My First Coco

I really should be doing housework.

But, I could not wait a second longer to share my latest make.

Ta-dah!

I'll keep this post short and to the point. It is an instant `I like this dress a lot' hit for me. I feel good wearing it - and, after a long deliberation over which colour tights to wear with it (which nearly made us all late for school), I have worn it out in public less than twelve hours after finishing it.

The pattern is Tilly's Coco. If you have been living on the moon or not looked at any sewing blogs recently, you may not have picked up on it yet. But go and order yourself one right now, you hear me? Despite being made in the dreaded jersey, this dress was a dream to sew.  I managed the entire cutting out and sewing process in an evening, and that was with a deliberate take it slow and careful approach so as not to muck up this make. I used my ordinary machine, switching between a ball point needle for the seams and a twin needle for all the top stitching. Tilly's instructions are so clear that even a beginner could take the plunge into DIY clothing and come out with a good result. Plus, there are plenty of extra tips on her blog.

So, what did I enjoy most? Probably making a funnel neckline and the twin stitching turning out to be easier than anticipated. (I'll be honest and tell you that I wasn't entirely sure what a funnel neckline was until opening up the pattern, but now that I've got one, by golly I quite like it.)

As for the wearing, well, dilemma over tights aside, it is fast to slip on and get out of the house in the morning, and, it is the most comfortable dress I've come across. Perfect for chasing around after four children, then. And, as I have just had loads of compliments from my other mummy mates on the school run, I think I will be a bit braver over my clothes from now on. With red lippy, too (get me, eh?). I'll wear a bit more of my home made wardrobe on a day to day basis, instead of my jeans and t shirt uniform, and keeping the nice stuff for best.

Talking of which, I have just looked down and noticed a smear of something (snot?) on my cuff, that a small child has kindly left me as a parting gift, lest I get carried away in my funky new dress and forget who I really am. Just as well I have a couple more versions planned, then, ready for when this one goes in the wash (a smear of something doesn't warrant a wash yet, in case you were wondering).

As for my plans for the stripy one. Well now. Thanks so much for all the comments. I took them all on board, and sat down to order the fabric, only to discover both the favourites (A and C) had sold out! I guess I should have figured that might happen the week after Tilly recommended some places to buy some good quality jersey. D'oh. Still, on the bright side, I have gone for Something Completely Different instead. The stuff of fabric dreams, I tell you. More of that another time.

Have any of you made a Coco yet, or have one planned for this weekend's sewing? I'd love to hear from you if so.

The winners of my Fondant Fancy Kits are Sarah Stephenson, who said she loved the measuring tape fabric, and (I thought I'd go for two in the end) Gemma, who said she liked Fabric A the best. Ladies, please email me your details, and I will post your goodies out to you.

Now, where's that hoover?

[Update - I forgot to include the details of the fabric on the original post, and a number of people have asked about it. I bought mine from TissuFabrics - and it was a bargain at £3.99 per metre. I have also hacked back the sleeves to 3/4 length (as per the pattern, I realise!) and put cuffs back on them, and like the dress even more now.]

Can't decide which fabric for my Coco - please help!

favourite shoes, skirt and purse

Good morning, my lovely readers.

The sun is shining here in Bedford, today, and so it has bought with it an optimistic feeling about my wardrobe. By this, I mean I am imagining myself skipping off for the school run (okay, power walking whilst encouraging my girls to scooter faster so we aren't late) without a coat on.

Coco pattern from Tilly and the Buttons

And, when it is warm enough to do that, I want to be wearing a stripy Coco dress. I am thinking blue and white, as the shoes I love wearing most are red. And, I would like some pockets on it - a bit like the mustard ones Tilly has used, only the pockets on the dress I am dreaming up are going to be green - because, that is my favourite and my best and so of course they will be that colour (you know you have spent too much time reading/watching Charlie and Lola when your own inner monologue starts to speak like Lola).

Yesterday, I spent the quiet morning slot (whilst only have the baby around) riffling through my wardrobe and all the various black sacks I had stuffed clothes into during the moving house and being pregnant months. Half way through this major sort out, I looked at my bedroom floor and the landing, and realised it reminded me of that old advert for Yellow Pages, where the girl comes into the boy's flat and sees the mess and assumes he has been burgled.

FIRM FAVOURITES: Amy Butlet Lotus Tunics, a couple of infinity scarves, a Ginger Skirt, (another) Lisette 2211 and two Kelly Skirts

I sorted my clothes into piles - those that are hand made and those that are not. Not because one is necessarily better than the other - but more for me to see them all laid out in one place again, and, in the case of the hand made things, appreciate quite how much I had ended up with.

MEDIOCRE PILE (Gosh, I got my money's worth out of that Lisette 2211 pattern!)

After that, I sorted each of the two piles (hand made and shop bought) into sub piles. Those I liked and fitted; those I liked and would need to breathe in a lot and accept a certain amount of bulge if I was to wear them right now; those I had made but in all honesty didn't love enough to wear that much; and those that were out and out rejects and were not likely to see the light of day any time soon.

Lisette 2211 made with gorgeous red wool from Nottingham

In the first category, came a few happy rediscoveries - such as my red woollen skirt (Lisette 2211) - where I had just got lazy in my jeans, t shirt and cardigan habit and forgotten to wear. What I noticed, is that skirts tend to be the big success stories in my hand made wardrobe so far. The Kelly Skirts would both join the red skirt in this category. The two Amy Butler dresses (Lotus Tunic) also fell into the hand made and love wearing category, but these get less wear mainly because they are not stretchy and are therefore not massively comfortable for chasing around and bending down looking after children. I do still feel wonderful wearing them for special occasions.

RARELY WORN: Jasmine tops (x3); Liberty Tunic (another version of Lisette 2211 with Peter Pan collar added), skirts with flounces I no longer like, and my gorgeous polka dot silk maternity dress/tent (this will be refashioned)

The final (failure) category was made up of a variety of things - some that I had just leapt in without enough thought over fabric and had therefore sewn something that I don't love wearing; some that I have fallen out of love with the style; and, some that I think could be chopped up and made into something new. More of that clever and cunning plan in a future post (if I ever fulfil the plan, of course!).

But, back to the wardrobe, and the purpose of this post.

I am glad I bothered to empty my clothes all over the floor yesterday, because I think it has given me a bit more clarity over what I like and what I don't when it comes to my clothes. It has also given me a better sense of where the genuine gaps are, too. I have a bad habit of impulse buying some fabric on a whim, only to realise too late that I have made myself a garment that doesn't really go with anything else I wear, and therefore becomes redundant.

Some running needs to happen before these look decent!

I like stripes. I like stretchy clothing. I am confident the Coco is going to become a wardrobe staple for me. A firm favourite that will make me feel good when I put it on.

Well worn but faded

And this is where I'd like your help deciding. Tilly's blog is full of inspiration and useful advice, including where to buy fabrics for Coco. I have been looking. But, without breaking the bank and ordering all the ones I like, I need to make a choice. 

Fabric A

Fabric B

Fabric C

Fabric D

And the criteria (so I avoid making another thing that doesn't work with the wardrobe I have) is that it will be the dress version of Coco with green pockets, and will be worn with red shoes (and black leggings on cooler (for that read `haven't shaved my legs for quite a while') days.

Please can you comment - either below or on the Facebook or Twitter feed, and I'll hold off ordering until after the weekend when I have hopefully had a few replies and a firm favourite is coming through. I have a little treat I plan to gift to one lucky reader who comments - more about that in the next post (need to snap a picture first). Thanks, everyone - and feel free to comment away!

My Fun Skirt

Pattern from Sew Serendipity by Kate Wyatt

It was a beautiful morning yesterday. I have a little tree in my front garden, and the blossom on it looked so stunning against the blue sky that I couldn't resist taking a picture or two with the intention of including it in this post.

This one little act was clearly the kiss of death. The weather gods have noticed, and even overheard my optimistic murmurings about spring being on its way, and punished us all with torrential rain and grey skies. Local readers, for this, I am truly sorry. If it makes up for it, I am sporting the drowned rat look with spectacularly bedraggled looking fringe and rain all over spectacles.

Ready for the obligatory awkward looking self timer picture?

This skirt has taken me about three times longer to make than it should have done. And it took me back to being fourteen, when, my poor mother made me a dress for a very special occasion. Back then, no amount of persuading would convince me that the right side of the satiny fabric I had chosen was in fact the right side, and, it being the right side, the side that the finished garment would look best showing. My mum finished the entire thing, only for me to look at her and tell her I would rather she had made it on the shiny side after all. It was (like this skirt) made up of panels. How she did not murder me on the spot I will never know. As I remember it, she smiled (no doubt through gritted teeth) and said, `Okay', before unpicking the whole lot and making it the way she had tried to tell me it should have been in the first place.

The story of this skirt, and why it needed to be unpicked and made again, was that I finished it (all bar the ruffle at the bottom) and decided I didn't like one of the fabrics I had chosen for two of the four side panels.

Only once I could see the skirt looking wrong did I get a sudden clarity over how it would look right.

Much, much, much unpicking was needed. An entire evening of it. Because, I had well and truly finished off every raw edge in sight with that super over locker of mine. And while I was about it, I unpicked and re did the zip, too. This time, having bought a dark zip that matched the purple fabric, instead of the pale pink one I tried to convince myself wouldn't show. Silly girl.

The fabrics I used were all from Fabric Rehab, and were as follows:

Foxtrot Purple and Urbanista Glasses, both by Michael Miller, and, Vintage Rulers (not sure of the designer), Bella Solids in Eggplant and Dove.

I made the pocket detailing with some applique - the template came from Mollie Makes, so I didn't even need to come up with one myself.

And now, well, I do rather like my skirt. It is completely unique (there are probably not many skirts for grown ups with squirrels and foxes on the front), it has fabrics in it that I love and make me smile. I feel good wearing it. All that unpicking was worth it.

Tulip Skirt

Ta dah!

A quick post to show off my finished skirt. This is the only picture you're getting, as it was a quick self-timer shot, taken on the day I wore the skirt and you really don't need to see my awkward looking face.

As for the skirt - I like it! The fabric was from John Lewis - bought on a whim just because I liked it so much and knew I would like an item of clothing made out of it. I think it is most definitely a statement skirt - the colours are so vibrant and happy that I reckon if skirts had the power to influence the weather outside and the mood people are in, then this would be the one to do it.

The pattern - Megan Neilson's Kelly skirt - is now a firm favourite of mine. Being made up of rectangles, it is easy to cut out, and it sews up nicely, too. The shape is one that I think would flatter most people, and the pockets - well, they are nice and big and perfect for stuffing cold hands into or keys as I dash out to do the school run.

Ah, actually, less dashing and more gentle shuffling. I woke up last weekend with crippling back pain, and it has stayed with me. Classic sciatica, I am told. If you happen to come across someone with it, be extra nice to them. I would rather give birth than lie awake with a leg that feels like it is about to explode, which is the best way I can describe it. I'm hoping the drugs will start working properly soon. Until then, I am feeling grateful for my friends and family, who are all being extra nice to me.

The measuring tape doesn't lie

Megan Nielson's Kelly Skirt

So, even though we moved house a good couple of months of so ago - there are still a few big bags and boxes of things that I have left in cupboards, only to be looked at when I realise I need something that might be in one of them.

Last night, I had to have a rummage into one of my big yet to be unpacked boxes of sewing things, as I wanted to hunt out a couple of patterns - the first being the Kelly skirt, pictured above.

This is what came into my head when I saw the tulip fabric (pictured below, drying after its pre sewing wash). It is a beautiful quality cloth, with a slight stretch to it. I think the vibrant colours are just perfect for a feel good skirt for autumn and winter. And I have chosen a lovely bright lining fabric (also pictured) to give the finished skirt an extra bit of warmth and quality.

Tulip fabric - an eye watering £26 per metre from John Lewis

And, as I needed to get a sense of sizing, I thought I would try on the version I made last autumn. This skirt was only worn a handful of times before I discovered I was expecting Charlotte, and my waistline seemed to pop out days later. Why something not yet even the size of a jelly bean would lead to such an increase in size remains a mystery (maybe it was cake more than baby!), but it meant the skirt did not fit me for long at all. 

It still doesn't - I laughed to myself at how unlikely those top buttons (or indeed the two below them as well) are to do up this side of Christmas. And so, as I love the style - not least for its super practical pockets - I'm going to make myself a bigger version that I can get pleasure out of wearing now. Believe me, my daily `what on earth am I going to wear that fits/enables breastfeeding/is quite clean' dilemma is proof I could do with a few new clothes.

I genuinely do not care that certain clothes of mine that I love are off limits for now. I'm afraid I get on my high horse when I hear anything in the media that sounds like pressure being put on women to bounce back into shape quickly after giving birth. 

Granted, I have started running again. And yes, I did set up (and will be returning back to) a mums' running group, which meets a couple of times a week in my local park. My hubby refers to the sight of us pushing our prams and running as `the herd'. 

But running is about two things for me: feeling good and enjoying food. Running has been a life line to me since being a mum - both for the chance to get out and meet with other mums and for the psychological boost exercising in the fresh air gives me. As for food - well, last night's pudding is a case in point as to why I have no intention of cutting back in that department. I would rather go for a run than contemplate a diet. I know that it keeps my metabolism nice and high and enables me to enjoy eating pretty much anything.

In fact, there are certain banned words in my house now that I have children. I know, that makes me sound quite teacher like - and I guess I am. `Diet' and `fat' are words I have vowed my daughters will never hear me say - I know I have little control over the fact they will of course come across stupid messages about women and their bodies, but I am determined they are going to live with someone who has nothing but a positive message to give them. We haven't got any bathroom scales, either.

`Boring' and `hate' are other banned words, in case you are wondering. Oh God. I really do sound like my grandparents! (They were teachers, too.) But, I just don't want them to have those words as a regular part of their vocabulary.

pancakes, ice cream and blackberry syrup

Anyhow, where was I going with this? Oh yes. The measuring tape.

Whilst I could set myself a goal to get back into shape and then reward myself once I have done it with a new skirt in my original size, I have no intention of doing this. As I picked up the tape measure, I did so with the attitude that women who have recently given birth are almost certainly going to be slightly rounder - and the task of looking after a baby is physically and mentally demanding enough without additional pressure of weight loss targets.

I know I gain weight after birth, due to the amount of cake/fish&chips you (ahem) need to eat to breastfeed a baby... and that is not including the numbers of energy boosting biscuits that need to go with the many cups of tea required to keep caffeine levels high enough to stay awake.

I am the size I am, and I think I look great - even if rounder and wobblier than a year ago. I genuinely do. I count myself flipping lucky to be a mother, and my changed shape is a result of that.

I hesitated over typing those words for fear of sounding conceited, because we women are not meant to be satisfied with our bodies. But if I want my daughters (and heck, there are four of them now - with all those weddings to pay for, too, as everyone keeps reminding my hubby) to grow up in a world that sees beyond how fat or thin they happen to be, I reckon it has to start with me.

And so, sleep levels and general inclination to get up off the sofa of an evening permitting, I hope I'll soon be wearing a gorgeous new skirt that fits me nicely as I am now. That is two sizes bigger than last year, in case you are wondering. (In my head, I thought it might be just a size bigger, but the measuring tape doesn't lie - and ignoring its message would only result in a tailor made skirt that I still had to breathe in to do up and that would be a ridiculous thing to make.) And if at some point in the future it needs adjusting (due to dedication to running rather than too much cake consumption) then that will be a nice problem to have.

There. Well done if you have made it to the end of this post. I salute your staying power.

Not long now..

Rather embarrassingly, the hubby returned home from work just at the point I'd figured out how to use the self timer on my camera and was mid way through attempting to take these awkwardly posed pictures of myself wearing my newly finished scarf. Oops!

I've had a dream of a day. There is no denying that. After a few weeks of frantic `nesting' since moving into the new house, I now have nothing much to fill my diary beyond setting myself daily tasks such as `buy some sunglasses' (tick) whilst waiting for baby to arrive.

I am lucky enough to be feeling good. Really good. Today was a sunny day, and I decided to wear my polka dot frock just for the heck of it, and that definitely enhanced my good mood. I love love love the swishy swish of the silk as I glide/waddle about the place. And, I detect a certain amusement for those around me as they marvel at the ridiculous side profile the polka dot tent gives the bump and congratulate me on managing to stand up. I am bringing smiles to people's faces with my gravity defying bump.

I'm so excited about the prospect of meeting the baby. Maybe more so than the previous pregnancies... not that I'd admit that in front of the girls, of course. I'm enjoying getting plenty of sleep and having loads of time to myself whilst the littlest girl is at pre school.

Smug? Possibly, but I know my time will come soon enough. There is a good reason sleep deprivation is used as a form of torture, and when it hits, these big sunglasses will come in handy.

After a relaxing morning, I was unexpectedly treated to an equally relaxing afternoon. The littlest girl and I had lunch together, and then she took herself off to bed!

Knowing I'd pay for it later at bedtime (I did), I decided to let her sleep - and then made myself a cup of tea and took it to bed and put the radio on. I could be giving birth any day now, so I should conserve my energy, right?!

I did a spot of crocheting, and then, not remotely sleepy, took myself off downstairs and made this silk scarf. I used the same pattern and instructions as my birdie scarf - only, being lazy, I just traced the dimensions from the original scarf, so it was a lot quicker to make.

As you can see, I've used the leftover material from the frock, and coupled it with some tangerine coloured satin I bought with the scarf in mind.

A top tip (from my mum) if you do decide to make your own silk scarf is to use a nice fine ball point needle. Avoids all tension headaches, even if the material is still a slippery customer to work with.

Anyway, that's about it from me for now. I'm off to bed, wondering whether tonight it going to be the night baby decides to make an appearance...

The Polka Dot Tent

Polka dot frock

Pamela was right. You cannot be too over dressed for fish and chips. Especially not when you're hosting a party, and have spent the best part of a fortnight feeling rather ropey due to dodgy iron levels. The combination of iron tablets (and plenty of steak and broccoli) kicking in, this frock and a new lipstick to go with it were just the thing to get me ready for a lovely night with friends.

Best not to mention the ever so slightly wonky mirror. The husband has already made that mistake. I'll get round to correcting it one day. Let's just say my impatience got the better of me, and this was the result of my best efforts with a pencil, a set square and a drill. That mirror is a lot heavier than you'd imagine, and I am sure it's the factory fixtures on the mirror itself that are a bit out, and not my measuring...

The dress is a beauty to wear. The silk is suitably swishy and luxurious feeling. I don't know why I held off finishing the thing for so long, as I thoroughly loved wearing it. Still, I plan to adjust it ready for next summer, so I can enjoy wearing it when I am about a third of the size I am now if this photo is anything to go by.

Nearly 39 weeks - nothing subtle about this bump...

I don't think I look that enormous - until I turn sideways, that is! And then for the comedy bump, and the realisation that turning sideways to let someone pass you in a corridor just doesn't help.

Honey Chocolate Cake, Nigella's Feast

I am going to make a bold statement now, and say that this cake is the only recipe you need ever bother with when it comes to fulfilling your gooey chocolate cake needs. Nigella has cracked the art of gooey chocolate cake. You won't regret making this. My only regret was that there was only the tiniest slither left for me by the time I'd served everyone else some.

I think it's funny I am pictured here with my friend and running partner Louise, as we are about to tuck into our fish and chips. I've missed our Sunday morning runs together where we put the world to rights, and am looking forward to a return to that after baby is born.

And here is another friend I met through running when pushing our children round the park as babies in prams. Although since those days, Iciar has also become a true queen of crochet - and is regularly seen wearing beautiful cardigans she has made herself.

Her house warming present to me was a fabulous book on crochet squares. And no, it has not taken me long to get started on something, not least because I already had some wool and a hook that I had no fixed plans for beyond `something purple to go in the front room'.

I am trying to slow down and not spend the little amount of time left before birth rushing about the place. Making little squares (maybe for a cushion if I get enough of them done?) may be just the thing to keep me happy on the sofa and save my energy for what's ahead.

A  reminder of a very happy evening with lovely friends