Roberts Collection Dungadress

So, I have had this pattern since it was released by Marilla Walker and it is the dungaree dress (or dungadress) which is part of the Roberts collection.  I meant to have it made sooner, but there you go.  The collection has 4 other options including a jumpsuit, dungarees, a longer length dress and a short sleeved woven tee and at £8.40 I think that is excellent value.

So, this is C1 which is the shorter length dress, I made size 5 - it is meant to be a biggish style and it is, I maybe could go down a size.  The instructions are great in general, maybe a couple more diagrams might be useful especially for a beginner, but I found them pretty good.

The details are the slim shoulder straps, front pockets and a side popper fastening on the left side, probably not completely necessary but a nice little feature all the same.

It has a nicely shaped all-in-one piece at the back, as you can see the skirt is quite oversized so bear that in mind when choosing a size to make.

I have avoided pop fasteners since my first experience a few years ago when I first started sewing which wasn't all together a success.  You can very easily ruin a garment with one false move!  I was nearly going to do buttonholes, but knew now was the time to TAKE THE POP FASTENER ON!

So I did what any person with common sense would do - I bought an extra packet and PRACTICED, after first spending about 2 hours googling and looking at youtube videos, I know it's pretty sad.  Anyway turns out they're not too bad after all, it's just really matching up which part goes with which and then deciding which way up they need to be on the garment and the pliers are definitely worth investing in.  I'm going to have fasteners on everything now, haha!

Hey presto, I used the 15mm Sport and Camping ones for the straps as I thought they would be stronger for the denim.

The ones on the side are navy from the 'Color' pack, they are slightly smaller at 13mm.

The fabric I used was a dark navy denim with a lighter spot on it which I got from Guthrie and Ghani a while ago, which doesn't seem to be there now, but when I was looking for denim for something else I saw it on Sherwood fabrics, here.  The lining for the bib is the lovely Atelier Brunette Halo viscose fabric and the two fabrics sewed together very nicely, always nice for a garment to look good on the inside too.  So it is a pretty casual type of dress, I think a linen one would be lovely in the summer, of course corduroy  would be great, possibly even a patterned one using any of the lovely liberty fabrics from Sewbox could be nice.  I like it and highly recommend the pattern and now am even considering making the dungaree version or is that a step to far?!   We'll see.

Mabel and Bronte.

So this week there have been a couple more jersey makes in an effort to keep cosy in these chilly February conditions.  The first is a Colette patterns mabel skirt, I downloaded this pattern when it was released, but am only getting down to making it now.  I made version 3 which is a pencil skirt with a kick pleat on the back.  The fabric I used is this ponte roma jersey from dragonflyfabrics - it's a viscose/poly mix with 5% elastane, lovely to work with and beautifully soft and smooth.  The skirt came together very quickly and easily, it has turned out slightly big in the waist, but a belt seems to work fine at nipping it in. 

The other item was another Bronte knit top by Jennifer Lauren, this is the second time I've made this, the first was a more summery short-sleeved version here, it's a great style with a lapped shoulder and neckline detail, this time made up in this leopard-type-print fabric (can't remember where it was purchased).  Colour wise it's a little out of my comfort zone of late.  I used to wear 'browns' quite a bit, but haven't in quite a while, so decided to give them another try, just for a change.  I think the tones work ok, nice to try something different now and again.

Thought I'd show a back view of the kick pleat (excuse the ridge line of my top)

It's a very easy to wear outfit, the skirt could be made up in lots of different fabrics and lengths, it's a great staple, it's the sort of skirt that I think will be very useful from spring into summer.  The
other versions are lovely too, in a shorter length (mid thigh) and version 2 has the detail of a faux placket at center front with buttons.

Cosy Jasper dress

So, the first make of 2016 is a super cosy merino knit dress.  The pattern is the Paprika patterns Jasper sweaterdress which calls for a fabric with little to no stretch and with a bit of body, such as fleece or sweatshirt.  The fabric I used is from newzealandmerinoandfabrics.com and is a thicker, sweatshirt weight, although it probably has more stretch than is ideal for this pattern.  I think if you are making the hoodie, it's more important to have a fabric that will hold itself up.

I obviously chose View B which has a roll collar with a button epaulet to hold it in place, ideal for this time of the year.  You also have either a sweater or a dress option and I chose to make the dress this time, but I definitely fancy the sweatshirt at some stage.

It has a great shape overall due to the princess seams and the single welt pockets are set into the side seams.  There are two overlapping size sets to this pattern, depending on bust measurements and cup size, all of this covered in the pattern instructions.

There are also great online 'how to' tutorials for a number of the processes, including making the hood and the single welt pockets, all very clear and thorough.  Overall it's a great pattern and I think you get quite a lot from it.  It's a very cosy dress and has been getting quite a bit of wear.  If you like warm, knit dresses, then this is a great one.  Paprika patterns also has the Zircon sweaterdress which has a funky geometric inset, probably will give that a try too.  So, not a bad start to the year.