Sweet Jesus, it’s been HOW long since I last blogged??

I have no excuse. It’s not like there’s been nothing to write about – I’ve sewed up quite a range of stuff since my last blog post.

But somehow, the actual ‘sitting down and recording’ side of things has slipped by the wayside.

So, here’s my attempt to start 2017 with an enormous dollop of CATCH-UP, kiddos.

And I’m starting with something I made this time LAST YEAR. Yep, that’s right, the festive season of 2015/2016.

My mum stayed with me for Christmas and New Year, and you know how much I love to sew for her, right? And this brief length of fabric was purchased by her in a charity shop, fringed to act as a scarf, and used by her to cover a table in the corner.

But, dear reader, I felt it. I gave it a tiny burn test. And I’m pretty sure it’s lush Viyella wool challis (or similar). So, even though there wasn’t much of it, I wanted to try and squeeze out a wee top for her.

Wanting something no fuss, no muss, I dug out my beloved Simplicity 1317 pattern which, OK, is made for stretchy fabrics but WHATEVER COME ON WE CAN DO THIS RIGHT?

I cut out and sewed a size small (10-12) which, despite using a non-stretchy fabric, turned out to be just the right size (my mum’s pretty flat-chested and the fabric has a gently crisp hand, so a lack of bust darts wasn’t as problematic as you might expect).

With barely any fabric I made the sleeves bracelet-length and added a stand-up band around the neckline to create a 1960s style collar and VOILA! One cute-as-all-hell top from a pretty meh scarf/tablecloth.

Because nobody puts this baby in the corner.