Patterns and unexpected plans

Unexpectedly I fell in love with a dress on the Sew Different stand at The Stitch Festival, and as I said in my previous post about the show, I would have happily bought the made up version if that had been an option. I loved everything about it - the main fabric, the contrasting frill and the shape, but I wasn’t convinced I could actually make it and spent a fair while looking at the pattern and the dress more closely.

And talking myself into it. I know I can sew, and I know I can follow patterns. However, mostly I don’t sew clothes, or follow patterns that closely, but it hit me hard and so I’m going to give it a go. As it was the material that was also part of the draw, I was keen to find out where that was from. Speaking to the people on the stand I learnt it was from Lady McElroy Fabrics, who were also at the show.

Guess where I headed next.

I showed the Lady McElroy people my picture and they knew the fabric, what was less easy was finding it on their stall, even for them they had that many fabrics. They even offered to check their van, but with people with bolts of fabric in their hands behind me, I decided to wait and order online. The doubts were creeping in again, but I left with the fabric name and a discount code, so it wasn’t all bad.

As I was browsing patterns I also saw this sundress pattern, and I thought perhaps a sundress might be easier to start with. I think sundresses are also pretty timeless, and this one looked pretty versatile too. I remembered the yellow fabric I’d bought at the Knitting & Stitching Show back in 2021 where I had the opposite conundrum - falling in love with the fabric, and not knowing what I’d make. I couldn’t remember how much I’d bought though…

Later on I dug the fabric out from where it had been safely stored and rough measured the quantity, and as I half expected it’s unlikely that I have enough - but won’t the cute birds look great for this design?

LEFT: THE UNWORN DRESS
RIGHT: THE PROBABLY NOT ENOUGH FABRIC

The cogs were whirring and I remembered the dress I bought for my brother’s original date Covid-delayed wedding. I bought it in the sale because I loved the fabric, the fit needed some work, but as it turned out I never wore it as when the wedding took place last year I saw another dress that worked just as well with the hat I’d bought back in March 2020. The dress has hung in my wardrobe since, and I still love that fabric.

I wondered what it would look like alongside the bird fabric, and if it could work. I think it can - the colours are more similar than it looks in the photo, they are a similar fabric type and have a similar weave. They are clearly different styles, but that’s part of what appeals to me. If you’re going to make your own then you really don’t have to stick to convention do you, and I’m pretty certain there won’t be another one the same!

Of course, what looked like it would be a simpler make just got more complicated as the dress needs to be unpicked first (once I’m really sure it will work) and the pattern carefully planned and laid out before any cutting out will start. From then on though, it should be back on course.

I steeled myself and took my two patterns to the desk to pay to learn of the ‘too good to miss’ show deal for three patterns, so back I went and picked up the pattern which I’d almost opted for instead of the sundress.

It was an easy choice as I’d already ummed and ahhed about this one, but also because over the last year I’ve found myself wearing jeans most days, and they have become my default option and sometimes I wish they weren’t. So a casual, easy to wear dress for almost any weather could be a good addition to my wardrobe, and as you’ll know from my plans for the sundress and my love of scrappy quilts, the number of materials in the pattern also appealed.

I’m glad I chose this pattern as further around the show I fell in love with this embroidered chambray. In fact there were so many gorgeous fabrics around the show, I’m surprised I only left with this one, the panels below and plans to buy the fabric for the first dress.

I think I've bought too much of the embroidered chambray, as the pattern says to use this on the back as well. Though on reflection I think the back should be plain, but I can’t say I’m that upset to have more of this fabric than I need. I just need to collect fabric for the other sections now, and I’m sure that won’t be that hard once I put my mind to it!

So I have plans for three dresses, what now?

1. I’ve ordered the material for the Darjeeling Frock, and I’m waiting for it to arrive. I knew the contrasting fabric wasn’t from the same place, but didn’t know where it was from so I’ve ordered a metre of two spotted fabrics to see which works best. I’ve also guessed at the amount I’ll need for a contrast frill, as the pattern uses the same fabric for the whole dress. I’m looking forward to receiving my order, but of course that will mean moving to the next step - choosing the contrast fabric, opening the pattern and getting started. Eek!

2. So I potentially have the fabric - or two of them - for the Fleetwood Frock, but what should have been the easiest option is more complicated and will take some concerted brain power to ensure I have enough material before I start cutting out. That’s another eek!

3. I’m less far forward with my plans for the Essential Denim Dress, and that’s ok. Given that I have that lovely fabric and need more fabric to complement and contrast, I know this one will follow as there’s no way that I will leave the embroidered fabric shut away for too long.

What I do need is to get started, I know that I’m a procrastinator especially when it’s something new. But I also know that it’s completely do-able, and mum’s on standby to provide advice when needed (as it will be needed) and I’m sure the sense of achievement will be immense, even if the dresses turn out a little wonkier than they’re supposed to be.

They’ll be my kind of wonky!

My garden in March

In February’s post I hoped that March would get the memo and be warmer, and it may well have done for a few days at least, but it was generally a very wet month, so once again there’s been very little time spent in the garden. With the rain though comes growth and it’s the camellia which keeps delivering its red blooms, and the promise of tulips which have really come on that are the highlights as I look back at March.

But let’s start with the promise of new growth that comes with Spring, whatever the weather.

It wasn’t all sun and rain though, early in the month - this was our view. Thankfully it didn’t hang around for long.

The euphorbias have started to share their lime green freshness, and I’ve moved the pots of tulips nearer to the house so we can enjoy their colour. I’m still so pleased with myself for potting them into large flower pots which can be inserted into the heavier terracotta pots on the patio. Not only are they much lighter to move around, it’s such a good way of adding seasonal colour without a lot of effort, I’ll be doing more of that for sure!

The forsythias are such cheery plants and each year I welcome their bust of colour. This small plant, which is close to the patio, seems to get more and more vibrant with each year and is complemented by the larger bush further down the garden. Again having repeating plants in a garden really makes a difference and brings it all together - and often is cheaper, especially if you can propagate new plants from cuttings.

I’ll leave you with a final shot of the tulips in their winter resting spot, which they seemed to approve of. I’m hoping we’ll be enjoying the colour they bring for a good few more weeks yet, but that is likely to be dependant on the wind - wish us luck!

Visiting the Whitechapel Gallery

At the end of last week, after a particularly wet and grey week we decided to break from the norm and make the most of the lighter evening following the clock change. The week hadn’t brought the bright Spring days we were hoping for, and getting out and staying dry was a challenge. However we were not to be fazed, with MOH on the early shift our plan was to head for a museum or gallery - increasing our odds of staying dry - before heading out for dinner.

Some quick online research showed that the Whitechapel Gallery was our best bet. It was open later than most, was relatively easy to get to and neither of us had been there before. It’s set in a beautiful historic building right on Whitechapel High Street with all the hustle and bustle of daily life right on its doorstep, and no doubt an integral part of its community.

We started at the top at one of the free exhibitions - the House of Le Bas (which is on until 31 May) which shares the life and experiences of Delaine Le Bas and her late husband Damian Le Bas and their perspective as English Romani Gypsy Travellers. The room is full of colour with artwork, journals, photographs and embroidery with stories that resist stereotypes and question what it means to be an ‘outsider’.

There was just so much to see, it’s one of those exhibitions that while only in a relatively small space you could visit more than once, and each time see something new or different. I was taken with the amount of work that had clearly gone into each piece, and as you can see from my photos, they’re all incredibly detailed. I appear to be drawn to things with this amount of detail at the moment, and to items that have layers and depth - the whole creation process is fascinating to me, and these pieces were no different.

Thought provoked we made our way back down to the ground floor peeking into the other galleries and spaces, admiring the building as much as the artwork before heading into Zadie Xa’s exhibition titled: House Gods, Animal Guides and Five Ways 2 Forgiveness which closes on 30 April. It’s the largest solo exhibition in London to date for Korean-Canadian artist Zadie Xa and shows a new body of work commissioned by the gallery.

The installation with its sculptures, textiles and paintings along with the immersive lighting and audio are certainly impactful, and once again full of colour and texture. The exhibition’s design, in conjunction with collaborator artist Benito Mayor Vellejo, draws you in and around the space leading you to the large fabric structure inspired by a tranditional Korean home, known as a hanok.

The colours were rich and evocative, transporting you to a different world to the one that was most likely rushing past just a few metres away. And while these were amazing, my favourite piece from our visit was yet to come.

Now isn’t that just amazing?

I believe this piece as Grandmothers (2022) which alongside was the details: hand-sewn and machine-stitched mixed fabrics, bleached and dyed denim, shell buttons and dried flowers. So once again I’ve been drawn to a piece which mixes and matches to great effect and layers textures and materials. I wasn’t surprised that this was the wow piece for me, even though everything I’ve shown in this post was pretty special.

So a late afternoon-early evening well spent, visiting a gallery we’d not been to before and experiencing artists we’d not known about before our visit either. We were also lucky enough not to get rained on and treated ourselves to a steak at the Flat Iron in relatively nearby Spitalfields, which also didn’t disappoint.

All in all a hugely successful impromptu visit, and I’m hoping we’ll have many more of these as the year progresses, wherever we may be!