Keep Your Eye on the Planet

Dress-making put aside now, I’m back to embroidery, this time working on my project for the Guldusi call for submissions. The brief asks that work has not been exhibited online, so I will only be showing some brief, work in progress, shots. I really want to produce a Bright and Beautiful, trademark piece. I have come to the conclusion that my personal style, as in the banner picture for my blog, is my favourite way of working and although time consuming, it is what my work is really about; bright colours, thick threads, cords, dense stitching – a piece I can be proud of.

The Bea Blouse

Having successfully completed my pinny I was straight on to the next thing. This time following a free pattern from Simply Sewing magazine, the Bea Blouse. After a post-Christmas fabric splurge, I was determined to use some of my fabric stash and the only piece large enough to fit the pattern was this rather ‘Pat Butcher’ fabric, not really me, but anyway! What a fantastic pattern, not only was it printed onto proper paper that you can use again, but the instructions came with pictures! Why on earth don’t other patterns do this? That terrible ‘right sides together’ moment photographed for you to see exactly where you should be stitching. I’m so proud of myself for following it to the letter. It is the first time I’ve tried a complicated (well, for me) neckline and sleeves. I handstitched the hems to give it that luxury finish.  Just have to wear it now! What would I do differently next time? Go for a lighter fabric, perhaps, so the tie will be more bow-like, but actually this fabric, a thicker, slightly stretchy cotton, was so stable to cut and work with that it was great for a first time project.