Made it for two weddings but late to my own party...

Why hello there,

How the devil are we all?  This is the post that has been slow cooking away for some time now and I hope is all the more rich and juicy for it ;-)

You would not be remiss for thinking lazy ol’ Miss D she's been sitting round with her curlers in and feet up in fluffy mules ever since she finished her  cake heavy commission.  This my dears has not been the case at all I've simply been in a wedding and post wedding walking whirl.

As I advance through my years life gets no less challenging and in the same vein no less interesting, thankfully.  If you'd ask me at the beginning of  last year if I thought I'd be making a wedding cake for one dear friend and several bridesmaid dresses for another I would have said it's more likely that I'll take gold at 2012!  Reminds me more than ever what a difference a day can make.

Laura and I were told we wouldn't require coats in Spain we were both glad we didn't listen.

As previously blogged I was asked last year by my very lovely friend Laura to be one of her bridesmaids.  Hers is a thoroughly modern love story and one, which I’m glad to have been a part of from the very beginning.  We met when we both decided to take an Erasmus exchange to Spain in our second year at uni. It was in fact at this time I made my first dress (very badly – see evidence below).  It was a crazy few months to say the least but Laura and I became firm friends united by our ability to find humour when all else had failed including the heating.  On our return from Alicante we started our final year and the fun continued.  She unfortunately had a really rubbish housemate think 30 year old Veruca Salt.  I on the other hand lived in a ramshackle 7 bedroom house with 5 lovely guys and 1 lovely girl.  It was a true student house in every sense. 

This dress was held together with sellotape by the end of the night but my love of polka dots was born :)

We used to have really great parties and Laura used to come along, which is where she met my then housemate Nick who was to become her beloved J  Over the course of our final year they fell hard for each other and when we stayed on an extra year after graduation it cemented their feelings but as we all know life can sometimes play you a dud hand.  Nick was due to spend the summer abroad and then go back to his hometown.  His trip got cut short but home he went and Laura followed but things didn’t work out and studies took her back South and they decided to separate.  When I went to get her it all seemed so sad but the old romantic in me believed true love would will out and indeed it did.  Just a few weeks later Nick declared he could not live without her and would go whether she needed to be.  That was 6 years ago.

Brave or crazy on the basis of only a few my outfits she asked me to make the bridesmaids dresses!  I was both excited and a little nervous but when she phoned me in September last year October 2012 seemed a long way away - it came around fast.  Thankfully, not long after I blogged about it the lovely Ginger Makes emailed me to say she'd embarked on a similar mission and time goes by quicker than you think.  Taking that into account the bride and I came up with a timetable for the coming months to at least try to keep everything on target.  This proves very useful when one your of bridesmaids is a touring opera singer, another is a very successful business woman running a cheerleading squad, the other is a swing trio singing mum of one with another  bubba on the way and the other is me!

The bridal squad

Right from the start Laura had said she wanted us to go for a vintage look to compliment what she was hoping to find in her dress so we had a pow wow and we both decided we looking for a nicely shaped bodice, cap sleeve, a bateau neckline and a fuller skirt.  I found two patterns that ticked the boxes.

Simplicity 3592

New Look 6723

Owing to Simplicity 3592 being a vintage pattern and not so readily available I set about making a muslin of New Look 6723 so we could give it a yay or nay early on in the process.

It was indeed a nay aside from the fact that the black tights and calico combo makes me look like a character from a Dickens' novel albeit a ver chirpy one the design just wasn't flattering.

So we shelved the New Look in favour of the vintage Simplicity pattern.  Whilst I set about bidding for several on Ebay I also decided that all our proportions were so different it was probably best off to make bodice blocks for all of us and then an adapt pattern for each of us.  I've actually only taken a pattern cutting course to make a skirt block but I found an ace tutorial on making a bodice block here and along with my trusted Winifred Aldrich Pattern Cutting for Womens Wear.  Although this sounds like a lot of work I don't regret it at all it made the whole process so much simpler as I knew with just a few tweaks we'd have the right fits for everyone and then it was just a case of adapting the skirt pattern.  It has also made me want to take the next level in pattern cutting at Sew in Brighton.

Anywho fast forward to Summer this year and we'd manage to snap up the fabric we needed from Goldhawk Road for the bargain price of £65.  We went for a steely lavender cotton silk that showed lots of different colours when it was caught by the light.  Laura and I both agreed it would look lovely on our various colourings and was along way a way from the peach parachutes that bridesmaids in the 80s were fated to wear.  

Both Laura and I wanted to avoid creations that would require facial anonymity!

As well as finding the fabric Laura who herself had started to sew was going to make one of the dresses because Louisa the swinging, singing bridesmaid would have her new baby by the time the wedding came round.  It was easier for Laura to fit Louisa as they live close to each other but, which left me with lovely pleasure of making a baby bridesmaid’s dress J

The baby bridesmaid dress pattern Simplicity 2235 so sweet

The months whirled by in a flash and before we knew it was July and we were on Laura’s hen do in London doing the last test fittings. There were some minor adjustments but things were full steam ahead.  At the same time another very lovely friend of mine who you may know, Zoe ;-) asked me to help out with the fitting of her wedding dress and to make the cake for her and Pat’s wedding.  I was absolutely over the moon.  We only met in February 2011 so to be given the honour of such a special baking project was really touching.

Zoe raised a glass to my plan for alcoholic wedding cake

Me being me had also taken on the cake skirt for Macmillan as well as squeezing a trip to Berlin over the summer so it was pretty much nose to the grindstone from August right through to the end of September when Zoe and Pat got married.  They had decided they didn’t want to go for a cutting of the cake affair so instead they asked me to bake 120 cupcakes and they both jumped on my suggestion of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic varieties ;-)  In the end the cupcakes were a mixture of vanilla, chocolate and Guinness with a Bailey’s frosting, lime with a tequila frosting and tiramisu with a mascarpone frosting (recipes for all here).  They were all decorated with royal icing card suits to match Pat and Zoe’s theme.  I was ably assisted I hasten to add by two of my very creative friends Miss Aymi D of picture perfection and Kirstin Stride of many a piece of hand drawn jewellery and more recently purveyor of pretty pants. The girls were invaluable letting me getting on with the baking while they coloured the icing and cut shapes.  I couldn’t have done it without them so thank you.

I'll raise you a Guinness and chocolate for a Margarita and lime!

What did slip my mind at the time was the fact I hadn’t got round to making my dress for the wedding :s  There was no way I could go in RTW especially not with Zoe being so supportive of my sewing endeavours.  So I did want any good seamstress would I cut out my dress the night before then had some port and sewed it in the morning.  It was to the wire but I still had time to make a hair bow because I thought the beehive needed a little gigi.  I will add though it wasn’t meant to be so last minute because my original plan had been to sew Simplicity 4908 as gifted to me by the very excellent Lana of Lazy Stitching.  It didn’t happen though because the bodice pattern hated on me L  (princess seams are meant to be winner for curves I'm convinced in my case this is not the case) I fell back onto the bodice pattern I’d designed for my bridesmaid dress and the skirt from 4908.  It was a match made in heaven and I even got a mention in the speeches for last minute nature of my clothing.  

I called the look Latina Minnie Mouse

As you’ll have seen from Zoe’s posts she look an absolute picture and so did Pat.  It was a wonderful wedding where I cried and danced.

A pair of handmade crackers :)

Any thoughts of resting any longer than the Sunday were out the door quicker than Mo Farah on the track because the following weekend was Laura and Nick’s wedding.  The week was filled with final changes and hemming and by Friday I was good to go.  

All sewn and ready to hem eek!

Not for the first time I found myself travelling across country on a train with multiple garments and a sewing machine.  Thanks be that I came for the rehearsal though because I went to several wrong churches before I found the right one.  Honestly I felt like Dustin Hoffman at the end of The Graduate J Once we had the rehearsal we did one last fitting and then Laura, her Mama and I headed to the hotel for a well deserved dinner and relax with chocs and wine aplenty.

Laura and her lovely Mama

The next morning the alarm rang at 7am and thanks to our legendary cheerleading bridesmaid, Sara and equally legendary twin sisters aka the beautifying team the getting ready went like clockwork despite there being six ladies to ready and a baby.  Honestly Frank the wedding planner from Father of the Bride had nothing on our gal :)  She could run the country that one!

It was a super emotional day and the first time I choked was when our very beautiful bride clocked how lovely she was in the mirror as pictured below.

Just perfect :)

The whole day was just a massive show of love from the tears in the church with Steph aka the sister-in-law singing opera, Laura's Mama's beautiful speech, Louisa singing the first dance with her trio the Spitfire Sisters with little baby Poppy strapped to her.  

A whole of love in this photo.

Spot the baby bridesmaid so sweet :)

Despite having a whole wedding to plan and a business to run Laura made us all individual presents.  She's a complete doll xxx

And finally my crafty skills performed one last win.

I always have a needle handy and handy it was when it came to popping Laura out of her dress at 1am

So there you have it that was my wedding whirl and whirly it was but my heart definitely got a bit bigger over that fortnight and I still get a bit teary when I think how touched I was to be able to be a part of the start of the next chapter for two very dear friends of mine.  I love you girls and I raise a glass of the good stuff to you and your beloveds may the road rise up to meet you at every turn :)

All this celebratory talk brings me nicely to the fact that I forgot my own celebration.  My blogiversary passed me by on the 24th October.  I can't believe I've been waffling on for a year and people are still reading but for this I thank you.  I write for a living so to do it for pleasure and to know that people out there are entertained by it makes me very happy.  So to send a proper thanks I'm doing my first giveaway and it's wedding related. 

Just leave a comment to win the bridesmaid dress pattern, the almost was wedding guest dress, the first vintage dress I ever made for my friend Lana's wedding last year and 3 metres of polka dot crepe

You've got until midday until on Saturday 15th December GMT and the winner will be chose at random and I'll post worldwide.

Phew if you're still with me well done bit of an epic post but you wait until the next time when I tell you what I did to relax after the weddings.  It involves a dog, several mountains and a very sore foot.

Until next time remember always carry a needle because you never know when you'll need to pop a bride out of her frock.

Love always Miss D

xxx

Hostess with the mostest

Hey y'all,

Those who read the blog know I believe there's an outfit for any occasion and that includes the kitchen.  When the lovely Karen wrote about an apronalong I just knew I had to get involved.  I'm already the proud owner of a flamenco style dress apron courtesy of my friend Sarah but I thought there was room for another in the wardrobe.  Especially with the festive season just around the corner I thought I could do with a glamorous number
.

I used  a retro pattern Simplicity 2592 view D 

I'm not sure what it is about a sewalong that makes me want to use flamingo material but hey if it ain't broke don't fix it ;-)  Here's me and my new apron and my first attempt at an eight strand bread plait.  

GBBO's Paul Hollywood would probably have something to say about the colour (the bread not the apron).

Those of you with sharp eyes will notice the print is the wrong way up.  It was always gonna happen at one point but I can live with it and I think a flamingo anyway round is fabulous.

Right I'm off to have a slice of of my plait and sort out a giveaway.  More on that in the next post.

Happy baking and nibbling my lovelies,

Miss D

xxx

A skirt but not as you know it.

Hey y'all,

How the devil are you?  I don't know about you but it's getting very breezy around Demeanour HQ so much so I've had to swap the flip flops for slippers but a new season brings a whole new gamut of sewing projects :)

I have to tell you about the secret project I was working on before I cut a swathe into my Autumnal sewing, which will include making a replica of the gorgeous scarlet cloak worn by Juliette Binoche in Chocolat.  It will mean having to watch the film again so I can pick out an accurate pattern but I think I can push myself to suffer a 120 minutes of Johnny Depp for my sewing ;-)

Those amongst you who follow me on Twitter or Facebook will have heard me warbling on about big project involving wood and wire.  Well it was actually a skirt I was making but as the title of this post suggests it was no ordinary skirt even by Miss D standards ;-)

Not your average skirt making equipment!

Back in August the amazing organisation that is Macmillan Cancer Support asked me if I could replicate the skirt below to raise awareness of their biggest fundraising event, World's Biggest Coffee Morning.

Basically, a human cake stand.

Well me being the notorious yes person that I am said of course with blind faith and sheer determination. Papa Demeanour is a builder and my youngest brother is an expert woodsman so I thought I had adequate experts to reach out to if necessary.  I am pleased to say despite a change in height (the skirt not me) and several wire cuts I did in fact achieve the make :)

This is the stand half way through.

Here's the lovely Sarah from Macmillan decorating the skirt on the day of the shoot.

Me grabbing my time in the spotlight

And finally the professional.  The lovely Lucy Mecklenburgh from The Only Way is Essex.  Doesn't she look just edible ;-)

The 300 something cupcakes were supplied by LOLA's and having demolished several of them after the shoot I can completely vouch for their absolute nomness.

So there you have it that's what I've been up to for the past few weeks.  I'm always really happy to work with Macmillan as they're such a wonderful organisation and the tireless work they do is so close to my heart having lost some wonderful souls in my life to cancer.

The event raised over £10 million last year and you can help them raise even more.

You too can get involved as World's biggest Coffee Morning takes place on 28th September 2012.  You could host one yourself or get a long to one taking place near you. Get all the details here.  You get to have a sit down, eat some lovely cake, chat with friends and raise money for an excellent cause.

Right I'm off for a well deserved sit down before I get cracking on several bridesmaid dresses.

Until next time keep wrapped up.

Love,

Miss D

xxx

It's all happening baby

Ahoy there,

The Good Ship Demeanour is finally docking long enough for me to write about my voyages.  It's been a while crocodile darlings but don't take my lack of blogging as a lack of activity in fact it's been quite the opposite my dears.  I've been running round like I'm on fire and have kept meaning to document said madness but other things have been popping up like the Olympics, three babies (not mine) oh four if you count my friend Shirley's kitten, wedding prep i.e. clothing and cakes and a new commission that has become a grand design.  Unfortunately, I can't reveal anything about it until sometime in September but rest assured you'll be the first to know.

So hold on to your summer hats - yay for the sun finally showing its face - while I give you a whistle stop ride through my latest adventures in making :)

First up I finished what I called the summer by the sea blanket, which was a present for my little niece Min.

After spotting gorgeous blankets by the lovely Karen and Shivani I had to make one for her because she's a blanket fiend and her current one was disintegrating. It's the best use of scrap wool.

Next up after being so giving I felt I was deserving of a little something, something for me.  So I decided to take the Craftsy Sassy Librarian Blouse course, which I can thoroughly recommend.  It's taught by the retro lovely lady that is Christine Haynes.  I have previously bought the bombshell course, which has still not been completed but is very high on the to do list once I get through wedding extravaganza that will be the next month and a half.  Anywho I've wanted a lovely retro style blouse for ages.  The joy of being able to sew means that I can make buttons fasten properly over the girls without having to pick a size that resembles a sack elsewhere.

The summer of 69 blouse made from fabric I gnabbed in the Brighton swap courtesy of the ever stylish Kathryn of Yes I Like That fame

There's several options including sleeveless and pin tucking but I really wanted a traditional blouse but with a foxy twist, which was possible with the addition of this lairy fabric :)

The day following this make the rain came again and my days did it come so what's a girl to do.  I'll tell you - make a Hawaiian kimono style dress that's what.  After seeing the blooming lovely Stitch and Witter's birdy version of the Salme kimono dress I knew the pattern needed to be mine.  I also knew my wardrobe would benefit from some more stretchy items so I used a couple of metres of colourful viscose to make the Aloha kimono.  It's such a great pattern and comes together so quickly.  I made the whole thing from cutting to wearing in just over 3 hours using the overlocker for the whole thing - sweet!

Your eyes do not deceive you I am indeed the proud owner of a plastic coconut cup.  I just need the Hula lady lamp and my kitsch palace will be complete ;-)

Next up for the next generation of makers.  My good friend, Lana gave birth to her first small person and naturally I had to make him something - it would be rude not too.  So little bubba bear got a crocheted hat.  I made it using eco cotton so cool enough to wear in the non existent summer we were having at the time.

The absolute cuteness of the hat was displayed in my face :)  I used this ace pattern by Osito.  It only took a couple of hours to make but has brought much joy according to Mama bear :)

Then after a four year wait the Olympics were upon us and I must admit I wasn't really too excited until a week before when I caught a documentary about Team GB.  I'm a sucker for a back story and to hear how much effort these people had put into to get them to the start line well you'd have to have a hard heart to not be swept up by it.  I along with pretty much everyone I've spoken too was awed and in love with the whole affair.  I hadn't got tickets but I managed to cycle into the city to see the triathlon and I can confess I cried as I stood by the Serpentine and saw the Brownlee brothers take gold and bronze respectively.  I also swooned big time when I saw his Royal Hotness David Beckham blasting up the Thames on a speed boat!  *wobbles at the memory*

So inspired was I that I've signed up for the Brighton half marathon in February - wish me luck!  I will be training with Fit Bitch running club and I'll update you on my progress towards the finish line.

Knowing full well I'll never be going for gold myself I crafted my way to one. You can too with some acrylic wool and a spare hour.

As soon as the games were upon us it seemed like no time at all until I was back down the sea front watching the closing ceremony on the big screen.  But I'm hoping the positive effect they've had on us all will stay a long while and will indeed inspire a generation.  All the efforts of stars like Mo, Jessica, Greg and Sir Chris inspired one last make in me.  

I wanted a new summer dress for my jaunt to Berlin so I used a very loud piece of fabric and a self drafted bodice and full skirt pattern to make the Rio Here We Come dress.

So there you have it my darlings this is what I've been up too for the last few weeks and there's no let up at Demeanour HQ anytime soon.  The next order of business is the final fittings of the toile bridesmaid dresses for the lovely Laura's wedding :)  

The last day of Laura's hen do and the sun came out :)  Feel so lucky to be making outfits for such wonderful women.

I'll be back soon with an update of my escapades.  

Until next time let's take one last look at Becks on the boat ;-)

Love Miss D

xxx

What I've figured out at the grand old age of 32

Hello lovers,

How are we all? Where has time gone?  Can you believe it we are over halfway through the year now!  I do believe time goes quicker the longer I spend on this ole' planet.  On the subject of age I hit 32 a couple of weeks ago.  Not a landmark age I know but I can remember it seemed a long way a way at 16 and certainly a lot more mature than I ever thought I could be.

Well the news is 32 is cool and to be honest I feel as silly as I did at 16 but with a better sense of style - no seafood print culottes here!

Here's ten things I've garnered on my journey into the 33rd year of my days:

1. The higher the hair the closer to heaven - I measured my hair today and it's grown 4 inches since I made my decision to make the beehive my style goal.
2. No matter how old you are you can always meet fabulous people who get you - this one is for all the makers I've met online and in person in the last year and who inspire me daily.
3. Time does heal a heartbreak - but the addition of great friends, cake, midnight making, Kraut rock and Dolly Parton will make the whole sorry situation sweeter.
4. Being yourself is the essence of style - in my case that might mean rocking a purple lace playsuit one day and a skirt with sunshines appliqued on the bum another.
5. You're never too old to learn something new -  My latest learning curve being knitting.  It's early days but  it's already got my attention even if I haven't got the tension cracked.
6. It's alright to not have a plan -  My life has taken a bit of scenic route over the last few years but I can say I'm genuinely enjoying the journey and it's helped me work out the destination I'd like to head, which is behind a mic at BBC6 music if anyone there is reading this ;-)  My hero Jarvis Cocker is behind on me this one, "I don't like careerists. I like people who mess up."
7. In helping someone else you're helping yourself - recently I bombed down to Devon to assist my cousin Rowena's daughter with a wedding dress for her school project. She got the dress of her dreams and I got some great experience of fitting someone other than myself, which I can put to good use when I fit my fellow bridesmaids. 
8. Just because someone knows more doesn't always mean they know better - When I was at school I sewed my project to my skirt in sewing class.  My miserable old teacher told me I'd never be a homemaker and put me off stitching for nearly 16 years.  If only she could see me now *smiles down at handmade frock and pokes tongue out*.
9. Never underestimate the importance of sellotape - I've emergency hemmed with it before I went to see Pulp at Royal Albert Hall and stuck rogue bra straps out the way countless times.
10. The bottom line for a drinkable wine is £3.99 - you go any lower and it's only good for mulled wine making or window cleaning.

There you have it dears that's my pontifications for now.  Please feel free to let me know any of your own gems :)

So as not to make this post completely text heavy and despite the fact I'm without camera at the moment I've had a crack at animation.  Below is my latest make the Ripe Ones Are More Juicy dress.  It's made from fabric I took a chance on last time me and the merry band of seamstresses hit Walthamstow.  The pattern is Simplicity 1880 and is the dress that dear Kate Middleton wore to meet a whole heap of soldiers last year.  It's the subject of a sewalong by the fantastic Fashionable Stitch and I highly recommend it.

Her version was a very pretty shade of yellow where is mine a lurid shade of orange that matches Warburton Toastie loaf and Fanta but no matter I love her :)

Miss D has left the building.

I leave you with a pearl from a fellow Gemini who I adore.

“If I'd observed all the rules I'd never have got anywhere.” 

                                                                                                                     ― Marilyn Monroe

Love Miss D

xxx

End of Me Made May, The Queen and a Wedding Dress

Hello dears,

Hope we're all well and haven't been washed away in the torrents.  As a write this it's a windy, rainy and sunny evening in Brighty so a mixed bag a bit like May this year.

Well unfortunately my blinking camera has gone up the wall and will not turn on so I've only got one picture from the last week of Me Made May'12 boo :s  It's bad camera luck all round at the mo when I caught up with the lovely Kathryn of Yes I Like That at the inaugural and ace Brighton Bloggers' Bash she told me the sad tale of leaving her camera at Farnborough station double boo :(

So here's the one pic I have.

Day 23 - A lovely afternoon by the sea catching up with my gorge friend Shirley and wearing the Burda Neon Twister dress rouched up as a top.

Part of my pledge this May was to get all my mending done.  Sadly life took over and that didn't happen but I did manage to finally tackle the sewing corner yay!

Look at the state of it - shameful!

A few hours later there was room for a sit down and a few verses of Suspicious Minds.  Before the year is out I'm gonna nail that sucker on the uke

Well what have I learned from MMM12?  That I truly am a frosting and not so much a cake kind of gal when it comes to sewing. The frosting versus cake phenomenon has been discussed heavily round the blogosphere with a very thoughtful post by Tasia.  I think the joy in being able to make loads of lovely frocks that in my previously RTW life would have been denied to me because of my odd bod make up led me to make plenty of show stoppers and not so many the show must go on items.  So I've realised I now need to get a few basics rocking.  That's cool though because I've finally got to grips with the overlocker and I've bought Sew U Home Stretch so let the back to basics training begin.  

Fear not though faithful readers as the showstoppers show no sign of stopping as the other thing I realised about my wearing habits is that I walk a different line in regards to appropriate attire.  By that I mean I'm as happy to rock to the shops in a flouncy frock as I am in leggings and a t-shirt.  That's the great thing I guess about sewing for yourself you define it.  So yay for Me Made May'12 and to it's faithful curator the lovely Zoe.

I took a rare afternoon off to indulge in the Jubilee revelry and knocked up Mary Berry's Union Jack tray bake for my sister's street party.  The cake was a hit but the weather sadly not.  Gale force winds and rain but being British we didn't let it stop us.  The kids ran round in the mud and rain and the adults kept toasty under the tarpaulin with mulled wine a plenty :)

Note I'm rocking a red, white and blue best to make the cake, which was delicious even if I do say so myself :) Happy Diamond M'am

Jubilee granny square for our crochet workshop

Thanks to Zoe mending and reassessing of wardrobe requirements weren't the only thing I got up to craft wise in May.  As some of you may know Zoe in another of her guises runs an amazing crafty affair in Brighton called Craftaganza.  Over the Jubilee weekend there was a two day craft love in, which I was very happy to be apart of.  My role included running a crochet workshop with Zoe's beloved, Mr P who himself is a very accomplished hooker (pardon me on the crochet related jokes I just can't help myself).  We had a lovely turn out and everyone went away with their very own hand crafted granny square.  Being a bit of Queenie fanatic I took the opportunity to dress as a royal highness.

I crocheted my tiara and my ruff and managed to get a second use out of the Royal Wedding macaron

Over the Jubilee I can report I was busy as the Queen because as soon as I finished Craftaganza I was off like a shot to Devon on a sewing mercy mission for my cousin Rowena.  Her eldest daughter had chose to make a wedding dress as her handwork project at school and with just a few weeks to go and Rowena 7 months pregnant with baby number 5 they needed help.  Never one to turn down a few days at their beautiful cottage in the rolling Devon countryside I was on the train with Brenda and my first knitting project quicker than you can say I do.

Keziah had chosen Vogue V2902 as the starting point but with the desire to make it floor length

On arrival I saw the patterns had been sufficiently altered and we got cutting.  I will now always have measure twice cut once ringing in my ears.  As bless her at 14 in the 8 weeks since the pattern had been altered she had grown taller and nothing fitted properly so we had to start all over again from scratch.  Needless to say the dress wasn't done by the Friday afternoon that I was leaving so I took it with me and my already ample luggage back home.

Always happy to create a bit more adventure I was going home via London.  I'd bought myself an early birthday present to see the ever amazing Richard Hawley at the Forum in Kentish Town.  The look on the cloakroom attendant's face on checking in a sewing machine and a wedding dress was priceless.  The effort was well worth it though because Mr Hawley was his usual epic self despite having broken his leg a few days earlier.  What a Northern trooper I say and a foxy one at that ;-)

The smoking hot Mr Hawley - I really hope they didn't break the mould after this one

After I came down from the ceiling after 90 minutes in his presence I got to work on the rest of the wedding dress and here she is.

She's actually made of material that is used to make duvets but it gave the dress a beautiful drape

I've since spoken to Keziah and she said it fits like a glove and she's over the moon so I'm very happy indeed :)  She's planning to take photos of her in it down by the sea so I'll post the dress in action when I have one.

So there you go my darlings from May to June I dressed in me made, I dressed a Queen (pearly), I dressed as a Queen and then I dressed a bride well technically at 14 she's a tad too young but you never know I may make her wedding dress one day.

Phew are you tired because I know I am so I will bid you adieu until next time.

I leave you with Richard Hawley's take on music and why I love him:

"All great songs should make you want to fight, cry, drink, dance or make love.  The dream would be to write one that made you want to do all those things at once.  Now that really would be something."

Miss D 

xxx

The Fit For a Queen jacket

Hello my sweethearts,

I'm messing with the order here and popping a post in about a little project that I have been teasing those that follow me on Twitter and Facebook with.  I could only allude to what had been a foot because the commission in question was for charity and had to be kept under wraps.  Normal programming will resume as of tomorrow when I finally finish yapping about my participation in Me Made May 12'.

Enough of the preamble and just tell us what you've been doing Miss I hear you cry.  Well for those of you who don't know I worked for a charity called Macmillan Cancer Support last year in my other guise as a journalist.  I helped the media team by interviewing people who had been directly and indirectly affected by cancer.  It was a wonderful experience, which at times was sad but also incredibly life affirming because I learned how amazing and strong people are at what I can only imagine is the worst time in their lives and to hear how much people had been helped by Macmillan and how grateful they were.

It was during this time that I started to learn to sew and the rest of the team followed my making adventures avidly.  Fast forward a year and they got in touch to ask if I could create a jacket for the Pearly Queen of Hackney, Jackie Murphy who had received support when her husband, Micky died from cancer three years ago.

Jackie Murphy, Pearly Queen of Hackney (left) as pictured in the Islington Tribune

 Jackie in her role as a Pearly, which are London's second oldest charity and raises a massive amount of money for good causes wears a full Pearl embroidered suit that takes months to make.  You can read more about the Pearly Kings and Queens at The Pearlies website.

The only answer was an absolute yes so here is the story of the Fit for a Queen jacket.

The task was to create a Jubilee themed Pearly jacket using the charity badges above that are being sold in Poundland and are available to buy now.

These were the sketches I created that provided the basis for  final jacket design.

The plain old jacket.

Creating the traditional bejewelled Pearly collar.

Delilah and I made an ace team for this project she never moaned once when I kept accidentally pinning the badges to her.

The front taking shape and starting to get very heavy.

Halfway through and the front is finished with well over 500 badges pinned.

The wording on the back was the trickiest part of the project.  The B in Jubilee took numerous attempts.

 A diamond really helped the jacket sparkle :)

The final stage was to add a little bunting over the shoulders and down the arms.

From beginning to end it took about a week to make after all the fiddling and repinning, is made of over a 1000 badges and although I didn't weigh it my guess on trying it on was around 3 stone (19kg).  

Now you've seen how it was made over to Jackie to show you how it should be worn.

By royal decree: Jackie Murphy, Pearly Queen of Hackney as pictured in the Evening Standard (photo by James McCauley)

So there we have it a jacket fit for a queen.  I just want to say a massive thank you to Macmillan for asking me to help them raise awareness and funds for their amazing work it was my absolute pleasure.

Love Miss D

xxx