Mum’s birthday
It’s fairly reasonable to presume that my Mum won’t read this before her birthday, or indeed, afterwards! So I think I can safely blog about her present before she gets it. She may have a clue though as I had to ask her her size.
Both patterns derive from Louise Clare Hardie’s Fashion with Fabric, and I have made both patterns before. Mum commented about the kimono when I showed her the book a few months back, just after I had made the slouch cardie as part of the Simplicity Challenge. Actually, I don’t wear my slouch cardie very much, partly because it’s untidy to carry a handbag with it, and its just not possible to carry a rucksack loaded with a laptop for work, with batwing sleeves. Certainly Mum wont be carrying a rucksack, so hopefully she’ll get more wear from hers.
I was very pleased that I had the overlocker for the kimono as all visible edges are finished with it, including the join of the facing to the garment. The fabric frays quite badly.
I had to think quite carefully when I joined the facing, and in fact, stitched it the wrong way round at first. I had to unpick it all.
If I make this in future, and I may not, I will shorten it. I have been ‘slouched;’ on the settee in mine and found myself unable to move freely because I was sitting on the bottom. I see Mum wearing hers to go down for lunch on a mild summer day, and then putting it on the back of a chair. So I don’t think that slouching will be a problem! Leaving it on the chair might be though!
The other pattern is the woven top. This is the third time I have made this pattern, the last time being a woven dress in linen. The first time I made it was from slightly stretchy fabric, and that top fits fine and gets worn a lot. I cut the linen dress a bit larger, as it was woven, but eventually took out the extra fabric, and it fits fine. So on the basis that Mum is approximately the same size as me, I cut this one to the pattern size. It’s a bit tight on me, so hoping Mum is smaller than me. But it was easy to make!
The fabric is a linen / polycotton mix, if I remember rightly, purchased from Barry’s. I thought it would hang nice and loose. It hangs OK, but not as nice and loose as I had hoped. It’s great merit is that is washes and dries very easily, and yet pressed well during the making process. That will suit Mum’s washing arrangements which are limited to machine washing and tumble drying.
As you can see, I still have some stocks of butterflies left, so personalised with a bit of a classic ‘Ann’ stamp.
One Week, One Pattern
Me Made May 2016
Me Made May 2015
Simplicity Competition
Sew Over it Patterns
all my own work by ann 