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

2-Tone Hoody Dress

 

I had the fabric about a year, maybe 2 years. I only bought a metre of each colour and thats the problem because there really was not enough of either colour to make anything from it. Or at least not until I got inspired recently.

Both of the fabrics are stretch lycra velvet - sold for dancewear so very nice and stretchy good quality fabric and its a real shame not to use it.

Anyway I was using the Simplicity 1251 pattern for another dress I wanted to make and it came to me this would work in it. Simplicity 1251 is a costume pattern I think but I have successfully made a lot of tops and dresses including for work from it and its a very nice pattern.

I even managed to line up the pattern on the sides on this one which has pleased me greatly!

I actually forgot that its the front piece that wraps round so I envisaged it having like a princess effect front when its really the back ends up with the princess look but I realised my mistake when I was putting the pattern pieces onto the fabric and I decided to go ahead and cut it anyway and it really does not matter because I am very pleased with how this has turned out. I also  raised the neckline slightly because I wanted a higher neck but otherwise this is the unchanged pattern. 

 

Though now I see the photos better  I am wondering should I do a FBA on this pattern and if yes that will probably be quite difficult due to the side seam having moved from the usual position. I am considering how already. Ah what it is to become more "experienced" at your sewing so you end up picking fault with every item you make and finding how to make it better next time.

I am going to the theatre at Christmas so I will be wearing this for my outing. Probably with a nice pair of boots or shoes and tights rather than leggings😁

Have a lovely 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

16: blue velvet pixie hoody

I bought several patterns in the recent sales. One was this:


I made it in dark blue stretch velvet. Possibly there is lycra in it but I am unsure. It has a 4-way stretch though and is lovely to wear. This pattern went together a dream. After the problems with my 13: Red dress or long top and then with 15: Burda style 01/2016 hoody, although really the Burda hoody went together fine, I just do not like some of the construction. Next time I will alter those bits. Anyway everything went perfectly with this pattern giving me back some of the confidence I have lost over the past two weeks. It also looks great with my tartan leggings 10: Tartan leggings

The top has a high low hem and the hood is pointy as well although you cannot see that in this photo. This top is as good as any I have seen at festivals so I am very happy to have bought this pattern. I think the velvet cost me about £4-5 and there is still some left for another project. As is lots of my fabric, I bought this from Weston Fabrics on ebay.

This is a size 12 in version B so is the mid length version of this pattern.

 I really am not very good at this modelling. You see some blogs and the writers are really models as well. I try to look arty but cannot quite make it it seems............

The neck is finished using bias binding and all hems are twin needle stitched. Well I think its a great top and will go with jeans, skirts and leggings so I expect to be wearing this lots.
Thanks for dropping by and hope to see you again soon

Bracken