Sew Your Own #1 - Tilly and the Buttons - Coco Dress with Ruffle Sleeve Hack!

Hi pinups! As promised early this week in my Sew Your Own Introduction post, here's my first make in my new blog series. All about how I've recreated some of my favourite ready-to-wear/high-street/online looks myself with handy sewing pattern choices and easy hacks.

A sewist's essential pattern!

Which do you prefer?

Coco & ruffles - a match made in sewing heaven!

My hacked Coco vs the Joanie Suri Dress

Perfect for comfy & smart Spring dressing!

A staple for Spring!

Overall, I am so happy with this dress! I'm forever looking at RTW clothes and thinking 'I should make that', and I'm glad I've finally started. I hope my Sew You Own blog series will also inspire you to start recreating and do let me know if you try this one!

Introducing the 'Sew Your Own' Blog Series! The Pretty Dress Company, Vivien of Holloway, Marks & Spencer, Tara Starlet, Joanie Clothing

Hi pinups! Today I'm launching my brand new blog series 'Sew Your Own'. Sew Your Own will be all about how to create looks off the highstreet and make them yourself at home! I put a post up on Instagram a week or so back and it had a really positive response when I pitched the idea! I do love a lot of online and highstreet stores, especially the retro fashion shops which are cropping up online. But since I've started sewing regularly, I really don't shop much at all anymore, I even resent it a little bit.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who wanders into shops, picks up a dress and thinks 'I know the perfect pattern for that' or 'I can totally make that!'. And that's what my new blog series is all about!

Suri Stripe Frill Sleeve Dress - Joanie Clothing

The Sew Your Own theme is also great for when you love a highstreet design but hate the fabric or the print. Which is something I did with the dress above. I really didn't need another stripe dress in my wardrobe but I did have this beautiful floral jersey that I picked up on my recent fabric shopping trip to Birmingham (watch my fabric haul idea from this trip ) and knew I wanted to whip it into a chic every day jersey dress.

Here's another look at what's to come:
(and who doesn't need a sassy slash neck jersey top!)

Slash Neck Top - Vivien of Holloway

I hope your looking forward to my new blog series! I've got some great makes and high street sewing inspiration coming up, most of which are super simple! Like I said, my first Sew Your Own post will be up this Sunday, it might be a monthly series as there's lots coming to The Crafty Pinup blog this Summer, but we'll see (it might be a bit more 'as and when'). See you then!

Thanks for reading, pinups!
xo

Minerva Craft Blogger Network: Butterick Patterns by Gertie B6130 Slip

It's time for April's Minerva Craft Blogger Network make! I've been wanting to try Gertie's retro slip pattern for a while now, and after seeing some of her own versions on her Instagram recently, I bumped it to the top of my sewing queue!

For my full pattern review and images, CLICK HERE!

You can see this slip in my March Sew & Tell YouTube video HERE!

Thanks for reading, pinups!
xo

The Cocktail Hour Sew-Along - V8943 - 1950s Inspired Prom Dress!

I'm really excited to share my make on The Cocktail Hour Blogger Tour! A super fun (and glamorous) sew along hosted by McCalls raising money for The Eve Appeal through the sale of each Vogue pattern selected for the sew along. Stay tuned until the end of this post for my video of the dress in action AND the delicious cocktail recipe!

"You can join in with sewists from all over the country to help raise funds and awareness for The Eve Appeal charity by sewing one of the dressmaking patterns from the Cocktail Hour collection. Monies raised from the sale of each pattern will go towards helping The Eve Appeal achieve better detection and prevention of women’s cancers."

The Fold Line have put it far better than I can, read HERE.

"As the year progresses you can see what everyone else is making by searching for #sipandsew (hehe!) on Instagram and Twitter and of course share your makes too. Post a photo with the hastag #sipandsew and copy in @McCallpatternUK on Twitter or @McCallpatternUK on Instagram.  Find out more details from McCall’s about Cocktail Hour here."

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A fancy dress AND a cocktail recipe? Count me in!

I'm not going to lie, I had a pretty hard time choosing from the patterns! I have a wedding coming up in June and I had an idea in mind for the type of dress I'd like to make for this occasion. I don't get much of a chance to sew occasion dresses, so I hoped to combine the two!

I decided on the V8943 dress pattern.
Here's a peek at the pattern:


This pattern appealed to me because of the lace overlay, bodice shape and full skirt. I knew I could use this pattern with tulle fabric instead of lace to create the vintage 1950s effect I wanted. The pattern is made up of two separate garments, the sheer overlay and a slip. I opted not to make the slip, and instead focus on the dress.

Feeling straight out of Mad Men!

So I decided, if I was making a posh dress, I was going all out. You certainly won't miss me coming your way in this bright red! I searched high and low and found a delicate polka dot tulle on eBay and paired it with THIS stretch satin fabric. I think the combination works perfectly, and the stretch in the satin allowed me to make a super fitted bodice, whilst remaining comfy and soft across my bust. If it were made in a non-stretch fabric, a full bust adjustment would of been needed.


Even though my dress looks quite dramatically different from the pattern, the alterations are actually really simple. The only difference on the tulle layer is that I removed the hip seam. I thought this would look unflattering on me so to keep with the retro vibe, I altered the skirt to a full circle skirt.

I also haven't finished the edges on the tulle and have neatly cut it instead. The fabric doesn't fray and I think it provides a delicate looking finish. I finished the inside seams with my overlocker. However, sewing an invisible zip into tulle is not for the faint-hearted and I will be re-doing mine in time for The Dressmakers Ball.


The dress underneath is made from the same skirt and a bodice pattern with exactly the same darts. Leaving a neat finish when the layers are worn together. Whilst I didn't follow the pattern's instructions too closely, I love the design and am really pleased the V8943 pattern enabled me to live my Grease party dress dreams!

As I said, I hope to wear this dress to The Dressmakers Ball and I will be making a couple of alterations to this dress for the event. I'll be redoing my tulle zip with a longer zip as the tulle dress was a little tricky to get into for this shoot! I'll also be shortening the tulle sleeves to just above my elbow as to not stretch the tulle on my elbows when bent. And lastly, I will be shortening the satin dress slightly, as it falls a touch longer than the tulle which is not what I wanted. I also hope to make a little satin bow belt to finish the look. Then I'll be very happy indeed!

Sewing Summary:

Pattern: Vogue 8943 Dress & Slip

Fabric: Polka Dot Tulle & Red Stretch Satin

Notions: 2 x invisible zips & hook and eye for the tulle.

Sewing time: I made this dress in bursts over a week

Modifications: See above!

Fit: Great! Fabric choice with stretch meant I didn't need to do an FBA. Phew!

Difficulty: It had some challenges, due to my alterations. Great for confident sewists.

Watch out for: Too much to mention! Mainly working with tulle.


Make again?: Whilst I love the dress, I don't think I need another in my wardrobe! Or at least maybe a subtler version perhaps...

Delicious!

Why yes I am holding a delicious looking cocktail in this photo shoot! And 'yes' you can make it yourself! Check out my video below to see my dress in action and how to make this super tasty cocktail!



Be sure to let me know if you try the cocktail!

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Overall I had  a great time making this dress. It's been lovely to participate in a sew along with a meaning (and a cocktail!) and I really hope I've inspired someone to try the V8943 pattern to create a vintage inspired dress of dreams! It's so fun to wear and whilst it had it's challenges, it was worth it.

Will you be taking part in The Cocktail Hour? You totally should do! Sewing a fancy dress, raising money for a great cause AND a tasty cocktail recipe? Hell yes. Shop from THIS selection of Vogue patterns to take part. Don't forget to use the hashtag #sipandsew and tag @McCallpatternUK!



Thanks for reading, pinups!
xo

#EasterSpringDress2017 - Sew Over It - Vintage Shirt Dress #2!

Hi pinups! I love a good sew along and I don't need much tempting into sewing a new dress, especially when the theme is Spring. When I saw and Judith Dee's Easter Spring Dress 2017 sewalong I couldn't wait to get involved.


I teamed up with the lovely Harriet from Hobbling Handmades and we decided to sew the dreamy Sew Over It Vintage Shirt Dress in pretty Spring florals.


This was my second time sewing this pattern and I really do like it. It's reasonably simple to follow with a flattering shape and a sweet rounded collar. This time around I made a smaller size. Whilst my first one certainly fits me, I wanted a more fitted waist. There was a point I didn't think it was going to fit across my bust, but hurrah it does and I'm really happy with it. For once, I think I might have found my perfect fit for this pattern.

You can read my full review of the Sew Over It Vintage Shirt Dress HERE.

This dress cost me about £5 to make which makes me feel pretty smug. I know that doesn't account for sewing time. But I hope that this shows you don't need to spend a lot to sew a pretty dress. My fabric came from the Birmingham Rag Market and cost £2 a meter, and my pink plastic buttons are THESE super affordable ones from Minerva Crafts.

Harriet chose to make the sleeveless option (I made self drafted rolled up t-shirt sleeves) and she chose a super pretty fabric from Sew Over It too. The style suits Harriet so much and I love the waist tie she made. I'm jealous I don't have enough scraps to make one for mine!


Check out Harriet's post on Hobbling Handmades HERE.



Overall, I'm so happy I got the chance to sew this pattern again. I'll be wearing this dress well into Summer and I'm sure this one won't be my last!

See this dress in action in my reveal video below:


Thanks for reading, pinups!
xo

P.S. Don't forget to follow Hobbling Handmades on and too!

I'm super excited to announce I've been shortlisted for the Dressmaker Awards 2016 in the Vintage category! My garment has headed off for judging (eeeek), but you can also vote for me for the Reader Choice! The garment I submitted was my Tiki fantastic sarong dress.



I entered this as it was one of my favourite makes from last year. It was my first ever pattern hack, a little out of my style comfort zone, but turned into one of my blog's most popular posts and I had a blast wearing it. It is by no means perfectly made, if I'd of known at the time it would be sent of to be judged, I would've spent a lot of extra care on it. Since I made this, my sewing room has been upgraded massively, including a new machine and mannequin. And hopefully my sewing skills have improved too!

So whilst this might not be the technically best made, I love it all the same and I hope you do too! I hope this garment displays my creativity and passion for sewing and retro style!

I'd love your support, and if you'd like to vote for me (or check out the other entrants) you can do so here:

VOTE FOR THE READER CHOICE HERE

Voting closes April 25th.

My #VintagePledge 2017!

Hi pinups!

I'm super excited to announce my plans for this year's Vintage Pledge! Hosted by Marie of A Stitching Odyssey. A wonderful vintage style sew along, creating your own goal and spurring yourself and others on to create some beautiful retro garments in 2017!

Instead of sewing true vintage, I'll be going down the reproduction route of sewing from reprinted patterns. For example the reprinted ranges of 1950s and 1960s patterns which are currently for sale from brands such as Butterick & Simplicity.

Some of my Vintage Pledge contenders!

I'm doing this instead of sewing from true vintage patterns, as I just don't have any original patterns in my stash and don't have the time to trawl eBay or Etsy, and my local charity stores & vintage shops are very lacklustre in that department. But there are some gorgeous reprinted original patterns you can buy right now to save yourself some time!

For Summer my favourite era is the 1950s, my goal is to sew a small handful of dresses from reproduction vintage patterns that look like real vintage dresses! I'm obsessed with the fashion on Call the Midwife, so would love to create a small selection of day dresses that could pass for true vintage.

CocoWawa - Lily Blouse

Hi pinups! Adorable new pattern alert! Meet 'Lily' from indie designer CocoWawa, a blouse and dress pattern with the cutest sailor collar. So when Ana asked me to review her new pattern, I jumped at the chance.

Here's a peek at the pattern:

How happy and colourful is this?!

I opted for the blouse version with simple short sleeves. I like the dress pattern but the cocoon shape would be awful on my curvy figure and be super unflattering, however the blouse is a lovely top to pair with jeans for Spring. Did I mention the amazing sailor collar?


Whilst I'm usually too lazy for PDF patterns, I do have a very helpful boyfriend who enjoys putting them together! So I left the sticking together to him which worked great for me. I cut the size 4, which translates as a UK size 12 (got to think about that boob room!).


The instructions were great to follow with helpful illustrations. I did struggle with the centre front placket, but I think that's my own struggles with this technique and not a reflection on the pattern. But I got there in the end and am really happy with the result.

Whilst I'm super happy with the finished top, I do think I could have sized down. I may even try a fitted bodice next time with the help of some darts. As I know I need more of this collar in my life! Or maybe even chopping the blouse at my waist and adding a skirt...

I aimed for a little 1960s monochrome twist for mine!

Sewing Summary:

Pattern: CocoWawa Lily Blouse and Dress PDF Pattern

Fabric: 1/4" Check Corded Gingham Dress Fabric & Plain Cotton Poplin Fabric

Notions: 3 self cover buttons with pink cotton from my stash

Sewing time: Half a day

Modifications: None

Fit: A little big, but I'll size down next time!

Difficulty: Nice and simple with some techniques to get you thinking.

Watch out for: Getting a neat and tidy placket.

Make again?: Yes! I think it's a nice style, but I'd like to make some alterations to suit my curvy shape.


Overall, Lily is a super sweet pattern. A lovely simple design but with some nice design touches for a smart finish. I'm looking forward to making this pattern again, like I already said, I'd love to tailor the top and go full nautical style on that collar!

Support an independent designer, and pick up your copy of CocoWawa's Lily pattern.

Thanks for reading, pinups!
xo

P.S. My gingham bandana comes with it's own tutorial on my YouTube channel! It's a great stash busting mini project that all level of sewists should try! Check it out below: