The Pleated Bow Dress

I was incredibly pleased when Natalli from Nell Patterns responded to my email asking to be a pattern tester for her latest pattern: The Pleated Bow Dress. Not knowing much about the pattern beforehand, I was even more pleased when it finally arrived in Dobbin’s Bobbins’ inbox and I discovered the simplest, sweetest little design. It’s a pretty a-line dress, featuring an inverted pleat and bow. (See my 1960s inverted pleat inspiration here).

Lack of sleep and high running emotions over another project meant that I was incredibly silly and made a somewhat critical mistake during cutting (I honestly don’t know how I managed it!), and I ended up having to make a size 2T, rather than the 5T that I was supposed to be making. Whoops! I was disappointed that I’d wasted my small quantity of such lovely cottons; a soft and simple blue and white stripe teamed with a vintage floral fat quarter. In the end, it didn’t really matter, it just meant that I got to have a practice run, and that I now have the cutest little dress waiting to find a cute little two year old to match! I love the way the pleat is accentuated with the stripes.

Ensuring I was fully awake and focused on the task at hand, I finally cut out the size 5T! This time I used a cotton printed with the sweetest vintage sewing design, featuring Singer machines, antique irons, scissors, buttons and bobbins! The colour makes it the perfect transitional garment- when the British autumn takes full swing, it would be perfect paired with a cream jumper and tights.

D loved the dress and was the perfect model!

D is a little tall for her age (120cm), so I found the dress was slightly too short- if I were to make another for her, I’d definitely want to add at least another 2 inches to the length to avoid the ‘Shirley Temple’ look! Or perhaps take it up a little more and turn it into a tunic to be paired with leggings.

I also think the design would look really pretty if you reduced the length even further and turned it into a top.

The pinnacle of this a-line design has to be the beautiful bow that sits on one shoulder. I love how something so simple can instantly transform a garment, making it pretty and feminine without being sickly sweet.

Perhaps the best thing about this pattern is just how quick and easy it is to make. There are no fiddly zips or buttons to contend with and you can cut and sew the entire thing in a couple of hours. What could be more satisfying than that?! I know that I’ll be making more of these in the future!

A massive thank you to D’s Mum Amanda for her excellent directing skills, and for letting me use their gorgeous garden for photos!

The Pleated Bow Dress pdf pattern will be available at Nell Patterns very soon! It’s worth noting that if you like Natalli’s other patterns as well (which I’m sure you will), she currently has an offer of 3 patterns for $13!

Throwback Thursday: Flower Girls!

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know I’ve been very busy throughout August, working on a very special project for a very special couple. I designed and created a flower girl dress which reflected the bride and the day’s overall aesthetic, which meant lots of research. I won’t reveal too much, as I’ll do a separate blogpost all about it, but in the meantime I thought I’d share a vintage assortment of flower girl dresses; a glimpse through the ages as it were. The bride, Tiff, and I studied Costume together, so these images proved very inspirational when designing a dress with a personal touch.

Bridesmaids, Flower Girls & Pageboy from a 1920s Wedding (retro-vintage-photography.blogspot.co.uk)

The styling of the flower girls from this 1920s photograph certainly wouldn’t look out of place in today’s weddings. I love the drop waist and lace skirt teamed with floral crowns- so pretty!

Bridesmaid and two flowergirls enter the church, St. Marks, Darling Point, c. 1930s by Sam Hood (NSW State Library Collections)

I just love the whimsical, airy feel to this remarkable photograph of a 30s wedding. The flowing fabric is so delicate and feminine, epitomising the youth and innocence that the flower girl symbolises during a ceremony.

Of course I couldn’t help but dig through my own vintage albums for this post. Here’s an old family photograph from my Granny and Grandpa’s wedding on 4th May 1948, featuring their flower girl Jane (not that she looks too happy to be there!)

Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III had four flower girls at their religious ceremony on April 19, 1956. (Photo: unofficialroyalty.com)

Ahhh, Grace Kelly. The forever fashionable actress turned Princess’ wedding  was perhaps the most beautiful of the 20th century. The flower girls’ dresses evoke the typical style of the era.

Vintage 1960s Childs Flower Girl Dress Pattern, Simplicity 6996.

The 60s wouldn’t be the 60s without A-line dresses! Further evidence of the era comes in the form of bell sleeves. The floor-length style may not be the most flattering in today’s eyes, but the shorter length reminds me of the hugely popular Monsoon styles that we’ve seen over the last few years.

And of course, this post would not be complete without the two most influential and inspirational flower girl designs of this decade…

William and Kate’s flower girls arriving at their 2011 Royal Wedding (Getty Images).

Who didn’t ooh and ahh as the Royals’ flower girls stepped out of the car before the big wedding? I absolutely love the scalloped underskirt detail along the hemline! It adds a little twist to such a traditional style. Gorgeous!

Kate Moss and Jamie Hince had a grand total of 14 flower girls at their 2011 wedding (Rex Features)!

We come full circle when we arrive at the photos of Kate Moss and Jamie Hince’s flower girls. The dropped waist and flower crowns echo the 1920s and the lightweight chiffon resembles the 1930s.

So there we have it! A little glimpse through time 🙂 Obviously lots of other things inspired me too, but you’ll just have to wait for the dedicated blogpost to see them. And the dress! Ahhh, I can’t wait for you all to see it! Until next time, folks!

The Henry Dress!

Back in May, Erin from Brooklyn Pattern Company asked me to test one of her brand new patterns and I was over the moon with excitement. The dress perfectly balances modernity and tradition; femininity and fun. I cannot wait to finally share the photos of the wonderful Henry dress with you all!

I just love this pattern. Erin’s instructions are clear & concise and make the dress a really enjoyable sew. Some of you may recognise the pattern itself as I couldn’t help but sew it for a second time during Kids Clothes Week- I featured it on my blog here. (I told you I loved it!)

Knowing I was sewing the dress for 8 year-old J (a family friend and the best model I could ask for!) I had to go out and splurge on some gorgeous bright fabrics to suit her personality. I chose these brilliant contrasting turquoise polka-dot and orange stripe cottons from Hobbycraft that I knew she’d just love! The polka-dots even inspired their own Throwback Thursday blogpost which you can find here.

The dress features beautiful gathered and pleated sleeves which add the perfect amount of girliness to this dress. Plus, for those of you (like me) who dread sewing sleeves, there’s no need to fret! Erin cleverly breaks the process into two installments making it SO much more bearable!

The dress also features some pretty awesome pockets; perfect for any little girl who loves exploring and collecting treasures along her travels!

I had such a great time photographing J! It had been raining constantly all morning but as soon as she put on the dress the sun came out and shone down over our photoshoot in my parent’s back garden. J couldn’t stop grinning and was literally jumping with excitement. The Henry dress allows a lot of movement, so jumping as well as running, rolling, climbing and dancing was no problem at all! It’s safe to say the dress was a winner!

If you would like to sew your very own Henry dress, or any of Brooklyn Pattern Company’s other designs (I can’t wait to give the Bedford dress a go!), Erin is offering readers of the Henry & Bedford Blog Tour a 20% discount on any pattern in her shop with the code: SUMMERFUN15. The code is valid now until 15th July (11:59pm EDT), so get on it folks!

Throwback Thursday: Polka-dots!

This week I’ve been pattern testing the new Henry Dress for the brilliant Erin over at The Brooklyn Pattern Company. With my bright and bubbly model in mind, the most gorgeous turquoise blue cotton with white polka-dots from Andover Fabrics jumped out at me and demanded to be used! It’s just so much fun, and fingers crossed will be the perfect balance between modern and retro, just like the pattern itself. Which got me thinking about polka-dots’ etymology- how did they get their unusual name and just how ‘retro’ are they?

Chosen fabrics for the Henry Dress: Blue polka-dot from Andover fabrics contrasted against orange stripes from Makower.

The definition of a polka-dot is “a dot in a pattern of regularly distributed dots in textile design” (Merriam-Webster). Dotted fabrics began gaining popularity during the 19th Century, once the industrial revolution made production much easier. However before the term ‘polka-dot’ was created, these dotted fabrics would fall into one of three categories: Dotted-Swiss (raised dots on transparent tulle, which I’ve used here), Quinconce (French for the five dots on a dice) and Thalertupfen (used to describe patterns with dots the size of a German ‘Thaler’ coin).

Victorian Polka Club member’s jacket

It is no coincidence that the dotted pattern shares its’ name with the dance which took mid-19th Century by storm and created ‘polka mania’. The dance itself derives its’ name from the Bohemian word meaning Polish Woman: “polka”. Historians debate the extent that the dance influenced the textile, but it would appear that as both trends grew rapidly, the pattern was named after the dance simply to jump on board current hype, and extend the pattern’s reach and popularity even further. However, it could also be argued that as polka dance clubs were established, members wanted to adopt a uniform. Members chose to wear spotted garments which created a demand, as well as a trend, for dotted fabric. Consequently the pattern we’ve come to know as polka-dot was born.

Left to Right: Norma Descygne Smallwood, Miss America 1926; Disney’s Minnie Mouse; and Marilyn Monroe wearing her famous polka-dot bikini in 1952.

In the 20th Century, the polka-dot went from strength to strength. From Miss America wearing a polka-dot swimsuit in 1926, to the creation of Minnie Mouse in 1928, polka-dots became a staple in fashion culture. Popular figures such as Marilyn Monroe adorned in dots in films and photoshoots means that this wonderful pattern will forever be ingrained in our fashion subconscious. As Anna Akbari puts it:

“There’s definitely a nostalgia associated with polka dots. I think of the ‘50s and ‘60s. With the rise of vintage, it makes sense that polka dots would be revived.”

So what about childrenswear? To me polka-dots are cute and fun and quintessentially youthful which means they’re perfect to use on home sewn garments for little ones.

From then:

Antique Photographs, found on Pinterest

To now:

From left to right: The Essence of Joy, Very Shannon, and Luvocracy.

So go on, dig through that fabric stash and pull out those polka-dots! In the words of the LA Times,

“You can sign your fashion life away on the polka-dotted line and you’ll never regret it”

(Thanks to Jerry, Chloe, Mark, and Printapattern for their insightful posts about polka-dots, I couldn’t have written this without them.) 

A Floral Izzy Dress

Sometimes it doesn’t matter how much you plan and prepare, projects just come out of nowhere asking to be made. I had planned to work on a couple of fairytale dresses, but nevertheless found myself gravitating towards a pink ditzy printed cotton that I bought from Leicester Market years and years ago. Do you ever find that fabrics dictate when they’re going to be used and what they’re made into?

Izzy interpretations from The Crazy Tailor, Mabey She Made It & PiePie Designs.

After I spotted these gorgeous examples of the Izzy Top (/Dress) on Instagram and Pinterest, I couldn’t help but dig out the pattern from my collection. I just loved the piping detail between the bodice and skirt, the prettiness of adding length and the use of floral fabric. Not that I needed much persuading, but when I discovered the perfect coordinating khaki in my stash, the decision was made: another Izzy top was in the making… but this time it would be a dress! The Izzy Top is a great FREE little pattern from Climbing the Willow which comes in sizes 18mos-12! It’s perfect for beginner sewers who want to start building their confidence with common dressmaking techniques, or for more advanced sewers who just want something they can whip together in a few hours. You can read all about my first attempt at it here. This time I made the pattern in a size 5, and added 20cm to the length to make the dress modification. I didn’t change much in terms of putting it together. I used the button tab from the pattern and hand stitched a buttonhole again (although I reckon I might just make a rouleau button loop next time). However I did add piping which I stitched to the bodice using my zipper foot before pinning my gathered skirt into place. I actually found it easier to sew over the gathers than normal because I could use the ridge of the piping as a guide!

As my final step to finish off the Izzy dress, I decided not to serge the bodice and skirt seam together as the pattern suggests. Instead I spontaneously decided to encase them in some homemade bias binding from the same khaki fabric I used earlier, which I slipstitched onto the bodice lining to hold in place. I really like the finish it creates and I’ll definitely be using this technique again. On a final note, I really like the colours of this dress. The pastel shades of the floral print make it perfect for Summer, but the khaki trim means that when teamed with tights and a cardigan, the dress can see it’s proud owner all the way through Autumn too- pretty and practical!

Foxes!

Foxes are everywhere at the moment aren’t they?

There is a real trend happening currently throughout fabric design and the online sewing community. Who could forget Kids Clothes Week’s plethora of fox cubs? And whilst I am certainly not a ‘jumping on the bandwagon’ kind of girl when it comes to sewing, I do have my reasons for wanting this particular trend to continue long into the future.

Here are my picks from Spoonflower. I think I would honestly buy all my fabrics from there if I could afford it- the inspirational prints are never ending!

Spoonflower Fabrics

Honestly, there were so many others I could have picked as well, but these stood out for me. They’re just great aren’t they? Clockwise they are: Sleepy Mountain’s Coral Fox, Emily Sanford’s Tribal Fox in Grey, Jgreenwalt’s Fall is for Foxes, Sugarcookie’s Riding Hood,  Emily Sanford’s Tribal Fox in Pink & Kimsa’s Sleepy Fox on Coral Background.

And just think, with those fabrics you could make skirts for little girls just like these from Marcelines Wonderland and Little Poms.

Patch pockets will never fail to spruce up a garment and make it instantly cute. And what a great way of using up the scraps of fabrics you have left over from bigger projects?

If you don’t want to splash out on fox printed fabric, sewers can alternatively follow the trend with fox dresses. Check out these gorgeous examples from Wild Things Dresses and Brittney at Sewing for Four.

They’re just so clever! And I can’t imagine there’s a little girl out there who wouldn’t love a fox dress (apparently Brittney’s twins are both claiming it as their own)!

And the trend doesn’t end with sewers. Knitters are getting involved too!

Although I don’t have much confidence with knitting, I’d definitely have a go at these (from Ravelry and Sincerely Louise) in the future. I think that the swearing and headaches that they’d cause me would genuinely be worth it!

And even though all of these incredible pieces are reason enough to love this trend, the most important reason for me is quite simple. I grew up in Leicestershire, and am a huge fan of Leicester City Football Club aka. The Foxes. So let me introduce you to my favourite fox of all…

It’s Filbert with two little fox cubs from the early noughties. Okay, I’ll be honest, those little fox cubs just so happen to be me and my little brother back in the day.

Leicester have very much been the underdogs of the Premiership this season, but the team has never given up hope and continue to fight to avoid relegation. I’m no footballer but  I’ll certainly continue to be inspired by their fighting spirit and despite any personal setbacks I’ll continue to sew and follow my creative dreams. Keep The Faith!