Sew Over It Zoe Dress

With my sewing machine still in limbo (it's broken but I'm not sure whether to get it fixed or to buy a new one) I decided to attend the Zoe Dress workshop at the Sew Over It store in Clapham. I was very happy that the uber-talented tutor Julie was teaching the class (over the years she has helped me make the SOI Tulip skirt, 2014, 1960's Coat, 2015, Francine Jacket, 2015, and Cigarette Pants, 2016).

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In the spirit of Kate from Time to Sew I am warming up to #makeyourstash which doesn't officially start until March (read about it here). I raided my stash for a suitable fabric which ideally needs some stretch and I found the last metre of a cotton sateen in a colourful geometric print which I bought from Samuel Taylors in Leeds in 2013. If this looks familiar you may recognise it from my By Hand London Victoria Blazer I made last April.

It took some serious fabric Jenga to squeeze the pieces out of one metre of fabric. I had to omit the grown-on pockets and facings and cut them from some scraps of fabric from the Sew Over It fabric bin and some of my own stash.

During the construction I made good use of the overlocker (not having one of my own) so the insides are nice and neat. As for fitting, I graded from an 8 for the bodice and with the help of Julie graded out on the back seams only to 10 to accommodate my hips and bum. The Zoe dress is a semi-fitted shift dress which offers a lovely fit with princess seams as well as French darts and pockets that are hidden in the front panels.

The finished Zoe Dress

Pockets at the perfect height for stashing secret snacks!

What zip?

I made a slight mistake when sewing the neckline as I used a 1.5cm seam allowance instead of the intended 1cm. I like how it turned out though and didn't want to un-pick and re-sew. The hem was overlocked then stitched in place with a 3cm hem. This version is maybe a little short for workwear (certain constraints due to limited fabric) so I will add another 7/8cm to the length of the dress for my next version which will hit at the knee.

Overall I am super happy with the Zoe dress and I can see another one in the not-too-distant future.

Check out the other blogs at Sum of Their Stories

Bustle skirts

About five years ago bustle skirts were being sold in Top Shop made by a company called Lulu and Red for about £90. Now I love fashion as much as the next girl but that little voice in my head was saying "I could make that" crept in and I spent a good ten minutes scrutinising how it had been constructed - does anybody else do that or is it just me?

Well, I made quite a few of these skirts - some of them made their way into my wardrobe and others (an over the top tartan version inspired by Vivienne Westwood) didn't!

The two skirts that I have still got are made in more wearable everyday fabrics and they were quite easy to make involving no pattern. All you need is a rectangle of fabric and a long and strong zip. I customised with buttons and ribbons, but its up to you what to do.

Grey stripe

The placement of the zip is crucial for holding the whole skirt together leaving the remainder of the rectangle of fabric falling in a cascade - hence the bustle.

I left the edges of the fabric raw at the hemline of the skirt - just did some pulled thread work to create a finish that replicates the white selvedges at the back bustle.

Blue stripe

On the second skirt I folded the rectangle so about two thirds of the folded fabric created a second layer of drape at the back. I used a friends overlocker in contrasting red thread to finish the edge of the hemline and folded section of the skirt to match the bright red zip. I finished the orange ribbon detail with some hand stitching in red thread to complete the look.