Gold Trousers

Well I almost never got these posted in time for The Monthly Stitch July challenge despite making them over a two weeks ago. That would make the second time in two months where I have actually made something based on the TMS challenges but not posted so I have to do better.

These are the Lekala sports trousers. I have made this pattern twice before. I made my lovely camo sweat pants 
and my not very well made red sweatshirt trousers. The red ones were made right at the start of my adventures into making me -made so the finish is rubbish.They have however been very weel worn and loved and they are very practical. They are not very stylish at all in this fabric and I will not be using this pattern for this sort of trousers again. It was  afast make for some cool traouser when I was sweltering in the heat so I needed loose fit and thin fabric which they are. They work Ok and I got away with them several times over the last couple of very hot weather weeks for work wear. I do not like them at all but they do sevre a purpose and have stopped me dying of heat. I will not be repoeatig this particular make. The best bit is the pocket linings which are made from the left overs of my ladybird top. I like my pockets.The trousers fabric wassold to meas "gold" its a kind of yellowey beige so I suppose you may call it gold but really I have made some brown trousers. I hate brown as a colour. So I do not like the colour ( tho it is easy to wear work-wise) and I don't like the style. The only thing I do like about these is they dry quick when washing midweek in hot weather and I have lovely big pockets lined with ladybirds.

As you can see I wore my ladybird top as well. I kind of feel like this is an outfit despite it being very different fabrics and its all down to the detail of the pocket linings.

The trousers are stupidly easy to make. I really am not into the colour at all but in the end I had the fabric and I needed a new pair of thin trousers with the heat wave we have all just been through in the UK. Its funny a friend just went on business to India and it was 39◦C in the shade and the locals thought it cool and we only got to 35◦C in the UK I think but here that is unbelievably hot hot hot. I must admit I would rather have hot than cool but maybe not quite so hot. 28◦C is hot enough for me when I have to go to work.

Certainly not my best make tho!

Thanks for reading 

Bracken

Orange Dress

This is the second and much anticipated copy of the River Island dress which I already copied in pink see my last post for the details. The pink version of this dress
(my muslin) is a bit different to the orange dress. I did not top sitch the button stand this time and the front pleat is higher and also folds better. I self lined the bodice with a second layer of fabric. Its much better made though now I want to make matching pants/knickers since it turns out this fabric is a little see-through. My only pant pattern has swinsuit type very stretch fabric and when I tested this fabric it does not stretch even half as much so I reckon the pattern I have will probably not fit if I use it to make pants so I need a different pattern.

This fabric does have stretch but I do not think it is lycra. I am none the less very pleased with this dress which has turned out pretty much like the original picture from my Newsletter from River Island. I rarely copy RTW but I am very happy with this cos for a self drafted copy this is a definite success!
Mind you I may have to avoid patterns with so many buttons. It took me three sittings for each dress to sew all these on. That I think was the worst bit really about making these two dresses and has definitely slowed up my me-mades over the last 3 weeks.Both my dresses have more buttons that the original RI dress but it just seemed the right amount to use.

I also think the model is probably taller than me or maybe wearing heels?

I did not add cross over back straps to this dress so its slightly different to the pink version.

The lighting is terrible on these photos. I tried to get quite a few hoping for some better brighter light but I think there is a thunder storm on the way!

Its definitely a bit cold while I am waiting for these to be taken whereas last week it was scorching hot. Apparently we are back in heat wave mode sometime next week though so this should get a lot of wearings in that case. Today I needed a denim jacket and leggings to keep me warm.

Thanks for visiting

Bracken

Copying RTW - The River Island dress copy

About a week ago now an email arrived in my inbox from River Island which is weird since I have not had one from them in years. Anyway this dress caught my eye.

I am no way going to spend £28 on this however exclusive it apparently is, so I set about copying it using a self drafted pattern from what is a mid 1990s New Look top

which I still love and wear as underwear on days off when I want to just be comfy and the well used ( by me anyway) McCalls M6612 dress pattern.

I have two different stretch knit ribbed fabrics which could work with this so I decide to start with the pink which cost me 99p from ebay because there was a small mark on the selvedge and no one else bothered to bid on it. Its not really my colur in this lilac pink but for 99p has to be useful so this was my muslin. I also have a bright orange ribbed fabric which will hopefully make into a very good copy of my much wanted summer dress. Now really this dress would never be on my list of buys. Its just too impracticle but when you are making for a small amount rather than buying what is not a cheap dress lets face it it can be great fun to make what you would not waste money buying. It has also very little fabric in it which to me means it should cost less to buy.
But then we all know that is not how it works😊.

 So I daringly cut out two dresses one in each fabric and I sew up the pink one.

This small mark is why this was so cheap but the fabric was 3m long for only 99p.

 I mark approximately where the centre front vent is. I also added a few inches in length cos I usually make the short dress.

 

I fold the pattern so I can graft on the self drafted top pattern

 Then I cut version two in orange.

On the pink dress I do the fake button stand on the outside. I am really not sure the best thing to do here so its all an experiment. Sew centre front on inside.

 Then I fold into place and I top stitch both sides down after folding this in on both sides of the front button stand. Possibly not the best method.

 Then I  add a strip for the neck edges and I try it on and get my other half to pin on my back straps.

 Yes its too big. So we carefuly pin the excess in.

 The repin more accurately:

 And sew it up cutting off the excess which does mean my sides are not perfect since I have now overlocked them together and lost my edging.

 I try it on and it fits so now I sew on my straps properly and I cut down the orange dress by the same amount.

So here are the pictures:

 Its not perfect but I wore it today to work with a top over it ( my tattoos are not very good in professional services role)

 

 Not so sure the originaldress had crossed straps but it works here.

 It took me ages hand sewing all those tiny recycled buttons on so I have yet to finish the orange version but I think I now know what needs changing to make this even better. Despite that I think its a great success and I am going to persevere with version 2 my orange copy.

Thanks for visiting

Bracken