It's A Dotty Frock!

Just before the summer holidays my lovely Instagram friend Chrissie Crafts sent some Dottie Angel Simplicity patterns to us Dottie fans.

During my time in Cornwall I was plotting and planning, and seeing lots of beautiful Dottie frocks popping up on blogs and social media.

The wonderful thing about this pattern is that you can use so many fabric combinations and tweak and customise to your heart's desire.

I think this teams up perfectly with my beautiful necklace gifted to me by my good friend Di Tinker Foster, (she runs workshops at Hope and Elvis and I'm so excited as I will be going to one in October! Whoop!)

But for quite a while I had lost my dress making confidence and I was a tad nervous.

However I had been to some brilliant workshops at Hope and Elvis, one with Rachel from Dock and Nettle and one with Leah Halliday.

Both ladies are extremely talented designers, pattern cutters and seamstresses and I learned so much from them.

Rachel's workshop taught me to keep things simple and to take things slowly.

Leah taught me the joys of under stitching and how to cut out my fabric properly!

(Louise at Hope and Elvis also showed me the right way round to pin my pins...this has changed my life!)

I became a little overwhelmed at the possible fabric choices.

Should I go floral?

Clash my prints?

But in the end I chose this simple mattress ticking style linen.

What shall I go for next?

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A Very Dottie Day Indeed!

3/7/12:
Well, where do I begin?
The Dottie Angel and Ted & Agnes workshop at the Hope and Elvis studio was probably one of the best days of my life, ever.

Not only did I meet my blogging hero, (of whom I couldn't quite look in the eye the whole day because I went a bit shy and unnecessary,) but I met Louise and Debs and the magical place that is Hope and Elvis.

If you love charity shopping, car booting, tea drinking, Tunnocks tea cake scoffing, stitching (and not bitching), laughing, ooh-ing and ahh-ing, rootling through scraps of delicious vintage fabrics and generally having a fine old time, then you have to visit this shiny, happy place.

(I've still got to finish it...sorry, there were too many distractions!)

As we were rushing to finish our pinnys in time for dinner, (delicious by the way!) it reminded me of college, as we were all sewing like demons, pins flying all around us and tongues sticking out at jaunty angles.
 (Why do bobbins always run out just when you've only got a tiny bit left to do?)
When I'd finally stitiched on my apron ties, I said in a triumphant voice for all to hear:
'That's better, I've got my strap on now!'
(Yep, another classic quote for the book!)

Dottie's bag (I nearly stroked it, but I thought it would make me look a tad creepy, or ever so slightly pick pocket-like, which would not do at all.)

Louise's fab bracelet:

Louise and Debs (steady on girls!)

Dottie and Ted & Agnes and their dearies:

Thankyou to the most inspiring and friendly tutors and a huge thankyou to Louise and Debs for organising the whole wonderful day and for all the Tunnocks' goodness, fab fabric, laughs and friendship.
I will be back!
tales of tedandagnes.blogspot.com
www.hopeandelvis.com
dottieangel.blogspot.com