Serious about Naturally Dyeing | WIP {Knitting}

This is the second skein that I dyed naturally (and using another kit from SpinCityUK). The result is totally unexpected - in a very pleasant way, of course. I thought it was going to be dark (very dark) - and well no, there are shades of darker green of course, but the overall effect is quite soft and light green. 

In fact I left the dyeing process much longer this time than the last (I posted about the result here), but once I saw the actual colour, I knew exactly what I wanted to make out of it, and I started as soon as the yarn was dry - mittens using this pattern, it is simple but has a bit of texture to it - also it is quite a versatile pattern. And it should be a quick project. 

Compared to the previous kit I bought, the yarn is much thicker - you don't get to choose the yarn in the kit, so that is already a bit of a surprise of course. 

I will naturally dye more yarn (on a one skein scale still), and not use a kit anymore and have a bit more control over the process and elements. The kits were a great start though - and I cannot recommend them enough. 

So just you can see by what I mean by the unexpected, here is a picture of the dyeing jar. You may notice that instead of mixing the dyeing stuff with the yarn, I made some muslin bags filled with the dye stuffs. I am not sure whether this is why the colour is less saturated, but again looking at the jar the outcome was unexpected. 

Where is the green?? Where has the dark colour gone? A bit more work needs to be done - in the meantime I shall get on with some knitting and look forward to new mittens. 

Linking up to Ginny's today. 

The unusual WIP {Crochet}

I have some many WIPs at the moment, it is getting out of control - but of course in a good way! It also means that at some point there may a few finished projects to share. Sometimes I really wished I was a one-at-a-time-project kind of girl - but let's face it your are either one or you are not. And I am definitely not. I have currently 3 knitting projects (one is the follow your arrow kal though, so not exactly a typical WIP), a crochet project, and 3 sewing projects I should be getting on with... And many many more in my head! 

So the issue is really which one to share here. I decided to go for the crochet one because 1) I have not crochet in a while, and I forgot how much I enjoyed it!, 2) because it is the most unusual project out of my current WIP, and will get you guessing, and 3) it is the one I am most likely to finish. 

So he is a HE ...

So he has legs, and thanks to his Mum (yours truly) he has one shorter than the other, oops...

 A head (sort of)...

he has  a long body... 

he is made of Artenaso Definition sock yarn in Crocodile and Drops Karisma in Forest Green (both already in my stash whoohoo- so I really got an interesting green. The white and burnt orange yarns are leftovers from the fox hats.   

Oh and he has one arm (so far)..

And he is about to become Baby MiH's best mate - and new dribbling pillow... I hope to properly introduce him to you very soon. 

The Green Malvarosa | A Finish {Dressmaking}

 Beware - this post contains some dodgy poses 

and non-existent hair and make up styling... 

But at least it was not raining!

I have finally made the Malvarosa. I thought I would have had this dress by Christmas (hence the Christmas tree colour) but there were way too many things going on at the time. However if I had known it was that quick to make, maybe I should have allocated some time! 

Pattern: The Malvarosa dress by Pauline Alice (available here) - 

Pauline also designed the Cami dress

Fabric: A boiled wool jersey fabric found 

at my local John Lewis (Welwyn GC) - similar online here. 

For info, I used my normal sewing foot. 

Size: 42 but probably made a size 38 in the end

Modifications: Less loose fitting and shorter. Also I made the hems more visible, but I may change that modifications. I am not sure it works.

Result: It is really a fun dress, very feminine. I made a more winter version, but I reckon it would be an awesome summer dress as well. I was wondering whether to make the pockets and I am glad I did - it adds to the fun size of the dress. 

this is my very serious pose

Here are my five things to know about the Malvarosa:

• It is quick to make - I did it within a week (including putting the pattern together) - and probably spending an hour and a half every day on it. 
• There are two tricky sewing points: the inserting of the sleeves at an angle (see this tutorial for help); and the gathering of the skirt (see this tutorial for help). 
• The pattern is a loose fitting version - I cut mine in a size 42 but by the time I changed what I wanted to change, I probably made a size 38. 
• I wished I had seen this version and the use of a patterned fabric before making mine
• Proportions are key to this dress (see picture below). I made it much shorter to suit my size - this is really easy to modify of course. I cut the suggested size for the skirt and just shorten to the size I wanted it to be. 

This is a Ted Baker version (seen on IG and facebook) - and it felt wrong on me 

I have bought some fabric to make a black version of this dress for work. I know:  handmade clothes at work - even considering it makes me feel all funny. I try to wear colours at work - but this would just be just a step too far - I may also have to make it a tad longer. But it is so comfortable, and I don't feel too self-conscious about it, that I have to make one!

I had to add this last picture .. an interesting shot of me twirling (yes I twirl with my hands like this - don't you?). Mr MiH (and my neighbour incidentally) thought I had gone mental. All I can say is that we have now established that I cannot possibly write a fashion blog!

In case you were not convinced about the dress, you may have noticed that I did not mention a zipper - because there is none to sew in. No buttons, no zipper. I know, brilliant right! So have you bought it already?

Tropical shorts {Dressmaking}

Same pattern as the denim short shorts, and a totally different result. It is amazing how much the fabric makes the pattern. It is great as this my favourite pattern, and that I can actually make the shorts on my own. 

I tried to take more pictures and add details on the process. The fabric is again stretchy but quite thick so hangs quite well. It is probably the fabric you would want for these shorts because of their shape. I bought the fabric ages ago and have no record of where I got it from... a real shame as I really like the fabric. 

I have made a size 42 and this time it was bigger (maybe it was the first time too and I forgot), and changed the size of darts for a better fit. I had to make them shorter. 

The invisible zip is not that invisible, but as I found in my stash the perfect coordinated colour it does not bother me. 

As with the denim shorts I made a feature of the hem with some raspberry bias tape. I like how it finishes the shorts. 

To hold the inner interfacing I usually stitch in the ditch in the darts and main seam. The pattern calls for glueing fabrics together - quite a lot actually - maybe it is because it is meant to be leather shorts.. 

The trickiest part of the construction is around the zip - at the top, it is really fiddly but totally makes sense. 

The actual hem is hidden, and done by hand.  

And here we are some shots of non-ironed shorts, ready to be styled some time soon! 

I am totally ready for the next heatwave! The pattern is available on the BurdaStyle website for download - if you wanted to make your own.