Thrifty New Clothes

 

This is my latest thrifty new outfit.  I used the patterns from my favourite sewing book - these patterns fit so well and need no adjusting for me whatsoever, which means I can just cut things out, sew them up and hey presto! I know that they will fit me.  It's nice when you find something that makes life easier and saves time.

I had bought a fat quarter of this fabric from our local patchwork shop just before Christmas and I was going to make some little hearts from it to hang in the kitchen, however, that wasn't done so as I looked at it I thought 'a little top would be rather nice', so I bought another half a metre and managed to just squeeze it out.  You can see where I've joined the bodice to make a sort of yoke effect - it adds a bit of interest and didn't waste as much fabric as those bits were cut from the left overs around the sleeve head - cunning!  I can pop a black long sleeve T shirt underneath in the winter or wear it just as it is in the warmer months.

The skirt was made from a remnant of velvet that I picked up for £1 last year.  It's what I like to call my 'mouse' skirt, as when you touch it, it feels as soft as a mouse's back, and of course it's the same colour!  The yoke was lined with another bargain piece of fabric - it's a Liberty print cotton lawn which was really cheap because it had a printing defect, but that doesn't matter to me as it's beautifully soft and lovely to sew with.  I'm very happy with the results!