I didn’t intend this Liberty fabric I bought just before Christmas to become a hack of the By Hand London Flora pattern, or indeed a top at all. But, after making (and failing badly at) a pleated skirt using the fabric, I decided I had enough fabric left to eke out a top from it. And I’m glad I did.
I haven’t done any sewing for a few weeks now, what with being in London for work and all, but I did make this beautiful (if I do say so myself) dress before I went. I don’t really know what to say about this dress, except that it’s another Emery pattern, in a Liberty Strawberry Thief print. I really love my Liberty print!
Despite making quite a few of these dresses now, this Emery still turned out differently, even though I followed the same instructions. I’m not sure whether I was a little bit tighter with the seam allowances but this one was bigger in the waist and bodice than any of my previous attempts. Hmmmm.
I’m also a massive fan of the length of the Emery dress, but the last one was just a little bit too long. So I shortened this one quite a bit and now the length is perfect for me.
I loved working with the Strawberry Thief fabric and I loved that it had quite a straight print as it made me really take notice of how I cut it and of making each part match up. I’m really pleased with how it turned out.
The only thing that’s slightly annoying me is that I made a facing for the neckline. Although I love facings generally, this one seems a bit bulky in the front and needs pressing down. My initial plan for this dress was to make matching bias binding for the neckline and arms, but I cut out the facing before remembering my plan and didn’t really want the beautiful fabric to go to waste. I think, in the future, I may take it out and try the bias binding option.
Like the other Liberty fabric, this one too is very thin but I’m sure I’ll get a lot of wear out of this dress. Plus, it’s Strawberry Thief! Who doesn’t like birds picking fruit from a tree on their clothes?
I spent last weekend in London, welcoming my brother back from a 12 week trip to Tanzania.
One place I always, always go to when I visit London is Liberty’s. The thing about Liberty’s is that I feel at home there and it’s so timeless inside that I can always imagine it through the ages.
Liberty’s always makes me feel at home
Some pretty plates on show at Liberty’s
Getting some crafting inspiration
Obviously, being the crafter that I am, I went straight to the fabric department. Unfortunately, I always find that you need a mortgage to shop there and, in the past, I’ve only bought small things like fabric covered buttons. But this time I was lucky enough to find a lovely piece of fabric, in the offcuts section.
This fabric offcut will make a lovely scarf
The fabric is a nice, long length and I think it’ll make a nice scarf. Plus, it only cost me about £6, so it’s really not an expensive project. Expect a DIY in the days to come, as I make this beauty into a wearable scarf.