Elizabeth Suzann Georgia top & dresses

I made the Florence pants first and then this top.  It was a very fast and easy make.

On this I wasn't sure how much ease I would like so I traced the OS (one size) and OSM (one size minus).

I made up the OSM first in a piece of linen I had leftover, from Miss Matabi's online shop.  This linen is oddly textured and shiftier than I expect linen to be.  It is really beautiful but might be a bit lighter than the model version.

Here it is on the model:

And here it is on me:

My first try-on made me think the arms were too tight.  There's a pulling from the neck down the sleeve which I think feels very apparent in my linen.  So I went and made the short version of the dress in OS.  I used a light, almost flannel rayon from Guthrie & Ghani, a soft feeling teal fabric with gold lurex stripes.  It is too big.  I'm not sure it's too big in a bad way.  The fabric has the most beautiful drape but I was moving house and gave it away to a pregnant friend before I could even take photographs so you have to take my word for it.

This was an excuse to now make the midi dress in OSM in a mystery weave from Nepal.  This was loomed in smaller villages, and is either silk, wool or hemp because that's why I bought it, but I don't remember which...it has a kind of sticky feel to it, and is quite gauzy and a relatively light weave. 

I find it totally amazing that a dress which is a sack, and that currently takes me 45 minutes to sew - can be so flattering.  However, the length on this means I can't really walk with my normal stride, so I would shorten it 4" in future.  Other people have added a slit, which seems like the other thing to do.  I ended up taking my seam ripper to this and creating a slit, because I am a strange creature and tend to love my most raggedy creations, I now love this dress.

AND having proven that the OSM was the right size, I shortened the (already rather short) dress pattern by an inch and made one out of this LONG HOARDED piece of light pink Valentino wool crepe.  I'm trying so hard to use up my hoarded fabrics in sensible ways.  This piece of fabric has been not quite large enough for many projects - it was almost...so many different dresses. Or tops.  Etc.  This is the last thing I made prior to moving and my sewing machines are going into hibernation, so it had a lot of meaning attached to it other than the fabric from 2013.  A lesson cropped up: the fabric has travelled around the world with me so many times that it now has holes in it, as you can see by my Fashionable Patch on the back of the dress.  If I need a reminder to use my fabrics and not hoard them, I think this is it.  Initially this textured wool weave had quite a bit of drape...but after washing it's shrunk even smaller and become cozy rather than drapey.  This dress is amazing. The weirdly lit sunset photos may not show it, but it feels like a hug. 

I decided to expand the potential and made the short version in a heavy viscose.  I wanted to see what happened with knits. I don't really like this actual fabric, so this version is for a friend - though I'm really happy with the pairing of the heavy viscose and the short pattern.  It became longer due to the added weight. I stabilised the shoulders with some twill tape in the seam. Next will be to add pockets....

 

Initially I wasn't sure how many Georgia dresses my wardrobe could tolerate (any? lots?).  It seems like I need more long ones.  

Deer and Doe Nenuphar review

There are pattern companies that just suit each of us, and Deer & Doe is that for me.  It's so rare that I need to make adjustments to their patterns, and their style often really suits me. 

Also, I had a huge idea for my Nenuphar, and I needed to do a muslin to make sure that my vision was realistic.  This has been in the plans for awhile but I needed a second fabric and I kept struggling to make a colour match that suited me. (Has since been found, hooray!)  I finally got too curious to see this pattern put together, so I did a version out of Japanese seersucker for a friend of mine. It's view A with no changes. I made size 36.  In general that is what I wear in D&D though occasionally it's tight across the back. I assumed the ease built in would be enough.  Initially I thought the upright pockets on this would be impractical to put hands in, but they are actually just right.

This was a pattern that was just a total joy to put together.  Despite the fact that the seersucker, being wrinkly, stretched at times, everything came together just right, and quickly and the final fit is perfect.  It has totally inspired me to go ahead and make the one I've planned for myself!  

Orageuse Lisboa silk top

This fabric was a single meter panel with a design incorporating the taupe sky, a watercolourish Italian scene, and flowers at the bottom.  For some reason after making my beautiful Lisboa dress (here), I thought that this one meter of fabric would be enough to make a reversible Lisboa top.  No chance of that!!  As it is, I had to use the bottom of the fabric for the strap that goes across the back, which I find rather jarring.

I used a size 38 with no modifications except to raise the armhole slightly.
Sorry no head, I stood too close to the camera, and didn't feel like taking more.

Otherwise, my construction proceeded as the first version did.  I admit to being a bit lazy with this.  I did use french seams, but I didn't iron it very well as you can see by how the shoulders don't lie quite flat. 

The truth is, this fabric had some unfortunate memories associated with it.  I quite like the top although I would increase the depth of the slits next time.  I still find it very challenging to finish this kind of split hem.   Maybe there are things that just don't get fixed until you have a serger.  Because of the facing, I really think a lined top would be the best way to make this, still in a very slippery fabric like silk.  

So I gave this to my friend Regina who loves it and reported back to me that she has received compliments at work.  We are both happy.