This week's Crafty Bloggers Club post is from Vicky, you can find more of her makes on Instagram @sewlittlesparrow and on her blog sewlittlesparrow.com

If you take a look in my wardrobe you’ll find mostly blue but I seem to have developed a bit of a liking for yellow recently.  So when the ladies at Crafty Sew & So sent a picture out to the blogger team of this mustard yellow floral viscose asking if anyone would be interested in using it for their next blog make I immediately put my hand up.

 

What I liked about this fabric was the floral print being a mix a black and white as sometimes you find you’ve got a lovely colourful fabric but then find it hard to match to tops/bottoms and shoes. And what’s not to love about a viscose. It has a beautiful drape, feels lovely to wear and is so versatile being ideal for dresses, tops skirts and trousers.

 

When I popped into the shop to pick up the fabric I already had two patterns in mind, the first being the Ariel Wrap Skirt by Style Arc which is a mid-length skirt with a ruffle running vertically down the front and around the bottom of the skirt.  The second pattern I was thinking of making was the Rae Pants from the Named Clothing Breaking The Pattern book. These are wide legged trousers that feature a split down the front of the leg. Both of which would be ideal for the summer and I was thinking would look great paired with a little black or white T-Shirt and black sandals. I opted to go with the Rae Pants so picked up 2 ½ meters.

 

But! When I got home I started thinking. I absolutely love shirt dresses and have been wanting to make another Sew Over It Alex Shirtdress from the City Break e-book. I’ve made a cotton lawn version but I wanted a more drapey one. The pattern calls for nearer 3 meters so I wasn’t sure if I could do it but with a bit of strategic pattern placement I managed to fit it all in with just a small square left.

I am so pleased with the outcome and can’t wait for the warmer weather to make a come back to start wearing it, although to be fair I’m going to wear it with black tights and boots, so a summer and winter outfit!

 

I really took my time with this make, obviously viscose can shift around a fair bit when cutting and sewing so I used loads of pins and I hand tacked some of the trickier bits like the collar.  I love the yoke detail on this pattern as it gives a lovely clean finish on the inside.  So I decided to use French seams throughout, including the armholes to give a really neat finish.

 

As yet I haven’t sewn up a belt as I like how the shirt hangs without one. The pattern does come up pretty roomy and my measurements put me in a size 12 top with 14 hips.  I wanted a slightly more fitted version so sewed up a 10 top grading out to a 12 at the hips. The one thing I don’t like about this pattern is how the sleeves are finished, they’re just turned up and hemmed. I wanted a proper sleeve cuff so I did a bit of pattern hacking and used the sleeve placket and cuff from the Deer and Doe Melilot shirt. I love the outcome and think it gives a really professional finish.

 

So overall this make is a total winner in my eyes. The fabric was lovely to work with and will definitely be bright and cheery to wear. I think Freya has used it to make a Tilly and the Buttons Seren dress for the shops window. I haven’t seen it but I bet it looks gorgeous and would be perfect for a summer dress.  Here are a few more photos, I hope you like it as much as I do. 

 

Thanks for reading 

Vicky x

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“Crafty Bloggers Club Contributors are given products and materials to test from Crafty Sew&So. We hope you enjoy their honest and impartial reviews of the products. All opinions are their own.”

You can buy this gorgeous Sweet pea viscose HERE!