Gingham Violet and a bit more Peony …

It is Wednesday, or ‘hump day’ as an old work colleague used to call it. Of course she meant that you make it to the middle of the week and once you’re over it, it’s plain sailing to the weekend, hooray! I get my girl home tomorrow. She has been away for 5 days, studying at Cambridge on a scheme to encourage teenagers to apply this coming Autumn. I think she’s enjoying it, it sounds very interesting, there’s not been a great deal of contact but that’s probably a good sign! Then, on Saturday, once my girl has finished work, we’ll drive up to York where we’ll be reunited with the boys and I can not wait! Finally we will all be back together and normality can resume.

I haven’t quite got round to starting my Sew Yourself a Summer project (though there’s still time) in Jimmy’s absence, but I have been busy …

Ignore the slightly wonky button hole (it doesn’t show, honest!) …

I’m quite pleased to have finished the Violet and it looks nice on, although I can’t show you that as I’m all alone (have I mentioned that?!) so there’s no fashion photographer on hand today.

I quite like it! I’ve enjoyed the process of fitting the pieces together and learning once again from some silly little mistakes. I think next time I would make the collar a little smaller, but I don’t mind the boxy shape that some people have mentioned. I love the gingham but I’d also like to make it in a plain fabric, maybe a crepe, nice and floppy and maybe add a smidgen to the length.

In this beautiful weather I’ve been wearing some older makes too, my Summer Skirt from last year and my Liberty Dress. I made these up as I went along and it’s funny how in a relatively sort time I can look at them now and think ‘well I wouldn’t do it like that anymore’!

I also wore my Peony dress on Monday and did a spot of shopping in Oxford. All day I was a right fidget bottom, those blooming darts. I don’t know how I hadn’t noticed before but I was constantly pulling the dress back into place and swearing I would never wear it again! But, this morning I patiently unpicked myFrench seams (sigh) and shifted the darts down a bit and it’s worked! It’s now very comfortable, how satisfying is that?!