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...

It's no secret I love making shirts. Hell, if you've been following my sewing for a while, you might be sick and tired of being beaten over the head with my shirt making stick by now. I'm not even sorry. 😁 My relationship with shirts wasn't love at first project. My first ever shirt  can only be described as a disaster. I didn't see it like that at the time and it's still in my wardrobe - even if I don't wear it. When I look at it now I find it quite endearing that past me thought it was good enough to wear out of the house. I will never get rid of my first Granville because that's the one that started my love of shirts. Apparently, I have a lot to say about revisiting this pattern so this is going to be a long and wordy one. If you don't care about shirts, move right along. No hard feelings. 😊 I love the fit and the shape of my first shirt. But because I had a nightmare with the collar stand, I've been putting off my second attempt for ...

The name Ash very nearly foreshadowed the ultimate fate of these jeans, I must admit. 😂 I made these with  Mel  over one weekend, as another of our buddy sewing sessions. I will say that day 1 did not go well for me. The first of half of day 1 anyway. I am overall pleased with them though so let's dive in and I'll share my thoughts. First things first, sizing. I went with a size 29. My waist fluctuates between 28.5 and 29.5 so I knew it'd be snug on my waist but it would be fine on my hips, according to the measurements. The waistband isn't interfaced though, so that gives you extra wiggle room and I decided to chance it. The gamble paid off: the fit is really good on my waist and hips and it's comfortable. The pattern offers 4 different leg choices which is incredible value for money. I was between the slim and the skinny leg but after doing some maths and comparing that with my fabric, I decided to go for the skinny version. They ended up being a bit too ...

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...