PatsyPoo Makes

The dress I'm going to share today is a very special one indeed. It was made with special fabric, for a special occasion and it was another buddy sew with Mel. It's the  Rochester dress  by Maven patterns. Mel was the one who introduced me to the pattern and it's really, really lovely. I wasn't planning on making it but things changed when we booked our Bitchmas weekend. I went down to London and stayed over at Mel's. We managed to fit a lot in, including the New Craft House winter party, and finished the weekend off with a super fancy afternoon tea at The Langham Hotel . Obviously, I wanted to make something lovely to wear for it. I knew I wanted to use this gorgeous  Granito Chestnut  viscose by Atelier Brunette that I bought from Harriet at Sew Me Sunshine as soon as it was available. But I was stuck on what pattern to make. I wanted sleeves and a high-ish neck, not too short and fairly loose. Mel suggested the Rochester and it fit the bill. I've wo...

Ok, so today is going to be a very quick post because there's not a lot to say about a knit top. In this case, the Seamwork Astoria . I'd like to apologise about the quality of these photos. I had to move into the front room but they still aren't the best. This time of year is HARD for taking pictures. The fabric I used has been in my stash since the Knitting and Stitching Show I went to in March. I bought it from Higgs and Higgs  with the pattern already in mind. They have so many other lovely colours though that I can see myself sewing up another couple of them. I was concerned that the fabric would be far too thick but actually it sewed like a dream. I made the whole shebang using the overlocker in about 90 minutes; and it took me about 20 minutes to cut it out in the morning. I actually sewed it with Mel - yes, again! - but it barely even counts as buddy sewing since it went so quickly. As for sizing, I made the size S (4-6) without any adjustments. One cha...

When the  Closet Case Rome Collection  dropped earlier this year, I bought the bundle with all 3 patterns. I thought they were all great but I especially liked the  Pietra trousers.  I finally got around to making them last week and here they are.  Looking at the body measurements, I was dead-on a size 10 so that's what I made. But I'm not 100% happy with how they fit. Look where the side seam sits on my waist. You can see in this photo how far back it is. I'm not sure if that's a design feature. I suspect it might be, because as you follow the seam down my leg, it is sitting at the side, where it's supposed to be. It is, however, a little roomy at the waist. I could do with losing almost 2 inches. But if the elastic was tighter, the side seam would pull towards the back even more. Or, if I were to pinch out some excess at the front, I'm not sure the trousers would go over my bum. 🙈 I have to stretch them to the maximum in order to get them on. It'...

When the  Indigo dress came out I wasn't bothered. I had just bought the  I AM Cassiopée  and didn't think I'd need another smock style dress in my life. I wasn't even sure if the shape was for me at that point. I have since made the Cassiopée twice and I wear them a lot. I still wasn't convinced I needed another pattern that was so similar though. But then,  Fabricate  had a party to launch their new shop location and I wanted to attend. Obviously, I'm still on a fabric buying ban until January and couldn't buy any fabric so I bought an Indigo pattern that night instead. I am so in love with this dress!!! How can something so simple look so good? I think the fabric plays a massive part though. Ever since I saw  this chambray version  that Caroline made I have wanted to make a similar one. It just works. My fabric came from  Ray Stitch  when I visited last month. I can't find it on their website but I also can't remember the name so it...