Vintage style for the jubilee

I am a shameless monarchist and therefore very excited about going to wave at the Queen tomorrow as she passes by on the massive floatilla that is going to be passing down the Thames. Just as exciting (pour moi) is I finally got some time to sew! Whooppeee! And this is what I created....

It is red ready to go with my dark blue and white dress I'm wearing tomorrow and along with my red nails readily adorned. I will be a walking Union Jack.

If you want to create a similar (if less patriotic version of the headband) here is how....

You will need:

• Fabric
• Sewing machine
• Paper for creating a pattern
• Pins
• Fabric scissors
• Paper scissors
• Thread
• Needle
• Ruler

1) Draw and cut out a rectangle of paper 50cmx22cm. Fold the paper in half lengthways. Measure 21cm down the long side of the pattern and make sure you mark this point. Join this point to the corner on the fold and cut along this line. If you open this up you now have your template.

2) Put your template onto your fabric (which should be folded) with the shorter straight end of the template on the fold of the fabric. Pin the pattern down and cut it out. Repeat to make the second piece of your headband.

3) Pin the two pieces of fabric (wrong side to wrong side) together and stitch all the way round with a 1cm seam though ensure you leave at least a 10-11cm gap in order to be able to turn your headband the right way out.

4) Now your headband should be starting to look like a headband though you now need to turn it to the right side out. At this point press your headband ensuring you also press the open edges in to the wrong side. Slipstich these edges closed.

5) If you wish you can then topstich round the edges of your headband. If you wish to make this a decorative topstitch use a contrasting colour of thread (I did topstitch but didn't use a contrasting colour). Et voila- you have your finished handband to adorn your lovely locks!

I would like a dress like this please....

...and then somewhere to wear it to! Enough said!

Image from So Vintage Patterns

Ode to an Aunt

More indulgence with my temporary internet. I thought I would use the occassion to point to my very clever Auntie who has been the source for my love of sewing. She is super creative, and not only is highly skilled at all forms of sewing from dressmaking to curtain making to embroidery, but can also paint and draw very well, and furthermore is very good at interior design. Here's a little taster of her creative flair from our wedding. First of all she made the beautiful bridesmaid dresses for my wedding. Let me reassure you all, they were NOT easy to make and I felt very guilty at times for asking her to make them, especially as they were boned and one of the bridesmaids kept losing a little bit of weight.

Aren't they gorgeous dresses (and bridesmaids)?!? The next thing she made for our wedding was a surpise gift, and even my new hubby (who is not easily impressed) was bowled over at how delicate and beautiful it was, and here it is....

It's a beautiful ring cushion. The photo does not give it justice as to how delicate it is.

Finally, here is the talented woman herself in her homemade dress which she made for our wedding, dancing with her lovely hubby.

Hurrah for my lovely Aunt, Val!

A red success?!?

Ignore the model and slightly insane lipstick but I wanted to put on one my greater sewing successes. I made this red dress for a friends wedding using a prima pattern and some red jersey. It looked simple to start with but putting in a collar and sleeves (which I'd never done before) turned out to be a lot more complicated than I thought it would be. Furthermore other sewers will know that stretchy materials can be a nightmare to work with. I found the trick is to keep the material nice and taught but that might be completely the wrong way to do it!

I really had to burn the midnight oil to get this done as well as I've been super busy with wedding planning, and I even ended up on the train to London cutting off bits of thread and neatening seams with a rather large pair of fabric scissors. How I didn't get them confiscated I'll never know, I must have looked like a mad woman!