Dresses on LazyArchives

#MMMay17

Mon, 01 May 2017 00:00:00 +0000

So here we are again, another May of Me Mades’s. Head on over to Zoe’s blog to find out more. Honestly this year I’ve started out without a pledge or plan, just chucking on my me mades as usual, but today I think I have decided on my focus for this #mmmay17

Yes that is a giant pile of clean laundry on my sofa! #mmm17 day 3 and I have been feeling guilty for not giving myself an actual challenge this year. I wear me mades most days, but I have gained a lot of weight recently….gotta love the peri menopause and a knackered thyroid 🙄 Trying hard to focus on body positivity instead of diets which make me sad….anyway this all means that lots of my clothes just don’t fit well anymore, so this month I am weeding those out and starting afresh! Today I am wearing a #maudeskirt Which co incidentally I am talking about on my You Tube Channel; this week it is part 2, just search Lazy Seamstress on You Tube to find me 😊

Pinafore Obsession

Wed, 01 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000

I have been casually searching since sometime last year for the perfect pair of dungarees and the perfect pinafore. The dungarees are for another day, this week I have been concentrating on Pinafores!
I was planning to draft my own pinafore, something vaguely 70’s inspired and fitted at the waist, since that might suit my rather ample curves. Then I spotted the Freya dress pattern that came free with a copy of Simply Sewing, and it seemed to fit the brief well, yay! No need to draft my own pattern!
I firstly made it up in some faux suede. I made the largest size, but sadly was a bit snug, though wearable.

Time for an update!

Wed, 01 Mar 2017 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve been a little bit (unintentionally) quite on here recently. I do hate when blog posts start with an apology, but I’m going to apologise anyway, to myself if no one else!
Life around here has been very busy with work, so I can’t complain about that, at least I love my work!
I have still managed to fit in a few sewing projects for myself though, and if you follow me on Instagram you will have seen those, already.
There have been a couple of circle skirts :

Happy New Year!

Sun, 01 Jan 2017 00:00:00 +0000

Yeah, I know it’s already 12th January! My children didn’t finish school and college until 23rd December, which means they only went back to school and college on Monday…is it really only four days ago? Why am I so tired?
Poor Eden had to go back to college on her birthday! She was less than impressed to say the least. I now have two adult children, since Eden turned 18 on Monday! It’s a strange feeling.
Christmas was quiet (well as quiet as it gets around here!), and I did a lot of cosying up on the sofa, a bit of crocheting, but not a lot of anything else, which felt good. In fact so good I’m finding it rather hard to get back into the normal routine. Grey January skies certainly don’t help.

Cosy

Sat, 01 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000

This time of year calls for cosy , and cosy for me is anything that feels like pyjamas, but looks enough like clothes to wear during the day! This dress is soooo comfy, it really feels like a nightdress, can be layered with various jumpers and cardigans, worn over jeans or leggings, or tights.

I used my Nell pattern again, but probably could’ve gone down a size, it is a little big.

Vintage Pin Stripes

Sat, 01 Oct 2016 00:00:00 +0000

One day last week I decided I hated most of my clothes. I was sick of trying to fit my ever expanding waistline (sad face) into dresses and skirts that refused to co operate. So over half of my wardrobe went in a charity collection bag…well, more than one actually! I have only kept clothes that I really love, and my new sewing resolution is to sew things I really want to wear, and to satisfy my urge to sew random clothes I will sew with someone in mind and spread the joy.

Procrastination or Therapy Sewing

Fri, 01 Jul 2016 00:00:00 +0000

I sew every day, I sew for work, I sew for myself, I sew for college and I sometimes sew for gifts. July is a busy month here, three birthday’s, end of school year…this year it’s even more hectic with Sid about to leave Primary school, so lots of events and visits and special days and parties and assemblies. Sid has ASD so all of this has to be handled carefully.
Florence’s birthday takes a lot out of me emotionally, grief even after 7 years is exhausting, it demands your full attention, and if you don’t give it you soon know…
Work is easy, I get my deadlines and my projects and I get on with it happily.
College is finished now, but my coursework needs handing in by the end of August…guess who is very behind with the course work? So, a normal person might spend their time catching up with that rather than starting three million other projects right? Seems I am not a normal person…this past week instead of course work, I have sewn a pair of dungarees, two teacher gifts, pyjama bottoms, a summer kimono robe, and this dress!
I can’t actually decide if it is procrastination or therapy sewing, maybe both?

Finally Nora is here!

Wed, 01 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Gosh I’ve been slow with this one! The Nora dress and her sisters Nell and Nancy made their debut on my blog last summer, and I kept meaning to release them as a pattern, but then kept putting it off, with one excuse after another, then Sam Sterken the editor of Sewing Made Simple magazine expressed an interest in Nora and asked me to let the magazine release her, which gave me the boot up the bum I needed to get things going again with this design.
I’m really pleased how the chambray version turned out, it looks great on the model. Nora is such an easy dress to wear. I have several of the first drafts that I wear in rotation over leggings or jeans at least once a week.
The pattern can be downloaded from the Love Sewing website here the instructions are in the magazine, which also comes with two free paper patterns.

Three Dresses.

Sun, 01 May 2016 00:00:00 +0000

I rarely buy sewing patterns these days, unless they are vintage finds. I prefer to draft my own designs. Last week though I aquired two new sewing patterns for me! I was smitten by Marilla Walker’s Bennett Dress as soon as I saw it, and knowing Marilla’s style, plus the need to stitch up something lovely in a hurry I thought I’d give it a go. I wasn’t dissapointed, in fact I was really pleased with the result, and wore the resulting dress twice in one week!
I used a lightweight poly cotton blend I’d bought in Abakhan.
As always Marilla’s pattern and instructions were faultless. I chose the printed pattern this time, and I love the cute hand printed envelope it came in . Trust me, packaging is hard to figure out when you are a small independant designer with an equally if not smaller budget for such things, and I’m quite envious that I didn’t think of doing something as cute with my paper patterns! (Which are still on pause…best not talk about that right now! )

Ponderings and a new frock.

Fri, 01 Apr 2016 00:00:00 +0000

So, I had a birthday, I’m now the grand old age of 47, and feel every second of it recently! Angus often jokes with me that I have outlived my biological usefulness now that I am no longer having babies or feeding them, lately I have felt, all too keenly the truth in that joke!
India turned 20 on Saturday, and spent her first birthday away from home. I can’t quite believe I am the mother of a 20 year old! She has grown into a lovely young woman, but she will always be my first baby.

Bodice Fitting

Tue, 01 Mar 2016 00:00:00 +0000

I’m still working on perfecting the fit of my new bodice block. I’ve been working on this dress on and off for a few weeks now, finally finishing it last week only to put it on and realise despite all my tinkering it still doesn’t quite fit right!
I re drafted the front into a princess seam, which I think works well on a larger bust, but kept the back bodice darted, which hasn’t worked well at all!
My upper back is rounded and wider than might be expected, while my rib cage is actually very narrow, so fitting my back is often more of a challenge than fitting my bust….the problem with learning about fit is the more you know, the more you find there is to learn….actually that’s how it is with sewing anyway, and why I love it so much!

Cats in Paris

Mon, 01 Feb 2016 00:00:00 +0000

One day last week while feeling rather sorry for myself I nipped in to the local furnishing fabric shop. They have a room full of remnants that I like to browse just in case they have anything interesting.
Before I even made it to the remnants however, I noticed the shop was now stocking some rather lovely printed canvas fabrics, including this Paris scene with little black cats. I couldn’t resist and buying just 3 metres cheered me up no end.

Dressmaking I haven't blogged.

Fri, 01 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000

I don’t always blog everything I make, but I do usually share most things on Instagram
With February almost here…how did that happen? I thought I’d just do a quick and dirty blog post of my January makes, the good, the bad and the downright disastrous!
Firstly the Doris Sweater above. I love this version so much. The fabric is a super soft loosley woven wool blend, and it is so cosy. I feel the cold even in this mild winter we are having, so any excuse to cosy up is most welcome.
It’s been a bit of a Doris’y month actually because I also ran up this quick Doris Dress from some vintage fabric I found in a charity shop while visiting my Mum who lives in Somerset.

First make of the year!

Fri, 01 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000

The children all went back to school and college today, India is still home from University, but she was out today and I made the very most of the peace, and most importantly lack of demands to be fed, (children do need feeding so often! ) and spent a very happy morning in my shed running up this Weekend Doris Dress with a twist…or two!

It is a basic Weekend Doris, made with a retro style wool blend. (I sized up to accomodate the woven fabric.) I added in seam pockets*, a wider neck band to form a 60’s style “cowl” neck, and hem band. The dress and sleeves are lined.
I’m really quite pleased with it, the lining has made it a substantial winter dress, so I’m ready for the coldest most miserable winter months of January and February, even if it is so mild at the moment that the daffodils are popping up at the park!

So here we are.

Fri, 01 Jan 2016 00:00:00 +0000

Happy New Year!

I only got one little piece of stitching done between Christmas and the New Year, and that was this grey Nora Dress for Eden. I’d cut it out back in September, she’d been waiting so long for it, she had forgotten all about it! I’ve another cut out at the same time for India that she can’t remember either!

I’m not one for making resolutions really, but maybe I should at least make one about making things up as soon as I cut them out…anyone else have a pile of garments cut out, but not yet sewn?

A lovely War!

Thu, 01 Oct 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Last week I was a parent helper on Sid’s year 6 school trip to the air raid shelters in Stockport. I have been wanting to help out on this school trip for several years, but always had a small child or two at home to take care of. This year I didn’t and jumped with joy at the opportunity to help out. I do love local history, but mostly I just really wanted to dress up!

Nora, Nell and Nancy

Tue, 01 Sep 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Starting this post with a silly but happy photo of me. After my last post full of doom and gloom I decided this place needs a bit of silliness and some smiles. Summer is tough around here, and it’s hard not to let that affect everything. Thank you so much for all the lovely comments and messages of support after my last post, I appreciate every one, you are all wonderful!
This photo was taken last week in my mother in law’s garden in Anglesey North Wales. We stayed there for five days, and it really was a lovely break from routine. Eden and I had a lot of fun taking photos in the garden of one of my new designs.
Yes, despite my low mood I’ve still been working over the summer, planning classes (see my learn to sew page for more details on those.) and designing three new dresses.
Nora, Nell and Nancy are not only the names of two of my friend’s children that I have always loved, but the names of the three new dress patterns I plan to launch this month…..yeah I know I should probably keep quiet for now, have a big launch when they are ready, but come on, you should know me well enough by now to realise that’s not really my style.

Another 40th Birthday means another new frock!

Sat, 01 Aug 2015 00:00:00 +0000

It seems a few of my friends are turning 40 this year, and of course any excuse for a new dress. I’m still refining this self drafted princess seamed bodice, and am now I think finally happy with it.
The fabric I’ve used for this dress was bought in three small remnants from a local soft furnishing fabric shop for 50p!!
I do love the challenge of making a whole dress out of a few pieces of fabric. These pieces were fun to work with because the right and wrong sides of the fabrics are equally beautiful. Not being able to decide which sides I liked best combined with such small pieces to work with meant that I used all sides in a kind of (hopefully) successful way!

When things don't go quite right.

Sat, 01 Aug 2015 00:00:00 +0000

I sew a lot, a heck of a lot and for lots of reasons;

I love clothes, I don’t often like clothes available on the high street and if I do I can’t afford them or they don’t fit.
I have a compulsion to create and make, sewing is my preferred method.
Sewing eases my heart and my soul. I can’t explain it, but something about the process brings peace.
It’s my job! I love designing patterns, and I love teaching at Ministry of Craft or one to one classes in my home.

Although I sew lots, not everything works out. I rarely am 100% satisfied with anything I make, I am always striving for a better finish, but sometimes things just really don’t work, like this skirt.
The beautiful fabric was picked for me by my ~~fabric dealer~~ friend, Mary. She knows my taste so well and often picks things she knows I’ll love.

A mouse took a stroll....

Wed, 01 Jul 2015 00:00:00 +0000

There is an acre of woodland in Wigan that is dedicated to our youngest daughter Florence, we always take a walk there on her birthday, and as often as we can throughout the year. While we were there yesterday India took some photos of me in my latest creation, another self drafted summer dress.
The weather was showery, though not cold. India and I found a lovely clearing in the wood to take photos, tiptoeing carefully in peep toe sandals ( I wore wellies for the rest of our walk! ) through the long wet grass I spotted the cutest little field mouse! He was just there at my feet, we both looked at each other with mild surprise, I said “Hello little mouse”, and he scurried away before I could take a photo. He really was the sweetest little creature, and it made my day to have seen him.

Hilary's Craft Competition

Mon, 01 Jun 2015 00:00:00 +0000

A few weeks ago I had an email inviting me to take part in a craft competition run by Hilary’s Blinds. I was given a choice of four of the fab prints they have in their very extensive range, and I chose Rayna Apple. I was sent one square metre of fabric very promptly and began planning. (And double checking that I could use a co ordinating fabric alongside the Rayna Apple.)
So, with an idea of what I wanted to do I started work drafting a pattern. Initially I wanted to make a dress, using my co ordinating fabric as the bodice. So using my personal bodice block I drafted a scoop slightly gathered neck bodice with button front fastening…I was clearly feeling brave because button fronts on my boobs rarely works well!

Weekend Doris goes to Prom

Mon, 01 Jun 2015 00:00:00 +0000

Eden knew exactly what kind of dress she wanted for prom, a short retro styled shift dress with bishop sleeves, so that is what she got!
I lengthened, then slashed and spread the sleeve pattern of the Weekend Doris to get a full sleeve, which was gathered at the wrist with elastic. The neck edge and hem were finished with tiny rolled hems.French seams were used throughout.
The gorgeous teal coloured silk chiffon Eden chose is beautiful, not easy to sew with, but having a simple pattern helped there.
I made an equally simple silk slip to wear under the dress for modesty.
Simple, but I hope you agree beautiful.