Tag Archives: self-drafted

Self-Drafted Maternity Dungarees

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I’m so excited to finally share this make with you. I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to put it up on the blog, but it is probably because I’ve had a lot on my mind recently. We are on a bit of a mission to get a million and one things done before the baby comes.

This make was my first attempt at maternity sewing and was self-drafted. I’ve decided to try and push my pattern cutting skills a bit more this year and try making more complicated garments from scratch. I really enjoy the problem solving element of pattern cutting and dungarees were an interesting challenge.

I hadn’t originally intended these to be maternity suitable, I started drafting the pattern before I found out I was pregnant. When I found out I put the pattern aside thinking I’d wait, but my desire for dungarees was too strong and after a couple of months I decided to make a couple of adjustments and get on with sewing them up.

The modifications I made to my original pattern were relatively minimal:

– I widened the pattern at the hips to give a looser fit (I had originally planned for quite a close fit at the waist and hips, but I actually prefer them looser).

– I extended the width of the side seam button plackets, which are sewn to the side seams of the back waistband. This meant I could add extra buttons to allow me to adjust the fit as my bump grows.

I think they turned out pretty great. I love wearing them and they have been a life saver for occasions which call for something smarter than my current maternity uniform of stretchy tops and leggings.

The corduroy, from Merchant and Mills, is so comfy to wear and I love the deep navy colour. The bib is lined with Atelier Brunette fabric leftover from this project .

The one problem I ran into making these was that I tried to hammer on the buttons for the buckles and managed to break one of them. It turns out you just push them on by hand, so my trusty mallet was completely unnecessary. Oh well, you live and you learn.

Self Drafted Dungarees by Attie and Dora

Dungarees designed and made by Attie and Dora

Dungarees Designed and sewn by Attie and Dora

Attie and Dora Dungarees Back View

Close Up Self Drafted Dungarees Attie and Dora

Self Drafted Maternity Dungarees

Maternity Dungarees

As my bump grows (see photos above) I’ve been adjusting the bib straps to better fit the bump. I haven’t had to add new buttons to the side seam panels yet, and I’m nearing my third trimester. I’m really pleased that I’m still fitting into them.

 

 

 

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Spring Dora Dress 25% off Offer Code

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The weather is finally warming up in Shetland and it is really starting to feel like Spring. Two lambs have been born on the croft and if you follow me on Instagram you might have seen that I am expecting a baby, we are so excited and the baby is due in August 🙂 .

To celebrate this I wanted to share an offer code with you, for 25% off the Dora Dress and Top pattern in my Etsy Shop.  I hope this post will inspire you to give the Dora Dress pattern a try for your Spring/Summer sewing wardrobe.

Use the code SPRINGDORA at the checkout for 25% off. Follow this link to buy the dress.

This change of season has inspired me to make some new Dora Dress samples to show how the pattern can be worn during warmer times of year. You will notice I am not modelling these samples, as thanks to my growing baby bump I no longer fit in them, ha! I really enjoyed not being in front of the camera this time. I am definitely not a natural at having my photo taken so it was a relief to get to hide behind the lens and help Aaron to compose the shots.

The Dora Dress made up in a cotton lawn fabric is so comfy and breathable and great for hot weather. We don’t get much hot weather up here in Shetland but I did wear a cotton lawn Dora Dress while on holiday in London last year, it was above 30 degrees celsius  (very hot for a Shetlander), and wearing the dress certainly helped me cope with the heat.

Marjolein, a good friend of mine who you may remember from this post if you have been following me for a while, kindly agreed to model these samples for me. She is an amazing comedian, I would recommend going to see her perform if you get the chance. You can follow her here.

The blue and white fabric was from Merchant and Mills and is a beautiful weight and drape for this dress. I love the print.

We took these photos at the Lodberries in Lerwick, if you watch the BBC series ‘Shetland’ you may recognise the building behind her as Jimmy Perez’ house.

Dora Dress Side View 2 Attie and Dora

Dora Dress Front View Attie and Dora

Dora Dress Front View Attie and Dora Patterns

Dora Dress Back View Attie and Dora Patterns

Dora Dress Back View

Dora Dress Side View Attie and Dora

Dora Dress Close Up Attie and Dora

 

This second version was made using a burgundy poly crepe fabric from Stoff and Stil.

Last summer I wore a green crepe version of this dress to a couple of weddings and I thought it made a lovely wedding guest dress.

Red Dora Dress Attie and Dora

Red Dora Dress Attie and Dora Side

Use the code SPRINGDORA at the checkout for 25% off. Follow this link to buy the dress.

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A Dora Top, a Knitted Hat and a Walk

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So far I have only blogged about my Dora Dresses, but if you have had a look at my pattern on Etsy, you will have seen that the download includes the option to make a hip length top version also.

The best part about the top version is that it is a great scrap busting pattern requiring very little fabric to make, approximately 1m for most sizes. You do also need 0.5m of lining material, but with wider fabrics and in smaller dress sizes you may be able to squeeze the whole top plus the lining out of 1m.

The fabric for the version in the photos below was from Backstitch. I bought it quite a long time ago, and had some scraps leftover from another project. This top was made out of those scraps, win!

The Dora top is a great layering piece and very versatile. In the summer I would wear my cotton lawn versions by themselves with jeans (it doesn’t really get warm enough here for shorts), but in winter I am layering them up with big cardigans and still getting so much wear out of them.

Below I’m wearing mine with this long cosy cardigan I bought a while ago from Celtic and Co. I love their knitwear and it’s made in the UK. I really should try and knit some cables at some point, but I’m still a bit intimidated, maybe one day.

If you like the look of the Dora top you might enjoy these posts about my Dora Dresses. The silver one and the green one.

Handmade Dora Top Sewing Shetland

Handmade Dora Top Attie and Dora

Speaking of knitting, I just finished making this hat for Aaron. I had a couple of balls of wool left from this jumper project and the pattern for the jumper came with an additional hat pattern, so I thought I’d give it a go. It’s just a simple hat, as I left off the colour work, but Aaron says it is his favourite hat ever, so not a bad result. I think it looks a bit weird on me, but it really suits him and my dad has already requested I make him one, so I think this hat has been an unexpected hit.

Hand Knitted Hat Attie and Dora

Aaron in Hat Attie and Dora Blog

We took the above photos on our Sunday walk a couple of weeks ago. It was really fun taking photos of Aaron. It made me realise I should probably make more handmade clothing for him. Can anyone recommend any good menswear patterns? I really struggle to find any I like. I did buy the Aldrich menswear book ages ago so maybe I should try drafting my own. So many ideas, so little time 🙂

Silver Dora Dress

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Hello!

It’s starting to feel very wintery up here in Shetland. The nights are drawing in and it’s getting really cold. I’ve been getting back into knitting and have been trying to use up the left over wool from my last two projects to make hats. I am also really getting into a bit of drawing and painting again. Anyway back to the sewing chat.

You may have seen my blog post at the end of October where I announced the launch of my first sewing pattern for sale on Etsy, the Dora Dress and Top. I was so excited to put it online and finally share what I have been working on. Thank you so much to those of you who left me lovely comments on here and on social media. I was so nervous to put it out into the wild, so I really appreciated the support :).

I have quite a few more Dora dress and top samples to share with you, so lets kick off today with my favourite version, the silver Dora Dress. I used this awesome silver pleated fabric from Stoff and Stil.

I was so excited to try working with this fabric as I had never seen anything like it. I really wanted to create a statement piece that would showcase this pattern.

Working with this fabric was odd, it was quite strange to cut as it has a 3D structure. I personally found the best way to deal with it was to stretch it out flat for the bodice pieces before cutting, which was a bit of a risky move, but seems to have payed off. Then for the skirt I just lightly held the pattern pieces against the fabric (not stretching it out this time) and cut them out with my rotary cutter.

The best thing about this fabric is it doesn’t fray so I didn’t have to finish seams or hem, which was a treat!

I did fully line this version in black cotton voile to make it comfy to wear, I worried the fabric might cling to my body otherwise. The pattern calls for a lined bodice only, but it is really easy to do a fully lined version. I basically just made another dress in the lining fabric and sewed the two together along the neckline, understitching to keep the lining from rolling out and making sure to hem the lining to be slightly shorter than the dress version.

I love my silver Dora Dress. I think in this fabric it will make a great Christmas or New Years Eve party dress.

Have you started making a party dress for the winter festivities yet?

Dora Dress Silver Plisse by Attie and Dora

Dora Dress by Attie and Dora Patterns Side viewDora dress by Attie and Dora Back View

Dora Dress by Attie and Dora Patterns

Dora Dress by Attie and Dora PDF

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Sewing Life Update and a Scrap Busting Summer Dress

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This week I have been working on a pattern design for a top which I have scanned into illustrator to use as my first trial pattern for the pattern workshop online course I am currently doing. If you aren’t aware of it already Pattern Workshop is a website that runs Courses for PDF Pattern Designers and creative entrepreneurs. I am enrolled on the ‘Creating PDF patterns: from sketch to sale’ course. So far I am loving the course and I am learning so much so quickly. I am completely new to Adobe Illustrator and at first it seemed daunting, but Lauren Dahl’s (the course creator) tutorials are so easy to follow and well explained. I would thoroughly recommend it. I am still just getting started with the tutorials and this week I scanned my first pattern in and began tracing it in illustrator. I will keep you posted on how I get on with the course.

I also started making my version of the Closet Case Files Morgan Jeans this week. When I saw the pattern I almost screamed with excitement. I think Heather Lou read my mind with this one, I have wanted a pair of boyfriend jeans for a while now, but am never quite satisfied with ready to wear offerings, so now I can make my own!  I bought denim from Merchant and Mills and I am so happy with it, it’s excellent quality and quite heavy weight so I may have some fun experimenting with distressing the denim after I’ve assembled them. Rather than make too many adjustments at the paper stage I have just gone up a size (I want them to have a loose fit) and have added 5cm to the length, so hopefully I can tack my seams together first and make any required alterations as I go. I will let you know how I get on with these.

Sewing Jeans

I have a lot of projects on the go at the moment, including making a wedding dress, in collaboration with a friend. I am planning to do some detailed posts on that after the wedding. It’s been such an interesting project and a great exercise in developing my pattern cutting and fitting skills.

If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen me post a picture of another self-drafted dress a few weeks ago.

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We finally managed to get some pictures of me wearing it at the weekend, when I wasn’t out enjoying all this glorious sunshine we have been having.

I had originally planned to wear this dress to my friend’s wedding in June, but when I wore it for the first time on Saturday I felt it would work well as a casual summer dress. I really like the midi length as it covers my extremely pale legs, but doesn’t feel as over dressed as maxi length can.

This dress was drafted using my block. I was playing around with different bodice shapes and to be honest I think it needs more work,  but I will still get a lot of wear out of this and I used up some fabric scraps making it – so that was really satisfying. The skirt fabric is the leftovers from this dress. I just managed to squeeze this skirt out of the remaining fabric.

Black and white Dress attie and dora design 2

Finally, how great is this weather we have been having? I have been out on some lovely walks in the last couple of weeks. It’s been slowing up my sewing a bit, but it has been wonderful to spend some time outdoors.

Pebbles

Nesbister Böd Door

Culswick Cliffs

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