My first forays into a Lilou Dress

I am awful at blogging, so I have decided to write this post straight after the last one, and then schedule it to be posted another day. I love being able to do that! I feel very organised! I may even do another one! (or not. but you will have to wait a couple of days to see if I have or if I have not…)

I have been busy though; I travelled back home for the Easter holidays, did some teaching, met up with some friends, reapplied for student finance, did a lot of shopping… so I have not been idle!

I have also painstakingly traced round the Lilou dress pattern from Tilly Walnes’ ‘Love at First Stitch’, which I got at Christmas. It took me forever, and I had monopoly over the dining room table for the best part of a morning, but I did get it done! (I thought I had photos of this, but apparently not. Not that they would have been particularly exciting photos mind you.. just image a lot of paper on a table)

This holiday I was supposed to be making a Ruby dress for my sister, however at the last minute she decided to watch the rugby instead of going fabric shopping, so I don’t think it will be done this time round. I did go shopping and pick up a lot of bedding (prettily patterned ones from charity shops) so that she wouldn’t have to leave the house to pick the fabric, but alas, none of them she liked. Her loss really! I found the nicest patterned one; white with pink and yellow and blue flowers; it is very summery!

I was planning on making my first Lilou dress with a yellow and white table cloth that my Nana bought me at the same time as she bought my cat lady material, but I have left it in Plymouth. I was a bit at a loss because I don’t have much fabric here (hence why my sorbetto is made out of very stiff cushion covering, and looks like something out of a children’s book), and I had really wanted to do some sewing.

That is when I put two and two together, and used some pretty bedding fabric to make my Lilou!

This is the fabric folded in two. It was a double duvet cover (thank goodness) and the underside was plain white. So I decided to do something different. I cut through both layers at the same time, cutting out a lining at the same time! I have never sewn with lining before, and it is a bit tougher on the old sewing machine so I am doing most by hand.

Here is my attempt at doing a scalloped neckline… I don’t think it has quite worked, but I will see when I try it on! If not, I will just shear it off and no one will be any the wiser! (unless they have read this blog post which I doubt)

 

I know I know, the photos are upside down etc etc but hey, I can live with that! Just look at the pretty fabric!

I machined-sewed the darts in the bodice, and the tops of the arms together, and the rest I am hand-sewing because I don’t think the machine can handle four layers of fabric, and I feel more in control this way anyway. The pleats have gone in, and everything is pinned into place so the next time I have five minutes, I can get straight to it! I have just ordered a zip from eBay, which will arrive when I am on holiday, so that is perfect. The pattern/Tilly calls for an invisible zip but hey. Why stress myself? I don’t want that extra hassle, and I’m sure an exposed zip will be fine….

That is it for now, after Easter weekend I will get back to it, and sew with renewed vigour, but for now, have a lovely break!