Coming Up Roses

Delving in one of Aberkhan's big bins of Ponte Roma I came up with this rosy piece. I had wanted a patterned fabric for a Tilly and the Buttons "Coco" tunic and Tilly recommends Ponte Roma so where could I go wrong?

I didn't examine the pattern there and then but imagined there would be a pattern repeat. When I asked for 2 metres the assistant said that would leave less than a metre on the piece and every item in the bins has to be over a metre long.  I decided to take the whole piece. 

Rosy together with another piece of Ponte Roma and some fleece felt heavy as I raced for the bus.

Ah back at home with the tiny room rearranged so that I could pull out the flaps on the sewing table, I studied Rosy. 

First - what a lot of fabric sliding everywhere. I pinned it down with every weighty ornament I could find.

Now the pattern confused me. The roses looked similar but it was very hard to find ones that looked exactly the same. I'll cut the long story of cutting out short. It took me over three hours to cut out a front, back, two sleeves, two cuffs and a collar. Another hour to tidy up! You would think that by then I had the roses pattern mastered. Not so - I had given up with the thought that if I couldn't work it out close up no one would see anything wrong at a mere glance.

Now it's on I think I can see the pattern repeat though there still seem to be subtle differences in the roses and leaves close up. Fortunately no one studies my clothing that much!.