Sorbetto Dress

Have you ever noticed a gaping hole in your wardrobe just as you are about to visit a fabric store? It happens to me all the time ;) There I was, in the Isle of Wight, about to go to a store I discovered last year, when I remembered that I was about to go on yet another holiday and I didn't have a dress that I could wear in the heat.

When I lived in Australia, I had many such clothes. Here in Britain, they are not really needed. I did make a sundress last year but the style is a beach dress so I don't wear it out and about. What I needed was a light, breezy dress. I swooped on this fabric with delight: light and soft, my colours and a great price. Why oh why did I not get 2 meters of it?

I knew the Collette Sorbetto would turn into just the sort of dress I was looking for. I turned the centre pleat into an inverted pleat at the top and left it loose to provide additional ease through the waist and hips. I extended the bottom, adding as much width as I could from the width of the fabric. This one was 150cm wide, so I was able to gain quite enough.

For me, this pattern definitely needs darts at the back. I added them in at the end. They provide some shaping but I'm still not happy with the back. (But maybe I'm just not happy with the size of my bum and the pictures are showing me the ugly truth.) After I made up the side seams and shoulder seams, I realised that I really would have to line the dress. What a torment! The light and breezy fabric would not be light and breezy with a polyester or quilting cotton lining. Those were the only things I had - I was leaving the next day! Then I remembered my trusty sheet which is light and thin. Then I remembered my first Sorbetto, made out of the very same sheet. It wasn't that great, I had used a basting stitch to sew the front darts, there was a mistake in the front binding and I had managed to include a small stain in the front, despite careful inspection of said sheet.

Sorbetto Dress Lining

I unpicked the hem and the front pleat but I left all the binding intact. I didn't have time to pull it all out and get the dress finished in time to actually wear it this year. I wrapped the whole thing inside the dress and did a bias facing on the inside, instead of the exposed facing called for in the pattern. The binding seams are a bit thick and heavy but I wasn't about to unpick all that binding.

I had just enough dress fabric left to add a skirt lining to the bottom. I decided against a pocket, I thought putting anything in it would pull the dress too much, plus I didn't want to interfere with the French seams.

As you can see, I got it made in time and had a lovely holiday too!

Cost:

Fabric: £6.25

Miette II

I love this cardigan pattern so much! I finished my first Miette and cast straight on for a second as my very next project.

This yarn is quite different from the first. It is Sirdar Denim Sport Aran, an acrylic/cotton/wool mixture. I had made a cushion cover previously so I knew I wanted a finer knit using a smaller needle size. I upsized the pattern to the 42 to compensate. The sizing turned out ok, the negative ease is forgiving, but the bust darts are too high. Moving them to the side would be more forgiving but their placement is one of the reasons that this pattern looks so nice when worn. 

I did full length sleeves again. I kept trying on and considered everything from cap sleeves to elbow length to three-quarters. But the yarn is heavy and bulky so full length sleeves make the most sense to me. It is nice and warm on.

I omitted the lace at the sleeve cuffs and skipped the row of purl that segues into the rib. I just started the rib immediately and I prefer the smoother finish it gives.

I found the sleeve decreases to be too severe and gave a lump. I changed the decreases to work over 6 rows, not 4. Two normal rows in between each decrease row. My Ravelry notes are here.

I messed up a bit of the lace around the neckline and got the buttonhole placement quite wrong in the middle, but I'm going to keep it as is.

Costs:
 Yarn: £7.44
 Buttons: £3.50
Total: <£11.00

Popover Isle of Wight Dresses

The second Isle of Wight Dress needed to be quick and easy or it wasn't going to make it to the Isle of Wight for a photoshoot. Luckily the Oliver & S Popover Sundress is just that. 

I've made the doll dress before but not the child size. This is a really cute style in both sizes. Plus it is quick and uses very little fabric. And the pattern is free! What's not to like?

I especially love how the scale changes in the doll dress, turning an overly busy fabric into something more special. I added a row of white piping between the yoke and the dress and I made the straps out of the same fabric as the dress and yoke.

I did French seams and I really must add side seam pockets next time.

Cost:

Fabric (both): £0.91

Isle of Wight Dress

This fabric came from the Isle of Wight, purchased on our last summer holiday, and I think it is only fitting that it return to the Isle of Wight as two dresses.

The first is inspired by a Boden dress.

Cathy S/S 2014

Boden S/S 2014

I love how the pin tucks change the pattern of the fabric, making the design more dense, then flowing into the skirt. My tucks are not as tiny and I didn't make separate cap sleeves but it was a good starting point for inspiration.

I used The Cottage Mama's Party Dress pattern, an old favourite (free to subscribers of her newsletter). I went for a size 8, even though she was measuring smaller; it gives her a lot of room to grow.

I added pin tucks before I cut the bodice. I did this by measuring the length of fabric I would need for the bodice and then, starting from the centre, began tucking. I stopped when I got bored. It turned out to be 4 on each side. This is where the neckline started to curve, so it was a good place to stop.

When I cut the bodice, I extended the sleeves outward. I wanted the cap sleeve effect from the Boden dress, but I didn't want to draft, and set in, a separate sleeve.  I made a straight line across from the shoulder for another 4.5 inches.

In reality, this method actually didn't work very well. First, she couldn't even get her arms in, so I had to re-do the side seams and extend the opening down into them. There still isn't a natural movement through the sleeves, a fold appears through the bodice. I also added a notch in the sleeve, which gives a bit of extra movement.

It was surprisingly easy to create. Just a V where the lining joins the fabric. I could have made it more  of a line and less of a V.

I changed the back into a normal button back, I got these flower buttons on the Isle of Wight at the same time as the fabric last year. I was hoping to make a button front dress but in the end, I wasn't brave enough. The button back is very practical, I can fasten them at the perfect distance to fit her and move them as she grows. The dress will always fit well!

I made the skirt of two widths of fabric, one for the front and the other for the back. I thought it was a bit full, particularly in the polycotton which has no drape, but she loves the fullness and curseys like a princess. She loves the side seam pockets too and I'm glad I went to the extra trouble to include them.

Cost:

 Fabric: £3.19

 Buttons: £0.75

Total: £3.94 (cf Boden £22.40 on sale!)

Fabric Tote Bag

I made this bag as a gift for my Mum, she uses a fabric bag all the time and her favourite "Elephant Bag" (because it has elephants on it, naturally) has been worn to death. There is something of a quest going on to find the right replacement for the Elephant Bag. I have thrown my hat in the ring with this as a contender.

I used twill cotton, bought on eBay from Favourite Fabrics. I used about half a meter for the bag and same for the contrast.

I used the dimensions from a couple of existing bags that I have. The blue is cut 71cm long and it wraps around the bottom so there is no seam at the base. The contrast and straps, co-incidentally, are also 71cms long. Contrast is 14cm tall, straps are 7cm wide.

I made the blue lower part first, I used French seams for the side seams. Then cut the white fabric to match the dimensions and sewed it in a loop. I attached it to the blue with a flat felled seam. My first ever! It wasn't too bad, but my machine, and the straightness of my seam struggled with all that thickness of fabric. But I like the extra strength, and the fact that there are no raw edges anywhere on this bag.

I love the little crosses where the straps attach to the bag. I feel like it makes it look just like a "real" bag!

Total cost: £6.33. This is quite a bit more than you expect to pay for a fabric tote in a store, but I think it looks more like a handbag than a shopping bag.

The real question is: will the Elephant Bag finally be consigned to the scrap bag in the sky?

The importance of blocking

Who would have thought that I would be converted to believing in something as boring as blocking? Something I considered just a distraction from "real" knitting? Well... witness these before and after pictures.

Before:

After:

See how curled and misshapen it is? Then how lovely and smooth it comes out?

For the record, my blocking method is: I soak in cold water for at least 20 minutes (or until someone in the household says "What's that in the basin, Mummy?") After gently squeezing out the excess water, and arranging in the shape I want, I let it dry flat for about 12-24 hours, or until completely dry.

Gosh, with all this being sensible and mature about finishing my garments properly, who knows what I'll do next? Maybe knit a gauge swatch..!

Doll Cardigans

The dollies have new cardigans ready for the summer.

I am delighted to have found a use for this Noro yarn, Yuzen, which I do not like at all. It is perfect for this project, since no human skin has to wear I such a scratchy yarn. I do love the colours and I love the way they keep arriving throughout through the knitting. A small project like this is great for showing it off because each colour section is a good size, rather than being a small stripe.

I used a great pattern, the Top Down Doll Cardigan, (Ravelry link) I can see this being useful again and again in many different variations: for example a long sleeve, or a coat.

I changed the design of the second cardigan slightly. I made the collar and hem out of seed stitch. This stitch shows off a variegated yarn like no other and makes a stable edging. I went for a single button closure and I skipped the eyelets, because the don't show up in this yarn. The eyelets of the first cardigan are a little different from the pattern too, I went for alternating rows.

With the short sleeve style, these two cardigans used up exactly one skein of yarn for both.