By Hand London - Elisalex Dress

2014 is the year of weddings - I have 3 friends getting married this year and I really can't afford that many new dresses and I find it very hard to get a good fitting dress, plus they are all friends from school so I can not wear the same dress twice as I have had to point out to my husband!!

So I decided that I was going to make a dress for the wedding, the theme was garden glamour.

I really wanted to make the Elisalex dress and already had the pattern so off I went to the Fabric Store in Sydney earlier this year when they have 50% off sale and purchase some beautiful cream and gold fabric! It had just the right weight to hold the tulip skirt shape.

I made a muslin, I had some fitting issues I cut out a size 14 and graded down to a 12 around the bust and shoulders.

I really didn't like the look of the sleeves once I put it on

So I decided to make it without sleeves, I lined it with a cotton Voile. It was lovely and soft.

I had to overlock all the edges and seams as this fabric frayed very badly

I made the tulip skirt in with the muslin and didnt like the shape it gave me at all so unpicked it and re-cut the Charlotte Skirt and just moved the darts so that they aligned with the princess seams

Sorry about the terrible photos but I was trying to get this all done for the Mad Men Challenge but got lazy with posting.

And Finally this is a photo my friend took for me in Berry all ready to go to the Wedding. I was so pleased with this dress that I have already cut another in a red wool for work. I got so many compliments!

If I had to make any changes they would be insert a kick pleat as it was very snug getting that skirt over my hips to go to the bathroom.. sorry too much detail :)

Louise

xx

I WON

A BIG THANKYOU to Linda from Greenhaven blog!!

I was the lucky winner of her giveaway of the PIP Australian Permaculture Magazine

I loved reading all the articles in this magazine and am looking forward to the next edition. It really inspired me to do more in my garden and find out more about permaculture so much so that I have just applied for a 1 day course at my local community college on permaculture. I'm really looking forward to it.

Next weekend is May 4 is International Permaculture day so look for your local groups on facebook and see what they are doing!!

Here are some photos of whats happening around my garden

Rouge Pumpkin self seeded from the worm farm castings

My bed of greens

Seedlings sprouting

My no dig bed which I am currently filling with leaf litter and chook poo

 

Best season I have had with eggplants

and last of all my newest addition to my garden my chooks, we got these chickens on the 27th Dec they hatched on xmas day. They love getting out and about but I keep them contained as I don't want them getting into everything.

I hope that they will improve my terrible sandy soil in my garden beds and soon we will have eggs.

The other bonus is that my 21 month old daughter just loves them and I love that she will know where eggs come from!!

Enjoy
Louise xx