A Holly Non-Jumpsuit Dress

I love this fabric! I saw it on So-Zo-What-Do-You-Know blog on a holly playsuit way bag in September. Then in January I saw a bolt end at a slightly reduced price at Fabric Godmother and couldn't resist. Once it arrive I kept it in a drawer for a little while unsure what to make with it. But when I saw a holly dress on What Katie Sews I was pretty sure that work well for this fabric. And I think it rocks.

I only finished it after May started, but since my Me-Made-May pledge is to wear a different outfit each day I haven't had much opportunity to wear it. I am therefore having to be a little creative about new ways to make it work.

This dress, in my opinion, is casual enough for everyday. Sure I could dress it up or wear it out if I wanted to but I love a dress that I can wear every day and for me this one wins. If you fancy making one then you'll need a copy of the Holly Jumpsuit pattern from By Hand London and there is a tutorial on their blog here.

I am fairly confident I'll make another one of these soon but I often say that and then get distracted by something else so I won't make any promises this time. I'll give you a roundup of all my Me-Made-May outfits at the end of the month. See you soon. Zoe

Christmas Dresses Made For Two

Happy Christmas!

Too early? Well I have no problem with preparing for Christmas in November. In fact I originally planned to make this dress in October but then my fabric took a little while to arrive and then I had tonsillitis. I missed the deadline for the By Hand London's Hackathon but decided to hack-along any way.

So let me start with my dress:

The bodice is the holly jumpsuit bodice pattern. I loved the fit of this pattern on my tartan playsuit, flattering but not too tight and thought it would be perfect with a skirt for Christmas. I lost a little weight when I was ill so it's actually a little looser than I thought but it's pretty good. I probably need the extra space for Christmas Turkey any way.

I have fully lined the bodice, partly because the sequin fabric was quite itchy but also because it was a little see-through. I basically used this method for constructing the dress with the full lining. I lined with the viscose-rayon that I have made the skirt from. I loved working with this fabric, it has a lovely drapey and soft feel and it was pretty easy to work with. I wouldn't recommend it for a total beginner but if you are looking for something to sew with after a bit of practice with cotton it would be a good way to go.

The skirt is a full circle skirt so, of course, it is perfect for spinning:

And my daughter loved the spinning part too. So that brings me to her dress. I only bought 1m of the sequin fabric but it was more than enough to make the bodice and sleeves for mine and a mini bodice for a 3 year old. She has been so excited about this dress and I let her help me cut out the pattern pieces and do some of the sewing. Well I let her press down on the peddle while I guided the fabric through the machine but she thought she had made it all. Every one was happy.

Her dress bodice is from a book on making children's clothes that I've had for ages but not used much. The skirt is a half circle skirt, still good for spinning even if not quite as good as a full circle.

I also added a little flower to the waistband of her dress and hers doesn't have sleeves. I wanted it to be similar but not exactly the same. Now I just need to get her some sparkly shoes to wear with it.

 

So that is two dresses made ready to wear at Christmas. It was also a goal of mine to make something sparkly after Me-Made-May so I can tick another thing of that list too. 

I have a very small amount of the sequin fabric left and my sons want me to make them sparkly bow ties, what do you think - will it be too much? Well obviously I'll show you if I do. Happy Christmas! Hehe. Zoe x

5 Ways To Wear A Holly Playsuit

Let's face it, some items of clothing are trickier to wear than others. A Playsuit probably falls into this category but I love this one so much (read more about it here) I wanted to invent as many ways to wear it as possible to prevent it from being left at the back of the wardrobe. The By Hand London ladies claim that the Holly Jumpsuit is their most versatile pattern, it has two very different bodice variations to sew up with either shorts or trousers, plus you can just make a trouser version with the waistband pattern provided. That already sounds like quite a versatile pattern to me. Well today I going to prove that even if you have only made 1 version it can be a very versatile little number indeed. So without further ado, here are 5 ways to wear the Holly Playsuit.

As A Playsuit, no frills attatched.
The most obvious way to wear a playsuit is as it come. If yours (like mine) is a Autumnal one you can pop on some tights with it and you're good to go. Don't overlook this simple way to wear it.

With a Mismatching Jacket
A bold way to wear your playsuit could be with a mismatching jacket. Wearing a fabric that is similar but different might not be to everyones taste but I think it is my favourite of these 5 options. This tartan has a similar 'tone' to the tartan of the playsuit and a similar size check which is why it works well. You can apply these same principles when mismatching patterns on any outfit. For example matching black and white stripes with black and white spots; or matching spring florals with similar size flowers.

With a Woolly Knit

Wearing a playsuit with a wooly knit can totally change the look of the outfit. It looks like I am wearing shorts and a jumper. Let's hope I don't need a wee in a hurry in this outfit though! You could easily swap the woolly knit for a lighter jumper or cardi depending on the weather. Or you could just use the Holly jumpsuit pattern to make shorts in the first place.

With a Matching Skirt

After you have finished your playsuit you can use the leftover fabric to make a matching skirt. You can wear this separately obviously but you can also wear it over your playsuit to give it a more traditional dress look. This skirt is a full circle mini skirt but any skirt pattern will do.

With a Plain Skirt

But if you don't have any matching fabric left you could also wear your playsuit with a simple denim skirt, like this denim delphine. In fact any plain skirt would work with it, or even a patterned one if you fancied trying even more mismatching boldness.

Other ideas I had were to wear the playsuit with a leather jacket or a chambray shirt to show off the shorts more. When I make my summer floral one I will def be wearing it with a chambray shirt on many occasions. Can you think of any other ways to wear it? Zoe x

Let's All Jump For The Holly Jumpsuit!

I am so excited about this pattern I have literally been jumping about it. Well actually more like dorky dancing but still the sentiment is there. Of course it's the Holly jumpsuit form By Hand London. You may have noticed that I am huge fan of these ladies (not quite a stalker but not a million miles off). The patterns come in the most adorable packaging. They're DEFINITELY worth the extra pennies over some pdf patterns out there for this gorgeous design.

I made variation 1, the button up playsuit, and I haven't made a single alteration to the pattern. I patiently waited through their sew along to see if I would need to but decided to just go with a straight size 10/14 in the end. Technically I should have added a half centimetre to both sides of the crotch length, but decided 1/2 a cm wasn't worth the effort. (Gentlemen please avert your gaze while we discuss).

It fits just right around my bottom. Comfortable but not too baggy. Perfect.

 

I was pretty careful about pattern matching because I knew that it would be obvious with this tartan if I didn't. It's not quite perfect but it is close.

The invisible zip is perfect though, it is actually invisible. However the pattern matching along the side seams is pretty much non existent so don't look at this part too long.

I actually love the pattern. The shaping around the waist in the bodice and trouser is gorgeous. The ladies at By Hand London were claiming it is their most versatile pattern yet and I think they are 100% right. I am really looking forward to a few pattern hacks with it, and I will certainly be making a jumpsuit version (you know with the trouser length legs) at some point. I know the tartan is a more Autumn/Winter style but I thought it would be too much in full length. Ironically I plan to make a floral full length one for Spring/Summer.

My biggest concern came when I stitched the shorts to the bodice and tried it on. It looked like I had made myself some pyjamas. I decided to take a couple of inches off the short length and then tried it on with tights and it looked much better. At least I don't think it looks like I am about to catch some z's any more. What do you think?

To prove the BHL ladies right I am planning another 'ways to wear it' post about this playsuit to share with you soon. Better stop jumping around now and start some real work. Ciao. Zoe x