Buttons and Bobs

 After two awful nightdress purchases online I asked for advice in a Facebook sewing group. Someone recommended Butterick 6838. I dug in to my stash to find suitable fabric of a length that would enable me to make  View C with the length of View B. Instead of lace I used piping to add some edging detail. No doubt the result will look much better when I have ironed it but for now - here's a nightie that I'm pleased with.  Piping : Tips I wish I had read before I sewed my nightie.

I opened up the envelope ready for a "quick make". Most reviews on Amazon UK say the instructions are easy to follow . Though I have made similar cosmetic purses before by following tutorials posted on youtube, I became concerned about my mental faculties. Thank goodness for the sewing groups on Facebook. I asked if anyone else had used the pattern and what they thought of it. I got a quick reply from someone who told me she had wasted a lot of material and developed a pattern phobia after trying to tackle Simplicity 1153. Similar comments followed. I read the instructions again. Annoyingly some of the items are not lined.  I changed my mind about which view to follow and have had a small success. I'll stick with youtube tutorials in future though.

I really like the Izzy Top free pattern from Teri on a blog she called "Climbing the Willow" here . I have learned a lot whilst making four of the tunics though it is a very easy pattern. 1 I learned: The importance of accurate printing. When I measured the 1 inch test square I could see that my printout was measuring slightly less but I carried on just adding a little extra to the width and length. The resulting tunic fitted a 6 month old rather than a two year old.  When I printed via Acrobat Reader from my laptop rather than my Tab the printout was exact. 2 I learned: It is best to find out the makeup of the material. I bought the fabric for my Izzy 2 from a remnant stack in Aberkan Mill, Flintshire. I thought it was cotton. I pre-washed  and dried but then parts of it hardened and shrank when I added iron on Vilene to the bodice. Adding rick rack trimming can cause problems - I practised again and again making button holes and there was no problem. ...