Completed: I Said I Never Would...

Hi lovelies!
I always said I would never wear animal print. Some people can make it look fabulous and sophisticated,

Others... Well you can make up you're own minds on that one...

I have broken all my rules with another item from my SWAP!

 McCalls 5974, Its a really clever dress. Made to look like a wrap dress but its totally not! It has lovely crossed wide ties that wrap around your body and give the illusion with none of the potential peek a boo moments of a normal wrap,

Yay for practicality!

I couldn't help but buy this fabric you guys, its just so, so, glowy? It reminds me of cats eyes and for my original SWAP palette of Caramel, Navy and Blues it ticked all the boxes.

Not to mention its comfy, Its a viscose jersey but not a bad one. In terms of opacity its pretty good. The only place I notice it is the front band that isn't covered by the faux wrap.

I left the sleeves long as I love the security of putting my hands inside my sleeves when its chilly. Anyone else like that...?

 Moving on, this dress has great swishability and will look great layered up with tights in the winter. I feel like this is a pretty autumnal kinda dress due to the long sleeves and darker hue.

I can see this dress being revisited, but maybe not until the weather is colder. It could make a cute short sleeved dress but this is my go to clothing in colder climes.

Stats:

Fabric: 2.5 m of Viscose Jersey plus shipping £13

Notions: In Stash £0.00

Total: £13

Wearability 8/10

Not bad for a comfy dress! I have been pulling lots of stashbusters recently so its quite nice to see when I do purchase I'm rarely breaking the bank. I imagine if i'd bought this dress it would have been somewhere like Monsoon in terms of style and most definitely more expensive

What is your take on Animal Print? Yay or Neigh!

Completed: Wardrobe Basic Plantain...

Ahoy Me Made May'ers and other sewing lovelies! I warned you it would be back! Yes this is another item from my SWAP. The oh so basic but oh so lovely Plantain.

This one is made from a lovely soft jersey with a slightly brushed side and little glittery white bits in! They give it a nice casual marled effect. I'm so glad I picked this up in another colourway as this is the comfiest top evah!

 I could have made a size down but I wasn't after it being too fitted. The last one I made behaved very differently due to the cotton element of the knit. It tended to cling, not unflatteringly but I didn't feel I needed adjustment. There is a tiny bit of pooling around my shoulder but I think thats more due to my stance rather than my narrow shoulder as the other one looks fine.

Overall not too much to say on Plantain No. 2 except that it may be my favourite tee pattern to date! The neckline is still flattering and the shaping still looks nice over my waist with minimum swayback. Totally a wardrobe basic! This is how its often worn and how I wore it for Me Made May this week with a cardigan. I will do a blog round up either mid way or the end as I'm only doing 3 days a week.

Stats:
Fabric: Viscosey brushed glittery knit stuff from Goldhawk Road: £8
(But I've made leggings too!)
Notions: Thread £2.50
Total: £10.50 being conservative I could split the fabric cost and it would only be £6.50!
Wearability: 10/10! I could wear this all day every day and the benefit of it being Navy is its actually quite a nice neutral for me as I'm not a big fan of black, it tends to make my complexion look rather ghoulish! Navy is a good compromise so yay!
How do you feel about sewing basics? I've always preferred cake to icing in every sense!

Completed: I May Be In Love With Mabel...

For Serious guys... I never knew I could be this much in love with an Item of clothing.
You may have heard my squeals of excitement around the world when I heard that Colette were doing stretch patterns. I was so desperate I hit buy on the presale book and pattern combo so hard I almost sprained something.
I'm here to tell you they did not dissapoint. I would like to review the book in a later blogpost remind me won't you?
Now back to my Love in with Mabel...
I have bought knit skirts before, they are always this viscose jersey and usually leave nothing to the imagination. Cue a leftover bit of fabulous Emerald Ponte and an hour to spare... Voila Mabel!

She doesn't cling too much, but she fits, she holds me in, but doesn't make me feel like i'm wearing spanx. In short. You are going to see a lot of these. so many in fact, they may rival the Renfrew or Briar. So be prepared to write me a complaint! Please put the subject as "Stevie we can't take anymore Mabels!" 

Stats Time!

Fabric: Under 1m of leftover Ponte from May's Minerva (On the blog end of the month) £0.00

Notions: Thread already on my overlocker £0.00

Total: Big fat ZERO

Wearability: 11/10!!!! 

I wasn't joking about more Mabel's, I've been fabric shopping specifically to make more of these babies. I think I can change up the styling a little. These photos were taken for another purpose really which is why its paired with Briar (can you guess why?) This will go with 90% of my wardrobe already, plus with so many awesome variations I could be sewing these for some time... Mabel you are a Me Made Lifesaver!

Me Made May...

I, Stevie of Beebee's Vintage Dress sign up as a participant of Me Made May'14 I endeavour to wear 3 me made outfits per week and create 4 new garments throughout the duration of May.

Just in Time!

I have currently got 23 garments sitting on my rail ready to go. More than I think i've ever had for a me made may. I think it will be a fabulous opportunity to test my 11 SWAP Items and do a big reveal. Unfortunately due to my current job I can only commit to 3 outfites a week. I might manage more but I wanted to add a second condition to my pledge this year, making myself four more garments will push me to keep my sewing productivity up and hopefully reap the benefits of a more versatile wardrobe.

I've been good at making basics in darker colours but its time to brighten it up for spring and summer!

For practicality i've been a jeans and pretty yop kind of girl recently. I'd like to focus on pin pointing my current style. Perhaps have a go at Colette's Wardrobe Architect Challenge deciding what I should make more of and what I should take out.

What have you pledged this year?

Completed: Victoria Blazer Skull Pansy Style...

Instagrammers rejoice! I have finally photographed my illusive Victoria Blazer!

Thanks for all the lovely comments on my skull pansy skirt, now I give you the matching blazer!

Yes Matching!

 I have to confess this has been on the finished pile for quite a while. Even before the skirts existence... We'll gloss over that shall we,
Oh how I love this jacket! Its relaxed without being too boxy. 80's without being too Bonnie Tyler. Not my usual style but it pushed me out of my comfort zone. I'd say it pretty much pushed me off the cliff of my comfort zone! Nevertheless I'm really pleased with it!
I love By Hand London's patterns and this was the first I'd made. However its certainly not the last (Flora cough cough...)

 This jacket has been styled with my new skirt. I wanted to specifically pick out the blue. Its actually a lot easier to style than I anticipated due to almost every colour in the rainbow being represented in the pattern. Oh but did I mention? Cotton Sateen, still totally my favourite fabric! Its so comfy and perfect for this time of year plus the 3/4 sleeves stop me getting too warm.
I decided to line the sleeves initially but in the end relented and took out the lining. It was lovely but it didn't have as much stretch as I'd have liked. The ladies knew best after all!
(I hope you like my unimpressed face due to the Pixel photobombing I had to endure!)

 See what I have to put up with!? Pure cuteness...
Have you made Victoria? Or ever been pushed off the cliff of your comfort zone? Do Tell!

Minerva Blogging Network: Denim Delight! Lisette Market Skirt

Hi friends!
Its been a really busy month for me but anticipating that I decided on a lovely speedy project for my April make.
This is Simplicity 2211 also known as the Lisette Market skirt by pattern designer Liesl Gibson I always loved her designs and I'm sad to say this is one of her patterns which is now out of stock.
I have made version two before a couple of years ago, oddly around this time of year!
Unfortunately I used the same pattern pieces, forgetting I'd lost a bit of pudge since then. I would happily have this skirt a size or two smaller. It pools a little at the front but its too comfy and in rotation too often to change now but the next version I will.
In order to add some detailing I topstitched the seams and added the tab and two little rose gold coloured buttons from the stash.

 Ah Pixel Pug is getting used to these photos now! This is very typical of how i've been wearing this skirt. The upside of a plain denim skirt? It goes with everything! It has barely been off my body since I finished it. The denim is a lovely firm quality, hardwearing but not heavy and in a perfect shade of mid blue. A colour I can't seem to find jeans in on the high street at the moment. Perhaps I should think about making myself a pair with this denim...

 I love a versatile skirt! I grant you its not the most flattering without a waistband but I have some denim left over. It got a bit wrinkly after wearing it for the whole day but I think thats to be expected. Pixel has decided that its his turn in the limelight. He bought his grotty chicken toy over to play!
                                              
 He's determined to show you his messy bit of the kitchen. All his own work you understand!

In the end Pixel obviously won!
Stats:
Fabric: Minerva
Notions One spool of thread Minerva and buttons from stash
Wearability: 8/10 If I cut a smaller size then it would be a ten!

Completed: The Skull Pansy Skirt...

Another FO? Stevie are you feeling ok?

Yes friendlings I have been sewing up a storm. This is another piece for my SWAP! I call it the Skull Pansy Skirt.

This is Simplicity 2258. A pattern I have had eons and never used. Why? I'm not quite sure but I wanted something simple in design to show off my awesome fabric.

Which fabric you say? Only my freakin' skull pansy fabric. Behold...

I have hoarded this for soooo long. I bought it on one of my first trips to Goldhawk Road years ago and I haven't been brave enough to cut into it until now. 

Its a cotton sateen so its buttery soft, little stretchy but stable enough for just about anything!

 Yes lovely people there is skulls inside the flowers! This fabric felt a bit too avant garde for me for a while but by using it on a separate its actually surprisingly easy to co ordinate.

 The amount of colours in the skirt make it busy but easy to pick out. Hence why its the cornerstone fabric of my SWAP. I can go into pinks, purples, blues, whites, greens, yellows. You want a colour? This print probably has it. As for the skulls, its punky without being in your face. I like that about it. I don't dress like a goth, its just not how I roll. I love colour and this made it a happy medium.

 Did I mention how much I love pockets. This is such a clever construction and to be honest the pockets are the most complicated this skirt gets. The back view is pretty boring but like I said, showcasing the print. The skulls are random as are the flowers so some are upside down and some aren't. This meant there is no particular way up on the print. Hence why very little matching occurred it was just too complex and random a print.

Stats:
Fabric: Goldhawk Road Pre Jan 2014 Therefore £0.00
Notions: Elastic in stash £0.00 Thread in stash £0.00
Total: £0.00
Wearability: 8/10
I think I'm cheating a bit calling it a free skirt. I had plenty of fabric left over so I could guess I paid about £20 for 3m making this about £8's worth. I think its super wearable and like nothing I would get on the high street so I'm pretty happy about that. Plus the elastic waistband makes it comfy too!

Do prints like this make feature garments in you're wardrobe?