Sewing time – Butterick Retro B5882 shelf bust 50s style dress

My recent holiday in Antigua gave me the perfect opportunity for some slightly more glamorous outfit shots than usual – the Caribbean backdrop definitely makes the most of my latest sewing project, Butterick B5882, a 1950s inspired shelf bust dress pattern by amazing retro sewing blogger Gertie. This is my favourite sewing project so far because it’s so ‘me’. The moment I saw this pattern I knew I had to make it, and I decided to go all out in leopard print fabric with a black trim for the full-on retro reproduction vibe. The pattern is gorgeous – a lined and boned top with a ‘bra’ shelf section, and a huge full skirt which hangs beautifully. Here’s the full-length photo…

I’ve been sewing: Simplicity 2444 dress with cape collar

The last thing I sewed and actually finished was my bridesmaid dress for Kat’s wedding. Given that she’s been married for two years now, I thought it was time to get some more use out of my sewing machine and dressmaker’s dummy! So spurred on by seeing how fab it looked on Roisin, I decided to raid my pattern stash for Simplicity 2444 (I have patterns, just never actually *make* them). I’d read nothing but great things about this pattern, which has four darts in the front to really shape the bodice for a good fit. It’s one of the Project Runway patterns, which means there are lots of elements you can add and remove to suit. I decided to go for the cape collar version (as seen on the model in blue floral print).

Gemma’s adventures in sewing…

A bit of a departure from the shopping-related norm today…I want to talk about my latest rediscovered hobby, sewing!

My mom taught me to sew when I was about 12, and I made quite a few of my own dresses when I was a teenager. Nothing beats the thrill of putting on a garment you’ve made yourself. Not only is it a guaranteed one-off, but if you struggle to find clothes to fit all or a specific part of your body, learning to sew means you can make things fit perfectly. So few women make clothes any more, which I think is a real shame. We can buy things so easily (and often so cheaply) that it often seems a waste of time to sew our own clothes. But I think it’s a real shame that we’ve stopped at least learning the basics, as it’s a really good skill to have…