Colette Zinnia - finally photographed!

I finished sewing this skirt back in mid-October, I can't believe it's taken me so long to get it photographed! I have tried - I wore this skirt sightseeing in Oxford, thinking that the dreaming spires would make a great backdrop but it rained all day and I ended up soaked in Wetherspoons eating chips. Not so glamorous :( 

Finally I decided that the back garden would do and here I am on Saturday morning modelling Version 1 of Colette's Zinnia pattern. 

No real changes to the pattern except that to get a good shape on the pocket I ended up stitching a 1cm line around the edge and then using that line to press the seam allowances under evenly.

Also, I totally ignored the instructions for the waistband and pinned the skirt to the flat waistband between the seam allowances, stitched it, THEN folded the waistband, stitched the short ends, folded it back to the right side and caught down the inner edge by hand.

In a way the delay in writing about this pattern is a good thing, because when I say that I love this skirt I can say that I love wearing it too. It's not my normal style, but there is something about the swishy fullness that feels so gorgeous - even in winter with tights or leggings underneath. 

I will definitely make the other versions too :)

New Look 6181 - summer sewing!

I have to admit that I would never have looked twice at this pattern if it hadn't been included for free with  Sew Home magazine

It seems to be an unloved design with the rest of the world too - no-one has reviewed it on Pattern Review, I can't find any other bloggers with photos of the finished garment - it seems to have sunk without trace.

Which is a shame because it turned out well for me! I've been wearing it since the middle of August when I got desperate for something cool to wear. I've worn it casual, like in the photos, and smart with posh shoes and jewelry. It's a really versatile dress. 

I added a thin fabric belt round the waist to mirror the thin ties on the back neck. I also threaded silver beads onto the tie ends to give a bit of interest and weight. I love the bias drape of the back cowl neckline!

This pattern is definitely worth a second look. One little bit of advice; the pattern allows a lot of ease above your body measurements so its worth looking at the finished measurements on the pattern and asking yourself how loose you want the dress to be. Otherwise it's a straightforward pattern and I thoroughly recommend it.

Colette Sorbetto

If you can sew then you've probably already made one, and if you can't sew then you probably could make one - Sorbetto top from Colette patterns. It's a free pattern, download it now! http://www.colettepatterns.com/shop/sorbetto

This top cost under £5 to make, which is a total bargain because it turned out so cute! I used 'Brighton Bows' poly cotton fabric, and pre-made green bias tape, both from Fabricland. Then I bought some green bow earrings from eBay to match the print, you can just about see them in the picture. (I'm pulling that face because my husband was messing around! Sadly the door in the background isn't our house, we were visiting the Vyne (National Trust) and I decided it would be a good photo opportunity for my top.)

I did make a muslin to check the size, which I would recommend. It's not a close-fitting design - you can see where the fabric is blowing round my hips in the breeze - but I had to take it in a little under the arms to make sure that the armholes wouldn't gape and display my bra to the world. Not a good look when you are nearly 37.  ^_^

Anyway, I love it and I may even make another! And on the strength of this pattern I bought the Colette Sewing Handbook which I will hopefully post about soon :)