For my first ever attempt at real tailoring, I used the blazer pattern out of the Great British Sewing Bee book. I used a gray wool gabardine and a pink satin sleeve cuff, both purchased at Paragon Fabrics here in Belfast. It was such a fun sew. It took much longer to finish than most garments I create; probably four days in total. But I learned something new at every step. And the best part is, a blazer out of this quality wool would cost so.much.more than the materials I used. Even though the fabric is lush, I spent less than £15 in materials. The only alteration I made to this pattern was to cinch in the side seams a further inch than was called for. I made a size bigger to accommodate my wide shoulders, and with those basic alterations, I created the first blazer I have ever owned that I can move comfortably in.
For the lace overlay shift dress, it was pretty simple: I just cut a sleeveless dress from the Colette Laurel pattern, in two layers, a light pink cotton and lace from IKEA, and constructed it as normal. Then, to make it less wedding-y, I hardened the look up with some black detailing: an exposed black zip on the back and black bias binding on the neck and armholes. The fit was problematic, it was way too big at first. I have learned my lesson with the Laurel, I keep cutting a smaller size each time I make it (even though I stay the same size!). So, I think you really need to go a size down with this dress, or perhaps even two sizes down, if you are not a va-va-voom kind of a lady.
For the lace overlay shift dress, it was pretty simple: I just cut a sleeveless dress from the Colette Laurel pattern, in two layers, a light pink cotton and lace from IKEA, and constructed it as normal. Then, to make it less wedding-y, I hardened the look up with some black detailing: an exposed black zip on the back and black bias binding on the neck and armholes. The fit was problematic, it was way too big at first. I have learned my lesson with the Laurel, I keep cutting a smaller size each time I make it (even though I stay the same size!). So, I think you really need to go a size down with this dress, or perhaps even two sizes down, if you are not a va-va-voom kind of a lady.