Tulle Dream

I rather quietly began making this. The reason for my silence is that my previous attempts at sewing tulle have resulted in catastrophic failures. I had a niggling feeling that this may also be one but luckily for me I'd completely in love with it.

During Christmas shopping I noticed a few tulle dresses in the shops which I thought I'd have a go at recreating. I decided to use the Merchant and Mills Camber top for the bodice as I wanted a top without any fixtures to negotiate. The skirt was merely a rectangle which was gathered onto the bodice with the gather attached on the outside.

I love how iridescent it is...it kind of reminds me of a jellyfish! The neckline is finished with navy bias binding to give it a nice finish. The beauty of tulle is that it doesn't fray. So yay, no need to finish the seams or to create a hem (sigh, definitely my least favourite part of sewing).

Of course being rather see-through meant that I needed to make a slip dress to wear underneath. After some brain wreaking I remembered that I had a pattern in the Great British Sewing Bee book. I omitted the lace (I thought this would be too fussy for the dress) and instead finished the edges with bias binding which worked out fine.

Here she is altogether...

Although the dress may seem rather formal. I managed to get away with wearing it on Christmas eve with a large hand knitted jumper and a pair of boots. Thank goodness for the eclectic look!

Happy stitching x

Ralph Pink Bow Shirt

Happy new year everyone! May your 2017s be full of happiness and plenty of stitching.

I'm ashamed to say that I actually made this a fair few months ago but I just haven't managed to get any decent photos of it. As it has been the Christmas holidays I've managed to finally get some nice photos!

The Ralph Pink Bow Shirt had been on my 'to-sew' list for a while. I had always fancied using some organza and spotted this rather lovely silk organza at Goldhawk Road. At £8 a metre it's quite a steal as well.

It's worth noting that whilst Ralph creates gorgeous designs which are cut beautifully his instructions aren't always the clearest. The instructions for the Bow Shirt were quite clear with only one part which doesn't quite fit. The pattern pieces ask you to cut two yokes for the back of the shirt but his instructions tell you to only use one. If you want to use two pieces I'd suggest looking at the instructions for a pattern such as the Merchant and Mills Camber for further guidance.

Due to the nature of the organza this was a rather slow project as the insides are completely on show! I sewed all seams (apart from the armistice) using French seams. For the armistice I sewed a tiny seam and finished it with a line of stitching to prevent fraying. For the hem I used my rolled hem foot which I'm not a huge fan of but I don't think it looks too bad.

I absolutely love the finished top.

I was concerned about creating button holes on the delicate fabric and I also thought that buttons might interrupt the 'flow' of the bow so I decided to use poppers. Plastic poppers showed through the fabric the least so that's what I opted for in the end.

If I was to make it again I would release the seams slightly at the waist as the top pulls ever so slightly here.

I absolutely love this top but I'm not sure if I need another one in my wardrobe. If I was to make another, I think I would use a cotton lawn perhaps which I think would give the shirt a completely different vibe.

Happy stitching x