Bonjour, Belladone!

Pattern: Belladone from Deer&Doe

Size: 10

Fabric: Cotton from Village Fabrics in Wallingford

I spent aaaaages trying to find a pattern to make a dress for my work Christmas party. Once I'd whittled out the ones that just wouldn't work with my figure, and the ones using terrifying floaty fabrics, I wasn't left with much. Luckily I stumbled across Belladone from the wonderful Deer&Doe. It's a simple enough construction, to be made from a sturdy fabric, but that back opening is enough to make it party and beautiful.

I found some great fabric in Mason's - blue and gold, really snazzy and festive but once I started sewing I realised it had a weird diagonal stretch to it and just wasn't going to create the neat, crisp lines required for Belladone. So it has been relegated to cushions. With only two weeks to go until that party, things were getting desperate so we decided to check out Village Fabrics in Wallingford, and what a find! It's no good if you're after fancy fabrics, but if you want a comprehensive range of cottons, then this is quite the goldmine. The one I chose is black with stripes of grey and a bronzey-gold with a slight shimmer. I wanted to bring in a bit more colour and so opted for a burgundy satin bias binding which really highlights the awesome bits of the dress.

The 90's called...they want their top back!

 

Pattern: Renfrew from Sewaholic
Size: 10
Fabric: Jersey from Saeed's in Walthamstow

A boyfriend once said that about my jeanie jacket. It wasn't funny and he's now an ex-boyfriend. It is important to know when such a phrase is an insult, or when it's just plain true and something to be embraced. Enter...my first Renfrew!
It seems pretty much everyone in the sewing world has made this pattern. There are so many wonderfully different versions out there, all tailored to the individual. My latest blog obsession, Four Square Walls has revealed that there are 24 possible combinations (if you include making it in to a dress!).
I've decided on two concepts and this first one I wanted to be more of a slouchy over-top than a t-shirt. I love love love the cowl neck and I think it really gives that look of effortless chic. I hope so, anyway. I made a size 10 for this as I wanted it to be more like a jumper, but when I make version 2 I'll make it in an 8 (or even a 6 as the 10 is so roomy) so it's more of a t-shirt fit.

An even craftier Minx!

One Crafty Minx has had an overhaul. Whaddaya think? Big Minx has shown how clever he is by creating my very own logo which combines two of my great loves - Lurchers (one in particular) and sewing. :-)
And of course whilst he had access to my account, he made other design tweaks and made my blog generally look a bit nicer.

In other news, I finally have my own modern sewing machine!!! I am massively indebted to my lovely friend, Hannah, who has lent me her Bernina for the past 7 months and indeed enabled me to embark on this venture. But I now have my own little Janome beauty to accompany the gorgeous vintage Singer. Here they are nestled together in perfect, racially balanced harmony.

If at first you don't succeed...

Pattern: New Look 6802
Size: 12 top, 14 bottom
Fabric: Jersey from Fabric Land

If you've read my blog before you may recall Minxenstein's monster, a top borne of a failed dress. As I suspected at the time, the fabric I chose was way to thick and just not suited for the project. Also, after reading lots of reviews of this pattern, the over-riding criticism is that the gathering at the front is rather prone to giving the impression of pregnancy which is certainly something no non-expecting girl desires!

So, I armed myself with some beautiful jersey (navy blue and covered in tiny butterflies - eeeeek!) of the correct thickness, and cut the skirt front from the same pattern piece as the back, thereby eliminating the need for the aforementioned gathers. It was an absolute joy to make this time. I scaled up from last time and went for a 12 top and remembering how tight the failed skirt had been before, went all the way up to a 14 on bottom. Clever me, it turns out. From cutting the pattern to having most of the dress made took about 3 hours. Then just one more hour the next evening and the sleeves were in and the hem done. Yay!

Totally biased

Pattern: Butterick 5782
View: C
Size: 12
Fabric: Wine suiting. Can't remember where from!

I am very fond of the first version I made of this dress. It's a simple, elegant shape that hangs and swishes nicely and always gets compliments. I decided that I would make another, but with a very different neckline so hopefully it looks like quite a different beast. View C has a v neck and a cute bit of ruching on the front and I decided, as my fabric is plain, that I would bias bind the edges to add some interest. I found this divine gingham binding in Mason's which was just the ticket.

I chose not to line this version as the fabric is really thick and heavy already so doesn't need any more weight adding to it. Also, I thought it would be simpler to bind the edges without a lining in the way.