Project by Angela Harkness
Fabric: Field of Memories - The Crafty Lass
I have been contemplating taking a journey down the dressmaking route for quite some time but have been a little scared to take that first step, other than buying the occasional pattern which I liked the look of and of course, having a vast supply of fabrics at my fingertips! I had the wonderful, new Crafty Lass organic cotton Field of Dreams fabric supplied by The Craft Cotton Co and thought it was the perfect match to The Sussex Seamstress ‘Salvington Top’ pattern which I had previously bought.
I chose this pattern as I liked the idea of the video tutorials available on sussexseamstress.com to hold my hand as I made the transition from patchwork and quilting into dressmaking! The pattern pieces were really sturdy, none of that flimsy tissue paper I remember my Mam using when she made my dresses when I was a girl. I watched the video first, then followed the comprehensive pattern instructions printed in the booklet. Pinning the pattern pieces onto the fabric was easy, making sure I had the lovely, colourful flowers all in the same direction. The top stitched together beautifully, the fabric was lovely to work with and was so soft, and best of all, once I had finished sewing, it actually fit…Yay! My new top brightened up the cloudiest of Summer days too which is an added bonus.
Now I have one dressmaking project completed, I think my next thing to make will be either a skirt or a dress, seeing as I have a bit of a dress obsession. Any pattern recommendations? I’m also keen to explore some of the other Craft Cotton Co organic cotton fabrics as I really like the way they handled when working with them, they wash well and are comfortable to wear. I can now finally add #dressmaking to my Instagram posts.
To see more from Angela follow her on Instagram @angerellas_crafts.
Written by Angela Harkness for The Craft Cotton Co 2022.