The Strawberry New Look 6262

This is my latest dress and I'm so pleased with it! The pattern is New Look 6262 which I first made last summer. The fabric is from the market stall in St Albans, a bargain at £6 a metre. I noticed the market man had the same fabric in white yesterday, maybe I should get some more?

The front bodice has side and waist darts, and the back bodice has waist darts. The skirt is gathered and attached at the waist and an invisible zip is inserted.  

There are also options for cap sleeves, short sleeves and a v-neck.  The dress can also be made with a lace overlay so it's a pretty versatile and simple pattern to have in  your stash.

I made a size 14 as with my previous version  but this time I made some fitting adjustments after making a muslin of the bodice.  I am totally converted to making muslins now as I think you get such a better fit.  I also think it is worth investing in a book about fitting.  I am currently using "Dressmaking to flatter your shape" by Lorna Knight which I have out on loan from my local library but I think I will be investing in this book as it's very user friendly and easy to understand!

In my muslin, the front neckline gaped quite badly around the neckline.  I used a method from the book which involved removing the excess from the neckline  and rotating it into the side dart.

I also used a method that I found in a tutorial on the excellent By Hand London blog to fix the gaping back neck.

The result  is an excellent fitting bodice and no weird sticking out at the back neck! Result!

I also made a bow belt to finish the dress off as I didn't have a suitable black one.

I made the bow belt from my copy of "Learn to sew with Lauren" by Lauren Guthrie of Sewing Bee fame. It was easy to make and really sets the dress off  I think.

I will be making some more of these belts I'm sure. It's a good use of the leftover fabric too.

The neck has a facing and the armholes are finished with bias binding. I made my own bias binding strips using the same fabric as the dress as I like it when the binding matches. I find it's nicer to sew than shop bias binding also.  I would like one of those bias binding making gadget though.

The skirt is gathered and an invisible zip inserted. I'm getting better at inserting invisible zips and I think the trick is to iron the tape so the coil lies flat. I do hate changing the foot on my machine though!

I didn't pattern match at the back but I don't think it matters.

I still find gathering tricky though. I turn the tension low and sew two lines of gathering stitches, using a different colour thread. Somehow I have trouble getting the gathers to stay in place and getting them even. I'd love to hear any tips on how to perfect this.

I left the length of the hem as per the pattern as I liked it as it was.

Have you made New Look 6262? Or can you recommend any similar patterns in this style as I think it's super flattering. I'd love to hear from you.

Catherine x

Learn to Sew with Lauren - A Review

As promised here is my review.  Learn to Sew with Lauren is a gorgeous book by the series one Great British Sewing bee contestant, Lauren Guthrie.

I have to say this is one of my favourite sewing books so far. I'm a fan of Lauren's blog and was really pleased when I received this book from Father Christmas.

The book contains a mix of projects including home furnishings, bags and clothing. It is aimed at the beginner sewer but I think that it would appeal to more experienced sewers too as the projects are all so lovely. The book comes with full size patterns which is pretty essential I think, as no one likes downloading a pattern they want to make and then  having to stick it together.  Yes, you do have trace the patterns out, but I do that anyway in most cases as it means you can re-use  your pattern over and over again, making different sizes when needed. Cutting layouts and sizing are included in the back of the book.

The book starts with a techniques section which I think is really well done. Lauren gives lots of detailed information in this section which would be essential for a beginner such as selecting fabrics and how to use sewing patterns.  She shows you  to master essential sewing and dressmaking skills such as inserting a zip, hemming, using bias binding, inserting piping and how to set in sleeves.  I thought this section was really well illustrated, with the steps broken down clearly.

The second section of the book focuses on a range of different projects.  The projects included in the book  are totally gorgeous and really inspiring. One of my aims for 2015, is to try making some different things, and I can really sew myself tackling some of the projects in this book. Lauren has sorted the projects in to four sections - beginners (easy peasy), beginners - moving on, improvers - next steps and improvers - tricky. There is a real sense of progression and I can see a total beginner working their way through the projects in this book and learning new skills as they go.

The projects included in this book are:

Envelope cushion cover
Simple tote bag
Bow belt
Placemats and napkins
Sleeveless top
Patchwork quilt
Oven gloves
Girl's summertime set
Trimmed cushion cover
Neckerchief
Snapframe purse
Cook's apron
Roman blind
Weekend bag
Boy's shorts
PJ bottoms
Yoke top
Pick your pockets skirt
Ribbon handbag
Have it your way dress

I'm really impressed with this book from Lauren. The book has been beautifully put together and you can tell she is really passionate about sewing.  The book is good value for money due to the number of projects included and I can certainly see myself tackling some of the projects, in particular I'd like to have a go at some of the home furnishings such as the envelope cushions and the placemats/napkins and even the simple patchwork quilt.