Tova #3

Earlier this week I finished my third Tova... it would be accurate to say I am obsessed!

I love the shape and the fit - I am pretty proud of myself for enlarging the pattern it is working!

It isn't up to The Great British Sewing Bee scrutiny, but I love them!

So the one I made this week looks like this:

It bright and summery! I made a few adjustments to the pattern for this one.

Firstly I put pleats into the front instead of gathering. Even trying really hard I just couldn't the gathering even so I just decided to make my life simpler and use pleats - after all that is the bonus of making your own clothes, you can choose!

Next I wanted short sleeves so I can wear it in the summer and add an under layer in the winter if want to. On the pink shirt I had shortened the sleeves and left them with a basic hem. This time I decided to add some elastic to see how that would look.

They have given me puffy sleeves. That along with a tiny bit of gathering at the top has changed the book of the sleeve!

Finally I wanted a more fitted look that Tova #1. So I marked and pinned the sides pulling it in by over an inch on the waist and the taking it out again. Much more fitted, but still mega comfy!

Is it the last Tova?

I really doubt it! Love the pattern and I am enjoying using it as a launching point for trying different ideas out!

I haven't decided what to wear to the awards ceremony yet, but I bought tights for this dress just in case!

Linking up with TGIFF over at Ms Midge

State Side Shopping

When I bought the fabric from Angie's Quilts for my first Tova - which I love by the way - I also bought some yardage from a shop in the States that I hadn't heard of before, Hawthorne Threads.

I had seen the name in a blog post I had been reading and obviously being a fabric addict I had to investigate!

I was not disappointed!

They have masses of fabric, I mean every collection under the sun and then some more!

I spent ages just scrolling through all of the pages, trying to decide if I could afford to shop...

Then I clicked on the sale section ....... OMG, I think I actually gasped!

It is packed full of gorgeous fabric at amazing prices. Plus they had a whole load of Tula Pink's Prince Charming which I wanted to back my bee quilt when I finish the missing block:

I have searched high and low for enough to back the quilt, so finding enough to do it meant I just had to shop...

I knew I wanted more Tovas so I started looking for other fabrics and I decided on these 2:

Graphic Mums by Heather Bailey

Birdy by Tanya Whelan

 In all I ordered 10 yards, enough for a shirt, dress and quilt back. It worked out at $9.2 a yard which is £5.99 a yard, including postage. Just can't beat that for top rate cotton from the best in design....

My wonderful bundle arrived on Friday and was actually opened whilst chatting to the lovely postie, and the birdy fabric has already been transformed into a shirt that was worn all day Saturday!

GO and check out Hawthorne Threads, they are simply awesome!

Tova Number 1

So a couple of weeks ago I took the plunge and invested in the Wilksten Tova pattern.

I had been put off previously by the deluge of pictures on the web of gorgeously made Tova dresses and shirts. They were all for fabulous women who look stunning and don't have my curves - think big boobs and you are there with me!

I was nervous about starting, how do even adapt a pattern to fit me and my lovely boobs?

Well I took the plunge, I bought pattern to download - mega easy by the way - and started trying to get from the 40" large to my bust of 44".... I found out that adding an 1" to each pattern piece would get me there.

Luckily that was pretty easy to do on this pattern because I had printed it off, so I could just reprint pieces where the additional sizing had overlapped onto other pieces.

I had to be careful to make sure that I followed the curves getting bunched like above.

I needed to make the central part sat on the chest properly, that was my only big worry.

I also learnt how to make pattern weights and use my rotary cutter to cut the dress fabric:

It made cutting out so much easier.

I took my time putting the dress together and I was as patient as possible, which for me and dress making is unheard of!

It quite roomy which means that I have space to move and it covers all my lumps and bumps perfectly!

It feels comfortable and sits perfectly on my chest. It might be good to make a slightly smaller version I think, but for my first attempt at adapting a pattern I am pretty chuffed!

Linking up with TGIFF over at Quilt Matters

Making Clothes

I am a quilter to my core.

But I have made clothes in past - not for a long time though!

I have an awards ceremony coming up in May and I need something new to wear. I just can't seem to find what I want. So I am going to make something.

I have been looking at the TOVA pattern from Wiksten for quite a long time, but not been sure about giving it a go...

But today I have taken the plunge and bought the PDF of the pattern.

I love the look of this shirt and when I saw the lovely Sonia from Fabric and Flowers wearing the one she made I was sold.

The only thing I am concerned about is the fit. All of the pictures I find on google of people who have made the shirts are of slim makers. I am not slim, I am a curvy size 16. I hope it works ok with my body type too!

Now which fabric to use. I have so many I love...

From M is for Make

From Backstitch

From The Village Haberdashery

What do you think? 

Have you made one?

Would love to see your Tova!