FO: Granny Lola gets tough...

... ish.

you lookin' at me???

I used this fabric which, as I said previously, I wasn't 100% sure about:

Husband wasn't sure either, he admitted the other day, and was pretty impressed with how it turned out:

Here are a few shots of different angles:

I really like all the seaming - now that it fits better! I mentioned that I had taken in the prince seams at the front and back - I think I must have taken out at least 8-10 centimetres in the bodice.  The skirt seams I took in about a 1.5cm tapering out to nothing just above the hem band. Next time I should probably make at least one if not two sizes smaller and baste it together to check the fit unlike this time where I had to unpick all my overlocking - not something to be recommended! A few days after I did my unpicking, Winnie posted a handy hint for unpicking overlocking stitching - which would have been very useful!

Here I am trying out different poses and a couple of different jackets:

 

I can't quite get the hang of cropping my pictures so they are all the same size, nor can I stand in the right spot to get both head and feet in the photo, but they will do! The light is generally better here than anywhere else in the house that I have tried.

I have had this finished for a couple of weeks and have worn it four or five times already. It usually takes me a little while to work things into my wardrobe, but not this one! It got the thumbs up from the family (even from Husband who had witnessed the frump disaster) and got several compliments when I wore it for a girls night out recently, which is pleasing.

Lastly here is silly one - Monday morning bopping 

Work in progress

I am currently working on a Victory Patterns Lola dress, which is taking longer that it should. 

image from Victory Patterns

I am using the fabric below, which I have mixed feelings about. I got it from one of my pattern cutting ladies, and it could easily be described as 'granny fabric'. Alternativley, it could be an 'interestingly textured' fabric:

I made up the pattern in a size 8 going on the measurements of the finished garment on the pattern. What I should have done, which I have been doing quite a bit recently, was to baste it all together to check the fit first. I don't know why I didn't, but what I ended up with was definitely a 'granny' look garment, complete with saggy baggy bust area! It was so bad I didn't even take any pictures. The potential of the design was there, but the finished item was not very flattering.

I have taken it apart and taken it in considerably on the princess seams in both the front and back.This meant I needed a little alteration on the skirt seams so that they will match up with the bodice when I sew it back together.

I am optimistic for the finished dress now, but it may take a while to finish. My over-locker is playing up and may need a service.  I cleaned out a small quantity of fluff the other other day, which I do reasonably regularly and now there seems to something wrong with the needle plate and or the stitch width finger. Something shifts whilst I sew and ends up obstructing the needle. I have broken 1 needle and bent another in the last week after 3 years of not breaking any. Sigh.