Sew Over It - 1940s Tea Dress

It seems like such a long time ago that I started all this and I was reviewing sewing magazines, but the one that I went with (Love Sewing) came with a kit from Sew Over It for a pink skirt.  I haven't finished the skirt yet as its not something I'd wear, so I don't really have much motivation for finishing it.  But I liked the concept and I liked the pattern and instructions.  I had a look at their website and spotted that they had a load of patterns that looked beautiful and what was really helpful is that they have their fabrics also categorised by what suits what patterns.  Makes it very easy.

So when I went to the sewing show at Alexander Palace, I spotted that they had a stall and had a look.  They had the 1940s tea dress pattern and some beautiful fabric that I loved (Amelia Petal).  Seeing as I was on a fabric buying high, I went for it.  Anyone that knows me knows that I have a thing for tea dresses.

I won't go through the process that I took as I just followed the instructions.  I didn't alter the pattern at all as I just wanted to get it done as is.  I still don't have my head around the whole pattern alteration thing, but I'll probably look at it one day, maybe.  But I did get to make my first self covered buttons.  That was interesting!!  But it really makes the dress I think.

It was all pretty straightforward, but I did notice some errors in the instructions when it came to the sleeve construction.  It was really very annoying, and I found that I was sewing, unpicking, sewing and unpicking.  I was pretty fed up and went searching for a blog that maybe covered it and would be able to clarify.  Luckily I found that Sew Over It did a sew along that was most helpful and the instructions were considerably better than in the booklet.  So if you plan to do this dress, definitely use the sew along instructions too http://sewoverit.co.uk/blog/sewalongs/1940s-tea-dress-sewalong/

I'm really pleased with the finished dress.  I think it looks really quite pretty and the fabric is beautiful. I'm also very pleased with the fit.  Considering the fact that I did no pattern alterations, it fits really quite well.  Despite the issues with the instructions in the booklet, I'll definitely give other Sew Over It patterns, they might just need a bit of patience.

And just a small mention of my new tattoo
that can be seen in the picture - yes that is
a Mexican Sugar Skull Lego head :D

Bit of a catchup - Skull Dress went to Vegas and Maker's Workbook

So, it's been a while since my last post, but trust me, I have been sewing!  I went off to Vegas with my skull dress, and I wore it when I went to see Penn & Teller.  They have a thing where they go out into the lobby after and you can meet them if you hang around.  So my dress met Penn & Teller!

That was pretty damn cool!

So after coming home and feeling terribly sad that I was no longer in Vegas, England was cold and I was in no mood to go back to work.  But I got an email that cheered me up somewhat.  I get emails from the guys that sell Swedish Tracing Paper, and they said that they had a new product coming up.  the Maker's Workbook.  It looked divine! You can find full details here http://www.makersworkbook.com

I've tinkered with my own notebooks since starting sewing, and they've never really panned out.  They were just blank notebooks and I never really knew where to start.  So I figured that I'd invest in this and see where it took me.  I was delighted when it arrived as it's beautifully crafted.  The information that it prompts is also incredibly useful.  I can see me referring back to this in future when I repeat patterns.

One thing I really love is that the fabric swatch area changes on each page.  Its annoying when they're in the same area every page, as then there's an annoying bulge in one area of the book.  When they're in different spots, it evens it out a little.  Good thinking guys!

I think instead of rambling on, a few pictures of how I've used it so far will suffice.