Etta dress, by Tilly and the Buttons

This is the first Tilly and the Buttons dress pattern I've tried. 

When I saw it advertised, I immediately went "oooh!" because it has a vintage-vibe and so I bought one of the kits - I'm pleased I did that because, I'm not sure that if I saw this fabric in the shop I would have bought it! That's a shame because the sateen fabric sewed really well and I've stayed away from stretchy fabric until this. Also, that bold print, well, it looks great when made up into the dress, well, I like it.

Pattern Notes

The pattern states its intended for confident beginners - not sure what that is supposed to mean! I guess that somewhere there is a guide that says "at this level you can do this" but if that guide does exist, I don't know of it.

The pattern pieces are on that thick, cartridge paper I think its called, and it comes with an instruction booklet as opposed to a fold-out sheet - this may be normal for these types of patterns these days but, as I already said, this is my first go with one.

The sizing is different to UK 6/8/10 etc, it's in 1 to 7 - don't know why but I did compare Tilly's sizings with those listed on a Butterick top pattern and Tilly's 1 is a 6, her 2 is a 10, and it is the same there on up.

I liked that the dress is made by joining the bodice to the skirt - don't laugh! The only 2 dresses I have made were Vogue V1421 and Merchant and Mills Trapeze dress. Look them up and you'll see what I mean :-D 

Being able to join the bodice to the skirt meant I could easily choose the sizes that fit me - I am, minimum, a size smaller skirt than top that fits the bust. so, either I have to do an FBA or lots and lots of adjusting on the waist and hips, and this pattern made that a whole lot easier.

Another thing I like about it is the customising options: varying sleeve lengths, faux-pockets and whether you want a collar or not. Nice features - is that a common feature of these types of pattern?

The kit came with ample interfacing, too. Also, 2 hook and eye - why???? if you lose one, you're daft!

As for the pattern instructions, they are a great improvement on the staccato details on a tissue pattern! That said, I think the instructions for setting in sleeves could be written more clearly - going back to what I said earlier about what skills you're expected to have as a confident beginner, I guess that you'll have set-in sleeves before picking up this pattern.

One thing, though, you can tell from the pictures in the instructions booklet that the seams were finished with an overlocker. I don't have one, so I use a zig-zag stitch which just doesn't look as neat (and my Pfaff liked to have the odd nibble on the sateen fabric). Would a confident beginner own an overlocker? 

So, how did it sew?

It was great! the fabric was very nice to work with and no particular wobbly moments. I did put one of the sleeves on the wrong side but as it had only been basted, it wasn't an issue to unpick and re-do.

I also tried a couple of new things - sleeve darts, inserting a kick pleat and a v-neck back. Sleeve darts - now, there's a thing! I'm loving a sleeve dart.

Would I make it again?

Yes, definitely. I really liked working with this fabric, the instructions aren't a chore and don't make you crazy (yes, i'm referring to you Vogue V1421!), and sleeve darts! I love the vintage-esque shape it gives without needing constructed under garments to get the shape.

Thanks Tilly! nice pattern, i'm planning one with a collar, in a plain fabric, something snazzy for the office.

quick make - story starter jar

In an attempt to improve R's writing ability, I've played on his vivid imagination and love of stories and created a story starter jar:

I cut the bottom off a soft drinks bottle and wrote ideas for stories onto card that I cut into strips. The card was from a cereal box. Quick and nothing extra had to be purchased.

Some of the quotes I wrote: my best day ever, "Hurry up, or you'll miss it!", snowball fight, "I was walking toward the bus stop when...", "I looked up and...", flying an aeroplane, the mouse that could roar.

I made about 30 strips.

Caribbean Mutton Curry - one that isn't as hot as hell!

I have a chum, Michael, who runs a Caribbean-theme food stall at our local hawker market.

He makes an awesome goat curry! but - it's way, way, and I mean WAY, too chilli-hot for my husband and so our son can't eat it either. which is a shame :-(

When I talked to him about it he said that's just the way it is - his mum made it that way and you can't mess with it.

I love that his Jamaican-born mum taught him how to cook :-D especially because I get to eat goat (sometimes mutton, which is easier to find) anytime I like and it tastes just how I remember from the days I lived in SE25.

anyway, I decided to give it a go - a Jamaican curry that wasn't too hot so that the hubz could eat it.

ingredients:
500g mutton, bone-in, cut into cubes by a friendly wet-market butcher. I couldn't find goat meat on the day so went for sheep
vegetable oil - I don't cook with olive oil, I use that for dressings. I read somewhere that olive oil breaks down during the cooking process - if anyone knows more about this, please let me know!
1 onion, chopped
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger (yes, I use the stuff that comes in jars! fresh garlic and ginger don't keep well here but fresh would be better if you live in a different climate)
couple of sprigs of thyme - it's in plastic in the picture because I took it from the freezer and I certainly didn't use all of it, just a couple of sprigs.
3 tsp curry powder
chilli pepper, chopped (diced into large pieces)
1 tin (400g) chopped tomatoes
200ml carton coconut cream
1 tsp allspice
salt and pepper

1. I heated a tablespoon, or so, of oil and added the curry powder and allspice to it and browned the meat. took about 10 minutes - I don't know why but cooking timings here are longer than in the UK. so, it would probably only have taken 5 mins.
2. remove the meat and place into a bowl. add the onions to the pan and cook for 5 or so minutes - until translucent but not browned.
3. add the chopped pepper to the pot. sprinkle on some salt and add the ginger and garlic. saute for a couple of minutes.
4. add the meat, and any juices, back into the pot. mix and add the the coconut cream, tomatoes and a couple of tablespoons of water. Add the thyme. bring to a simmer and then lower the heat and cook for around, at least, 2 hours..
5. When the meat is tender, add the potatoes and continue to cook for about 30 mins - until the potatoes are tender but not turned to mush!
6. I served it with rice and beans.

Couple of notes:
I didn't use a hot chilli, such as a habanero, but one of those large chilli peppers that aren't hot - I don't know the name for them so someone smarter than me may be able to help. They're probably not even a chilli, but some sort of capsicum.
It took a lot longer than 2 hours to cook the meat. After 3 hours of cooking, and adding more water so that it didn't dry out, I took it off the heat and put it in a bowl and put it in the 'fridge overnight. I continued cooking it and added the potatoes for around another hour! plus more water.
Taste it! often. I added more salt and pepper as the water had diluted the taste of the sauce.
I never added more chilli powder though, but you make it as hot as you want
That "trick" Mike told me about - adding 1 tsp allspice to 3 tsp of regular curry powder to make a Jamaican curry powder is brilliant. thanks, again, to Mike's mum!
It made enough for 3 portions for us and the hubz had seconds, which is always a good sign :-D

Fashion Revolution Week - 24th April 2017

Almost passed me by as well,

For those who don't know, it starts on the anniversary of the, awful, catastrophe of the collapse of the Rana Plaza in 2013. 1138 people were killed and injured.

http://fashionrevolution.org/ was launched and its ethos is to promote ethical fashion, without blame.

I became interested in this when a friend asked her facebook friends if any of them would join her in a year of not buying any new clothes. a whole year! I thought "yeah, I could do that!" and so a little group formed and we swap tales of not shopping. It's a great group that is about support and ideas and, definitely, not about blame.

I've never been a fan of clothes shopping and find the whole thing a chore - I buy clothes when I have to and always have to compromise. Its going to be too long or fit badly so I used to shop with the thoughts of "can I take it up?" or in? it's why I started sewing. BUT - a lot of people are buying clothes as an emotional outlet and I never knew that.

It was recommended to the group to watch the documentary "The True Cost", not a particularly 'easy watch' and I came out at the end wondering what kind of person wouldn't pay an extra 20p on the cost of a t-shirt if it meant the maker got a fair wage! https://truecostmovie.com/

I didn't see any publicity of it being Fashion Revolution Week, and no mention on any radio broadcast that I listen to - did I miss any?

I found out about it through that facebook group and, have since, read a bunch of blog posts and on-line articles. I liked this one: The Good Outfit Challenge

She was honest, although anyone that buys clothes and then writes about it for a living seems, at first glance at least, part of the problem and not the solution! There are a lot of posts 'out there...' where the writer seems to be halfheartedly interested in ethical fashion - "ooh, it's a hot topic at the moment, so I must write about it. hhhm, how to sound as if I do care???"

Then, there is this one of the Huff Post: Can a fast fashion detox change our shopping habits? but, the writer works for a clothing exchange so I already know how the article concludes before I even read it - I don't mind that, I didn't go to read it because i'd run out of Miss Marple's but the writer has a vested interest, albeit for good reasons.

I was interested in the Fashion Transparency Index: why-transparency-matters and i'm now interested in the work the organisation is doing so will follow them.

I'm going to pick-up "are leather trousers ethical" point that I made in a post in December last year - so, I was interested in ethical clothing before that FB group and I didn't realise it.

There is The Good Trade : http://www.thegoodtrade.com/fashion/ but how much is paid advertising compared to actual caring?

but, I found this, too: Katherine Hamnet - 25 years in ethical fashion

and I had forgotten her designer stuff back in the 80s! remember those WHAM! t-shirts??? she's still going strong with the ethical clothing and I wonder how many other designers are genuinely committed to the ethical fashion.

Let me know if you find any other good/useful links

In other news, I made a noodle-joy bowl for lunch: