Trying my hand at some sewing!

This is my sewing machine. It was bought for me as a present by Tony my husband and we had to dig it out of the garage so that I could attempt to turn a size 10 skirt that I'd found in a charity shop into a dress vaguely resembling something a Victorian girl would have worn.

Fortunately how to thread it and load a bobbin came back to me and at about 7 pm I got to work. I found an old cot sheet in a trunk and decided that I would make a frilly apron out of that. Nothing like setting yourself a task is there?! I cut the waist band off the bias cut skirt and cut a neck line of sorts. Before Freya went to bed I asked her to climb into it and pinned a few loose pleats to make it slightly less voluminous. Of course I left the hem on the skirt! My sewing is pretty cack handed but I did do that forward than backwards overstitching so it should hold together...

The apron was another story, it took a lot longer but was better sewn on the whole.. I didn't finish until 11.30pm as I couldn't fathom how on earth to make a ruffled hem other than by hand. It was a stab in the dark but it worked and most importantly Freya was pleased enough to say " that's good muma - you should do it professionally!" Er, no I don't think so!

Elliot went off looking a little like David Essex with his Falmer waistcoat and neckkerchief - again last minute finds at a charity shop!

and I plaited Freya's hair

All in all I am very glad we made the effort to send them off like that; it's such a faff but their happiness makes it worth it. Tony took some great photos in sepia effect too and apart from the 1929 bungalow and bike bag you would almost think they were from the past :)

I wonder if Victorian day is happening all over the country or if its just in Norfolk? There was a run on flat caps in North Walsham apparently :)