I've been wanting to move my blog away from Blogspot for a while but could never be bothered to actually do it. This week was the tipping point though, and I've now fully migrated over to https://patsypoomakes.wordpress.com/ . The blogspot address will remain here but all new posts will only appear at https://patsypoomakes.wordpress.com/ . There are lots of reasons for the move but my biggest one is how hard Blogger has made it for people to subscribe to receive new posts via email. It's such a basic requirement but apparently, they think it's too much to offer. I'm basing this purely on how I myself prefer to consume this stuff. I can't be arsed with feed readers anymore and emails are easy and convenient. When I receive one, if I fancy reading it, I will click through to it and, if not, I'll just delete it. Another reason is the spat between Google (owners of Blogger) and Instagram/Facebook/Meta. I don't even know if this is still the case anymore
I can't believe it's been 3 weeks since my last blog post! I have been sewing a lot but between the Easter holidays and our trip to France, I haven't had time for blogging.
We had a G-L-O-R-I-O-U-S Easter weekend around these parts. It was sunny and warm and perfect. I went to London on Saturday to see Aladdin - The Musical again, this time with Nina. It was still spectacular the second time around. On Sunday, I did precisely nothing and today we went out for a nice breakfast and to get in on the Hotel Chocolat sale. My Easter starts now, thank you very much. 😆 I also finished 2 books, which has been a long time coming. My reading this year has been shameful.
For our Leeds outing this morning, I decided to wear a dress I made last summer but had only worn once so far. I also never blogged about it and I thought it was about time. It's one of my favourite dresses and I need to show it some love, so here is my New Look 6341.
This is a little gem of a pattern. It's a fit and flare dress with 2 sleeve and skirt lengths, as well as leaving the sleeves off. The bodice is shaped with princess seams and fully lined - my first ever. It has a beautiful scoop back and the skirt features pleats on the sides at the front and the back. But the best bit? IT HAS POCKETS!!!
Another detail I love is the lower waist seam. It's very flattering. I did have a couple of issues with it but I bloody love this dress. I made it for my cousin's wedding in Vermont last summer but ended up wearing my back up outfit in the end. This did get worn on that trip though, on the day I visited Gather Here in Cambridge, MA.
I made a straight size 10 with no adjustments. But I think for my next attempt - because there will be one - I will take in the outside of the shoulder seams by about 15mm on the front and the back. If I had sleeves this might not even be a problem but there is some excess there. And I might let the side seams out a bit around the waist. It doesn't feel tight, even after my big breakfast today, but I think I could do with a bit more room.
The fabric is a Liberty Carline poplin that I bought from Fabworks years ago. They no longer have it in stock and I couldn't find it on the Liberty website either. They still have the print, just not in poplin, which makes me wonder if it's discontinued. A most wonderful fabric to work with: presses, sews and wears beautifully.
I also made a booboo on the back, right where it's most noticeable, at the top of the zip. I trimmed the seam allowance on one side before I should have done because I read the instructions wrong. When it came to attaching it to the lining, I had to eye-ball it and clearly, I didn't do a good job of it so now there is a step. I was REALLY gutted about this when I finished it. I worked so hard to get a good finish on this and it is very clean. But having taken some distance, I no longer care. It's not as obvious as I remember it to be last year.
I am so glad I got to wear this beauty again. Now I need someone I know to throw a garden party so I can show it off properly. Having said that, even though I've only worn it twice, the first time was to walk around Boston, then buy pretty fabric and yarn. And this time, I took it to Leeds so I could buy good chocolate on sale. That's a pretty good track record.
I will leave you with a silly face because these are my favourite photos. I feel like an absolute boob when I'm posing, but pulling stupid faces is second nature to me!