Hello there, it’s been a while, not sure where the months have gone but I’ve been rather busy lately; firstly we did some home improvements, then my mother-in-law moved and we were working on her house and now my son finally bought his first home so we are currently helping him with that (it’s a big job!) Chipping off plaster from walls is far less enjoyable than sewing believe me!
Anyway I really want to get back into my blogging and thought I would start with a post about gingham. I have got to say this is a fabric that I have overlooked for a long time. A couple of years ago I had some sat on my shelf and decided it really wasn’t for me and ended up gifting it to a friend but I think lately I have been seeing so many dresses and tops in gingham that I have got drawn in and actually there are so many colour combinations to choose from that I knew there must be something out there for me.
In my quest to find the perfect gingham to suit my style I came across a new to me online shop – The Fabric Revival – looking through the Instagram posts it looks like it only launched in December last year so it is a fairly new shop. When I typed Gingham into the search box on her page I was spoilt for choice. Not only did she have 3 gorgeous colour choices but they all come in a choice of check sizes (2mm, 4mm and 7mm). It was a difficult choice narrowing it down but I ended up sending for 2 pieces, one was a 2mm gingham called ‘Pink Lemonade’ and the other a 7mm gingham called ‘Lavender Haze’. It’s always a bit of a risk ordering online but the fabrics were reasonably priced at £8 per metre and I was lucky enough to spot a discount code that was offered over on her Instagram page for 20% off which brought the fabrics down to £6.40 per metre.
https://thefabricrevival.co.uk/
When my fabric arrived I was not disappointed and the Lavender Haze in particular excited me so much that I dropped all of my other sewing plans to get started on a dress. I always wash my fabric before use and it washed really well and being fairly lightweight and in the middle of a heatwave here in the UK it dried in no time.
Intially I was undecided between the Indigo dress by Tilly and the Buttons or the Vali dress by Pattern Fantastique both of which I have made before. I put a poll on Instagram (always good to have an opinion from other sewists) and the Indigo came out on top by a narrow margin.
The Indigo is a really easy sew, I have made the basic dress a couple of times before so this time I decided to add the puffed sleeves from the extension pack and an extra tier ( I just used a pattern piece I had cut out previously for this). I also like to add some ties to the waist.
I love how my dress turned out and have had loads of compliments – my youngest son’s girlfriend even asked if I would make a similar dress for her which to me is a big compliment. She picked out some black and white gingham from Sew With Holly which is a shop local to me.
Having been so impressed with the fabric I purchased from The Sewing Revival I couldn’t resist buying some more. I sent for another 2.5 metres of the Lavender Haze and I also sent for the Buttermilk both in the 7mm check so I think I will be sewing gingham for the foreseeable but I think sometimes when you find a fabric that just works for you it is worth having a little extra. I do have plans for the fabrics I have purchased.
Next on my sewing list is the black and white gingham for my son’s girlfriend’s dress (I am actually quite excited about trying to make something for someone else, it will be nice to have the challenge of fitting to a different body shape).
The 2mm Pink Lemonade is going to be made into a sundress – Tilly and the Buttons Skye I am thinking.
The other Lavender Haze gingham that I purchased will probably be made into the Vali Dress, it really was a tough choice between the two, I may also have enough fabric for a basic top.
Finally the Buttermilk gingham I think I will use for some shortie pyjamas. We have been having a bit of an heatwave in the UK for the last couple of weeks, sleeping at night has been difficult and I have realised I have nothing appropriate to wear in the hot conditions.
jennylovestosew 