Me-Made Madrid
My husband and I have spent this last week in Madrid for the 2017 Convention of Jehovah's Witnesses and we thought, as we haven't been to Madrid before, we would make a holiday of it too. What better excuse could a girl have to get sewing.
We had been told that Madrid is extremely hot during the summer months, they weren't wrong, it was 49oC when we arrived. For this reason, I wanted free flowing, cool clothes. On the flight I wore a grey skirt that I had made for a previous holiday.
We had been told that Madrid is extremely hot during the summer months, they weren't wrong, it was 49oC when we arrived. For this reason, I wanted free flowing, cool clothes. On the flight I wore a grey skirt that I had made for a previous holiday.
This is the first circle skirt I had ever made. It is a heavy weight cotton so was very easy to handle. I bought the fabric from a vintage fair in Exeter a few years ago. It cost just £10 for about 3 meters of fabric. I didn't know what I would do with it at the time but it was so cheap I just couldn't resist. I have now made two skirts from it and still have fabric left over. So if you see a bargain that you love then it is always worth getting it for a future investment. Be balanced with this principle, however, it is not an excuse to buy everything and anything in the sales. I didn't have a pattern for this skirt but this website proved very useful for working out the correct measurements...
Okay, so I didn't make this dress but I did add the lace trim. This is a navy cotton shirt dress that was cool and versatile. I wanted to make it my own so, using some lace that I had used on my wedding cake, I added it around the bottom. This is also a great way to spruce up old clothes. By simply changing the buttons and adding a new trim to the hem or some embroidery to a sleeve or collar can give you a brand new outfit when your low on cash, plus it makes it unique for you.
We walked around this beautiful little town called Alcalá. The old buildings and cobbled streets were the perfect backdrop for red wine and tapas.
This dress, however, I did make!
This is the very first dress that I have ever made and I am pretty pleased with the results. It was a fresh cotton with an African print. The fabric was given to me as a gift from a member of my family. At first I wasn't keen on it as it wasn't my usual style. But then I found this dress pattern stashed away in my cupboard and thought it perfect for the job. It was actually very fitting for the event I wore it to, as there were many Africans there in their beautiful outfits and national dress. It is now my favourite piece in my wardrobe.
I added a navy lace trim on the shoulder and neckline to give it that extra feminine touch. It was once again the same lace I used on my wedding cake. Keeping little things like this go a long way to being a thrifty crafter.
The final touch was the pattern down the back seam. The selvedge edge had a beautiful pattern that I used to add detail to the back of the dress. When your sewing it is natural to add detail to the front but don't neglect the back.
Many people believe that it is too expensive to make your own clothes these days. Granted, with the mass fashion industry you can buy clothes very cheaply. If you shop in the right places and keep an eye out for those bargains, however, it can be much cheaper to make your own. In my case these three outfits all together cost me no more than 34€ proof that it is still cheaper to make your own. Plus, it is so satisfying to say you made them...the thrifty way.
Where are your favourite places to pick up a bargain?
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