#2018MakeNine

Last year, I put up a wish list of nine things I wanted to either knit or sew during the year, and then completely and utterly forgot about it.  That's what happens when you only put things on Instagram and then stop blogging for months at a time. 

I did actually make 3 and 2 halves of the things on the 2017 list, as you can see from my brilliant photo.

I made a Rosa shirt dress, a pair of black Ultimate trousers and an Audrey in Unst.  I cast on a Corraline, and made an Anna skirt after ripping the zip out of the dress in a temper.  

I didn't make the Elizalex dress or the Dutchess jumper, or the Manu, or the Horses jumper; mostly because I forgot about them, or other things caught my eye.

This year, it will be different.  This year, I have allocated fabric to my make 9 sewing projects and photographed them, and put away all other fabric, so I will have to make the things I said I would.  Also, if I do that, I can get some fabric in LA in August.

These are the sewing things:

That should keep me out of trouble.  

I'm refusing to believe that the holidays are over, and am still drinking gin.  Cheers.

Well, excuse me for having enormous flaws that I don't work on

So it was the Vernal Equinox the other week, and although it is currently pissing with rain and about 5 degrees C, it is technically Spring, and what could be better than a brand new Spring dress.

It started as a dress made by Roisin aka DollyClackett, and a burning desire to have something similar.

I bought the fabric about 18 months ago.  It was one of the things that kept me going as I trudged through the SENCO course (remember those happy days?) and the godawful Nursery years (remember those? Only ever in the middle of the night, and then screaming) .  It's been in the storage unit and then the loft for ages, and I finally got brave enough to dig it out, and wash it.

As Roisin has said many times, there's no pattern for showing off a beautiful print like an Emery Dress, so an Emery Dress it became.  

There's some not quite echte pattern matching, but on a print that busy, I'm not sure it matters that much.

I wore the dress on Mothering Sunday to church and then to Spittalfields market, where I hoped that I would be able to get a few photos of it being worn, but I took it off to try a dress on in Collectif Clothing, and the bloody zip broke.  Fortunately, I was wearing a cardigan, so it didn't matter that much, but SO ANNOYING.  The zip tape got caught in the teeth, and it tore, so the zip then didn't work.  The dress is now in the naughty corner, and I'll mend it when I feel strong enough, maybe in time for the terrific weather we've been promised for the weekend.

Ah well, home sewing may be easy, but it's also frustrating and annoying.  

Hand on the rhythm, feel the rhythm of the rhyme; Hand on your life, feel the rhythm of time

What's with all the posts in February?  Am I living a permanent state of sofa sloth hangover, or am I just forcing myself to write, even when I'd really much rather just sit and collapse? Bit from column A, bit from column B.

It's been an absolutely brilliant day today.  We had our opening ceremony at school, which meant that the absolutely wonderful Michael Rosen came to visit us, to run some workshops/performance poetry and to open the school and to autograph a billion books, including one for the children, and of course I got a picture.

 

 

I love him a bit.  Well, a lot actually.  He made a great point about Local Authorities being allowed to open schools themselves, rather than having sodding free schools popping up all over the place, and I was tempted to start applauding; I probably should have done, at least one other person would have joined in.  Our local MP was there, she planted a tree in the middle of the playground (nice of her) and we all got absolutely soaked and freezing.  Fortunately, this was just at the end of the day, so we ran the children round to the classroom and sent them home.

 

I haven't been through my pictures yet, but I will do a big collage of the best 9 or so, and pop them up at some point.  You can see in the picture above the Butterfly dress in the wild, it was very much admired, as was my hair by one of my fellow school governors, which made me blush - I don't do compliments very well - and caused a little Year One brat to ask if he was my new boyfriend.  Er.  NO.

 

Some other pictures of the dress.

 

Hello Banned Butterfly cardigan, you really fit well where you touch, and touch wherever you fit.

I really like this picture.  My husband is getting better at photographs, and it helps that I got him to stand on the sofa and photograph me from above rather than below, where all the chins can be seen.

 

I are serious SENCo teacher in my butterfly dress.  I are not 7.

I think it turned out rather well.  I'm going to make at least two more - one with the flamingo border print fabric, one with the amazing floral fabric of joy.  I'm going to have to wait until the kitchen is done so I can cut out without lying on the floor.  I made a rather sexy and low-cut Coco with a BDSM zip up the back the other day, cutting it out on the carpet and not making the greatest job of it.  It is, however, really comfy to wear and looks great.  Photos soon.

 

Anyway. I've got the latest Agents of Shield episode to watch and a whole bunch of X-Files to fall asleep into my knitting in front of, so until next time.  Which might even be tomorrow.

 



 

When suddenly Johnny gets the feeling he's being surrounded by horses, horses, horses, horses coming in in all directions

Another Sunday, another post about making clothes.  I'd love to write about knitting, but I've been pretty monogamous this week, only working on the yellow Myrna.  The difference between my knitting now and my knitting then, right there.  Also, I properly screwed up one of the sleeves, and I frogged the damn thing, and am in the process of re-knitting it, which is frustrating, but will mean that I end up with a better fitting garment.  The sleeves need to have 96 rows plus 10 rows of ribbing, and so far I am on sleeve 2, 65 rows in, so not great, but it should be ready for blocking in a day or so.  The only pictures I have of it are terrible, so you will have to wait.

In other making news, I finished my Emery dress, and it now has a hem and is ready to wear in the rain for our grand opening at school tomorrow.

Hopefully, there will be at least one decent shot of me in it to show at some point.  I might have to get someone to take a picture if not. 

This is a quick and not particularly brilliant photo of my latest Coco.  It's got a colour block top, and is actually grey and white stripes, not pure white.  I will take more pictures in the morning, when the light is better, and will wear it on Tuesday and get a picture then.  It was very quick to make, especially since I'd cut it out before we started the building works.  The fabric is from Maud's Fabric Finds, and was chosen by Hattie, at the Handmade Fair in September.  I am making her a Kitschy Coo Skater dress in the blue, so we will be matching.  She chose a particularly pink jersey at the weekend for yet another Skater dress; the girl is developing a pretty good eye for colour.

She's really into clothes at the moment: at the Handmade Fair, she picked out a horse print jersey for her sister, and I've made Lucy a dress.  Guess which pattern?  It's the easiest pattern in the world, and the girls love wearing circle skirts and twirling.

Again, a bit of crap photo.  This seems to be the theme of tonight's post.

That one is Lucy's and this one is Hattie's.

Of course, Hattie took one look at Lucy's dress, and demanded her own version.  And again, of course, the fabric that I bought for Lucy's from The Fabric Godmother was sold out, so I had to find something similar on eBay.  Then I had just enough left to make the back and one sleeve of a Grainline Lark teeshirt for myself, so I had to order another metre and a half in order to finish it.  So all the Croyden women will have matching clothes.  

Horses, horses, horses, horses coming in in all directions.

Leslie, I tried to make ramen in the coffee pot and I broke everything

It's Saturday, and I am dangerously hungover, one of those stealth hangovers that starts off as a banging headache, then creeps up until all you can do is eat cheese and salami and cry quietly while sitting on the sofa under a blanket.  Still, good night last night, and I've managed to pretty much function as an adult until about an hour ago, so it's all good.

Side eye at Jane for taking my picture

 Anyway, enough about my debauched and hedonistic lifestyle and more about clothes.  I finally got around to making an Emery dress, going to another sewing class with lovely, lovely Handmade Jane, at West London's premiere haberdashery, Badger and Earl.  The Emery pattern is lovely, and really easy, except for the masses of darts in the bodice - it's self lined, so everything has to double up, which means that there are 16 to trace, pin, sew and press, which is all the fun.  I don't know if there are any corners I can cut, but I think I will use a different colour for the lining.

I used an African wax cotton print from these people on eBay, and it was really easy to sew and press, if a bit stiff.  It'll soften up as it gets washed, which won't be before I want to wear it on Monday, for the Grand Opening at our school with the marvellous Michael Rosen.

I made an invisible zip, and it is actually, properly invisible.

Look at my happy face. Also check out the leopard print skirt in the wild.

I'm so pleased with it.  I do need to hem it, as it's a bit long still, and a bit Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (dammit) but that won't take very long at all. 

Me, Jane and Michaela

It's not the greatest photo, it's so hard to take decent indoor photos in poor light, but take it from me, this is a properly great dress, and I love it dearly.  

Unbreakable!  They 'live dammit.

I didn't have to make any changes to the bodice either although I used a bigger size for the bust dart, rather than fanny around with an FBA.  

I'm contemplating another one after the building work finishes and I have space to cut out again.  Also, money to buy this fabric with.  I need this fabric in my life.  Isn't it amazing?

Right, I've got the entire first season of X-files to watch and the rest of that Myrna cardigan to knit.