I Followed a Pattern!

My sewing adventures so far have been a bit of hit, a lot of miss and rarely following the instructions. So, I am particularly pleased that I have finally managed to follow a pattern to the letter, with some great results. I'd had this crossover dress from Smashed Peas and Carrots on my Pinterest board for a while, so yesterday I decided it was time to tackle it (much motivated by my desire to keep my daughter out of grossly over-flowered and over-pink outfits).
Staying true to my upcycling commitment, the blue side was a 1rm (15p / 20c) sleeveless blouse from a 'bundle' shop in KL, and the spotty side was one of my baby's receiving blankets.

Although it's a bit big yet, I couldn't resist trying it on her and I'm really please with how it turned out. Usually when I go to try things on her, I realise the armholes are too tight or she can't get her head through so this was a definite win. Next challenge: diaper bloomers to match!

What I learnt:

• receiving blankets have way more material in them than you'd think
• sometimes unpicking hems and seams is really worth the time it takes (for that extra inch of material) on items to be upcycled
• covering buttons with material is easy with Daiso's 5rm packs of 24
• pressing seams can make a project go from beginner to brilliant

10 minute / 90 minute dress

When I saw this tutorial for a 10-minute dress, I decided it was perfect to lift my mood and give me a 'win' after yesterday's failure of a summer suit (which I will try again as soon as I've finished ironing out what went wrong, with the help of lovely Rae who provided the tutorial). It also liked the idea as one thing I hate about dresses (apart from the fact they are all pink and flowery) is they tend to ride up and end up all bunched around baby's waist, which must be pretty uncomfortable in this tropical heat. Also, having to take off the matching panties to change a nappy isn't my idea of practical: this dress with a hidden bodysuit sounded like the solution to that.
To be honest, it did not take 10 minutes or anything like it, mostly due to my having to unpick the entire skirt from the bodysuit as it had been sewn on so badly - I'd actually missed huge sections so it was half-attached, half hanging off. In the end, I reckon I spent over an hour on it but it doesn't matter cos it worked!
I had a pack of wee flowers on hand from the amazing Daiso (12 for a quid!) so I sewed a few over the faded logo on the bodysuit and I think it added a nice finishing touch.
Phew!

What I learned:

• unpicking stitches takes AGES, although there's possibly a better technique I haven't yet discovered
• shirring isn't half as scary as I thought
• picking up odds and ends of bargains for embellishments is worthwhile
• upcycling is very satisfying