Jenny Overalls

Hello all! 

Sorry it's been long time no blog. I was working as a wardrobe assistant on tour for 6 weeks and in the last month or so I've been busy finishing my degree! Now uni is over I'm excited to make all of the things and to show you everything I've made in the last few months! First up, I have these Jenny Overalls to share with you which I tested for Heather Lou way back before Easter.

First of all, let me tell you about the fabric, which I think takes these overalls to the next level. The fabric is actually a tablecloth I bought in Perth, Australia when I visited there with my family many moons ago. I really wanted to use the border print to its full potential and have a lot of fun with it while doing so. This did mean the cutting out took forever, but it was well worth it. 

After the cutting out, it all went quite smoothly and it was very satisfying to watch everything match up. I'm really really pleased with how the bib turned out. The pocket is almost invisible! The colours in this print are all of my favourites. 

The only thing I'm going to alter is the slight gape in the waistband at the centre back. I'm going to take a dart out of this pair, but for my next pair I'll do it properly.

I was sewing these up post haste for a party and ran out of time to put the back pockets on and I do miss them. I think that they are quite necessary to break up the rear view. 

I really love the fit of the bib around the bust. It curves so beautifully without any gaping. 

All in all, I think that these overalls are the jazziest piece of clothing I have ever owned and I love them to pieces. I'd like to try them next time perhaps with a slightly more cropped length. 

Thank you so much for reading!

Lauren xx

Off the shoulder floral dress

Hello all! This months Minerva project is a bit of a departure from the norm for me. A fitted silhouette is something I have avoided as I was always conscious that my figure wasn't a typical one that would suit a more fitted shape.  However, trying new things is good and I wanted to give it a go with this dress. 

You can read all about the making process over at the Minerva Crafts blog here.

Thanks for reading and to Minerva Crafts for providing the supplies for this project!

Lauren xx

Polar Bear Pajamas

Hello all! I'm going on tour  and I wanted some fun pajamas to wear on the tour bus, which is where this panda jersey from Minerva Crafts came into play. They were very quick to sew up and I used two well loved patterns from my stash: the Grainline Lark tee and the True Bias Hudson pants. 

You can read all about the making process over at the Minerva blog here. 

Thanks for reading and to Minerva Crafts for providing the materials for this project!

Lauren xx

Stripey Tee

Hello all! For this months Minerva Make I found this interesting crochet type fabric and thought that the crochet texture would be perfect for a more interesting version of the slouchy tee. Plus, I always love a good navy and white stripe. 

You can read all of the details over at the Minerva blog here.

Thanks for reading and to Minerva Crafts for supplying the materials for this project!

Lauren xx

A British Oufit: The Whole Ensemble

Hello all! This is it, my British bra, pants, shirt, trousers and shoes are finished. The process has been quite a huge learning curve and I'm so pleased that I've had the time and the opportunity to explore local fabrics, natural dyeing, learn how to knit and to make shoes amongst many other things for my dissertation. 

The silk shirt really is the wardrobe staple that I wanted it to be, it's only major drawback being that the fabric is slightly sheer. There are a couple of niggles with my self drafted pattern and those would be that the cuffs are too tight, the sleeves are slightly too short and the hem is slightly too long. I'm really pleased with the insides of the shirt which are pretty much all french seamed. 

The buttons work super well, and I love the rustic element that they give to the shirt. Next time I'll love to make some Dorset buttons with a wire ring base and thread wound around it. 

Working downwards, the trousers are possibly my favourite part of the whole ensemble. I love the amount of ease in the leg, and the high waistline. Khaki green is a really versatile colour in my wardrobe and I wear them all the time. I like the slightly cropped length, and I think it works well with the clogs. 

I would make the trouser pockets slightly deeper next time just to give me a bit more room. A friend pointed out that they look quite empty at the back, and I agree that some welt pockets would work well.

I'm very pleasantly surprised at how beautiful the clogs look, but I think they will need a bit of breaking in so my feet don't get torn to shreds. I'd love to learn how to do shoe-making 'properly'.

And finally, the jumper! I'm so proud of this jumper. This is the first thing I've ever knitted and I would hope that you wouldn't be able to tell. I do wish that it was just a bit longer, and that the neckline was less open so the shirt wouldn't look so silly when worn underneath it. I think that the neckline has stretched since I started knitting it so I need to research how to prevent that in the future. The neckline does look wonderfully elegant when worn on it's own, but it just looks silly when layered. 

I love how the colour scheme of the outfit has worked out. The different colours in the jumper add another dimension and I think it works really well with the khaki of the trousers. The neutral shirt and shoes are really versatile and blend in seamlessly with the two stronger colours in the outfit. 

So there it is, my complete British outfit. To learn about the making process you can find all of the relevant blog posts here. Thank you so much for following along with the whole process, to everyone at college who helped me out and to Nicki from This is Moonlight for giving me the inspiration for this project. It's been a lot of fun. 

Lauren xx