Grey floaty pixie top

This is my latest attempt at being authentic. Back to my wearable Fae theme. I gave up work for a while by choice because I can right now and I am having the hip replacement so decided its a good time to have a change. I want to get myself totally away from both the corporate world and acadeamia which are the two worlds I usually seem to work in. 

Right now I do not have a clue what I want to do but possibly a part time ( maybe OU?) creative writing course and see if I can make it as a writer. I did work freelance for two magazines a long time ago and maybe its time to have another go, and I wrote two books which constantly sell though I earn pence from them. 

But; I made a living back then and enjoyed it though getting paid was sometimes not as easy as it should have been. Some publishers are far from reputable and you have to be very careful how to word invoices. But then I did learn all that back then. So in theory at least I already know the pitfalls of the freelance writing way of living. And like the name its "free".

So, being in the mood to make what I actually like wearing,  I made two of these tops so far. I also have two black versions cut but yet to be sewn. They now need to wait until I am allowed to sew again so about another 4 weeks or so. I have a hospital appointment to hopefully get signed off to drive and sew on 23rd October assuming it all continues to go ok. 

The grey tops have different edging / hems since I had some issues with the way to finish this very thin floaty material, but they are otherwise virtually the same in every respect. 

Ah, except one has flared sleeves and one has tighter straight sleeves so actually not quite identical. I was thinking I could wear the flared sleeved version over the straight sleeved version in the very cold weather and would have the warmth with less bulk. I have no idea what the fabric is but I suspect its a synthetic. I made the muslin for my surfer dress from the same fabric.

The flared sleeved top has rather badly sewn hems and has both a sewn bottom band with overlocked edge at the back ( which tends to flip over and so be seen). 

Its a bit messy and I actually preferred that edge before I hemmed it. I started with overlocking and twin needle edge but that looked terrible and stretched out of shape. I did not stretch it as sewing it but I think maybe the presser foot would need adjusting to stop this? The thin fabric though is so thin I worried I would rip it if unpicking. I did start to unpick and gave up so instead I flipped it over and overlocked the edge into a band. But its still a bit dodgy.

 

Also none of my overlockers like sewing this very thin fabric. Perhaps the black versions should have a rolled edge?

You can see the edge above and below on the flared sleeved top.

Its definitely a bit rough and ready but this is much better than the twin needled edge I had before I sewed a band on. 

Its still a wearable top but not up to my hoped for standards.

The second top has an overlocked edge on sleeve and hem edge in grey. I am not sure it actually looks better on either. I can't decide but was just experimenting really with the overlockers. 

This is the overlocked hem:

I think it looks far better just left like this despite really most people would say this is unfinished. It just lies better so unless I can think of a better way to finish these my black versions will have the basic overlocked edge - a rolled edge maybe? 

I will need to experiment to get to decide which edge looks best I think. I have loads more of the thin black fabric so I suppose the next version will be yet another variant on these and then the last version I should get this perfected. Then I just need to decide if I want anymore. I have run out of the grey fabric so it will just be black tops now unless I come across some more of this very thin very stretchy fabric anyway. At least I should get loads of pixie base layers for this winter anyway. And wearing two of these will make it nice and cozy I think especially with another layer on top. So these are just base layers. 

Have a lovely week and thanks for popping by,

Bracken

Sewing update: glittery pixie hoody dress

I  have very little to show you this week sewing-wise. 

I hand sewed a bit of my coat.

Then I had the great idea to add patch pockets to cover the mess I made if the welt pockets. 

That looked terrible! To cover the welts ( which are different lengths and one is far wider than the other!) the patch pockets need to be huge which is fine but they sag to show the badly made welts inside. They only looked ok with my hands in them to hide the welts and I will never constantly have my hands in my pockets. Its just not realistic. The new patch pockets also completely ruin the look of the coat so its just not viable. 

So I then removed them - sorry no photos. I then decided to unpick my welts which are different widths - as in the side to side width ( not sure how well you can see here but one hole is wider than the other and I had also totally missed out a flap and really do not know how to make these so it's bodge it time I am afraid to try and save a coat and make it wearable!)

I am now going to make part of each patch pocket into a fake welt flap which will I hope cover the badly made welt holes. Sorry no idea for the technical terms here at all.

I think it should work and my would-be fake welt flaps are looking good so far. They are tweed one side and faux fur the other. I have yet to determine which fabric will be the outer layer. Probably the tweed since the coat is such a mess I had probably tone all the details down and keep it as wearable as possible rather than draw attention to the dodgy bits. 

 What's left after that, assuming this idea works, is all hand sewing and I am finding it hard to get motivated to do it. The coat does now have a button. 

A very nice family heirloom button which is I believe bakerlite. At the least its a pre-1960s button anyway that came from my great-aunts. They both died in the late 1960s. I vaguely remember them. They gave up their lives to bring up their younger brothers and sisters when my great grandmother died leaving them all children. My Auntie Lydia was eldest and only 15 when she took on the upbringings her 9 younger siblings. I think Auntie Annie was a year or two younger. Nowadays, the authorities would take over and maybe that's a good thing though I really am not so sure it is. My great aunties did a very good job of bringing up their siblings and they would probably have been split up in the modern Care system we have in the UK. Anyway it was a different time. 

I inherited this button from them and have decided to make use of it. I had already decided last winter after several attempts at a machine made button hole that I will hand stitch one and I even bought embroidery thread to do it so that's now my next aim for this coat. Then it will just need a hem. But this is all if hand stitching so it's on my to-do list. Once the weather gets colder I will probably finally get this coat finished. I then have at least two more half finished coats so will make a start on one of them over winter I think. 

I seem to feel coat making motivated once it gets cold but it seems I rarely finish them!

In the meantime, I have  my camo short skirt I have been making since 2013 to finish. It's not difficult. I just don't seem to do it and always sew something else. 

Similarly, last winter I began making a sweatshirt. It remains half sewn. It turned out to be a difficult sew and I needed a break to get my head round it. I think I have now got it sorted (in my thoughts anyway) so I just need to get on with the actual sewing. Both skirt and sweatshirt would be good for my winter look - as would the coat. So this is what I am currently working on.

But I did finish the pixie dress. And although its a make I have made previously its making me happy to wear this. Its very cold today ( for the UK!) so not really cold if you lived in many other countries.

This is therefore a not very original glittery sweatshirt dress which I have made numerous versions of before although this is far thicker and stiffer fabric than my previous ones. Well its sweatshirting, so not actually stiff but it does not hang as my previous versions. The godets kind if stick out a bit. I will wear this though because it's a dress pattern I love so hopefully the godets will just wear in. 

So I am happy enough this week and I actually love my new pixies hoody dress.

Have a really great week and thanks for popping by. Hopefully my next post will be about some or other UFO I finally got finished.

Take care

Bracken

Magic mushroom dress

 

 

 

Well I say "magic mushrooms" but really they are Fly Agarics I think. Or cartoons of anyway. The classic faery mushrooms. I just could not resist the fabric. So I chose a pointy hoodied pixie dress which has turned out lovely and I enjoyed wearing twice so far.

 

I have a small amount left after this so will make childrens trousers or shorts I think from that. Its a french terry fabric ( oekotex) and I just love it, but having bought the fabric I decided I would need a TNT pattern to make something from it so I do not wreck the fabric but also so that I feel happy wearing this print.

Its the perfect fabric for spring and will work when it warms up a bit with ankle socks and trainers as well. Right now its strictly winter weight leggings I am wearing it with under a coat but its April now so it should start to warm up. May is usually hot in the UK. Or the end of May is hot anyway. Mayday is usually cold ad rainy, so hopefully I can store my leggings away soon and go bare legged. We will see.

I toyed with having raw hems on this one but in the end played it safe and hemmed this dress as the previous ones.  

And at last I feel like I am actually making things and not just thinking of making things.  If I could make what I think about, well I would make so much more than I really manage to do.

Thanks for popping by and I hope to see you again soon.

Have a great week,

Bracken

Black pointy pixie dress

 

The title of this post is "pointy" due to the hem and the hood both ending in points. So kind of witchy or pixie -ish. The pattern is a "pixie pattern". Its Simplicity 1251.

This is a cotton looped back french terry fabric which turned out really good for this particular pattern.

I previously made a stretch velvet top and a dress in thinner lycra type of fabric from this pattern and neither works as well as french terry to the extent I intend to make a second terry version of this dress.

The hem is too narrow though so I might change that because as you walk the front hem flips over to the wrong side showing a white back to the fabric which sort of ruins the look. Its easily sorted though so when I get time I will unpick the hem and resew. 

Construction is slightly unusual for this but very easy. The front and side back are cut together so to insert the sleeve you must first join the side seams. I prefer usually to sew side seams and sleeve seams as one contuous seam. You cannot do that with this pattern so have to ease the sleeve in as you do with most coats and jacket patterns. Other than that its one of the most straightforward patterns you can find yet looks a bit "different".

 I really love this which is good because when this fabric arrived I was not impressed. Its got a space print with planets rockets etc and is a nice print but I just could not see how I could wear it.

How wrong was I in that?

This is possibly the most wearable dress I have made this year!

There is a slight flare to the bottom sleeve edge which is nice. I never actually realised that until making this. The cuff flare is a nice added bit of interest on an otherwise straight boring sleeve. I kind of think real pixies  would want some practicality in their lives too so maybe the straighter sleeve is just better all round.

There is an alternative funnel sleeve you can make for this dress/top that I used for both my previous versions but I find it does get a bit annoying constantly having to tuck the wide sleeve in to do ordinary things like wash up a cup. Sadly not being an actual magical pixie I cannot just magic my cups clean - at least not yet anyway. so thats why I made the straighter sleeve and I am happy I made that choice. I will make it like this next time too I think.

This is a brilliant holiday dress. Not too short, nice childish print which appeals to me and pointy bits on top and bottom. Whats more to want?

Have a great week, 

Bracken

Pink wheel-barrows for pixies

 

I just have to show you my new wheel barrow. I needed a reasonably priced well made wheel barrow and I wanted a plastic one because they are much lighter than the metal builder's barrows so I went looking and I found this. Well in the local garden centre they had green or lilac but neither were well made and the green was £50 and lilac was £70. This though is from the equine centre and was just £46 so a real bargain. It also has a metal plate to make it stronger on the bottom of the plastic bit which the garden centre ones did not so I think it should last longer. My old metal barrow has just about had it but was bought, I reckon, around 2001 so its very old. Its also very heavy. This is far better. 

They also did this in blue but the pink was just calling to me!

 

Of course really this post is about my Pixie dress which is the same pattern as this one: 

 You can read about that here:

https://brackencrafts.blogspot.com/2016/01/16-blue-velvet-pixie-hoody.html 

The blue velvet version was the top rather than the dress. I find it does not work well really. It looks great, fits well but the hoody if not worn up on my head drags the neck back. Its of course due to the velvet pile which is the same direction nap when up but opposite nap when down. Anyway it does not work as well as I had hoped - in comfortable way. I spend the whole time I am wearing it, fiddling with it, which is rubbish really.

I love the point at the back of the skirt!

This time I used a light weight lycra-synthetic exercise fabric so it has slip to stop the hood catching on the neck and body. This dress was meant to be made for summer 2018. I cut it out in February and never got round to sewing it up until this week so its a bit too thin really for the time of year but will give me  a bit of a head start for this years summer wardrobe collection.

The fabric is a pale pink with black and gold but my barrow is so bright it dulls the look of my dress. I never even tried to pattern match since did not have much of this fabric. It does not worry me. I did place the front and back so they will almost match but the hood had to be cut from what was left and similarly the sleeves.

This is Simplicity 1251 which is meant for fleece but works perfectly well in any stretch fabric. This time though I cheated a bit and just overlocked the neck and turned it under and sewed with a twin needle rather than add bias how the pattern says. Its more T-shirt like as a result but works fine and to be perfectly honest about this, this dress has been sat taking up room on my sewing table for a year and I was sick to death of seeing it. Several times I have lost one or more parts of it to my stash and had to find them so its well over due for me to get round to sewing this. The sewing then needed to happen fast between several other projects just so I can get rid of this. As it happens I am very pleased with the final result - even though its unlikely I will wear it till April or May but at least I finally got round to making this. It would have been a waste not to as well because its a nice little summer dress.

And finally here is one more of my lovely bright pink wheel barrow 😁

Thanks for popping by

Bracken