One and a half dresses made

I love it when you buy a vintage dress pattern and it says easy on it and it actually is easy and straight forward.  There is nothing worse than buying a pattern, getting it home and the instructions may as well be written in Martian.  This weekend I've started a project marked easy (though the picture didn't look it) but I trusted it, started sewing and I love it!

I am still  nervous about next weekend but the more I worry - the cleaner the house gets ;-)  I have a habit of cleaning if something is on my mind.  Yesterday though the house was clean and I'd made a banana loaf and peanut butter cookies already so to take my mind off things I started dress number 2.

Dress number 1, the Colette wrap around dress took, all in all - from pattern cutting, cutting out and sewing, about 3 hours. It is a brilliant pattern and I love the finished result.  The photo below isn't the finished article as I had to redo the neck facing as I got a bit snip happy when I was putting my notches in.  Hope it gives you an idea of how it turned out though.

When it's on it has a lovely floaty feel to it and is very flattering as the ties can be tightened right into the waist giving a lovely effect.  The skirt flares out wonderfully too. 
This dress may be my favourite summer dress actually as it's so easy to wear and I just love it.  So much so in fact that I've ordered some Tanya Whelan Darla fabric in blue picnic rose to make another one!

Due to the whimsical colouring I've decided to make this one with the sweetheart neck line which is dress 2 on the pattern.  Mr P has been away this weekend but I'll have a photo of me wearing the original dress on the next sunny day, and by that time I may have made the other version :-)

So project 2, the Vintage Vogue pattern.  I've seen these on sale before and frankly been intimidated.  To make things that more difficult for myself I decided to use the curtains I got on ebay.  I had 2 curtains and ended up with 4 bits of material which were very long but not that wide, folded length ways they were about 30inches.  I felt awful taking the curtains apart but I will reuse the lining at some stage even if it means working out a pattern on it or something. 
After laying out the pattern pieces in various ways I managed to cut out but was cutting through 2 layers of curtain.  The fabric pieces themselves just weren't wide enough to layout as suggested in the instructions. So after I worked that out, moved the cat (see earlier blog) I got started.  I still need to finish off the sleeves, give it a good press and attach the skirt but I'm chuffed about how it's turning out.  I think the fact that the dress is made from curtains gives it a real vintage feel.  I was worried about the tuck at the front but it was so easy to do and creates that nice line, bringing the front piece of the bodice to the side.

Also this weekend I had my wardrobe Spring clean and now ebay has a fair few of my Vivien of Holloway dresses on there.  I had a look on ebay at the same time and sadly missed out on this amazing 1950s martini glasses.  They went for a bargain of £11 but I forgot that the auction was ending and so missed out - poop!   I would have LOVED these but I know Mr P would not have been amused.  He may have been happier with an apple martini in them though....

So that's my weekend, can't believe I have work tomorrow.  It's been so wonderful just pottering about sewing and baking.  Oh to be a 1950s housewife! ;-)