Emery dress x Merchant and Mills

I've had the Emery dress pattern for a while and had planned to make a plaid version inspired by the TV show Outlander which is set in 1700s Scotland, however once I received this Merchant & Mills "Jones town" linen I knew this was the right fabric. I am completely obsessed with both the TV show and the book and I am currently making a cowl also inspired by the show.
Most of the time I buy fabric and patterns together, for what I imagine in my head, but my heart skipped a beat and I had to have this fabric! It's a gorgeous soft blue linen that holds a crease so beautifully but does not seem to crease much on it's own.

The dress jumped to the front of my sewing queue, but I just could not decide on sleeves/no-sleeves. I cut the long sleeves out and then left them to one side to debate.
Halfway through sewing the lining I realised the way I was sewing it would leave the armholes raw instead of enclosed and so I had to include the sleeves too.

I had a little trouble sewing the lining, I'm not very good at envisaging things inside out/right sides together and so was sewing blind at points, not quite realising how it was going to fit together. I had a quick google and found Christine Haynes sew-a-long which made it a lot easier to understand! I lined my Lilou dress but as that one is sleeveless the method is slightly different and instead of pulling through a shoulder you just pull through the bottom of the lining. It makes for a beautiful finish around the zip as well.

 Does anyone else find setting sleeves in a bit like doing liquid eyeliner? It either goes right first attempt or you're arsing around for ages trying to get it right. A bit like zips that way. One sleeve went in and I missed the outside of the dress so the lining and the sleeve had been sewn but not the dress itself! Then I kept catching bits of the sleeve that weren't supposed to be sewn. All in all I must've sewn it 4 times... the right sleeve went in with absolutely no bother!

I sewed a straight size 4, grading to a 6 for the skirt (I wanted a fuller skirt) and left off the waist darts as I wanted it to be a looser fit. I definitely achieved that but not as much as I would've liked. I love really exaggerated silhouettes like Cabbages and Roses do.

I tend to sew in a couple of hour chunks but I felt like I was sewing this dress for an eternity! It took me a week to finish and that was whilst being off work. By the time I was sewing the sleeves I hated this dress. Having said that, after wearing it all day I am starting to like it more.

Having said that, this is the best dress I've ever made in terms of construction, all the seams are zig-zagged (hot damn I need an overlocker) and the insides are just a beautiful on the outside. The only flaw is the fact that I lined the top of the zipper tape instead of the top of the zipper tab and therefore there's a slight gap at the top of the dress. I'm going to hand sew a hook and eye to fix it. Check out that not quite invisible zip! I first tried to sew in a zip after having a drink...that ended with a wonky zip and a broken needle. Don't drink and sew people!

I have to say this is definitely not going to be my last Emery dress!

Aaaaand one more awkward photo for good luck! Me and Gary headed out for a walk, I was bribed by having some semi decent photos taken for my blog, but I kept cracking up laughing at how ridiculous I must look. I have to say they are an improvement on the rubbish photos done in our house!

5 things you should do when sewing...

...that I don't do

1. Wash fabric before use

When I washed my Dress Shirt there was some serious breath holding and crossing fingers in the hope it hadn't shrunk (it hasn't!) which made me realise I need to start washing fabric before use (but I probably won't)

2. Make a toile/muslin

I know, I know, I'm a bad seamstress. I'm just too impatient! I don't have much time to spend sewing and to take the time to make two dresses would defeat the object. Fortunately I haven't had too many problems with fit....yet..

3. Back stitching

Ooh this is naughty one - for some reason I always forget to secure my sewing by reversing my sewing machine before starting a stitch and before finishing. This led to part of my dress shirt arm coming undone...oops. I might've learned my lesson with that one.

4. Neaten inside seams

I don't see the point of this one, I know it looks more professional but it takes up so much time and you don't even see it!

5. Change the pattern

Other than shortening or lengthening the length I find changing how the pattern fits really difficult, I wish someone would write an intermediate book for dressmaking, there are tonnes of fab beginners books out there but none that explain how to fit clothes properly and thus I'm swimming in a sea of CB, warp, weft etc without really knowing what it all means. Although I never expected to become an expert in a few months! Hopefully this blog will document more tips as I learn them to help others out.

What other naughty habits have you picked up whilst sewing?

Merchant & Mills The Dress Shirt Review

Merchant & Mills are my favourite online shop, I spend hours browsing their fabric and products dreaming of combinations of patterns and fabrics. The first pattern I decided to try was the Dress Shirt, I was a bit nervous about this pattern because it's the first "proper" pattern I've used, the others have been from the sewing bee book. I also decided with this pattern I would invest in good quality fabric. Which made this project very scary for me!

The fabric I chose was Doll's Deckchair Linen also from M&M, it's a gorgeous baby blue stripe that feels lovely and soft. For the Dress Shirt I needed a metre and a half, but ordered two.

I had some trouble with the dress shirt's instructions, they come on one piece of thick paper and the illustrations are quite small. The bib took some brain power to figure out how to attach, I thought the sleeves were going to be really tough to fit but actually found them really easy to sew in.
I absolutely love this dress but I wouldn't recommend it unless you've made at least one item of clothing before. Whilst I wouldn't say it's complicated, I would say it requires some skill.
Now to dream of other fabric combinations to make... I think a gorgeous soft white linen could be the next project.

                  

I'm not sure if it was the time taken to make this dress - I made it over 4 days instead of rushing to finish in one day - or the expense of the fabric but I've worn this dress more than anything else I've made and even braved putting it in the washing machine!

I'm subscribing to the idea of slow fashion - making gorgeous items of clothing that I love instead of picking up poor quality clothes in Primark for that quick fix.

I'm already dreaming of my next project - a long summery faded floral dress.

In other news, I'm marking for the exam board and currently in the middle of marking 432 exam papers - nightmare! Come follow me on Twitter or Instagram for more up to date updates

Amy

Adventuring

Ever feel like you're just working and coming home and working then coming home? I'm a total homebody, there's nothing I love more than being cosy on the sofa watching something on Netflix, however occasionally I get cabin fever and have to get out and about.

This is when we go on what I call an adventure. I love revisiting all the places I went when I was younger and Yorkshire is such a beautiful place there's endless towns and villages to visit.

Here's a few places we've visited recently:

Lindley reservoir which was on the way to Pateley Bridge, we had to stop and take a photo of the gorgeous scenery (despite blocking the road a wee bit). Why are phone cameras so rubbish sometimes? This picture does the scenery absolutely no justice in the slightest.

Brimham Rocks, a fascinating rock formation near the Yorkshire Dales. I wish it wasn't so windy when we went because I really wanted to climb up to the top but when I tried to get a photo I nearly blew away!

Obviously we HAD to get some sweets from here, I have a major sweet tooth.

Please excuse my finger, this is Gary's photo taking stance (to stop being blown over!)

He wasn't happy with the wind

But much happier with tea and cake inside him.

Is there anything better than a Yorkshire tea room??

Mmmm, jam then cream...people who put cream THEN jam on are certifiably insane.

Pateley Bridge was a tiny village, it had one main street (but 4 pubs and 5 tearooms - that's yorkshire for you!)

This is New Miller Dam in Wakefield which is a lovely walk and we were blessed with some sunshine.

Near Castle Hill in Huddersfield

This was in the peak district, a place I forget the name of, we climbed to the top of this rock formation and felt like we were on top of the world!

Hardcastle Crags, near Hebden Bridge, which is another lovely walk.

The Yorkshire Wildlife Park. Although a lot of the places we visit are in and around Yorkshire we have been abroad too. Most recently:

A surprise trip to Paris for my 25th birthday!

We have been many places in the short while we have been together and I envisage many more, to find someone who shares my love of these day trips is quite fantastic. I love our adventures, getting in the car and going on a road trip, full of bacon sandwiches and dreaming of high tea or a pub lunch and then coming home at the end of the day. Perfect.

“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.”
― Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky