a dress from a duvet cover

I made myself a new dress over the weekend. It's the Felicity dress pattern from Jennifer Lauren patterns on Etsy. Bearing in mind my rubbish self-photo-taking skills, I asked Joanna to take my photos in my new dress. She kindly did. Clearly, the stupid faces are not reserved for only photos I take myself! *eyeroll*

After that first photo, Joanna told me to "Stop just standing there - do something!" So I did! I moved this way:

And that way:

I demonstrated how good the dress is when spinning:

Boy, that made me dizzy!!

Then I practised my curtsey.

And, in case I ever need it, my apparent ability to stand on one leg - don't ask where my other leg is. I haven't a clue! And there's that stupid face again!

This is how the dress looks on Diana the dummy. Quite pretty, I think!

I changed the neckline to be pleats rather than gathers. When I tried it on whilst sewing the bodice, I didn't like how the gathers were going to be sticking out on the boobular area.

The fabric for this dress was a duvet cover that I bought last year in Asda's at the princely sum of £5. A dress for a fiver? Now that's a bargain!

at last - a denim jacket for me

This week I've been busy sewing a denim jacket for myself. I've *always* wanted a denim jacket but, when I tried them on in the shops, they just never looked right on me. Don't know why. Anyway, when I saw this pattern, I decided I'd have a go at making one for myself.

I made view B but I lengthened the sleeves by 2" which made them full-length on me. I also decided not to put the pockets on (you can see them better in the white version) - no emphasis needed on the boobular area for me! :oD

Yesterday I tried to take photos of myself wearing it and not one of them was any use so here's the finished jacket on Diana the dummy.

I found some buttons in my stash which are perfect. I know they'll never be closed - does anyone ever close a denim jacket?

As I said, the photos I took of myself wearing the jacket were not good but this one made me laugh. What was I thinking taking the photo from this angle? :oD

2 blouses

Here are the blouses I made for myself this week. Let me tell you, after sewing doll's clothes, it's amazing how long it takes to sew a "normal-sized" blouse! LOL

First is the one I showed briefly in my happy things post the other day when I was sewing the buttonholes. It's New Look 6407, view E as used many, many times before.

I don't seem able to take a photo of myself without making stupid faces. I suppose I should be glad it's not grumpy this time! :oD

The fabric doesn't show up in that photo too well, so here's the buttonhole photo again so you can see it more clearly.

The second blouse is another version of my other favourite blouse pattern - McCall's 5359.

I ran out of my usual soft iron-on interfacing and used a slightly stiffer interfacing on the collar and front facing of this blouse. I'm hoping it'll soften after it's been in the wash a few times.

I love the teal with the white spots.

I even had buttons to match both of these blouses in my collection. Yay!! :o)

some happy things

I was working in my sewing room this afternoon when I looked out the window and saw the washing drying on the line. I love it when I can get the washing dried outside so I took a photo of it. As you do. I even managed to catch a train in the background as it passed the house on its way to Edinburgh.

Then I looked back at the sewing table and saw my iPad where I was watching the tennis from Queens Club. I don't have a telly in the sewing room so it's nice to be able to watch stuff on my iPad.

Then I looked at my sewing machine where I was in the middle of making some buttonholes for the blouse I was making. I do love when I get to the buttonhole stage of a blouse - it means I'm nearly finished!

I then looked around my sewing room and took a photo of my buttons. I do love buttons and have, as you can tell, quite a few. Oh, and I've just noticed, the brown basket under the buttons is empty. That's my ironing basket so it being empty is really happyfying. (Yes, I made that word up but it should be a word, don't you think?)

Then I remembered about my relatively new methods of storing some of my sewing stuff. I bought some divided boxes and used them to store - with different types in the separate compartments - machine needles:

Some of the feet for my sewing machine:

And my bobbins:

And then, at the end of my sewing afternoon, another thing that makes me happy - my next project. I do like it when I have something already cut out and ready to start when I next step into my sewing room.

I always think it's the wee things that I don't particularly notice that make me happy. These are just some of those wee things I noticed today.

and finally ... for now, anyway

I finished up my doll's clothes making (for now) with a wee denim skirt:

It fastens with velcro and has some metal buttons on the outside like a "real" denim skirt.

Then I made some denim shorts:

A wee red blouse:

And a wee purple blouse:

Then I had a notion to make some coathangers for all these doll's clothes so I hunted on Pinterest and found a tutorial here. I don't know if my lolly sticks were thinner than the ones used in that tutorial but I needed to use 2 in the middle to get the cut-out for the hook to be deep enough. Needless to say, me + hot glue = burnt fingers! Ouch!!

But it was worth it. They're so great!

I even added some hangers to the skirts and shorts so they can hang too. I used hair elastics which I've had in a drawer for a really, really long time.

I'm a bit sad that this doll's clothes making spree has come to an end. But, you never know, with all the scraps I have, I could just make more when I get the urge and send them to the wee lass who'll be getting this lot in the next day or so. It's been too much fun to stop making them for long! :o)

dolly's dress and jammies

I've been sewing some more dolly's clothes. First a wee dress:

It fastens at the top of the back with velcro:

And has a button on the outside to make it look like it fastens with a button. I'll need to tell the mummy to watch the child if she's one who chews things. My two never did chew things like buttons but I know some do so, mummy might have to cut the button off if that's the case.

I then made some cosy jammies.

Again, these are fastened at the back with velcro with buttons on the outside.

I must admit, I might make the dolly wear this top back to front because to me, buttons on the back of your jammies would be so uncomfortable to sleep in!

I have a piece of denim sitting on my sewing room table with the intentions of making a denim skirt for the dolly. I don't have a pattern for this so we'll have to wait and see how that one turns out!

quilts, doll's clothes and bow ties

I finished both the dolly quilt and the baby quilt this week. I sewed a label on both - not a tartan bee label as this is a personal gift.

I asked Grace if she'd demostrate how the quilt will look with its new dolly owner and she was very obliging. Thanks, Grace! :o)

I'd finished the quilting on the baby quilt. Originally I was just going to do one set of diagonals as I'd done on the dolly's quilt but I felt it would be more secure with the second set sewn too.

Then I sewed on the stripey binding.

My helper is so used to holding the quilts up for me that we managed to get the photo in one take!

He even knew that I'd want one with some of the back fleece showing! Thanks, Douglas! :o)

Yesterday I had a ton of fum making some dolly's clothes for the dolly who will own the quilt. First I made a blouse - exactly like the one Grace has on in the second photo above. She loves that blouse so I hope the new owner will too!

Then a wee gathered skirt:

A sundress:

And a pair of pants - every self-repecting dolly needs to wear pants! :oD

I plan to make more dolly's clothes as they're just so much fun - and I can use those scraps of fabric left over from my own dressmaking that I keep "just in case"!

In the middle of all that making, I had to make another couple of bow ties for the new men we have in our choir. I have it all written down exactly what to do so it literally takes me minutes to make them.

There's only one in these photos but I did make two!