I am so excited to be able to finally share this make with you! I was lucky enough to be a pattern tester for Sew Over It's NEW Elsie Dress Printed Pattern, sewn with one of their equally beautiful fabrics. I knew this dress was going to be something special and it's been super hard not to gush all about it this past month!

Here's a peek at the pattern:

Again with the beautiful illustrations and beautiful Lisa!

Elsie is a stunning 1950s inspired dress (and skirt) pattern, with a princess seamed bodice and a full skirt exaggerated by the large pleats giving the dress a great structure, especially when worn with a petticoat underneath.


So the Elsie pattern is pretty good looking, but 'what about the sewing' I hear you ask! I found Elsie, overall, a pleasure to sew. There were a few techniques in this dress which I was reasonably new to. For example, when sewing the bodice lining the technique in this pattern was something I have not yet come across. Whilst I struggled with this step, the finished effect is wonderful and totally worth the bit of extra care. Also with my fabric being a weighty cotton sateen, it's a little thicker than some fabrics which probably added to my struggles.

Inside the dress, I really like the lining. It's part facing and part bodice lining and I used my floral fabric for the facings and black cotton for the lining and find the finished look to be really professional and clean looking. I'm thinking about filming a 'Behind the Seam's video on Elsie, would you be interested?

Sewing Summary:

Pattern: Sew Over It - Elsie Dress Printed Dress Pattern

Fabric: Stretch Cotton – First Date

Notions: A 22" invisible zip.

Sewing time: A day.

Modifications: None

Fit: Great, other than my need for a full bust adjustment.

Difficulty: Perfect for confident beginners! There's lots of great skills to learn in this one.

Watch out for: Tidy pleats and matching them with the bodice seams.

Make Again?: Absolutely! Elsie's a winner in my eyes.


You may have noticed something in my hair.... Every lover of vintage style knows your wardrobe isn't complete without a hair flower (or 10) and the Veronica's Roses Clip in Light Pink from Daisy Jean Floral does not disappoint. It's a show stopping piece without being too large or heavy on the head. It feels so secure to wear and I think this gorgeous pink option was destined to be worn with my Elsie dress!

Hi pinups! Time for another make, and I couldn't wait to share this one with you! So much so, I bumped it up from my original August schedule to July instead. I've posted lots of snaps on my social media and it even got it's own video. It is of course the Retro Butterick B5748 dress pattern from 1960.

For my full pattern review and images, CLICK HERE!

Hi pinups! I recently asked my Instagram and Facebook followers to vote for a video on my YouTube channel. The choices were looking at my sewing pattern stash and how its organised, a full sewing room tour or my sewing room organisation. My pattern stash came out on top, and so I filmed a video showing you every single pattern I own!





I really hope you guys enjoy the video! But fear not if you want to see the two other video topics, I'll be filming both at some point. How do you store your sewing patterns?

Thanks for reading and watching, pinups!
xo

Thanks for reading and watching, pinups!
xo

Hi pinups! The start of the month means a new Simplicity Stitch by Stitch video! Not sure what I'm talking about? Check out one of my previous posts about becoming Simplicity's Vintage Ambassador HERE.

July is all about sewing the 1930s! The decade I was looking forward to sewing the least! Compared to my usual 1950s style, the 30s seems like a whole other world away, and is certainly way out of my sewing and style comfort zone. But you'll see by the end of this post, this dress was a pleasant surprise...

Here's a peek at the pattern:


For my 1930s project I chose this Simplicity 8247 pattern. I really liked the look of the dress, simple in shape, but with some interesting sewing details. I'd accepted I probably wasn't going to suit many of the 30s shapes and styles, but you'll see in my video below, I was actually pretty pleased with the final dress and fit.



Sewing Summary:

Pattern: Simplicity Ladies Sewing Pattern 8247 1930's Vintage Style Dress & Jacket

Fabric: Ditsy Floral Crepe

Notions: 22" Concealed Zip

Sewing time: Half a day

Modifications: None.

Fit: Surprisingly nice...

Difficulty: Watch my video above to see what I struggled with.

Watch out for: The center front pleats!

Make Again?: I'm not sure this pattern is for me. But in my video above, I discuss the potential of this pattern and styling options!

What do you think about 1930s fashion? Have you ever tried this pattern? I'd love to know what you think! Whilst sewing the 1930s wasn't at the top of my sewing list, I really enjoyed this experience and sewing the 8247 pattern. The decade suited me a lot more than I was expecting and I'm glad I tried out this pattern.

Thanks for reading and watching, pinups!
xo