Day in the office

Let me tell you a secret - every girl need a silk blouse! You put in on and feel like you can do anything! So when I know I'm going to have a tough day in the office this blouse is my secret weapon!

The blouse was made using the vintage inspired pussy bow pattern from the Great British Sewing Bee book. It is my second make using a pattern from that book - both are quite successful! The instructions are amazing, I didn't have any problems putting the blouse together. There are only two things I'd change if I ever make this top again - the instructions don't tell you to interface the edges where the buttons and buttonholes go. It looks a bit messy! The other thing I completely missed is the fact the blouse is designed to have drop shoulders. They never look good on me, so I had to adjust the armhole shape. It did affect my sleeve length and they ended up on a short side. I made size 16 with no alteration other than the shoulders. Size 14 with an FBA would probably be better - I was just too lazy to adjust the pattern.

I wasn't sure if the blouse like that would suit me so I chose to make it out of some dotted charcoal silk I got during one of the fabric sales. It was my first time working with silk but it was surprisingly nice to work it. Luckily it's not of of those super-shifty ones! Microtex needles helped a lot and kept the stitching nice and even.

I do like this blouse more than I expected I would! I usually wear the ties loose, I think it works better for me that way. I also learnt a bit about handling more slippery and delicate fabric that I'm not used to. So I guess it is a win-win for me - I got a nice silk blouse that cost me under $10 and learnt a lot during the process!

Sweet dreams!

First thing first - I'm not a pyjamas person to be honest. I'm more of a T-shirt kind of girl when it comes to sleeping. I can't ever remember last time I had a set of matching pyjamas! Although I think this might change soon!

During last fabric sale I spotted some cotton covered in pineapples and right away I knew it was going to become pyjamas. I wanted something classic -  buttoned top and cuffed bottom. I immediately thought about Carolyn Pajamas by Closet Case Files. Within a day the pattern was printed and taped and the fabric was cut. It's unusual for me, usually both patterns and fabrics have to mature a little bit in my stash before I use them ;)

I made size 14 but followed the lines for size 16 on the outside thigh seams. The fit is pretty good - my pyjamas are loose enough to comfortably move around in bed but not overly baggy. I wanted to have cuffed sleeves and bottoms but the length turn out to be just right without them and I just couldn't be bothered. Sometimes I am so lazy!

I am really happy I went ahead with piping. It was my first time using it and it turn out pretty well. I expected piping to be more fiddly to be honest! The biggest problem was caused by interfacing I used. It was super heat sensitive and there was a very fine line between the interfacing not sticking to my fabric at all and distorting and melting! So the facing and the collar are not as nice and smooth as they should. The other problem is with the facing not staying fixed in place. Next time I'll stitch it down.

I really like the finished pyjamas! Comfortable and they have pockets, and everyone knows that pockets are awesome! Pineapples are awesome too so double points for me ;)