Liberty

Title is both for the fabulous fabric and the fabulous feeling of being out and about after a stomach bug. Hello world, I'm back.

I managed to get some sewing done while I was off sick. I want to make this clear: most of the time I spent lying down, napping off nausea, and being generally quite gross. There was, however, a small bit of time where I could not stand without ouch but I could competently sit up. Which isn't something I've been proud of since I was an infant. I was also a worrying mix of stir crazy and sleep deprived which made me courageous enough to cut into the lovely Liberty print I've been hoarding  for a year now.

The fabric of champions: Liberty Print fabric brooch

So why does this fabric mean so much? It isn't just the high price tag. I've spent more on craft materials. But then it is the high price tag, I bought it last year. Last year when I didn't have a job or, I assumed, any prospects. I'd been accepted to represent Girlguiding UK at a conference and I'd promised myself four things out of that trip to London: a burger the size of my face, some new shower gel, krispy kreme, and a metre and a half of something pretty from Liberty.

I agonized for about an hour deciding what fabric I want. Should I buy some trimmings as well, what about a book? Okay just the purple and chocolate brown ribbon, looks like a dairy milk. So this fabric? Do I take it to be cut? Am I allowed to touch it? What do I do? [Anyone else get fabric shop anxiety or is it just me?]

and a scarf...

It took me a long time to work up the courage for that one and a half meters so I knew whatever I was going to make from it had to be awesome and wearable and that I should use every last scrap. Sometime last year I settled on a dirndl and last week I finally did the maths. Today I wore her for the first time.

Verdict? I love the fabric, I love the drape. My gathers could have been more even, I don't know what I was thinking when I decided my waist was that big but I'm in no rush to take it in. I hand stitched the hem and zip in place for a neat finish and because I could do that lying down. It added a couple of hours of work but the neat finish can not be denied. Although possibly ruined by my slightly wonky top stitching on the waist band. I can fix the faults if they start to bug me but right now I'm enjoying wearing it as is. I imagine it will creep into my wardrobe often.

But most importantly: my drindl

I didn't quite use all the fabric on the skirt though. I had just enough left over to make into a scarf, this one from Amy Butler's in Stitches. I didn't have enough fabric to cut on the bias so I cut on the grain instead. I'm happy. The rest of the scrappy bits I joined together into one long ball of 'yarn' and made a pompom, added a brooch back and called it a flower!

Fabric detail. Also my hem, so proud of those stitches!