Friday feeling – Georgia dress is done!

Woo hoo, I have a finished dress.  I kept up with the sew along posts but all the finishing jobs have taken a couple of days.  It  is a week after the hopeful valentine’s day deadline. This is the first evening dress I’ve made and I love it.  The fabric works very well and by luck the v shape of the print lines up with the centre.  I was worried the straps would be too thin but they fit perfectly and really suit the shape of the dress.  I have to say that I tried  the tricks tried I still found turning the straps out very difficult!

I went for size 8 for bodice and 10 for skirt which worked fine but I think I need to adjust the back panels as there is a little loose fabric.

Bodice detail

It is a great pattern and I have to say I’m very tempted to try the babydoll version next.

 

Charlotte and sewing again

Sewing came to a halt with a new school year but in the October holidays I managed to get back in it.  The charlotte skirt pattern by Hand London was a great pattern to get back me into sewing.  It fits perfectly and the instructions were so simple to follow.

I needed to cut a few inches off the length and maybe need a little more just to make it easier to move in.  I’m not used to pencil skirts but I love the shape they create. I now need to think of what tops to wear with it I’m guessing some fine knits or a plain sorbetto top might work.

The next project is another sorbetto in a black floral print which I cut out last night.  I’ve setup a sewing area in the dining room to make it easier to sew in the evenings and still be around for the puppy!

Hopefully there will be another finished project to share soon.

One year on

Well this post is a little late as we got the keys on 5th August last year. It was a whirlwind summer we got married on 7th July then we only had a week following our honeymoon to pack up and move. Then we had a week before school started.

This year has been fantastic. We love this house and whilst it takes some much time and work to decorate I wouldn’t change it. We’re slowly working our way through the house. So here’s where we are one year on.

First off through the front door there is the hall. It is still waiting for an update and definitely needs more storage!

Then the hallway leads into the living room.

Living room we’ve done walls but looking forward to getting the new flooring and sofas in place.

Dining room is looking a lot smarter with painted walls and new blind.

Kitchen with new flooring, dishwasher and red accessories to add some colour.

I love the long window above the sink.

Then upstairs first off the yellow bathroom.

Then the guestroom (also home to all my crafting stuff and Donald’s guitars!)

I setup the guitars and records cover frames as a present for Donald’s birthday so I couldn’t resist putting a birthday message in the frames.

 

Finally Donald’s office (formerly my craft room).  Donald is working at home regularly now so we’re very grateful for all the storage space in this Ikea desk.

Decisions, decisions

So dining room decorating is underway and it’s got me thinking of the overall look of the living/ dining room.  The red carpet and old sofas have served us well and saved us hassle of moving in more furniture but their time is up.  We’re thinking about engineered flooring and two new sofas but struggling to make up our minds what to get.

Option 1 –  Irvine sofa from Made (see here)

Option 2 – Reynolds sofa from M&S (see here)

Option 3 – Harris sofa from Made (see here)

or

Option 4: Genoa from Oakridge Direct (see here)

UPDATE July 18th: We’ve now ordered two Genoa 3 seater sofas in slate.  The plan is to have the sofas face to face with the coffee table in the middle with the fire at one end of the room and TV at the other. 

As for the other options we loved the retro look of the Harris but they only had one left in stock.  The Irvine was the very top of our budget and with blue we would have to change the colours of the curtains.  The Reynolds was a favourite of mine but Donald was not so keen on the shape of it.  So the Genoa was the best compromise plus it’s made in the UK.  It should be delivered within 4 weeks and then the living room can really begin to take shape.