The jumper dress

Hey guys! So today, I want to share with you a dress that I made for a photo shoot last weekend. The dress was super easy to make. In fact I made the dress I'm about to show you in one afternoon.

 I sourced the jumpers that I used from my local charity shop, so as to save money on the cost of the project and because it meant I would be using items that where already finished along the edges. This made the whole project a lot faster and made the final outcome look more professional.

If you'd like to make one for yourself, here's what you'l need:

• A sewing machine
• thread
• 2 jumpers
• 2 cardigans (or 1 if you skip the part where I replace the arms)

So with out further to do, let's get onto how I made the dress:

1. Firstly I took the first cardigan and carefully removed the sleeves at the shoulder seam.
2. I then removed the sleeves (at the shoulder seam) from the other cardigan.
   
3. I then placed the sleeves of one cardigan on the other by simply reattaching the arms at the shoulders.
   
4. Next I measured out the width of the cardigan (this includes both the front and back) and the divided the measurement by 4. This measurement will be the top width.
5. Using this measurement as the top, I created trapezium like shapes from the two jumpers, making sure that I used the full width of the jumper at the bottom of the pattern piece. At this point don't forget to add seam allowance. 
6. Then I cut out these trapeziums, which left me with 4 pieces to make the skirt from.
   
7. I attached these pieces to each other, making a complete skirt.
8. Finally I attached the skirt to the cardigan (when doing this, it's important that you make sure that the cardigan is buttoned closed)  

And there you have it, how to make a jumper dress. So as always,

 I hope this has inspired you!

OOTW: One item 4 ways

Hi, so this is something I've never done before but I've decided, I might as well try it out. I've used my favourite skirt, that I made and posted about here That post also shares how you too can make a skirt like this). So to further inspire you to make this skirt, I thought I might as well share some outfit ideas with you. I've never claimed to be some sort of fashionista, this is all just my personal style.

Outfit No.1

This outfit, is one that I would wear to church because I think it's slightly more fancy than what I might wear on a normal day, mainly due to the flower on the cardigan.

Details;

Cardigan: Mango

Necklace: Claire?

Skirt: Made by me (take a look here)

Leggings: Next

Boots: Primark

Outfit No.2

I find this outfit to be a bit more toned down, due to the comfy-ness of the jumper, than the previous outfit and so would wear this to college.

Details:

Jumper: Gift 

Necklace: Bijou Brigitte 

Skirt: Made by me (find out more about it here)

Leggings: Next

Boots: Fatface

Outfit No.3

This is the exact outfit I was wearing, on Christmas Eve last year. I don't know why but it makes me feel so festive when I wear this combination. It must be the star on the jumper.

Details:

Scarf: Gift

Jumper: TK MAX

Bracelet: Gift

Watch: Gift

Skirt: Made by me (you can find out more about it here)

Leggings:Next

Boots: Fatface (they're the same boots that I had on in the previous outfit)

Outfit No.4

This outfit screams winter time to me, as not only does it include a super cute Christmas jumper, it also has fluffy boots!

Details:

Jumper: Next

skirt: Made by me (for more information take a look here)

Leggings: Next

Boots: Gift

I hope this has inspired you! 

Let me know how you would style this skirt.

Coats fashion show

So, over the weekend I went to the London knit and stitch show and I had an absolutely amazing time, but don't worry if you couldn't make it, as there are also knit and stitch shows in other places (have a look here to see if there's a show near you). At the show, there was also the coats fashion show, which displayed the new work of Rowan, Patons, free spirit and of course Coats. As well as new patterns from Butterick, Vogue and McCalls.
Whilst watching I also took photos of some of the items, so that I could share them with you, and also where you can find the relevant patterns (this only applies to some items as I couldn't trace all of the pieces on show, but let me know in the comments if you find any of the patterns that I couldn't source).

 Don't you just love the amazing texture in this cardigan and its colours just fit right into the themes you would associate with autumn. Sadly though I couldn't find the pattern for this cardigan.

I'm afraid I wasn't able to get a front row seat, so you may just see some head bobbing into the frame now and then. But don't let that detract from how cool this oversized jumper is. Again this was another pattern I couldn't source.

Normally knitted things for men just look naff but this men's cardigan is not only wearable but also really fashionable. However no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't source this pattern.

With it coming up to Christmas, and the season where I don't know about you but I love to wear a really nice jumper, this no doubt will be a real hit and this style has certainly been making the rounds already. Sadly I was unable to find this pattern.

And of course there's an equally stylish version for men. Unfortunately I was unable to find the pattern for this jumper. 

Sadly I wasn't able to get a full photo on this skirt but trust me when I say that the back is really something. So according to the program, the information is as follows:

Pattern company: Vogue

Pattern: V8882 style D

Fabric: FreeSpirit Elizabeth by Tula Pink Ship Shape PWTP065-SKYXX

The fabric used in this men's shirt really gives it that wow factor and it also reminds me of the 70's style that everybody seems to be loving at the moment. According to the program, the information on this is as follows:

Pattern company: Vogue

Pattern: V8889 Style C

Fabric: Coats Electric Elements by Tim Holtz Cigarbox PWTH015- MULTI 

Okay, just take a minute to appreciate the sheer beauty of this cardigan,it totally captures the autumn colours and how autumn is totally about leaves. This pattern was designed by Martin Storey and you can find information on his pattern here. 

 Look there's yet another cool men's jumper, Rowan are on a roll :) This pattern was designed by Marie Wallin and you can find more information on it here.

This jumper is a really nice take on the oversized jumper trend, as it has a really nice tailoring to it. For more information on this pattern take a look here.

I reckon the cowl styled neck on this jumper could come in really useful come the cold weather this winter. This pattern was designed by Sarah Hatton and you can find more information on it here. 

And here's another really cool men's jumper, you can't say that Rowan haven't catered for men. The pattern was designed by Martin Storey and information about it can be found here.

 This knitted hood has a great comfort meets ready to go style, which is just really wearable. However I was unable to find the pattern needed to make one.

When this jumper came out onto the cat walk, there was a gasp among the audience and I think you can see why. This jumper won't just complement an outfit, it will make an outfit. This jumper was designed by Martin Storey and information on the pattern can be found here. 

This is my personal favourite and I could totally see this item in my wardrobe. The pattern was designed by Emily Platt and information on it can be found here.

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 This is yet another classic jumper that has such as timeless feel to it. This jumper was designed by Emily Platt and you can find more information about it here.

The colour of the wool used here, really stands out and complements the patterns on show here. The snood was designed by Emily Platt and there is more information on it here. The hat was also designed her and information on it can be found here. Although you can't see them in the photo the model was also wearing these super cool welly toppers, which where also designed by Emily Platt and information on them can be found here.

Don't you just get a great 70s vibe from this jumper. This pattern was designed by Kim Hargreaves, if you would like to find out more information of this pattern, take a look here.

Personally, as someone who loves to snuggle up in front of the TV in jumpers and ponchos, I think this take on the classic poncho is really interesting.It was designed by kim Hargreaves and more information can be found here.

So you've seen lots of over sized jumpers in this post but here's an oversized cardigan that I personally love. It was designed by Kim Hargreaves, you can find more information on this pattern here.

Although this may look like your average cardigan, it's actually got some Swarovski beads added to it, which really gives it that extra sparkle, there was lots of murmuring when this came out and I think you can understand why. This pattern was designed by Jennie Atkinson and you can find more information on it here.

As you can tell from the women's faces in the background of this photo, that this jumper really is something. It was designed with Swarovski and again has beads threaded through the jumper. This was definitely the most stunning item in the whole show. This amazing dress was designed by Jennie Atkinson and you can find more information on it here.
I hope you've enjoyed this quick round up of the coats show. Don't forget to join me again next Thursday.

I hope this has inspired you!

P.S. I haven't been asked to or paid to write this post and all the views expressed are 100% my own.