A first foray into dressmaking

So conveniently my first attempt at making a dress has coincided with me made May and a lockdown where it seems that the ideal is to learn a new skill (or bake a lot of sourdough) but neither of those are the reason I'm now making this dress. 

The idea for it came about in January when I was admiring some cotton dresses in Spitalfields Market and my boyfriend asked whether I could make something like it.

So the research into a pattern began, Simple Sew's Grace dress seemed a good id match from memory. I decided I would make a toile first, as mh sister hadn't shared the tip about using bedsheets, a wearable toile became my option. Then my boyfriend kindly offered to buy the fabric for the actual dress for my birthday, a wonderful excuse to spend a lot of time researching options on the Internet and the at the end of March j finally bought the pattern and waited for enough free time to start. Unexpected good weather and lockdown meaning a new found enthusiasm for making our garden a nice place to be meant thaf the first free time I've had was last week during some time off from work.

So I've, finally but enthusiastically started making a dress. 

First step pattern tracing (and a growing loathing for the non-stick backing paper I was using). 

Fabric for the hopefully wearable toile (for which I already had the perfect pair of matching earrings so this better fit!) was prepared.

A bodice was put together without too much stress and with the hummingbirds on the waistband. 

It has pockets (which will need moving up slightly in the second dress). 

And I have managed to gather and attach the skirt with reasonably good seam matching.

At this point a major flaw in my prep work/understanding/sewing machine accessories became evident. The pattern calls for a concealed zip, I want to fit a concealed zip, I don't have a concealed zip foot! It's easy to find one online, so now the dress is on hold until the foot arrives and until I've practiced zigzag stitching the raw seams. 

But so far so good, I'm really pleased with how it's going and already planning future makes! Hopefully I'll be able to report a finished dress before the end of the month. 

52 Weeks of Socks

Just before all the madness and lockdown I treated myself to Laine's 52 Weeks of Socks, it felt like a bit of a luxury and destined to be a coffee table book. 

Turns out I was very wrong. There are so many pairs of socks in this book that I want to knit,  every time I look through it a few more get added to the list. I think it's a bit optimistic to assume this book will only take me 52 Weeks to work through but I'll give it my best shot.

The first pair I've completed are Erika by Anja Heumann.

The beautiful yarn, with a slight sparkle, was a one of a kind sock set from Pixie Yarn. These knitted up so quickly (took longer than a week), no occurrence of second sock syndrome and might be the quickest pair of socks I've ever knitted.

Found a useful tip in Winwick Mum's blog for how to knit the ends in as I went, a real game changer.

I've already started the next pair, enticed in by the suggested yarn from Woolly Mammoth... 

...natural sock, dyed with natural dyes. 

Gerste by Verena Cohrs, the toe has been challenging but the foot is going quicker.