PatsyPoo Makes

I need to start this post by saying I really love this dress, I have another one planned for very soon and I am very glad I made it. However, I have a massive issue with one particular section of the instructions. It made no sense to me at all. Having been in touch with the designer herself, it now makes a little more sense but I still believe the finish is really rather poor. I'm talking about the  Sheath Dress  by The Avid Seamstress. It's a super simple - wait for it! - SHEATH DRESS! 😆 Sorry... It features grown-on sleeves, so the dress has one piece for the front and one piece for the back. The neckline is finished with facings and an optional elastic casing gives the waist some definition. There are also optional pockets, which I omitted (😱I know!!!) but more on that in a bit. The back has a zip closure as well but I swapped mine out for a loop and button instead. I believe it was a pull-on dress when it was first released, judging by some early reviews. Althou...

When we were in Cambridge last year - not that one, the Massachusetts one! - we visited Harvard University, as you do. And it just so happens that the amazing gather here  is just around the corner! I have to admit that the thought of visiting it had completely escaped me at the time, and it was sheer coincidence that I found the shop in Google maps while we were on the train to Cambridge.  It turned out to be one of the loveliest shops I've ever been to. I was complimented on the dress I was wearing  by the 2 ladies in the shop and, among other things, this gorgeous turquoise Nani Iro double gauze came home with me. It was originally intended to be a Stevie  but, in my excitement, I only bought 1.5m and it is a narrow bolt. No Stevie for me. So I added it to the stash and there it stayed until a couple of weeks ago. I had no idea what to make with it! I then decided an  Ashton top  would be perfect out of this; and a good project to take to the Se...

I'm back from the  Sewing Weekender  with a massive hangover (not that kind though) and feeling rather bummed that it went by so quickly. But, boy did I have fantastic weekend! And I even managed to sew something from start to finish.  It's the  York Pinafore  from Helen's Closet and it fills me with joy. It was the perfect pattern to take with me. I finished it on the Saturday, even with all the chatting, and it was ready to wear on Sunday. It's a very simple pattern but if you're not a fan of bias binding, stay away. 🤣 The pattern offers 2 views. I went with the dipped neckline and patch pockets. My hip measurements put me in a size 10 but I thought the finished measurements of the 8 looked alright so I went with that. The top is a 6 though, which I graded out just at the bottom of the armholes/waist. The fabric I used is this  drill from Guthrie and Ghani , which I bought in June when I visited the shop with my friend Mel. It's the perfect fabr...

When the True Bias  Shelby  launched a few months ago, I bought the pattern on the day. I absolutely loved everything about it and couldn't wait to get it made. Having been a teenager in the 90s, I have great memories of that time period and my playlists are largely populated by the hits of that decade. The Shelby is a huge throw back to that and I love it for it.  The pattern has short and maxi lengths, jumpsuit or dress options and also 2 types of sleeves: regular or cap. I made the playsuit/romper version with cap sleeves. My bust measurement (33.5in/85cm) put me in between sizes 2 and 4 so I went with 4. My waist and hips would have comfortably fitted into the 2 but I didn't want to risk the sleeves being tight. I was a rebel and went straight in without making a toile first, so I wanted all the insurance I could get. Minus the toile. I know. 🙄😆 I made the playsuit out of 2m of fabric - pattern calls for 2.3m. I had nothing left but didn't have to struggle ...

A couple of months ago I was contacted by Jen from  Sew by the Sea  in Margate. She asked if I was interested in working with one of her fabrics and then sharing a post about my experience. Not being one to say no to gorgeous fabric I agreed and off I went to their website to pick something. I hadn't decided what I wanted to make yet and they have a great choice of fabrics, so it took me a while. When I saw this  Pink Floral Ravishing Rayon  by Dashwood Studio, I thought I would probably come back to it in the end. And I did. I'm a huge lover of coral. Unlike most people, I really like grey. And yellow is another favourite of mine. How could I not? I went backwards and forwards on my pattern choice for a long time. This post is actually more delayed than I would've liked, due to summer holiday disruptions. However, that turned out to be a blessing because the pattern I ultimately went with was released while we were away. I chose the newly-released  ...

I've already told you about my first Kalle dress here  but this version is different enough that I thought it warranted its own blog post. It took me ages to make one Kalle; now I've made 2 and I can see that this may well become a trusty old favourite. My inspiration came from  this post  by  Jaclyn  on Instagram. I have wanted a candy-striped shirt for EVER and I loved Jaclyn's take on it. Quite by chance, I had only just bought  this linen on the Lamazi fabrics website and a lightbulb went off. I bought a 1.3m remnant but they have restocked it now. Man, how I love sewing linen! Ugh, it's like a very polite and well behaved child: it does EXACTLY what you tell it to! What's not to love? And wearing it is even better. This whole outfit is linen and I want to wear it everyday, for the rest of my life. Please and thank you. I know I've already made the dress version but this is quite different in a lot of ways so I will go into more detail than I n...

I fell in love with and bought this fabric about a year ago. I couldn't figure out what to make with it for ages. The scale of the print is fairly large and I didn't want to break it up too much. I thought about a lot of patterns but none of them seemed right. Then, I stumbled on the Southport  by True Bias. Perfectly summery, maxi length option but way more fabric needed than what I actually had: 2m and a directional print! I know, I know. One day I will learn to just buy more but I love a good game of fabric Tetris. I couldn't make it fit as it was. But, by losing 1 inch off the skirt, I managed to get it all cut out.  It's a cotton lawn from Lady McElroy that I bought from  Sew Me Sunshine  ages ago. She no longer has it in stock unfortunately, but I'm sure it's still around. This is my second Southport. I made a straight size 4 and there are no alterations other than the shorter length of the skirt. The drawstring waist makes it easy to fit and st...