Zebra print shorts

Hello all! So this is funky shorts, round 2. You may recognise Harry from this post, and after seeing Ieuan's Leopard print shorts he immediately requested some of his own, in zebra print.

This is what he has to say about them: Zebra print is a strange one, it can be subtle and quirky, or completely outrageous, yet, if you walked into the lobby of The Savoy wearing a Zebra print 3-piece suit, you'd simply outclass the marble pillars and the mahogany counter tops. Better still you would humiliate all of the bankers in their boring navy Givenchy breakfast suits. Admittedly.. This piece isn't a fully clad zebra print 3-piece, it's better. Functional shorts with impressive credentials.

Out of /10
Comfort: 10
Design: They're zebra print... Obviously 10

All in all, these shorts are a classy way to show your athleticism but also passion for retro garms. The pink lining adds the cherry to the already perfect top of the cake.

HH - "I've worn over 2 different pairs of shorts." - 2016

Then, because the shorts are a pair, Ieuan joined in on the photoshoot.

The shorts themselves were actually a bit of a challenge. The fabric is this zebra print stretch satin from Minerva Crafts and I chose to line the shorts in a viscose jersey in hot pink for the softness next to the skin. This was a mistake. Cotton would have been perfectly sufficient. Putting the two fabrics together was a bit of a nightmare.

I tried to combat the stretch in the jersey by cutting the jersey pieces a little smaller so they would stretch to fit the satin pieces. It was a good concept, but I massively overcompensated and trimmed too much off. I managed to fudge it in the end, but it caused a bit of stress when it could have been avoided.

I used a stretch satin bias binding, again from Minerva and it behaved fairly well with top-stitching. There would have been less rippling if it was done by hand but the finish is acceptable.

I managed to get a really good finish when lining them, and to have no exposed seams makes me very happy. Matching headbands were made to complete the look.

A massive thanks to both Harry and Ieuan for being fantastic sports. Asking you both to get up at 10.30am to meander down to the park and strip down to your shorts is a big ask, and was much appreciated.

Thanks for reading!

Lauren xx

Autumn Archer Shirt

Hello all! Today I have something to show you that’s a little bit of a departure from my usual style which I love very very much. I cut out a

Grainline Archer shirt

in this fabric last year before heading off to uni, after reading that we needed a shirt/smock to wear for dyeing. When mum saw what I was making, and for what purpose she cried for an intervention. I had inherited the fabric from her, you see and the fabric was too lovely to be covered in dye. So the project sat in the pile, with only the button bands and the pockets completed.

When I was choosing which fabrics and patterns to take back to uni this year I had a glance at my UFO pile and there all the pieces were. I had another look at the fabric and decided that I would in fact wear it in day to day life, so picked all the pieces up from the pile and took them with me.

The house that I reside in when I’m at uni is positively arctic at the moment and a warm snuggly shirt was just the thing. I picked up all the pieces where I left off and it took another 5 hours or so to get it finished. I did have some leftover fabric which I’m glad I brought with me because in all of the hustle and bustle I’d lost a collar piece and a cuff piece.

Words just can’t convey how soft this fabric is. I think it’s some kind of brushed cotton. The dark, moody colours are perfect for autumn. It sewed together with no fuss and pressed very easily as well. I’m really pleased with the fit. It’s the perfect amount of loose and oversized.

Back when I intended this shirt to be a smock-of-sorts I lengthened the pattern to make it more of a tunic. I’d hoped to wear it as a dress now, but it’s just that little bit too short. Also, I didn’t widen it at all past the hips, which in hindsight really needed to be done if I wanted to wear it without leggings.

I didn’t cut out a collar stand originally and I decided to just leave the undercollar as it was, for a mandarin type feel (also because I’d lost that particular pattern piece.) It looks alright I think, but ultimately the collar stand is there for a reason.

I ended up fastening the shirt with snaps, simply because I didn’t have any buttons. They were quick enough to sew in while watching a film and I enjoy ripping it off like they do in the movies.

This is actually my 4

th

Archer, but my first with sleeves. I’ll admit the placket scared me a tad, but actually when I had a look at the sewalong it was the same technique we learnt when making petticoats at uni last year. Simple! My sleeves are rolled up in these pictures because I ran out of time to sew in the cuff snaps because my brother was over for a visit and we nipped out after my first aid course to get some pictures before it got dark.

This is actually the only shirt in my wardrobe now, as I considered myself ‘not a shirt person’. Well, I was wrong, as I frequently am, and it turns out I love shirts. I’m looking for the perfect plaid print next.

Many thanks to you for reading and to Edward for taking photos and buying me chocolate mini bites from Waitrose. Much love.

Lauren xx

Noelle / Lady Skater mash up

Hello all! I'm going to take you back in time to a Friday just a fortnight past. My uni was hosting an open mic that very evening and I had 'nothing to wear'. I had plenty to wear, but nothing just right. I wanted something kind of edgy but still very me, the fabric needed to be in my stash and I only had a few hours before lift off.

Luckily I had the perfect fabric in the stash. This was one of the fabric pieces I scored at Rosie's Instagram destash. I think the colour scheme is just fantastic. I only had 95cm x 95cm and I wanted a dress, so I had to be a bit creative with the design.

I used Madalynne's free Noelle bra pattern for the bodice portion of the dress. My only alterations to the pattern were to extend the side seams a bit to allow for less stretch in the scuba than the intended fabrics, and lengthened bottom band pieces to make it finish at the waist. I ended up taking all of the excess side room that I added back out again. The length was perfect though.

For the skirt I used the bottom half of the Lady Skater dress which I have used on countless occasions. It's fantastic for having a good amount of volume whilst also not taking up a lot of fabric.

Once I'd figured out how to get all of my pattern pieces onto my fabric it was a rollercoaster ride to the end. Almost. I finished the neckline and the armholes with elastic, which I then turned under and topstitched with a zigzag, just like how I would with a bra.

The clock was ticking and I only had the straps to go. It was there that I hit the snag in the proceedings. Scuba straps do not like being loop-turned. They just would not co-operate. I ended up having to unpick my loop, fold the raw edges around the elastic and topstitch. It was too late in the day for pins and so I regret to say that the width of each strap is drastically different. I went with the optimistic hope that everyone at the open mic would be too drunk to notice/care.

I had just enough time to slather some lipstick on and rush out of the door. Luckily scuba doesn't do hems.

Thanks for reading and to Ed for taking pics when he came down to visit!
Lauren xx

October Minerva make: Red, blue and stripes

Hello all! My latest Minerva make is a double whammy. I've been looking for the perfect navy and white striped knit for yonks and yonks and yonks, and as soon as I saw it on their Instagram I knew it would be included in one of my kits. Then I had to decide what I wanted to pair it with. In the end I decided to go classic red pleated skirt for that timeless silhouette.

You can read all about these makes over at Minerva.

Thanks very much to Minerva Crafts for the kit and to Lucy for taking the photos!
Lauren xx

Leopard print 118 shorts

A while back my good friend Ieuan asked me to make him some 80s 118 style leopard print shorts and I was happy to oblige him, for a small fee of course.

The fabric is a polyester knit from Minerva Crafts, although I can't find it on their site anymore. The fabric was very slinky and quite see through so I underlined it with a nice soft cotton jersey. I used this stretch bias binding for the first time which was an adventure.

I started with a basic short pattern, shortened it considerably and curved the side seams. In retrospect, I might have curved them a little too drastically. I planned to topstitch the bias binding into place but when I tried it was stretching more than the already sewn side making a very ripply seam. So I unpicked that and handsewed a large proportion of it in Starbucks instead. I used the white jersey for the waistband so it would co-ordinate nicely with the bias binding.

I gave Ieuan a little questionnaire to answer so you can hear about these shorts from his perspective. Enjoy!

What inspired you to commission a pair of 80s leopard print short shorts?

Who doesn't want a pair of leopard print short shorts.

How do you feel about your shorts?

I love 'em. Dream Pair of shorts.

Are they comfortable?

Top Notch, keeps you cool in hot weather because they are shorter than your average pair of shorts.

How is the fit?

Marvellous, they hug me in all the right places (especially round the genitalia area;) which means no inappropriate slips.

What would you change about them?

Zebra print silk on the inside, to make these bad boys reversible.

Were they a worthy investment?

Most definitely...

Would you recommend them to a friend?

Yes. Of course. Very practical. Good for lunging and other sports, but also incredible for when you want to come home after a hard days work and want to light the stove, feed the Labrador, whack on the kettle and tune into Gogglebox.

Score out of 10?

Due to these being completely out of this world of amazingness, I hereby award these leopard print short shorts in the style of 118 118 running man... an outstanding 10/10. That's a bingo.

Signing off me, the one and only, highly esteemed,

Ieuan Newman

Professional Lunger/short shorts wearer

Thank you for reading and a thousand thanks to Ieuan for being such a good sport.

Lauren xx