Puffy sleeves! I really wanted to make my empire line tops with puff sleeves, so I pattern hacked the sleeves from Tilly and the Buttons “Mathilde” top, to fit the Merchant and Mills “Trapeze” pattern. And I couldn’t be happier with the outcome. I hadn’t planned on having the puffy sleeve head, just thought I’d get fullness to the bottom part of the sleeve. So it was Serendipity that I got the puffy sleeve head.

This is my wearable toile.

And then came this one. Made with the fabric I bought from Ditto fabrics in Brighton, back in February.

I am loving them.

I’ve been wanting to make a high waisted/empire line dress, top for ages. I’ve seen several patterns I quite like, but you know, I do like to stick to what I know. So decided to once again hack the Merchant and Mills, Trapeze dress pattern. I love the neckline on the Trapeze. Takes a bit of working out to keep that lovely curve on the bottom edge though, but I got there.

I used some cotton fabric that I bought from M&M a few years back. I was a bit concerned as it isn’t a very wide fabric, only 110cm, I’m more used to at least a 140cm wide fabric nowadays. And the pattern piece for the tier bit was wider than the fabric, but I just had to go with it. I thought about making the tier shorter and adding in some extra fabric, but then decided against it.

I didn’t have enough fabric to make a dress, only a top. It worked out perfectly and I am beyond happy with it.

I’ve already started on the dress version.

I love this dress, and have been planning it in my head for ages. I’ve just been too nervous to actually make it after my recent disappointments. The fabric I’ve had since August, its a beautiful cotton poplin from Fabric Godmother. And I’ve been looking at it and wondering what to make. And when this idea popped into my head I just knew that I had to make it. after the alteration to my Trapeze dress I made last week I decided I was ready for this.

I got 3metres of this fabric, now normally I try to get 2 garments out of this much fabric. Thinking it makes more economical sense, but this time I just thought F*^@k it! Use it all on one garment.

So this is a Trapeze/marshmallow combination. Trapeze on the top with a marshmallow bottom. Oh and an extra tier for length. Very happy with it, really really am.

Lots of pics to follow…

Lovely neck line.

Sewed the tiers wrong sides together, to get the ruffle detail.

I can’t wait to wear this in the warmer weather! If we get any…  Feels amazing on.

So my niece is getting married tomorrow, and here’s the dress I’ve made for it. A navy Crepe Trapeze dress. I added about 7inches to the length I believe, might have only been 6, can’t remember now.  Its a mid length dress, and I love it. Feels amazing to wear and it moves beautifully, drapes really nicely.

Makes me feel elegant and sophisticated!

And with the bag I’ll be carrying.

Here you go, another Trapeze in the lovely quilted ponte roma fabric. I do love this fabric!

Not gonna say much about it, its all been said before.

I’ve not been very well since Christmas, nothing serious just this cold/flu virus thing thats going around, but it has made me feel pretty grotty for long enough now, and I’m fed up with it! Its left me with a cough that just won’t go and I get pretty exhausted quite quickly. I had to make the decision a couple of a weeks ago as to whether I was going to sew or start exercising again. I decided I had to get back into my exercising regime, got to watch that waist line! However I started re watching the last series of the Great British Sewing Bee (wish they’d do another) and really wanted to do some sewing. I have a work in progress, another Cocowawa Marshmallow dress, but feel its a bit too fiddly and needs too much concentration for the way I’m feeling at present. So I decided that this gorgeous quilted jersey fabric would make a superb long sleeve Trapeze top.

what I love about making the Trapeze in a jersey is that you only need 3 pattern pieces, and its so simple to put together. I almost completed it in one day…

I added 6cm again to the bottom of the pattern and turned up the hem by about 2cm. Very happy with length.

This is not a very good picture of the back!

This quilted fabric just makes every garment look that little bit more professional I feel.

Please excuse the bed hair!!

I love this fabric in the grey, its a bit different to the navy and black fabric, as its really soft to touch and so snuggly to wear. However I do feel it will pill like a bugger!! So there we have it, satisfied my urge to sew and I now have a gorgeous new top.

Here comes another Trapeze!

I’ve had this fabric for a couple of years now, when I bought it I made the mistake of thinking it was horizontal stripes (its a mistake I often make for some reason), so it threw me when I realised it was vertical stripes. So it languished in my stash box for the last 2 years. And on top of the stripe mistake I also went off this type of fabric (I think its a cotton poplin) and started making with knit fabrics more often than not.

Since I discovered the Trapeze dress pattern works well as a maxi length dress, I looked at this fabric again. Pondered on it for a week or two and decided to go for it.  I bought 3 metres which is just as well as its only 107cm wide and the trapeze uses a lot of fabric at the bottom, and even more in the maxi version! I was just able to squeeze it out of the fabric, but it was really really tight!

I decided to not to do a facing which I usually leave off doing when using knit fabrics, haven’t done it with a woven fabric before though. I made sure I had enough fabric left if I ended up needing to do a facing. I only left it off as I was feeling lazy!

So without further ado here she is. Husband says its quite striking…

I like the way it looks like the stripes go in different directions due to the way it drapes.

Stripes almost match at the sides.

I have to look twice when trying it on as the centre back seam blends in so well I can barely see it. I managed to put it on Gertie (my mannequin) the wrong way round once and wondered why it didn’t look right!

Works well with Converse and one of my bags

And also with sandals.

Side view looks better in the flesh.

Another successful Trapeze and happy to have finally used this fabric.

Well what can I say? I simply can not stop making Trapeze dresses! Here’s a maxi version in the softest of black jersey. I added 6inches to the original pattern length and I really like it.

It works well with different types of foot wear too.

Once again very happy :0)

A grey jersey Trapeze with hem detail.

I was going to be turning up the hem by about 5 inches, but after I’d stitched the hem in place and before I’d cut off the excess fabric I looked at it and rather liked the effect, so I kept it.

Loving this crepe fabric, drapes so beautifully. Here it is in a simple black Trapeze top.

Bit of a bugger to work with as it frays like buggery.

The neck facing was a bit of a nightmare too actually. It kept wanting to roll back outside which was a pain in the arse. I gave it some thought and decided to top stitch round the neck and see if that helped.

It did help but created its own problem. The fabric sort of gathered towards the left shoulder. Seems to look Ok and people don’t appear to notice unless I point it out (which I do). Definitely looks better worn than it does on Gertie.

And here’s me wearing it for lunch with friends.