CJ made: Ultimate Shift

Friday, 19 May 2017

Me-Made-May 2017 Week Three

Week three of Me-Made-May felt like a loooong week due to a lot of work related things which I won't go into here. Needless to say it was such a crazy week I had to plan my outfits and lay them out the night before so I had less to think about with many early morning starts.

The weather featured quite heavily in garment decision making this week as it started on Monday quite warm and sunny only to turn cold - this was particularly annoying as I had decided to unleash my milky white legs to the world and I ended up feeling a little under-dressed and chilly.

The remainder of the week was all about layering and I showcased my Liberty Laurel shift dress on Thursday which was a very comfortable wear.

Day Fifteen

Top: Merchant & Mills Camber Set top. Cotton seersucker. Made 2017
Skirt: Dolores Pocket Skirt. Made 2014.

Cardigan: Gap

Necklace: Tatty Devine Atomic Necklace A/W 2015

Watch: White G Shock

Shoes: Paul Smith blue suede Miller brogues

Day Sixteen

Top: Sew Over It Ultimate shirt in Liberty Plastic Fantastic print. Made 2015

Trousers: Gap

Watch: Black G Shock

Socks: Paul Smith

Shoes: Paul Smith purple Marcello loafers

Day Seventeen

Top: Sew Over It Ultimate Shift Dress in SOI linen. Made 2015

Watch: Olive G Shock

Jacket: Benetton

Corsage: Me-made with black felt and beads. Made 2004

Shoes: Paul Smith purple Marcello loafers

This is fast becoming one of my favourite me-made dresses as I just love the fit and the fabric. I also made the corsage from felt and some beads back when corsages were the rage after Sex and the City. I really should do a tutorial on how to make them!

Day Eighteen

Top: Colette Laurel Shift Dress in Liberty Tana Lawn. Made 2017

Watch: Black G Shock

Cardigan: Gap

Belt: Top Shop

Necklace: Tatty Devine Telephone Wire Necklace S/S 2015

Shoes: Paul Smith grey Dante Brogues

Day Nineteen

Top: Merchant and Mills Camber Set Top made in Samuel Taylors Ikat Viscose. Made 2016

Trousers: Gap

Leather Jacket: Gap

Watch: Black G Shock

Necklace: Tatty Devine Frida Kahlo

Trainers: Blue Nike Air Pegasus

How was your third week of Me-Made-May?

Tuesday, 4 April 2017

Linen SOI Shift Dress

After the success of my previous Sew Over It Ultimate Shift Dress I decided to use some fabric I bought for my birthday in November from Sew Over It (it looks like its sold out now - sorry folks!).
It is a beautiful autumnal floral printed linen which has a lovely weight and drape to it. I paired it with a shocking pink silk lining that has been in my stash since my textile student days in the 1990's!

I sewed the outer shell and lining of the dress using the sewing machine but most of the final finish was completed by hand.

Here are some close up shots of the dress in construction including a nifty way to finish a dress or top without the need to make a fiddly rouleau loop. The black loop is an elastic hair-band cut in half and I added a square of felt to reinforce where the button is sewn into position.

The 'rouleau' loop just needs to be fixed into position between the seams. I hand-stitched through the knot to make sure it was very secure - if you are a fan of machine stitching I would slow down the speed to make sure it manages to go over the lump of the knot.

I chose to hand embroider the neckline with some embroidery floss from my stash. (I selected the 4th from the right). As I decided to line the dress from the start I eliminated the facings of the original pattern and sewed the lining to the neckline and hand-stitched it to the arm sythe. Aside from the aesthetic appeal of hand-embroidery the main reason I embroidered the neckline was to stop the lining from showing and to fix the outer-shell and lining from shifting and moving around.

I am really happy with the final dress and enjoyed spending the time of the hand-finishes including a hand-stitched hem on the outer dress and lining.