I don't want to toot my own horn or anything, but I am smashing my Make Nine! Three months down: six makes made!
This project has also made me realise how much my tastes have changed since I started sewing. Last summer, I was buying and making almost exclusively dresses with fitted bodices and full skirts but I'm definitely leaning more towards a 60s silhouette these days.
Last summer: My three New Look 6262 dresses
Autumn/Winter: You can read about my blue Francoise dress here and my Carnabys here
As soon as I saw Harriet's #littlereddressproject and #SMYLY dress. I knew I had to make myself a Grainline Studio Farrow!
The pockets, the comfy but effortlessly stylish swing shape, the pockets, the dip hem... did I mention the pockets?
Being the crazy maverick that I am, I decided to tackle both a new pattern and a new type of fabric at the same time, and dove into the world of crepe with this gorgeous pink splash!
Rudy wrote a blog post last year about sewing with crepe including some top tips. Foolishly, I only remembered this after I'd finished my Farrow and didn't reap the benefit of her experience - but you can!
Thankfully, the crepe wasn't quite the slippery nightmare I had feared. My main struggle was that the pieces seemed to magically change shape as soon as I un-pinned the pattern pieces, so I'd advise transferring the markings with the pattern still attached if you can. Next time I'll be trying this with carbon paper and a serrated roller. Luckily, Harriet was on hand at this stage to help me as were having a little sewing day in my kitchen!
This project has also made me realise how much my tastes have changed since I started sewing. Last summer, I was buying and making almost exclusively dresses with fitted bodices and full skirts but I'm definitely leaning more towards a 60s silhouette these days.
Last summer: My three New Look 6262 dresses 
Autumn/Winter: You can read about my blue Francoise dress here and my Carnabys hereAs soon as I saw Harriet's #littlereddressproject and #SMYLY dress. I knew I had to make myself a Grainline Studio Farrow!
The pockets, the comfy but effortlessly stylish swing shape, the pockets, the dip hem... did I mention the pockets?
Being the crazy maverick that I am, I decided to tackle both a new pattern and a new type of fabric at the same time, and dove into the world of crepe with this gorgeous pink splash!
Rudy wrote a blog post last year about sewing with crepe including some top tips. Foolishly, I only remembered this after I'd finished my Farrow and didn't reap the benefit of her experience - but you can!
Thankfully, the crepe wasn't quite the slippery nightmare I had feared. My main struggle was that the pieces seemed to magically change shape as soon as I un-pinned the pattern pieces, so I'd advise transferring the markings with the pattern still attached if you can. Next time I'll be trying this with carbon paper and a serrated roller. Luckily, Harriet was on hand at this stage to help me as were having a little sewing day in my kitchen!
This dress has such an interesting construction as both the front and back are made up of "quarters". It's definitely worth taking your time over the front, as the diagonal in-seam pockets can SEAM (see what I did there?) a little confusing at first and a delicate fabric like crepe doesn't lend itself to being unpicked. I also took extra care to ensure that all of the pointed seams matched up to give a really crisp finish.
The Farrow comes with two sleeve options: sleeveless or bracelet sleeves. Unfortunately, long sleeved dresses just don't suit me! I'm also not a big fan of totally sleeveless dresses (except for layering) so I cropped them into short sleeves. The crepe is a little tricky to press, so I used a long stitch to mark 2cm from the sleeve hem, then folded this up twice before pinning and stitching in place.
Don't you love when you finish making something and it's five times better than you expected? Holding the dress up to me at various points in the making process I was like "sure, I like pink, I like dresses... this will be cute" but the second I put the finished dress on, I was in love! I swished and twirled around the house for a good 20 minutes (seriously). The crepe is just perfect for this pattern - it drapes so beautifully and feels really sophisticated and stylish even though it's super comfy.
I would love to see how different fabrics affect the silhouette of this dress. I think it would look amazing in a cotton linen, cotton lawn or even a viscose.
I'm wearing my Farrow now with tights and cardis but I think it's going to come into its own in the Summer! The generous swing shape means I can sit cross-legged without fear of flashing (great for picnics) and it folds up really small and doesn't crease so it'll be perfect for holidays.
Cardigan: Uniqlo Bag: Cambridge Satchel
Happy sewing x
Pink crepe fabric provided by Sew Me Sunshine in exchange for this blog post. The pattern choice and all opinions are my own.
Love this. You can’t even see that the front is made up of 4 panels!