Dressmaking #1

Like millions of people up and down the country, I was glued to The Great British Sewing Bee and I was lucky enough to get the book that accompanied the series for Mothers Day. So, having not made an item of clothing since GCSEs textiles (some 25 years ago!), I've made myself a T Shirt! And very good it is too.

I was aiming for this T Shirt from the book:

And this is how it turned out:

Not bad, eh? Many lessons were learned along the way. I actually made 2 toiles before I got the length and neck right but it was worth the effort. I would point out that this pattern has come under fire in the reviews of the book on the internet - it does have a very wide neck so if you don't make a toile you might be disappointed. But ever the diligent student, I did exactly as my TV tutors told me and practiced first! I had practiced making and using bias binding before I did it "for real" and I was very pleased with myself. However, I had practiced with cotton and the actual T Shirt is made with Jersey so the material didn't act in the same way. Still, though there is room for improvement here, I'm happy with how it turned out.

I read a great post at http://flossieteacakes.blogspot.co.uk where Florence talked about "Bless My Heart" garments that she has made but not worn and I did ask myself if I would be brave enough to wear a homemade item out. The answer to the question is yes, I will wear it out and I have! Not that I told anyone - I happened to have it on during the school run a couple of days ago.

I'm so please with my efforts that I'm halfway through a skirt now so watch this space!

I'll be linking up with Handmade Harbour today, so join in the fun there if you can.

http://handmadeharbour.blogspot.co.uk

Love Natalie