother in law. I pulled out my sewing box. I started writing a list of all the fabric I want to buy. I put my sewing box back again. In the end, I went to bed having achieved nothing and feeling really discontented, and to tell you the truth, a bit stressed. I lay awake in bed and decided that today I would do 2 things: I would do a repair on one of P's shirt and I would make the cushions.

So, today, I did both. The shirt took me about 20 mins. I cut and sewed 2 cushions which took me a little more than an hour. And what a sense of achievement! This evening I cut and sewed 2 more cushions, leaving me little more than scraps. So, 2 projects and one length of fabric out of my cupboard! Done and done.

Co-incidentally, today I stumbled across this blog post about why the blogger took all her daughters' toys away. It has nothing to do with sewing, but it made me think. It is making me question why I think I'll die if I don't buy and make everything on my ever increasing list?

I get pleasure from sewing, but if it's just the process of sewing that's key then surely I can sew anything? I don't need to buy more (expensive) fabric for that. Is it to expand my skills? In some cases, but ditto with not needing to buy more.What then, do I need in terms of filling wardrobe gaps? In fairness I do need jeans, and while I don't need them, one or 2 more sweatshirts wouldn't go amiss. What else? Am I picking potential projects based on what is likely to drive blog hits and IG likes? To impress people, even? Maybe. That public validation is important to me. Why? I don't know. That's probably another conversation for another day, but at least I recognise it's not the best reason to pick my sewing projects, or spend my money.

What next? I don't know. I won't be doing any more sewing this week - Great British Sewing Bee tomorrow night and then Small Boy and I are away at the weekend, so I have some time to think about it.

How do you record your inspiration and how do you manage your wish list? And how do you restrain yourself from buying all the things?

Exciting developments in the Sewing World

Did you see the very exciting announcement from By Hand London at the end of last week? Not only are they now selling their first purpose designed fabric, but they are planning on moving into digitally printing fabric, that will be designed by... us!

 Despite the fact that I have no idea how to even begin designing my own fabric, I am really excited about this! I have previously written about my frustrations in finding the "right" fabric for a pattern, so it would be ideal for someone like me - if I actually had a creative, artistic bone in my body, that is! Still, my hope is that, like on Spoonflower, other people will come up with the goods and I'll be able to benefit from their talent, with the knowledge that it will be printed in the UK, and that I won't need to pay for delivery from overseas, or be concerned that I might be slapped with some ridiculous tax fee!

The BLH ladies have started a Kickstarter campaign to raise money to allow them to do this. They are hoping to raise £35k, and so far have raised £8k - not bad going in 4 days! They have also made a video explaining exactly how the process will work, which features Oona, Roisin from Dolly Clackett and Heather Lou of Closet Case Files. It's worth viewing just to hear their voices and to understand how you actually pronounce Elisalex's name...

I was also excited to learn today that Guthrie & Ghani (the shop run by Lauren, finalist in GBSB season 1) is now selling Atelier Brunette fabric. I have lurked their website many times since discovering Jolie Bobines's blog. If you don't know Jolie Bobine's blog you should go check it out right now.  Go on. I'll wait... Oh, you're back. Isn't she amazing? She makes the most beautiful garments and I covet every single fabric that she uses. All of which she purchases in Paris. However... now we can buy some of them here too! Hurrah!

Bye Bye Birdie

Like a Dandy

Le Bassin de Bateaux

Unfortunately my favourite, Remember Me, doesn't seem to be available on the G&G site, however my close second, Bye Bye Birdie (see above) is, along with 5 others. Hopefully there will be more to come. I have no need to buy this at the moment, so was reluctant to share this with you in case you buy it all before I get the chance... but then I thought that if it sells out then hopefully Lauren will just buy more, and perhaps widen the range ever so slightly...

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.

Pattern love!

I have to admit that I haven’t been completely in love with the last few of Colette Patterns’ releases. I bought the Laurel, but think I was more lured by the competition than a desire to actually wear the dress. Somewhat ironic, considering I didn’t actually enter the competition. I do like my Laurel blouse, but I’ve not rushed  to make a second. The Hawthorn has definitely been a grower on me. I wasn’t particularly fussed by it when it was first launched. I thought it was pretty but there was something about the collar I didn’t love. Having seen multiple lovely versions out there in the blogosphere, I am coming  round to the idea of it, but am yet to buy it. 

And now they have released Zinnia. In general none of Colette's skirts thus far have wowed me, but I LOVE this one. The button through, gathered version is pretty, but didn't initially set my world alight. It looks like a good basic skirt, but I prefer my beloved Kelly, and could probably draft my own version using the Kelly as the base. I do like the added interest of the box pleated patch pockets, however with the flaps, I'm not sure how useful they'd be.

But the pleated versions are what have got me excited. I do love a pleated skirt and when I saw the first pleated version in what looks like linen, it really piqued my interest. It's a really pretty shape that is right up my street. The belt loops add some interest, and in seam pockets make it practical. This could work in a huge number of fabrics and could look very different accordingly. 

And then I got to the chiffon version, and I fell in love. I just adore this. I have never sewn with chiffon and am utterly convinced it would be 100 times more horrible than silk, but it would be worth it for this. I haven't really given much thought so far to my autumn/winter wardrobe, but I have been pondering a "going out" outfit for Christmas parties and the like, and a chiffon Zinnia would be perfect teamed with a little simple blouse in a gorgeous fabric and a "statement necklace", or even a little mohair sweater (although maybe not ideal for dancing). I do like the styling of this photo. The colours are not me at all, but I like the juxtaposition of the "luxe" chiffon with a heavier weight knit, and like the idea of chiffon as daywear, completely ignoring the impracticalities of my actual life (Small Boy + velcro fastening shoes = end of chiffon skirt). 

What do you think of the Zinnia? Have you bought it yet? And if so, what version do you plan on making?

All photos courtesy of Coletterie.com

1950's Miami

Wow guys! Thanks so much for all the love for my floral Charlotte! That was the most comments I've ever received on a post, and every one of them was lovely! I also got some love directly from Elisalex via Twitter.  That always makes my day, getting some nice feedback from the pattern designer. It seems like I made the right choice with that dress/skirt!

A good friend of mine, Suzanne, is having a summer party at the end of this month, with a Miami 1950's theme!

Our mutual friend is coming up from London for it. We have a babysitter booked. There will be a silent disco (always wanted to go to one of those!), and I can't wait to go. Now... what should I wear?!!!

My first thought was: how cool would it be to go wearing just a Bombshell Bathing Suit and some heels?!!!! It would be fabulously era and theme appropriate, but would definitely require someone with much larger cojones, not to mention much better legs than I! It would also require actual Miami-style weather, and despite her super-event-organising powers, I doubt even Suzanne can manage that! Having said that, part of me really does like the idea of going down the beachwear route and I was wondering if I could incorporate that somehow?

Absolutely love this combo. Is it a playsuit with over-skirt? Or shorts under a dress?

Isn't this gorgeous?

But I didn't want to be the only one turning up in beachwear, while the rest of the guests have gone for prom style 50's, so perhaps I needed to consider an alternative route? I love the picture that Colette Patterns featured on their 4th July post. Isn't this dress just stunning? It feels really summery, but also party-appropriate. I love the stripes and what looks like a drawstring halter neckline. Not sure how bra or boob-friendly this style this would be though.

Some other '50s inspired summer dresses I came across that I loved:

Source

Source

I think my favourites are the striped blue, red and white one at the top and the bottom one with the bow.

HOWEVER, I then remembered that I already have this in my wardrobe:

I bought this from Zara for my cousin's wedding, back in 2007! And I still fit into it. As long as I don't need to eat or breathe, I'll be fine. And that leads me to a dilemma. I actually don't have a lot of time to make a dress to wear, and I can't afford to spend much money on making what's essentially fancy dress (albeit one that could probably be worn IRL). Would wearing the Zara dress be the sensible, stress and cash free option? I no longer love the print (the colours are a bit dull), and I have nothing to go with it, but the shape is right. It even has a self fabric belt! With a proper petticoat underneath it would be just the job.

But then I am the girl that sews her own clothes, and there will be expectation, by some friends at least, that I will make something. Will I feel a bit rubbish not making something? Does it actually really matter, and am I using this party as an excuse to show off a bit/have my ego stroked ("Wow, did you make that?!")?

Regardless, I have decided to make a fluffy, foofy petticoat. I did find this great tutorial online, which I was going to use, however I popped into Mandors today to pick up some thread and zips and bits and bobs, and got talking to the guy who works there. As a result, I ended up buying 6 metres of off-white tulle as well! He described to me a much simpler and less involved way to make a petticoat, which I'll give a try. I'll let you know how I get on.

Somewhat bizarrely, my parents have been invited to a 50's and 60's inspired party the week following my party. My mum is planning to make a dirndl skirt (so thanks Kathryn, for that link to Gertie's skirt. That will be perfect for her!) to wear with a blouse. It did occur that if I made a petticoat, she could also then borrow it. She's a bit bigger and taller than me, but an elastic or adjustable waistband would make that possible, and better to be too short than too long!

So, what do you think? Do I spend time and money sourcing patterns and fabric and then making a dress AND petticoat, or do I focus on making a petticoat, save myself the time and money by wearing my Zara dress and then crack on with my Peony/those sleeveless blouses and capri pants I've been promising myself all summer? What are your thoughts?

*Lazy sourcing - all photo sources can be found via my 50's Miami Pinterest board, unless otherwise stated.