When Isabel met Alice :: Sewing and Embroidery ::

Happy Wednesday everyone! F-I-N-A-L-L-Y this post is out! Here is my ethical Isabel Marant inspired embroidered top (a bit of a mouthful to be honest). The full tutorial is available on the Offset Warehouse blog. But here are some details...

I used their soft bamboo silk - I loved working with that fabric, and it is even better being worn. The embroidery work is inspired by pins on my embroidery pinterest board - and took f-ing ages, just saying. And finally, the pattern is... yes the Alice Top. I mentioned when I made my first version that it was to check the fitting for another version - and this was it! 

I worn this top a few times already. Would I make another top like this again? My brain is saying no way, my crafty heart is thinking that it would be a shame that my many pins and inspiration on pinterest go to waste. 

If you use the tutorial, or buy from Offset Warehouse, let me know about your experience! I would love to hear from you. 

The Pink Ethical Tova | A Finish {Dressmaking}

I finished the pink Tova more than a month ago - but I was waiting for the pictures from our family photoshoot to arrive to share the result with you. There are a few more pictures in this post than the usual but if you have a very talented photographer taking pics - you want to make the most of it. 

You may notice that this Tova is pink - and I hate wearing pink. I am going to put it down to being pregnant and wanted something new. The (very loose) inspiration for this top is this shirt pinned on my style board on Pinterest. 

The Tova pattern is a great maternity wear pattern if you modify it slightly. All the modifications were explained here; I added another couple of inches at the bottom for more comfort (I was 7 months + pregnant at the time of the pictures).  

The embroidery pattern was larger to start with - but when I started cross-stitching it looked really weird, so I halved my pattern. I have it down somewhere if anyone is interested. It is not that complicated - except that I was for the whole time worried the two sides would not match. 

Of course I used the waste canvas method - I did say yesterday that I was cross-stitching everything! 

The fabric is my first purchase from the Offset Warehouse - an online fabric shop that stocks a wide range of ethical fabrics, trims, haberdashery and paints - and is based in the UK. 

I wanted a lightweight fabric and found this pink handwoven chambray (at £7/m it is quite good value as well). It was great to work with, and it is lovely to wear. The only thing is that I tend to wear this Tova a lot - and because it is hand woven, the weave is not as tight as for other fabrics - and it shows at the underarm seams. But it is not major. 

If you would like to buy ethical fabrics in the UK - this is a great place to start - for dressmaking of course.. 

I am so please with both the shirt and the pictures! My friend Debs Ivelja is a great photographer (worth checking out her website/facebook page). And you get a little snippet of where we live too! 

Also did you read Mr X Stitch post on Le Challenge this month - and his views on arts vs craft, even if you don't want to join Le Challenge it is worth a read. The theme this month is x and the winner will win a $25 gift certificate to the Fat Quarter Shop and your choice of 25 close ended zips from Rickety Rose Crafts! 

PS: I love Baby MiH top, it is ethically made by Tootsa McGinty.