The Exhausted Ruler said if you took an oath it would have to be broken for generations of centuries of hundreds of years.

HOLLA. Hello there, everyone! What is the craic with you all this evening? Right now I am huddled under a blanket with the heaters back on - apparently it's going to warm up again by the weekend but it's cold right now, boo! I had my tights packed away and everything.

Cold nose aside, everything is pretty swell. I've had a really good few days and have even managed to get some of my energy back - I got some sewing in over the weekend and on Monday evening as well. I've been working at home and wrestling with the Enormo Spreadsheet of Doom parts 1 and 2, but the up side of that is the coffee is good here and I don't have to take the train. So yeah, things are pretty good. I had a long weekend as Nic and I had an appointment to see the registrar on Friday to give notice of marriage. That was very exciting, not least because it meant I was able to miss a very boring meeting at work. It was a slightly chilly day but the sun was shining, and we had a lovely time. We went for lunch afterwards and had a bottle of prosecco and some sloe gin in the evening to celebrate. On Saturday we went to Birmingham to see some short films as part of the Flatpack Festival, have lunch at Bistro 1847 and generally just have a bit of a day out. I tried to buy shoes, but failed. In fact, I have attempted to buy shoes on two separate occasions since then, but have crapped out just shy of hitting 'submit' each time. I must be ailing for something...

Aaanyway - that's us all caught up. I have a new sewing project to show you and everything! I actually finished this dress a couple of weeks ago, but I'm pretty behind with blogging. Sooo... I bought this fabric on payday at the end of last month, when I also bought Eurostar tickets to Paris (woohoo!) and paid the electricity bill, and then decided not to buy any more fabric this month. And then I went fabric shopping with some of my sewing blogger pals, and then I went fabric shopping with Lauren. BUT, when you see the fabric, you'll understand why I had to buy it.

Home Sewing is Easy II - Hawaii by Alexander Henry fabrics

Yeah. Now, I can't remember who it was who alerted me to the existence of a sequel to Home Sewing is Easy, but I'm glad they did. This is awesome. Unlike the original, this does have a story to follow. The panels are spread at random across the fabric and not in the order of the narrative, but the jist of it is that Jim is a rat. He's invited Mia to join him in Hawaii, but she doesn't have a thing to wear!

Luckily for Mia, her friend Susan can sew...

Meanwhile, in Hawaii...

Jim is, I guess, naked somewhere? And in the short time that's elapsed since inviting Mia to Hawaii, he's met someone else. He IS a rat!

Mia's going all out. That sun-dress pattern just isn't slutty enough.

Ah, okay. Now it is. 

Well, Jim is naked. So, probably not.

Is Mia naked on the phone?

Jim's been busy cosying up to Betty, but little does he know the power that Mia's new slutty Hawaii wardrobe is going to have. TRAFFIC STOPPING POWER.

Time to ditch the blonde...

Dude isn't even man enough to do it face to face. He's too busy macking on Mia down at the beach...

At least he has his clothes on him this time, though. And a lei, because Hawaii. Betty's not going to rest, though. I guess she thinks that Jim is such a catch. Or at the very least, she understands that a handmade slutty dress is enough to turn his empty head...

Yeah, Betty. You raise that hem. Put it all in the shop window, why not. It'll do the trick. I guess home sewing isn't the only thing that's easy.

So, yeah. The print is fabulous. As well as the story being genuinely hilarious, I absolutely love the colours, the Ray Lichenstein style drawings and the pineapples. All the pineapples. I wanted something pretty simple to showcase the amazing print, so reached once again for Christine Haynes's Emery pattern...

Sons of the Desert dress and Topshop wedges

I had two metres of the fabric, which was more than enough to ensure Betty's declaration that 'home sewing is easy' could go front and centre. That's the only attempt I made at pattern matching or anything, but I'm really pleased with how it worked out. Sadly, I cut the fabric and sewed the dress without realising that I'd lost a bit of weight, and it worked out a bit too big. In my first lot of photos, I put a belt on to try to hide this, but I felt uncomfortable in the dress the whole day.

You can see the excess fabric under the bust and across the shoulders. I did my little shrinking trick of popping the dress through a very hot wash, and it was an improvement. The next time I wash it, I'll do the same. I've re-traced the pattern in a size down. It's kind of a bummer, actually, because quite a few of my handmade dresses are now too big and my alterations pile is now as big as my fabric stash. Over the next couple of weeks I am going to figure out what I want to alter, what I want to pack away for a rainy day, and what I'm going to send to the charity shop. I did buy some more of the original Home Sewing is Easy fabric, though, because I'm not even sure how to begin altering the dress I made with that and it swamps me now.

Anyway. A bit of ease in a summer dress is no bad thing, and I am really happy with this dress. The fabric is just so fucking fabulous.

Still a little bit big... but I guess that just means room for cake, right?

I know some of you enjoy knowing where my random references come from. I named this dress after one of the funniest films I've ever seen; the Laurel and Hardy film Sons of the Desert. Often, all I need is to think about Sons of the Desert and I'll start laughing. Stan and Ollie want to go to their Sons of the Desert lodge convention in Chicago, but are pretty sure their wives won't let them. Ollie gets a vet to tell his wife he's ill, and that he needs to go to Hawaii to recuperate. Off they merrily go to Chicago, their wives none the wiser. Disaster strikes when the ocean liner they were due to travel on sinks in a Typhoon. When their wives go to the cinema to take their minds off it, they catch the boys out...

So, although they never actually make it to Honolulu, Stan and Ollie manage to get into just as much trouble there as Jim, Mia and Betty. 

Honolulu Baby, where'd you get those eyes...

Maybe one day, I'll get to wear this dress in actual Hawaii. For now, I'd settle for the sun coming back out. I wore this to work last week and, while my colleagues are used to the sorts of clothes I like, they were pretty intrigued by the print on this. It was amusing to be stopped in the coffee queue because the person behind me hadn't finished reading my back.

Anyway, that's it for this evening. It's taken me ages to write this, what with all the five million pictures and thinking up all my hilarious jokes. Nic and I are watching the Harry Potter films and we're up as far as Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. He's never read the books and doesn't really know anything about the stories, so it's really fun to watch them with him. Although it's kind of weird watching these films through again. All I can think is how hideously irresponsible all wizard adults are. I mean, Dumbledore is a total dick. Sorry not sorry. But it's also a joy watching Ron Weasley grow up again. I think the only child actor cuter than Rupert Grint was Michael Fishman, who played DJ in Roseanne.

THAT LITTLE FACE THOUGH

Oh sorry, yes, this is only the best gif ever. Night!

Any dog under 50 pounds is a cat, and cats are pointless.

Hola, dudes! I have been meaning to sit down and blog all week, but I have totally lost the run of myself this week. Work is reliably pretty crazy at the moment; I had a couple of school-night social engagements and I just seem to have hit a wall of general exhaustion that no amount of pre-9pm bedtimes seem to be helping. I have a week and a half of annual leave on the horizon and I’m hanging in there for that, but this week I have either been at full tilt or flat on my back, with nothing much in between. And I have all this beautiful fabric waiting to be made into pretty dresses, but the thought of sitting at my sewing machine makes me want to cry. Sigh. I’ll get back into the swing of things over the weekend, I hope.

Anyway, I had a less frantic week last week and was able to get some sewing done then, and I had a lovely weekend as well. A few weeks ago, when I was chatting to Charlotte from By Hand London about their kickstarter bid (go and check it out, by the way) she offered to send me a couple of tickets for the Knitting and Stitching show at the Olympia. I didn’t think Nic would be up for it, despite his badass fabric choosing skills, but my lovely friend Lauren decided she would join me.

I’ve always been on the fence a bit about these kinds of exhibitions. I went along to the Sewing for Pleasure show at the NEC a few years ago and found it a frustrating experience. At the time I was pretty skint and I was also struggling a fair bit with anxiety, so being in such a big crowd was less than ideal. The sheer number of exhibitors should have been a good thing, but in an unpleasant, dark and cramped venue it was more stressful than anything else. I’ve never wanted to go back. The Olympia show was a great contrast, however, and I really enjoyed the day. The venue itself is large and airy and it has natural light. There were loads of exhibitors, and space to move around between them, and all of the housekeeping stuff like catering and toilets and places to sit down – that was all handled much better, too. Of course, the company was a major plus. Lauren loves to sew as well, and we had so much fun pottering around the stalls and picking out fabrics together. She bought more than I did BUT I bought fabric for my wedding dress, so I think we came out even. I am so thrilled with my wedding dress fabric. It wasn’t something I had considered before I saw it, but when I saw it, it was love. I can’t wait to sew it.

We were also able to spend some time with Charlotte and Victoria at the By Hand London booth, and that was a lot of fun. I’m not a natural salesperson, but I did manage to talk a lady into buying the Georgia pattern by showing her Handmade Jane’s DAMN FINE version of it. I was also a walking advert my own self, because I was wearing my second go at the beautiful Flora dress. I failed to get any photos on the day, but Nic very kindly took some photos of the dress when it was finished.

Something for the Weekend dress and red wedges from Primark (via ebay)

So, I made this dress last Tuesday night while Nic was out at the pub. The fabric came from Barry’s in Birmingham and I bought it when I met up with sewing lovelies at the beginning of March. It’s a cotton poplin and I think it was around £4.99 per metre. This being my second Flora dress, I knew what I was at when it came to construction, but this time I made two minor changes. I took a tiny bit of width out of the bodice front and bodice back (I just pinched it and taped it on my pattern piece. Not sure if that’s ‘proper’ or not, but it worked) and I cut the skirt pieces a bit longer. I was undecided at the time whether to go for a high-low hem or give the straight hem a try.

As you can see, I decided to go for a straight hem this time, but it did take me a while to decide. Surprisingly, Nic cast his vote for the dipped hem. I say surprisingly because, like wedge shoes and jumpsuits, I kind of assumed that high-low hems were one of those fashion things that girls liked but men didn’t! I liked it too, in theory, but for some reason my ad-hoc lengthening of the skirt didn’t work terribly well and the hem was working out more of a handkerchief hem (longer at the sides) and, well, I didn’t like it. Straight hem it was! But, I have to front with you, this is not my best hem. I was really exhausted when I was sewing it, and it’s not entirely straight. If I were on the sewing bee with this shiz, I’d be laughed out of the place. But, I’m not on the TV and it’s minor enough that I’d rather live with it than fuck about trying to fix it. I know, Roisin, RAISE YOUR STANDARDS. But, you know...

No, seriously though. I did worry about the hem when I put the dress on. You might be able to see in the photos that it’s not totally straight, but I don’t think you’d have noticed it if I hadn’t pointed it out. In fairness, you’d probably have been too polite to say if you had noticed.

A little goofy close-up of the bodice because why not

Anyway, I think Flora is another winner. I really love the silhouette and, for a dress that is so quick and simple to put together, I think the end result is very pretty and elegant. Hemming aside, this really did only take a matter of hours to put together. I had cut the fabric out the previous weekend and I sewed this up between 8pm and 11pm. Winner! I’m sure you can tell there are going to be many more Flora dresses in my future – I’m keen to try the faux wrap bodice variation soon! I’ve decided that Flora, or a Flora variation is going to be the pattern I use for my wedding dress. It feels like me, and it totally fits the fabric I have chosen, but I haven’t decided yet which direction to go in for the bodice. Still, I have a bit of time before I have to actually cut any fabric.

Anyway, that's the craic with the Flora dress, round 2. Oh, and I named it after the song by The Divine Comedy which is in itself a reference to one of my favourite books, Cold Comfort Farm. If you don't think Flora Poste is a total dudette, we can't be friends. 

Also: on Wednesdays, we wear pink.

Right, I think that's the lot for this evening. I need to build up my energy for some sewing this weekend, and that means putting on my pyjamas and going to bed. But here's one last, totally superfluous photo that shows you nothing new about my dress. But I think I look cute in it. Mainly because you can't really see my face...

A homeless man showed me his dick on the way here. It doesn't get any realer than that.

Hello boys and girls! What is up? It's nearly Friday, I'm getting to the end of another very busy week, I have fun weekend plans. It's all good. The only thing that would make it better is a glass of wine but I'm already in my pyjamas. You can't have everything, I guess.

So the weather might still suck in your part of the world (I know poor old Gillian is still being snowed on) but it's been really lovely here. It's making me super excited about spring and summer - all the good stuff like not having to wear a coat and being able to eat dinner in the park. You know, all the important stuff! As the day of our wedding draws closer I'm also starting to get really, properly excited about that and about our honeymoon. I might have skipped across the park on Tuesday afternoon, thinking about what it will be like to sit outside in Paris with a glass of vin rouge, watching the world go by.

I still haven't bought fabric for my wedding dress, but my friend Lauren and I are hitting the Knitting and Stitching show on Saturday, and I hope to find some there. Maybe I'll even scout out some shoes when we're in London, you never know. There's still plenty of time for all of that. I have been thinking about sewing fun and flirty dresses to wear in Paris, though... and I think you might know where that leads!

Pasteque dress and Vivienne Westwood for Melissa Lady Dragon bow shoes

WHAT'S THAT? More of the Michael Miller Eiffel Tower fabric? Guilty as charged, dudes. I love it. I actually bought this in January with the thought of making a strappy dress out of it. But obviously I didn't, and it became an Emery dress instead. I bought this colourway from Ditto Fabrics and I mistakenly remembered it as called Watermelon. It's not, it's called Sorbet. That makes more sense, but there is also a colourway called Watermelon and maybe now I'm going to have to buy that too.

I only bought 1.5 metres of this fabric because I had planned to make a little dress out of it. And it is a little dress! I am becoming more comfortable with getting my knees out, and I think a short skirt works with this fresh, summery colour. Well, even if it didn't, it was all I had. Heh.

I wore this on Sunday, when it was warm enough to wear peep-toe sandals, leave the coat at home (I did have a cardigan with me) and to eat an ice-lolly on a bench in the park. It wasn't warm enough to sit on the grass - and it was still wet - but it's still only early March so this is a treat. I know we had a mild winter, but it has been grey and overcast for months. Actual sunshine is a real tonic.

I legit needed to wear my sunglasses. Yay sunglasses!

Nothing very much more to say about the Emery dress pattern by this point. It's clearly becoming my go-to pattern! This version (and a subsequent one, which I will blog about soon) came up a little bit big. I got my tape measure out and it turns out I need to re-trace the pattern a size down. This is what happens when you have a stressful job, kids. I'm not too worried about it here because some ease in a summer dress is a good thing - and it leaves plenty of room for all of the bread, cheese and pastry I'm going to eat in Paris. And champagne.

Back view - you can see some of the excess fabric in the bodice and my complete disregard for pattern matching. Hey, my zip looks right though, so that's good.

Oh and I wore matching Eiffel Tower earrings, and I was sad that I didn't have Eiffel Tower shoes. Maybe one day.

So, yes. That's one honeymoon dress sorted. I probably won't wear a Paris-themed dress every day when we're away. I'll try not to, at any rate, but it is nice to have something to help me to daydream.

That's the craic with me this evening but before I go, I have to tell you about two exciting things. The first thing is that last week, Argos got in touch with me and asked me would I like to give away a sewing machine and a sewing kit as a prize in the Sew Dolly Clackett sewalong! Of course I said yes, and the machine in question is a cute little Brother LS14. This is a good entry-level machine and it would be a great first machine for someone who is new to sewing, or a second machine for someone who is looking for one. It comes with an adorable polka dot sewing box. I was really delighted when Argos got in touch with me to offer the prize. They very kindly sent me an awesome iron last year but I admit that I hadn't realised they have a pretty impressive selection of sewing machines and accessories too. So yay! I'm going to be giving away a sewing machine!

The other exciting thing to tell you about is that my lovely friends at By Hand London have unveiled their new masterplan - print on demand fabric! Charlotte got in touch with me last month to let me in on the secret, and it's gone live today. They're hoping to raise some starter funds with a kickstarter bid, and they've made a little video explaining the master plan. You can see it here, and if you look carefully you might see a familar goofy face somewhere in the mix. I'm super excited for the girls. Over the last year they've become friends, and it's pretty obvious by this point how much I love their designs - it is amazing to think that, as well as sewing dresses designed by friends, the fabric could have been designed and printed by friends too! That is pretty fucking awesome, is it not?!

All right, pups. I've got to bust a move and make some dinner. Catch you after the weekend.

Now, if I can just figure out a way to make friends with the people who design the shoes...

She's really into all the police lingo. Whenever I go over there, she's always eyeballing a mug shot, grilling a dirtbag or frisking a biscuit.

Hellooooo strangers! I've been a bit missing in action this week, having spent most of it in London for work. And then I had the sheer, unmitigated joy of working in Slough today. I know you're all jealous of my super stylish lifestyle, what? It's been an exhausting week, but I managed to fit some fun in there too. I did some shoe window-shopping with Liz of Busy Lizzie in Brizzy on Tuesday night, before we joined some other Spoolettes for dinner and cocktails in Soho. On Wednesday night, Nic and I had dinner with my friend Disha at Wahaca on the South Bank before having a drink at the Tamesis Dock at Vauxhall. The sun was shining, my hotel was nice and it really feels like spring is on its way. So it's mainly been a good week, and I have a long weekend to look forward to as well. Hurrah!

As I've been away from home all week, I haven't been able to sew this week and I've been too tired to even knit. You get some weeks like that, I suppose. Still, I have a project from February to show to you. You might have heard that By Hand London released their newest pattern this week - the rather gorgeous Flora dress. I got an email from Victoria at the end of January with the line drawing attached, asking me would I like to be a pattern tester. I was on the train at the time and I may have done a little jive of excitement in my seat as I replied FUCK YES WHERE DO I SIGN. Let me tell you - pattern testing for the girls was such a joy. Not only did I get the excitement of seeing the pattern early, but it arrived in the cutest care package containing the printed pattern, a mini bottle of vodka, some sweets and a By Hand London tote bag. Woot! Add to this a £50 gift voucher from The Village Haberdashery to buy supplies and I was one very excited lady. It'll be no surprise to you that I fell in love immediately with the romantic shape of the Flora dress but I was also intrigued by the high-low hem skirt option. It's not something I'd ever go for in RTW, but then I never would have thought I'd wear a dress with a thigh-high split and, you know, that happened. So I went for it.

I didn't have a lot of time to sew Flora so I didn't make a toile and I cut straight into my fabric. Eeep! I did measure myself very carefully though, and decided to wing it with a size UK8/US4 as this was closest to my measurements. I made the bodice lining first and when that fit, I cut into my fabric. One of the fabric requirements for Flora is a 60 inch wide fabric as the circle skirt pieces are so wide. Ever the maverick, I went for a 45 inch wide fabric and cut the skirt on the cross-wise. I chose an Art Gallery fabric by Tule that is now out of stock, and Annie sent me 4 metres so I would have enough. The dress came together really quickly and easily, and I couldn't be happier with it. Here's my Folklore Flora:

Folklore Flora - By Hand London Flora dress made in Meadow Vale fabric by Tule for Art Gallery, and worn with Irregular Choice 'Edna' shoes

Do I look cold in these photos? Boys oh, I was cold. These photos were taken at the start of February! The things we do for blogs, eh?!

The Flora dress comes with a couple of different options. You can go for a high-necked version with tab straps like this one, or a super-cute faux wrap top. You can attach this dipped hem circle skirt or a pleated circle skirt with a straight hem. As I said above, I decided to give the dipped-hem a version because I've never worn such a thing. I'm cautiously happy with it, even though it does mean my knees are on display! Here's how it looks from the side...

Yes I know I look as goofy as fuck, but it was cold. Still, doesn't the skirt look fun from the side?

As the skirt has a dipped hem, you can see the inside of it from the front. The girls suggest lining the skirt, and I think this would be amazing in a really pretty silk cotton or similar. As you can see, I didn't this time around because the wrong side of my fabric looks fine, but I was really careful to hem the skirt neatly and evenly!

And here's the back view! The pattern calls for a concealed zip, which I think is appropriate for this style of bodice. I did briefly consider subbing in a lapped zip but it just didn't seem right to do that! In any case, the instructions for inserting the concealed zip are so good that it was nae bother. I loooooove the way this dress looks from behind, I think it's very elegant. And, considering it's a mullet hem, really it's more party up front, business from behind - the front skirt pieces are pretty short. That's something for you leggier ladies to consider. I'm not even 5 foot 2 and the skirt is above my knees. You might want to add some length.

So, yes, it's unsurprising news that I love Flora. I had been pretty much decided to make myself a Georgia dress as a wedding dress, but I think Flora might be edging her out - as spring approaches, I am feeling more and more into the idea of wearing something pretty and flouncy rather than something slinky and sexy. Maybe I'll make both and have a wardrobe change part-way through the day like it's the Oscars or some shit. I mean, the wedding ceremony itself is only going to last 10 minutes but that's no reason for me to be not ridiculous about it, is it?

Let's just hope the weather is better for the wedding though, right?

Considering that I didn't make a muslin for this dress, I'm pretty happy with the fit. You can see some very slight wrinkling under the bust, which I could fix if I were feeling fussy. I'm not fussy, though. The next time I make this bodice, I'll take maybe an inch of width out of the neckline both front and back, because as it is they're not lying quite flat. But, see above. I'm not fussy.

I'm seeing a lot of Flora love in the sewing community this week and I'm not surprised - given Lauren, Sonja and Marie's amazing versions! They set the bar super high so I was feeling a bit anxious about blogging mine - but what's also cool is how inspired I am to get sewing another Flora dress soon, maybe in a dreamy floral this time.

This photo adds nothing to this post by this stage, but fuck it. Here it is anyway.

And on that thought, I'm going to say goodbye. I've had an exhausting week and I have a blanket to sink into and a DVD to watch. Tomorrow I'm off for a spot of fabric shopping with some sewing sweeties, so I'll catch up with you all next week. Happy Friday, everyone!

Those flowers were supposed to say "We love you, we're so sorry" not "You're dead. Let's disco."

Hello! I hope everyone is having a lovely Sunday. I'm in full-on hibernation mode as the beautiful, spring-like weather of the last few days has given way to a cold, drizzly, overcast day. I'm also feeling pretty Sunday-ish at the prospect of having to be in London all next week for work. I'll hopefully have a good week because, although I'm there for work, I have lots of fun things planned. Still though. I hate working in the London office. The food is better, but the atmosphere in that place sucks. And the food's not that much better.

Anyway, I really shouldn't be feeling too sorry for myself because things are pretty good. On Friday evening I got drunk, had my hair cut and went for dinner with Nic in our favourite restaurant. On Saturday morning we booked our honeymoon and it was sunny and mild enough to eat lunch in the park. I made amazing home-made bean and sweet potato burgers and we watched The Thing From Another World. I haven't done any sewing, but that's okay. Sometimes it's okay just to rest, hey?

I was sewing during the week, though. I finally got around to trying the new pattern from new pattern company Gather - the Mortmain. The girls at Gather very kindly sent the pattern to me as a gift, and a gift it was! As well as it being right up my street style-wise, the pattern envelope and instructions booklet is just gorgeous. It took me a little while to get to sewing Mortmain - in part because I was deep into my love affair with Emery. Anyway - I finally got around to making a toile of the bodice last weekend, and during the week I sewed up my dress. It was nice to break it down into small steps - I've been feeling a bit burned out over these last few weeks - but I'd say in total it didn't take more than a few hours.

Ms. Tree dress - Gather 'Mortmain' dress and Mel 'Raspberry' shoes

Isn't this fabric crazy?! It's not clothing fabric, it's more like home furnishing fabric. Although weirdly, while I would wear something like this, I wouldn't decorate my home with it! I bought it in the rag market when I went fabric shopping with Char and Sarah last month. It was £8 a metre and I bought 1.5 metres - the beauty of this kind of fabric is that it's pretty wide! 

There does seem to be an actual story of some kind running through the fabric. Typically of me, though, I forgot to read it before cutting it up! As far as I can tell, there are a couple of sassy redheads, someone called Betty, a boat and someone called Catman. And there is one beautiful piece of gobbledygook that made buying the fabric totally worthwhile because I love it so much:

Why yes, THAT'S RIGHT BETTY - HOW DO YOU FBRING REMOVINHUNGRY OF YOUR FOR CLOTHES BOIL ME?

That's a phrase I need to try to work into everyday conversation, am I right?

Now obviously, most of the time it's best to sew with fabrics that are designed to be worn. I wouldn't be running out and making lots of clothes out of upholstery fabrics or anything, but I think this fabric works well with this pattern. The heavier fabric holds the box pleats well and works with the wide waistband, and I think it also copes well with the exposed zip feature. But I'll show you that in a minute...

I wanted this red-head looking stricken next to a boat to be a focal point on the bodice, but when cutting it out I kind of forgot about the dart placement. So this is Dart Face the Second. Mind you, I don't think she looks too disfigured by it! Apart from the little bit of wrinkling where the bodice meets the waistband, I'm pretty happy with the fit of this dress too. I cut a size 8 and, as usual, I raised the shoulder seams by 1/4 of an inch and dropped the neckline to match. I increased the seam allowance at the bodice side seams slightly for a closer fit. Oh, and I lined the bodice. The pattern doesn't call for lining, but, you know, this is furnishing fabric. Wearing cotton lawn right next to my skin is more comfortable.

Lining the bodice meant that I ignored the pattern instructions for sewing it, but I did follow the instructions for inserting the zip. As I mentioned above, one of the design features of this dress is an exposed zip and I had never sewed one of those before. I was a little bit nervous, but I had an awesome heavy-duty zip in my stash courtesy of my friend Lauren, so I went for it. The instructions are really good and it's very straightforward and while I wouldn't do this for every dress, I think it looks awesome here:

Don't worry, though. If you don't like the exposed zip, you can just sew in a regular zip instead as the seam allowance is the same. 

Nic was tickled pink when I brought this fabric home from Birmingham. He loves comics. Not in a Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons kind of way, and not in that douchebaggy "actually they're graphic novels" way either. He just likes comics. Recently he's been reading a series of comics by Max Allan Collins and Terry Beatty about a badass crime-fighter called Ms. Tree. She's awesome. Her name is Michael, and she takes over her husband's PI business after he dies. 

I haven't read this issue yet, but my money is on the blonde in the middle row being the murderer.

Ms. Tree herself isn't a redhead, but I think you can see why this dress made me think of her. I love this woman, who looks like she wouldn't be out of place in a Ms. Tree comic:

And just to add silliness to silliness, I decided I'd pose with the comic in the sunshine:

This photo worked far better in my head than it did in real life.

So anyway, that's my Mortmain dress. It really is a lovely pattern. I'll be interested to see how the pleated skirt looks in a fabric with more drape to it. This is a narrower skirt than I have been sewing recently, although in this stiff fabric it doesn't look it, and I'm kind of curious to see how that will look in a lighter cotton. It's very exciting to see so many new independent pattern companies springing up in the UK and I'm very interested to see what Gather do next. The amount of work and love that has been put into the design and drafting of this pattern is obvious - I'm looking forward to their next release!

And this isn't going to be my last comic dress, either. Yesterday I bought myself a couple of metres of the new Alexander Henry Home Sewing is Easy fabric. Hawaii, baby!

Sunday night. It's time to pack for next week and then watch Inspector Morse. But before I go - the randomiser (Nic) picked a winner of the Simplicity sewing book. It's Peppercornius! Peppercornius - drop me an email with your address and I'll get that book in the post to you!