Friday 7 November 2014

darn cheap fabrics seasonal challenge - spring 2014 (+ giveaway winner)

in august i took a trip to melbourne and went to lunch, drinks and fabric shopping with a bunch of melbourne bloggers.  i got to meet lara from thornberry. i've always admired lara's style, envied her output, but best of all we both share a love for darn cheap fabrics.  even though lara lives in melbourne and i live in sydney and we have always shopped at dcf separately we have actually bought quite of few of the same fabrics in the past.

lara kindly bought and posted me some fabric from dcf that wasn't available online after we both liked the fabric on instagram.  when talking over email about this purchase i asked lara if she would like to do a dcf seasonal challenge, where each season we collectively choose a fabric, make it into whatever we want and then post on our blogs.



so here's our first challenge - spring 2014.  lara bought the fabric as i haven't been down to melbourne for a few months.  the plan was for lara to take a few pictures of fabrics she liked, sms them to me and we would choose the challenge fabric.  unfortunately lara's phone battery went flat at dcf (i totally know the feeling - it happened to me when i was looking at some merino for kirsty one time) so lara chose the fabric and i decided to wait til it arrived in the post to find out what it was.

lara chose 2 fabrics, but i decided to go with the knit and make a matching top (simplicity 1366) and skirt (new look 6228) both of which i have made before here and here. am sure lara will have better details on the exact fabric type/content on her post - she has great fabric knowledge, needless to say i love her selection.


there is not much to add about construction and fit for these versions.  i made an 8 in the top, added 2 1/4" to the length and shortened the sleeves the same as my previous version.  i made the skirt with 1 piece for the front and 1 piece for the back, rather than cutting it in panels, as per the pattern.  to do this i cut out the panels using an old sheet, sewed them together so i had 1 piece for the front and 1 piece for the back and then used this as my pattern.  i also added 4 1/2 inches to the length.  


i'm pretty happy with how it turned out, the one thing i am a bit disappointed with is the way the top pools near the hem at the back - you can kind of see it in the photo above left. none of my other versions have done this, but they are made from heavier knits.


i am planning on wearing the skirt and top together at times, but will also get a lot of wear from the pieces as separates too. below is how i wore the top to work today.


here's another pic showing the pooling at the lower back.


i had to cut the waistband across the stretch as i didn't have enough fabric to cut it with the stretch, so i didn't need to use any elastic in this version.  i can't remember how much fabric there was but i think it was around 1/1.5m or so, so am very happy i was able to get 2 pieces from it.





i'm really looking forward to seeing what lara has made, i have seen a few progress shots on instagram - but am looking forward to seeing the final product.

finally if you got this far, the lucky winner of the fabric from my giveaway is Christy - whose name was pulled out of a hat by the other mr flagg. congratulations!! i will send you a message on instagram to get your postal details.

thanks for sharing the fun of the challenge lara!

emma

18 comments :

  1. I do love a separates outfit, and Lara chose a lovely fabric - DCF overwhelms me frequently... The seasonal challenges sound like fun, I'll look forward to the next instalments ;)

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    1. thanks nic! can understand how you could get overwhelmed by dcf - usually when i go i have about 10 minutes while the kids wait in the car, so its a quick look and then BUY!

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  2. What a cool concept! I like DCF for the trims, but find the fabrics overwhelming.

    Your shirt & skirt are lovely!

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    1. Thanks! Am looking forward to getting our summer challenge fabric at Christmas.

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  3. 1. Love this idea.
    2. OMG that top! I love it with the skinny jeans. Love it hard.
    3. The fabric! Radness squared!

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  4. Great challenge! I love the top with the skinny jeans especially.

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    1. thanks each, yep its handy to have the separates and i do love how the top looks with skinnys.

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  5. So many outfit combos with those pieces.
    Love the idea of this.

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    1. thanks kylie - I've got quite a bit of wear from this already and yes its great how many combos can be put together!

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  6. That's so simple yet classically stylish. I love what you've both done. Great challenge.

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    1. thanks maria, am looking forward to the summer challenge!

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  7. Love all the outfits.spesh the skirt and top (which I thought was a dress at firs. t) Must check them out myself..

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    1. thanks staff, most people think this is a dress even when they see me in person - i love how flexible this outfit is.

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  8. We need a DCF here in Sydney - they look to have the best fabrics! I really like this outfit, both as separates and as coordinates - hope you get a lot of wear from both!

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    1. thanks gabrielle! oh my goodness I would probably be broke - but yes i would love a sydney dcf!

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